Category: Italy

I do get to drink incredibly well sometimes thanks to friends’ extreme generosity. I did at first think, so, you’ve only opened a Langhe Rosso while I’ve dug a 2010 Boschis Via Nuova out for you. Teach me to be so unkind. The Boschis Barolo was malty, muddy and horribly oxidised, not the first 2010 to be disappointing. To be honest, I did have a vague memory of Giovanni Rosso making a Langhe from a cru vineyard and it being a bit special, and not cheap. Turns out this comes from a cherished Rosso family plot in Vigna Rionda no less. And what a fine glass of wine it was. So finely wrought. All the best possible sweet red cherries dusted in perfumed sweet spices. A lift of flowers to fill out the edges. The essence of summer fruit is backed up by a savoury nut paste. In shape, sort of like Grand Cru Burg, inasmuch as there’s enormous flavour that just floats on fine tannin of great finesse that dissipates on a long vapour trail of gentle but persistent acidity. Best possible way to forget a dodgy bottle of Barolo.

14% alcohol. Cork. $275 RRP, eek.

96 points.

Continuing to open special bottles while the tasting is good, a special cru from Serralunga albeit not marked on the map photo above. Think it’s the unnamed vineyard next to the S of Serralunga maybe? Was anorak fun googling the amazing Masnaghetti MGA maps to check. The incredible detail is a joy for both wine and map fiend. I always liked Massolino’s cheaper bottles, clean, good fruit and good winemaking. Time to open a cru which ten years ago was seen as relative value and now retails over two hundred Australian. Must admit it was a blind buy for the cellar based on Massolino’s Dolcetto and persuasive reviews. It’s rare for most of us to get a taste before deciding. Not sure it would have done any good here, as I’d have been as puzzled then as now maybe. Opened well visually but the first sniff was swamped by a haze of pine forest with the hint of fresh fruit below. The palate likewise a drying, dominant pine needle flavour gives the beautiful fruit that lurks below a bit of a biff. It sort of looks like a cedary, raw oak flavour but it’s much more complicated and earthy too. All the publicity says it’s made using big, traditionally sized oak. Serralunga or barrel or both, beyond me. Nonetheless, despite the distraction there’s intense cherry, rose perfume, deep sweet stone stuff, all held in eternal tannin and pleasing acidity of real quality. I’ve a few more Massolino bottles to go, here’s hoping.

14.5% alcohol. Cork. Around $100 at the time?

Somewhere between 89 and 95 depending on how much you like pine forests.

Enjoyed over the dinner table without a proper note but so good, it’s maybe worth a comment? Opened with a lush, clean and modern edge with perhaps a waft of dusty oak. Given half an hour in the decanter after a vigorous double decant and it seemed to lose weight but gained perfume and focus. Rose oil, sweet and tart cherry, darker red fruit and a hallelujah chorus of bright Castiglione dirt carried on tongue coating tannins so sweet they melt and last a very long time. So fresh and bright after its slumber. There was tar and maybe porcini too. All the unfettered flavours of Barolo suavely poised in a perfect Armani suit. One of my first 2008s and there’s a balance of ripeness and zing which had me checking the cellar list for more. No rush though.

14.5% alcohol but no sign of warmth. Cork. Think it was a very thoughtful gift.

95 points, easy.

On the way between Milan and Turin as the high speed train thundered through the town of Novara, I did idly think a stop would be interesting. Gazing north to Lake Maggiore, the country looked gently hilly and quietly inviting for wine exploration, one day. Seems I’m not alone as those Mondo Import lads from Boccaccio Cellars have been bringing in Davide Carlone’s wines for a few years now at direct prices that are very tempting. This bottle opened with a health spa blast of bitter herbs which quickly evened out into rose oil, crisp red cherry buffed with granite dust tannin and well mingled ripe acidity. Over three days, the fruit darkened to maraschino cherry and some roasted nuttiness. The true nuttiness though would be to drink this without good Ital stylee food. Swishing a sip after a mouthful of a Sunday night pizza treat isolated all that sweet Nebbiolo tang into pure delicious pleasure. And that was after three days of oxygen exposure, more reason for slow food. The thought occurred this is sort of between the power of Barolo and the mountain crispness of the Valtellina, geographically obvious really, duh.

13.5% alcohol. Diam, good. $38 in Neb terms, value.

92 points to start, 93 to finish, plus plus for pizza appropriateness.

Yikes, another one that got reviewed before, almost exactly a year ago. Seems blushes are spared as both similar and same points. Good fun if you don’t check before posting.