The Barbera 7 did in fact get to venture outside the world of all things barbera. We had the pleasure of visiting Valter Fissore at Elvio Cogno in Novello right next to the town of Barolo. After the obligatory cellar tour, which can be more or less humdrum depending on the producer, we settled into our seats in the tasting room. Cogno produces some solid Barolo and a classic Dolcetto (and a barbera without the oak overdose.) But, we didn’t know we would be in for a little close encounter of the white kind.
There is a Piemontese grape called Nascetta, which I tried for the first time just a few days prior to this tasting at Cogno. Valter told us that they were the first producer to ever bottle the nascetta back in 1994 and single handedly fought for that little engine of a grape that could to rise from vino di tavola (table wine) status to a Langhe Bianco DOC. It will soon bear its own Nascetta label. We tasted the most recent vintage as he spoke of how nascetta is an age-worthy wine and can stand up to 10 years in the bottle. He had just completed a vertical tasting of all their nascetta wines going back to the late nineties. With our eyebrows raised, he sensed a challenge. Did we want to try the 2001 Nascetta he had in the cellar? Um, yes please.
Valter returned to the table with a single bottle in hand. He informed us that it was the last bottle. The last bottle. Ever. A crazy concept for me to wrap my head around although I know that the last bottle of something is being opened somewhere every day. It’s just rare that I am the one enjoying its opening. There may be someone out there in Italy that purchased a bottle back in 2001 and decided for whatever reason to hold on to it, but I seriously doubt it. The wine was a rich golden color and slightly saline and savory in the mouth. It reminded me of vitovska(!) and vermentino (of which it is thought to be genetically linked.) Cory brought up the fact that this wine could be done in an oxidative style much like a Friulian vitovska and I completely agree.
What a treat! Thanks Valter for cracking open the bottle for the sole purpose of geeking out. Our eyebrows are no longer resting in their upright position.
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Great shot at bottom…perhaps the world’s first bit of Nascetta porn?
love the title!
So glad you were able to visit Valter and Nadia. Wonderful people, and that little white wine is quite a find, eh?
I have discovered Nascetta for myself in 2006 (or was it 2005?) at the last dinner during the Alba Wines Exhibition, when Tom Hyland brought me a glass of a lovely white wine that was being poured at his table – Nadia was there. The next morning I was at the winery (I just had to go there) with Nadia and Valter, and I am closely following their wines since then.
Had your wine in NYC @ Del Posto, loved it. Where can you buy the Nascetta Elvio Cogno in NY?
isn’t it great? (although i didn’t make it!). you should contact the importer- Vias Imports to see where the Nascetta is being sold retail. http://www.viaswine.com
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