2004 Poderi Luigi Einaudi Nei Cannubi Barolo - The Barolo Wars!

The Barolo Wars
Did you know that during the 1980's there was a fierce civil war raging in the Piedmont region of Italy? On one side were the old school vintners of Barolo, a wine made from the immensely tannic nebbiolo grape, who made their wine by making the ‘must' (freshly pressed juice of the grapes) undergo a minimum of three weeks of fermentation upon the grape skins. The result was a massively tannic wine that, even after aging in Slovenian oak casks, could still be virtually undrinkable at the time of bottling. These old schoolers' or "traditionalists" as labeled by the press insisted that only this process would yield the famous Barolo wine. Following bottling, the wine had to age for roughly ten years before the tannins softened sufficiently to make the wine enjoyable. At fifteen years post-bottling, the wine may become stellar. Flavors of rose petals, big drying cherry, licorice, anise and tar combine to make a very unique wine drinking experience that cannot be copied elsewhere in the world.

Pitted against the "traditionalists" were another group of Piedmont vintners in and around the town of Alba (the only place in the world where the nebbiolo grape produces this incredible wine). This group of vintners, well aware of the world wine appetite for fruit-forward wine styles, wanted to take Barolo in this direction. They claim for the love of the wine, but I suspect more for the love of increased sales. In any case, these Italian vintners, including Poderi Luigi Einaudi, discovered that they could produce a Barolo with a more fruit driven flavor profile by reducing the fermentation period from a minimum of three weeks to a maximum of ten days! The result was a Barolo that could be drunk five or six years post-vintage. These innovating vintners were labeled the "modernists" by the press.

The press declared the clash between the traditionalists and the modernists to be the ‘Barolo wars.' The traditionalists declared the modernists were traitors and producing a wine that was not Barolo. The modernists spewed vitriol at their opponents calling them dinosaurs.

A ‘Modernist' Barolo - Introducing the 2004 Poderi Luigi Einaudi Nei Cannubi Barolo
The 2004 Poderi Luigi Einaudi Nei Cannubi Barolo is a beautiful example of a modernist Barolo. On the nose, you will experience the equivalent of a bouquet of wild violets and roses, a floral scent that will bring you back again and again to the rim of your wine glass. On the palate, you will be very pleased by a big aromatic cherry mouthfeel, delivered on a bed of smooth, ripe tannins, followed by rose petals, tar, tobacco, spice and a little anise. The finish is stellar. Lingering in your mouth are flavors of red fruit, oak, spice box, and tobacco which cover the entire palate and seem to pucker dry in a wonderful fashion. This wine has it all. The word "perfume" comes to mind, a "perfumed" wine, but not in a cheap way. Think Armani.

Cellaring Recommendation
Drinking well now and can be enjoyed up to 2020. Yes, "2020." This is one of the few wines in the world that has the ability to improve with time, a long time. As it ages, the fruit orientation will become less prominent and the tar, anise, and rose aspects of the flavor profile will become increase.

Decant, Decant, Decant . . .
Never uncork, pour and drink. This is a big wine, actually one of the most robust red wines in the entire world (I am not exaggerating). Decant for a three hours, and time it so that your dinner of rosemary encrusted leg of lamb, osso busco, or homemade lasagna is ready at the same time. This is a wine of great acidity that needs a heavy rich, meat based or tomato based entrée.

Price Point
Horribly expensive. No doubt about it. This is not a wine that I would recommend for the casual drinker. You must love red wine, having tried a wide variety, over a number of years, before you can properly appreciate this wine. I know this sounds incredibly arrogant, but it is indeed true. Even though the 2004 Poderi Luigi Einaudi Nei Cannubi Barolo is made in the modernist style, meaning it is fruit-forward, remember, it is fruit rich when compared to traditional Barolo. If you put the modernist Barolo next to a Napa cab, you will correctly regard the Barolo as austere, dark, and certainly not fruit driven. Some people try Barolo, and don't understand what the fuss is all about. Others are obsessed. If you are only a casual wine drinker, I would stay away from this one. It's very expensive and has a flavor profile that is not mainstream.

Part of the reason for the very high price is due to the fact that the Nebbiolo grape has not been successfully cultivated anywhere else in the world, outside of Alba, Italy and a couple of close surrounding Italian communes. The Cannubi vineyards are among the best if not the best in the Barolo producing area. The price reflects this scarcity.

So, Who Won the War?
There was no clear victor. There are still Piedmont vintners making wine in the very traditional way. Their wine takes much longer to mature than the modernist's wines. But even at maturity, the traditionalist Barolo is more austere, much less cherry fruit than the modern style. Who won? Well, that is for you to decide!

Cheers!

© Jason Debly, 2009-2010. All rights reserved

2006 Chateau Pipeau Grand Cru

I know this is primarily a scotch blog, but I also get excited about great wine from time to time. So, here and there, I will post my tasting notes and meandering musings on wine also. So, here goes!

Poor Merlot and its' undeserved reputation
Sideways was an off-the-wall comedy film that came out in 2004 about two guys, Miles and Jack, one facing the prospect of marriage, while the other, not facing much of anything other than a lot of disappointment and regret in life. So, the two embark on a road trip of Californian wine country (Santa Barbara, I think), doing a fair bit of drinking and ending up in some ridiculous predicaments. What I and many people remember from the film was Miles' tirade on how much he hated Merlot. I mean the guy really hated Merlot. Why? It's boring, flat, unexceptional, hopelessly mainstream. Pinot Noir, declared Miles, was what people who knew wine were drinking.

