Barbaresco Tasting in Emo 26.02.2014

Last week Wednesday, there was a Barbaresco tasting in Gastrobar Emo´s wine bar in Helsinki. The Barberosco producer Montaribaldi was going to introduce their wines with the attendance of the winery respondents. I contacted Emo for the details and decided to go there. The entrance for the event was free of charge and that was surprising considering that type of wine (to make it clear, since it is illegal to serve free alcoholic beverages in Finland, during that event no one was served with a free glass of wine, only the entrance at the door was free, the glasses were filled up with about 1-2 cl of wine to taste and then after that they were on sale; it was possible to buy a glass of any desired wine, if you like).

When I arrived, I was expecting to see a crowd at the bar but it was little bit different than i thought, not that crowded, maybe because of the scheduling, that the event started at 16:00, or maybe some other reasons etc.

During the tasting, the owner of the Montaribaldi winery Luciano Taliano, the export manager Giorgia Tontodonati and the importer Gianluca Poggio were present too and after the introduction by Giorgia, we tasted the following wines:

Spumante Brut "Giuseppe Taliano": Citrus and green apple aromas on the nose, a nice, everyday´s sparkling.

Arneis DOCG "Capural" 2013: Fruity nose with reminiscent of mulberry, well structured in the mouth with a  buttery feeling. The medium body might handle more acidity too.

Barbera d'Alba "Frere" 2011: Opaque, dark ruby red with leather and tobacco aromas on the nose. Blackcurrant is dominant in the mouth with strong tannins but the tannins are integrated. There is a also a touch of salinity too. Still, I felt like it lacks a bit of balance.

Barbera d'Asti "La Consolina" 2011: Slightly transparent, dark red with purple rims. Baked fruit and blackberry with leather at the second nose and good acidity in the mouth with red forest berries aromas. This medium bodied wine has a long final with a satisfaction of blackberry and cassis. Delicious.

Barbera d'Alba "Du Gir" 2010: Transparent dark red colored. The first nose is floral with slightly honey and forest berries, very well balanced in the mouth. The fruity final has a touch of vanillin, for sure it had an oak aging.


Langhe Rosso "Trestelle" 2011: Transparent red color with fruity nose, light to medium bodied, good acidity with a little bit astringency.

Langhe Nebbiolo "Gambarin" 2011: Light red colored with a touch of brown -a typical look for Nebbiolo- The nose has raspberry and clove, medium bodied with a moderate final.

Barbaresco DOCG "Palazzina" 2010: Floral nose gets spicy quickly and licorice gives itself . The nose gets a fruity character in time. Medium bodied; very elegant, feminine, a very nice wine with integrated tannins and a long final.

Barbaresco DOCG "Sori Montaribaldi" 2010: First with ripe apple and leather aromas, the nose gets a berry character in time, medium bodied with strong tannins, more masculine compared to Palazzina. Very nice wine to enjoy with a fine balance and long final.

Barbaresco DOCG "Ricu" 2009: Licorice and leather on the nose, fruity with earthy notes, with significant but integrated tannins, well balanced, a fine wine. Delicious and elegant with a long final.

Barolo DOCG "Borzoni" 2009: Licorice is significant on the nose but all in all, the nose is little bit introverted.  Light to medium bodied, gracious, characteristic.

Moscato d'Asti DOCG "Righey" 2012: A classic Moscato d'Asti. What to say more? Just beautiful, just delicious with tropical fruit aromas. Some Moscato d'Astis´ sweetness obscures the fruitiness of the wine but this one does not have the problem at all. Such a nice wine.

All in all, it was a nice event with a Piedmontese touch in Helsinki, a city where a lack of wine culture helplessly exists despite the high consumption of alcoholic beverages. Also it was not an ordinary tasting since the wines are just great, as what is not great from Piedmont? :) I would like to thank everyone who had put effort in this organization and I salute them.

May your glass be filled with Piedmontese wine. Greetings.

Luciano, Giorgia and Gianluca

Gianluca and Emo´s sommelier Eleonora

Luigi Einaudi Barolo Terlo 2009

Transparent dark red with light brown rims. First nose has green notes like chives, anise then licorice gets the scene with leather. Blueberry notes are dominant in the mouth with a high acidity, which makes this wine crispy. in time the mouth gets a fruity structure. Medium bodied with nice, integrated tannins, following a moderate final with a touch of vanillin and gets closer to the balance in the glass after some time. 90/100 39,70/75cl/February 2014

Giacomo Fenocchio Barolo 2008, Italy (Nebbiolo 100%, Alcl 14%)

Dark transparent ruby red with orange rims. First nose has extremely raisin, then honey, fresh baked cake, rose and vanillin. Second nose comes with blueberry, mulberry, chocolate, cloves and some tobacco. Very rich and intense in the mouth. I would call it balanced if the tannins are not that strong. They are extremely strong and this is a great wine to experience what astringency is. It is an extremely astringent wine but it is felt after some time during the long final, so still the quality of wine makes me feel like keeping the wine in my mouth for some time to enjoy, before swallow. There are blackcurrant, red apple, raisin and licorice aromas in the mouth with a hint of leather. The strong tannins of that full-bodied wine can handle strong dishes too. It is a serious wine. This DOCG Barolo is highly recommended to consume with Mozart, a touch of "Le Nozze di Figaro", tested and proved. I would prefer it to enjoy by drinking without food. Good wine even though seems like too early/young to open a Barolo. 91/100 Price: 27.50€/75cl/March 2013

Ugo Lequio Barbaresco Gallina 2008, Italy (Nebbiolo 100%, Alch 14%)

Light ruby transparent color and get a bit darker into the middle. The first nose has sour cherry, apple, blackberry and a bit vanillin. The nose is very strong, fruity, extroverted. After some time earthy smells and black pepper appear. In the mouth, the tannins are strong, maybe they a bit disturb like giving some burning feeling. Damson aroma dominates first and the high acidity is satisfying. It a a bit dilute. Soon a  bit orange peel and licorice with a touch of leather. The very long final is warm and pleasant. It is elegant like a good quality Pinot Noir but still the tannins are affecting the balance and it is a bit dilute. This medium-bodied wine would be nice to drink alone but also fits very well with light cheeses (not heavy-fatty cheeses as we generally talk about a red here). It can fit grilled beef and pork as well as chicken, cleaning the palate very well. 87/100 Price: 21.90€/75cl/March 2013