8/12/2008

“We aim to put the soil in the bottle,” says Giorgio Pelissero, whose Piedmontese wines are now available in Australia.  He is not being literal, of course: what he means is he wants you to taste the differences in his nebbiolo based Pelissero wines from different soils in Barbaresco region. The ’04 Nubiola Barbaresco ($100) is a blend of vineyards and more the grape than the soil but his single-vineyard wines are expressions of the sites. The ’04 Vanotu Barbaresco ($165) is fine, fleshy and graceful and comes from limestone soil on a sloping site facing full south at 300-350 metres. It’s one of Barbaresco’s most highly regarded sites, says Pelissero. The other is Tulin, a stronger, tighter, more tannic style of Barbaresco, which comes from a very steep south-facing site on red clay at 350- 450 metres. I like all Pelissero’s wines, including his most affordable, the ’06 Barbera d’Alba Piani ($48). A savoury, earthy, ferrous nose and soft, rich, fleshy palate: a typical Piedmontese red. Importer is Global Fine Wines, 9449 5131