Nebbiolo Prima 2012

Posted on 15 May 2012

Two days after the Pannon Wine Challenge I’m on the tasting circuit again, this time in Italy for Nebbiolo Prima, the new vintage presentation of Italy’s most prestigious wines: Barolo & Barbaresco. I’ll be blogging live during the event (hopefully several times per day including the blind tasting and winery visits) so be sure to read my blog regularly. You can also subscribe for updates, follow me on Twitter or simply bookmark this summary page where I’ll index all my Nebbiolo Prima articles.

I’ve kicked off with 30 Roeros and 36 Barbarescos yesterday. The 2009 vintage is looking rather austere and ungiving at the moment. Sure, the wines are very young (too young really – it would be wise to postpone the release of Barbaresco by another year) but from the hot, dry vintage of 2009, I expected very fruity wines with perhaps an excess of alcohol and ripeness. Yet fruit is what is badly lacking in the wines I tasted: tannic and tight, they almost universally showed a big whole in the middle of the palate, and offered little flesh and texture. I’ll taste through 40 other Barbarescos today before confirming this judgment, though.

Nebbiolo Prima has the best fringe events of any tasting tour I’ve been on. Yesterday we were given a helicopter ride through the vineyards of Barbaresco, so here are a few images for you to enjoy. Stay tuned!

[slideshow]

 

Disclosure

My trip to Piedmont including flights, accommodation and wine tasting programme is sponsored by the Albeisa association of wine producers.