Barboursville Reserve Nebbiolo 2015
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James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker
Product Details
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Winemaker Notes
Perfect with oven-roasted veal strip loin with ragu of fresh morels, roasted rack of lamb with reduction of Nebbiolo and blackberry, and pan-roasted duck breast with dried cherry sauce.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A solid nebbiolo with dried-strawberry, floral, cedar and chocolate character. Very firm and chewy tannins. Sleek and racy. Needs time to resolve the tannins. Serious red. Drink in 2020.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2015 Nebbiolo Reserve was aged for 12 months in 40% new French barriques and comes in at 13.5% alcohol. Typically my personal favorite wine in Barboursville's lineup, this has its usual acidity and astringency, but the rest is completely closed for business. The mid-palate finesse seems fine, but the mid-palate is currently overwhelmed by the power. That can and will change. Opening with a bit of earth and smoke, it resolves into a hard-edged wine that simply needs about five years in the cellar. Sometimes these are hard to read young. This was a year with lots of difficulties in many Virginia terroirs (much more so in the North, though, most said to me), but this looks good and I'm optimistic about it. It may not become a great vintage here, but it should be a very good one. Today, though, even a fair bit of air just made it harder. I will say that another hour more finally saw this starting to open up. You are well advised, though, to come back around 2022 and see where we are. I suspect this will overtake last year's in time, but it is less than clear. This lacks the 2014's elegance and crisp edge, but it has far better concentration. Which one comes into better balance around 2025? They might both be nice, but the 2014 is certainly better today. Right now, leaning up on this 2015 seems advisable, but it is all about its potential. It may age better than anticipated, but let's be a bit conservative for the moment.
Other Vintages
2019-
James
Suckling
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James
Suckling
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Wine
Enthusiast -
James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker
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Robert
Parker
Responsible for some of the most elegant and age-worthy wines in the world, Nebbiolo, named for the ubiquitous autumnal fog (called nebbia in Italian), is the star variety of northern Italy’s Piedmont region. Grown throughout the area, as well as in the neighboring Valle d’Aosta and Valtellina, it reaches its highest potential in the Piedmontese villages of Barolo, Barbaresco and Roero. Outside of Italy, growers are still very much in the experimentation stage but some success has been achieved in parts of California. Somm Secret—If you’re new to Nebbiolo, start with a charming, wallet-friendly, early-drinking Langhe Nebbiolo or Nebbiolo d'Alba.
Diversity of landscape, terrain and climate make Virginia one of the most exciting American wine producing states today. Its viticultural history reaches as far back as 1607 when early settlers made the first wine from indigenous American grapes.
Thomas Jefferson imported the first French varieties to Virginia and grew the Vitis vinifera species (the European species), though not with great success.
Today, however, increased knowledge and optimal vineyard management techniques bring prosperity with a great number of diverse varieties. Virginia’s varied landscape has created seven distinct AVAs (American Viticultural Areas).
Encouraged by an enthusiastic state government, fine wine production in Virginia continues to flourish. The state achieves success with a variety of wine types and styles including sparkling wines, Bordeaux Blends, Nebbiolo, Chardonnay, Viognier and less common whites like Petit Manseng and Vermentino.