Our first drop of the 2005 Renato Ratti Barolo Marcenasco from an order we placed back in June recently arrived and I was anxious to try out a bottle. After all, though one reviewer only scored it 91 points, Wine Spectator awarded it 96 points and a Rank of 7 on this year's Top 100 Wines of 2009 and I was curious to find out where my opinion fell.

This past weekend, my wife wanted to enjoy a nice pasta dish, but something unique that we haven't made or ordered before. While I looked over the wines I recently brought home, my wife read aloud the various pasta recipes listed in a new cookbook we received as a gift. When she mentioned the egg tagliatelle with chestnuts, pancetta and sage I quickly glanced at the Marcenasco and decided that would be our meal for the night and the perfect opportunity to pop this wine.

Sometimes a recently released wine can be 'closed' or 'locked up', and sometimes it can be very 'forward' and full of primary traits. The bottle I opened Saturday night exhibited a little of both. It took a lot of coaxing to get anything out of the nose during the 2 hours I had it decanted. Perhaps a slight floral perfume with light red fruit emerged and I could understand where one might be reluctant to give a high score based on this alone. However, the palate had a core of juicy red cherries coated in dark chocolate that melted in your mouth, followed by tar, incense and spice on the finish. These flavors, along with the velvety tannins and solid structure allowed me to understand why one might award a high score to this wine as well.

But it was the pairing of this Nebbiolo with our pasta dish that took the Marcenasco from a 96 point Barolo to a 100 point experience instantly. The flavors and textures of this dish (the earthiness of the chestnuts in particular) complimented and enhanced the flavors of this wine to such a degree that the concept of 'leftovers' no longer existed in our minds. We were in true bliss.

At only $59.95 per bottle, how could someone not want to enjoy an experience like this as well. We have a few cases left for future arrival this spring and I highly suggest grabbing some up to enjoy both now and over the next decade?I'll even email you the recipe for the dish.