2003

In mid-December 2002, I visited three growers near Alba, in the Langhe region, Piedmont, Italy:

• Marchesi di Gresy (Barbaresco, Nebbiolo),
• Parusso,
• La Spinetta (Chardonnay, Barbera).

Marco Parusso twice said: "we buy yeasts" and he justified it thus: native yeasts create problems during the fermentation. This is consistent with another sentence he used twice: we direct the highest possible level of work onto the vineyards, the winemaking must be reliable and minimal.

Parusso explains that storehouse work is minimal

You find commercial ambition, big investment. Nature is not permitted to interfere.

Parusso twice said: "we thrive to emphasize fruit". He does not mean juiciness or freshness. He means mouth impact and density. And this I got in the glass.

Now to the tasting:

The 2000 Langhe Bricco Rovella Sauvignon is not my taste - a nose of butter, plant, sponge cake - palate-wide, smoked - smokiness dominates the aftertaste.

The 2000 Langhe Bricco Rovella (60% nebbiolo, 20% barbera, 20% cabernet sauvignon) smelled of earthenware and raspberry - palate was fresh, with lots of tannins from oak - an aftertaste of vanilla, hard and dry.

Bussia Mugnia is the most famous Barolo of the house. It is pleasurable not in 1999 or 1998, but in 1997 and 1996.

1999: aging potential - nose with rose, rich - palate fresh, burnt (from toasted oak), dense, dries the teeth, dries the palate

1998 - nose with rose, vanilla, fresher than 1999 - flavours of toffee and vanilla

1997 - a fresh nose, with rose and toffee - balanced, powerful

1996 - blue cheese, vacherin cheese (vacherin is a fairly strong and creamy cow-milk cheese) - almost onctuous, fresh, tackles the teeth - dries the palate

Other reviews on Italian wines are available:

• Marchesi di Grésy (Barbaresco, Nebbiolo),
• La Spinetta (Chardonnay, Barbera).

Thank you for bearing with me. Now or some time later you may be interested in related articles:

• The major types of red wine;
• Open a bottle of wine at the ideal temperature and airing;
• The basics of matching wine with food;
• How many wines are there?