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Cost:
$310.57
Item
#SP0079 |
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About
this Six-Pack:
And so we go back to the start and ask: Traditional or modern? But perhaps
that’s just not the question after all. Many continue to employ the
familiar dichotomy when discussing Piemonte. Why? The labels are convenient
and relatively easy to comprehend. The problem is that this approach grossly
oversimplifies things. Those closest to the debate seem to have moved outside
the drama, but we’re forcing them back in, trying to make them fit
typecast roles that misrepresent and effectively sterilize their wines,
rendering them generic expressions. Many of Piemonte’s winemakers
have a dynamic relationship with their craft—they don’t search
for a formula or a design—but rather, an identity to call their own.
This unique sampler honors that ongoing quest to discover the most genuine
reflection of one’s place in Piemonte.
Perhaps no one pursues this self-fashioning with the intense zeal, dedication,
and focus of Domenico Clerico. Yes—he walked away from tradition,
but he’s been working his way back, carefully and artfully merging
seemingly diametrically opposed approaches. Arte—Piemonte’s
second Nebbiolo–Barbera blend (1983)—hasn’t gone all the
way back with him, though, remaining his sole new barrique-aged wine—and
a testament to his modern days of glory. Before Arte, though, there was
Bricco Manzoni, the premiere Nebbiolo–Barbera blend (1978). This bottling
was but one of the innovations that the late Valentino Migliorini introduced
to Piemonte—unprecedented efforts that he has yet to receive due recognition
for. Ironically, though, people are quick to cast him as a modernist, failing
to realize that his early Barolos from the late seventies and early eighties
are exemplary renditions of Barolo’s classic side.
People err on the other side, too, of course—particularly with Giacosa,
typecasting him as a staunch traditionalist. A real pure traditionalist
simply wouldn’t agree, though, simply on the basis that Giacosa produces
single-vineyard wines and utilizes stainless steel. His ’01 Barbaresco
is a consummate example of balance, offering the concentration of the lush
2000 vintage in concert with the brilliant form of 2001. While fundamentally
a traditionalist, Massolino modified its orientation when it began crafting
cru wines. In ’03, Massolino produced only its Barolo cuvée,
utilizing the best grapes from its cru vineyards. It’s an unusual
one for the estate—an intense expression that invites current drinking.
Back to the 2001 vintage, we encounter a far more restrained expression
in Bovio’s Arborina cru. While known for its lean style, Bovia ages
Arborina in new barrique, offering exceptional stucture and firm tannins.
Finally, there is the late Mascarello—the only one herein that provides
a definitive answer to the traditional or modern question. He never compromised,
modified, or altered his philosophy. He knew who he was from the beginning—the
ultimate guardian of tradition and terroir.
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| Includes:
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- Mascarello 2005 Barbera d'Alba
- Clerico 2002 Arte
- Rocche dei Manzoni 1998 Bricco Manzoni
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- Giacosa 2001 Barbaresco
- Massolino 2003 Barolo
- Bovio 2001 Barolo ' Vigna Arborina'
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