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What We Say 2005 Nebbiolo
If you are visiting us for the first time, Welcome! The Wine Spies feature one exceptional wine each day – and we only bring you wines that we ourselves seek out and love. Sign up for our Daily Dispatch email above to be the first to know about our wines. The wines are great. Sometimes greater than great, as is the case with today’s wine from Jacuzzi Family Vineyards.
Mission Codename: The Piedmont Connection
Operative: Agent White
Objective: Find a California Wine With True Italian Heritage
Mission Status: Accomplished!
Current Winery: Jacuzzi Family Vineyards
Wine Subject: 2005 Nebbiolo
Wine Spies Tasting Profile:
Look – Intense, dark purple, almost black and with an inky quality. Thick robust legs when the wine is swirled.
Smell – Big fruit forward aromas of cherry pie, blackberries and a spicy note.
Feel – Rich, full bodied and, despite having firm tannins that stick to the roof of your mouth this wine is quite smooth as you enjoy it. The bouquet deceives you into thinking that this wine would have a little bite.
Taste – Great balanced flavors indicative of the varietal with cherries, blackberries, plums and a hint of leather and spice.
Finish – This wine finishes rich and smooth, inviting another sip, perhaps even larger gulps. Again, the smell misleads you into thinking this wine is going to kick you in the mouth, yet it has a surprisingly subtle finish
Conclusion – A great wine from a great varietal. Personally, the wines of the Piedmont are among my favorite, and this wine stands well with those traditional Italian greats. If you are a fan of big reds, then this is a wine worth tasting. it will pair well with lamb, game and hearty stews. This wine, can be drunk young but has the quality to age for several years.
Backgrounder:
Nebbiolo is one of the great varietals of Italy and is the principal grape of Barbera and Barbaresco. What makes this wine so unique is that the Nebbiolo grapes have proven to be one of the most difficult to grow outside of the Piedmont. Jacuzzi has done an exceptional job with this effort as it demonstrates the unique flavor characteristics of the grape.
Nebbiolo is most notably known for making smoky and rich Barolos and elegant and often feminine Barbaresco. The Nebbiolo grape thrives along the hillsides and valleys along the Po river (Italy’s longest) in the Piedmont (meaning foothill) region. The weather, especially the winter’s inversion fog, mildly warm summers and long falls are ideal as this grape tends to ripen late in the harvest season. The location of the Jacuzzi vineyard in Sonoma’s fabled Carneros region, provides a similar climate for this California version of this classic grape.
Incidentally, upon opening our samples for our tasting we noticed large crystals on the cork. We haven’t discussed this much at The Wine Spies, but it should be noted that the crystals that look like sugar or rock candy are tartaric acid crystals and are neither harmful to you or the wine. Tartaric acid is a naturally occurring component in wine and is in many cases it is filtered to the detriment of the wine. And, to us, these crystals make the wine have a distinctly more Old World feel and charm. We love wines with crystals, and we love this wine.
Wine Spies Technical Wine Analysis
Harvest Date: October 21, 2005
Brix at Harvest: 26.4
pH: 3.22
Titratable Acidity: .75
Residual Sugar by weight: .28%
Alcohol % Volume: 15.0
Cases Produced: 590
Release Date: June, 2007
Wine Spies Vineyard Check:
The location of the Jacuzzi Family Vineyard can be seen in this satellite photo.
What the Winery Says
Jacuzzi Family Vineyards
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Awards and Accolades:
Previous vintages of this wine received the following awards:
2004 Nebbiolo, Carmeros
Silver — Los Angeles County Fair, 2006
Bronze — West Coast Wine Competition, 2006
2002 Nebbiolo, Sonoma Coast
Silver — Sonoma County Harvest Fair, 2004
Winemakers Comments
As of 2001 there existed only 186 acres of this rare grape in California. Often the last grapes to be picked for the year, our Nebbiolo has generous notes of pomegranate, plum and crisp bright cherry with tobacco nuances and good acidity. The previous vintage (2004) won a Silver Medal at the L.A. County Fair in 2006.
About This Wine
Grown primarily in the Piemonte region of Italy, Nebbiolo is often expressed as Barolo and Barbaresco. Here, we grow Nebbiolo in our Sonoma-Carneros vineyards. Blanketed with fog, often until noon, from April until Fall ensures a cool and long growing season. These grapes are often the last to be picked for the year. Several different varieties are planted in this four acre, east facing hillside. Soils are well drained Franciscan clay-loam.
The Carneros Vineyard
Located in Sonoma-Carneros, Jacuzzi Family Vineyards sits on 190 acres at Arnold Drive. Sonoma volcanic soil and adobe clay combined with the Pacific fog and coastal wind are what sets this appellation apart.
The cool temperature is tempered by the proximity of the San Pablo Bay. This area has long been known
for producing outstanding Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. It’s also been a great growing region for our Barbera and Sangiovese.
Fermentation and Aging
Grapes are de-stemmed with minimal crushing. Must is pumped to a temperature controlled stainless steel tank and inoculated with a pure strain of wine yeast to ensure complete and healthy fermentation. The grapes are pressed and the juice is then moved to a settling tank. Within a few days the wine is racked from the settling tank and moved to a combination of new French oak barrels and neutral cooperage for 15 months. The wine is racked once more during the course of its barrel aging and then moved to a tank for bottling.
About The Winery
The new 18,000-square-foot, rustic-Italian stone structure is inspired by the Jacuzzi family home in Udine, Italy.
The winery sits on 190 acres in the Carneros region of Sonoma at Arnold Drive across from Cline Cellars.
The winery honors the family, Italian immigrants, who came to America in the early 1900s.
