Nebbiolo D'Alba

Interesting wine in the market the other day, one I had not seen before in this area.  The wine was a 2007 Damilano Nebbiolo D'Alba.  We cracked open the bottle and decanted half the wine for about an hour while we worked on some veal picatta and ricotta gnudi.

Of course a splash or two hit the glasses while the wine was being decanted. The nose certainly brought up thoughts of the traditional versus the modern style in this area of northwestern Italy.  The tarry and earthy aromas were pretty much absent here but there was a ton of sweet fruit in the nose and a light bit of oak.  After an hour in the decanter the wine was still fruit forward with bright, red cherries predominating.  They were ripe, but still maintained a sour edge.  There was a bit of cinnamon and a few other spices.  The taste was all about the fruit on the front of the mouth and it was ripe and pleasant.  It wasn't until the finish when the nebbiolo tannins finally kicked in to let one know what this wine was all about.  Medium body, not a lot of depth, good acid and an acceptable if not overly long finish.  An easily drinkable wine, but perhaps a little too soft and fruity.

It's biggest selling point was the $15 price tag.  14% alcohol by volume.