We first tasted the wines of Orlando at the cantina of his wife, Virna. Because of our impending visit to Barbaresco and to the cantina, we have split the post. The notes below were from our visit to Virna 6 November 2011.
The
first one was Orlando's 2006 Nebbiolo d'Alba Valmaggiore 14% alcohol.
On the label is a pair of hands. The reason is that because of the way
this vineyard was originally planted, it can be worked, including
picking, only by hand. The space between the rows is too narrow to get a
tractor into the vineyard. It has a spectacular nose and a very soft
structure in the mouth. This is another "talking wine".
We
then tried his 2007 Vigna Rongalio Muruzzano Barbaresco, 14.5% alcohol,
open for 24 hours plus. It is quite austere and needs an extended
period of time in the cellar before drinking.
Our last
wine was the 2007 Montersino Barbaresco, 14.5% alcohol. Aged one year
in new oak and six months in large botte, it is a spectacular
Barbaresco. It is well balanced between the grape and tannin
in the mouth. We will age this wine for a minimum of three years.
2 September 2014 We opened the one bottle of the 2006 Nebbiolo d'Alba Valmaggiore in our cellar. A very nice Nebbiolo, ready to drink. If you have it, time to enjoy it.
7 February 2015 We opened a bottle of the 2007 Montersino Barbaresco with a stuffed chicken thigh and vegetables. The wine is still very tannic and needs at least another year in the cellar. However, we will say that we taste the fruit (although quite subdued) and believe that with additional aging, it will be very very nice.
14 November 2015 We opened our second bottle of the 2007 Montersino Barbaresco today and served it with our typical Saturday fare, seafood. Natalya had a sauteed salmon filet with sauteed red potatoes and onions. I had a octopus salad with red potatoes, Sicilian olive oil and juice from a lemon from our tree. We think it needs another 9-12 months in the bottle but is very nice now. Depends on how you like your Barbarescoes.
6 March 2018 Happy day of the woman to all of our female followers!! Today, we opened, in honor of my wife and all the other women we know and love, a bottle of the 2007 Montersino Barbaresco. Yes, it has been almost two and a half years since the last one when we had said 9-12 months but the wine was spectacular in any case. Natalya had just returned from visiting her younger son and took the kitchen today. She made a pot of her infamous borsch and chicken and rice blini. We had some trepidation as to whether the wine would stand up to the borsch but it went very well. The wine is ready to drink! We would leave it in the cellar for no more than a year before finishing what you have. It is extremely good grape juice. Bravo Orlando!
8 July 2018 Today was sort of a sad day in our home. We opened the last bottle of the 2007 Montersino Barbaresco from Orlando. It was time. The wine, as good as it was, probably had another six months before it started to go downhill. We served it with Natalya's polpette (chicken meatballs), seasoned with Sicilian oregano, green beans from our garden and straciatella served on toasted bread (one side only) with a slice of tomato from our garden. Not a fancy Sunday lunch but very healthy!! Drink it now!!
06 November 2011
Azienda Agricola Virna - Barolo
We visited this producer in the Comune di Barolo on 5 November 2011. We also had the opportunity to try the wines of her husband, Orlando Abrigo from Treiso while we were there.
We were warmly greeted by Virna and taken inside the cantina to the tasting room.
All the wines, except where noted, were opened 24 hours previously.
The first was the 2009 Nebbiolo, 13.5% alcohol. It spent one year in large Slovenian botte. A good example of the local Nebbiolo with balanced tannin and grape taste. There was just a slight alcohol aftertaste noted that will probably become unnoticeable with aging of around two years.
The 2007 Barolo di Base was the next offering, 14.5% alcohol. It is a blend of grapes from a number of vineyards. The nose was quite subdued. The mouth showed a good balance of the grape and tannin. We recommend that this be drank now to 2014 as a "talking wine". The Barolo character would be lost in anything but the mildest cheeses so we suggest that you drink it with friends with a pleasant conversation. This wine is a great value and was purchased for our cellar.
The next was the 2007 Cannubi Boschis, 14.5% alcohol. This wine is from the vineyard behind Virna's home. It was aged in three different manners: 33% in large Slovenian botte, 33% in used small oak barrels up to three years old and 33% in new oak. The nose was very nice with the mouth displaying a good balance of big tannins and big grape flavors. The alcohol was not evident in what we tasted. We purchased this wine and will leave in our cellar for up to four years. We also purchased the 2006 vintage of this spectacular wine. It will stay in the cellar for probably ten years. Please read on for a discussion of the 2006 vintage in Barolo.
2006 is widely though of being a less than stellar year for Barolo. The Barolo producers have labeled it as "Grande" or "Great" rather than "Eccezionale" or "Exceptional". They write that 2006 produced "Vino di grande struttura ed austerita`. Profumo intenso e complesso. Gusto pieno, con tannicita` importante; di lunga vitalita`." (wine of great structure and austerity. Intense, complex grape flavors in the nose. Full taste with a heavy tannin presence, to have a long life in the cellar).
However, we have found it to be one of the best if you have patience to let it develop.
We digress because the next offering was another 2006, the Preda Sarmassa, 14% alcohol. These two vineyards (Preda near La Morra, Sarmassa near Barolo) have contrasting styles because of different soil types. But, they go very well together. The nose has a distinct alcohol feel to it which we believe will age out The mouth supports the big tannins with big grape flavors. This wine will last years in our cellar. We will open a bottle in three to five years to see how much longer we can enjoy it.
Because of our impending visit to Barbaresco and the Abrigo cantina, we have decided to split these posts. You will find our comments on Orlando Abrigo on his own.
On a personal note, we could not have been treated nicer than we were at Virna. We would highly recommend that anyone that wanted to try the real Barolo and get a little of Barbaresco mixed in, call Virna for an appointment to see her facility and taste/purchase some of the best wines in the area. We will go back with each new release.
1 January 2012: With our neighbors, we had a bottle of the 2007 Virna Cannubi Boschis last evening. It was open for approximately three hours before serving. The nose was muted but the tannin and grape were very evident. It went very well with the Chicken Tikka Masala and the Shrimp and Indian potatoes. The nose did develop over time as well as the grape and tannin becoming less of a distraction. However, as noted previously, it is really not ready to drink. We determined that we will let it remain in the cellar for another three years.
24 August 2012. We opened a bottle of the 2007 Barolo di Base for lunch today. Yes, I suggested that it be a "conversation wine" but Natalya made a light lunch today (very hot and humid here) so we took a chance. The wine still has a subdued nose but the mouth was very nice and got better for the two hours it took us to drink it. Highly recommended for a light lunch or a conversation wine.
31 December 2012 We opened another bottle of the 2007 Barolo to accompany the Ukrainian ravioli that Natalya made for our before midnight meal. It was very nice, well balanced between the fruit and tannin. Recommend that you leave it open for a half hour before drinking. If you cannot, leave it in the cellar for another six months. The nose is still subdued but the mouth is full.
27 July 2013 We opened another bottle of the 2007 Barolo di Base for lunch today. As we had previously written, it is a conversation wine. We had a fillet of lake perch with tomatoes from our garden and mozzarella Romana. Even a light fish such as the perch "stepped on" the flavors of the wine. We need to read our own writings!!
23 September 2014 We opened the last bottle of the 2007 Barolo di base for lunch today. We had prepared a plate of pasta with sugo made from our tomatoes, basil and garlic. At first, the wine was flat with little nose or mouth. After about 1/2 hour, it started to come around and after about a hour, we wondered why we did not have more. Our recommendation is to open it now, wait a half hour and serve with a nice pasta dish, not too heavily spiced.
10 November 2014 We opened the last bottle of the 2007 Barolo Cannubi Boschis for lunch yesterday. We had prepared a stuffed chicken thigh, browned and then finished in our sugu. The stuffing was dark bread crumbs, half of a hard boiled egg and oregano. It did very well with this dish, being enhanced by the flavours of the chicken and the tomato sauce. It could have taken another six months in the bottle but we cannot be exact when there are a limited number of bottles. If it is in your cellar and you have more than one, we recommend you try a bottle.
