Le Strette Barolo Bergeisa 2004 - Divine!

With the cold weather it is definitely time for some of those warm, meditative, ethereal red wines and last night was the first of the season for us. I decided to open a bottle of Barolo purchased over a year and a half ago while touring the wine country of Le Langhe Roero and Monferrato. The repast was risotto con porcini and that was all we needed. The wine when we tasted it at the enoteca regionale di Barolo was beyond impressive at that time (2004 vintage, considered an excellent year) and we only "stole" two bottles of the garnet liquid; how sad because it is worth stocking the cellar with this beauty. We may just have to get in the buggy next week and head over there and partake in a little white truffle (season in Le Langhe is Oct.- Dec.) and buy up, if there is any left, more of this wonderful wine. So, with candles lit for tonight (did not have the heart to finish the bottle last night) we will finish the evening with wafts of cherries, wood and fennel.

If you would like a warm and fragrant Barolo, you must try Le Strette Barolo Bergeisa 2004 as one of these reviews notes, it is truly a Barolo with all the grace and complexity one would expect from the "historical Bergeisa cru of Novello."
le strette winery
www.new canaan wine merchants

Historic Barolo Wine

Barolo is produced from the Nebbiolo grapes although the Lampia, Michet and Rosé types are authorized for this wine as well. Barolo matures at the end of September (well as long as our weather and climate does not change much more), and the clusters are a dark blue/grayish color covered with their own wax. Barolo typically smells of tar and roses, and is capable of taking on an unusual orange tinge with age; the initial nose of a Barolo is often that of a pine tree. When subjected to aging of at least five years, the wine can then be labeled as a Reserve and for connoisseurs, it is Italy's most collected wine; for beginners it is a difficult one to understand.

In the past all Barolos used to be very tannic and they took more than 10 years to soften up. The fermenting wine usually stayed on the skins for at least three weeks, extracting huge amounts of tannins; then it was aged in large, wooden casks for years.

In order to meet the international taste, which preferred fruitier, more accessible styles, the "modernists" cut fermentation times to a maximum of ten days and put the wine in new French barriques. The results, according to traditionalists, were not even recognizable as Barolo and tasted more of new oak than of wine. Thus, the Barolo wars began between traditionalists and modernists.

Today, the war has subsided although outspoken modernists are still committed to new oak and there are many producers who are now choosing the middle ground, often using a combination of barriques and large casks. The more prestigious houses still reject barriques and insist on patience for their wines (considering them far superior). As such, these have become auction staples, sought after by wine aficionados in Italy, Germany, Japan, Switzerland and the United States.

For those of you who are interested, here is a list of the wineries producing in the traditional methods as well as, the modernists (note from previous post on Barolo Chinato, we purchased one from Ceretto, loving the balanced flavors of that liquid luxury).

Traditionalist producers include: Giuseppe Rinaldi, Marcarini, Bartolo Mascarello, Brovia, Giuseppe Mascarello, Cavallotto, Giacomo Conterno, Giacomo Borgogno, Paolo Conterno, Comm. Burlotto, Oddero, Barale, Cavallotto, Cappellano, Massolino, Bruno "the Maestro" Giacosa, Luigi Pira, Vietti (especially the Riserva Villero), Vajra.

Modernist producers include: Azelia, Scavino, Gigi Rosso, Rivetti, Ceretto, Aldo Conterno (from 1996 onwards), Boglietti, Mauro Veglio, Altare, Sandrone, Domenico Clerico, E. Pira & Figli (Chiara Boschis), Einaudi, Icardi, Parusso, Prunotto, Ceretto, Corino, Alessandria, Grimaldi, Silvio Grasso, Seghesio (Aldo e Ricardo).

Gaia was not mentioned because this ultra famous winery deserves a separate post.