How old do you like your Produttori Riservas?

I’m sitting on a pretty sizable stash of various Produttori riservas from 2004 to 2009, but I always shy away from opening one assuming these need forever and a day to come around. I had a 2000 Ovello a few years ago that took a full 24 hours of air to shed its sullen mantle and open up — I’m still projecting that experience on the rest of my bottles.

So maybe the answer is obvious, that I should just decant these a day in advance, but short of doing that, how do you think the 04-05 and 07-09 are showing these days?

[David M. Bueker]

So it completely depends on the vintage. The first thing I will mention is that 2009 from the PdB is evolving incredibly quickly, even from bottles I tasted on site at the winery in 2018. I would check in on those. 2004 is evolving well but slowly. 2005 is still tannic but on a good track, at least Ovello, which is that last one I tried. I have been peeking in on 2007s, and they are getting close. 2008 I have been avoiding.

Like David says, it'll depend a lot on the vintage. It'll also depend on how you like your Nebbiolo. You can find Produttori Riservas from the '60s that are still alive and providing enjoyment, but they'll be delicate and perfumed at this point. I've got a couple of bottles of the '04 Pora (birthyear wine for my son) that I'm still hanging onto for another few years before broaching, as I've read that the tannins are still pretty prominent.

Good to know — I’ll open an 09 Rabaja asap.

I've found these wines to be amazingly long lived - I have quite a few cases ranging from 1990 to 2015 (the last vintage I bought) and I don't recall any of them having faded out before I drank them. I have the 99 (non single vineyard) in magnum and they only started drinking well in the last couple of years.

[David M. Bueker]

I've found these wines to be amazingly long lived - I have quite a few cases ranging from 1990 to 2015 (the last vintage I bought) and I don't recall any of them having faded out before I drank them. I have the 99 (non single vineyard) in magnum and they only started drinking well in the last couple of years.

Check a 2009. Seriously. Even Aldo Vacca thought they were aging quickly when I tasted with him.

I generally think the normale needs 15+ years! I haven't bought many riservas from this century, figuring I'm too old! have a few 08s and 11s. Have a lone bottle of 2009 Paje, will try to locate to check in.

Thanks for the heads up - I didn't buy every vintage but I should open the odd one to check up. I have a 6 pack of three different 2011s that might make an interesting horizontal tasting.

[David M. Bueker]

I peeked at a couple of 2011s not too terribly long ago, and they were quite nice, but not ready then. They were progressing better than the 2009s.

I tried a 2006 normale last year and it was shockingly tight and unpleasant, all bitterness, hard tannins and acid. It was really hard to imagine that one ever turning into a swan, and it is almost 20 years old.

That experience along with some others with PdB have really made me wonder/assume the riservas need 30 years or more, and little in this thread suggests otherwise. Some of the greatest Nebbiolo I’ve had were Produttori from the early 1970s (including my last bottle in September, a spectacular 1970 Moccagatta, of a stash I sourced 10 years ago from Chambers St), but I have no idea if they still made a similar style today (probably not), but I can’t wait until the 04s are 50 years old!

...I can’t wait until the 04s are 50 years old!

You and me both, Patrick. I'd be 95 and probably in no shape to drink it.

[David M. Bueker]

The viticulture and climate is so different now than it was in the 1970s, even the 1990s, that I really doubt those old PdB wines are instructive for today’s wines.

I opened 2009 Rabaja the other night, and it was corked. The TCA was fairly mild, and I got a few glimpses of some spicy, sweet fruit before the palate went spiky. I’ll try another bottle soon.

[David M. Bueker]

Bummer