Saturday, December 29, 2007

Wine Review 1: Barbaresco "Che Storia" 2003

Our first official post will be a wine review, and as we move through the months towards grape buying and crush, we will attempt to put many different wines in front of you. In my online travels, I have found a great blog site called, http://winecast.net, and here is a link to a great podcast on the Nebbiolo grape http://winecast.net/category/varietal/nebbiolo/.

We start with a $12 Barbaresco from Trader Joes. It is the Barbaresco “Che Storia” 2003. As a reminder, I we will sample the wines like a maker, fresh from the bottle and as it develops in a decanter.

Fresh from the bottle:

The wine is dark and a bit ruddy in color. It has a nice nose, a bit acid. Strong strawberry and licorice tickles the nostrils. The first taste pulls velvety and long from the glass. Chewy and big with more of the licorice. Real oaky flavor. I cannot wait to see what breathing does.

Ten minutes:

The nose has softened; more cherry than strawberry now. The licorice is still strong but velvety instead of a tickle. Still a long full drink. Big and chewy but the acid has softened. Breathing well and holding its flavor.

Twenty minutes:

Fully matured, soft and a well. A good table wine and a GREAT VALUE. Nothing special or overly complex but the smokey oak, potent and long lasting licorice and consistent cherry flavor sit on your tongue long after the sip is gone. Delicate and fun finish.

Thirty minutes:

The last of the bite has left and all of the bouquet is left. Strong bouncy wine that would be great with a hearty meat or tomato sauce.

I have to say for the $12 I expected an overpowering tannin or flat wine. Surprisingly the only major flaw in this wine was the color, which lacked life. Chewing this wine really made for a lot of character and I will buy more for easy drinking with big tasting meals honoring the spice of the wine.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi, interesting article. Being from southern Europe and having traveled to Italy a number of times, even to Turin, its not a surprise that you liked the wine and you found it is good value for money... that's the nature of the old world... simple and unpretentious.

One correction, the wine is called 'Che Storia' and not 'Che Storio'. It literally means 'What a Story'.

Karl Goldfield said...

Ronald,

Thank you for the correection. My happy typing fingers got a little gender crazy and went masculine. I would love to hear more about your travels to Turin, it seems a magical place.

Karl