L.A. CETTO | Nebbiolo | Private Reserve | 2015
nebbiolo

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Tonight we are going to review a wine that is a rarity even in its homeland in México – Nebbiolo Private Reserve 2015 by L.A Cetto Winery. This is a single-varietal nebbiolo wine from the Baja California region, more exactly from Valle De Guadalupe. Nebbiolo is a very old grape and one of Italy’s most important red grape varieties that produces the famous Barolo and Barbaresco wines in Piedmont, known for their pale color (as pale as pinot noir), delicate aromatics and grippy tannins. The name ‘nebbiolo‘ derives from italian ‘nebbia‘, which means ‘fog‘. It is possible that the name is related to the white, powder-like natural bloom found on the grape berries that appears during harvest season, or maybe it is related to the fact that the best nebbiolo sites are located high on the hills, above the fog line that covers the most of the vineyards in Piemonte. Along with its thin skins, there are other parallels with pinot noir, as nebbiolo is also incredibly difficult to grow and manage, as it flowers early, ripens late and can struggle to ripen fully in all but the sunniest sites. It also seems to prefer specific hillside locations and clay or silt-based soils. Also similar to pinot noir, nebbiolo is considered to be a “terroir-expressive” variety, in that it picks up more of the earth, soil, and climate characteristics as compared to other grape varieties, which means that it can taste wildly different depending on where it is grown. This particular wine here has been aged for 14 months in medium toasted french oak barrels and was made out of nebbiolo grapes that were sourced from 40-years-old vines. That said and without further ado, let’s take a look at the wine tasting results.
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Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:

//Visual
colour: deep ruby color
clarity: hazy garnet shades

//Olfactory
intensity: pronounced & savory
fruit profile: red fruits | berry fruits
__red fruits: sour cherry | cranberry | red plum | redcurrant | pomegranate skin
__berry fruits: goji berry | wolfberry | wildberry | berberry | dried cranberry
fruit character: overripe & dried

//Flavor
non fruit: spice | oak | sweet | savory | earthy
__spice: red pepper | cloves | anise | thyme
__oak: sun-dried oakwood | rooibos tea
__sweet: candied sour cherry
__savory: brown olive | old leather
__earthy: clay | loam | marl
primary layer: fruity-savory

//Palate
sweetness: dry
acidity: high
alcohol: high
tannin: high
__grip: seedy
balance: good
__dominant: alcohol
body: grippy | medium+

//Taste
fruit profile: red & berry fruits
fruit character: overripe & dried
non fruit: spice & savory & earthy
finish: medium+
aftertaste: seedy

//Scoring
L.A. CETTO | Nebbiolo | Private Reserve | 2015
variety: nebbiolo
country: México
region: Baja California | Valle De Guadalupe
rating: 93.7

//Conclusion
maturity: in its prime | drink now | do not age
verdict: great | a must try wine
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This is definitely a great wine of Mexico and, with a total of 93.7 points scored, this wine is right there, among the best wines we’ve rated so far. Check our complete database on the wine rating page, where you can find all the wines that we have tasted and reviewed or go to the about us page and find out more about our exquisite rating system.

Verdict: this is a quite seedy and heady nebbiolo wine, as it feels firm, delicate and savory, with a rich and overripe nose and a very nuanced, grippy mouthfeel – a wine that is is right there, at the peak of its form, therefore we would recommend to drink it sooner rather than later, as we firmly believe that it is always better to drink a wine a year too soon than a day too late. On the nose the wine delivers a nuanced, savory-earthy accent, mixed with notes of overripe and dried red fruits to the foreground, followed by some very subtle, spicy and slightly oaky hints in the background. On the palate the wine displays crisp acidity, seedy but grippy and fine-grained tannins, and quite a touch of alcoholic warmth that is showing through on the mouthfeel, all of which leads to a very appealing, seedy aftertaste. All in all, this is a quite ample, deep and bold nebbiolo wine (which is unusual), that in its current state lacks finesse and elegance on the palate and any form of varietal typicity. Taking into account the wine’s flavour profile and its structure, we believe it will pair nicely with spicy meats, like for example a rosemary-garlic flank steak. Enjoy!

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