Piedmont Wine

• November 2009

  Depends on what you mean by 'long life'. That's a term I personally use for those that improve over a 20-30 or even 50 year timeframe. Five to 15 years are more short-to midterm. Long term? I currently have Bordeauxs (red and sweet white) and Burgundies from the '50s and California... Read moreDepends on what you mean by 'long life'. That's a term I personally use for those that improve over a 20-30 or even 50 year timeframe. Five to 15 years are more short-to midterm. Long term? I currently have Bordeauxs (red and sweet white) and Burgundies from the '50s and California cabs and zins (and even the odd Chalone pinot) from the '70s that are in superb form. Also ports and Jura vin jaune from that era. I wasn't collecting Australians then and the Brunellos were all from Italy that I had from that period, and they, unfortunately, are all drunk up. I know Penfolds Grange and 389s last well from the '80s (the Grange was a bit cheaper then ;-) ), but don't know about others from that period because my knowledge of Oz was scanty back then. Certainly a whole range of California cabernets and zins (and even a few merlots), Burgundies, Champagnes, Rhones, Barolos, Super Tuscans and late-harvest German rieslings from the '80s are doing very well right now. First half of the '90s, some dry Bordeaux whites and Burgundy whites can be good, though though they are exceptional ones, but many more Californias, Washingtons and Oregons (pinots, cabs, zins, sparklings and the rare still chards), all sorts of French and Italian and Spanish bottlings (Rioja was all I knew then) are great now. Haven't had any success at all with New Zealand wines from that period, and still wasn't giving enough attention to Oz at that point. Didn't even have South America on my wine map then, and for various reasons wasn't picking up South African products at the time. The last 5-15 years and the number of great, maturely healthy (while in many cases still adolescent) wines just mushrooms. These are all from my personal experience, and I could list actual wines but it would be too lengthy a post. I do know if you look for the best wines from the type and region and periods I've mentioned, and know they've been stored well, you'll be very pleasantly surprised by what a mature wine can be. GregT, I'm going to part ways with you on your comments about fortified wines. Yes, you are absolutely spot-on about the relative value of ports these days, and even if there seem to be a lot of ports out there from the '70s and earlier, the fact is there actually isn't the selection you might want. Kinda like hunting for California reds from the early '90s in the marketplace now in terms of range of choice. So I say that if you're interested you should explore a range of ports now, learn what you like, and lay down what you can (and nothing wrong with also laying down those from the '70s and '80s you can buy now, because they'll continue to improve with age). 20 or more years from now you'll be happy that you did. Especially so for Madeiras since the selection for them is seemingly more limited to start with, and certain collectors have been talking the market up considerably over the past few years. I haven't hunted enough for aged sweet sherries, but the fact that you almost never see them in the marketplace means that you should buy new releases you know you like if you want to drink them in the future. I can't talk intelligently about Marsalas, Vin Santos, Banyuls, etc., because of lack of sufficient personal knowledge, but that's something I plan to remedy in the future. Though not fortified, late-harvest German and Alsatian and Austrian wines are just plain cheaper now than they will be in the future, so go for them now. Ditto Sauternes, if you like them. You'd know more about Tokaji, Greg, so I'll leave that analysis up to you.    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Long cellar life wines. by dmcker

  
  
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  November 2009

  Rocche Dei Manzoni Barolo Vigna Big 1996

  Snoothrank: Starting at $68^.00

  The bottle I had was fantastic

  Wine review by aaronsingfox

  
  

• November 2009

  I'm glad it worked out well! The 93 Barolos are in a good spot right now while the bigger, and obviously much younger, 2001's are shutting down and not showing all that they have so your results do not surprise me. Tha Prager sounds like a great choice as well.

  Forum post in the topic Pairings please by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  

• November 2009

  Yes, I'm familiar with Reidel's lawsuit against Eisch. My understanding is ... d'Alba. Have only tried one Piedmont barbera since the Cali ones, and it didn't even come close. I don't really climb much of anywhere except El Capitan these days. I leave all my climbing gear... Read moreYes, I'm familiar with Reidel's lawsuit against Eisch. My understanding is ... d'Alba. Have only tried one Piedmont barbera since the Cali ones, and it didn't even come close. I don't really climb much of anywhere except El Capitan these days. I leave all my climbing gear pretty much in California, although I do a bit of cragging her in Ontario from time to time. I'm also part of the group that's exploring Mamoth Cave, Kentucky, so I spend a few days underground each month. So far this year, we've discovered, explored and surveyed about 9,000 feet of new passage, lots of it small, but at least one room big enough to fit a small winery. Cheers, Pete    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Stemware - Eisch "breathable"... by passthepitonspete

  
  

