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What We Say 2005 'Morassino' Barbaresco DOCG
SUPERIOR WINE ALERT:
Today’s exclusive selection is made from fruit sourced from the famed OVELLO Vineyard, a Cru primarily owned by Angelo Gaja, the most famed and innovated producers in all of the Piedmont. Today’s wine allows you to taste this exceptional fruit without spending your child’s college fund or cashing in your 401K.
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Mission Codename: OVELLO OMG!
Operative: Agent White & Agent Fog
Objective: Secure a very special, delicious and exclusive Barbaresco for our operatives.
Mission Status: Accomplished!
Current Winery: Cascina Morassino
Wine Subject: 2005 ‘Morassino’ Barbaresco DOCG
Winemakers: Sergio Molino & Roberto Bianco
Backgrounder:
The wines of the Barbaresco DOCG are made from 100% Nebbiolo grapes. Nebbiolo, native to the Piedmont in north-west Italy and cultivated in the region since the 13th century is generally a softer more elegant wine than its heavier brethren Barolo. The late ripening Nebbiolo is known to be highly influenced by various soil and vineyard conditions, with the wines from the best vineyard sites having sublime character.
The Nebbiolo grapes in this wine, considered the greatest of all Italian grapes, must be aged for a minimum of two years, of which one year must be oak or chestnut barrels. Barbaresco has exceptioanl aging qualities with the best wines having 40+ years of potential. Both Barbaresco and Barolo are considered to be among the finest wines in Italy.
Wine Spies Tasting Profile:
Look – Deep ruby red with slight garnet and violet tints. Ruby red streaks of light shine through this wine’s clear core and along the edges to color progresses through orange-brick to ruby and then pink. When swirled, slow medium thick legs descend to the wine below at different speeds.
Smell – Rich, complex and brooding on the nose with balanced aromas of red and black fruit, wild anise, toasted oak and hints of floral violets and smokey savory herbs.
Feel – Highly textured in its initial attack, this dry wine begs to be decanted, once open, the etched structure softens leaving into smooth fine grained powder fine tannins, solid acidity and complex minerality.
Taste – Subtle finesse in its flavor profile, almost austere, characteristically a bit tight initially (this wine is young by Barbaresco standards) and felt before tasted with red and black cherry, savory spices, toasted oak, dried flowers and smoked herbs mingling over the palate and framed by its solid structure.
Finish – Extremely long, this wine’s complex flavors fade gracefully as the powder fine tannins and structure lingering for several minutes longer.
Conclusion – The 2005 Cascina Morassino ‘Morassino’ Barbaresco DOCG is a delicious, and relatively affordable way to taste some of the finest Nebbiolo fruit available. While this wine is way too young at present time, it is still a delicious experience. If you plan on enjoying this wine now, take a sip upon opening, then let it rest for an hour or so or decant it. We paired this wine with pappardelle with porcini mushroom and white truffle oil.
Mission Report:
Agent Fog reporting… I am exctied to present for your consideration a Barbaresco made from some of the finest Nebbiolo grapes available in the Piedmont. The OVELLO registered CRU is mainly owned by Angelo Gaja and Produttori del Barbaresco (the huge and famous co-op). This is a very special wine and worthy of your cellar. I’ve secured a very limited allocation exclusive for The Wine Spies so be sure to secure your allocation and if you have the patience, keep it in your cellar unlike Agent White who was so excited about this wine that he had to open it up right away.
Wine Spies Vineyard Check:
The location of the Ovello Vineyard in the Barbaresco DOCG can be seen in this satellite photo.
What the Winery Says
Cascina Morassino
Awards & Accolades:
Today’s selection is made from a vineyard shared with the famed Gaja – perhaps the most sublime of all Barbaresco.
About This Wine:
A registered single vineyard Barbaresco of ruby red colour with strong garnet/orange hues.
The nose is complex and intense. Violets, cherries, licorice, anise, oriental spices with a lightly toasted note.
The palate is austere although smoothened by elegant tannins, thanks to the extensive age of the vines. A lengthy finish renders this wine pleasant and enjoyable now, despite it’s inclination to aging, which can reach up to 40 years on good vintages.
Note: Do not confuse this wine with Morassino’s regular Barbaresco – The wine is made from the Morassino portion of the OVELLO vineyard…so it is a sub-plot. The OVELLO registered CRU is mainly owned by Gaja and Produttori del Barbaresco.
About The Winery:
The ten acre Cascina Morassino farm is located in the steep Ovello zone of Barbaresco proper. Run by Roberto Bianco, age 38, and his father Mauro, it is one of Barbaresco’s oldest producers. Though Roberto continues to attentively adapt to each vintage, more aged examples show that his father Mauro did things spectacularly well in the pure, old fashioned style. Needless to say, Roberto and Maura do everything themselves. They would never even think of passing off vineyard work to someone else.
Roberto Bianco is a genuine farmer and producer of enormous integrity. The Langhe has seen its wines undergo enormous manipulations to meet the demands of the market, to garner accolades from the press. Roberto has ignored all of this (though he has not passed unrecognized), opting to focus on naturally made wine with a keen attention to detail and respect for the inherent characteristics of Nebbiolo.
Roberto’s wines show the unique, fragrant side of Nebbiolo but they never lose the spicy grip. These wines show that Barbaresco in the modern day does not have to give up its deeper roots. Two selections of Barbaresco are made at Cascina Morassino: one from the Morassino vineyard (in the Ovello zone) and the other from remaining vineyards and labeled as Ovello. The Morassino is the more delicate of the two (the Ovello coming from harder soils and is more extracted and more tannic, and is aged in barrique). Aging for the Morassino is entirely in 15 hectolitre casks for 2 years while vinification takes place in stainless steel. Roberto disdains the use of enzymes and other additives, though he admits to have experimented with small lots of wine using them. “Nebbiolo must be pure. There are not shortcuts,” he says.
Technical Analysis:
Appellation: Barbaresco DOCG
Vineyard: Ovello Vineyard, Morassino Plot; (The OVELLO registered CRU is mainly owned by Gaja and Produttori del Barbaresco Co-Op). 1.6 hectares; Planted in the 1970s; Elevation: 270-300 mt; Exposure: South-west; Soil: Medium Clay
Varietals: 100% Nebbiolo
Winemakers: Sergio Molino / Roberto Bianco
Malolactic: 100%
Cooperage: 24 Months in 25hl French Oak
Alcohol: 14.5
