A Gift of Nebbiolo

May 21, 2010
Having this tasting and dinner with my family truly came as a result of the generosity of a few winemakers, of whom each hail from wine growing regions separated by thousands of miles. First came the gift from the ever-charming and hospitable, Barbara Sandrone during our most recent visit to Piedmont, last May. Along with homemade preserves and plans for our next visit, she generously gave a bottle from the beloved Sandrone vineyard of Valmaggiore. The second gift came from the unlikely but developing friendship between my brother and esteemed winemaker, Chris Ringland of Australia. After a dinner in San Francisco, an unprompted Ringland generously sent a bottle of his extremely limited production and un-released bottling of Australia cool-climate Nebbiolo for our enjoyment. The last gift came from a source much closer to home. My friend and celebrated winemaker, Steve Clifton shared a bottle of his passion project in Nebbiolo from his Palmina winery.

Though none of these wines could be considered "heavy-hitters" in terms of the world of Nebbiolo, it was a fascinating experiment in what is being down with this varietal from around the world. All the wines showed fantastic development throughout the night and showed the great interest that this particular varietal can provide. I am obviously quite biased, as this is probably my favorite grape variety, but as the night progressed the rest of my family seemed to enjoy a heightened sense of appreciation for my beloved Nebbiolo. Despite their extreme geographic diversity, the wines all seemed to be speaking the same language and it was pretty impressive that they were all of the same caliber.

Overall this was one of those great nights of simple pleasures with family that just happened to be centered around good food and fine wines. Barbequed chicken, salad of local organic greens, and twice baked potatoes provided the necessary nourishment for the evening and here is the lineup of wines:

Qupe Roussanne Hillside Estate Bien Nacido Vineyard 2007***
Rich and creamy texture while not being heavy. Butter and honeysuckle on the nose led to a mouthful of tropical fruits ranging from lychee to papaya. This wine continues to impress, from barrel samples to now. Can't wait to see where this goes over the next 5+ years.

R Wines Nebbiolo Solita 2004***
Savory and balsamic notes initially leading into red and black licorice, rose, roasted berries, mocha, and something a little like chocolate covered cherries. The mouth was mid-weight and elegant, showing cranberries and tar. This wine was a hugely pleasant surprise for me. I am well aware of this particular winemakers prowess when it comes to decadent wines of Grenache and Syrah, but working with colder climate fruit from the Adelaide Hills, Ringland really hit the varietal character that is rarely found outside of the Langhe. To his credit and as an example of this wine's "authenticity," the nose initially reminded me of wines coming from Serralunga d'Alba.

Palmina Nebbiolo Santa Barbara County 2005***
Aromatic nose of bright red fruit that gained weight and richness over time, pretty violets, chocolate, and undertones of something slightly savory. The tannins were less integrated than the other wines but continued to soften over time. Sweet chalky red fruit covering classic tar on the palate. This wine was probably the only wine that could have been identified throughout the tasting, because of it's more forthcoming fruit characteristics. But, please do not be mistaken, this wine was a serious wine and very enjoyable to drink.

Sandrone Valmaggiore Nebbiolo d'Alba 2004***
Fantastic aromatics of blue fruits, violets and sweet pipe tobacco. The palate was a little more dense than the other two wines and showed a much more pronounced streak of minerality. To me, this was the wine that I'd be most interested in re-visiting in 5 to 10 years. Both the nose and mouth showed a deeper and darker core to them that left me quite intrigued and wanting more.

Tablas Creek Vin de Paille 2005**+
Looking like liquid gold, this little sweetie is a fantastic way to finish off a night. The powerful nose of apples reminded me of a fine Calvados (minus the alcohol). Mouth filling delicious baked apples never approached anything sappy and stayed quite elegant for this white Rhone blend.

I hope that our evening might inspire some of you to organize an evening with good friends and family to share some good wines in a way where you can all learn something as you enjoy each other's company. That is my sappy sentiment of this entry, please forgive my current gushy condition, I can't help it... Well, I hope that you enjoyed this one and I look forward to any feedback you might have.

Cheers!

0 Stars - No rating
1 Star (*) - Not of significant quality or interest
2 Stars (**) - A notable wine of legitimate interest
3 Stars (***) - Great wine that should be searched out
4 Stars (****) - Fantastic wine that should not be missed
5 Stars (*****) - An absolutely mind-bending wine - beg, borrow, or steal to get your hands on some of this amazing juice!

Disclaimer: This rating is based on my palate and at the given time when tasted and may differ from yours. Also, I may catch a bottle in a dumb phase or it just may not speak to me at that particular time.