#GDPandThePig

Produced in what we now call the Terra di pisa, close to Pisa, along the road from Volterra, which is a lovely town well worth a visit if you find yourself int he area.

100% Sangiovese with some barrique influence still obvious, though today this is aged in 25 hl botte and some second passage barrique. Vineyards are around 200meters, which while not that high is fairly high for the region, which is close to sea, benefiting from maritime influence. The soil also has some maritime influence, with a large percentage of clay and some calcareous soil offering a bit of freshness.

This is very 1999 and typical of the region with lots of fruit, but not huge complexity. The acidity here though is superb, probably too high for many but for me it’s downright mouthwatering and perfect with tomato sauce based dishes. We had with eggplant parmigiana and it was a super pairing.  

Started off a bit simple with some caramel and wood inflected aromas over rather earthy fruit.  With air the nose freshens somewhat, never fully losing the earthy core though gaining dried mushroom, new leather, red currant and pleasantly spicy red cherry fruit. 

After about 90 minutes this comes alive, gaining a certain degree of plushness on the rather well endowed fruity palate. The acidity here is terrific, this remains so fresh juicy and bright, and while it’s shows real succulent length, that is largely a function of the acidity. But there is terrific red cherry fruit lingering on the palate. The tannins have mostly gone, though there is a touch of wood tannin still here. The flavors follow the nose, earthy, spicy, lots of dried herbal under currents, and the plump fruit from clay soils and plenty of heat. Neither complex, nor simple, just a well aged, richly fruited, and pleasantly proportioned bottle of aged Sangiovese. There is a thread of salinity that is woven throughout the palate here, which really adds to the appeal this offers.

Top shoulder fill, which is acceptable for a wine of this age but for me is a signal that it’s time to open this bottle.

A look back at a classic Napa Valley Cabernet. 1982 was a cooler vintage, but still quite successful. Rains and cool temperatures delayed flowering, which allowed for a late harvest, benefitting from a moderately warm early autumn also subjecting vineyards to light rains before and during harvest.  It was considered a good but not great vintage in its day and while it has aged fairly well, it remains good but not great today.

Tudal’s vineyards were planted in 1973, on a gravelly and loamy flood plain that backs up to the Napa river, north of St. Helena where the Napa valley bends to the west and towards Calistoga. The slight bend int he valley and the rise up towards the Silverado trail to the east of Tudal helps to retain heat here.

Classic cabernet nose, full of roasted green peppers, currant fruit, tobacco, shoe polish, mint gravelly loamy soil, underbrush and a touch of black olive.

Tannin is almost fully resolved so this is a bit not he tart end of the spectrum but still has lots of currant and almost blueberry fruit up front, then cigar ash, cedar, and a slight roasted poblano flavor not he backend and though the fairly long finish. Obviously past its peak and a little lean and austere on the finish, but a lovely wine with fruity inner mouth perfumes on the lingering finish. Lacks a bit of flesh and a certain amplitude tot he flavors, but otherwise this is very well preserved, diminished, but fresh and enjoyable and very 1982 Napa valley Cabernet. With air this gains a whisper of sweetness, still on the lean side and supported by acidity, but with a kern of black currant fruit that has a lovely succulence to it with the acidity brightening it up on the finish lending it a more raspberry tone.

Wines like these are today’s greatest values. Yes, this is an old wine, but it still exhibited sufficient fruit for my palate with the textures and complexity that only comes with bottle age, and it’s probably available for much less than the current release. There are a whole slew of wines like these from the 1980s that are currently overlooked, and while at the end of their plateau of providing pleasure they are still delicious and a piece of history.

A little meaty and smoky on the nose with some bay leaf notes, red currant, jammy cherry fruit and a hint of green peppercorns Light and elegant in the mouth, still with a pleasant tannic bite. Great freshness to the currant and cherry fruit. Terrific minerality with more bay on the palate. Real attractive complexity here and great length. Turns a touch stemmy after several hours. Not a wine to linger excessively over but this totally over delivers. Great length and cut in the finale. 

Holy smokes! Who would have guessed a nine year old Valpolicella would have delivered such an intriguing tasting experience. Yes it has lost some the fruit of its youth, but it’s gained the subtle complexity only age can deliver. Or rather over-deliver as the case may be, especially when one considers that this is a sub $15 bottle of wine today, and probably was around $10 when this bottle entered the market. 

It just goes to show you that great wine doesn’t have to be expensive, and that we can all afford to have a fine bottle of aged wine at any time. At prices like these you don’t need to wait for a special occasion! It also shows that wine can be more durable than one imagined. Don’t shy away from a special case deal if you love a wine. Chances are you’ll enjoy every bottle, even if it takes some time to get through them all.  Good storage is a necessity, and of course the wine will change, but that is the beauty of fine wine, it’s alive, and the more attention you pay to it, the greater the rewards!