• November 2009

  Gregory, Many thanks for these suggestions. I ended up with a great austian riesling (prager federspiel 2005) which had the body you described and was a perfect match for the soup. Then onto two different Barolos with the veal (the '93 Beni De Batasiolo was the crowd favorite,... Read moreGregory, Many thanks for these suggestions. I ended up with a great austian riesling (prager federspiel 2005) which had the body you described and was a perfect match for the soup. Then onto two different Barolos with the veal (the '93 Beni De Batasiolo was the crowd favorite, preferred over it's younger partner, the 2001 Marengo, though I maybe didn't air the latter quite as much, giving an advantage to the '93). But the big discovery of the evening for me as well as the guests was the Recioto di Soave (Ca' Rugate 2006, La Perlara) which I'd never heard of until your post. I had to get it special ordered from my local wine shop, but boy was it worth it. The pairing with the pear upside down cake was perfect. What an amazing end to an amazing dinner. Can't wait for the next one!    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Pairings please by newton leblanc

  
  
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  November 2009

  Casa Vinicola Dogliotti Barolo 2001

  Snoothrank:

  Absolutely fantastic.

  Wine review by amcounsell

  
  

• November 2009

  So Pete, do you have any relationship to Eisch? ;-) An interesting, well written story. Stimulated me to google the glasses, and the first article I opened was this one: http://www.decanter.com/news/152338.html The commentary below the article doesn't seem as favorable about the... Read moreSo Pete, do you have any relationship to Eisch? ;-) An interesting, well written story. Stimulated me to google the glasses, and the first article I opened was this one: http://www.decanter.com/news/152338.html The commentary below the article doesn't seem as favorable about the Eisch stemware. Don't know if the posters are affiliated with Riedel, but I'm certainly not. BTW, Lodi, Amador and the Sierra foothills have produced a lot of good Zin for several years now. Here's an article that Snooth did this past summer: http://www.snooth.com/articles/wine-regions/sierra-foothills-2/ And you should definitely try some Barbera from Italy. Hunt for Barbera d'Alba as a starting point. Do you climb anywhere else besides Yosemite?    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Stemware - Eisch "breathable"... by dmcker

  
  
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  November 2009

  Fontanafredda Briccotondo Barbera 2007

  Snoothrank:

  No written review

  Wine review by stanhubrio

  
  

• Nov 21

  Looking for a reasonable priced Barolo the check out the Renato Ferrero La Moorra Barolo's. Great wine for the price! The 2004 Gattera e Luciani,DOCG is in the $39.- 40. range and is excellent. The higher priced is the 2003 Manzoni, DOCG $65.00 range!

  Comment by ATootsie

  
  

• November 2009

  Ciao Cigarman, This means that the law/wine legislation does not require that a vintage be quoted on the label. Of course you know this if you regularly buy it. Barolo Chinato is an aromatized wine - Barolo DOCG with sugar and alchohol added which has had rhubarb root, cardamom,... Read moreCiao Cigarman, This means that the law/wine legislation does not require that a vintage be quoted on the label. Of course you know this if you regularly buy it. Barolo Chinato is an aromatized wine - Barolo DOCG with sugar and alchohol added which has had rhubarb root, cardamom, gentian, chinchona and other spices stewing away in it. It's alcohol level is usually from 16 - 17%. It was invented in 1891 and many people consider that it has medicinal benefits, helped by the fact that a pharmacist came up with the first recipe. It's a great warming winter drink. I don't know about the specifics of production but I would imagine that you can use a blend of vintages as long as it can be proved that the wine used is Barolo DOCG. If it's usual to blend vintages then it has to be a NV product. I hope this helps!    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Question on Barolo Chinato by Laurapal

  
  
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  November 2009

  Barbaresco Terre del Barolo Piedmont 2004

  Snoothrank:

  No written review

  Wine review by coslattery

  
  

• Oct 1

  I am trying to find bosco Galli Piemonte Moscato and Caluso Passito

  Comment by Dishes123

  
  

• Jul 9

  The header of this page lists the 2004 Pio Cesare Barolo at US $19.21. Don't we wish!

  Comment by Mart P

  
  

• Jul 9

  We've got a nice email going out tomorrow on a pair of 2004 Barolos. Two of the best wines were from the village of Serralunga, heck three of them were but only 2 are still available at retail. I was very impressed with the wines as a group, which is not surprising since these are... Read moreWe've got a nice email going out tomorrow on a pair of 2004 Barolos. Two of the best wines were from the village of Serralunga, heck three of them were but only 2 are still available at retail. I was very impressed with the wines as a group, which is not surprising since these are wines that I bought for myself, but I just wanted to give everyone a heads up regarding the Guido Porro in particular. This is still available at retail for only $32 and really represents one of the great bargains in Barolo today. http://www.snooth.com/wine/guido-porro-barolo-vigna-santa-caterina-2004/ The complete notes from the tasting can be found here:http://www.snooth.com/talk/topic/barolo-2004-do-bargains-still-abound/    (hide)

  Comment by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  

• May 14

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  Page modification by solomania9

  
  

• May 14

  New image uploaded to this page.

  Page modification by solomania9

  
  

• Dec 19, 2008

  Can we call this group: "Kneed Mont"- so I can finally remember where along the boot this place is?

  Comment by ChipDWood

  
  

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