Gattinara 2001 Travaglini – A great Nebbiolo at a reasonable price

I am embarrassed. I found Gattinara 2001 Travaglini at a small wine tradeshow here in Dallas. It is a marvelous wine. I do not pretend to know all of the Italian wines. Most likely I have tasted only about 10%, in twenty years, of the wines produced in Italy. Puglia wines have never been my “thing” and Sicilian wines have just recently become worth drinking. The problem is that Gattinara is just a hop skip and a jump away from the area where I spent most of my time. It is more disconcerting that Gattinara 2001 Travaglini is a great wine and that I had never tasted it. How could I have missed this jewel?

The vineyards are located in the foothills of the Alps with Mont Rose in plain site. The mineral composition, thus the complexity of flavors in the wine, of the land is a result of erosion of the Alps that occurred 150 million years ago when the glacier melted. The area is beautiful and the climate rather extreme with the wind rolling off the Alps in the wintertime.

Travaglini has been making wines since the 1950s. The winery has remained in the father through the generational transition and the quality has become better with each year. The wines of Travaglini this year received accolades from both Italian and US associations as one of the top 100 wines of the year.

Gattinara 2001 is 100% Nebbiolo. The color is penetrating and the perfume decisive. I was amazed after tasting the wine to find it in the medium price range. It has a good body without heavy tannins. This would be a great wine for savory foods like wild game, red meats, roasts and aged cheeses. This is a wine worth trying. I am glad I found it and will add it to my cellar.

Grape: 100% Nebbiolo

Color: Deep ruby red with garnet highlights

Bouquet: Aromas of red fruit, blackberry, plum and licorice with hints of vanilla and leather

Flavor: Full-bodied, with intense flavors of cherry, raspberry and spice culminating in a long and smooth finish

Alcohol: 13%

Serving Temperature: 16-18 c.

Glass: Balloon or wide rimmed red wine glass.

Aging: up to 15 years

Tags: Nebbiolo Red Wine Italian Wine Piedmont Sommelier Food and Wine Travel Italy