This was an in-store tasting, followed by a dinner, organized by
VINTAGES Adventures in Wine,
an excellent wine store in Belmont, MA (with another store in West Concord, MA).
Both the tasting and the dinner included a horizontal of most of the 2009 Produttori Barbarescos.
The tasting was held at the store.
The dinner was held a few doors down the street at il Casale Restaurant.
The guest of honor for the evening was the managing director of the
Produttori del Barbaresco, Aldo Vacca.
The food at il Casale was excellent and well-matched to the wines.
All the wines for the tasting were opened around 5pm.
The tasting began at 6pm, but I arrived around 7pm.
The dinner started around 8pm and lasted till 11pm.
This is the fourth Produttori dinner in which I have participated.
The others can be found on the
FWG Tasting Notes Page.
The Produttori del Barbaresco
is a cooperative in the Commune of Barbaresco.
You can find much more information about the winery and its wines at the
Fine Wine Geek's Produttori page.
Also, more detailed pictures of the bottles from this tasting.
For any image, click on it for a larger view of that image which may contain more picture.
The In-Store Tasting
The wines were tasted in alphabetical order, except for the flight of 3 Rabajas at the end.
This was a stand up tasting in the back of the store with Aldo doing most of the pouring,
as well as answering questions.
VINTAGES Adventures in Wine.
Aldo Vacca & the wines.
2009 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Montefico
- Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
Tannic, sweet and bitter. Red fruit. Tried again at the end of the tasting,
then later with dinner. Still bitter.
No one else said anything, so I don't if this was an off bottle or just needs some time.
(88 points)
2009 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà
- Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
Muted nose. Bigger and more structured in the mouth than any of the others.
Great length. My favorite of the 2009 tasting along with the Montestefano and Pajé.
(93 points)
2007 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà
- Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
Expressive complex nose. Sweet fruit with great length.
Has an appeal that none of the 2009's can match at this time, and maybe ever.
(94 points)
The Dinner Wines
All the 2009's from the in-store tasting were retasted at dinner.
My notes on those wines are included above.
Below are the additional wines opened for the tasting.
As far as I know, these were all pop and pour.
2004 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
Nose of black fruit and tar. Thick and silky with some tannin on a tart dry finish.
Quite appealing. (91 points)
I think 2009 is a good rather than great vintage for the Produttori.
The quality is still good, in part due to smaller quantities being produced of many of the crus.
My favorites of the 2009's were the Montestefano, the Pajé, and the Rabaja.
The single vineyard wines from 2007, 2004 and 1999 showed better imo.
Note that we did not get to taste the 2009 Riserva from Asili or Muncagota.