We tasted tonight (6/19/19) Some Nebbiolos:
1. G.B.Burlotto DOC: Verduno Pelaverga (14.5%) Marina Burlotto/Verduno 2017: Rather light ncolor; very
fragrant/perfumed bright floral/violets/strawberry/raspberry light earthy/dusty lovely nose; quite tart
light very strawberry/floral/violets light earthy/dusty lovely flavor w/ light bright tannins; very long
strong strawberry/raspberry/floral/violets light earthy finish w/ light tannins; reminds some of Nebb
w/o the fierce tannins; an ideal vin de soif at a great price. $22.00 (Prima)
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2. Cantine del Castello di Castellengo DOC: Coste della Sesia Nebbiolo (13.5%; L.C2010; www.CentoVigne.It)
Centovigne 2010: Med.light color w/ some bricking; strong classic Nebb/floral/lilacs slight tarry/pungent
bit tired some aromatic nose; very tart light tarry/Nebb/floral/lilacs rather tired/bitter/dried out
flavor w/ sharp tired/bitter tannins; med.long somewhat tired some Nebb/tarry/lilacs/floral finish w/
some drying/bitter tannins; pleasant enough nose but pretty dried out & tired on the palate; surprisingly
over the hill. $40.00 (EVN)
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3. Gianatti Giorgio DOC: Rosso di Valtellina (95% Chiavennasca/5% Rossola e Pignola; 13%) Montagna/
Valtellina 2015: Med.color; very attractive fragrant floral/lilacs/Nebb slight tarry/earthy quite
attractive nose; lightly tart quite floral/Nebb/violets very light pungent/tarry bit earthy/dusty rather
attractive flavor w/ light bit tangy tannins; very long floral/lilacs/violets/Nebb bit earthy finish w/
light tannins; a pleasant enough expression of Valtelline Nebb but just that; very good price at
$18.00 (BWS)
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4. Gianatti Giorgio DOCG: Valtellina Superiore Grumello (13%; 8000 btls) Montagna 2013: Med.dark color;
stronger Nebb/floral/violets more depty light tarry/pungent bit earthy rather attractive nose; fairly
tart strong floral/lilacs/Nebb bit hard/tannic bit rustic rather earthy/dusty flavor w/ light hard/rough
tannins; very long fairly Nebb/floral/violets/lilacs bit earthy/dusty light pungent/tarry finish w/ light
hard/bit tired tannins; not as pretty as #3 and harder/more rustic & more interesting but showing a bit
tired and don't see this going anywhere. $26.10 (BWS)
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5. Dirupi Ole DOC: Rosso di Valtellina (13.5%; GuilianaImports/Boulder) 2016: Light color; very light floral/
Nebb/lilacs somewhat earthy bit unclean somewhat interesting nose; very light pleasant bit fragrant Nebb/
floral/lilacs somewhat earthy bit vapid/unclean flavor w/ very light bitey tannins; med.long rather light
Nebb/floral/lilacs bit unclean earthy finish w/ light bitey tannins followed by a dreadful wet dog fur/
mousey aftertaste that ruins this wine; quite light/vapid expression of Valtelline Nebb and way overpriced
at $32.00 (BWM)
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6. Siro Buzzetti Terrazzi Alti DOCG: Valtellina Superiore Sassella (13%; 3152 btls; www.terrazzialti.com)
Castione Andevenno 2014: Med.color; bit funky/unclean some floral/Nebb/lilacs very slight tarry/pungent
rather earthy nose; bit tart some tannic/hard rather funky/unclean/earthy light floral/Nebb/lilacs flavor
w/ light hard/chewey tannins; long somewhat earthy/rustic bit unclean/funky light floral/Nebb finish w/
