Braida di Giacomo Bologno Tasting with Raffaella Bologna at Wine Watch

Braida di Giacomo Bologno Tasting with Raffaella Bologna at Wine Watch
Thursday, October 13, 2011
7:00 PM

It is no secret that the Piedmont is one of my favorite wine producing regions of the wine world and the first wine that I really opened my eyes to these great wines was Bricco Dell Uccellone from Braida. Most would hold the Nebbiolo varietal in the highest regard but I fell in love with Barbera first.  It is ironic that it was Braida's Uccellone that first tickled my fancy as Briada is considered to be the leader with this varietal.  They were the first to believe that Barbera should be placed among the elite red varietals that can produce age worthy world class wines.

Join us as we welcome Raffaella Bologna, the second generation of the family to a unique tasting of wines from this landmark producer of the Piedmont.

Wine Watch Catering's Toni Lampasone will be making a few tasty treats to accompany the tasting wines and the fee for this tasting is $75+ tax. For Reservations call 954-523-9463.

Pre-Tasting:

Braida Barbera Montebruna 2009
Price: $22.50       Sale $19.80          Case $230

2008 Braida Montebruna Barbera D'Asti
Price: $22.50       Sale $19.80          Case $230
Quantity in Stock: 15

(88 points) Dark berry and black cherry flavors, with hints of smoke and tar, highlight this compact red, which offers a nice expression of fruit, with moderate length. Drink now through 2012. 5,000 cases made. –BS Issue: Dec 15, 2010

2009 Braida Il Baciale Pinot Noir Barbera
Price: $25             Sale $22                Case $255

"Il Baciale", in Piedmnont dialect means The Matchmaker,  someone who, in times gone by, once arranged marriages between Barbera and other grape varieties.

2007 Braida Barbera Bricco Dell Uccellone Piedmont
Price: $58             Sale $51.04          Case $592

The 2007 vintage is the smallest in the last 60 years. About 40.5 million hectolitres of wine will be made, 18% less than the 49,631,000 hectolitres made in 2006. 2,580,000 hectolitres of wine will be made in Piedmont , 20% less than in 2006.

The small grapes and whole but thick skins partially make up for the smaller amount produced. Sugar level is quite high, especially in red grape varieties which, in several cases, are expected to reach 15% alcohol.

2008 Braida Barbera Ai Suma                                     
Price: $75             Sale $66                Case $765

"Were There. This is the right level."  The meaning of Ai Suma in the local dialect.   A wine produced only in particularly favorable vintages and which represents a kind of "peak" for the Braida wine Estate.

2010 Braida Brachetto d'Acqui
Price: $23.75       Sale $20.90          Case $242

A dessert wine, among the most elegant and pleasant, best when consumed young when it expresses the fragrance of the grape; the moment in which the tantalizing notes of Bulgarian rose and mature fruits are fully revealed, it has a fresh, lively and musky taste. 

2010 Braida Moscato D'Asti Vigna Senze Nome
Price: $19.00       Sale $16.72          Case $194

The label carries the Latin phrase "Sator Arepo Tenet Opera Rotas" meaning "the farmer uses his plough as his form of work" used because in 1990 Braida became the owners of this vineyard.

Menu for 1st part of tasting:

Selection of Cheese:  Epoisses, Parmesiano Reggiano, beemster Gouda

Arancini with veal, pork and Epoisses served with a wild mushroom & tomato ragout

Prosciutto wrapped melon with balsamic drizzle

Vertical Tasting of Uccellone

Bricco Dell Uccellone

Uccellone id one of the best vineyards on the hilltops of Rocchetta Tanaro.  This wine takes its name because once upon a time, in a house adjacent to the vineyard, lived an old lady who always dressed in black and was nicknamed "I ucelun" in Piedmont dialect meaning the big bird (l'uccellone).

2008 Braida Barbera Bricco Dell Uccellone Piedmont
Price: $58.50       Sale $51.48          Case $597

(92 Points) The 2008 Barbera d’Asti Bricco dell’Uccellone is a gorgeous wine. Layers of graphite and minerals run through the dark fruit, contributing notable drive and energy to the finish. This is a pretty, restrained Bricco dell’Uccellone that relies less on the sheer power of previous vintages. Ideally the wine is best given a few years in bottle to come together. Today is highly promising. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2023. Wine Advocate # 192, Dec 2010

2007 Braida Barbera Bricco Dell Uccellone Piedmont
Price: $58             Sale $51.04          Case $592

The 2007 vintage is the smallest in the last 60 years. About 40.5 million hectolitres of wine will be made, 18% less than the 49,631,000 hectolitres made in 2006. 2,580,000 hectolitres of wine will be made in Piedmont , 20% less than in 2006.

