Pelissero Tulin Barbaresco 2003

We look at Treiso in a hot vintage like 2003 for great Nebbiolo.

Nebbiolo is considered to be one of Italy's greatest native grapes. When planted anywhere else in the world the wines never come close to the quality of those of it's origin: Piemonte, Italy. There are areas in Piemonte that produce the most major Nebbiolo based wines. Barolo, Barbaresco, Alto Piemonte (100 miles north of Barolo) and Carema (On the border of Valle D'Aosta). This is just scratching the surface. Nebbiolo is also grown in Lombardia producing behemoth wines like Sforzato di Valtellina and more elegant wines like Valtellina Superiore which both must be at least 90% Nebbiolo. And in Valle D'Aosta Nebbiolo is called "Picotener" and is used to make Barolo like wines in Donnas. I am excited to write more about Nebbiolo sites but today we are focusing on one wine from a village within the Barbaresco zone.

When you think of the great Nebbiolo wines, often Barolo comes to mind first and Barbaresco sometimes can be in the shadow of Barolo. Barbaresco is obviously different. It is aged 1 year less in oak then Barolo, it is at lower elevation producing wines that are generally earlier maturing. But there are always exceptions depending on where the wine is made in Barbaresco.

There are 4 different villages in Barbaresco where Nebbiolo grapes are sourced to make Barbaresco wine. The villages are: Barbaresco, Neive, Treiso and San Rocco Seno d'Elvio. Each commune produces wines that are different in style given the microclimates, altitudes and proximity to the Tanaro river. For instance, Barbaresco from San Rocco Seno d'Elvio is an earlier maturing wine which can be enjoyed younger then wines from Neive and Treiso that are much bigger and more structured like this Pelissero Tulin 2003 for example.

How did Pelissero get such a beautiful result in such a warm vintage? Treiso is considered one of the coolest microclimates in the Barbaresco zone. Some of the highest vineyards in Treiso reaches 500 meters above sea level. The vineyards are very steep and have harder and more compact soils producing a wine that is austere and mineral driven with great structure. Giorgio Pelissero says "2003 was a really hard vintage, comparable to 2017. But the vine is a strong and tough plant and at the age of 30 years old its roots are mature and deep. This allows all the old vineyards to stand a hard vintage and find groundwaters which granted their survival. We also thank the snowy winter which permitted really compact soil to keep a good stock of water to use during this warm summer season."

Pelissero makes 3 different Barbaresco wines: Vanotu and Nubiola are blends from their own Nebbiolo vineyards in the Barbaresco, Neive and Treiso villages.  The Tulin is an expression of a single vineyard Barbaresco. Tolino, (Tulin in piemontese dialect) is a small tin container used to distribute food to cattle and used in churches to collect wax from melted candles. The vineyard was planted in 1950 making the vines just shy of 70 years old. After the harvest the grapes are macerated in steel for 15 days. Then 50% of the wine is decanted into 5,000 liter Slavonian oak barrels and the other 50% is aged in 225 liter French barriques. It ages separately for about 20 months then blended together and aged in bottle another 9 months. Pelissero mentioned they do not want an excessive presence of wood taste in the wine they want you to sense the place of which the wine comes from. I also feel like they want you to experience and taste the true character of the grape. This '03 is incredibly structured and powerful. It needs several hours after opening to express itself. Pungent aromas of dried rose, violet, minerals and the familiar trademark of wild fennel, anise and licorice. Strong and persistent on the palate with a long finish and silky tannins. It is still even quite young and can age for decades more in a good cellar. Nebbiolo is famous for the aroma of red rose and with bottle age comes tar aromas along with complex spices and herbs and is a great example of gracefulness and refinement that any other red grape variety can only dream of coming close to and It is the ultimate food wine. 

The Langhe is a gastronomical paradise. Traditional pairings for Barbaresco include meat based dishes since it is an area in Italy unlike the south where there is land for the famous white cow called "fassone" to graze. Try the famous "Bolliti Misti" a mixture of beef, tongue, chicken, sausage and veal that are boiled or "stracotto di bue al Barolo" which is a beef stew in Barolo. Barbaresco also plays very nicely with sauces with anchovy like lamb with salsa verde. Salumi like salsiccia and mortadella are also great.  For lighter fare you can go to pasta of course like Agnolotti or Tajarin alla piemontese (ravioli or pasta with butter, cheese and white truffles) and Tagliatelle alla piemontese col sugo di carne (pasta with meat sauce). For cheese pairings definitely select one with age or that is stronger like Castelmagno which is from the municipality of Cuneo. Dishes involving Gorgonzola and melted Fontina, cheeses that are also made in parts of Piemonte are also great pairings.