WTN: Experiments With Ageing

I finally put my money where my mouth is. (Don't really know what this proverb means, but I like it) I crossed the line. Instead of sitting back and just criticising wine, I decided to start working at a winery to see how the stuff is really made. 8 hours of pruning vines in the hilly Oltrepo'.....the food you eat after that is the best you've ever experienced. Anyway, that's another story.

The real story are the tasting notes below. After stashing wines in my cellar for the past 8 years or so, the cellar is finally bearing fruit...or so I thought. There's two problems with my cellar: one, I used to be a Parker-head, two, I used to be broke. So a lot of the wines that are coming of age now are either Parker wines (over-oaked dense bombs) or cheap.

I think some Parker big pointers don't age well because they're made in a big fruity style meant to impress immediately. Also, winemakers who make Parker-style wines to impress Parker, get big points and make big money - have no soul. So the wine has no soul. And everyone knows that a wine without soul doesn't age well (keeping in the Easter spirit here.)

Cheap wines: I like to experiment with ageing. I put all kinds of stuff in the nooks of my cellar just to see what happens. Below are the results and they are not that positive. The cellar is 300 yrs. old and almost perfect. The sweltering 2003 summer saw the temperature down there go up to around 70 degrees but I don't think it did any major damage. These were mostly bought directly from the wineries and stored prefectly so no excuses.

Matteo Correggia - La Val Dei Preti 1997 - Nebbiolo D'Alba - 14% alc.
Interesting and kind of tasty but half gone. Old smells, decaying taste. Drinkeable and interesting but I would say flawed. I bought this from a wineshop a few years ago so it may have been bad storage on their part. I expected a bit more from this reknown producer.

Botticino 2001 - Vigna Cobio - Tognazzi - 13,5% alc.
I think this cost me 5 or 6 Euros max. direct from the producer. This weird, tiny DOC appellation forces it adherents to blend Barbera, Marzemino, Sangiovese and Schiava! What was I thinking storing this off to age! This used to be a tasty, perfumed little wine.
At first the nose seemed OK, unfortunately in the mouth it had a weird acidy taste. Not horrible overall, just not good. Don't age this wine.

Corvino 1997 - Tenuta Mazzolino - Cabernet Sauvignon - Oltrepo' Pavese - 13% alc.
I think I bought this for 9 Euros from the place a while back. 9 Euros direct purchase is actually not cheap in Italy. You can get some great wines for that price. Just don't buy this one. The guy at the place told me this was actually '96 but they had run out of labels or something....anyways, tastes old, smells old. Didn't hold.

San Germano 2006 - Marchesi Alfieri - Monferrato - 14, 5% alc.
This is neither aged nor cheap. Bought it direct for around 18 Euros. Delicious Pinot Noir from Barbera country in Piemonte. Nice aromatics, deft use of oak, balanced in the mouth, complex and nice. Full bodied but subtle at the same time. I truly wonder how this will age. I think it'll do quite well. I've got 4 remaining bottles stashed.

Rosso di Montefalco 2001 - Rocca di Fabbri - 13% alc.
Mostly Sangiovese I think with maybe a bit of Sagrantino juice thrown in. This used to be a good wine. Seemed to have structure. Costs only 7 Euros or so are the market, so why not put a few away and see what happens? Wrong. You can't spit in the devil's eye and expect to get away with it. Nose: fading, not particularly good. Mouth: OK. Not awful. Some mouth feel. Bordering on watery fruit juice at this stage.

Martuffo del Glicine 2001 - Martilde - Oltrepo' Pavese - 13% alc.
100% Pinot Noir. Payed a hefty 6 Euros for this direct from the winery. No nose, no mouth. Basically colored water. No oxidation.

Merlot 2000 - Dolfo - Goriska Brda, Slovenia - 12,8 % alc.
Had higher hopes for this one. Wasn't too cheap. Merlot usually ages well. Not bad. Just didn't evolve into anything. The nose is nice but too subdued. The mouth is Ok but close to neutral. Another experiment that did not give fruit. Better than most of the others but not impressive.