The small grapes and whole but thick skins partially make up for the smaller amount produced. Sugar level is quite high, especially in red grape varieties which, in several cases, are expected to reach 15% alcohol.

2006 Braida Bricco Dell Uccellone Barbera D'Asti
Price: $69.75       Sale $61.38          Case $711

(92 Points) The 2006 Bricco dell’Uccellone reveals a touch more ripeness and inner perfume than the Bigotta yet shows similar clarity and precision. While made in a soft, opulent style, in this vintage Bricco dell’Uccellone is a touch more restrained than has sometimes been the case, resulting in a wine that is noteworthy for its finesse and elegance. Sweet scents of French oak, smoke, licorice and jammy dark fruit linger on the clean, refreshing finish. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2018. Wine Advocate # 185, Oct 2009

2000 Braida Barbera Bricco Dell Uccellone Piedmont
Price: $69.25       Sale $60.94          Case $706

The 2000 vintage produced fruit forward wines with ripe and round tannins, many of the Barbera from this vintage are drinking at or near their peak today. This wine features more forward fruit and the same perfume and spice bouquet as the other wines but with less vigor but should drink well over the next 3-5 years. Most Excellent

1996 Braida Barbera Bricco dell Uccellone
Price: $75.00       Sale $66                Case $765

This wine is drinking at its peak right now and is somewhat reminiscent of a vintage burgundy with lots of dried floral notes and fresh earth, porcini mushroom nuance to the strawberry and black berry fruit on the nose. Soft and round on the palate this wine offers up a lot of complexity on the palate with layers of spice and earth notes through the finish with lots of fresh acidity holding everything together in nice proportion. Finish 45+ Most Excellent

1993 Braida Barbera Bricco Dell Uccellone Magnum
Price: $180          Sale $158             Case $918

(87 Points)  While this 1993 Barbera dell'Uccellone is very good, it will never be mistaken for a great vintage of this barrique-aged Barbera. The wine's dark ruby color is accompanied by lavish quantities of toasty new oak, and plenty of sweet berry fruit on the attack, but it narrows out in the mouth. It is medium-bodied, with good acidity, and a compact finish. It should drink well for 4-5 years.  Wine Advocate # 112, Aug 1997

Menu for Sit down

Selection of Cheese:  Epoisse, Parmesiano Reggiano, beemster Gouda

Mushroom Carpaccio garnished with fried capers, basil, mint and parmesiano Reggiano

Cherry Beignet with pork belly and savory cardamom whipped creme

A bit about Braida Winery:

The story of Braida begins as the story of a beautiful village.  Rocchetta Tanaro, located in the Piedmont, is a village which is at the "centre of the world".  And everything began for this wine producer, as in every village story, with a nickname, Braida, which Giuseppe Bologna earned on the field on Sundays, playing "pallone elastico", a typical Piedmont sport.

The head of the family was a carter and cultivated his beautiful Barbera vineyard for himself and his friends.  Giacomo Bologna inherited both the vineyard and the nickname from his father, but especially his unconditional love for his land and his wine, a love which he transmitted first of all to his wife, Anna, then to his children, as well as to all those who traveled some of life's highway with him. 

Giacomo was not only one of the true characters of the Piedmont, but also one of the first “cutting edge” wine producers of this region.  He traveled to Bordeaux and to California to see what the top minds in these regions were doing to produce their best wines.  He came back from his travels and was one of the first wineries in this region to practice controlling the temperature of the alcoholic fermentation and was also one of the first producers to age barbera in small French oak barriques.  Giacomo was one of the first producers in the Piedmont to believe that barbera was more than just an average quality grape varietal.

Today the company is an enlarged and faithful reflection of the philosophy of Giacomo and Anna, of their way of understanding life, the earth, wine and friendships.  It was Anna who, bearing Giacomo's torch, carried forward the projects he had outlined and dreamed of.  At her side were her children, Raffaella and Beppe, sharing with her the years of courageous initiatives and important investments, both in the cellars and the vineyards.  Raffaella and Beppe are both oenologists yet each sibling has a different aptitude - with verve and intelligence Raffaella focuses on the commercial side of the business while Beppe, more reflective and reserved, concentrates on the agricultural sector and production. Both, however, share the same dream, cultivated with enthusiasm, that of conquering for Barbera the status of nobility and quality which some appear to think is due only to the vine-growers of the Burgundy hills.

