Sunday 11 August 2013

Roero – Arneis – 2011 – Le Madri – Michele Chiarlo



Arneis is a white Piedmontese variety which used to be used to soften Barolo, hence the synonym Barolo Bianco. As Barolo producers focused on making wine from 100% Nebbiolo, Arneis plantings declined drastically, but have more recently enjoyed a revival as a monovarietal.

A very Sauvignon Blanc-style grassy nose, but with a little chalky peach that might have come from Moscato. Rather bitter on the palate, almost like a salad leaf. Low acid. N1 describes it as like apricot pits, with a lime-like aftertaste; much of the palate seems hollow to me. It filled out slightly when left alone for a day, but we still ended up mixing it with crème de cassis.

The trouble with Arneis is that it can be quite low in acid and overripe; the grapes for this wine were harvested early to avoid that, but this has resulted in a mean, green wine.

71/100   

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