6 January 2015 We opened one of last bottles of the 2006 Preda Sarmassa today to go with a plate of pasta with the sauce we make from our tomatoes and ground turkey. The wine showed a little excess tannin in the beginning but was soon very well balanced. However, by the time lunch had finished, the wine was starting to show its age. We have one more bottle in the cellar and will drink it soon. If you have this wine and more than one bottle, try one now. If only one is left in your cellar, drink it. It is very good Barolo!!
15 March 2015 It is too bad when you drink the last bottle from a producer's vineyard for a particular year. But, the disappointment is somewhat blunted when you know that you opened the bottle at the correct time! Today, we opened our next to last bottle of the 2006 Preda Sarmassa to go with a lasagna we made. The combination was what you wish for with every bottle of wine you own (or at least we do). Drink it now. It is really spectacular grape juice.
19 November 2015 Our next to the last bottle of the 2008 Cannubi Bochis was served with a simple lunch of chicken ravioli and steamed broccoli. What a very nice wine!! It is ready to drink. It went well with this food selection and did not overwhelm it nor was it muted by the lunch. If you have this wine, we suggest that you open a bottle to try it. Closed glasses were used to stop the wine from oxidizing too much.
3 May 2016 Regretfully, the last bottle of the 2008 Cannubi Bochis was opened today. We served it with an Italian style burrito that had a lot of fresh vegetables and some ground turkey in it. It was spiced with curcuma. The wine is ready to drink. It was the same wine from first taste to last. We served it in closed mouth glasses used strictly for Barolo. Highly recommended, drink it if you have it. Maybe we will ask Virna if she has a few more bottles of it.
25 February 2018 On occasion, we pick a bottle out of the cellar just to sit and talk. This evening, we chose the Virna 2007 Preda Sarmassa. What a great wine! We had a few appetizers to go with it but the star of the evening was the Barolo (if you exclude what happened after the bottle was finished). Open a bottle and try it yourself. It is very good grape juice!!.
22 July 2018 It is Sunday and Vittorio had the kitchen. He decided to make one of his specialties, the stuffed chick thigh. However, this Sunday he used two thighs from our new vendor of chicken in Tonco, Provincia di Asti. Each thigh is stuffed with half a hard-boiled egg, some rye bread crumbs, organic Sicilian oregano, a little garlic powder and a little salt and pepper (both freshly ground). The thighs are tied and sauteed on all sides in Sicilian olive oil and then simmered for about one hour or until cooked through. The chicken was served on a sauce of fava beans and garnished with Chinese long beans from the garden. The 2006 Preda Sarmassa was opened about 15 minutes before the chicken was done. The wine held up very well to the chicken and did not mute the flavors of the thigh. Wine is ready to drink. We have one more bottle that we will hold until the end of the year. Try it, it is very good grape juice!
13 August 2018 Today we opened the next to last bottle of the 2006 Cannubi Bochis. Being the year it is, we decided to open it just before serving a lunch of red potato and porcini ravioli that Natalya made along with two ears of silver queen corn from our garden. The wine was an almost perfect match for this somewhat "Slovenian" style lunch (which may be defined as food with little if any spices). We strongly recommend that if you have this wine that you try a bottle soon. It is spectacular wine as of the day we write this treatise. It would have stood up to a more spicy dish but there was nothing wrong with the combination! Great wine, Virna!!!!!!!!
23 September 2018 Today we opened the last bottle of Virna's 2007 Preda Sarmassa Barolo. We served it with gnocchi di zucca preceded by boscaiolo cheese that was warmed in a saute pan. Both stood up well to the wine. We are a bit unhappy that this was our last bottle of the Preda Sarmassa but we are happy we had the chance to try it. Again, a great wine from Virna!
01 January 2019 Happy new year fans! Today, Vittorio was in the kitchen with Natalya assisting. I had decided to take a half faronna (guinea hen) from the freezer (the hen was grown in Tonco without antibiotics). Since Valentina had told us that the hen was a little older than normal, we should cook it for a little longer. We sauteed the pieces after then had been floured in Sicilian olive oil that we source directly from the grower. After they were browned, we added some of Michele's Arneis and covered the pan and added four small sprigs of fresh rosemary from one of the plants in our garden. The pan was covered and allowed to cook on relatively low heat, continually watching to see if more of the Arneis was needed. After about one hour, the hen seemed to be cooked. We adjusted the seasoning and let the hen remain in the pan while the liquid, for the most part, was taken into the hen. It was served with my mother's recipe for new year's lentils with spinach and Sicilian olive oil plus a salad of anise bulb with seasoning of lemon juice and a little sliced onion. We had pulled the last bottle of the 2006 Virna Cannubi Boschis Barolo. We had thought that the wine would be really ready. In reality, it could use another two years in the cantina. We will contact Virna to see if she has any more of this very, very good grape juice. It is a bit tannic but after an hour open, it was one of the smoothest Barolos that we have in our collection. It is very good. Kept in the proper storage, you have a minimum of 2 years to drink it. But, try a bottle. You many not have any left after you drink the first of it. Thanks, Virna, it was a great new year with your wine!!!!
We were warmly greeted by Virna and taken inside the cantina to the tasting room.
All the wines, except where noted, were opened 24 hours previously.
The first was the 2009 Nebbiolo, 13.5% alcohol. It spent one year in large Slovenian botte. A good example of the local Nebbiolo with balanced tannin and grape taste. There was just a slight alcohol aftertaste noted that will probably become unnoticeable with aging of around two years.
The 2007 Barolo di Base was the next offering, 14.5% alcohol. It is a blend of grapes from a number of vineyards. The nose was quite subdued. The mouth showed a good balance of the grape and tannin. We recommend that this be drank now to 2014 as a "talking wine". The Barolo character would be lost in anything but the mildest cheeses so we suggest that you drink it with friends with a pleasant conversation. This wine is a great value and was purchased for our cellar.
The next was the 2007 Cannubi Boschis, 14.5% alcohol. This wine is from the vineyard behind Virna's home. It was aged in three different manners: 33% in large Slovenian botte, 33% in used small oak barrels up to three years old and 33% in new oak. The nose was very nice with the mouth displaying a good balance of big tannins and big grape flavors. The alcohol was not evident in what we tasted. We purchased this wine and will leave in our cellar for up to four years. We also purchased the 2006 vintage of this spectacular wine. It will stay in the cellar for probably ten years. Please read on for a discussion of the 2006 vintage in Barolo.
2006 is widely though of being a less than stellar year for Barolo. The Barolo producers have labeled it as "Grande" or "Great" rather than "Eccezionale" or "Exceptional". They write that 2006 produced "Vino di grande struttura ed austerita`. Profumo intenso e complesso. Gusto pieno, con tannicita` importante; di lunga vitalita`." (wine of great structure and austerity. Intense, complex grape flavors in the nose. Full taste with a heavy tannin presence, to have a long life in the cellar).
However, we have found it to be one of the best if you have patience to let it develop.
We digress because the next offering was another 2006, the Preda Sarmassa, 14% alcohol. These two vineyards (Preda near La Morra, Sarmassa near Barolo) have contrasting styles because of different soil types. But, they go very well together. The nose has a distinct alcohol feel to it which we believe will age out The mouth supports the big tannins with big grape flavors. This wine will last years in our cellar. We will open a bottle in three to five years to see how much longer we can enjoy it.
Because of our impending visit to Barbaresco and the Abrigo cantina, we have decided to split these posts. You will find our comments on Orlando Abrigo on his own.
On a personal note, we could not have been treated nicer than we were at Virna. We would highly recommend that anyone that wanted to try the real Barolo and get a little of Barbaresco mixed in, call Virna for an appointment to see her facility and taste/purchase some of the best wines in the area. We will go back with each new release.
1 January 2012: With our neighbors, we had a bottle of the 2007 Virna Cannubi Boschis last evening. It was open for approximately three hours before serving. The nose was muted but the tannin and grape were very evident. It went very well with the Chicken Tikka Masala and the Shrimp and Indian potatoes. The nose did develop over time as well as the grape and tannin becoming less of a distraction. However, as noted previously, it is really not ready to drink. We determined that we will let it remain in the cellar for another three years.