Cabernet 2003 - Oton Reya - Goriska Brda, Slovenia - 13,5 % alc.
This isn't that aged and wasn't an experiment. Oton makes good wine and is a great dude. His Merlot is a cult wine in my pantheon. The Cabernet, I think its a mix of Franc and Sauvignon, is not quite on the Merlot's level though. The mouth is big, balanced and fruity. Delicious. Juicy finish. The nose, on the other hand, seems a bit dumb at this stage. And I detect a slight bit of mustiness, earthiness - which is nice in some way but I hope other aromas emerge with time. I think this has room to age.

Campoleone 2000 - La Fiorita/Lamborghini - Umbria - 13,5% alc.
Here's the big dog. A Parker favorite. Made by big-shot flying oenologist Riccardo Cottarella. Sells for around $70 in the US! Sangiovese and Merlot. 9 yrs old and perfectly cellared...
What are those people on cellartracker smoking? 92 pts? 93 pts? Where's the nose? Anonymous nose...a little whiff of vanilla perhaps. Big mouth, pretty well balanced. Some coffee on the finish. Its ok but quite disappointing. It actually tastes like its cracking up a bit. Unfortunately I have two more in the cellar. A truly fabricated wine. As they say in Italy its "neither fish nor meat", that is, its neither here nor there, neither a true sangiovese nor a true merlot. Its a pleasant, full bodied anonymous wine with a little barrique flavor. Paid 26 Euros 6 yrs ago. I don't think its gone up in price, nobody wants the stuff over here.

Conclusion: I'm glad I cellared all those cheap, weird wines, I've actually learned a lot from it. I have quite a few more to go through. Who knows, I just may find a gem amonst them. No worries, I have some great wines as well that I'm saving.

Regards,
Agostino

Agostino
Great post and a useful insight into a cellaring strategy and potential pitfalls.

In some respects my early cellaring wines were safer bets as they were generally wines with a cellaring track record from prior vintages. Styles/vintages can change as can my tastes, but I suppose I had a better idea of what I was going to get in 5, 10, 15 years.

... but I do recall seeking out cheap cellaring wines, figuring that early mistakes would be less costly if I kept the cost down. That mentality has to a degree gone now, but perhaps saved a few expensive mistakes along the way.

I'd agree that there are great question marks over some of the glossy, fruity, approachable wines that have appeared in recent years. Some I'm sure will age really well, whilst others won't. I suspect many will be drunk young, which is perhaps the safe option until we discover whether they age or not. Expensive at times though.

regards

Ian

I finally put my money where my mouth is. (Don't really know what this proverb means, but I like it) I crossed the line. Instead of sitting back and just criticising wine, I decided to start working at a winery to see how the stuff is really made. 8 hours of pruning vines in the hilly Oltrepo'.....the food you eat after that is the best you've ever experienced. Anyway, that's another story............

Ha. Your comment about deciding to try working at a winery made me smile. In my case the observation (after about a week of rinsing out casks to prepare them for the new vintage) was that nothing in a winery weighs less than 50 lbs. (or for you, 22.7 kg)!

Interesting observations on ageing wine. It is always a gamble: sometimes you find a cheapie that ages superbly, otherimes that expensive bottle is a great disappointment. It is amusing to me when someone opens a wine of high repute after a period of aging and starts making excuses: it is sleeping and needs another 5 years, must have been mishandled, etc. etc. Yeah, maybe, or maybe not.

You're right Joe, excuses are often made with wines of high repute, mostly to cover up our embarrassment that we relied on the judgement of a famous critic instead of our own in selecting wines.
No excuses for the Campoleone though, by day two it was cracking up and smelled of subtle putridity.

Its surprising how superstar oenologist (Parker made him that) Riccardo Cottarella's wines can be so homogeneous even though he works with such a diverse set of terroirs and varietals. Judging from my own tastings, Cellartracker notes and others, common descriptors for Cottarella consulted wines are "lacking typicity, bland, lacking excitement, international, Californian" etc. They are all full-bodied and kind of velvety but with age they don't seem to gain complexity. I've had this same experience with say his 100% Montepulciano D'Abruzzo "Pignotto" as with the Campoleone.

