I’ve always heard that Nebbiolo based wines are amazing to drink old. I’ve had a few really nice examples, but my “hit rate” is very low. Over the past year or so I’ve had 10 old Nebbiolo wines from Northern Italy, and only 3 have been any good. The first two were nice, so I went on a bit of an ill-informed buying spree, and was overall very disappointed.
Is 30% an acceptable hit rate on such old wines? I can’t afford Conterno and Mascarello all the time, but maybe these producers are just not high quality enough? Am I simply too ambitious in how old these wines are? It is not lost on me that the best of the bunch is the youngest (though still almost 40 yrs old).
They were all purchased from reputable places (Chambers St Wine, Benchmark, a few others). I don’t know the full provenance, but the sellers are all supposedly excellent.
What kind of hit rates do you get from your old Nebbiolo? Any advice for me? The 3 that were good were really excellent experiences- I don’t want to give up on old Nebbiolo!
1967 Franco Fiorina Barolo- Took several hours to come around, but in the end was quite good. Still quite bold.
1967 Renato Ratti Barolo Marcenasco- Delicious, delicate.
1971 Marchesi di Barolo Vecchio Maniero Barolo- Undrinkable. Right down the drain.
1967 Umberto Fiore Gattinara Riserva- Horrible. Down the drain it goes.
1971 Marchesi di Barolo Vecchio Maniero Barolo- Undrinkable. Right down the drain.
1974 Pelizzatti Valtellina Superiore Inferno- Barely drinkable.
1964 Minuto Barolo Riserva Speciale- Completely gone. Undrinkable.
1982 Cordero di Montezemolo Barolo Monfalletto- Absolutely stunning. The best of the bunch by far.
1964 Umberto Fiore Gattinara Riserva- The worst of the bunch. Felt like my tongue was melting off.
1967 Produttori del Barbaresco Riserva Speciale Cru Moccagatta- The most expensive (nearly $200!) and therefore the biggest disappointment. Barely drinkable.