Antonio Vallana, Spanna Traversagna, Piedmont

Orange brick red. Volatile acidity was pronounced at first but after 30 minute decant it was nice. Very good acidity (not a surprise) with good balance and fine elegant flavors. Fine sweet red fruit. Earth and menthol. Lightweight but it went well with veal cutlets in butter. Don’t drink this with rich meats. Chicken or veal or veggie with lots get flavors will be great. It was so good to try this wine. Such a pleasure.

Tasted double blind. Brief note. Pours a fully mature ruby red with significant orange rims. Nose and palate are fully mature but still alive and kicking showing toffee, raisins, prunes, plenty of red cherry, cinnamon and allspice, and cedar with time. Midpalate is still well structured with driving acid and fine drying tannins yet remains so feminine and elegant at the same time. Long finish is spice and red fruit driven and unlike the palate on entry which shows some …

Cellar raiding at Jeff's : Thought this was a bit tired and showed a lot of oxidative/maderized notes, though a few others liked it more.

Very different from any other old Nebbiolo I've drunk. Double-decanted, it began to show well after about 8 hours. Deep color. Rich, almost very slightly muddy in texture. Herbal, chinato-like nose. Coffee and cocoa in taste. Very enjoyable, perhaps most because it balanced all of these earthier qualities with a tremendous freshness.

In the glass it felt vibrant and young. It had such a lovely perfume, so clean and well defined. Elegant chamomile aromas mingled with well-worn road tar, and beyond that there was something on the nose that the next wine also shared, something that for lack of a better word I will call poignancy. By this I mean that the essence of the wine burst forth from the glass as if it had something incredibly important to say, and it …