24 August 2012. We opened a bottle of the 2007 Barolo di Base for lunch today. Yes, I suggested that it be a "conversation wine" but Natalya made a light lunch today (very hot and humid here) so we took a chance. The wine still has a subdued nose but the mouth was very nice and got better for the two hours it took us to drink it. Highly recommended for a light lunch or a conversation wine.
31 December 2012 We opened another bottle of the 2007 Barolo to accompany the Ukrainian ravioli that Natalya made for our before midnight meal. It was very nice, well balanced between the fruit and tannin. Recommend that you leave it open for a half hour before drinking. If you cannot, leave it in the cellar for another six months. The nose is still subdued but the mouth is full.
27 July 2013 We opened another bottle of the 2007 Barolo di Base for lunch today. As we had previously written, it is a conversation wine. We had a fillet of lake perch with tomatoes from our garden and mozzarella Romana. Even a light fish such as the perch "stepped on" the flavors of the wine. We need to read our own writings!!
23 September 2014 We opened the last bottle of the 2007 Barolo di base for lunch today. We had prepared a plate of pasta with sugo made from our tomatoes, basil and garlic. At first, the wine was flat with little nose or mouth. After about 1/2 hour, it started to come around and after about a hour, we wondered why we did not have more. Our recommendation is to open it now, wait a half hour and serve with a nice pasta dish, not too heavily spiced.
10 November 2014 We opened the last bottle of the 2007 Barolo Cannubi Boschis for lunch yesterday. We had prepared a stuffed chicken thigh, browned and then finished in our sugu. The stuffing was dark bread crumbs, half of a hard boiled egg and oregano. It did very well with this dish, being enhanced by the flavours of the chicken and the tomato sauce. It could have taken another six months in the bottle but we cannot be exact when there are a limited number of bottles. If it is in your cellar and you have more than one, we recommend you try a bottle.
6 January 2015 We opened one of last bottles of the 2006 Preda Sarmassa today to go with a plate of pasta with the sauce we make from our tomatoes and ground turkey. The wine showed a little excess tannin in the beginning but was soon very well balanced. However, by the time lunch had finished, the wine was starting to show its age. We have one more bottle in the cellar and will drink it soon. If you have this wine and more than one bottle, try one now. If only one is left in your cellar, drink it. It is very good Barolo!!
15 March 2015 It is too bad when you drink the last bottle from a producer's vineyard for a particular year. But, the disappointment is somewhat blunted when you know that you opened the bottle at the correct time! Today, we opened our next to last bottle of the 2006 Preda Sarmassa to go with a lasagna we made. The combination was what you wish for with every bottle of wine you own (or at least we do). Drink it now. It is really spectacular grape juice.
19 November 2015 Our next to the last bottle of the 2008 Cannubi Bochis was served with a simple lunch of chicken ravioli and steamed broccoli. What a very nice wine!! It is ready to drink. It went well with this food selection and did not overwhelm it nor was it muted by the lunch. If you have this wine, we suggest that you open a bottle to try it. Closed glasses were used to stop the wine from oxidizing too much.
3 May 2016 Regretfully, the last bottle of the 2008 Cannubi Bochis was opened today. We served it with an Italian style burrito that had a lot of fresh vegetables and some ground turkey in it. It was spiced with curcuma. The wine is ready to drink. It was the same wine from first taste to last. We served it in closed mouth glasses used strictly for Barolo. Highly recommended, drink it if you have it. Maybe we will ask Virna if she has a few more bottles of it.
25 February 2018 On occasion, we pick a bottle out of the cellar just to sit and talk. This evening, we chose the Virna 2007 Preda Sarmassa. What a great wine! We had a few appetizers to go with it but the star of the evening was the Barolo (if you exclude what happened after the bottle was finished). Open a bottle and try it yourself. It is very good grape juice!!.
22 July 2018 It is Sunday and Vittorio had the kitchen. He decided to make one of his specialties, the stuffed chick thigh. However, this Sunday he used two thighs from our new vendor of chicken in Tonco, Provincia di Asti. Each thigh is stuffed with half a hard-boiled egg, some rye bread crumbs, organic Sicilian oregano, a little garlic powder and a little salt and pepper (both freshly ground). The thighs are tied and sauteed on all sides in Sicilian olive oil and then simmered for about one hour or until cooked through. The chicken was served on a sauce of fava beans and garnished with Chinese long beans from the garden. The 2006 Preda Sarmassa was opened about 15 minutes before the chicken was done. The wine held up very well to the chicken and did not mute the flavors of the thigh. Wine is ready to drink. We have one more bottle that we will hold until the end of the year. Try it, it is very good grape juice!
13 August 2018 Today we opened the next to last bottle of the 2006 Cannubi Bochis. Being the year it is, we decided to open it just before serving a lunch of red potato and porcini ravioli that Natalya made along with two ears of silver queen corn from our garden. The wine was an almost perfect match for this somewhat "Slovenian" style lunch (which may be defined as food with little if any spices). We strongly recommend that if you have this wine that you try a bottle soon. It is spectacular wine as of the day we write this treatise. It would have stood up to a more spicy dish but there was nothing wrong with the combination! Great wine, Virna!!!!!!!!
23 September 2018 Today we opened the last bottle of Virna's 2007 Preda Sarmassa Barolo. We served it with gnocchi di zucca preceded by boscaiolo cheese that was warmed in a saute pan. Both stood up well to the wine. We are a bit unhappy that this was our last bottle of the Preda Sarmassa but we are happy we had the chance to try it. Again, a great wine from Virna!
01 January 2019 Happy new year fans! Today, Vittorio was in the kitchen with Natalya assisting. I had decided to take a half faronna (guinea hen) from the freezer (the hen was grown in Tonco without antibiotics). Since Valentina had told us that the hen was a little older than normal, we should cook it for a little longer. We sauteed the pieces after then had been floured in Sicilian olive oil that we source directly from the grower. After they were browned, we added some of Michele's Arneis and covered the pan and added four small sprigs of fresh rosemary from one of the plants in our garden. The pan was covered and allowed to cook on relatively low heat, continually watching to see if more of the Arneis was needed. After about one hour, the hen seemed to be cooked. We adjusted the seasoning and let the hen remain in the pan while the liquid, for the most part, was taken into the hen. It was served with my mother's recipe for new year's lentils with spinach and Sicilian olive oil plus a salad of anise bulb with seasoning of lemon juice and a little sliced onion. We had pulled the last bottle of the 2006 Virna Cannubi Boschis Barolo. We had thought that the wine would be really ready. In reality, it could use another two years in the cantina. We will contact Virna to see if she has any more of this very, very good grape juice. It is a bit tannic but after an hour open, it was one of the smoothest Barolos that we have in our collection. It is very good. Kept in the proper storage, you have a minimum of 2 years to drink it. But, try a bottle. You many not have any left after you drink the first of it. Thanks, Virna, it was a great new year with your wine!!!!
Erbaluna - Borgo Pozzo, Frazione Annunziata, La Morra
We visited the cantina on 4 November 2011. Our guide through the wines was Giulia from the Erbaluna offices.
The tasting room is filled with old bottles of Barolo, regretfully nothing from the year of either of our births.
Erbaluna produces only wines from grapes grown under strict Italian agriculture standards. There is no pesticides used on the vines so the wines have the "biological" label.
There were a number of bottles for tasting, from their whites to their grappas. All had been opened for at least six hours unless otherwise noted in the description.
We first tried the 2009 Nebbiolo, 14.5% alcohol, bottled September 1, 2011. The wine spent one year in large Slovenian barrels. It was very soft and ready to drink.
The second offering was the 2007 Erbaluna Barolo, 15% alcohol. This is their "Barolo di Base", produced from a variety of vineyards. It had a light Barolo nose. In the mouth, it was three separate pieces, the grape, the tannin and the alcohol. They are fairly well balanced. We believe it will take anywhere from three to five years to come together. We purchased this wine.
The next was the 2007 Vigna Rocche, 15% alcohol. This had been open for two days. There was a strange odor in the glass when first poured but blew off quickly. Thus, if you have this wine in your cellar, we recommend you decant it before serving. It has a good nose with very good structure that will require again, at least three years in the cellar before drinking. We purchased this wine also.
