Fine wine comment: Italian en primeur requires no guesswork

Jochen Erler takes part in Piedmont’s Nebbiolo Prima first release event and finds that the Bordelais could learn much from the Italians’ professional approach.

I recently had the pleasure of attending the annual Nebbiolo Prima wine tasting which takes place in Alba, a small town at the feet of the beautiful hills of Torino and Piedmont.

As the title implies, it is a first tasting of wines made from the Nebbiolo grape. Only wine produced from Nebbiolo grapes grown in the DOCs Barolo, Barbaresco and Roero are admitted here.

One can compare this event with the en primeur events in Bordeaux and Burgundy because like in France this is a first offer of wines to the market.

However, the Alba tasting does not take place in the same time frame as that in France where the new wines are tasted one year after harvest regardless of their stage of development.

In contrast to the en primeur events in Bordeaux and Burgundy, the wines tasted at the event in Alba are not from the barrel. They have already been bottled, and the event is rather a first release tasting. Hence there are no wines still undergoing malolactic fermentation as can happen in the cellars in France. The new wines sampled in Alba openly show their strength or weakness; no guesswork about their future mature status is required.

In accordance with the DOCG regulations, the Barolo wines are presented in Alba after two years ageing in barrels, the Barbaresco wines with one year of barrel ageing. Their riservas have an additional two years in the barrel before being bottled.

The most striking difference between the en primeur tastings in France and this Nebbiolo Prima is the modus procedendi of the event.

The organisers of the Alba event offer a comprehensive four-day program for wine buyers and journalists. Coaches are provided, always leaving on time. The sit-down tastings are held in the morning in a spacious hall, well-lit and aired, at large tables covered with white tablecloths.

Unlike at the en primeur tastings in France, there are detailed lists of the wines – about 100 per session – stating the name of the producer, their vintage year, and where possible their brand name and vineyard site. Professional sommeliers serve the wines, five wines per flight.

After a well-catered al fresco lunch the coaches bring the participants to another hall. Here the producers, whose wines have been tasted in the morning, offer a selection of their wines. I enjoyed the lively discussions I had with the producers. I could verify or modify my findings from the morning tasting session. This is a highly unusual bonus at any tasting of this dimension.

In the late afternoon participants can make pre-arranged visits to wineries. I was lucky to visit the only organic winery in Barbaresco, and another winery for a Barolo vertical tasting. The day finishes in a top restaurant with the producers from the area, whose wines accompany the meal.

What a comfortable and enjoyable way to be introduced to the new wines of a noble grape variety.

First impressions

I missed the tasting of the Roero wines. Most of the Barbarescos (vintage 2007) and Barolos (vintage 2006), as well as their riservas (2005 and 2004 respectively) had been aged in new barrique.

They need more time to reach maturity, the Barbarescos at least one or two years, the Barolos many more years.

Only a few wines express already now a rich complexity and are of a delicate balance. These rare wines were aged in the traditional big wood (tonno) or in used barrique.

There were also very few disappointing wines, with great fruit on the nose, but little to offer on the palate and less in length.

What about the vintages? The wines of the 2005 vintage have started to soften their tannins, while the 2004 wines still need more time. The 2006 is again a “vin de garde”. The 2007 can be placed between the 2005 and the 2004/2006.

Jochen Erler, 08.07.2010