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Showing posts from February, 2012

Gambero Rosso Tre Bicchieri 2012

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Iron C. and Franco Massolino with his incredible 2005 Barolo Vigna Rionda For the fourth year in a row I attend and document Tre Bicchieri - my favorite Italian wine tasting of the year in the Bay Area. Twenty-five years after its first appearance, the Gambero Rosso "Italian Wines" publication now reviews 2,350 producers and 20,000 wines across all of Italy. In 2012, 375 wines took the prestigious Tre Bicchieri ("three glasses") award, slightly fewer than last year's 402. This season I got a good look at a number of 2007 Barolos, but overall the representation from Piedmonte seemed thinner at the SF tasting (not in the Guide). It is almost as if many top producers didn't bother to show up. The warm, approachable and pleasurable across the board, 2007 vintage was in stark contrast to the austere and what they call "classical" 2006. I think both 2007 and 2005 are quite good and enjoyable now or soon, while the 2006 requires more cellaring, but