We were also served the 1997 and 2000 Barolos but they were "over the hill" probably because they had been open too long.
We also purchased their Grappa di Nebbiolo.
16 August 2014 For lunch today, we opened a bottle of the 2007 Erbaluna Barolo. We had made a smoked salmon and onion omelet with Indian spiced potatoes. We needed something that would stand up to the Indian spices so tried the Barolo. It did quite well for itself. Whereas, the wine was in three pieces (grape, tannin and alcohol) when we bought it, it had pretty much evened itself out to a very good example of the wine. There was a very nice nose that had developed also. We consider this wine ready to drink. Recommended for a light meal, not highly spiced.
31 March 2016 For lunch today, which was a plate of pasta with our sauce that was derived from my Sicilian grandmother's recipe and a plate of mozzarella with Sicilian olive oil , we opened another bottle of the 2007 Erbaluna Barolo. As mentioned above, this is the base Barolo, made from grapes that are not of a single vineyard but those that were from a number of places. The wine was opened about 15 minutes before the pasta was cooked. It was quite acidic upon first taste and smell. It proceeded to open more and change from an acidic wine with little fruit in the mouth to a wine that was drinkable but not the type of Barolo we are used to now. After one hour of being opened, and at the end of our meal, it had become somewhat even in its mouth and nose and was drinkable. We have another bottle that we have labeled "open one hour before". Have it in your cellar? Drink it now but we believe you should open it one hour before consumption!
15 July 2016 We opened the last bottle of the 2007 Barolo base that we had in our cellar today for lunch with a pasta dish that we prepared with shrimp cooked in Sicilian olive oil, seasoned with garlic grown in our garden, a little paprika and some dried oregano from our garden also. We had opened the bottle about 45 minutes before serving the pasta and realized that the wine was not ready. However, after about 20 minutes, it turned into a very nice Barolo with good fruit and tannin and a touch too much acid. During the meal, the wine leveled out to "one piece" which we enjoyed greatly with our meal. Recommended that you drink it now!!
5 March 2017 A sad day in our home today. We opened the last bottle of the 2007 Erbaluna Vigna Rocche. It was served with spinach and ricotta cannelloni. The wine went very well with the light to medium flavors of the cannelloni. Compliments to my wife for trying something new in our kitchen. We highly recommend that you open this wine and drink it within the next year if it has been stored properly. It is ready to drink and a great example of the Rocche vinyeard.
The tasting room is filled with old bottles of Barolo, regretfully nothing from the year of either of our births.
Erbaluna produces only wines from grapes grown under strict Italian agriculture standards. There is no pesticides used on the vines so the wines have the "biological" label.
There were a number of bottles for tasting, from their whites to their grappas. All had been opened for at least six hours unless otherwise noted in the description.
We first tried the 2009 Nebbiolo, 14.5% alcohol, bottled September 1, 2011. The wine spent one year in large Slovenian barrels. It was very soft and ready to drink.
The second offering was the 2007 Erbaluna Barolo, 15% alcohol. This is their "Barolo di Base", produced from a variety of vineyards. It had a light Barolo nose. In the mouth, it was three separate pieces, the grape, the tannin and the alcohol. They are fairly well balanced. We believe it will take anywhere from three to five years to come together. We purchased this wine.
The next was the 2007 Vigna Rocche, 15% alcohol. This had been open for two days. There was a strange odor in the glass when first poured but blew off quickly. Thus, if you have this wine in your cellar, we recommend you decant it before serving. It has a good nose with very good structure that will require again, at least three years in the cellar before drinking. We purchased this wine also.
We were also served the 1997 and 2000 Barolos but they were "over the hill" probably because they had been open too long.
We also purchased their Grappa di Nebbiolo.
16 August 2014 For lunch today, we opened a bottle of the 2007 Erbaluna Barolo. We had made a smoked salmon and onion omelet with Indian spiced potatoes. We needed something that would stand up to the Indian spices so tried the Barolo. It did quite well for itself. Whereas, the wine was in three pieces (grape, tannin and alcohol) when we bought it, it had pretty much evened itself out to a very good example of the wine. There was a very nice nose that had developed also. We consider this wine ready to drink. Recommended for a light meal, not highly spiced.
31 March 2016 For lunch today, which was a plate of pasta with our sauce that was derived from my Sicilian grandmother's recipe and a plate of mozzarella with Sicilian olive oil , we opened another bottle of the 2007 Erbaluna Barolo. As mentioned above, this is the base Barolo, made from grapes that are not of a single vineyard but those that were from a number of places. The wine was opened about 15 minutes before the pasta was cooked. It was quite acidic upon first taste and smell. It proceeded to open more and change from an acidic wine with little fruit in the mouth to a wine that was drinkable but not the type of Barolo we are used to now. After one hour of being opened, and at the end of our meal, it had become somewhat even in its mouth and nose and was drinkable. We have another bottle that we have labeled "open one hour before". Have it in your cellar? Drink it now but we believe you should open it one hour before consumption!
15 July 2016 We opened the last bottle of the 2007 Barolo base that we had in our cellar today for lunch with a pasta dish that we prepared with shrimp cooked in Sicilian olive oil, seasoned with garlic grown in our garden, a little paprika and some dried oregano from our garden also. We had opened the bottle about 45 minutes before serving the pasta and realized that the wine was not ready. However, after about 20 minutes, it turned into a very nice Barolo with good fruit and tannin and a touch too much acid. During the meal, the wine leveled out to "one piece" which we enjoyed greatly with our meal. Recommended that you drink it now!!
5 March 2017 A sad day in our home today. We opened the last bottle of the 2007 Erbaluna Vigna Rocche. It was served with spinach and ricotta cannelloni. The wine went very well with the light to medium flavors of the cannelloni. Compliments to my wife for trying something new in our kitchen. We highly recommend that you open this wine and drink it within the next year if it has been stored properly. It is ready to drink and a great example of the Rocche vinyeard.
Renato Ratti - Annunziata, La Morra
We were at the cantina on 4 November 2011. We were greeted by Francesca Sandri from the Ratti offices.
After a short wait, we were shown into the tasting room where there were three bottles on the table to taste. We were expecting to see the 2007 Marcenasco as well as two vintages of the Rocche bottling that Ms Sandri had told us we would be able to taste. Instead there was the Marcenasco and one vintage of the Rocche (2007) and their 2007 Barbera d'Alba. We did the tasting on our feet as we were not invited to sit. As is our custom, we will discuss only the 2007 Marcenesco and the 2007 Rocche.
We had had the Marcenasco at a restaurant in Novello some weeks before and found it not to our liking. I had told Ms Sandri this when I called for the appointment and it is then that she told me that we would have two vintages of the Rocche to try.
The wines were open six hours when we tasted them.
The 2007 Ratti Marcenasco is a blend from a number of Barolo vineyards in the Barolo area. Ms Sandri described this as their "Barolo di Base", their basic Barolo. While it is not unpleasant, it is not of the style that we prefer. The nose is classic Barolo. In the mouth is a nice tannin feeling but not so much so that it is overwhelming. There is a lesser amount of the flavor of the grape in this effort. We question whether it will be balanced when it is ready to drink, in our opinion in at least five years.
The 2007 Rocche comes from one of the better known vineyards in the area. Its location is near Castiglione Falletto, one of the eleven towns.that are in the Barolo growing area. This wine has a full Barolo nose with good separation in the mouth of tannin and the grape. We believe it will take at least five years to become a balanced wine. We did purchase this wine.
06 September 2016 If you have read the preceding information, you will know that we were received quite "coldly" when we visited the cantina in 2011. Back then we did not record a lot of information about the wines but in this case, we noted that the reception was not what we got when we visit cantinas now. Now a bit about the 2007 Rocche that we opened for the first time today. We wanted to open it because we intend on giving one of the bottles as a gift to my orthopedic surgeon that did a prosthesis on my left shoulder the end of October. I am doing ok, obviously it is difficult to "hunt and peck" but I am getting by. The wine was opened today to serve with a lunch of pumpkin soup, Russian salad made by the Russian member of this twosome and Lebanese dolma (a stuffed grape leaf). We did not expect much (wine "cold" like the reception we received?) but we were pleasantly surprised. The wine is ready to drink. However, we are going to suggest that you leave it open for a half hour before serving it. All the pieces are there especially the fruit and the nose. Recommended!!
