Nebbiolo

This is the wine that comes in an odd shaped bottle that almost looks like it melted and was disfigured.  Made from 100% Nebbiolo grapes, this is the Riserva version which means the best parcels are harvested from Travaglini’s oldest vineyards (35-60 years).  The wine is aged for 4 years: 3 years in Slavonian oak casks of different sizes. The wine then rests in bottle for 12 months.

A very nice, moderately priced (on release) Barolo.  With 13 years from vintage, this one is in a great place.  Garnet in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has hot tar, cherries, spice and char.  Medium bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, nice cherry fruit with some complexity.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  This will work better with food.  Pasta with a mushroom cream sauce was perfect.  Drink over the next five to eight years.  

Bought on release and cellared.  This was decanted for about 45 minutes prior to serving.  Purple in color (darker than expected), mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cherries, dust and tar.  Full bodied with firm tannins.  On the palate, this is still drinking young.  Vibrant fruit.  It s deep but a bit monolithic at age 19.  Black cherries with a "chalkiness".  Also some anise on the finish.  It is delicious and went great with pasta.  Drink over the next twelve years.  

This is a nice, relatively inexpensive Barolo.  Ruby in color, clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, cherry juice, slight floral and hot asphalt.  Medium bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this is straight forward with cherries.  Moderate acidity.  Nice finish.  This drinks better with food.  Pasta with a mushroom cream sauce would work well.  Drink over the next five to seven years.  

This was purchased at the winery and brought back by a friend.  Ruby in color, clear and bright.  The nose is classic with cherries, tar and slight baking spice.  Medium to full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this is surprisingly open.  Cherries with underlying asphalt.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  This is obviously young but drinking well already.  It should drink well for the next twenty years.  Nice on its own, this would be better with food.  Pasta in a cream and mushroom sauce would be great.  

Decanted for sediment, this is still a bit young but no harm opening now.  Deep garnet with slight bricking, clear and bright.  Classic nose of cherries, slight dried cherries, some floral/rose notes and slight tar.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this is showing nice complexity.  Lots of cherries, some dried cherries, with some underlying forest floor, mushrooms and tar.  Long finish.  This drinks better with food.  Mushroom pizza is a great choice.  Drink over the next fifteen to twenty years.

There was a lot of talk at the other end of the table about this wine being problematic.  I tried not to pay much attention, but it seemed to center around an abundance of oak and being made in a more modern style.  While that may have been true, at age 24, this wine is drinking well.  Deep ruby in color, clear an bright.  The nose has cherries, slight tar, some spice/oak and a bit of forest floor.  Medium to full bodied.  Light to medium tannins.  On the palate, there is nice cherry fruit with some depth.  Nice finish.  This seems to be at peak but should drink well for the next five to ei

From Magnum.  This was really enjoyable.  In a young, but nice place right now.  Deep ruby in color, clear and bright.  The nose is as expected, that is, cherries, slight dark cherries, dried floral notes, spice and slight tar.  With air, a slight menthol note.  Medium to full bodied.  Firm tannins.  Juicy acidity.  On the palate, this has dense cherries with some spice.  Deep but primary.  Delicious.  Slight sweet and sour cherry note on the finish.  This (again from Magnum) of course needs more time.  It should drink well for the next twenty years.  Pasta with shave truffles should be per

This seemed a bit reticent at this point in its life cycle.  No doubt it will emerge soon but if opening soon, best go give this a  long decant.  Ruby/purple in appearance.  Mostly clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, black cherries, and spice.  Medium bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, cherries with some black cherries.  Spice/oak with some forest floor notes.  Good acidity.  Moderate finish.  Right now this drinks better with food than on its own.  Mushroom Ragout would work well.  Hold for three to five years and drink for ten to twelve after that.  

This is a big, albeit young, wine.  Ruby/purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, some black raspberries, some cherries, spice and slight tar.  Full bodied.  Nice texture.  Moderate acidity.  On the palate, mostly black cherry fruit but some other fruits in there as well.  A bit of menthol on the finish.  Firm tannins.  This needs more cellaring, but is certainly enjoyable today.  Perhaps wait another five to seven years and drink for ten to fifteen after that and the score should go up by at least a few points.  A nice food match would be hearty pasta dishes