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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 5 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Zweder on 9/30/2019 & rated 92 points: Weekly tasting group RWP #346; Some random wines (@ JdB): Red berries and roses in the bouquet. On the palate red berries, sweet chocolate, firm acidity and slightly sticky tannin. 91 - 92 (957 views) | | | Tasted by ex-sommelier on 11/8/2018: Fairly basic profile of red berries and rose, palate had some tight dry tannin that opened up with time, but never any complexity. Not a great deal at $55. (929 views) | | | Tasted by Kathygrat on 10/18/2016 & rated 93 points: Fabulous wine. Can't say enough good things from start to finish. Well worth the $27 from WTSO... would and will buy again... (1933 views) | | | Tasted by Zweder on 1/19/2016 & rated 92 points: Monthly Tuesday group #005: Barolo at least 5 years old (By JdB): Expressive bouquet with dark forest fruits, chocolate, sweet spices, smoke and earth. On the palate dark fruits, chocolate, herbs and sweet spices, some earth, good acidity and tannin with a firm bite. Beautiful wine which is still a bit too young. Start around 2020? 92 for this evening. (2420 views) |
| Azienda Virna Di Borgogno Producer websiteNebbioloNebbiolo is a red grape indigenous to the Piedmont region of Italy in the Northwest. The grape can also be found in other parts of the world, though they are not as respected.
Nebbiolo is often considered the "king of red wines," as it is the grape of the famed wines of Barolo DOCG, Barbaresco DOCG, and Roero DOCG. It is known for high tannins and acidity, but with a distinct finesse. When grown on clay, Nebbiolo can be very powerful, tannic, and require long aging periods to reach its full potential. When grown on sand, the grape exhibits a more approachable body with more elegant fruit and less tannins, but still has high aging potential.
"Nebbiolo" is named for the Italian word, "nebbia", which means "fog", in Italian and rightfully so since there is generally a lot of fog in the foothills of Piedmont during harvest.
Nebbiolo is a late-ripening variety that does best in a continental climate that boasts moderate summers and long autumns. In Piedmont, Nebbiolo is normally harvested in October.
More links:
Varietal character (Appellation America) | Nebbiolo on CellarTrackerSarmassahttp://www.marchesibarolo.com/pagine/eng/vini/dettaglio.lasso?-idv=B002
Sarmassa Barolo
VARIETY
Nebbiolo 100%
PRODUCTION ZONE:
The southeast-facing Sarmassa vineyard is located on a hill with good slope. Despite the fact that the area is of Tortonian origin, there has been a significant amount of soil erosion, probably due to the steep slope of the hill. Since the erosion has been significant, the soil is calcareous and very compact.
The soil is composed mainly of clay and limestone and has a very substantial percentage of stones. The high percentage of stones, combined with clay, limit the growth of Nebbiolo grape and allow the vines to react quickly to climactic variations, enabling clusters to achieve perfect ripening. (On the sheet N.9 of the community of Barolo, lots 104, 143, 157, 303, 351).
CULTIVATION OF THE VINEYARD:
Low Guyot trellised system is used with a density of 4,000 vines per hectare.
YIELD PER HECTARE:
36 hectoliters
HARVEST TIME:
Sarmassa is the last of the Cru's to ripen and is usually harvested in the second ten days of October. Grapes are collected, exclusively by hand and quickly taken to the cellars for destalking and a soft pressing. The grapes then undergo a controlled fermentation in stainless steel temperature controlled tanks at 30-32° degrees C. (82-86° F.).
VINIFICATION:
Maceration of the skins lasts 11 days, with regular pumping over during which the fermenting must is regularly recycled from the bottom to the top of the tank in order to extract the color gently. Once the fermentation is finished the natural sugars of the grape are totally converted into alcohol.
AGING:
Then wine is racked into concrete tanks that are lined with fiberglass inside and insulated by cork. Here it maintains a temperature of about 22° degrees C. (72° F.) which will prompt the beginning of Malolactic Fermentation. Within two months, the Malolactic Fermentation will be complete and the wine will be ready to be transferred to barrels.
The wine is aged for 2 years in wood; a part in Slavonian or French oak barrels 30 or 35 hectoliters (789-947 U.S. gallons) and the other part in small French oak barrique (225 liters) that are moderately toasted.
The fining carries on in bottle for 12 months, before going into the market.
The Barolo Sarmassa reaches its first signs of maturity after 8 years from the harvest. It continues to mature elegantly for a period of time and the between 8 and 30 years.
The wine is, therefore, colorful, tannic and long-lived.
SENSORY CHARACTERISTICS:
Deep garnet red. Intense aroma with clean scents of wild rose, vanilla, licorice and spices. Feather the resin of pine and tobacco. Taste is full and elegant, full bodied, with tannins in evidence, with recurring olfactory sensations. Enjoyable are the spicy and woody notes that blend perfectly.
FOOD MATCHES:
With its big structure, this wine is particularly adapted to main courses of red meats, braised dishes and game in general. An ideal accompaniment for cheeses.
SERVING TEMPERATURE:
18° degrees C. (64-68° F.)
ANALYTIC DATA:
Alcohol degrees: 14,50 Vol. %, Total acidity: 6,10 g/l, Total dry extract: 30,60 g/l, Remaining sugars: 2,50 g/l
On weinlagenItaly Italian Wines (ItalianMade.com, The Italian Trade Commission) | Italian Wine Guide on the WineDoctorPiedmont Vignaioli Piemontesi (Italian only)
On weinlagen-infoLanghe Consorzio di Tutela Barolo Barbaresco Alba Langhe e Roero | Union of Producers of Albese Wines (Albeisa)BaroloRegional History:
The wines of Piedmont are noted as far back as Pliny's Natural History. Due to geographic and political isolation, Piedmont was without a natural port for most of its history, which made exportation treacherous and expensive. This left the Piedmontese with little incentive to expand production. Sixteenth-century records show a mere 14% of the Bassa Langa under vine -- most of that low-lying and farmed polyculturally. In the nineteenth century the Marchesa Falletti, a frenchwoman by birth, brought eonologist Louis Oudart from Champagne to create the first dry wines in Piemonte. Along with work in experimental vineyards at Castello Grinzane conducted by Camilo Cavour -- later Conte di Cavour, leader of the Risorgimento and first Prime Minister of Italy -- this was the birth of modern wine in the Piedmont. At the heart of the region and her reputation are Alba and the Langhe Hills. This series of weathered outcroppings south of the Tanaro River is of maritime origin and composed mainly of limestone, sand and clay, known as terra bianca. In these soils -located mainly around the towns of Barolo and Barbaresco -- the ancient allobrogica, now Nebbiolo, achieves its renowned fineness and power.
map of Barolo DOCG
An interesting thread on Traditional vs. Modern Barolo producers:
https://www.wineberserkers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=106291 |
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