01-01-2017 The first Barolo of 2017 (but surely not the last)! We drank the last bottle of the 2007 Rocche today with our NYD meal. We prepared a risotto with lobster (hey, it is NYD) and lentils with spinach. Yes, not what you would normally prepare but we had some of the lentils left over from last night (a dish that we eat to bring new luck in the coming year because the lentils signify small coins) and we thought "why not put them in the risotto?". It was very good. Will do the combination again. The wine did not disappoint. But, we still remember the cold reception from our first visit to Ratti. It is highly unlikely we will return there. They will have to change their client reception practices and communicate same to us before we will.
After a short wait, we were shown into the tasting room where there were three bottles on the table to taste. We were expecting to see the 2007 Marcenasco as well as two vintages of the Rocche bottling that Ms Sandri had told us we would be able to taste. Instead there was the Marcenasco and one vintage of the Rocche (2007) and their 2007 Barbera d'Alba. We did the tasting on our feet as we were not invited to sit. As is our custom, we will discuss only the 2007 Marcenesco and the 2007 Rocche.
We had had the Marcenasco at a restaurant in Novello some weeks before and found it not to our liking. I had told Ms Sandri this when I called for the appointment and it is then that she told me that we would have two vintages of the Rocche to try.
The wines were open six hours when we tasted them.
The 2007 Ratti Marcenasco is a blend from a number of Barolo vineyards in the Barolo area. Ms Sandri described this as their "Barolo di Base", their basic Barolo. While it is not unpleasant, it is not of the style that we prefer. The nose is classic Barolo. In the mouth is a nice tannin feeling but not so much so that it is overwhelming. There is a lesser amount of the flavor of the grape in this effort. We question whether it will be balanced when it is ready to drink, in our opinion in at least five years.
The 2007 Rocche comes from one of the better known vineyards in the area. Its location is near Castiglione Falletto, one of the eleven towns.that are in the Barolo growing area. This wine has a full Barolo nose with good separation in the mouth of tannin and the grape. We believe it will take at least five years to become a balanced wine. We did purchase this wine.
06 September 2016 If you have read the preceding information, you will know that we were received quite "coldly" when we visited the cantina in 2011. Back then we did not record a lot of information about the wines but in this case, we noted that the reception was not what we got when we visit cantinas now. Now a bit about the 2007 Rocche that we opened for the first time today. We wanted to open it because we intend on giving one of the bottles as a gift to my orthopedic surgeon that did a prosthesis on my left shoulder the end of October. I am doing ok, obviously it is difficult to "hunt and peck" but I am getting by. The wine was opened today to serve with a lunch of pumpkin soup, Russian salad made by the Russian member of this twosome and Lebanese dolma (a stuffed grape leaf). We did not expect much (wine "cold" like the reception we received?) but we were pleasantly surprised. The wine is ready to drink. However, we are going to suggest that you leave it open for a half hour before serving it. All the pieces are there especially the fruit and the nose. Recommended!!
01-01-2017 The first Barolo of 2017 (but surely not the last)! We drank the last bottle of the 2007 Rocche today with our NYD meal. We prepared a risotto with lobster (hey, it is NYD) and lentils with spinach. Yes, not what you would normally prepare but we had some of the lentils left over from last night (a dish that we eat to bring new luck in the coming year because the lentils signify small coins) and we thought "why not put them in the risotto?". It was very good. Will do the combination again. The wine did not disappoint. But, we still remember the cold reception from our first visit to Ratti. It is highly unlikely we will return there. They will have to change their client reception practices and communicate same to us before we will.
28 October 2011
Gianfranco Bovio - Annunziata, La Morra
We visited this producer in Annunziata on the 9th of October 2011.
We were greeted by Walter who is the proprietor of this cantina and escorted to the tasting room. Soon thereafter, arrived a local woman with two winemakers from Puglia.
The first wine presented was his white which I did not taste but Natalya did.
Before we start on the discussion of his reds, we must tell you that we tasted the 2006 Barolos but were offered the 2004, 2005 or 2006 to buy. We took the 2004 as it is known to be a more approachable vintage than the 2006. Thus, this discussion is about the 2006. When we begin to open the 2004, we will update this post.
The first Barolo was the 2006 Rocchettevino which he called his "Barolo di base". It was aged one year in botte. This is not a "big" wine, more of an elegant one for lighter foods or even without a meal. The nose is very very nice. In our opinion, it still needs one year in the bottle.
We then tasted the 2006 Arborina. This was aged 22 months in barrique. It also has a very nice nose, is quite tannic and requires, IOHO, at least two years in the cellar. We bought bottles of this Barolo but, as noted above, the 2004..
We then tasted two of his Barberas, both very good wines.
The next wine was the 2008 Langhe Nebbiolo. It was aged one year in used botte. It also is quite tannic and needs a minimum of two years in the cellar to even out. We bought a full box of this wine.
The last was the 2004 Gattera. This was aged three years in large botte. The Gattera vineyeard is 85 years old so the wines can be considered to be of the top tier of his production. It is also quite tannic and requires at least three years in the cellar. We purchased the 2004 Gattera also.
These wines are highly recommended for those that have time and patience to allow them to reach their full potential.
28 December 2011, we opened a bottle of the 2008 Langhe Nebbiolo for lunch, just to see how it is doing. The bottle was opened at 1240 to drink with our lunch around 1430. By chance, the workman who we asked to fix our piano cottura some months ago arrived. Thus, lunch was delayed. We finally got to taste the wine around 1630. The tannins showed very well as did the grape. As lunch progressed for the next two hours, the wine came around and at the end of the bottle, we realized why we had purchased a full box. It had become one of the best Nebbiolos we had had in some time. We still recommend that it remain in the cellar for another two years but we will try another bottle around this time in 2012 and also try to purchase another box. It is really good grape juice.
25 November 2012 We opened a bottle of the 2004 Arborina for lunch with Chinese food today. It is still (please see previous comment above) a very tannic but very fruity wine. We opened it about a half hour before the first taste and tasted it throughout lunch for about another 90 minutes. We still believe it needs at least another year of cellar time before things begin to balance out but rest assured, it is a fine example of the type of Barolo that we enjoy...big and bold with lots of flavors and enough tannins to balance the fruit. As to our desire to purchase another box of the 2008 Nebbiolo, we spoke with a representative of the cantina at the La Morra tasting who assured us that the last six bottles would be ours when we passed the cantina the morning after. However, that trip was for naught as there was no one there when we arrived and after a half hour, we gave up. Obviously we were quite disappointed.
17 December 2014 For lunch today, we opened the last bottle of the 2004 Gattera. We had prepared a simple meal of chicken, potatoes from our garden and other vegetables. With regret, we must advise you that the Gattera is on its last legs. The wine, if you would have served it to us without any note of what it was, would not have shown as a Barolo. Luckily it was the last bottle in our cellar.
We were greeted by Walter who is the proprietor of this cantina and escorted to the tasting room. Soon thereafter, arrived a local woman with two winemakers from Puglia.
The first wine presented was his white which I did not taste but Natalya did.
Before we start on the discussion of his reds, we must tell you that we tasted the 2006 Barolos but were offered the 2004, 2005 or 2006 to buy. We took the 2004 as it is known to be a more approachable vintage than the 2006. Thus, this discussion is about the 2006. When we begin to open the 2004, we will update this post.
The first Barolo was the 2006 Rocchettevino which he called his "Barolo di base". It was aged one year in botte. This is not a "big" wine, more of an elegant one for lighter foods or even without a meal. The nose is very very nice. In our opinion, it still needs one year in the bottle.
We then tasted the 2006 Arborina. This was aged 22 months in barrique. It also has a very nice nose, is quite tannic and requires, IOHO, at least two years in the cellar. We bought bottles of this Barolo but, as noted above, the 2004..