light hard tannins w/ a bit of wet dog fur far in the backtaste; a disappointing rather rustic bit unclean
Nebb. $32.40 (BWS)
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7. MatteoCorreggia DOCG: Roero (13.5%; 100% Nebbiolo; www.GiulianaImports.com) Canale 2010: Rather dark color;
strong fragrant Nebb/floral/lilacs rather grapey some earthy/dusty light pencilly/oak rather modern Nebb
fairly attractive nose; fairly tart strong grapey/Nebb/floral/lilacs bit earthy slight pencilly/oak flavor
w/ light gentle tannins; very long some grapey floral/Nebb/lilacs slight pencilly/oak slight herbal/pungent
finish w/ light ripe tannins; very clearly a modern style of Piemonte Nebb; this is how JoeyWagner would
make Nebbiolo if he could; not very classic Piemontese Nebb. $32.00 (SFW&S)
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7a. Corino DOCG: Barolo Vecchie Vigne (14.5%) Giovino Corino/LaMorra 1998: Larry's mystery wine: Very dark
color; some toasty/pencilly/oak somewhat grapey/fragrant/Nebb/floral/lilacs slight herbal rather atypical
Barolo bit complex nose; lightly tart bit toasty/oak rather grapey/floral/Nebb/lilacs slight herbal/earthy
bit complex flavor w/ light hard/gritty tannins; very long somewhat grapey fairly floral/Nebb/lilacs bit
earthy slight complex finish w/ light gritty tannins; shows no signs of its 20 yrs of age; has a grapey
character that suggests a modern-style Barolo producer; a bit atypical Barolo but I rather liked the wine
for its own merits. $60.00 (vLA)
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8. WindGap Nebbiolo LunaMattaVnyd/PasoRobles (14 1/2%; 18 brls/420 cs; #1122) Forestville 2009: Med.light colr
w/ light bricking; rather fragrant/perfumed Nebb/floral/lilacs slight tarry bit tired fairly classic mature
Nebb nose; quite tart light floral/Nebb/lilacs bit earthy slightly tired flavor w/ ample hard/fierce tannins;
very long light floral/lilacs/Nebb slight tarry bit earthy finish w/ ample rugged tannins; a fairily classic
mature Nebb that's showing a bit of its age; very hard rugged tannins that age is not going to resolve
probably. $50.00
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9. WindGap Nebbiolo LunaMattaVnyd/PasoRobles (13.9%; Aged: very old Fr.oak for 55 mo; U/U; 5 brls/135 cs)
2010: Fairly light color; light pencilly/oak very fragrant/floral bit licorice/floral/Nebb/lilacs/spicy
slight volatile/EA quite attractive nose; less tart some volatile/EA rather floral/lilacs/Nebb bit grapey
rather light-weight flavor w/ brisk bit gritty tannins; very long some volatile/EA rather floral/Nebb/
lilacs/licorice slight pencilly/oak bit complex finish w/ modest gritty/tangy tannins; a definite volatility
that gives a very strong lift to the floral Nebb character; don't see that the tannins will ever resolve
on this wine either. $50.00
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10. Harrington Nebbiolo PasoRobles (Berardo+LunaMatta vnyds; 14.2%) 2012:Med.dark color w/ slight bricking;
fairly strong floral/Nebb/violets/spicy light pungent/licorice/tarry light pencilly/oak quite attractive
nose; fairly tart rather floral/lilacs/Nebb light pencilly/oak slight earthy bit complex flavor w/ modest
bitey tannins; very long strong floral/lilacs/Nebb/spicy light pencilly/oak slight licorice/pungent finish
w/ some bitey tannins; fairly strong expression of Nebb fruit but the tannins are still pretty hard/bitey.