Wine for both of them is a lifetime's project, a way of expressing themselves through things that are simple and authentic, like their land, which has, inevitably, infected their respective partners, who have joined and now play a full and active role in this family.  Cristina, the wife of Beppe and mother of Greta, works in the administration offices; while Norbert Reinisch, an Austrian doctor and partner to Raffaella, inspired by his love of wine, and during a visit to the Rocchetta Tanaro cellars, met the family's "monella" and fell in love with her - so deeply in fact that he left his homeland and his job to become the company's Exports Director.

Braida is a young company, the result of great synergies, exchanges of ideas and enthusiasm, embracing the family and all members of the company's personnel.  Although they specialize in barbera, Braida also makes rwo wonderful dessert style wines, one from Moscato (entitled Vigna Senze Nome “The wine without a name”) and another from Brachetto (Brachetto D’Acqui).  Both are light and slightly frizzante with a low 5% alcohol rating making them a light and refreshing treat anytime of the day.  There are three different barberas produced at Braida:  1) Bricco della Bigota- the granddaddy of all Barberas capable of aging for 10 years or longer.  2) Ai Suma (a piedmontese exclamatory term that is used to express when a long term goal is achieved “We’ve Got it!”  This is a late harvest barbera of epic proportions.  3) Bricco Dell Uccellone, a wine that has perfect balance and is the quintessential example of what barbera can be at its best.  Uccellone is the name of one of the very best vineyards on the hilltops of Rochetta Tanaro. The vineyard takes its name from the old woman who lived in the house next to the plot, who always dressed in black and so was given the nickname l'uselun or ‘big bird’.

Other Braida Wines Available:

2008 Braida Barbera "MonteBruna"       
Price: $22.50       Sale $19.80          Case $230           

(88 points) Dark berry and black cherry flavors, with hints of smoke and tar, highlight this compact red, which offers a nice expression of fruit, with moderate length. Drink now through 2012. 5,000 cases made. –BS Issue: Dec 15, 2010

2009 Braida Il Baciale'                                   
Price: $25             Sale $22                Case $255           

"Il Baciale", in Piedmnont dialect means The Matchmaker,  someone who, in times gone by, once arranged marriages between Barbera and other grape varieties.

2007 Braida Barbera Bricco Dell Uccellone (3 Liter)
Price $312            Sale $275

The 2007 vintage is the smallest in the last 60 years. About 40.5 million hectolitres of wine will be made, 18% less than the 49,631,000 hectolitres made in 2006. 2,580,000 hectolitres of wine will be made in Piedmont , 20% less than in 2006.

The small grapes and whole but thick skins partially make up for the smaller amount produced. Sugar level is quite high, especially in red grape varieties which, in several cases, are expected to reach 15% alcohol.

2006 Braida Barbera Bricco Dell Uccellone
Price: $70             Sale $61.60          Case $714           
               
(92 Points)  The 2006 Bricco dell’Uccellone reveals a touch more ripeness and inner perfume than the Bigotta yet shows similar clarity and precision. While made in a soft, opulent style, in this vintage Bricco dell’Uccellone is a touch more restrained than has sometimes been the case, resulting in a wine that is noteworthy for its finesse and elegance. Sweet scents of French oak, smoke, licorice and jammy dark fruit linger on the clean, refreshing finish. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2018.

These are two beautiful wines from Braida, the estate that put barrel-aged Barbera on the map in a big way.  Wine Advocate # 185, Oct 2009
               
2005 Braida Barbera Bricco Dell Uccellone Magnum
Price: $132          Sale $116             Case $674

(91 Points)  The flagship 2005 Bricco dell’Uccellone is a wonderfully fragrant version of this wine. It is unusually refined in its expression of small red fruits, spices, flowers, tar, smoke and toasted oak, all of which are supported by finessed tannins. Readers who enjoy the big style of Bricco dell’Uccellone might prefer other recent vintages, but those seeking a more restrained Barbera will find much to admire here. This is a beautiful wine. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2013.