We then tasted two of his Barberas, both very good wines.
The next wine was the 2008 Langhe Nebbiolo. It was aged one year in used botte. It also is quite tannic and needs a minimum of two years in the cellar to even out. We bought a full box of this wine.
The last was the 2004 Gattera. This was aged three years in large botte. The Gattera vineyeard is 85 years old so the wines can be considered to be of the top tier of his production. It is also quite tannic and requires at least three years in the cellar. We purchased the 2004 Gattera also.
These wines are highly recommended for those that have time and patience to allow them to reach their full potential.
28 December 2011, we opened a bottle of the 2008 Langhe Nebbiolo for lunch, just to see how it is doing. The bottle was opened at 1240 to drink with our lunch around 1430. By chance, the workman who we asked to fix our piano cottura some months ago arrived. Thus, lunch was delayed. We finally got to taste the wine around 1630. The tannins showed very well as did the grape. As lunch progressed for the next two hours, the wine came around and at the end of the bottle, we realized why we had purchased a full box. It had become one of the best Nebbiolos we had had in some time. We still recommend that it remain in the cellar for another two years but we will try another bottle around this time in 2012 and also try to purchase another box. It is really good grape juice.
25 November 2012 We opened a bottle of the 2004 Arborina for lunch with Chinese food today. It is still (please see previous comment above) a very tannic but very fruity wine. We opened it about a half hour before the first taste and tasted it throughout lunch for about another 90 minutes. We still believe it needs at least another year of cellar time before things begin to balance out but rest assured, it is a fine example of the type of Barolo that we enjoy...big and bold with lots of flavors and enough tannins to balance the fruit. As to our desire to purchase another box of the 2008 Nebbiolo, we spoke with a representative of the cantina at the La Morra tasting who assured us that the last six bottles would be ours when we passed the cantina the morning after. However, that trip was for naught as there was no one there when we arrived and after a half hour, we gave up. Obviously we were quite disappointed.
17 December 2014 For lunch today, we opened the last bottle of the 2004 Gattera. We had prepared a simple meal of chicken, potatoes from our garden and other vegetables. With regret, we must advise you that the Gattera is on its last legs. The wine, if you would have served it to us without any note of what it was, would not have shown as a Barolo. Luckily it was the last bottle in our cellar.
07 October 2011
Pierangelo Bosco - Borgata Boiolo, La Morra
We visited this Barolo producer on the 9th of October. We suggest that you call ahead for instructions on how to find the cantina as our GPS led us astray.
The production area is brimming with stainless steel tanks while the barrel room is full of new and used french oak.
We got to meet Pierangelo and his wife, Elisa as well as their daughter, Matilde. They told us that they originally sold the grapes they grew. Now, they produce a limited number of bottles of top of the line Barolo. Pierangelo's wife told us that he does this more as a hobby.
We tasted both the 2004 and 2006 Vigna Boiolo Barolo. We also got to taste the initial stages of the 2011, still in the fermentation tanks.
The 2006 is still quite closed in but the 2004 is becoming very approachable. We believe that the 2004 still has a number of years left in the bottle before it is completely ready. The particular bottle we tasted from had been open about four hours. Over the time we were there and with a little help from me in aging it in the glass, we realized that it is a full but quite soft Barolo, not a big one that grabs you and does not let go. It, we believe, is a great wine to serve to friends sitting around the house with a fire in the stove/fireplace. You should be aware that it is still has a bit of tannin in the mouth but it adds to the complexity. We believe that additional bottle aging should bring about a fuller, more complex wine.
We asked about the 2005. We were told that they did not think it was very good so they sold the finished wine. They did this also with the 2007.
We bought a full case of the 2004 and will leave it for at least three years in the cellar. The price was very reasonable.
3 September 2012 We had a nice visit with the family after the La Morra tasting. Pierangelo opened a bottle of his new Barbera d'Alba which had not been tasted since it was put in bottles.
March 2013 We again stopped to see Pierangelo and Elisa. We wanted to taste the 2006 again as well as the 2004. We believe the 2004 may be ready in 2014 while the 2006 is thought to be ready sometime in 2016. As always, we shall report any changes to our estimates.
16 February 2014 We opened a bottle of the 2004 today with a ground chicken, toma and onion plate. We started lunch with a plate of ravioli di carciofi. Natalya made a Chinese cabbage salad to go with it. The 2004 is ready to drink. When we opened it, there was no nose to speak of but there was very good fruit in the mouth. As it progressed, the mouth became more subdued and the nose became more prominent. We suggest that you have more than two to drink the bottle if you open one. There was very little mouth after about 45 minutes but the nose was really nice. Great Barolo!!
24 June 2014 We opened another bottle of the 2004 today with a piadina for lunch. Great wine, ready to drink after a short time open. Suggest that you open one of yours to see how it is faring.
19 December 2014 We really like this grape juice. We made a lasagna today with our sauce of cuore di bue tomatoes and some ground turkey today and made a lasagna. The wine was open just before the lasagna was ready but it did not show until about twenty minutes later. It is a great wine. We will stop to see them in the coming year to see if they have a few more.
15 May 2015 We opened the last bottle of the 2004 today with our lunch. We believe the wine is ready to drink and will stand up to most anything you can serve with it. Have it in your cellar? Try it!!
8 May 2016 We opened the first bottle of the 2006 today. We expected it to be a very big (robust) wine and were not disappointed. The wine is very, very good; as good as we expected it to be when we bought it. It was served with a spicy Chinese dish that we made. We will open the next bottle after some months, possibly for my birthday the end of August. If you have it, try it but it will last for some years more.
25 December 2016 It took us a little longer than we thought to get around to opening the next to last bottle of the 2006 but we did it today with our lunch. We prepared the following: a buffalo milk mozzarella for appetizer and then a slowly cooked duck leg served with oven baked potatoes and some of our apples. First of all, the duck leg came out very well. This is the first time we had ever tried it (as it normally takes two days to cook) but with a new recipe, it took four hours. The Barolo was not as we had been warned. Some time ago (maybe five years), we were told that the wine was ready to drink. Maybe it was at that time but it was really ready to drink today. It was balanced with the nose being of asphalt in the beginning and the tannins poking their heads out on occasion. We had what could be considered a perfect match. Too bad we have only one bottle left. Are we in a hurry to open it? Not really! We believe that it has at least a year left. Try one, you may not be sorry!! Thanx for the great grape juice, Pierangelo!!
10 September 2017 Today we opened the last bottle of the 2006 Bosco Barolo and the last bottle in our cellar of any vintage. We served it with a chicken thigh that was stuffed with oregano, hard boiled egg and dark bread crumbs. We tied it together with toothpicks and then sauteed it on a hot pan with extra virgin olive oil. Once browned, we added some vegetable broth, brought it back to a boil and let it simmer covered for about a half hour. The wine really complimented this spectacular Sunday lunch. If you have the wine, time to drink it. Further time in your cellar would be not be advisable.
The production area is brimming with stainless steel tanks while the barrel room is full of new and used french oak.
We got to meet Pierangelo and his wife, Elisa as well as their daughter, Matilde. They told us that they originally sold the grapes they grew. Now, they produce a limited number of bottles of top of the line Barolo. Pierangelo's wife told us that he does this more as a hobby.
We tasted both the 2004 and 2006 Vigna Boiolo Barolo. We also got to taste the initial stages of the 2011, still in the fermentation tanks.
The 2006 is still quite closed in but the 2004 is becoming very approachable. We believe that the 2004 still has a number of years left in the bottle before it is completely ready. The particular bottle we tasted from had been open about four hours. Over the time we were there and with a little help from me in aging it in the glass, we realized that it is a full but quite soft Barolo, not a big one that grabs you and does not let go. It, we believe, is a great wine to serve to friends sitting around the house with a fire in the stove/fireplace. You should be aware that it is still has a bit of tannin in the mouth but it adds to the complexity. We believe that additional bottle aging should bring about a fuller, more complex wine.
We asked about the 2005. We were told that they did not think it was very good so they sold the finished wine. They did this also with the 2007.
