Valfieri Barolo 2007

Harmonious and sophisticated, from a spectacular vintage, the Valfieri Barolo shows a lovely, perfumed nose and light cherry and raspberry notes underneath the muscular structure of tannin. This wine will certainly reward your patience a few years down the road, and will drink beautifully throughout the next decade.

Baking spice, cinnamon, cloves, roasted coffee, rose water, plums and sour cherries dance in this modern and unusually ripe Barolo.

Baking spice, cinnamon, cloves, roasted coffee, rose water, plums and sour cherries dance in this modern and unusually ripe Barolo.

Full-bodied, with a dense nose of deeply-layered berry and a touch of woodsmoke and spice. The color is beautiful, a deep red with hints of dark orange, and the structure is austere and elegant; a perfect balance of fruit and heavy tannins adds depth to the finish. Crafted from Nebbiolo grapes from 30-35 year old vines, this Barbaresco will pair perfectly with cheeses and roasted meats.

In a recent Wine Mind class, one participant described this wine perfectly when he summed up the aromatics as andldquo;hunterandrsquo;s cabin.andrdquo; There are a ton of woodsy, forest floor, mushroomy notes, along with a smoky nuance (think the lingering ashy smell of a fireplace), and a bloody gaminess, as if last nightandrsquo;s prize had been recently slaughtered. Thereandrsquo;s fruit, of course, and this is also of the forest-berry persuasion. And while this shows classic Barbaresco structure, the tannins never interfere with the depth of flavor or length of finish. Could be the ultimate andldquo;autumnalandrdquo; wine? Perhaps, if youandrsquo;re given to such nebulous descriptions. More tangibly, however, itandrsquo;s a single-vineyard Barbaresco for the same price as your average Nebbiolo Langhe or dandrsquo;Alba. The Bric Mentina is a tremendous value and utterly unique.

Full-bodied, with a dense nose of deeply-layered berry and a touch of woodsmoke and spice. The color is beautiful, a deep red with hints of dark orange, and the structure is austere and elegant; a perfect balance of fruit and heavy tannins adds depth to the finish. Crafted from Nebbiolo grapes from 30ndash;35 year old vines, this Barbaresco will pair perfectly with cheeses and roasted meats.

A spectacular vintage in Piedmont; many of the 2004 Barbarescos that are currently being released are capable of aging 20 years or more! But for those of us who just can't wait, the Valfieri is ready to drink now (though it, too will drink well for years to come if you should decide to hang on to it), with a complex bouquet and palate full of earth, roses, cherry and spice notes. An ideal pairing would be with a mushroom risotto, but also try with roast pork, portabella burgers, or beef and grilled vegetable dishes.