A week in Piemonte, 2017

[winetastic]

Boffa Carlo
Nebbiolo oak treatment: Large format only
Barbaresco maceration: 10-15 days

We stayed at Casa Boffa right in the middle of Barbaresco village again on this trip, however for two nights only. Cannot recommend the accommodation highly enough, location is amazing, rooms are great, price is good, breakfast is great, hosts are wonderful.

As far as the wine goes, having tasted his Nebbiolos from 2011 through 2014, I feel that the quality overall is on the rise, with the Barbaresco Paje this time around being a real eye opener and the first 2014 Barbaresco I met which convinced me that great wines could come from the vintage.


Carlo holds court

Boffa Barbera d’Alba 2015 (14%)
Vibrant purple, crushed dark berries with a floral perfume and a hint of cedary oak. The juicy palate has a medium weight with moderate zesty tannin and good acid balance. Very good.

Boffa Langhe Nebbiolo 2015 (14%)
Bright ruby, the inviting nose shows strawberry, rhubarb, fennel and some floral aromas. The palate is leaner than the nose suggests, leading with tart cranberry and ending with some drying tannins. Med length and quite mineral, it probably needs a year or two before it fleshes out a bit in the bottle. Good.

Boffa Barbaresco 2014 (14%)
Smells of subtle berries, forest floor and a whiff of cedar. Its juicy with moderate length and zesty tannins that linger on. Quite approachable. Rather good.

Boffa Barbaresco Ovello 2014 (14.5%)
Hint of garnet around the rim, smells of autumn leaves, beef stock and briar patch. There is an initially moderate fruit hit, before plenty of acidity and minerality kicks in. The fine tannin is quite grippy. Good.

Boffa Barbaresco Paje 2014 (14%)
Now we are talking, slightly garnet rim, it smells again of autumn leaves, orange peel and berry patch. On the palate there is standout minerality, the whole thing is fine boned and poised, the tannins are ultra silky and provide an amazing mouthfeel. Medium intensity, dare I say Burgundian? Outstanding.

[winetastic]

Rivella Silvia
Nebbiolo oak treatment: 4-8 year old barriques

A relatively new operation which started out as a retirement hobby for the former winemaker at Gaia. I must admit I got my Rivellas mixed up when booking the appointment and was hoping to visit the traditional neighbour Rivella Serafino. Although no mention was made during email correspondence, there was a EUR20 tasting fee per person, despite this their top wine the Barbaresco Montestefano was not offered to try.

The first Langhe Nebbiolo opened was mildly corked and they were actually responsive to this being pointed out, opening another bottle. Also Enrico who gave us the tour was knowledgable and friendly. That’s probably the most positive thing I can say about the whole experience however.


Cellars are clean and modern, even if the original construction is in places very old

Rivella Silvia Barbera d’Alba 2014 (13.5%)
A touch yeasty, also has plum fruit, toasted nuts and woody spices. There is a burst of fruit intensity up front, yet mid weight through the long finish. Nicely poised, the oak is present but not overt and there are some gentle zesty tannins. Very good.

Rivella Silvia Langhe Nebbiolo 2015 (13.5%)
Briar patch, pine leaves and lifted alcohol on the nose, there are velvety textured tannins and the blackberry fruit is quite rich. Grip and balance were nice. Very good.

Rivella Silvia Barbaresco 2014 (14%)
Some cheesy funk, fresh berries, cured meats, fennel and green herbs on the nose. There is present vanilla flavour, though the palate is quite juicy and mid weight. Tannins approachable already with a pleasant grip.

[winetastic]

Olek Bondonio
Nebbiolo oak treatment: Large format only

Firstly a big thanks to Olek for taking a couple of hours out of his busy day to see us. He was flat out working in the vineyards during our visit as the vines were growing at an incredible rate. Moreover his new winery although functionally finished still has a lot of work to follow, let alone the new house above which for now is just a shell.

Time was limited so he suggested we join him for lunch, he took us to a restaurant in Neive “where the workers go to eat”, not in the old town but down the hill - sorry, I did not take note of the name. We had the most amazing Vitello Tonnato served with some pickled vegetable side dish which put all the other restaurants in the region to shame, the price was dirt cheap as well. Olek reliably informs us they have the best Carne Crudo in the area as well.

After lunch and a terrifying drive through the old center of Neive during rush hour, we went up to visit the Starderi vineyard. Got a primer on what needs to be done in the vineyard at this time of the year, including canopy management and removing the “bastards” (forgive what is probably the wrong terminology - but shoots that would turn into canes rather than just a single leaf). As we were walking back up the slope to leave, Olek turned around, surveyed the view and quite poignantly stated “the most beautiful place on earth”.

