Notice: Function register_sidebar was called incorrectly. No Event: Stavanger, Norway Vinfest 2009 Restaurant: Bølgen & Moi Date: Thursday April 23, 2009 19:00 Host: Luca Roagna and Best Buys In my opinion, Luca Roagna is a rising star in Piemonte, Italy. And I’m not alone in believing this as his wines are garnering a lot of interest in other parts of the world as well. I was very impressed with him and his philosophy after visiting him at his estate in Paglieri (Barbaresco), Italy in November of 2008. I am equally impressed if not more so with his wines. They are immediately approachable, yet are so well structured and well made that they will endure the test of time and will age gracefully. Luca is extremely passionate. His eyes light up when you ask him questions about his wines. He is such a purist. He approaches his viticulture and “winemaking” in as a natural way as possible. Luca does not use chemical nor organic fertilizers. All of this is reflected in his wines. They best way to describe them is super clean, precise with focused fruit. Extremely well-structured, balanced and elegant. His signature is his terroir, which he allows his wines to express beautifully. Luca is also as down to earth and personable. He is a blast to hang out with and really knows how to enjoy himself. I look forward to the next time we meet Luca! As an aperitif, we started with a wine that isn’t currently available in Norway. A Langhe Bianco with 5-6 days skin contact giving the wine a full-golden yellow color bordering on orange. The wine was made using 90% Chardonnay and 10% Nebbiolo. Yes, you are reading this correctly, 10% Nebbiolo and yes, vinified white. Naturally, only indigenous yeast is used. This wine was made in a slightly oxidative style but was extremely fresh and elegant with mild tannins, elegant acidity and a medium long finish.
**** FIRST COURSE
PAIRED WITH
Comments: 35 days maceration. Unfiltered wine with clean, focused fruit and feminine, but firm tannins. **** SECOND COURSE
PAIRED WITH Comments: 35 days maceration, 4 years in large Botti and 2 in bottle. The orange peel notes found in the wine worked extremely well with the orange-butter sauce. A very open and approachable wine made entirely of Nebbiolo. More like a Barbaresco then a typical Langhe Rosso. **** THIRD COURSE
PAIRED WITH Comments: good color depth with a very slight browning around the edge. Very classic Nebbiolo aromas – floral, cherries (amarena cherry). About 65 days maceration and 5 years in large Botti. Even the asparagus worked surprisingly well with the wine. A very masculine Barbaresco. **** FOURTH COURSE
PAIRED WITH Comments: Average age of the vines is 40 years. About 85 days maceration. 5 years in large Botti and 2 years in bottle. Dark, sour cherries. Elegant and feminine. **** FIFTH COURSE
PAIRED WITH
Comments: About 70 days maceration. Bottled in November of 2008. Quite open, but in my opinion it needs about 10 more years just to start stretching it’s legs. At around 350,- Norwegian Kroner ($50), it’s a real bargain. **** I will end this post by saying that it’s producers like Luca that really inspire me and spark an infinite passion in me for wine. This is the reason I do what I do and love it! Thanks Luca!id
was set in the arguments array for the "Primary - Index" sidebar. Defaulting to "sidebar-1". Manually set the id
to "sidebar-1" to silence this notice and keep existing sidebar content. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 4.2.0.) in /customers/d/f/6/vinosseur.com/httpd.www/wp-includes/functions.php on line 5835
Notice: Function register_sidebar was called incorrectly. No id
was set in the arguments array for the "Primary - Post" sidebar. Defaulting to "sidebar-2". Manually set the id
to "sidebar-2" to silence this notice and keep existing sidebar content. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 4.2.0.) in /customers/d/f/6/vinosseur.com/httpd.www/wp-includes/functions.php on line 5835
Notice: Function register_sidebar was called incorrectly. No id
was set in the arguments array for the "Secondary - Shared" sidebar. Defaulting to "sidebar-3". Manually set the id
to "sidebar-3" to silence this notice and keep existing sidebar content. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 4.2.0.) in /customers/d/f/6/vinosseur.com/httpd.www/wp-includes/functions.php on line 5835
Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /customers/d/f/6/vinosseur.com/httpd.www/wp-includes/functions.php:5835) in /customers/d/f/6/vinosseur.com/httpd.www/wp-includes/feed-rss2.php on line 8
Detail from the back label:
“….Barolo will naturally produce a sediment as it matures. Before Borgogno will export any of their mature wines, each bottle is decanted from this sediment, checked, and then topped up from the same vintage and recorked. For this reason the corks in the olders wines will be new, but the quality has been guaranteed by the producer before shipment. DECANTED: JULY 2007”
Opened and NOT decanted. Poured into large Burgundy glasses.
The wine was a light rusty red with rusty brown edges – color still quite “intense” considering the 47 year age of this wine
Sniffed immediately:
INITIAL IMPRESSION ON THE NOSE
slight farmyard scents with some crushed rose pedals
eucalyptus leaves
sour cherries
forest floor
some spice in the background
a little burn on the nostrils from the alcohol.
Tar and roast meat emerging on the nose after some time in the glass. Also
some licorice emerging – more perfumed and more intense fruit
INTITIAL IMPRESSION ON THE PALATE
sour cherries and dried sour fruit
gripping tannins (still after all these years) and
high acidity (still after all these years)
finish persisting for 15 to 20 seconds
15-30 minutes after the bottle was opened, the wine started really opening up – fruit was more intense on the nose and on the palate. Acidity more pronounced and tannins a bit softer, but still quite firm. The wine remained well-balance throughout.
A typical aged nebbiolo with classic nebbiolo nose and palate with well defined and firm tannins. Well made, good concentration and balance, but not very complex. I believe that this bottle still hade some life ahead of it – enjoy now or for another 5-10 years.
Although it’s always interesting to taste a mature wine, this wine didn’t leave me desiring more..
And now, the photos:
]]>