Ercole Rivetto di Rivetto Gian Maria e Sergio F.lli Barbaresco 1978
13% 720 ml (This is the youngest 720 ml I've seen - most producers had moved away from 720's by the early '70's?)
Better known for their Serralunga barolo, this was made by the current owner's (Enrico) father, Ercole. A 1967 Barolo from them was fantastic recently.
I opened this and got such a beautiful whiff of nebbiolo that I figured it was good to go and corked it back up. Decanted for an hour maybe, it was not enough. Lots of sediment. The beautiful aroma was muted. The wine got better as we drank it and I can imagine it might have turned into a very nice wine with at least several hours of decanting. The main impression was how balanced and unified this wine was. I think this wine was really well made as it had nothing angular or sticking out. The acid wasn't overwhelming and the tannins weren't intrusive. A wine that could go unnoticed but is really a brilliant piece of wine making. Wish we'd left it open longer. With airline pheasant breasts. The local store no longer carries the venison medallions but now has this, which I overcooked a bit in my inexperience but still very nice food.
Thanks
Fraser
Edited by fraser (02-10-2018 08:42:37)