The 2006 Langhe Nebbiolo Perbacco is gloriously ripe and sweet, with an irresistible core of floral red fruit. This vibrant, medium-bodied wine possesses outstanding balance and also happens to be one of the world’s great values. In this vintage Perbacco has a degree more muscle, structure and ripeness than either 2004 or 2005. Over the last few months the wine has put on a surprising level of weight, and it is a wine that could benefit from further bottle age. Many Barolo producers would kill for a wine like this. In a word: Awesome!! Vietti’s Perbacco is made from Barolo-designated parcels that don’t meet the qualitative standard for the estate’s multi-cru Barolo Castiglione. Perbacco is for all practical purposes a Barolo, but because it its bottled two months earlier than regulations permit, the wine is sold as Langhe Nebbiolo. Anticipated maturity: Anticipated maturity: 2010-2021. Vietti has long been an elite, reference-point producer in Piedmont but in recent years brothers-in-law Luca Currado and Mario Cordero have taken major steps to further elevate the quality of their wines across the board. My tasting with Luca Currado encompassed 20-plus Barolos covering vintages 2005 through 2008, including multiple parcels the estate uses for its multi-vineyard Barolo Castiglione. All of the wines were potentially outstanding and some will doubtless turn out to be profound. Vietti fans have much to look forward to in coming years, the biggest decision here will be making choices among a large number of truly special wines. For starters, the 2005s aren’t too far behind the spectacular 2004s. Unfortunately there will be no Barolo Riserva Villero as the vineyard was damaged by hail. The Barolos are fermented in stainless steel, then racked into French oak barriques for the malolactic fermentations. The wines are then moved into Slavonian oak casks where they complete their aging. Over the last few years Currado has gradually lengthened maceration times and taken a more moderate approach to French oak, while limiting yields dramatically, all of which has resulted in an extremely consistent set of Barolos that are easily among the region’s finest. As an aside, long-time visitors to the property will be happy to learn that a much needed renovation to the tasting room is complete. The new facility is strikingly beautiful. Importer: Remy Cointreau USA, New York, NY; tel. (212) 424-2204

Perbacco is a beautiful expression of Nebbiolo with soft, linear harmony and well defined aromas of black fruit, cola, spice and leather. It tastes compact and firm on the tongue and offers a long, delicious finish. ——M.L.(12/1/2010)—— 90