As most of you probably know, this is kind of a cult wine. An old recipe for Nebbiolo, found and recreated by Vajra. I must admit, I reside in the lower/cheaper layers of the Piemonte wines but Vajra is my favorite producer so far. Not to mention, the labels are friggin awesome, although this one is a bit of an exception given their other labels.
This is like finding a box of LPs in your parents attic and putting one on at random. The crackle of dust on the needle only contributes to the sound you are accidentily about to discover. Super funky, melodies, played on a Roland synthesizer accompanied by gritty sampled drums that are programmed on the first sequencers know to man. No vocals, this is one of those records with a super weird cover that could just as easily be a painting hanging in that flat where the parents of that guy in a Clockwork Orange live.
Color: transparent pale ruby, watery rims
Nose: tar, roses, earth, a bit of leather, cinnamon?
On the tongue the tannins are there, but this could easily be a sipping wine in its own. Do I detect a super light fizzy accent, might just be me. A sweetness also peeks its head around the corner. Medium long finish, I would say.
This is a very nice wine, and I will order more. I would not serve this to just anyone, as I do think it is a taste you have to appreciate, as is the case with Nebbiolo. I don't eat meat, but I could see this being a cool one to pop with grilled salmon.
by Esdisu
5 Comments
Love this wine…
Definitely a slight effervescence! This was a favorite at our retail shop.
One of our favorite Nebbiolos! Cheers~
Really dig this one. Given your taste & non-oligarch budget, have you tried much Valle d’Aosta, Ghemme or Gattinara? There’s a fresh, earthy, restrained quality that often ticks the right box for me as someone who loves quite old school mature Barolo but can’t justify buying (or waiting for) the real stuff very often. Five years ago I’dve suggested valtellina too, but the secret’s out and the price is often in full Barbaresco territory at least.
As an aside, would love to hear about any pairings that click for you as a non-omnivore nebbiolo lover. I’ve been scaling meat way back and really enjoy the challenge of making dense structured wines work with veg (or, hard mode, vegan) meals, but I’ve not made old school nebbiolo and veg click yet. Beyond the obvious risotto Milanese etc, I guess.
i love this producer. Their barbera d’albas are excellent too