Friday Sips

BARBARESCO/NEBBIOLO/DOLCETTO FROM MARCHESI DI GRESY

Special Guest from Marchesi di Gresy, Jeffrey Chilcott

Marchesi di Gresy's winery manager & foreign affairs ace extraordinaire Jeffrey Chilcott originally hails from New Zealand and has lived in Piemonte for over a decade. Bryan has known Jeff and shared his enthusiasm for these wines since his first visit in 1999 to the Marchesi di Gresy's estate in Barbaresco. We are over-the-moon excited to have Jeff here for a Friday Sips tasting to showcase four excellent selections from this vaunted producer.

Barbaresco in all but name, Marchesi di Gresy sources the grapes for this Nebbiolo from the same hill (Martinenga, more on the site below) as their prolific Barbaresco wines. The same attention to detail that goes into the estate's Single Cru Barbaresco "Camp Gros", Barbaresco "Gaiun" and Barbaresco "Martinenga" carries over to this Nebbiolo that is essentially Barbaresco without the required aging time.

Epitome of Nebbiolo in stature, this wine captures the sophisticated princess-like features that prevail throughout the region and especially on the Martinenga hill. Elusive, uptown and ravishing with authentic tones of chocolate licorice, mushroom cap, roses and red berry. Teeming with sensuality from start to finish this wine shows impressively strong varietal character and underlying deceptive grip. A beautiful wine to drink with your feet planted under the table.

Marchesi di Gresy's Dolcetto comes from the Barbaresco village of Treiso and is sourced from the high elevation, south-facing Monte Aribaldo hill. Due to the excellent site, over the years Bryan has often referred to this wine as Dolcetto-plus. Di Gresy's 2010 Dolcetto is so soulfully-smooth-good that it probably has both Isaac Hayes and Barry White swooning with envy from the heavens.

Direct, enticing qualities of ripe blueberry, cranberry and subtle minerality virtually beam from the glass. Loads of gorgeous, dry-berry fruit in the mouth give way to a finesseful characteristic that is indicative of Barbaresco-area Dolcetto. Drink this superb red with smoked meat, sausage, salami or hearty pasta dishes.

Marchesi di Gresy is one of the most important and legendary producers in all of Barbaresco and they solely own a magical single vineyard that sits right in a sweet amphitheater called Martinenga. Originally a member of the Produttori del Barbaresco until 1973, current proprietor Alberto Di Gresy wished to showcase his single cru, thus making his own statement in the bottle. Over the last 30+ years he has definitely succeeded with superb wines that have been renowned and loved by Piedmont aficionados the world over.

Simply put, the 2008 Martinenga Barbaresco is absolutely captivating. In its youthful stage, the wine offers up sensations of elegant fresh flowers, pure Piedmont blue clay aromas, tar, a hint of leather and spicy licorice. Packed and stacked, it undoubtedly shows the true seductive, feminine qualities of this region. The finish is regal and superbly defined and impeccably deep, even in its infancy. If you love Barbaresco, you owe it to yourself to have some bottles both in your cellar and in your glass.

As previously mentioned, Martinenga is a great Cru of Barbaresco but not noted are the two supremely special sub-sites within this grand vineyard which are only produced in top vintages. Gaiun sits up at the top and just below the renowned Asili vineyard. It's brother Camp Gros (not tasted today, but 2006 available – inquire) sits next to Rabaja. Asili, Martinenga, Rabaja, quite a respectable Grand Cru neighborhood indeed!!

"The 2005 Barbaresco Gaiun Martinenga is a round, sensual wine laced with perfumed fruit. This is an especially soft, elegant Gaiun with impeccable balance and tons of style. The wine remains understated – as the di Gresy Barbarescos often are – but the plumpness and inner sweetness of the fruit gives the wine wonderful volume. The French oak is very nicely integrated here. This is another delicious Barbaresco from Marchesi di Gresy. The Gaiun is made from a parcel adjacent to Asili and it, too, shows many of that site’s qualities. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2025 - 94 POINTS, THE WINE ADVOCATE." Very limited and we only have 2 bottles for sampling today!!!