Federico Ceretto visited Manila and presented his wines at a dinner at Paparazzi, the Italian outlet at the Edsa Shargri-La Hotel.
Ceretto Blange Langhe Arneis 2006 - Not much of a nose. Sweet attack. Pleasant, refreshing. Grapefruit. Slightly bitter finish. Slightly spritzy. I thought it very enjoyable.
Ceretto Monsordo Langhe Rosso 2003 - Mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with the rest a mix of Merlot, Syrah and Nebbiolo. Smoky and a bit oaky. Very international in style. Generally soft but with a firm tannic finish. Very good but could be from anywhere.
Ceretto Asij Barbaresco 2004 - Mostly cherry and chocolate. Young and tannic. Disjointed and seems a bit light. Maybe needs time to come together. At this point, not showing well.
Ceretto Zonchera Barolo 2003 - Coffee, spicy. Very forward and modern in style. Slightly oaky and funky. While the tannins are still strong, it can already be drunk with pleasure. A good wine.
Ceretto Bricco Rocche Brunate Barolo 2003 - Initially closed on the nose but an 3 hours after opening showing some caramel. Young and tannic but with a great deal of fruit. Meaty wine that went perfectly with the osso bucco. Impressive wine. Would be very interesting to try this again in 5 years.
Ceretto Moscato d'Asti 2006 - Fruity, light, gentle. Real easy to drink. Very good.
Overall a very good and informative tasting. Aside from the Asij, the wines were very good. Federico informed us he would be back in September and will probably bring some older bottles and some wines from other Barolo vineyards. Hopefully we can look forward to a vertical tasting of the wines.