WTN: 2 Rieslings and a perplexing Nebbiolo

Schloss Gobelsburg Gobelsburger Riesling 2006 12,5% c.12€

A ripe and mineral nose - very pleasant, but IMO not very Rieslingy. The palate has fine fruit, is dry and has fair acidity. Simple, but pleasant.

Weingut Robert Weil Kiedricher Gräfenberg Riesling Erstes Gewächs 2002 13% 26€

This is a rather forceful style of Riesling: mineral, citrussy, but without much charm. The palate tastes very dry though it does have some RS, but it does have nice fruit, and fine length - but it still seems more an intellectually pleasing wine than a hedonistic one. Fair enough.

Marchesi di Gresy Barbaresco Martinenga 2001 13,5% 38,30€

A youthful but approachable wine, with a typical Nebbiolo nose, red toned and savoury with a delightful tomato/rust note to it. The palate is young and fruity. It has noticable but ripe tannins and delightfully high acidity. I like it, because it is bright and refreshing.

But it apparently sees 6 months of Barrique before Botti. Why is it that usually I detest the slightest hint of Barrique with Nebbiolo, yet it works here? Since I read that it sees Barrique I am able to see some slight hints of it in the wine, but frankly if served blind I am not at all sure I would notice its influence. Why doesn't it show in this wine?

Thanks for the notes. Are the barriques new? Even if so, 6 months in barrique is not long compared to the average new-wave Piedmont. I don't remember finding Marchesi di Gresy wines especially oaky, but I must say the couple I had didn't impress me much.

Are the barriques new?

A quick google didn't bring any clarification to this issue. I've only tasted the '99 and '01 and thought both were nice.

Otto--I guess that is one of the dangers of peeking under the hood. I agree that knowing a winemakers style helps me decide what ones to buy. But once I've purchased the wine I guess I don't really care what the winemaker did to get the wine to its current state (and yes I know this is heresy for many wine geeks). I just care whether I enjoyed it with my dinner.

There are producers that take steps that I, intellectually, oppose, but I like the end result, so I continue to buy the wines. Kind of like buying sausages (to mix metaphors).