Ken Schramm
Ken Schramm
Recent bottles.
JPB 2010 Morgon: Luscious. Complex like a perfect berry compote without the RS. Jean and I have been on a Nebbiolo jag lately, but this disappeared in a heartbeat, with several “damn-this-is good”s along the way. My last bottle of a half dozen, as à point a bottle as anything I have had this year. Regrettably underbought and overdrank [sic].
Rennato Ratti 2018 Nebbiolo Langhe Ochetti: After the JPB, this and several other bottles have made me keenly aware of how much $20-$30 wine would benefit measurably from 5-10 years in the cellar. Decent enough off the bat - giving and inviting, the fruit is true to the variety (strawberry, morello cherry, raspberry) and not crushed by tannins or reductive tautness - but the second glass is so much better after 90 minutes of air.
Produttori del Barbaresco 2016 Barbaresco: I don’t know if I own enough of this wine. It surely has the stuff to go 20, but I cannot keep my hands off them. 2016 seems to be as close to ideal in the Piedmont as I can imagine. Beautiful, expanding over time, plenty of structure but composed elegantly and sooo drinkable now. Jean loves the balance of fruit-to-dustiness of Nebbiolo, and this is right in her wheelhouse. Makes me wonder if I’ve met Peter Gabriel in High School, although I should probably reserve that kind of praise until I’ve tasted more of the single vineyard stuff from this vintage. The Montestefano absolutely rocked, but I didn’t take notes.
Sottimano 2011 Barbaresco Currá: Aromatically powerful and appealing. The palate is another story. A Gordian knot of tannin and oak, fruit begins to emerge and becomes somewhat pleasant after 2 hours of air. Only bottle in this list I don’t know if I would recommend investing in. Any judgment would be premature. I could try to blather on about fruits and nuances, but everything is a prisoner for now. Put this under a blanket for at least five more years. Diametrically opposed to the previous bottle, yet five years older.
Barricci Colombaio 2018 Rosso de Montalcino: Looks and smells like I expect Sangiovese to look and smell; light, somewhat soft-spoken, enticingly rich and multi-faceted. This, too, unfolds and blossoms over an hour on the table, both aromatically and on the tongue.
On the Riesling front, thanks to everyone on the board for the '18 and'19 Falkenstein advocacy. Got a firm love affair going there now. It is painfully hard not to devastate that pile.
JPB 2010 Morgon: Luscious. Complex like a perfect berry compote without the RS. Jean and I have been on a Nebbiolo jag lately, but this disappeared in a heartbeat, with several “damn-this-is good”s along the way. My last bottle of a half dozen, as à point a bottle as anything I have had this year. Regrettably underbought and overdrank [sic].
Rennato Ratti 2018 Nebbiolo Langhe Ochetti: After the JPB, this and several other bottles have made me keenly aware of how much $20-$30 wine would benefit measurably from 5-10 years in the cellar. Decent enough off the bat - giving and inviting, the fruit is true to the variety (strawberry, morello cherry, raspberry) and not crushed by tannins or reductive tautness - but the second glass is so much better after 90 minutes of air.
Produttori del Barbaresco 2016 Barbaresco: I don’t know if I own enough of this wine. It surely has the stuff to go 20, but I cannot keep my hands off them. 2016 seems to be as close to ideal in the Piedmont as I can imagine. Beautiful, expanding over time, plenty of structure but composed elegantly and sooo drinkable now. Jean loves the balance of fruit-to-dustiness of Nebbiolo, and this is right in her wheelhouse. Makes me wonder if I’ve met Peter Gabriel in High School, although I should probably reserve that kind of praise until I’ve tasted more of the single vineyard stuff from this vintage. The Montestefano absolutely rocked, but I didn’t take notes.
Sottimano 2011 Barbaresco Currá: Aromatically powerful and appealing. The palate is another story. A Gordian knot of tannin and oak, fruit begins to emerge and becomes somewhat pleasant after 2 hours of air. Only bottle in this list I don’t know if I would recommend investing in. Any judgment would be premature. I could try to blather on about fruits and nuances, but everything is a prisoner for now. Put this under a blanket for at least five more years. Diametrically opposed to the previous bottle, yet five years older.
Barricci Colombaio 2018 Rosso de Montalcino: Looks and smells like I expect Sangiovese to look and smell; light, somewhat soft-spoken, enticingly rich and multi-faceted. This, too, unfolds and blossoms over an hour on the table, both aromatically and on the tongue.
On the Riesling front, thanks to everyone on the board for the '18 and'19 Falkenstein advocacy. Got a firm love affair going there now. It is painfully hard not to devastate that pile.
