Porter’s Wine Blog

Villadoria Barolo 1999 Riserva Serralunga D’Alba

Tight nose that could either open up in ten years or completely fall apart. Drink now with low expectations and great abandon, and prepare for a delicate and joyous wine filled with red fruits and accented by scents and flavors of copper, orange, and coniferous greenery. Note that this wine should not give expectations of viscosity or great length in the mouth, but should instead allow for varied interpretations of its aromas and flavors amongst a group of interested friends and highly complex cuisines ranging from strong fishes to lightly seasoned meats.

$39.99 at T.B. Ackerson Wines 7.5/10


Villadoria Barbareco Riserva 2001 Serralunga D’Alba

Light tar, roses, and strawberries. Almost invisible tannins. Feels much like a rustic red Burgundy in the mouth. To a few people, this wine is very nearly perfection. To many it will be viewed as a complete miss. The complexity of flavor is present, but the finish is short and the mouth feel is thin. Poured at a tasting, two guests commented, “This is everything I want from wine,” and four commented, “Would it be entirely wrong if I poured this into the spittoon?”

Perhaps the second group of guests should have been prepared to face Nebbiolo’s wonderfully slinky edges which are nearly impossible to describe in sharp terms- Perhaps if billed as “The opposite of all that is Cabernet” this wine would be more well received?

$29.99 at T.B. Ackerson Wines 7.4/10