Orlando Abrigo - Barbaresco

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!!