PV Tasting Notes
All of the wines of Montalbera offer particularly expressive aromatics and the 2008 Limpronta is no exception. This is a stunning range of wines, added to which this Limpronta is their flagship wine, oak aged and offering awesome purity in its perfume and flavours, packed with layers of rose petal, ripe freshly cut strawberry fruit, sweet toasted oak, red cherry and violets seemingly dusting everything. The palate is concentrated, full bodied, with elongated tannins, voluptuously textured with extraordinary purity, this is a monumental Ruche, seemingly already fully integrated and packed with strawberry jam, vanilla, spice, lavender, hints of road tar and light dustings of mineral. The wealth of fruit here clearly deals with the tannins and totally masks the 15% alcohol, I’m not certain it will improve beyond 2020 but who cares, once tasted who could resist its provocative charms, this has an almost over the top richness, beautiful femininity and a lightness of being which brings an immediate appeal. Tasted February 2011.
Independent Review96 Points Luca Maroni | Annuario Dei Miglioi Vini Italiani 2011
What fabulous aroma: a fruit of clarity and brilliance olfactory absolutely clear, as few others intense. Excellent quality immediately, intensely impressive for the oenological execution and the basic raw material.
This wine would best suit Rabbit and walnut linguine, Duck rillettes with duck breast, pickled mushrooms and parsnip and apple purée, Slow-cooked duck with duck fat chips and gravy, Duck confit, Crispy duck pancakes, Smoked duck and watercress salad with wholegrain mustard dressing, Pan-fried duck breast with cherry sauce, Roast turkey crown, Turkey braised in red wine, Turkey roasted in honey, Pheasant with red wine and onions, Cavalo nero with pheasant, Roast pheasant with chestnut mash and honeyed parsnips, Pomme sauté with creamed leeks and pan fried partridge, Roast grouse with pâté and bread sauce, or saddle of venison.
Azienda Agricola Montalbera was started at the beginning of the 20th Century. They have had a single goal for the past decade, “taste for excellence” and have set about achieving this goal with a really obscure grape varietal. Makes you think, they’re either crazy or geniuses, but decidedly full of passion. Still virtually unknown outside of Italy, but becoming recognised within the country by all of the wine guides, it will not be long before Montalbera gain the international recognition they truly deserve. Planted predominately with Ruche and a certain amount of Grignolino, they currently produce 55% of worldwide production of Ruche, I suppose it would naturally figure that they would be the best with this varietal, but recent inward investment developments and increases in quality have been nothing short of stellar. Their goal is now to present Ruche as “the other face of Piedmont” competing with Barolo and Barbaresco, to be perfectly honest, I don’t know if this is possible, but for pure drinkability and early appeal, these offer instant hedonistic appeal.