$30.00
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11. Harrington Nebbiolo LunaMataVnyd/PasoRobles (14.1%; 57 cs) 2015: Med.light color; bit quieter very pretty/
floral/Nebb/lilacs/violets slight earthy bit pencilly/oak fragrant lovely nose; bit less tart rather
floral/lilacs/Nebb/violets slight earthy somewhat smoother/richer but less intense flavor w/ modest
lighter tannins; very long fairly strong floral/Nebb/violets slight pencilly/oak slight pungent finish w/
light smoother tannins; a bit softer/smoother but not as strong floral Nebb and not the hard tannins;
quite an attractive expression of Nebb & my favorite of these all. $30.00
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12. Idlewild Nebbiolo FoxHillVnyd/MendoCnty (13.5%) 2014: Med.light color; lovely fragrant floral/Nebb/lilacs/
violets slight earthy slight pencilly/oak rather spicy quite attractive nose; some tart/tangy rather
floral/Nebb/lilacs slight pencilly/oak slight earthy fairly spicy flavor w/ light slightly bitey tannins;
very long fairly strong floral/Nebb slight pencilly/oak bit earthy finish w/ light tannins; speaks strongly
of Nebb and a quite attractive Calif rendition of Nebb. $50.00
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13. Idlewild Nebbiolo FoxHillVnyd/MendoCnty (13.9%) 2015: Light color; less fragrant/stron Nebb/floral/more
lilacs/violets bit quieter more earthy/dusty very attractive nose; bit less tart more rich/lush some
floral/Nebb/lilacs slight root beer/spicy light pencilly/oak quite pleasant flavor w/ light bit bitey
tannins; very long some floral/Nebb/lilacs/violets light pencilly/oak bit earthy/dusty slight spicy/
root beer bit complex finish w/ light brisk tannins; a bit more quieter/restrained/elegant than the '14
but quite a lovely Nebb. $50.00
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14. Toccata Nebbiolo LosAlamosVnyd/SBC (14.5%) LouisLucas/RoyceLewellen Winemaker: MeganMcGrath Gates 2009:
Light color; not as fragrant/floral and a bit more pungent/tarry some Nebb/floral/lilacs slight pencilly/oak
more classic Nebb quite attractive nose; more tart/tangy some pungent/tarry lighter bright/floral/Nebb/lilacs
slight pencilly/old oak slight herbal very bright/floral flavor w/ light tangy tannins; very long/lingering
bright floral/Nebb/lilacs some tarry/pungent light vanilla/oak bit complex finish w/ light tannins; a bit
more pungent/licorice/tarry but more classic Nebb fruit; quite an attractive drinkable Nebb. $30.00
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15. Toccata Nebbiolo LosAlamosVnyd/SBC (14.0) 2010: Med.light color; very classic Nebb very floral/Nebb/lilacs
very light pencilly/oak very picy cherry/raspberry very bright bit complex nose; qute tart/tangy bright/floral/
Nebb/lilacs bit pencilly/oak very light pungent/tarry flavor w/ light tangy tannins; very long/lingering bright
Nebb/floral/lilacs/cherry/raspberry very slight tarry light pencilly/oak bit complex finish w/ light tannins;
a bit more like the '08 in style; quite a pretty Nebb. $28.00
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16. Toccata Nebbiolo LosAlamosVnyd/SBC (14.5%) 2008: Med.light color; lovely very fragrant Nebb/floral/lilacs/
violets/cherry slight pungent/metallic/licorice/welding shop bit vanilla/oak rather complex nose; fairly
tart quite floral/Nebb/lilacs bit candied/black cherry some pungent/licorice/burning metal rather spicy
quite attractive flavor w/ light bit tangy tannins; very long bit vanilla/oak floral/Nebb/lilacs/cherry
slight pungent/licorice finish w/ light tangy tannins; lots of bright cherry/floral Nebb fruit but not the
earthiness & unlike any Italian Nebbs I can think of; a light bright very fragrant/pretty unusual expression
of Nebb. $28.00
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17. Vurei di Massimo Martinelli DOC: Langhe Nebbiolo (14%; www.IndieWines.com) Angioletta De Giorgis/Bricco Mollea/
Vicoforte 2017: Med.dark color; somewhat floral/Nebb/lilacs perfumed some earthy/dusty fairly big fruit/grapey
rather attractive nose; quite tart/tangy big fruit/Nebb/floral/lilacs some earthy/dusty bit pungent/tarry somewhat
rustic/hard flavor w/ ample hard/tangy tannins; very long hard/tannic big fruit/Nebb/floral/lilacs rather earthy/
dusty finish w/ ample hard tannins; lots of big fruit for a Langhe Nebb and almost like a Dolcetto in style and
pretty hard/tannic/rustic on the palate. $24.00 (PrimaIlC)
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More tittlewarp from TheBloodyPulpit:
1. Pelaverga: Pelaverga is a variety native to the Piemonte. Mostly found around the town of Verduno.
There are apparently two varieties w/ this name. Pelaverga (Grosso) is grown further south of Verduno,
whilst PelavergaPiccolo is more in that area. The grapes are apparently separate varieties and not related. The
grape makes lightish wines, rather like Schiava or Pinot, sometimes Nebbiolo. LeviDalton has a good article
on the grape: (https://artofeating.com/a-glass-of-pelaverga/). The Castello di Verduno Pelaverga, imported by
OliverMcCrum is probably the best of the 8 or so I've had. With the interest in glou/glou wines, vin de Soif
wines in Calif; this would be an ideal variety for that genre of wines. Obviously a grape they oughta be
planting all up&down the coast of Calif.
