Browse Tag

piedmont

Arcese puffs

Bera 2006 Canelli “Arcese” (Piedmont) – A field blend of cortese, arneis, and favorita. At first, it’s soupy and reductive, and when the next impressions are marshmallow and banana, I’m a little concerned. Thankfully, it veers back towards normalcy, showing soft white roses and a slightly firmer, more acidic finish. I’m not in love with this wine, though. (1/08)

Sweet little thing

[bottle]Roagna 2005 Dolcetto d’Alba (Piedmont) – Very tight at first. With plenty of air, it gradually emerges from its shell, showing strong, graphite-textured tannin, dark berries, and a firm, studious blotch of acidity. Everything here is in beautiful balance, but while the wine can be forced (though aeration) to have appeal now, it’s really going to be much better in the future. (1/08)

Vajra infection

Vajra 2006 Langhe Rosso (Piedmont) – Simple and beautiful, which is not someone one can often say about nebbiolo (which usually requires complexity to achieve beauty), and one of the best bargain bottlings of this sometimes difficult grape. It’s floral and suggests, more than actually delivers, a passel of red berries, with a light chomp of tannin and a firm, spinal acidity. A party wine for wine geeks, though it does even better with food. (12/07)

Gavi McLeod

[label]Ascheri 2003 Gavi (Piedmont) – Leafy and fairly simple, with salty ripe green notes, some moss, perhaps a little particulate melon. Not overblown in the manner of so many ’03s , but lacking much in the way of complexity or interest. (11/07)

Vajra marketing

Vajra 2000 Langhe Freisa “Kyè” (Piedmont) – Upon ordering, the sommelier suggests that the wine is closed (thus initiating the elaborate decanting ritual described above), and he’s right…this gets markedly better as the evening progresses. Grapey and purple, but quite firm, showing berries and black dirt with a gritty, almost angry complexity. The acidity is fine-grained and precise, though a bit sharp until the wine begins to unfold. Ultimately very pretty and versatile (in its response to different accompaniments), with plenty of development yet to come.

Spumante hall

Dessilani “Collefino” Spumante (Piedmont) – The house pour, this sparkling wine made from Greco is simple, floral, clean and quite nice. I could drink a lot of this and not notice…a mixed blessing, to be sure…but in a more contemplative setting it might be possible to discover something beyond these surface impressions.

Angelo of mercy

Gaja Grappa di Barbaresco (Piedmont) – Extremely elegant and smooth, which is (to my mind) a dangerous thing for a grappa; complexity must be there in force when the edges of this otherwise fiery elixir are shorn. There’s a surplus of floral and spice aromas but a general absence of a definitive foundation, to the extent that it’s highly reminiscent of some of the more internationalized Langhe blends from this house. In the end, elegance remains its primary quality.

Ba, ba, ba…ba, barbera

[bottle]Bruno Giacosa 2005 Barbera d’Alba (Piedmont) – Even though the grapes don’t have that much in common, aspirational barbera reminds me of zinfandel in that it pairs delicious, friendly fruit with good acidity. Of course, barbera has, in its non-spoofulated state, more acid than zinfandel. OK, so maybe it’s not the best comparison. Anyway, this is polished without being overworked, showing vivid red fruit with fine acidity enveloped by a supple, rounded structure. And yet, through it all cuts that beautiful core of acidity. Very, very good. (10/07)

Mondalino bay

[label]Bricco Mondalino 2004 Barbera del Monferrato “Superiore” (Piedmont) – Apple-dominated acidity with a rough sheathe of tannin and chunky, wild-berry fruit (including chokecherry). Still in the throes of pre-adolescence, this will be better in a few years. With an aggressive enough food, it’s pretty good now. (10/07)