Gaja Gromis Conteisa Cerequio Barolo 1991

Simply put, Angelo Gaja is Mr Piedmont.  His wines are some of the most sought after Nebbiolos and more recently Chardonnays coming out of the region.  Founded in 1859, he is the 4th generation in his family to control the operation.  Most famous for his Barbaerscos, the bottling today is a Cru (single vineyard) Barolo.  Barolo and Barbaersco are town communes within the region of Piedmont, and what separates them is simply a little space, Barolo is southwest of the town of Alba and Barbaresco is Northeast from the town of Alba.  Gromis refers to the family that owned the famous vineyard space where these grapes were sourced, Conteisa translates to 'quarrel' in regards to the Cerequio vineyard which is shared by the communes of both La Morra and Barolo proper.  By legal definition a Barolo and Barbaresco are both 100% Nebbiolo.

Visually Nebbiolo is a very fun wine to analyze.  The grape itself is very thin skinned, much like pinot noir, and so the pigment is not very deep or dark.  The wine is still bright with a light ruby color.  Nebbiolo also looses its color quickly, and the rim on this 19 year old example is very classic.  Much browning/rusting to the color towards the rim with a very defined water rim at the edge.  The legs were firm with very little staining due to the thin skins.  The wine definitely threw sediment out of the bottle as well.

What an amazing nose this wine has, from minute one out of the bottle through a couple hours in a decanter.  Very complex leaning on all of the classic markers for a Nebbiolo.  Very floral dark roses and pure black cheeries, very earthy porcini mushrooms and a pronounced tar element on the nose.  Loads of spice nuances emerged with time including tea spices, herb sticks, ginger/root beer, and black licquorice.  Truely a wine you could just smell and be happy.
The flavors were pure and the palate of this wine was nearly perfect.  The precise notes were all emphasized, and every flavor was spot on and integrated perfectly.  Very bright with amzingly preserved acidity, while still having the grip of heavy tannins.  Nebbiolo is intrigueing because of this fact, both high in acid and tannin, a big reason why they age so well.  This is the kind of wine wehre you don't describe it by flavors but moreso emotions, it makes you feel good.  An iron fist in a velvet glove is a great example. 
Although somewhat pricey and requires some detective work to source, a wine of this magnitude is definitely worth the work, one sip will tell you that.

Most of the citizens of Alba would tell you to have Agnolotti in a butter broth with truffles shaved on to finish, simple and pure.  I like where they are going with that idea.  I could drink this wine on its own, but the powerful palate really does call for food.  I had bacon potato and steak pizza last night with it and loved the flavors.  Salute!