2013 Piedmont Part I: Fiorenzo Nada Una Grande Annata

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Homer Malone
5 years ago
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1 2013 Piedmont Part I: Fiorenzo Nada Una Grande Annata

Every so often a vintage comes along which has everything, and I mean EVERYTHING: 2013 in the Langhe Hills of Piedmont is that kind of year, where the noble, late-ripening Nebbiolo could mature to

2 Every so often a vintage comes along which has everything, and I mean EVERYTHING: 2013 in the Langhe Hills of Piedmont is that kind of year, where the noble, late-ripening Nebbiolo could mature to pin-point perfection. The 2013s have the rich, textural complexity of a warm year but coupled with unfettered, high-toned aromas, freshness and impeccable balance more often seen in the cooler years. This is a vintage with abundant structure built from polished tannins which melt like chocolate into the glistening pools of fruit. One feels that everything about the vintage is just right; there s a natural amplification of all the best attributes without any feeling of exaggeration or hard edges. In Treiso, Barbaresco, the Nada family have been carefully nurturing their glorious 2013s through their élevage and on my visit in late November as the dormant vines were swathed in fog, Bruno and Danilo guided me through their four single vineyard wines. This grande annata as Bruno described it, has yielded the best line-up I ve ever tasted at this jewel of an estate when I re-read my notes this morning, the hairs stood up on my arms in excitement I only hope I can imbue this offer with even a touch of the magic which these wines possess because these beautiful, complex thoroughbreds deserve a place in your cellar. Two thousand thirteen is shaping up to be an epic vintage of classic proportions and superb pedigree. The growing season was much more stable than 2012, but it is the last month of the year, a perfect September with warm days and cool nights, that yielded Barbarescos endowed with regal intensity. The 2013s remind me of the 2010s, but with more inner sweetness and mid-palate richness The best 2013s are exciting, thrilling wines that capture all the qualities that make Nebbiolo such a compelling grape These are some of the best Barbarescos I have ever tasted from Bruno Nada and his son, Danilo. The late harvest produced highly expressive, nuanced wines of a very high level.

Price in-bond 2013 Barbaresco Manzola 6 BOTTLES 150.00 Oh yes! Intense cocoa-dusted, cherry-scented nose.

Bruno Nada describes this as the pure expression of Nebbiolo from Barbaresco which would be impossible to argue with. So much energy which builds and builds in the mouth.

3 Price in-bond 2013 Barbaresco Manzola 6 BOTTLES Oh yes! Intense cocoa-dusted, cherry-scented nose. Vigorous and youthful with complex tannins coating the mouth which, as they melt reveal the most beautiful and elegant fruit. Bruno Nada describes this as the pure expression of Nebbiolo from Barbaresco which would be impossible to argue with. So much energy which builds and builds in the mouth. VERY Manzola in character (always a cool and pure expression of Barbaresco) but with a generosity I ve not seen before. Hold til 2020 and then drink for two decades. Mid-weight, gracious and supple, the 2013 speaks to balance above all else. High-toned aromatics meld into a core of sweet red cherry, chalk, mint, pine, tobacco and white pepper. This is the most feminine and gracious Barbaresco in Nada s range. In 2013, the Manzola is pure finesse Barbaresco Montaribaldi 6 BOTTLES A new grand cru in the Nada line-up and their first across the Treiso commune boundary into Barbaresco. Montaribaldi (or Magnin as 94 year-old Fiorenzo calls it by its old Piedmontese name) is a vineyard rarely seen on its own. Prunotto rented vines here until recently but there was always a feeling not least by local vineyard authority and famed cartographer Masnaghetti that Montaribaldi has the potential to be one of the very great vineyards of the area. Certainly in its maiden vintage for Nada it looks absolutely fantastic. Balsamic on the nose, richer and fuller than Manzola (as one would expect) and the abundant structure provided by perfect 2013 tannins melts beautifully into the fruit-acid axis. The nose is ridiculously complex trying to describe it is like snatching at shadows. This is a wine which will need time to unwind but the purity is absolutely staggering. Drink The 2013 Barbaresco Montaribaldi is magnificent. Dark spices, lavender, sage, menthol and dark cherries are front and center. Large-scaled, ample and super-expressive, the Montaribaldi captures the power and intensity of this site. Sweet mentholated notes round out the finish. What a gorgeous wine this is.

Price in-bond 2013 Barbaresco Rombone 6 BOTTLES 180.00 Wow! The nose here is absolutely glorious so pure. There s something about the quality of the tannins here which tastes very grand cru.

lower in alcohol (14% vs 14.5%) and weaves her magic surreptitiously slowly creeping up from behind intoxicating you with her perfume. Drink 2023+ Nada s flagship Barbaresco Rombone is superb in 2013.

4 Price in-bond 2013 Barbaresco Rombone 6 BOTTLES Wow! The nose here is absolutely glorious so pure. There s something about the quality of the tannins here which tastes very grand cru. Quality-wise there s little to separate the Rombone and the Montaribaldi though their styles are very different: Montaribaldi is powerful, exuberant and overtly complex while the Rombone is a tick lower in alcohol (14% vs 14.5%) and weaves her magic surreptitiously slowly creeping up from behind intoxicating you with her perfume. Drink Nada s flagship Barbaresco Rombone is superb in Translucent and weightless, the intensity of Rombone comes through in an especially understated voice relative to the more explosive personality this wine usually shows. Exotic spice and mentholated notes round out the dark, balsamic-inflected notes Langhe Rosso Seifile 6 BOTTLES Nada s micro-cuvee blend of the six oldest rows of Barbera in the Rombone vineyard seasoned with 20% old-vine Nebbiolo is absolutely sensational a wine rendered in pure silk. It s wonderfully fresh too; the brooding dark fruit lifting beautifully at the end and without the textural exaggeration or overt menthol/iodine of some vintages. This is easily the best Seifile I've tasted and a reminder that with ancient vines and impeccable winemaking Barbera can be so much more than the 'other grape' of the Langhe. Drink The 2013 Seifile, Nada s old-vine Barbera/Nebbiolo blend, is soft, succulent and inviting, with plenty of dark red cherry, blueberry, spice, leather and mocha overtones. Silky tannins add to the wine s creamy, resonant personality.

To order or more information, please contact us 01892 724977 wine@abvintners.co.uk www.abvintners.co.uk Terms and Conditions The prices quoted are in-bond per case (as specified) excluding duty (currently 25.

5 To order or more information, please contact us Terms and Conditions The prices quoted are in-bond per case (as specified) excluding duty (currently per 12 bottles) and vat. The wines in this offer will be shipped after Easter We shall contact upon arrival to organise delivery or transfer to in-bond reserves. Please contact us about storing with A&B Vintners. Otherwise, our normal terms apply. Photography: Will Arnold

Review Vintage. Producer Name Tasting Notes Score. Jan Bitouzet-Prieur. The estate's 2012 Volnay Pitures is the most massively tannic of these

Review Vintage. Producer Name Tasting Notes Score. Jan Bitouzet-Prieur. The estate's 2012 Volnay Pitures is the most massively tannic of these Producer Name Tasting es Score Domaine Pitures The estate's Pitures is the most massively tannic of these 2018 - wines. Dark, rich and powerful, the is laced with black cherries, 93) new leather, cloves