I decided to combine my notes from both of these tastings since I never managed to post my notes for the first one, and now the second group of notes are ready.
Anyway, Vintages in Belmont and Concord had two separate tastings of Piedmontese wines over the past two weekends. As always, I found both of these events to be very interesting and informative.
The first group of wines, which I tasted in Belmont on June 1, were billed as "Summer Wines" from Barolo producers - in this case, Azienda Agricola Brezza Giacomo e Figli and Fratelli Alessandria. Although both Brezza and Alessandria are much better known for their Baroli, they are also making other lovely wines. I had tasted the Alessandria Pelaverga and Favorita in the past, but the others were new to me.
For the second tasting, Daniela Rocca of Azienda Agricola Albino Rocca came by the Concord store to host a tasting of her family's wines . Daniela is the daughter of winemaker Angelo Rocca, and she is in charge of marketing for the estate. Daniela was a very gracious host, and it was a pleasure to try some Barbarescos and other wines from a producer that I was not as familiar with previously. The Albino Rocca Barbarescos lean toward the modern style, and are classy, elegant expressions of both their soil and the Nebbiolo grape.
Anyway, many thanks to Daniela and to the staff at Vintages for hosting and arranging both of these exciting events.
2010 Azienda Agricola Brezza Giacomo e Figli Langhe DOC Chardonnay
Medium-bodied, fresh, lightly steely, well balanced, with moderate acidity; shows citrus, floral, pear, and kiwifruit notes. Very good.
2009 Azienda Agricola Brezza Giacomo e Figli Barbera d’Alba DOC Cannubi Muscatel
This comes from a section of the Cannubi cru in Barolo that was actually planted to Muscat vines in the days before phylloxera. Medium-bodied, nicely balanced, with good underlying acidity, and moderate tannin. Tastes of cherries, mixed berries, and blood oranges, with notes of spices and earth. Very good/excellent.
2011 Fratelli Alessandria Langhe DOC Favorita
Depending on your source, Favorita is identical to, or at least, closely akin to, Vermentino. Pear/herbal nose. Medium-bodied, lightly round, well balanced, with moderate acidity. Lightly mineral, with apple, herbal, and spice notes. Very good.
2011 Fratelli Alessandria Verduno Pelaverga DOC “Speziale”
Lightly chilled. Light in weight, lightly tannic, well balanced, with moderate acidity. Shows mixed berry, spice, and earthy notes, plus just a hint of asphalt. Very good.
2010 Fratelli Alessandria Nebbiolo d’Alba DOC “Prinsiòt”
Rather tight nose. Light to medium-bodied, lightly tannic, with mineral, cherry, spice, and floral notes. Needs more time to complete fill out and open up. Potentially very good.
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2009 Albino Rocca Piemonte DOC Cortese “La Rocca”
From a one-hectare site in Barbaresco, this gets some barrique aging. Moderately full-bodied, well balanced, with moderate acidity; shows peach, citrus, and lightly herbal/oaky notes. Very good – one of the better Corteses that I have had.
2010 Albino Rocca Barbera d’Alba DOC
This Barbera is meant to be a wine for early drinking, and is not as structured as some. Nonetheless, it is a pleasant everyday red. Medium-bodied, with light tannins and good underlying acidity; lightly earthy/spicy, with plum and mixed berry notes. Good+.
2008 Albino Rocca Barbaresco “duemilaotto”
From a blend of vines that are approximately 15 years old. “duemilaotto” refers to the vintage year. Floral/minty nose. Medium-bodied, elegant, well balanced, with moderate acidity; a less tannic, very accessible young Barbaresco. Shows notes of cherries, other red fruits, spices, and a bit of leather. Very good+.
2008 Albino Rocca Barbaresco Ronchi
Floral/coconut nose. Medium to full-bodied, moderately structured, smooth, elegant, with moderate acidity. Tastes of cherries, red fruits, plums, licorice, and spices. Very good/excellent.
2006 Albino Rocca Barbaresco Vigneto Bric Ronchi
Full-bodied, elegant, nicely balanced, with spicy tannins and moderate acidity. Displays notes of mixed berries, cherries, tar, cayenne pepper, spices, and some new oak. Drinkable now, but should also age well. Excellent.
2008 Albino Rocca Barbaresco Ovello Vigna Loreto
Nose of tar, vanilla, and spices. Full-bodied, well balanced, with moderate acidity and very smooth tannins. Tastes of cherries, mixed berries, black tea, and spices. Ovello usually needs a lot of time to come around, so I figure that this will benefit from another 10-15 years or so, considering the style. Excellent.
2003 Albino Rocca Barbaresco Vigneto Loreto
Nose of tar, cherry liqueur, and mint. I’ve never noticed mint from Ovello, but 2003 was an atypical vintage, so all bets are off. Full-bodied, ripe, yet balanced, with more integrated tannins. Tastes of cherries, red currants, tar, herbs, and a bit of vanilla. Excellent.
Note: Starting with the 2007 vintage, Barolo and Barbaresco producers were required to use the official names of classified crus on their labels, so the names of some wines have changed. Thus, "Vigneto Loreto", referring to a section of the Ovello cru known as Loreto, is now "Ovello Vigna Loreto", and "Vigneto Bric Ronchi" is simply "Ronchi"