2010 QUINTA DAS CAMELIAS RESERVA - DOWN ON THE FARM

Portugal is one of the better sources of well priced, ‘under the radar’ wines. Such is the case with the Quinta das Camelias Reserva. Where else would one find a sub-$30 wine from the 2010 of this standing?

Intensely savoury in personality, this is unmistakably an old world wine, much of the fruit buried under layers of fine powdery tannin. There’s good depth of flavour here in the plum/blackberry realm, with a touch of milk chocolate adding lustre. As it stands, it’s not quite ready to go. Another 3-4 years cellaring might just help soak up those tannins a bit more.

2010 QUINTA DAS CAMELIAS RESERVA
Variety: Touriga Nacional, Alfrocheiro, Jaen (Mencia)
Region: Dao, Portugal
ABV: 13.5%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: $28.00
Date tasted: 21 July 2015

Tasting Note:
Bright ruby. Attractive nose of plum/black cherry, woodsmoke and wet earth. Dry, medium bodied, very savoury with plenty of powdery tannin. Slightly earthy in flavour, the fruit masked by the dense powdery tannins. Solid, but needs further time for the tannins to soften and recede.
Score: 16/20

2010 BRANGERO NEBBIOLO D’ALBA ‘BRICCO BERTONE’ - TURN INTO EARTH

The commune of Dogliani is best known for high quality Dolcetto, some of the best made in Italy. That said, Nebbiolo is also grown. This example, from the much lauded 2010 vintage, is an excellent introduction to Piedmontese Nebbiolo.

Not surprisingly, the colour isn’t particularly deep, and the wine possessive a distinct amber rim. Aromatically, the wine is earthen in personality, with tea leaves, coffee grounds and a touch of floral lift. The earthy quality flows through to the palate which is mid-weight, savoury and highly attractive.

At $40 a bottle, there can’t be many better value or authentic expressions of Nebbiolo. Best of all, it’s ‘in the slot’ and ready for current consumption.

2010 BRANGERO NEBBIOLO D’ALBA ‘BRICCO BERTONE’
Producer: Brangero
Variety: Nebbiolo
Region: Piedmont, Italy
ABV: 14.0%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: $40.00
Date tasted: 17 July 2015

Tasting Note:
Mid-garnet verging to amber on the rim. Attractive and varietally correct nose of earth, mushroom/truffle, dried herbs, freshly crushed toasted spices. Medium bodied, dry and savoury, tannins are fully resolved. Earth-laden palate with notes of truffle, licorice and spice. Hint of orange zest. Good length.
Score: 16.5/20

2011 NINO NEGRI SFORZATO DI VALTELLINA ‘5 STELLE’ - THE STARS BABY, THE STARS

Nebbiolo is arguably the ‘it’ grape in Australia at present. With its Pinot Noir-like aromatics and texture and structured tannins, Nebbiolo produce some of the most ethereal wines. Notwithstanding the recent interest in the grape among Australian vignerons, northern Italy remains very the benchmark for this great grape.

With all of the attention given to Barolo and Barbersco, the so called ‘lesser light’ appellations of northern Piedmont and Lombardy are sometimes forgetten. This particular wine is anything but forgettable.

Nino Negri is one of the leading producers of Valtellina and the estate’s Sforzato di Valtellina ‘5 Stelle’ is a regular recipient of tre bicchieri in the Gambero Rosso publication. Made from Nebbiolo grapes that have been partly raisined post-harvest (like Amarone), it is an exotic expression of Nebbiolo.

Top Barolo can regularly hit 15% ABV in warmer years. Thanks to the concentration of sugars from raisining of the grapes and a relatively warm growing season in 2011, this wine weighs in at a mighty 16% ABV. Notwithstanding the alcohol, it is definitively Nebbiolo, albeit with an opulent disposition.

This is a bold and brash expression of Nebbiolo, but one has to say it works. There is a sense of harmony about the wine and no alcohol heat to speak of. While Piedmontese Nebbiolo seems ill at ease with maturation in small French oak barrels, the time spent in new oak here doesn’t detract from the wine’s authenticity or appeal. In sum, it’s a different and dangerously drinkable interpretation of one of the world’s greatest grape varieties.

2011 NINO NEGRI SFORZATO DI VALTELLINA ‘5 STELLE’
Producer: Nino Negri
Variety: Nebbiolo
Region: Lombardy, Italy
ABV: 16.0%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: $120.00
Date tasted: 16 July 2015

Tasting Note:
Mid-garnet verging to amber on the rim. Perfumed nose of freshly tilled earth, dried mint, aniseed, tea leaves, lilac/rose and truffle. Dry, medium bodied, sweet-fruited up-front. Elegant and svelte in texture. Flavour profile is much the same as the nose – complex and expansive. Finishes long with fine, suave tannins. No alcohol heat.
Score: 17.5+/20