Nervi 2001 Gattinara (nebbiolo)

Well, I'm sorry to say that this wine was a bit of a disappointment. Wine Library has recently been reviewing nebbiolo and Gary was very enthusiastic about this varietal. I'm not sure if it's a difference in palates or if this wine just wasn't a good example. I was actually expecting something bigger and more full bodied, so maybe the mistake was my own expectations. I opened this wine to have with a spinach lasagna. The lasagna was also lighter than I expected, with a sauce that was very vegetal (lots of aromatic vegetables). It was very good, just less tomato and less hearty than I expected. so, while the pairing was a bit of an accident, the food and wine actually matched better than it might have. This wine was fairly delicate and reminded me of pinot noir more than anything. It had a lovely tawny red current color, which was light and transparent. On the nose there was current, strawberry, violets maybe some rose petal and definitely some forrest smells. The taste was true to the nose with soft tannins and nice acidity. It was reminiscent of a pinot noir, but more tannic and with a bit more oomph. I actually liked this wine, but more as Italy's answer to burgundy. I'm uncertain on the price, because Michael picked this up for me at Total Wines in Atlanta. The wine I asked for was a Nervi Gattinara 2001 Vigneto Molsino at $24. I can't find Vigneto Molsino anywhere on the label, but Nervi does make a whole range of nebbiolo and nebbiolo blend wines, so I'm probably not too far off on the price. I'd try this (or a different nebbiolo) again, mainly to explore the varietal further.