D.O.C.’s of Piedmont Are Great Wines Too.
When us wine people think of Piedmont we think of the famous areas that produce wines from D.O.C.G areas like the Nebbiolos of Barolo, Barbaresco, Gattinara and The Barberas of Asti and Alba and the Cortese of Gavi and the Moscato of Asti. There are some pretty darn good wines from DOC’s in that Northwestern region of Italy as well. I have spoken many times in person or on this blog about Agostino Pavia and Figli (SONS in ENGLISH) and their three styles or expressions from D.O.C.G Barbera D’Asti. Now this is not to be confused with Hanna Barbera which produced The Flintstones. Lets reacquaint you a little with this great family who to me shows some of the best expressions of this fantastic terroir.
Meet Mauro Pavia
They are Giuseppe and Mauro Pavia, and their aim has always been to create a strong identity with this land, in the commune of Agliano Terme, which they cultivate in order to offer Barbera d’Asti to wine lovers.
Their history is made up of important events: in the 80s they selected the best positions for the vineyards for the cultivation of Barbera. In this way they have been able to produce a true wine of this terroir. Through selection and aging processes they obtain four different kinds of Barbera d’Asti, which are different aspects of a single, prestigious and world-famous designation. If you are wondering what is on Mauro’s Hands if you are a Napa Valley Wine fan that is called “WORK GLOVES” They work the land and all grapes are yes..Manually Harvested. They are Farmers First and foremost and Winemakers Second!!. What about their D.O.C Wines with more than just Barbera??
A New Pavia
Selection Of
Importer Nadia Galati
Not gonna lie. Nadia and her Husband Chris and family are Friends. We started off just as wine consultant and Italian Wine Importer. Nadia and Chris and ABC will be the first to tell you despite that 10 year friendship , if her wines suck I would tell her. I THINK.. she appreciates the honesty. The problem is 99% of them don’t unless there is a bad vintage. ABC Fine Wines is very lucky to have her represent a large percentage of our Italian Direct to You Wines. To validate my point, I did work 3 years for a Brazilian Steakhouse and Nadia is only in Florida but because I am such a fan of her wines I sought out Importers in 3 others states to place 20 of those wines she introduced me to on my wine lists because they are that well made. With that said she has always represented the wines of Agostino Pavia and Figli with some world class Barbera D’Astis. This is the latest to hit the shelves and it is a Piedmont D.O.C Rosso called TALIN.
2015 Agostino Pavia “Talin”, Monferrato Rosso,
All Estate Bottled of course and manually harvested in September from vineyards in Monferrato D.O.C. 85% Barbera blended with 15% Syrah. 15-18 days of maceration (And It Shows) One year of aging in large 500 liter Allier and Fontainbleau Oak Casks. Then they do the blending in Stainless Steel Vats during May of the following year and then another 7 months or so in the bottle. Let’s knock off the technical stuff and taste some wine for review.
The Wine Review
Time for the Julianna Glassware. I love these Abstract Bordeaux Glasses for most Reds. A perfect all purpose Red made from Slovakian Lead Free Crystal.
As you can see by the pictures we are talking a major deep intense black/purple color with only on the outer edge when tilted a slight lighter variation which is just an indicator that the wine is 2-3 years old. Medium Plus Plus on the Viscosity which is normal for wines from Pavia due to the 14.5% Alcohol and Oak Cask Aging. The bouquet is intoxicating and heady. I wouldn’t mistake it for New World as the first thing that hits me is the Floral Notes of Violets, Cedar and Rare Roast Beef Juices that are the backbone for Jam of Black Raspberry, Black Plums and Cherry. Even holding the glass 4 inches from my nose there is a little too much alcohol for my personal preference. There is a green herbal note of Spearmint and even on blind tasting I believe anyone good at blind tasting would guess Italian for sure.
On the palate a very viscous mouthfeel and persistent flavors of the aromas I smelled on the nose of raspberry coulis, tart sour cherry (Always Italian.. I love that) medium acidity and very warming and persistent with a sleek intense flavor of fresh vanilla bean throughout with a slightly spicy and grippy tannic ending that is very lengthyand inviting you to delve into a second and third sip. A great pizza wine and a great tomato based sauce wine as well as pairing perfectly with aged Irish or Scottish Cheddar as the fruit flavors are so intense the cheese will not overpower the wine. A very heady or dare I say hedonistic effort for an Italian Wine but it still stays true to it’s terroir. I am going to deduct 2 points for the high alcohol of 14.5% that you can taste in the form of burn so I will rate this 88 Out of 100 Points..
The Summary
Barolos are great but big and leathery. Barbera by itself is fun and made in different styles. Dolcetto from Alba are too dry and light but Dogliani is a solid food wine. This D.O.C. wine can be for the American Palate or just about any Red Wine Enthusiast. The Barbera comes through with intense fruits and the Syrah shows off some meaty characteristics , spices and green notes of spearmint leaves. I was very impressed with this latest selection of Nadia Galati and I think at $24.99 it will be impressive to you and or your guests you serve it to as well. I know it made me eat 5 Slices of Margherita Pizza instead of 3 while watching the SuperBowl. There is certainly more from Piedmont than just D.O.C.G’s
Grape-fully yours, Larry
Larry The Wine Guy 