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2. This was actually a pretty disappointing showing for the Italian Nebbiolos. I was expecting more, especially
from the Valtelline. That ethereal Nebbiolo perfume that makes Nebbiolo such a great grape just wasn't there
in most of them.The Correggia was my favorite, followed by the Corino.
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3. Calif Nebbs: I was expecting a bit more from the WindGap Nebbs. When we held our very first NEB#1 event about
2008, we held it at PaxMahle's winery in the old apple barn in Forestville. There was all of five of us in
attendance (AdamLee/PaxMale & his asst winemaker/EmilioCastelli/myself). Afterwards, most of us adjourned
to Emilio's for mushroom risotto and more Nebbiolos. It was a very inauspucious founding of NEB.
I liked both the Harrington & Idlewild Nebbiolos. They both display the fragrant floral character of
Nebb w/o the hard/fierce tannins Nebb can oft express.
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4. LouisLucas: Toccata is the label LouisLucas of Lucus & Lewellen wnry uses for the Italian varietals. Louis is
one of the true pioneers of winegrowing in SantaBarbara. In 1970, he founded TepesquetVnyds up in FoxenCanyon
when almost no grapes were planted in SBCnty. It's located up on the eastern benchland in FoxenCnyn about
where Cambria is, just south of BienNacido. Louis was pretty much flying blind when he planted Tepesquet. The
standard sellers: Chard/PinotNoir/Cabernet/Riesling. Those early wines, sold under the Tepesquet label, were
inexpensive and pretty tasty for the $$'s. The first really great Tepesquet wine I ever tasted was a Chard made
by GinoZepponi at ZD. Very fragrant/floral expression of Chard, almost R-like in character. One of the first
wines to open up my eyes to the potential to greatness of SBCnty. DarrellCorti scoffed at the wine when I gifted
him a btl from Gino. Shows how much Darrell knows!!
Those early Tepesquet Cabernets pretty much was the first nail in the coffin that SBCnty can't make good
Cabernets. The final nail in that coffin was planted 10 yrs later by BrooksFirestone. So for many yrs, SBCnty
had a reputation for thin/weedy/vegetal Cabs. It wasn't until yrs later, led by FredBrander, that, if grown in
the warmer Eastern stretchs of SantaYnez, like HappyCanyon, that SBCnty could make great Cabernets.
The Toccata Nebbs are rather unique to Calif. I once pretty much dismissed them as too light and frivolous.
But I've grown to like them quite a bit, especially after tasting these older ones. They are quite pretty
expressions of Nebb, unlike most others found in Calif. They speak strongly of Nebb, but in a fashion unique
to Calif. I had had these Nebbs sitting in my tasting stash for a number of yrs, reluctant to haul them out
because I knew I was not going to like them. I was wrong. These are quite attractive renditions of Nebb...
maybe Calif's expression of Langhe Nebb. But make no mistake...they're not Barolo. Stylistically, they're more
akin to the GDVjara JC Claret Langhe Nebb or the above Pelevegra.
Louis also pioneered grape growing in the EdnaVlly and in the Shandon area of PasoRobles. Most of Louis'
Italian varieties are planted in his LosAlamos vnyd, just on the East side of the tiny village of LosAlamos,
the other, less famous, LosAlamos. He also makes one of the very few Freisa's in Calif, along w/ BryanHarrington
and, at one time, RandallGrahm.
Louis is a true pioneer who doesn't get the recognition he deserves for SBCnty winegrowing. His wines are
not big/extracted/profound wines and they don't get huge scores from Monktown attourneys (doubt that he has ever
had a Toccata or L&L wine). But they are very good drinking wines that offer up a lot of real pleasure. Definitely
worth checking out. Louis has been a very active participant in our NEB gatherings over the yrs. One of the
finest gentlemen in the wine biz, I must say.
Tom