I love Valpolicella, and especially Classico. Just between you and I, ripasso just doesn’t move me the same way. Valpolicella gets a bad rap, being a lighter wine, and as it's typically enjoyed for it’s youthful freshness, it’s just not taken very seriously. That is a mistake. Valpolicella can be a terrific wine, and: Surprise! It ages better than you might expect. Tedeschi’s Lucchini is their Valpolicella Classico, their Valpolicella Superiore, and Valpolicella Classico Superiore are even better and worth tracking down. And don’t be afraid of back vintage Valpolicella. They’re sure to surprise you!

Ugo Lequio
#GDPandThePig

Ugo Lequio has quietly been producing wines in Barbaresco, in Neive to be precise, since 1981. A small producer, he has remained well under the radar as he has worked hard to refine his style of winemaking, becoming, in large part due to his exceptional vineyards, one of the top producers in the region. I say this not based simply on his terrific Barbaresco, but also on his exemplary Barbera and an Arneis that sets a standard for what is possible for this fickle white grape!


2017 Ugo Lequio Arneis 14.5%

Fruit from the Roero: Guarene d’Alba

Quite floral, with lots of apricot fruit and an attractive mineral edge which adds complexity and freshness. Light on the palate when you consider the alcohol, its no obtrusive at all. theres a lot of delicacy here with some polyphonic bitterness that clips the finish before the minerality returns. It's very easy drinking, but at the same time it’s a deep, nuanced wine.  Quite chalky as well. This avoids the trap that so many producers seem to fall into, trying to make the next Pinot Grigio. It's not marred by esteriness, yeastiness, and the overt fruitiness, not to mention residual sugar that makes so many Arneis sticky and spackley in the mouth.  Very long and complex on day 2, with more depth on the palate, though a bit less weight and fruit. 

All that minerality makes sense since this is grown in a very sand rich soil. This sets the stage for the wines to come, being a warm and generous vintage, yielding a wine with perhaps some added fruit but retaining the expression of terroir, detail, and nuance that we come to Piemonte for.


2015 Ugo Lequio Barbera D’Alba  Superiore Vigna Gallina . 13.5%

A typical fermentation of 8 - 12 days, followed by 20 months in medium Slavonian botte of 25hl.

Lower alcohol like this is surprising, Barbera loves the heat, and many examples have pretty high alcohol in order to allow for the acidity to be well balanced. The exception, particularly in warm vintages like 2015, are wines that are produced from older vines. Coming from the Vigna Gallina vineyard that produces fabulous Barbaresco, this is a rarity.  It's very uncommon to find Barbera planted in such a fine location these days. 

Fruity and yet restrained on the nose, as Barbera tends to be. Its not a particularly fragrant wine,  and while this offers up rather typical blackberry, plummy, leather, and almost violet toned floral notes theres something else here: a sick soil tone.

In the mouth it is precise and medium bodied, like Barbera should be, but it also has a sense of plushness and jammy tinged wild blackberry fruit wrapped around the spine of acidity that powers this through a very long, stony and slightly evergreen finish. Those herbal notes, sage and balsam, grows on the palate lending this additional freshness. It’s a strict Barbera, not blowsy at all, age worthy, taut and superbly defined in the mouth with fantastic length with acidity that is pronounced but not high. Young and vibrant, this of course will age quite well, becoming  more like Nebbiolo with leather and forest floor character.

One day 2 this is just singing, becoming more perfumed on the nose, tangier and juicier in the mouth. The plumminess has faded and some of the weight on the backend has dissipated, leaving a beautifully elegant, sleek, and well balanced Barbera with a sapid raspberry finale. Really very fine and an indication that this will improve in the bottle so it's worth leaving a bottle in the cellar for a couple of years.


2017 Ugo Lequio Langhe Nebbiolo 13.5%  Treiso


This undergoes a brief fermentation of less than a week then spends a 5 to 6 months in french oak tonneaux before being bottled

Showing wonderful freshness on the nose, very balsamic, a hint still of watermelon freshness followed by notes of rose and iris, gravel, tar, a hint of mushroom, and slightly baked cherry fruit.

Light fresh and elegant in the mouth with youthful, and slightly aggressive tannins lending a certain chewiness to the modest finish here. This is lovely, a bit tight still, but becoming fragrant in the mouth, and that is what I want from my Nebbiolo. I am not looking for a baby Barbaresco, I want something fresher, purely about the character of the grape, with an nod towards terroir of course, but free of significant winemaking impact. This is a BBQ wine for me, more lamb than beef, fatty and gamy favors that can absorb the structure here and highlight the intense cherry fruit, floral, and mineral flavors.

