Barbaresco and More

It's almost impossible to beat the wines of the Produttori del Barbaresco for value in northern Italian wine and last night's 2005 basic Barbaresco was no exception.

Half of the bottle got about an hour in a decanter, and that wasn't nearly enough, but the wine was still delicious. The nose was cherries and and red fruits along with some herbs, tar and even a little black coffee. There was some earth in the nose as well.

The taste was just about the same, minus the coffee which seemed to dissipate quickly. The acid was wonderful and the tannins grabbed hold of the sides of my tongue and held on for awhile. An hour later the wine was finally softening and showing much more fruit.

This is very young, but very promising. I bought several bottles and just wanted to taste one before putting the others away to mature for a couple of years or more.

Dinner was pan roasted chicken thighs and some pasta with a fresh sage and butter sauce. Good food and an even better wine.

There is a new local winery, La Vigna, and after two years on their mailing list I finally received notice that they are releasing their first wines. The wines are a 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon and a 2008 Petit Manseng, a variety I have never tasted. Both are estate grown and bottled. We will be off to the winery this weekend or next to pick up some of each.