Sideways was a popular film back in 2004. It was not a blockbuster by any means, but it was successful. It won a few awards, and the two lead actors were nominated for Oscars (they didn't win). Now here is the surprising tidbit. The negative comments of the fictional main character 'Miles' about Merlot actually caused sales of Merlot to drop. Use Google to search "Sideways movie merlot" and you will find articles on this. I checked Wikipedia and it notes this phenomenon too. Merlot sales dropped by 2% while Pinot Noir sales increased by 16% shortly after the movie was released. It's unbelievable that people would alter their wine selection based on a movie, but it just goes to show that not all the monkeys are in the zoo.

The Defender of Merlot's Tattered Reputation
That task is the aim of this review. Merlot can be interesting, nuanced, delivering flavors of great complexity and tannic structure in a manner that the other noble grapes (Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, etc.) cannot.

It is true that Merlot can be boring. No doubt about it. Part of the reason for this propensity is due to the thickness of the skin of the Merlot grape. It is considerably thinner than the Cabernet Sauvignon, Nebbiolo or Syrah. The skin is the source of tannins. Hence, a thinner grape skin means a less tannic wine. And so, Merlot being less tannic, is less offensive than say a mighty Cab that needs aging during which the tannins soften.

Many novice drinkers of wine prefer Merlot because it is very smooth, and often a flat flavor that is totally inoffensive. Hell, the stuff tastes almost on par with cream soda. Californian vintners are not alone in producing very boring Merlot. Argentina, Chile, South Africa and especially Australia produce some terribly uninspired wines based on this grape.

However, there is a notable exception. France. In particular, wines from the lovely little town of Saint Emilion are almost wholly based on Merlot, and the result is anything but boring.

Saint Emilion
This quaint little French town with its narrow streets, yellow stucco buildings tightly fitted on a grid of streets, has been producing wine since at leat 2 A.D. Today, it is most famous for its red wine that is often pure Merlot, meaning it has not been blended with other grapes (Cabs, Petit Verdot, etc.). What is amazing is the wine. It is like a distant cousin of Merlot. It shares some of the same attributes, but is very, very different and intriguing.

How do the winemakers of Saint Emilion do it? Well, in a sense it is done for them. The soil (limestone and clay), weather (warm and sunny, but not heatwave material) and plenty of aging in French oak barrels. The 2006 Chateau Pipeau Grand Cru from Saint Emilion is a fine example of how Merlot can be interesting and of course quite enjoyable in a manner much different than possible with other varietals.

Composition
Although I said above that many Saint Emilion wines are made purely from Merlot, there are also some that blend in a few other grapes in small percentages. Chateau Pipeau is such a case. The 2006 Chateau Pipeau Grand Cru is made up of 80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc. The Cabernet Franc is a nice touch that adds some of the tannic flavors that will come up later in my tasting note.

Appearance
Dark purple, no light will pass through this one.

Nose
Some flower, but fairly restrained.

Palate
You will taste lots of silky red fruit like dark berries, black cherrie, fig and kitchen spices accompanied by a soaring tannic flavor profile, that I am sure you have never experienced in a Merlot before. It is tannic with a capital "T" but will soften as time passes. Even though I did not sample this until 45 minutes after decanting, it still was tannic, but please understand, it was in a very pleasant way. Another element to this wine upon the palate is: oak. French oak tastes different than say Merlot aged in Californian or Slovenian oak. For some people, it may take some time getting used to it, but well worth the endeavor. Other flavors I pick up are graphite, earth and flint. This is a good thing, to borrow a phrase from Martha Stewart.

Finish
The dark fruit fades into some smooth licorice and a zing of mint/bay leaf or maybe tarragon which lingers for quite a while. nice!

Decant
Most Merlot can be opened and drank almost immediately, but not this one or most Saint-Emilion wines. The 2006 Chateau Pipeau St Emilion Grand Cru requires time. Exposure to the air is a must to take the edge off the tannins, while never rough, it becomes more rounded with time.

Cellaring?
A lot of American and Australian Merlot is intended for immediate consumption or within 2 yrs tops of hitting the shelves of your favorite wine shop. Not the case with this one. Aging will soften the tannins and reduce the fruitniness to some extent. This is a young wine that can be drank now, but could be cellared for up to ten years.

For those who can afford it, I would recommend buying a case and open one bottle a year to see how the flavor profile changes over time. When it reaches what you consider to be ideal, consume them all (not at one sitting of course, unless you want to end up face down pretty quick).

In any case, at this point the wine is very young with plenty of life.

Food?
Like so many wines, this is best with food or at the very least some strong cheese like gorgonzola and crusty French bread.

General Impressions
To the accusation of being boring and hopelessly mainstream, Merlot's response is: Chateau Pipeau Grand Cru, a wine which demonstrates that this such a proposition is not true. Matter of fact, I would go even further and suggest that most grand cru classe wines of Saint Emilion are hardly boring.

Great value at this price. The aging potential is exceptional and will assure years of pleasant surprise as you open a bottle here and there and note the changes. I highly recommend this wine.

The wine critic, Robert Parker, rated this 89-91pts out of 100.

Cheers!

© Jason Debly, 2009 - 2011. All rights reserved.