2007 Azienda Agricola Antoniolo, Gattinara DOCG (Nebbiolo) Lambardy, Italy.
This Nebbiolo is pure class and while Gattinara is not a household name such as Barolo and Barbaresco it widely accepted it is one of the top sites for this grape given a good vintage, especially for those that admire the more lively and traditional style Nebbiolo. Antoniolo is known as the king of Gattinara, so I’m not giving you a scoop here and most critics agree these wines rival any Barolo or Barbaresco, but I had not had Antoniolo in recent years and had not recalled just how fantastic these wines can be. The 2007 Gattinara is lovely, vibrant and amazingly lengthy with intense vigor and earthy charms, it shows pretty rose petals, dried flowers, trufflely earth tones, tar, licorice and mountain sweet herbs along with red currants, plum and cherry fruit. There is plenty of acidity and tannin in this young Nebbiolo and decanting is recommended if you plan to open this vintage anytime soon, but there should be great rewards for those that put a few bottles away for 3-5 years, as it surely will fill out and deepen over time. The long wild strawberry finish is remarkable and impressive and the lingering effect is much like a great burgundy in elegance and class.
($42) 93+ Points, grapelive