Returning back to the house / winery, the whole setup is looking great and is a far cry from the situation last year where he was literally making some of the best wines from the region out of his garage. Time was running short, but we were very generously given a bottle of the 2014 Barbaresco Starderi to take away for our own ‘tasting’ that evening.


Rongacliette Nebbiolo vineyard just around the bend


Concrete fermentation tanks


Stainless steel tanks


Starderi Nebbiolo vineyard, Olek setting up the canopy

Olek Bondonio Barbaresco Starderi 2014 (14%)
Notes are from a bottle shared between 4 people, rather than just a taste.

Nose opens up with dusty road, cherries, alpine herbs and liquorice. The palate is rich and generous for a 2014 with black cherry, raspberry and woody spices. Structurally it’s already approachable and delicious, the outstanding tannins are super fine and silky.

On to the second glass, the palate is becoming quite broad and plush with impeccable balance. There are floral and strawberry notes showing on the nose, as well as distinct aspen forest air. Constantly shifting in the glass, the wine is alive!

Scrawled at the bottom of my notes was the question, “wine of the year?”. I ordered as many bottles as I could get my hands on / afford.

[Ian S]

Yet another instance of the winery charging a tasting fee being less generous with the wines offered for tasting and overall being a disappointing experience. Crazy really but whilst the logic is reversed, it has happened that way more often than chance would suggest. Very surprised as well that you had to point the corked wine out to them, as normally in the region they'll have a good sniff of cork & pour a small amount to check in the glass, before pouring a new bottle for visitors.

... and here was me about to commend you on visiting a another lesser known producer

Bondonio on the other hand always seems to be a highlight for people, and not just the wines. Nice to get out into the vineyard, which we've rarely done on winery visits.

[winetastic]

Rizzi
Nebbiolo oak treatment: Large format only
Barbaresco maceration time: Approx 25 days

Rizzi are a mid-sized operation by Barbaresco standards, however still very much a family business. Our tasting here was one of the more memorable of the trip. Unfortunately we were not able to do a tour of the cellar this time around as the place was loaded with workmen and power tools, however we were treated to a 90 minute tasting and wonderful discussion with three generations of the family coming and going.

The winemaker has some artistic talent beyond winemaking and has painted a very cool stylised label which they will be using for their Riserva from 2011 onwards. For the magnums of the Riserva he has hand drawn one-off individual labels which all play around a similar theme.









As far as the wines go, I think they are excellent traditional Barbaresco, leaning more toward fruit generosity as if often the case in Neive. Given that production quantities are reasonable, the price is kept down as well.

Rizzi Chardonnay 2016 (13.5%)
Only stainless steel prior to bottling, honeydew melon and grassy notes on the nose, the palate is surprisingly textured, mineral, fresh and tasty. Has quite a zesty finish.

Rizzi Langhe Nebbiolo 2014 (14%)
Smells of ripe dark and red fruits, some floral notes and lifted alcohol though it shows much lighter on the palate. Loads of grippy tannins which are quite drying and a hint of a slightly distracting rotting leaf flavour.

Rizzi Barbaresco Pajore 2014 (14%)
Rich dark fruit aromas supported by pine and woody spices. The palate is juicy up front followed by a wall of fine drying tannins. Mid weight, chalky texture, very young.

Rizzi Barbaresco Rizzi 2013 (14%)
Single vineyard wine from the Rizzi cru (confused yet?), glorious and generous nose of strawberry, mixed dark berries, clove and eucalyptus. The palate is juicy and balanced, the tannic core is quite tight yet super fine. Finish is very long, just a touch of warmth on the exit. Excellent.

Rizzi Barbaresco Nervo 2013 (14%)
Open, ripe and very fruity nose has candied orange, plenty of red berries and cool alpine air. Palate is juicy and balanced with a tight core of chalky tannins and a surprising late kick of strawberry flavour. Very Good.

Rizzi Barbaresco Pajore 2013 (14%)
Rich strawberry nose with a distinct aroma of blood/iron and a whiff of fresh pine needles. Very broad and layered on the palate, despite maintaining a medium weight. The tannins are amazing. Excellent.

Rizzi Barbaresco Boito Riserva 2011 (14.5%)
Bold and powerful, aromas of dark fruits, tomato, eucalyptus and a hint of balsamic. The mouthfilling tannins are ultra fine and self cleaning thanks to the surprisingly good acid balance for the vintage.

Before leaving for the trip we had a mini Rizzi tasting, you can find notes from 2010, 2011 and 2012 vintages here:
http://forum.auswine.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=14787&p=141195#p141195

[Ian S]

I really like the new labels.

[tarija]

Thanks for the Rizzi notes, one of the best QPR traditional producers in Piedmont. Hope importer continues to bring them and Guido Porto into Aust.