WTN: Blind Barberas and other Italians

Last night a friend organised a single blind tasting of Barberas with some ringers inserted. He likes a much more modern style than I do, but I love Barbera so I had to go see if any would suit me. Sadly, for my tastes, this turned out to be a rather disappointing tasting.

• 2002 Cantina Terlano Lagrein Porphyr Riserva - Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Alto Adige, Alto Adige - Südtirol (4/30/2008)
  Blind. Dark, almost black colour. The nose is rather stern and austere and muscular despite the sweet dark fruit and new oak/blueberry aromas. Inky and cedary. Tannic but tangy, lively and not as obviously oaky as the nose - and therefore one of the rare wines where I find the palate more interesting than the nose! A rather too modern style for my preferences.
• 1998 Poderi Aldo Conterno Langhe Nebbiolo Il Favot - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC (4/30/2008)
  Served blind. A lighter red colour. I found a toffeed sweetness and oakyness/chocolateyness on the nose; very fleshy and voluptious nose - a vinous Rubens. The palate shows genuine Nebbiolo character: a rusty, red fruit, quite tannic but the tannins are soft, but the fruit is rather plump for the grape so I was thinking it was a 2000. Apart from the oak scents, this was pleasant.
• 1999 Allegrini La Grola Veronese IGT - Italy, Veneto, Veronese IGT (4/30/2008)
  Blind. Very dark. The nose is very expressive - obvious even - and confected in its sweetness and jammyness yet with a curious piercing lift to it: ribena and rhubarb jam. The palate was soft, jammy, but with a little bit of liveliness so despite all the sweetness it wasn't cloying. I thought this was a Chilean Cabernet! Even when revealed I didn't find much Venetian character in it. Balanced in its strange way, but not a wine to my taste.
• 2004 Agricola Punica Barrua Isola dei Nuraghi IGT - Italy, Sardinia, Isola dei Nuraghi IGT (4/30/2008)
  Blind. Very dark. The nose is savoury despite all the new oak aromas. Lifted, inky but with delectable vegetal and tobacco scents. Sweet, juicy, tight and it feels like the components are a bit crammed up - too extracted or just a bit closed? Despite some attractive elements, this was just too much in the "international/modern" style for me to enjoy.
• 2001 Elio Altare L'Insieme Vino da Tavola - Italy, Piedmont, Vino da Tavola (4/30/2008)
  Blind. Jammy, oaky, inky and with some banana-like esteryness. The soft and sweet fruit lacked liveliness and it was extracted, harsh and quite unbalanced. I didn't enjoy this at all.
• 1998 La Spinetta (Rivetti) Monferrato Pin - Italy, Piedmont, Monferrato (4/30/2008)
  Blind. The nose was quite tight and ungiving with the rusty Nebbiolo notes clashing with the oak aromas. The palate is sweet and surprisingly soft for a blend with a significant proportion of Nebbiolo. Quite simple and not quite balanced.
• 2000 Vietti Barbera d'Alba Vigna Vecchia Scarrone - Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Barbera d'Alba (4/30/2008)
  Blind. Sweet, chocolatey oak, blueberry, lacking the tanginess I hope to see in Barbera. Has some vivaciousness on the palate but the sweet oak tries hard to smother that. Earlier on in my wine-life I quite enjoyed this wine, but now I found it too "modern".
• 2001 La Spinetta (Rivetti) Barbera d'Asti Superiore (Bionzo) - Italy, Piedmont, Asti, Barbera d'Asti Superiore (4/30/2008)
  Blind. Lots of new oak, some cassis and nuttiness but savoury and lifted. Oaky, pleasant acidity, extracted - a Cabernet ringer in a Barbera tasting?
• 1999 Hastae Barbera d'Asti Quorum - Italy, Piedmont, Asti, Barbera d'Asti (4/30/2008)
  Blind. Lots of sweet oak, voluptious but lively and herbal with a delectable tobacco note and a mix of dark and red berries. Oaky but pleasantly tangy and refreshing despite all the sweet fruit; soft tannins. Drinking well now, but no hurry. Of the modern Barberas tonight, this was the only one which single blind showed true Barbera character - not even the over-done make-up managed to mask that.
• 2001 Braida (Giacomo Bologna) Barbera d'Asti Ai Suma - Italy, Piedmont, Asti, Barbera d'Asti (4/30/2008)
  Blind. Sweet and toffeed nose of new barrique, some banana-esteryness, so international in style that it could be any grape from anywhere. Sweet, soft, unsavoury, unvibrant and very anonymous.

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