Braida and the late proprietor Giacomo Bologna will always be remembered for being among the first producers to believe in the potential of Barbera as an important variety. Today, though, one often gets the sense that a new generation of producers is taking Barbera to even greater heights.  Wine Advocate # 179, Oct 2008

2008 Braida Barbera Ai Suma                                     
Price: $75             Sale $66                Case $765

(93 Points)  The 2008 Barbera d’Asti Ai Suma, made from late-harvested fruit, is a stunner. Firm yet elegant tannins frame dark blueberries, blackberries, graphite, sweet herbs all the way through to the dark, sensual finish, where sweet mentholated balsamic overtones leave a lasting impression. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2028.

These are some of the most exciting wines I have tasted from Braida in a long time. In particular, the 2008 Barbere are exceptional. It’s hard to tell how much of that is attributable to the vintage itself versus winemaking, but the simple reality is that the 2008s are beautiful, elegant, refined Barbere that avoid the excessive heaviness that was common in the past.  Wine Advocate # 192, Dec 2010

2007 Braida Barbera Ai Suma                                                     
Price: $76             Sale $66.88          Case $775

"Were There. This is the right level."  The meaning of Ai Suma in the local dialect.   A wine produced only in particularly favorable vintages and which represents a kind of "peak" for the Braida wine Estate.

2004 Braida Barbera Ai Suma
Price: $96             Sale $84.48          Case $980                                           

2004 Braida Barbera Ai Suma (3 Liter)
Price: $419          Sale $369

(90 Points)  The 2004 Barbera d’Asti Ai Suma is made from late-harvested fruit, and as is to be expected, reveals an extra dimension in its ripeness and richness. This deeply-colored, sumptuous Barbera is redolent of plums, dark cherries, blackberries, spices, minerals and toasted oak. It displays outstanding length and plenty of style. I would prefer to drink it on the young side although this bottling has proven age-worthy. A recent bottle of the 1989 was still in fine shape, even if to my palate its best years belong to the past. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2014.

Braida was the first estate to make important, high-quality Barberas from Asti. In the past the wines have always been very heavy and rich, but the 2004s are made in a more understated style.  Wine Advocate # 173, Oct 2007     

2003 Braida Barbera Ai Suma                                                                     
Price: $80             Sale $70.40          Case $816           

(90 Points)  2003 Barbera d’Asti ai Suma—Fully saturated violet. The 2003 is a touch more complex, with a huge nose of ripe fruit, chocolate, spices, licorice and toasted oak followed by masses of concentrated over-ripe dark fruit, in a full-bodied style that offers much persistence on the palate and finishes with considerable length. 90/drink now-2013, 08/05

In many was the name Giacomo Bologna is synonymous with Barbera d’Asti. Bologna was among the first, if not the first, producer to believe that Barbera was capable of producing world-class wines by working with low yields and barrique-aging. With his Bricco dell’Uccellone Bologna single-handedly re-invented the image of Barbera from a varietal that had been seen as giving simple, rustic wines with untamed acidity to one capable of producing modern wines of notable concentration and elegance. Even though Bologna passed away at a young age in 1990 he left an indelible stamp on the world of Piedmontese enology. Today the estate is run by Giacomo’s children, Raffaela and Giuseppe, who continue the work of their father. The estate produces a wide range of Barberas, but the most famous are the three selections Bricco dell’Uccellone, Bricco della Bigotta, and Ai Suma.

Bricco dell’Uccellone is the estate’s flagship Barbera. It is a rich, concentrated wine made from low yields and aged 12 months in barrique. Bricco della Bigotta is a more classic wine in some ways. Average yields are a bit higher and it spends a few additional months in oak. In top vintages Ai Suma is produced from late harvested super-ripe grapes. It is the richest and most opulent of the wines. In recent years the estate has introduced a new cask-aged Barbera, Montebruna, intended for nearer-term consumption. Lastly, there is also a simple Barbera called La Monella, made in a traditional frizzante style.  In the Cellar # G6, Jan 2006

2010 Braida Brachetto                                                                   
Price: $23.75       Sale $20.90          Case $242           

A dessert wine, among the most elegant and pleasant, best when consumed young when it expresses the fragrance of the grape; the moment in which the tantalizing notes of Bulgarian rose and mature fruits are fully revealed, it has a fresh, lively and musky taste. 

2010 Braida Moscato d'Asti                        
Price: $19             Sale $16.72          Case $194

The label carries the Latin phrase "Sator Arepo Tenet Opera Rotas" meaning "the farmer uses his plough as his form of work" used because in 1990 Braida became the owners of this vineyard.