Travaglini - Gattinara Riserva DOCG 2011

Travaglini - Gattinara Riserva DOCG 2011 (91+ TSW)

Travaglini is the largest producer in the small production area of Gattinara. They make refined wines that are bottled in bottles with a special curved shape.

Travaglini has been making wine since 1920 in Gattinara, a docg for Nebbiolo in "Alto Piemonte", in the north of Piedmont, south of Switzerland. They are therefore also called "mountain nebbiolo", although the winegrowing here on the foothills of the Alps mainly takes place between 320 and 420 meters, so no higher than, for example, in Barolo.

Travaglini wines have a finer structure than average in Barolo, although they can mature for a long time. They are very precise and refined wines with great subtlety and made with a strong eye for detail. This is evident from the special bottle shape designed by Travaglini in 1958, in which the Gattinaras are bottled. The aim is that older wines do not have to be decanted because the sediment remains in the belly of the bottle.

The soil is rocky with abundant minerals of iron which give the tipical reddish colour to the indigenous rock. The grapes are crushed and macerated for about 15 days in stain-less steel tanks at controlled temperature. The wine is aged for 4 years. 3 years in oak casks of different origin and sizes, then rests in the bottle for 8 months. Only produced in the best vintages.

My tasting notes:

In the glass a light transparant garnet red color.
On the medium(+) nose aromas of blackberries, dark cherries, plums and spices with hints of liquorice, cedar, vanilla and young leather.
On the palate dry, full-bodied with medium(+) acidity and medium(+) stringent tannins. Flavours are a recall of the nose with still alot of black fruits. The finish is long and persistent. When drinking the wine at this age you have to decant the wine for min. 2 hours. Still a baby.