Unfortunately, at the time I bought the wines I was indeed a Parker-head and at this specific time Parker had given very high ratings to a bunch of Cottarella consulted wines. Here's what I have in my cellar (only 1-3 bottles each):

Serpico 1997 - should be aglianico - Feudi di San Gregorio (I believe he gave the 2001 96 pts.)
Pignotto 2000 Montepulciano D'Abruzzo- Antonio ed Elio Monti
At a blind tasting I had most people said it was good but kind of anonymous. Parker gave it a 94 and called it the best MD'A he had ever tasted.
Terra di Lavoro 1999 - Campania, Aglianico - Fattoria Galardi
bought this for $25 a couple of days after I received my Wine Advocate issue. It sells now for between 200-300 bucks. I'm hoping it will show some typicity.
It was showing quite monolithic when I opened one many years back. I think Parker gave it 96 pts.
Fobiano '98 - Umbria, merlot - La Carraia
I suspect this needs to be drunk - 91 pts
Rubino della Palazzola '98
Bordeaux blend - 90-91 pts. I think.
Campoleone 2000 La Fiorita
This got some huge numbers, especially the 2001 and '99
Villa Fidelia 2000- Bordeaux blend, Umbria - Sportoletti
I can already tell by the Cellartracker notes this ones going to be boring, and needs to be drunk.

Cottarella made all these wines, they all have a weird sameness to them, and I suspect most of them will not improve with age. Hope I'm wrong.
He's even consulting in Bordeaux now. Incredible, an Italian in Bordeaux. Shows how desperate people get for Parker points!

Anyways, I have plenty of the three B's in my cellar (Barolo, Brunello, Bordeaux) which have a track record of ageability (and improving with age, which is the whole point.)

As far as Barolo goes, the prices have gotten out of hand and the tannins tend to stick around for too long - so I've opted for searching out fine Nebbiolo in northern Piemonte (Bramaterra, Lessona, Fara, Ghemme, Sizzano) at much better prices. I have a heap of Valtellina nebbiolo stashed away which ages beautifully.

My fascination with Parker ended a long time ago. I don't buy "press favorite" wines at all anymore. There's a lot of press and hype manipulation that goes on in the wine world. And wines can be so manipulated chemically these days that I don't trust 'em. I try to buy direct from small wineries after I've met the winemaker face to face. In Italy this is actually easy to do and the prices are much lower than at retail.

Best,
Agostino

I try to buy direct from small wineries after I've met the winemaker face to face. In Italy this is actually easy to do and the prices are much lower than at retail.

I hope to visit Piemonte at the end of October and will try to visit some of the small producers that you recommended, like Antichi Vigneti di Cantalupo and Cantine Barni.

Hello Oswald!

I don't exactly recommend a visit to Antichi Vigneti di Cantalupo for three reasons:
It's generally open, but there's only a greeter guy there and I've never even seen either the oenologist or the proprietor.
Also, they are one of the few wineries I have visited that practice a California style pricing policy. That is, a bottle of wine there costs you the same or more than at the store.
Thirdly, much to my disappointment, they've raised their price on their excellent Collis Breclemae from an already high 23 Euro a bottle to 27. That's a bit absurd in Italy. You can actually get a Brunello or Barolo direct from the winery at that price. Or maybe I'm just a cheap bastard...
Only positive thing I can think of is that they are pretty much always open and always have bottles open for anyone to taste free of charge, including the big dogs. You can also buy old vintages so that's a plus.

As far as Barni goes, remember he speaks no English whatsoever and you definitely have to call ahead. Maybe if I'm around I can meet you there or arrange a visit.
Vineyards are hidden in these areas so you have to ask to be taken there. The area used to be covered in vines until the big textile boom in the 40's, so its not as scenic as the Langhe, Monferrato, etc. The way there coming from Milan is actually nice right now because they flood the rice fields (pass through the town of Arborio, pick up a kg of famous Arborio rice for a pittance, make risotto). The view of endless partitioned mirror-like rice paddies is gorgeous.

Producers to visit in Barolo country I can think of a few:
Giuseppe Rinaldi - crazy fellow, nice wines, traditional - very fair direct from winery pricing - I don't think he speaks English - smack in the middle of Barolo, nice old style cellar
Massimo Penna - a hidden gem, great full bodied array of wines, great modern Barolo La Serra for ridiculously low price, crazy younger winemaker. I think he's in La Morra

If you could swing next door to Lombardy, up in Valtellina, land of Sforzato ( a precious jewel you could bring back), heroic winemaking and great heavy local dish called Pizzoccheri.
Alberto Marsetti - super nice guy, ancient small cellar in the middle of charming Sondrio.
Ar.Pe.Pe. - the most ethereal nebbiolos in the world released at 10-12 years of age. Great large cellar carved into the hillside. Isabella speaks English.

