Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Back To The Future

Got together with some wine geek friends last evening, and below are some pictures of the damage we caused. Forgive the quality of the pictures...camera phone+shaky hand= mediocre photographer.


The 1959 Bertani Amarone was opened last without a decant. Definitely very much alive and offering up excellent Amarone texture and flavors. Personally, I would rather drink this that most of the Amarone that is produced today.

The 1978 Pio Cesare Riserva was right up there in the discussion for Wine of the Night. It was extremely youthful and still loaded with rustic Nebbiolo fruit. All of the ear markings of great Barolo were there. What a treat.
The 1988 Pertimali Brunello showed very well, and was right up there among some of the best Brunello I have ever had. Great vintage...great producer, the wine is in a great place right now and drinking beautifully.
This wine had extremely high expectations coming in. Evidently it is a combination of several of the greatest producers in Piedmont, selecting the finest the have to offer of that vintage (the legendary 1978) and then bottling it separately. Overall, a disappointment...perhaps it was stored poorly over the years, but the wine seemed over the hill and was lacking on the finish.
The 1982 Ceretto Brunate was also right up there in the discussion for Wine of the Night honors. Should have been decanted for a lot longer than it was, it was still very much a baby. But once it opened up...WOW. This was nebbiolo at its finest. Yummy.

Thanks to good friends for a great evening! - Lance Cerutti

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