We bought a full case of the 2004 and will leave it for at least three years in the cellar. The price was very reasonable.
3 September 2012 We had a nice visit with the family after the La Morra tasting. Pierangelo opened a bottle of his new Barbera d'Alba which had not been tasted since it was put in bottles.
March 2013 We again stopped to see Pierangelo and Elisa. We wanted to taste the 2006 again as well as the 2004. We believe the 2004 may be ready in 2014 while the 2006 is thought to be ready sometime in 2016. As always, we shall report any changes to our estimates.
16 February 2014 We opened a bottle of the 2004 today with a ground chicken, toma and onion plate. We started lunch with a plate of ravioli di carciofi. Natalya made a Chinese cabbage salad to go with it. The 2004 is ready to drink. When we opened it, there was no nose to speak of but there was very good fruit in the mouth. As it progressed, the mouth became more subdued and the nose became more prominent. We suggest that you have more than two to drink the bottle if you open one. There was very little mouth after about 45 minutes but the nose was really nice. Great Barolo!!
24 June 2014 We opened another bottle of the 2004 today with a piadina for lunch. Great wine, ready to drink after a short time open. Suggest that you open one of yours to see how it is faring.
19 December 2014 We really like this grape juice. We made a lasagna today with our sauce of cuore di bue tomatoes and some ground turkey today and made a lasagna. The wine was open just before the lasagna was ready but it did not show until about twenty minutes later. It is a great wine. We will stop to see them in the coming year to see if they have a few more.
15 May 2015 We opened the last bottle of the 2004 today with our lunch. We believe the wine is ready to drink and will stand up to most anything you can serve with it. Have it in your cellar? Try it!!
8 May 2016 We opened the first bottle of the 2006 today. We expected it to be a very big (robust) wine and were not disappointed. The wine is very, very good; as good as we expected it to be when we bought it. It was served with a spicy Chinese dish that we made. We will open the next bottle after some months, possibly for my birthday the end of August. If you have it, try it but it will last for some years more.
25 December 2016 It took us a little longer than we thought to get around to opening the next to last bottle of the 2006 but we did it today with our lunch. We prepared the following: a buffalo milk mozzarella for appetizer and then a slowly cooked duck leg served with oven baked potatoes and some of our apples. First of all, the duck leg came out very well. This is the first time we had ever tried it (as it normally takes two days to cook) but with a new recipe, it took four hours. The Barolo was not as we had been warned. Some time ago (maybe five years), we were told that the wine was ready to drink. Maybe it was at that time but it was really ready to drink today. It was balanced with the nose being of asphalt in the beginning and the tannins poking their heads out on occasion. We had what could be considered a perfect match. Too bad we have only one bottle left. Are we in a hurry to open it? Not really! We believe that it has at least a year left. Try one, you may not be sorry!! Thanx for the great grape juice, Pierangelo!!
10 September 2017 Today we opened the last bottle of the 2006 Bosco Barolo and the last bottle in our cellar of any vintage. We served it with a chicken thigh that was stuffed with oregano, hard boiled egg and dark bread crumbs. We tied it together with toothpicks and then sauteed it on a hot pan with extra virgin olive oil. Once browned, we added some vegetable broth, brought it back to a boil and let it simmer covered for about a half hour. The wine really complimented this spectacular Sunday lunch. If you have the wine, time to drink it. Further time in your cellar would be not be advisable.
01 October 2011
Chiara Bochis - Barolo
This woman, one of the few female winemakers in Barolo, normally does not accept visitors because of her limited production and the fact that she does most of the work herself.
We had tasted her 2005 Cannubi at a restaurant in Barolo and wanted to buy it so I contacted her and managed to arrange a visit with our neighbors here in Pratomorone.
We went through the cantina and the barrel room, all underground and all new and extremely well kept. She has also applied to the Italian government for biological status for her wines.
We were also impressed by the 2007 Cannubi and her 2009 Nebbiolo. The neighbors bought her 2009 Barbera, also a spectacular wine.
All three of these are now in our cellar.
This past week, we opened a bottle of the 2005 Cannubi. It was quite soft in both the nose and mouth but an excellent example of the grape. We would recommend that you drink this without food or a less spicy offering. You might even drink it with just crackers and cheese in front of the fireplace.
9 September 2012 Today, we opened another bottle of the 2005 Cannubi. This is truly a spectacular wine. True Barolo in the nose, mouth develops more with each pour. Too bad this was the last bottle we had. Highly recommended, buy it if you can find it stored properly in your local wine shop..
1 June 2014 Today, we opened a bottle of the 2007 Cannubi for lunch. I had made a risotto with porcini mushrooms. When I first smelled the wine, I was taken a little aback because it did not have the typical Cannubi nose. However, after a hour, it had morphed into the wine that we know Chiara makes. It was spectacular. It is really too bad that we have only one more. Please remember that it needs a hour open before tasting.
5 February 2015 We are fans of this woman's wines. They were the first that we bought for our cellar that could be aged for a time longer than the following year. Today, we opened a bottle, the last bottle unfortunately, of the 2009 Nebbiolo. What a spectacular wine! We think it is a short time short of its best showing but if you leave it open for a hour, it should be what you would expect it to show. The meal was some of Natasha's ravioli, a piece of buffala mozzarella, some broccoli and a small salad. We need to find a few more bottles of that grape juice!!!!
5 February 2017 Today, with some "leftovers", we opened the last bottle of the 2007 Cannubi for lunch. While you may think that this wine was too good for "leftovers", you should know, if you have read some of our musings, that our "leftovers" are something you might order in some of the world's finest restaurants. Today, we had Natalya's zucca (pumpkin) soup with some lasagna that we made in December and froze (we always make too much). The wine was spectacular, a blend of the fruit of the grape with a light touch of acidity and very soft tannins. Something that an older Barolo should display. Because of the last bottle we opened in 2014 had a lot of stuff on the bottom of the bottle, we decanted it. We were very glad we did. If you have it, take a bottle for a great meal even if it is in your own kitchen but now is the time to drink it. The wine will stand up to most meals except something that has a touch of peperoncini to it.
We had tasted her 2005 Cannubi at a restaurant in Barolo and wanted to buy it so I contacted her and managed to arrange a visit with our neighbors here in Pratomorone.
We went through the cantina and the barrel room, all underground and all new and extremely well kept. She has also applied to the Italian government for biological status for her wines.
We were also impressed by the 2007 Cannubi and her 2009 Nebbiolo. The neighbors bought her 2009 Barbera, also a spectacular wine.
All three of these are now in our cellar.
This past week, we opened a bottle of the 2005 Cannubi. It was quite soft in both the nose and mouth but an excellent example of the grape. We would recommend that you drink this without food or a less spicy offering. You might even drink it with just crackers and cheese in front of the fireplace.
9 September 2012 Today, we opened another bottle of the 2005 Cannubi. This is truly a spectacular wine. True Barolo in the nose, mouth develops more with each pour. Too bad this was the last bottle we had. Highly recommended, buy it if you can find it stored properly in your local wine shop..
1 June 2014 Today, we opened a bottle of the 2007 Cannubi for lunch. I had made a risotto with porcini mushrooms. When I first smelled the wine, I was taken a little aback because it did not have the typical Cannubi nose. However, after a hour, it had morphed into the wine that we know Chiara makes. It was spectacular. It is really too bad that we have only one more. Please remember that it needs a hour open before tasting.
5 February 2015 We are fans of this woman's wines. They were the first that we bought for our cellar that could be aged for a time longer than the following year. Today, we opened a bottle, the last bottle unfortunately, of the 2009 Nebbiolo. What a spectacular wine! We think it is a short time short of its best showing but if you leave it open for a hour, it should be what you would expect it to show. The meal was some of Natasha's ravioli, a piece of buffala mozzarella, some broccoli and a small salad. We need to find a few more bottles of that grape juice!!!!
