Ultravino at CitizenM

[David Crossley]

Did anyone go, other than the four of you I spoke to?

I was impressed, perhaps even more so in some ways than it the last Tasting I went to at 67PM. In part that was because the 2013s were a bit more bedded down and were (for me) showing their potential.

My assessment: Roero is increasingly a region which offers really good value Nebbiolo with more terroir character than more generic Langhe equivalents.

I thought the Palladino wines from Serralunga had genuine ageing potential. The San Bernardo, which won Platinum at DWWA 2018, was very impressive, but the cheaper single vineyard wines were good as well.

I thought that all the Barbaresco producers had nice wines. Those of ex-Gaja winemaker Silvia (Guido) Rivella were hard to taste as they are so concentrated, but I think they are potentially world class.

I enjoyed the white Arneis’s, especially the G Almondo pair.

Some will have read my article, but I am genuinely interested to know how other Piedmontese palates rate the wines.

 

[Graeme Harvie]

I was there, not sure if we spoke or not. I find young nebbiolo very hard to taste and for me most would benefit from 15 years+ cellaring.

However world class nebbiolo can still be pleasant to drink before it is bottled. Here I am talking about the Silvia Rivella (ex Gaja) 2013 wines which were the first I could actually swallow (pretty much the opposite experience to you!!). Even if they were concentrated they were very silky. You would want to age them but if a bottle was drunk now it would still be quite delicious.

I found the Roero wines pleasant but still quite rustic, I would not want to drink for at least 5 years and whilst good value, my cellar is not screaming out for them.

A nice low key tasting on a hot day.

 

[Oliver Coleman-Green]

I was also impressed with the Palldino wines. I visited them in May so have now tasted the 2013s three times and they have always been excellent - much easier to assess the single vineyard wines this year than it was last year though. The San Bernado was very good, a really complex nose but the palate still needing a lot of time. A well deserved award I would say.

The Val de Prete Roero Vigna di Lino seemed very good value for a proper Nebbiolo.

The Silvia Rivella's seem to have the potential to be stunning. The Montestefano is out of my price range for a six pack but the "basic" Barbaresco seemed fair value.

I cannot really get on with the Carlo Revello wines. Whilst the 2013 RG ticked a lot of the right boxes, I found the 2011s overripe and overextracted - just a bit too much of everything (including alcohol).

Nice to see you David, a shame I had to dash over to the TWS Italy tasting.

 

[Ian Hampsted]

I enjoyed the tasting and company - DC, JC, DP and OC-G - so much that I lost track of time and was late for an appointment, for which I was rebuked.

I found the Arneis whites pleasant, but a little too heavy in the saddle for my liking. Quite reasonably priced but I was not tempted.

I really enjoyed the Val Del Prete wines, even though they were a tad rustic, and also liked the Almondos, which had a Burgundian signature.

Of the Barbarescos the Silvia Rivella straight was outstanding with more than a hint of Gaja about it. The single vineyard exhibits had more stuffing. All were impressive.

(As a footnote I suspect the 2015 and 2016 vintages in Piedmont will be analogous to those in Bordeaux. In other words an absolute knock out. It is partly why I am so lukewarm about the 2014s. What lies around the corner will be vastly superior)

Carlo Revello Barolo are simple crowd pleasing La Morras though I am not trying to denigrate these wines. I liked the Giachini and R.G., but neither were priced low enough to interest me.

The Palladinos were altogether more serious, ageworthy and classy, and I think the Ornato 2013 is a wine to buy for £190/6...you can’t go wrong. However, I ended up ordering some Rivella straight Barbaresco.

The last thing I purchased from Ultravino was some Briccolino Barolo 2013 which really was a standout from the 67 PM tasting. A good little ‘niche’ outfit, I wish them well.

 

[Graeme Harvie]

I checked out Antonio Galloni's assessment of Silvio Rivella in 2013 and was quite surprised to see that he put the Montestefano at 88 points describing it as oaky and speculating that it might integrate over time, but then his tasting note is dated October 2016. I think it is a very different wine in July 2018 and for me I would put it at 94 or 95 points if using the 100 point scale. Tempting to order but when you have a lot of wine already...

 

[Gabriele Bertone]

I checked out Antonio Galloni's assessment of Silvio Rivella in 2013 and was quite surprised to see that he put the Montestefano at 88 points describing it as oaky and speculating that it might integrate over time, but then his tasting note is dated October 2016. I think it is a very different wine in July 2018 and for me I would put it at 94 or 95 points if using the 100 point scale. Tempting to order but when you have a lot of wine already...

Hi Graham. Just for the sake of clarity at the Ultravino tasting you tried Silvia Rivella's 2015s. Interestingly Antonio Galloni's assessment of Silvia Rivella 2014 Barbarescos is much closer to your assessment above (he put Barbaresco 2014 at 92 points and Barbaresco Montestefano 2014 at 94 points) than the assessment given to the 2013s. I have been in Piedmont recently and I am excited to say that many people locally consider the 2015 vintage in the Barolo and Barbaresco area as a truly great vintage, a vintage to remember, like few others in history. The 2015 Barbarescos from Rivella show great character and complexity already. The Montestefano is an elegant wine with a sumptuous structure. Silvia’s second single cru available at the tasting (the Barbaresco Fausoni) shows less concentration but the elegance is there too. But the real deal, in my opinion, is Silvia’s straight Barbaresco 2015. A powerful Barbaresco, yet gentle and classy. I am sure that Antonio Galloni will love the Silvia’s 2015s as much, if not more, than the 2014s!

 

[Graeme Harvie]

@Gabriele Bertone - you are right, mea culpa.

The rivella 15s are standout wines and most tasters I spoke to on the night agreed with you that the straight barbaresco was a very good buy.