Does anyone know the lot numbers on the new (and previous) release)
Based on AGs note on the 2006 Produttori Torre in WA, he did not taste the blended version. . . “If the regular Barbaresco holds this much power, I can only wonder what the Riservas might have in store. Simply put, this is a marvelous effort. This is Lot 9.125”
Here’s how Aldo Vacca explained it:
The Riserva wines are selected as the best of their class, and the rest of the wine is sold as Barbaresco. In 2006 there was an initial release of Barbaresco; once the decision was taken to sell all the wine as Barbaresco there were two subsequent bottlings (the last of which was under way when I was there on May 20th) made up of the all of the wines.
Sig. Vacca took some trouble - not really necessary in my case - to defend the consistently high quality of the Barbaresco, which after all comes from the same vineyards as do the Riservas.
I don’t have the lot number for this batch - we actually get the wine tomorrow - the importer says it’s a recent release / recently arrived.
Jamie from Chambers Street Wines
Thanks for the information, Jamie. Do you know when the previous bottling (the first one with the Riservas blended in) was done?
I don’t know for sure but came away with the impression that it was fairly recent / this year.
From posts on Antonio’s eBob forum (no I have not dropped my subscription - you cannot miss Antonio if you are an Italian wine fan) there are at least 3 lots, 9.097, 9.099 and 9.125. They’re as bad as Prum! ![[head-bang.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/b/b1cd199e4b2b2988b5107c3c9598fd28dc92a776.gif "[head-bang.gif]"){kind=small}
I’m thinking it was 9.097…because that’s the case I have… ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
Thx for the info Jamie. I actually read your spam this morning and decided that I’m in for a few when I get back from France. The price is knockout and the wine is consistently good and if they’ve dumped in the cru juice, all the better!
From Antonio’s review, which I only read on various retailers’ websites, it said ‘from lot 9.125’. He also mentioned the whole, ‘cant wait for the riservas’. So, if 9.125 was the original unblended lot is it safe to assume that the other two lots were the riserva blended bottles? Or was only one lot blended? I bought a few bottles from winelibrary and my lot # is 9.097. I was thinking about buying another case but would love to have these lots 100% defined before I do. Winelibrary appears to be sold out so i’ll have to find another retailer as well.
regards,
Brian
I had a bottle of the 9.097 tonight. It was lovely and quite approachable after a little initial sternness. I wouldn’t call it primary, though. Nothing tertiary, but no grapiness whatsoever (which is usually what I think of when people say primary).
If this is declassified wine that would have been bottled as crus were not it not for the market, I’d be a bit surprised because it is relatively light and approachable. But, then, I’ve been surprised by the approachability of a lot of Langhe wines in recent years – from 2001, 2004 and 2005, in particular.
Anyone had the 04 lately?
I would have thought that the 9.xxx lot number indicated that it was bottled in 2009, since that’s fairly conventional. But it sounds from your post, Jamie, as if they only blended the crus into the later normale/torre this spring.
Anyone see a lot number that would suggest it was bottled this year?
From the recent Garagiste offering of this wine:
“I will let you look up other TN’s and accolades (the WA review is below) but the price speaks for itself. This wine contains almost all the Riserva wine from the single vineyards as well. A crazy deal on traditional Barbaresco. (As far as I know, little or no Riserva was made in 2006 – only this bottling – JR)”.
It doesn’t look like they worked too hard to get the precise facts.
I assume they have restocked because I just ordered a few bottles.
Looks like there are more lots of this wine. Opened one of my cases, and it says L 9.113 on the bottle.
This is interesting. Jamie, was the “riserva” juice blended in May of this year or last year?
I know one of my cases is from the initial bottling: L9.097. Have to look at the other case now.
FYI, the Lot number is 105 for this supposed special bottling.
Ian, is that “L9.105” or “L10.105”?
Sorry, L9.105
Ian – What do you mean “this special bottling”? Jamie quoted Vacco saying there were two (blended) bottlings of what would have been the single crus.
I don’t know what the ratio is of normale/torre to cru bottlings is in good years, but given the number of crus, it wouldn’t surprise me if the total volume of the crus isn’t that much less than the normale. If that’s right, the “special” bottlings for 2006 might not be that rare.
FYI, they did the same thing in 1998, when some of the crus weren’t up to the quality they wanted. Vacco said that the politics of the coop were such that they have to bottle all the crus or none.