Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Wine Blogging Wednesday 54 – Piedmont, Albeisa Barbaresco


I hurried over to the Wine Library after work to pick up an appropriate Piedmont wine for Wine Blogging Wednesday. I’m very glad I did—because I came home with a delicious 2005 Albeisa Barbaresco from Produttori del Barbaresco, a cooperative of winegrowers founded in 1958.
I was thrilled to participate in this month’s WBW because I’m planning a trip to Italy later in the spring, and I’m on a mission to taste and learn as much as possible about Italian wine before I go.
The distinctive Albeisa bottle, which originated in the 1700s, is brown glass with deeply sloped shoulders. Albeisa is rendered in raised letters on the bottle itself—an attractive touch. The label shows an old castle with a rectangular tower—very medieval looking--and a raised copper seal with a beautiful bearded Roman on it. Also, Vendemmia 2005 is listed. I love the use of Italian language on the label; it makes me pine for my trip. On the back label, a nice paragraph of description is given in Italian and English which lets us know that the wine was made entirely from Nebbiola grapes. The vintage clocks in at 14% alcohol.
On to the wine—I let it breath for about an hour, and when I came back to it detected a nice sweet nose with floral characteristics such as violet, which is typical of the variety, and perhaps rose as well. An attractive medium ruby color that pales to salmon near the edge and ends a bit watery at the very outer rim. There is a roundness to the mouthfeel; the tannins are really evident and I feel them strongly on the attack. But after that, the wine shows real grace. It’s medium-bodied, with really satisfying fruit. There’s the slightest bit of fizz when poured.
I bought this bottle about $26, and thought it was a very good value. I drank this with a raw cow’s milk aged fontina and really enjoyed this match. I’m looking forward to drinking more of this lively Barbaresco. Cheers!

3 comments:

  1. Hi Diane,
    Thanks for participating. You'll find more information about the Albeisa bottle, which is not specific to Produttori, here.

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  2. Hi, David. Thanks for the link--I was also on that site when I was researching the wine. The bottle's history is very interesting and I had never heard of it before. Thanks for visiting my blog & hosting WBW, Diane

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  3. the new link is: http://www.albeisa.org/pagine/eng/albeisa_new.lasso

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