by Jeff Wilcox
14. June 2010 02:56
As I travel through the world of wine, my journey has taken many roads. Many, many years ago (let’s not talk about how many) I tasted my 1st Beaujolais and the journey was on. The wine was approachable and fruity. My next bottle was a mistake, or I thought at the time… Bordeaux. I knew I had tasted a fruity red wine from France before and was intrigued, so I grabbed another red wine from France that was spelled with a “B” and thought it was the same. Oops, first mistake and first lesson. No two wines are the same. My palate at the time was not ready for big, dry, tannins. It took me a few years to get to where the Bordeaux was a wine my palate could appreciate. I’ve wandered through the Rhone wines, California wines, German wines, and most of Italian wines. Not until recently has my wine travel brought me to truly be fascinated and enamored with the most tannic of all wines, Barolo.
My new found love for Barolo’s has consumed me. If you haven’t had one, you should treat yourself to one. If you have tried a Barolo in the past and thought it too tannic and the mouth-feel as too light, don’t automatically dismiss it. My first Barolo was my first exposure to the Nebbiolo grape. Both Barolo and Barbaresco wines are made with the Nebbiolo grape from the Piedmont area of northern Italy. Geographically, Piedmont is roughly the same as Burgundy in France, where the regal Pinot Noir grape grows. They share some of the same characteristics in mouth-feel and texture. Pinot-philes often say Burgundys really come to life after about 6-7 years after bottling. The same can be said for Nebbiolos.
The fantastic 2005’s are arriving in stores now, but they should not be consumed for a few years. Now is the time to be drinking the 1999 through 2001 vintages. But if you must try a younger one, decant…decant…decant! I recently attended a dinner where the 2005 Vietti Barolo was served. It was still very tannic after running the wine through a Vinturi decanter, followed by 1 hour in a decanter. After the dinner a few glasses were left in the decanter. I set it aside and tried it the next day and then again on the second day. Wow! What a wine it was on the 2nd day. The harsh tannins were gone and the wine was open with fruit just jumping out of the glass. The wine was balanced, soft, graceful, and just plain great! Another occasion brought me the opportunity to try the 2005 Ratti “Marchanesco” Barolo. This wine was the #7 wine for 2009 in Wine Spectator. We tried the bottle at lunch with (of all things) sushi, obviously a bad match, so we stuck the cork back into it. I took the bottle home and forgot to drink it the next day, and the next. I finally got back to it on the third day. Just as the Vietti had evolved, so did the Ratti. The Ratti may have been my favorite wine in the last year. The wine was simply great!
I think the thing for me was my totally amazement of the decanting process. I have thought of decanting in hour(s), not days. If you tried a Barolo and found it too light and too tannic, I suggest you visit one again and decant it, and to think of it as you would a great Pinot Noir. Use a Pinot Noir glass, and pair the wine with pork or chicken. I think you’ll find a new wine experience to share with friends. My journey continues.
