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#384757 - 07-17-2015 10:30:53 TN: Mario Antoniolo Spanna Santachiara 1964
fraser Offline
Local

Registered: 02-25-2004 00:27:03
Posts: 1111
Loc: Seattle
Mario Antoniolo Spanna Santachiara 1964

13%

The cork was compromised on this wine. It broke and then the slightest touch sent the rest into the wine.

My wife loved this wine. She kept going on and on, unusual for her. I liked it but didn't think it lived up to other Gattinaras of this age. It lacked the intensity, depth, freshness and fruit.

I opened it, left it corked since it smelled so perfect and then decanted briefly.

The nose was extraordinary though. Pure, pure rose and very ripe. The palate had some intense notes, was elegant with sour cherry flavors. Very Gattinara like. Dark color.

The wine tasted overripe at times and indeed began to head into oxidative territory. I had to drink up to keep the port-ish flavors from taking over. It began to go downhill fast. I think the cork had failed and screwed this wine up since many Gattinaras of this age can sit over night and still be good. Pretty good when first opened though.

According to the Antoniolo family, this is grapes from Gattinara sold as Spanna. Evidently, at the time, they also sold wine labeled as Gattinara, which was their top wine, sourced from their top vineyards like Osso San Grato. The wine I drank was the classico or normale wine that was sourced from all of their Gattinara vineyards, including Osso San Grato. Evidently this was a transitional period for producers as the Spanna name had acquired undesirable connotations due to unscrupulous merchants. The establishment of the Gattinara DOCG was a step to restore the good name of the local wine but evidently they also still sold it as Spanna for quite awhile. They said 1964 was a very hot year.

I have one more which I am fairly confident will be a great wine, if the cork is better.

Thanks
Fraser

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#388299 - 03-03-2018 08:54:03 Re: TN: Mario Antoniolo Spanna Santachiara 1964 [Re: fraser]
fraser Offline
Local

Registered: 02-25-2004 00:27:03
Posts: 1111
Loc: Seattle
I had this again and it's interesting to read my previous note. My prediction that it would be a great wine if the cork was good turned out to be true. I didn't remember the part about the cork and was only anticipating that this would be a chore to drink, allotting it to a night my wife was out of town. I should have read the part about how much she raved about the wine.

This was one of my best wine experiences in a long time. I got to linger over the wine and dinner for a long time.

"Excellent nose when opened. Same 1 hour later. Classic, classic nose, very intense rose and geranium. Serious wine. deep perfume of rose. Wow wine! Classic gattinara. Tart, rich, concentrated. A perfume to lose yourself in all day. Caramel. Well balanced. Potent. Sour cherry. Getting into rose bomb territory. A meditative wine. Best when first opened? drink right away? So drinkable. Little structure. Alpine scents, pine needles. Visions of Lake Louise. Black cherry. Strong. Great acid. Holy crap! If these are the juvenile gattinara vines, what would the Gattinara taste like? Cinnamon, spicy, sweetness, leaves. The nose is unbelievable. Show-stopping. A provocative wine. Deep, deep cherry on the nose."

I edited out many of the "wows","intense" and "this is the best wine dinner", etc. You get the idea. It had a laser beam focus of intensity. This is the most I've written on one wine in a long time. Fantastic with airline pheasant breast wrapped in prosciutto and pasta with the first morels of the season.

Thanks
Fraser


Edited by fraser (03-03-2018 08:56:10)

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#388303 - 03-05-2018 11:12:12 Re: TN: Mario Antoniolo Spanna Santachiara 1964 [Re: fraser]
Dave Cuneo Offline
Local

Registered: 03-12-2004 15:59:19
Posts: 1536
Loc: Delaware
I was recently rereading the section on Alto Piemonte wines in Wasserman's book and he says 1964 was one of the all time great vintages for Gattinara/Spanna.
_________________________
"When laws become the enemy of men, then men become the enemies of laws".

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#388309 - 03-06-2018 13:02:30 Re: TN: Mario Antoniolo Spanna Santachiara 1964 [Re: Dave Cuneo]
fraser Offline
Local

Registered: 02-25-2004 00:27:03
Posts: 1111
Loc: Seattle
Thanks as I didn't realize that. To back up that assertion, the Nervi '64 Spanna Stravecchio was fantastic. The Bertelletti 1964 Gattinaras have been quite good as well. The Nervi Riserva del Titolare was better in 1967 than in 1964, though.

As has been noted elsewhere, Gattinara sees less vintage variation than the Barolo zone. I find the old Gattinaras quite striking but their profile doesn't vary much from producer to producer. Not surprising, given the small area Gattinara occupies.

Fraser

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#389839 - 02-23-2019 09:24:30 Re: TN: Mario Antoniolo Spanna Santachiara 1964 [Re: fraser]
fraser Offline
Local

Registered: 02-25-2004 00:27:03
Posts: 1111
Loc: Seattle
Adding the photo

Fraser


Attachments
Mario Antoniolo Vino Spanna Santachiara 1964.JPG



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#389866 - 02-26-2019 11:09:36 Re: TN: Mario Antoniolo Spanna Santachiara 1964 [Re: fraser]
Dave Cuneo Offline
Local

Registered: 03-12-2004 15:59:19
Posts: 1536
Loc: Delaware
Hi fraser,

I appreciate these notes of yours on older wines, and especially the photos of the bottles/labels. dave.
_________________________
"When laws become the enemy of men, then men become the enemies of laws".

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#389873 - 02-27-2019 16:00:53 Re: TN: Mario Antoniolo Spanna Santachiara 1964 [Re: Dave Cuneo]
fraser Offline
Local

Registered: 02-25-2004 00:27:03
Posts: 1111
Loc: Seattle
Thanks, Dave. That means a lot coming from you! Your notes have been invaluable to me!


Fraser

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