With Fall coming up, I’ve been looking at some reds to pick up and being an Italian lover, this ep. is perfect.

QOTD: Oddly enough, my last Nebbiolo was that Traviglini Gatinnara you killed recently. My notes are that is was silky smooth and mouth-coating, solid fruits of dark cherry and ripe plum, very drinkable now & expansive with a good finish. 90+ pts.

Damilano Barolo 2001..nice red fruits, soft, some earthiness, nice with cheese, but not memorable…87

QOTD…I had a Barola this past winter. Sorry, I forget the name and the tasting notes. I do remember it being a tough wine, ie I felt like I got slapped in the face after a few sips. The score for the phantom wine would be 88.

GV…Thanks for wearing a real shirt!!! We’ll make a man out of you yet.

Great show!!

Actually it was an Il Mino Cantalupo a rosato from Nebbiolo that I had over the weekend and that I still have two bottles of. Rate it 87 points and that is high for me for a rosé. A little frizzante and good acid.

QOTD: Can’t think of one, I know I’ve had them. Sad of me.

Excellent ep! heading to Piedmonte in October..
QOTD: Prunotto Barbaresco Bric Turot 2000 Complex aromas of blackberry, clove, plum and black licorice. Full-bodied, with big, velvety tannins and a long, rich finish. Decanted for 3 hours prior to enjoying….

QOTD: Oberto Barolo Vigneto Albarella 2000 on your recommendation, thank you.
Delicious, velvety mouth feel, really nice transition. Almost everything you would want in a mature wine. I wanted to and did really savor this bottle.

2005 Mario Marengo Nebbiolo d’Alba Valmaggiore was the last bottle I tried. Scored it an 88; would have been a bit higher but I felt it was a bit thin for a 90+ type bottle of nebbiolo. Finish had some spice which I did like.

Yummy. I’m definitely more of a fan of Barolo than Barbaresco, but my most recent Nebbiolo was a Barbaresco:

QOTD: 2004 Montaribaldi Barbaresco Palazzina
Very nice price for a 2004 Barbaresco ($26). Wine was in glass for two and a half hours before note. Nose is very typical Nebbiolo with sour cranberries, graphite, a hit of licorice, and some pine needles. Mid palate shows plenty of sour red fruits and is very drying in the mouth. Finishes with a huge mouth coating dryness, but not necessarily very big tannins. The wine is so dry that it feels almost like there’s sediment sticking to the whole of my mouth, but this is not the case (there is no sediment). On day two the fruit is much more at the forefront throughout, including raspberry fruit roll up on the nose. The mid palate is now showing little balls of fruit, and the finish is still primarily dried up powder, but some of the fruit shows through. If there was more on the finish this could be special. A nice effort, and something that in a few years will likely prove to be a fine wine. (90 Points)

David

An armful of wristbands….

QOTD: Was eyeing up a 1998 Principiano Boscareto Barbaresco in the cellar but chose something else. Have not had a lot of Italian wine recently except for a dynamite Barbera. Did have the Travaglini Gattinara a while back. A nice food-friendly wine–don’t think it was the same vintage you trashed. Can’t remember the last Barolo I drank—therefore, I lack any tasting notes.

decent show,

Not really a big fan of italians though

QOTD: a 2000 barolo at a tasting that was nice, but even though i love me some morels and mushroom can’t really say that dried cherry excites me enough to get into these wines at their price points.

QOTD: 2006 Ferrando Canavese La Torrazza

My note:
Some astringency on the nose, with cherry and burnt pinestraw; on the palate, sour cherry, a small amount of tannic grip, noticable acidity, and slight grassiness. The finish is dominated by the burnt pinestraw that was on the nose but hid underneath the palate. The finish is simple and about 5 seconds long. 84-85.

YAAA BOOOOY, great show Gary.

QOTD: Travaglini Gattinara which is 100% Nebbiolo, from the Piedmont region.
On the nose you get some red fruit, blackberry, plum with hints of vanilla and leather.

Full bodied wine with flavors of cherry, raspberry and spice, very long finish.

From May:

1997 Alessandro e Gian Natale Fantino Barolo Vigna dei Dardi

Raspberry with cassis on the nose. Raspberry, prune, cassis, and a hint of basil followed by sour cherry and black pepper. After 2.5 hours getting some tomato and celery in the mid-palate and finish. Long finish yet medium bodied. 88 Points.

Gary great episode.

QOTD:
-Haven’t had any that i can remember 🙁

Gary, loved the schoolyard bully analogy. That really helped make the point!

Again, the thundershow inspires and seduces! The wonderful, infinite world of wines is much more approachable thanks to GV and the gang.

QOTD:2003 Boroli Barolo-89 pts.
Needs time to evolve. I suggest 24 hrs of decanting if you open it now. It was akward the first night, but on the second night the cherry fruit came through and it was much more balanced with the high acidity and tannins. Overall, I would have prefered more earth and structure from it, because it’s kind of one-dimensional, but it’s a tasty dimension of cherry pie.

Great Italian show. Gotta give the Barolos and Barbarescos time to age. 2004 may be a little young. I have some 2001 Barolo that is going to hang in the wine fridge until 2011 or longer.

QOTD: 2001 Pio Cesare Barolo – very bold and delicious. Deep red fruit, hint of chocolate on the nose. Elegant flavors of plums, berries. Full bodied with smooth tannins on a long, 45 sec, delightful finish. Had for Christmas Eve dinner with the family. Allowed to breathe for several hours before serving. 96 points and a good QPR even at $70, but I gush.

QOTD: happen to be drinking a 2004 La Loggia Barola right now! A little thin, tart, tannic…doesn’t excite me at 12 bones. But works well with my world famous spaghetti sauce tonight!

GV – Love the Italian reds. I always seek out new Italian wines whenever I go to the wine shop. The key to Barbaresco Osso Bucco (sp?) has me planning a dinner.

QOTD: I’ve had 2 Barolos in the last month, but they were at a friend’s house and I didn’t copy down the names. Must have been the wine. Sorry. I did enjoy them.

Love the shout out to SS Chris!

QOTD: 2000 Luigi Pira Barolo Marenca – cherries, cloves, toast on nose; smooth big cherry, coffee and toast taste; 91 points

No Contest: a 1996 GIRIBALDI BAROLO (DOCG). I had it just last month as part of a five-course Italian dinner that I prepared for my special friend’s birthday. We also enjoyed a 2005 Vesevo Greco Di Tufo, and while both wines were home runs, the Giribaldi was definitely the star of the show. ’96 was a superior vintage for the Piemonte, and this bottle had arrived at its zenith of sheer perfection. It came close to being orgasmic in the amount of pleasure it gave both of us. It made for a very happy birthday celebration indeed. Nebbiolo is my favorite grape, and this Giribaldi was the best expression of the Nebbiolo that I have ever had!