5 February 2017 Today, with some "leftovers", we opened the last bottle of the 2007 Cannubi for lunch. While you may think that this wine was too good for "leftovers", you should know, if you have read some of our musings, that our "leftovers" are something you might order in some of the world's finest restaurants. Today, we had Natalya's zucca (pumpkin) soup with some lasagna that we made in December and froze (we always make too much). The wine was spectacular, a blend of the fruit of the grape with a light touch of acidity and very soft tannins. Something that an older Barolo should display. Because of the last bottle we opened in 2014 had a lot of stuff on the bottom of the bottle, we decanted it. We were very glad we did. If you have it, take a bottle for a great meal even if it is in your own kitchen but now is the time to drink it. The wine will stand up to most meals except something that has a touch of peperoncini to it.
Le Strette - Novello
We had the opportunity to spend time with Savio at Le Strette. He gave us the family history and we got to see what we thought was a fairly new cantina.
We tasted a number of his offerings along with our neighbors here in Pratomorone. We were especially impressed with the 2007, the only one they made that year. We had it for our one year anniversary.
We also loved the 2005 Bergera Pezzole.
Both were added to our growing collection.
We recently communicated with Savio regarding the 2008 offerings. He said that they would not be available until around May or June but to come up anyway and see how his other wines are progressing. We will do so gladly.
Savio is looking for distributors in both the UK and US. If this is your business, contact him. He makes very good wines.
5 July 2012 As mentioned above, we were impressed by Savio's 2007 Barolo, enough so to make it our Anniversary Wine. And since our anniversary was the 30th of June, we opened another bottle from our cellar. This is a great wine and in need of more time in the bottle. The tannins are very evident as is the fruit. We suspect that this wine will take another year or two to be ready to drink. So as not to be without it, I emailed Savio and had him put another six bottles aside for us. It is a wine that we recommend highly.
6 September 2013 On the day after third anniversary of Natalya's arrival in Italy, we had another bottle of the 2007 Barolo. It is still growing and coming together but is drinkable at this point. It is highly recommended!! Next opening, June of 2014.
19 October 2013 We opened a bottle of the 2005 Bergera Pezzole today. Natalya had made blini with chicken and rice. It is a spectacular wine with the need for at least another six months in the cantina. No wonder Le Strette wins awards from Decanter magazine in the UK.
30 June 2014 As previously indicated, today is our wedding anniversary and, of course, we opened a bottle of Savio's 2007 Barolo to have with the faraona (guinea hen) that we made with rosemary, garlic and red potatoes from our garden and an appetizer of buffala mozzerella with extra virgin olive oil from Pescara. It went very well with the meal! We believe that it has at least another year before it will be really ready to drink but if you have it, try a bottle if you have more than one. If one is all you have, keep watching this blog!
5 October 2014 This being Natalya's fourth anniversary of being in Italy, we opened a bottle of Savio's 2007 Barolo. We had made, in the oven near our garden, a pizza Neapolitan, with our sauce (not from Napoli), mozzarella from water buffalo milk (from Napoli), extra virgin olive oil from Sicily and basil from Liguria. The wine went very well with the pizza but we feel that the wine might be on its last legs so will speed up the consumption of the remaining three bottles. If you have it, try it and make your own decision! In any case, the pizza and wine combination were very good.
5 December 2014 Today is Natalya's birthday. Since we believe that the wine is reaching its last months, we opened a bottle of the 2007 Barolo for lunch today. It has changed somewhat to the point where we believe that is not in its last months. We have pushed the date that it should be drunk for a year. We had a lunch of Dolma with it today. Went very well with them. Next bottle will be opened on the 30th of June, our wedding anniversary.
22 February 2015 We opened the last of our bottles of the 2005 Bergera Pezzole which won a top award from the UK wine magazine, Decanter. We served it with some steamed vegetables, basmatti rice and polpette using my Sicilian grandmother's recipe. Right wine with the right food. Ready to drink. Wish we had more!!
30 June 2015 Today was our wedding anniversary. We opened the next to last bottle of the 2007 Barolo base. We had made a stuffed piadina with a number of vegetables and curcuma for spice. The wine is ready to drink. We will drink the last bottle on the anniversary of Natalya arriving in Italy, the 5th of October 2015. If you have it in your cellar, drink it.
5 October 2015 Today was the fifth anniversary of Natalya arriving in Italy. We opened the last bottle of the 2007 base Barolo to serve with a Sicilian sausage flavored chicken burger. Even the heavily spiced chicken burger did not overcome the balanced fruit, acid and tannin. Regretfully, we believe there is no more at the cantina but the next time up there, we will ask. As we said back in June, if you have it in your cellar, it is time to pop the cork. Bravo, Savio!!!!
We tasted a number of his offerings along with our neighbors here in Pratomorone. We were especially impressed with the 2007, the only one they made that year. We had it for our one year anniversary.
We also loved the 2005 Bergera Pezzole.
Both were added to our growing collection.
We recently communicated with Savio regarding the 2008 offerings. He said that they would not be available until around May or June but to come up anyway and see how his other wines are progressing. We will do so gladly.
Savio is looking for distributors in both the UK and US. If this is your business, contact him. He makes very good wines.
5 July 2012 As mentioned above, we were impressed by Savio's 2007 Barolo, enough so to make it our Anniversary Wine. And since our anniversary was the 30th of June, we opened another bottle from our cellar. This is a great wine and in need of more time in the bottle. The tannins are very evident as is the fruit. We suspect that this wine will take another year or two to be ready to drink. So as not to be without it, I emailed Savio and had him put another six bottles aside for us. It is a wine that we recommend highly.
6 September 2013 On the day after third anniversary of Natalya's arrival in Italy, we had another bottle of the 2007 Barolo. It is still growing and coming together but is drinkable at this point. It is highly recommended!! Next opening, June of 2014.
19 October 2013 We opened a bottle of the 2005 Bergera Pezzole today. Natalya had made blini with chicken and rice. It is a spectacular wine with the need for at least another six months in the cantina. No wonder Le Strette wins awards from Decanter magazine in the UK.
30 June 2014 As previously indicated, today is our wedding anniversary and, of course, we opened a bottle of Savio's 2007 Barolo to have with the faraona (guinea hen) that we made with rosemary, garlic and red potatoes from our garden and an appetizer of buffala mozzerella with extra virgin olive oil from Pescara. It went very well with the meal! We believe that it has at least another year before it will be really ready to drink but if you have it, try a bottle if you have more than one. If one is all you have, keep watching this blog!
5 October 2014 This being Natalya's fourth anniversary of being in Italy, we opened a bottle of Savio's 2007 Barolo. We had made, in the oven near our garden, a pizza Neapolitan, with our sauce (not from Napoli), mozzarella from water buffalo milk (from Napoli), extra virgin olive oil from Sicily and basil from Liguria. The wine went very well with the pizza but we feel that the wine might be on its last legs so will speed up the consumption of the remaining three bottles. If you have it, try it and make your own decision! In any case, the pizza and wine combination were very good.
5 December 2014 Today is Natalya's birthday. Since we believe that the wine is reaching its last months, we opened a bottle of the 2007 Barolo for lunch today. It has changed somewhat to the point where we believe that is not in its last months. We have pushed the date that it should be drunk for a year. We had a lunch of Dolma with it today. Went very well with them. Next bottle will be opened on the 30th of June, our wedding anniversary.
22 February 2015 We opened the last of our bottles of the 2005 Bergera Pezzole which won a top award from the UK wine magazine, Decanter. We served it with some steamed vegetables, basmatti rice and polpette using my Sicilian grandmother's recipe. Right wine with the right food. Ready to drink. Wish we had more!!
30 June 2015 Today was our wedding anniversary. We opened the next to last bottle of the 2007 Barolo base. We had made a stuffed piadina with a number of vegetables and curcuma for spice. The wine is ready to drink. We will drink the last bottle on the anniversary of Natalya arriving in Italy, the 5th of October 2015. If you have it in your cellar, drink it.
5 October 2015 Today was the fifth anniversary of Natalya arriving in Italy. We opened the last bottle of the 2007 base Barolo to serve with a Sicilian sausage flavored chicken burger. Even the heavily spiced chicken burger did not overcome the balanced fruit, acid and tannin. Regretfully, we believe there is no more at the cantina but the next time up there, we will ask. As we said back in June, if you have it in your cellar, it is time to pop the cork. Bravo, Savio!!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)