1999 Fratelli Perata Nebbiolo
Winemaker Notes: True to its heritage, the 1999 Nebbiolo has all the majestic characteristics of the King of Italian wines. It was born of hillside vines planted in 1983. The feathery creatures that flit among the Sangiovese and Zinfandel vines did not bother it. It made a late, showy entrance as the last variety harvested. It waited almost 5 years above the fray of the busy winery, aging.
So here we have the 1999 Nebbiolo, the wine that starts as tar and ages to rose petals. This was the last variety harvested, and it was good that it was: the heavy, compact clusters literally broke the crusher. We had never seen such brick-like clusters: big, dark, solid. The last bin was added to the fermenters as essentially whole clusters, barely crushed with the cap-punching tool.
The juice was fermented in 1-½ ton fermenters, punched down by hand 4 times per day. After primary fermentation, it was gently pressed to older oak barrels. Now, at its release, it insists on its proper place in your cellar: keep it in a special place, let it rest in the bottle, try not to disturb it or it will release a royal roar. Still showing plenty of tar, the tannins are just beginning to soften, and its typical high acid just beginning to subside. Only time will let the silky rose petals blossom.
We recommend drinking beginning at 10 years, or have a hearty lamb stew with it if you must drink it young. As it ages, the tar diminishes, and the cherry core of the grape is evident. But the incomparable experience of silky, lingering rose petals rewards the most patient of us.
So here we have the 1999 Nebbiolo, the wine that starts as tar and ages to rose petals. This was the last variety harvested, and it was good that it was: the heavy, compact clusters literally broke the crusher. We had never seen such brick-like clusters: big, dark, solid. The last bin was added to the fermenters as essentially whole clusters, barely crushed with the cap-punching tool.
The juice was fermented in 1-½ ton fermenters, punched down by hand 4 times per day. After primary fermentation, it was gently pressed to older oak barrels. Now, at its release, it insists on its proper place in your cellar: keep it in a special place, let it rest in the bottle, try not to disturb it or it will release a royal roar. Still showing plenty of tar, the tannins are just beginning to soften, and its typical high acid just beginning to subside. Only time will let the silky rose petals blossom.
We recommend drinking beginning at 10 years, or have a hearty lamb stew with it if you must drink it young. As it ages, the tar diminishes, and the cherry core of the grape is evident. But the incomparable experience of silky, lingering rose petals rewards the most patient of us.
This magnificient Nebbiolo bottle
Is Now GONE!
Is Now GONE!