Best,
Ago

Thank you, Agostino, your suggestions all sound excellent, just the sort of wineries I am interested in visiting. My initial plan is to arrive in Milan, take the train to Torino, and rent a car at the train station there. Perhaps I should just rent a car at Malpensa?

I lived in Italy for two years as a child and whenever I go back I find that I can get by, even if just barely. I'll send you a PM before we go!

Oswaldo
Planning any length of time in Torino?
I do enjoy the city - we've done 4 trips there now, so have a few recommendations if you need any. Bit worried about the idea of picking up a car in the centre of the city. The traffic is pretty heavy and although the city layout is an easy to follow grid system, it would be a pretty scary way to start driving in Italy. By contrast, the vineyards are a joy to drive between, with little traffic and easy roads.

I wonder whether an option may be to hop off the Eurostar/AV train at Asti (30mins before Torino) and hire the car from there? The initial driving should be much easier.
i.e. Milano-Asti(pick up car)-Barolo/Barbaresco/Alba-Asti(drop off car)-Torino-Milano
or
Milano-Torino-Asti(pick up car)-Barolo/Barbaresco/Alba-Asti(drop off car)-Milano

regards

Ian

Planning any length of time in Torino?

Not this time, Ian, perhaps just a visit to the Castello di Rivoli, an excellent contemporary art museum just outside the city, where one can often see some wonderful arte povera. Any chance you might show up? That would be fun! Can I tempt you with some truffles?

I wonder whether an option may be to hop off the Eurostar/AV train at Asti (30mins before Torino) and hire the car from there? The initial driving should be much easier.

Thanks for the thought! Going from Malpensa into Milan is either expensive by cab or time consuming by bus, so if I'm going to do either for the sake of the train, it would make more sense to go all the way to Asti, even though some places I want to visit (Biella, Ghemme) are north of Torino. But I'm wondering if it might not be more practical to just rent from Malpensa and go straight from there to Biella/Ghemme and sleep in Biella for one night, then go to Asti for the remainder. I feel sorely tempted by these wines Agostino is dangling in Lombardy, but I have to be disciplined!

Oswaldo
I'm always tempted by truffles, but for the 1st year in a long time, we'll be skipping a holiday in Italy - figuring the massive shift in exchange rates will take all the fun out of the trip
regards
Ian

[Jenise]

Agostino, great post and delightful reading. As Italy is rumored to have something like 1,000 labels, I didn't start your post thinking I'd read about anything I have, but I own 04 and 05 of the Marchesi Alfieri San Germano. The distributor I bought them from predicted long aging curves and warned against drinking too young. The one 04 I've opened seem to refute that: was a bit too hard on Day One with rapacious acid blaring louder than anything else, and it showed signs of oxidation on Day Three. Wasn't home to taste inbetween. Of course, vintages are different, but I'm confused about what to expect of my other bottles.

And the Campoleone: I own two, a 98 and an 02. The latter was a gift, the former one I purchased at some cost to take to an offline that never materialized. Never looked into the background or reputation of the wines, but "a truly fabricated wine" certainly dashes my hopes before they even got off the ground. I appreciate the warning, though, it will inform what I do with these bottles. Probably best to get into that 02 sooner than later.

Thanks for posting!

Jenise,

I believe there's far more than 1000 labels over here. There's so many small producers here its crazy. They make wine everywhere. Its not like France where they make wine only in certain parts, here they make it in every nook and cranny. Lots of competition.

I wish I could tell you when to drink your San Germano but I'm clueless. My experience with Pinot Noir is sadly very limited but from what I've gathered, ageing Pinot is a real crapshoot to begin with. I have 4 bottles of San Germano which I'm going to hold for a while. When I opened one I remember it being austere which I took as a good sign. The 2006 on the other hand is quite tasty and accessible - doesn't seem like a huge ager but who knows. I know they changed their oenologist in around 2000 so maybe the wine is different from the high praise received in some cellartracker notes.

About the Campoleone: I would probably drink both of those very soon. I am curious to see your tasting notes, so please send me an e-mail when you post them. I'm actually taking off to work in the Oltrepo' Pavese this very second and there's no internet connection so forgive me if I don't answer any more posts.

Cheers