WTN: 2004 Vanotu, Barbaresco, Pelissero

I'd better admit it from the beginning: I've fallen in love with Barolo and Barbaresco from 2004. The vintage has an elegance and a fragrance that has totally won me over and I have stocked up quite heavily on the wines that have been available here in Sweden. To obtain this one, from the producer Pelissero in Barbaresco, I had to put in some extra effort, since it was not available in the monopoly stores here. I had the pleasure to taste it when Giorgio Pelissero was in town about a year ago and found that I just had to get it. With the help of the Swedish importer, I finally managed to get hold of some bottles and tonight we opened one to check if it maybe was starting to close down.

2004 Vanotu, Barbaresco, Pelissero
Beautiful colour of rather light garnet red.
Wonderfully open, fragrant nose with violets and roses. Also notes of mushrooms and smoke plus a hint of fresh paint.
The taste positively explodes in the mouth, so it is almost hard to talk about any attack. A lovely fresh acidity and a great intensity. Lovely, fine-grained tannins that adds a very nice mouthfeel to the long, smokey, utterly charming aftertaste. Great to find this is still a great wine and well worth the effort and the money (about 50 EUR) I had to put in to get it. What fascinates me the most about this wine, except for its intensity, depth, length and charm, is the fact that I can find no trace at all of new wood, in spite of the fact that it has spent 24 months in new, small barriques! Simply amazing how this prolonged time in new oak has been so beautifully integrated in the wine. I doubt that even Otto would find any obtrusive notes of new oak here. Regarding the future prospects of this wine, I tend to think that it will never enter into any tunnel, but instead continue to live on its fragrance and charm for many years on, just adding more notes of smoke and mushrooms and getting softer. I would guess it would still be most charming in at least ten years, but if it will age well also beyond that is beyond my experience.

Cheers,
Anders

What fascinates me the most about this wine, except for its intensity, depth, length and charm, is the fact that I can find no trace at all of new wood, in spite of the fact that it has spent 24 months in new, small barriques! Simply amazing how this prolonged time in new oak has been so beautifully integrated in the wine. I doubt that even Otto would find any obtrusive notes of new oak here.

Sadly you are wrong. I did find too much oak in this wine when I tasted it recently. I will admit that for a wine that sees two years in new barrique, it exudes amazing amounts of Nebbioloness - but I still find the oaking obfuscating. I find it such a shame because the hints I got of the actual wine seemed quite engaging. It seemed to me like the producer didn't like the aromas of the pure Nebbiolo and therefore wanted to craft it into something else!

But I'm glad you enjoyed it! FWIW, I have also found the traditionally styled wines from '04 quite lovely.

it exudes amazing amounts of Nebbioloness - but I still find the oaking obfuscating

LOL, Otto. I should have known better than to underestimate your ability to become obfuscated by even the tiniest traces of new wood! I'm glad you agree with me that the amount of Nebioloness (Nebbiolosity? ) in the wine is amazing.
I plan to enter this wine in a tasting of 2004 Barolo and Barbaresco in October, when it will be tasted blind, and I am curious to see to what extend the tasters will find the new oak in it then. There is nothing to sharpen ones senses like a blind tasting!

Cheers,
Anders