- Incredible Barbaresco Vintage
- Terrific Terroir
- Density and Power, Combined with Elegance
- Gorgeous Dense Nose of Cherry Liquor, Cherry Flowers
- Incredible Dense Cherry Fruit, Spice
- Amazing Structure to Age
- Their Top End Barbaresco (Aged 4 Years in Barrel)
- Still an Incredible Value for the Price
2017 Rattalino Nebbiolo d'Alba Ventisette (27)
- An Overachieving "Village Wine" for a Steal
- Delicious Fruit with Spice and Great Balance
- Priced for Everyday but Has Complexity for Nebbiolo Geeks
Yasujiro Ozu
Two of the most celebrated Japanese filmmakers are by far Akira Kurosawa and Yasujiro Ozu but you ask most film buffs who the best is and they will always say Kurosawa. The criticism of Ozu amongst film buffs is that his style is too Japanese. The camera is placed at a low height and rarely if ever moves. This is called the "tatami" shot and makes the viewer focus on everything in the frame. The films have no heroes or villains and most have very similar plots. But the plots are not what makes Ozu such a genius. It's the variations on a theme. No one does variations on a theme better than Ozu. Usually it's about fathers trying to marry off their daughters but the daughter doesn't want to because she wants to take care of her parents. Or a variation of that. The films are very focused on the family unit and there is a lot of dialogue. But what I love about an Ozu film is that it's always like entering an old friend's house. There is a warmth and an expectation that cannot be denied. Plus the criticism that he was too "Japanese" is hogwash. His techniques such as the "the tatami shot" or his corresponding shots of characters looking at each other and screen compositions turned out to be transgressive and not "Japanese aesthetic" at all. It took 30 years, as a book was written in 1983 that offers up the idea, with evidence, that the stereotype that Ozu "was too Japanese" is wrong and not only wrong he invented some of the most transgressive techniques in all of cinema.
Rattalino - Important
As many of you know, I was turned on to this winery by one of the top US-based writers about Italian wine, Tom Hyland, who is a fan. And he should be. Rattalino has assembled a remarkable collection of top sites and is almost maniacal in his attention to detail. He is trying to become one of the top producers in the Langhe and I believe that he has.The winemaking approach is to produce a range of wines in Barbaresco and Barolo that take the terroir and create wines that reflect it - but in a perfect way. The lower number wines are typically more finesse-based. The higher number wines are typically very dense but that elegant style remains.
He's a little Ozu-esque in that while he is certainly a traditional Langhe producer, he does things a bit
differently. Many top producers have a relatively small number of top cuvees. Rattalino is basically collecting a portfolio of top vineyards. And he runs Rattalnio like a modern company with an almost modern management attention to detail.
This is another one of those wineries where in a couple of years, they will be discovered and prices will shoot up and we'll all be like "ack, I should have bought more." Prices are already increasing.
The Wines
The first wine today is a wine that if you love Barbaresco it is something you need to try.We are offering the 2015 Rattalino Barbaresco Quarantacinque (45) Ronchi Riserva for $52.99 each on a 4 pack. This wine is simply incredible.
The nose is gorgeous with stunning pretty licorice and super dense cherry and intense cherry flowers. Some pepper and a hint of tobacco. It really has that lovely tarry, rose-like thing and is super expansive. Incredible complexity on the nose. Really a nose that you sit and marvel at before you even drink the wine. What's amazing about the nose is that it has all of that density but everything is balanced. It's certainly Barbaresco, but Barbaresco with more delineation and power than most offerings.
The palate is the apogee of Langhe fruit. Fresh, full, peak of season red cherries with some lovely cherry liquor and spice. Incredible power and concentration but so perfectly balanced with acidity. A crazy swirl of that dense cherry fruit with cherry liquor, hints of allspice and cardamon. The balance on this wine given the density is remarkable. Really, really juicy. The tannins are firm but soft. This wine can be drunk young but is built to age as are all of the Rattalino Barbarescos and Barolos. Insane internal aromatics. You get the dense fruit on the palate with the cherry flowers singing above it. Wow. Spectacular.
The finish has lingering cherry fruit intertwined with cherry liquor and a hint of tobacco. This is a wine of staggering power and complexity. You can certainly drink it with meat but it's sort of like listening to a beautiful opera while playing a video game. Please at least have a glass by itself so that you can truly appreciate it.
The "45" should cost $80-$90 through standard 3 tier. I've had many a bottle of Produttori di Barbaresco, which I like very much. This bottle beats Produttori di Barbaresco mid tier offerings (in this price range).
The 45 is aged for 36 months in 2,000 litre Slavonian oak casks followed by 12 months in tonneau and 6 months in bottle. You can pop and pour this wine if you like but it obviously gains in complexity as it ages.
The second wine is the 2017 Rattalino Nebbiolo d'Alba Ventisette (27) for $25.99 each on a 4 pack. I really love this wine, especially at this price. If the previous wine is the Grand Cru, this is the overachieving village wine.
The nose has lovely cherry aromatics with a bit of spice. It's all vibrant, silky and fresh cherry fruit on the palate with super silky tannins. The finish was a bit tight so while you can pop and pour it, it is better with either an hour decant or 6-12 more months of age.
The value cannot be beat. It is aged for 10 months in large casks and 5 in stainless steel. Think a really well made village wine (if it were made from nebbiolo). Just a great, great delicious everyday wine with some nice complexity. Definitely a consideration for a case purchase if you like Nebbiolo.
Rattalino Barbaresco Quarantacinque Ronchi (45) Riserva - $54.99 ($211.96 4-pack) (VERY LIMITED)
2017 Rattalino Nebbiolo d'Alba Ventisette (27) - $27.99 ($103.96 4-pack) (LIMITED)
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