Last night I attended a Winemakers Dinner organized by Danish importer PhilipsonWine and Le Sommelier Restaurant in Copenhagen. All wines came from Produttori del Barbaresco, a cooperative founded 1958 today they have 56 members. Production is about 35000 cases/year.
The first 4 wines were the basic Barbaresco, the following single vineyards.
Scallops with vealconsomé and oxtail
2003
Very light almost orange red color. The nose shows signs of the warm year, ripe fruit, red berries not that intense though and too simple. Some tanins only a little acidity and short finish. Sweet licorice in the taste. Boring. RP gave it 91p
2001
Deeper red color, much more evolved. Very nice nose with almost overwhelming violet. Much better than the 03, more complexity almost meaty with nice tanins and acid. Needs time I guess because not everything is in place.
Pasta with truffles and confit tomatoes
2000
Dark red color. Perfumed nose with black olives and sweet cherries. Tannic with licorice and and violets on the palate. Ok but this also needs time.
1999
Dark red color. Tight and concentrated nose with black berries and after some time in the glass tobacco. Very complex and enjoyable, high in tanin and acid with ripe fruit. This was nice.
Gnocchi with fennel, hazelnuts and sweetbread
2000 Pora
Dark red color. Lovely nose with dark fruit, violets perhaps some mineral. Long and complex taste with violets, licorice, tanin and acid. Very good finish and a very good wine.
2001 Pora
Dark red cherries and cocoa on the nose, lacks the complexity of the 2000. Feels a bit thin on the palate with a sweet almost candy like finish. OK.
Veal with red wine, thyme and polenta.
2000 Montestefano
Dark red color. Warm and rich both on nose and taste. Ripe fruit and chocolate on the palate, long finish. Good
2001 Montestefano
Dark red color. Very much like a slimmer version of the 2000. Same characteristics with a little added spice and cherry. Ok
Warm cheese tarte, pomegranate dressing.
2000 Ovello
Dark red color, full rich nose with cherries and spices. Good tanin and acid, ripe fruit on the palate. Good.
2001 Ovello
Dark red color. Chocolate, herbs and strawberries in the nose and palate. Perhaps lacking some tanin but a very good finish.
So to summarize the wines, it was very difficult to tell the single vineyard wines apart. It was basically down to nuances in the fruit and tanin. With exception for the 2003 I would happily buy and/or try these wines again. But in a few years time, they were too young to drink now, especially when not decanted.