Only the Italians and a few other daring souls are willing to suffer through Nebbiolo’s tantrums.
Oh, the grape occasionally puts up with other regions. But it is notoriously finicky about terroir, ignoring all but well drained soils and leisurely fall days. Even then Nebbiolo wakes late and ripens long after other varietals have been packed away — the viticultural equivalent of a teenager.
The grape prefers to sulk for long months in the Piedmont, building resentment. Prod it before it is ready and the wine flares into a raging tannic fit.
Winemakers tolerate this because Nebbiolo eventually settles into something opulent, sophisticated, worldy and highly prized — Barolo and Barbaresco, for example.
Patience is the key to this transformation.
“When I was doing research in Italy I found out that sometimes they leave it in barrels for 10 years,” said Eric Olof.
As it happens, the Olof Cellars property near Lakeport includes a ridge that suits Nebbiolo. And Olof, the winemaker, enjoys a challenge.
He still reserves some of the 2009 Olof Cellars Nebbiolo, maturing in barrels. He bottles only when the shelves empty.
“It’s kind of an experiment,” he observed. “We’re not trying to rush things.”
The restraint has paid off. The 2009 now in bottles tempts with the scent of roses in a clay vase, abandoned on a mantle in favor of dark berry jam and curing cherries placed on a nearby table. Other alluring aromas drift from a distance — black earth, milk chocolate, worn leather and a cellar of sel gris, its saltiness long dissipated.
Lush cherry and bright red berries alert the palate and define the flavor. But this is rooted in voluptuous earth.
While the fruits preen, more seductive notes develop. The wine seems to wink at you, hinting at leather, licorice, fennel and dry spice rub — a beguiling blur. A mineralic quality reveals the structure of this wine, bound by notes of dry clay under a faint oceanic breeze.
Mature Nebbiolo remains expressive. And you want to sit down and hear what it has to say.
Olof rested the wine in neutral oak, but introduced a new French oak chain. He topped with Barbera — another Piedmont varietal — when necessary. Otherwise, he simple pushed the barrels to the back of the cellar and waited.
He still considers the 2009 a youthful wine.
“You think of an ‘09, but that doesn’t really count, because we harvested in November,” Olof explained. The late ripening grape did not really settle until the year came to a close.
One case of the 2009 Nebbiolo exists in bottles. Two barrels remain in storage, waiting their turn.
How the wine will perform when he empties the last barrel in three years or so is worth pondering. But it is beautiful now.
Dave Faries can be reached at 900-2016
