The 9 Crus of 2008 Produttori del Barbaresco

14 Sep 2013: It was really a great treat to be invited to a tasting of the 9 crus of the Produttori del Barbaresco, all from the 2008 vintage, over a nice long meal at Si Mangia, a private kitchen focusing on Italian cuisine, overseen by Chef Ben and his wife. 11 of us occupied a table at the centre of the dining area of Si Mangia (www.simangia.com.hk), with plenty of space to fit 9 glasses per person, our plates and even room to scribble down your tasting notes! A real luxury as far as wine dinners go in HK! Although the restaurant did not have so many glasses for us, our thoughtful hosts arranged for Lucaris to supply the excellent array of glasses. Again another indulgence!


Produttori del Barbaresco is a Cantine Sociale (co-operative) that started in 1958. From the 19 founding families of growers whose holdings included majority control of some of the best vineyards such as Ovello, Montestefano, Moccagatta and Pajè, the Produttori has now grown to a membership of 54 families controlling 110 hectares of vineyards (approximately 22% of the entire DOCG), adding other prime vineyards such as Rabajà, Asili and Montefico, etc. The Produttori respects traditional winemaking practices and today, although it uses stainless steel tanks for fermentation, the wines all go through lengthy maceration of 40 to 60 days, depending on style and vintage. The crus are all aged for 3 years in large old botti before bottling. Typical production volume is 35,000 cases per year, including 40% of cru bottlings, 40% of bottling as Barbaresco and the remaining 20% as Nebbiolo della Langhe. There are 9 crus altogether: Ovello, Pajè, Pora, Rio Sordo, Moccagatta (Muncagota), Montestefano, Montefico, Rabajà and Asili. Our hosts had organised these 9 crus into 3 flights for us to taste and appreciate:


Flight 1 - common trait of rich soils?
Pora
Rio Sordo
Asili

Flight 2 - very good aromatics?
Pajè
Ovello
Muncagota

Flight 3 - structure and ageability?
Rabajà
Montefico
Montestefano


Here are my brief notes:

Pora: Notes of blackberry, black cherry, minty herb, tar, earthy and liquorice. Quite fleshy but in a rustic manner. Firm ripe tannin. Lovely aromatics. Lacks the refinement of the other crus.

Rio Sordo: Also quite rustic in style, more red fruit here, savoury and sinewy in structure. Astringent finish.

Asili: Both red and black fruit here, floral (violet), with herbal notes. Intense, weighty and powerful, but extremely well balanced. Almost a nice sweetness on entry. Refined firm tannin. Finishes long, beautiful.

Pajè: Quite closed initially. Reticent nose. But plenty of freshness from cool climate vineyards. Red fruit dominates.

Ovello: Black fruit, tar, liquorice and minty herb. A more forward style, quite opulent.

Muncagota: Almost Burgundian like. Medium bodied, delicate and refined, quiet and unassuming. Very elegant. Lovely long finish.

Rabajà: Aromatically intense, with herbal and floral notes. Well balanced, richness in body, but quite broad-shouldered, with robust tannic structure.

Montefico: Very linear, almost muscular, quite firm tannin. A poised and stylish wine....that needs some time to unwind.

Montestefano: Very ripe cherry fruit, plenty of complexity, vibrant acidity, firm ripe tannin. A very complete wine.

If I were to pick 3 best wines of the evening based on my experience this evening, they would be Montestefano, Rabajà and Muncagota for me......Ovello would be a close 4th! Then there would be Asili too!

Thank you so much to our most generous and thoughtful hosts! This was definitely a very well-organised tasting which allowed us to appreciate the great progress towards the highest quality that the Produttori had made in the past decade and in doing so, had preserved traditional practices and ensured that the wines would remain expressive of their individual terroirs. These are extremely impressive Barbaresco wines and most definitely will reward long term cellaring....if one can wait that long! And they are still reasonably priced compared to other big names!