Vintage Piedmont Wine Tasting back to 1978 including Gaja, Prunotto, Vietti and more

“High and fine literature is wine, and mine is only water; but everybody likes water.”

― Mark Twain

If you have been following the propaganda of this store you would know that that Piedmont is one of my favorite wine regions on earth and we taste a lot of great wines from the Piedmont through the course of the year. These tasting features some of the oldest wines we have in the store from Piedmont, and many are the last bottles that we have in the store.

I know this may seem like Déjà vu but that’s because we have a vintage Piedmont tasting every month here at Wine Watch!   Nebbiolo is my favorite grape and we drink a lot of it!!

We recently received a small stash of vintage wines from a private collection so it’s time to test out the goods.  These vintages are in their peak years of drinking right now and we have most of the wines on the table available on SALE!  I have also included all the Barolo and Barbaresco in the store on SALE on this offering!

VINTAGE PIEDMONT WINE TASTING BACK TO 1978
INCLUDING GAJA, PRUNOTTO, VIETTI AND MORE
Thursday, April 20, 2023
7:30 PM

1978 Le Colline Monsecco Gattinara DOCG Piedmont, Italy
1982 Le Colline Barbaresco Cascina Bordino DOCG Piedmont, Italy
1982 Bel Colle Barolo Monfrino DOCG, Piedmont, Italy
1982 Luigi Enaudi Barolo DOCG, Italy
1982 Marcarini Barolo Brunate DOCG, Italy
1982 Prunotto Barolo Riserva DOCG, Italy
1987 Gaja Barbaresco DOCG, Piedmont, Italy
1988 Gaja Barbaresco DOCG, Piedmont, Italy
1989 Prunotto Bussia, Barolo DOCG, Italy
1997 Giovanni Viberti 'San Pietro' Barolo DOCG, Italy
1997 Giovanni Viberti 'La Volta' Barolo DOCG, Italy
1998 Vietti Barolo Lazaritto DOCG, Italy

Menu
Selection of Cheese and Charcuterie
Porcini Mushroom Carpaccio with Harpke Farms Baby Greens, Fresh Herbs and Rose Petal Aioli
Tagliolini Carbonara
Turkey Meat Balls with Nebbiolo Reduction and Polenta Parmesan Croutons
Nutella Cake with Vin Santo Honey

 The fee for this tasting which includes dinner is $295 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.  Please let us know when you make your reservations if you have any dietary restrictions and chefs Toni and Dani will be happy to accommodate you.

A brief History of Barolo

Barolo has a long history of wine production, the area was named some 400 years ago and probably came from the Celtic brolio or brol, meaning "wood" or "orchard".   The region of Barolo encompasses approximately 3,000 acres of vines situated southwest of the town of Alba, in all or part of 11 communes.  First is La Morra, with nearly one-third of the total acreage.  Following in decreasing order are Serralunga d’alba, Monforte d’Alba, Barolo, and Castiglione Falletto, and parts of six other villages.  One of the most famous and most sought after vineyards in Barolo is Cannubi.

There are two main valleys in the Barolo production zone: the Barolo Valley to the west, and the Serralunga Valley to the east.  La Morra and Barolo itself are the major villages in the western valley, which also encompasses Cherasco, Novello, Roddi d’Alba, Castiglione Falletto and Monforte are the major towns;  Diano d’Alba and Grinzane Cavour are also included in this district.  There are distinct characteristics that are indigenous to the wines of various area:  the wines of Serralunga Valley have suggestions of licorice and tar, the Barolos of Serralunga itself display camphor and mint; those from Castiglione Falleto have a pronounced licorice characteristic as well as nuances of spice, mint, dried peaches, and prunes; those from Monforte recall spices, mint hazelnuts, and almonds.  The wines from the Barolo Valley bring up underbrush and truffle, as well as licorice.  Those wines from the village of Barolo have less of a licorice character but more suggestions of underbrush, truffles, and mint.  The wines of la Morra, especially those from the slopes, combine nuances of white truffle, mint, tobacco, spices, cherries, and blackberries and those from Cannubi display motes of white truffles, underbrush, raspberries, and black cherries.

Barbaresco

Barbaresco is a red wine produced in northwest Italy’s Piedmont region. Made from 100% Nebbiolo, Barbaresco, like its Barolo counterpart, is a highly tannic and acidic wine that needs years of cellaring to reach harmony. Prior to being released in the market, DOCG regulations require that the wines are aged for a minimum of 26 months, with at least 9 months spent in wood barrels; for the riserva bottlings, there is a mandated period of 50 months aging, with at least 9 months spent in wood barrels. Although Barbaresco and Barolo have much in common, traditionally Barbaresco tends to express a more feminine side, while Barolo is characterized as masculine and stately—but certainly exceptions exist. Expressive aromatically, scents of dried cherry, raspberry, licorice and rose petals are typical of the wine.