One day 2 this is more elegant, and shows notably better structural integration. It's smooth, remains generous but fresh, with better detail to the fruit and balsamic character. I can see this improving in the bottle, but would probably opt to drink it sooner rather than later since the freshness here is so appealing. 


2013 Ugo Leuquio Barbaresco Gallina 14.5%  Neive


From south facing vineyards planted in 1953, 1963, 1971 in the Gallina subzone of the Cascina Nuova vineyard in Neive. The same plot made famous by Giacosa. 

This spent 16-18 days on the skins, then 20 months in 25hl Slavonian botti.


Reticent on day one, though with some swirling it does reveal complex, layered aromas of  delicate flowers, old leather forest floor,sweet pipe tobacco,  dried red currants, spiced cherry, and a hint of dried lemon peel.

Dedicate on entry, nuanced and elegant with no shortage of either tannin or acids. It’s cut from classic cloth, good length real lift on the backend with fine inner mouth perfumes.  Juicy with flavors that lean slightly towards the tart red fruit and rhubarb end of the spectrum, laid over pithy citrus flavors. There’s a slight underway of wood induced spice notes, but they are subtle and more peppery than baking spices.

On day 2 this has improved somewhat but is also closing down so the benefits of being opened for a day are somewhat offset but the increasing tightness here. It's still delicious, and the texture is showing a move towards silkiness, but the aromatics haven't evolved as much as one might have hoped. Theres more sweet tobacco notes, and cherry fruit, but theres a little less detail here today. This definitely needs time, 3-5 years in the cellar, and being opened can't replace that sort of slow evolution. Obviously superb, classic Barbaresco nonetheless!

​2017 Franz Gojer St. Magdalener Vigna Rondell
#GDPandThePig


Wow. This is stunning. Probably the most intense, vibrant, vivid St. Magdalener I can recall.
We had it with orange beef, which it handled well but it absolutely slayed is with duck fried rice.
Under $30 if you can find it and worth every penny. All pomegranate, rhubarb, wild cherry, insanely spicy and incense toned on the nose, though this spends only a few months in large wood. Great length and persistence, all tart red fruit, granite, and red currant. Perfectly balanced. My last bottle of the 2017. Time to buy more
92pts if you care.

1982 Francesco Rinaldi Barolo
#GDPandThePig

Such a treat to enjoy a perfectly mature bottle of old Barolo, but that’s what I’ve come to expect from Francesco Rinaldi. For my money the most reliable label for old Barolo. I don’t know why that is, but my luck has been terrific with these wines and I won’t hesitate to buy them. Perhaps they paid attention to corks even back then because the cork in this bottle was almost perfect, as was the fill.

I double decanted this, as I always do for old Barolo. Need to remove the sediment, but preserve the aromatics. I planned for a 6 hour double decant here, seems like it’ll work out just fine.

Typical old wine on opening, a bit musty, lots of celery seed, thin and attenuated on the palate, but with red fruit peeking out on the finish.

At the 4 hour mark this has begun to open up showing fruit not he nose along with classic tar and dried rose petal layered over nuanced middle eastern spice notes with an earthy base and notes of saddle leather creeping in. In the mouth this has gained considerable weight, still moderately tannic, with a mint framed core of juicy, tart yet dark cherry fruit that shows excellent persistence. There’s an underlying bullion cube, celery seed note that is an element here but this is terrific tonight, crystal clear on the plate, long and vibrant. Such danced spice notes grace the long, detailed finish.

Hour 7 sees a darker, more vibrant color as expected. That note of age has now faded well into the background, offering a mild detail to the attractive bouquet, all spiced, rose rented, leathery and amply red fruited with a growing note of dusty soil. Fuller, more opulent int he mouth still noticeably tannic, as I expect this will always be, but very well balanced with piercing clarity to the red fruits. Really impressive freshness and clarity on the palate with a gorgeous finale of better cherry fruit and limestone. A moderately powerful, wonderfully preserved classic Barolo

Now sitting with the final glass 8 hours in. The nose is more decisively fruited, darker cherries blend with suggestions of chocolate, tar, leather and mint. In the mouth he wine is as good as it’s going to get, just lovely the way it gently rolls across the tongue, supple yet slightly rustic with so much intensity on the finish. Rich with meaty red fruit, and so perfumed now on the finish, dried flowers, dried soil, that middle eastern spice note all backed up by impressively intact tannins. This must have been such a beast on release! A wine for the ages.

Provenance and storage is everything with aged wines. This delivered the goods. 92 points for those who care.

Uncompromising. A line that connects the past with he present because in my experience Francesco Rinaldi remains uncompromising. They don’t care if you like their wine or not. They make classic wines for people who love classic wines, and they remain affordable for all to enjoy!