Some wines are made to drink right away, others take a bit more patience and time to develop their style and grace. Sadly, quite often by the time they do they are no longer available. Nebbiolo is definitely one of the grapes that gets better with age. This Sunday evening we’ll be charting that development. Tasting some examples back through time, from the great but young 2010 vintage to the amazing 2001, with a few stops in between. Space for this tasting is limited so contact us (just reply to this email) to reserve your space. We start at 5:30 on Sunday, have a few snacks to go with the wines and you can still get home for Sunday dinner.
1999 Scarpa La Selva de Moirano $23
Dolcetto
Scarpa recently released a bit of this 1999 single vineyard Dolcetto and it is amazing how it has developed. The tannic structure is elegant, with lots of classic Dolcetto black tea and floral in the nose, the acidity is still holding in there and the fruit is bright and lively. 11 bottles available.
2010 Rivetto, Barbaresco -Cè Vanin $32
Nebbiolo
This shows an intriguing bouquet of violet and truffle, with hints of meat juices thrown in for good measure. The palate is long and linear, delivering ripe berry, mint and peppery notes. The tannins are still tight and need a few more years to soften. – Wine Enthusiast. 12 bottles available
2007 Casetta, Nebbiolo d’Alba Rivere $21
Baby Barbaresco! The Rivere from Alba sees 2 years in oak and 6 in bottle before release. The 2007 has the right amount of cellar age as well. It is drinking great. Aromas of flowers and wild fruit. The palate is full-bodied with noble elegance and silky pleasant tannins.
2005 Tenuta Sella Lessona, San Sebastiano allo Zoppa $50
This Nebbiolo comes from Lessona, in northern Piedmont. This tiny appellation (just 6.5 hectares) is located just to the west of Gattinara in the foothills of the nearby Alps. The San Sebastiano comes from 45 year old vines. It is produced traditionally, with extended aging in large old barrels for several years. It has developed nicely in the bottle with pretty notes of dried cherries, flowers, tar and licorice. 36 bottles available.
2001 Damilano, Riserva 2001 $82
A library release, this Barrolo has been sitting in bottle at the winery since 2004. It made Wine Spectators top 100 list in 2005. Right now the wine is showing great aromatics and a very supple balance body with a long finish. “Surprisingly deep ruby for its age. Quite subtle, savory. Richer and more developed on the palate…lots and lots of length.” — Jance Robinson in 2011
Madrona Wine Merchants offers free wine tastings featuring 4-5 selections on a theme every Saturday from 2 until the bottles run out and on Sunday we offer a mini-tasting of two wines all day from 11-5.