Most of the producers on my list are more modern than the traditionalists, and more traditional than the modernists. Several lean heavily on the traditional side.
I will look back over the wines when I get a chance. And maybe do a visit in the spring if my schedule will allow.
I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the Brezza wines that I have tried. Blockbusters they are not, but perfumed, silky, complex wines they are.
I just recently had the chance to drink the 2010 Barale Barolo and it was downright lovely. Perfumy red cherry, tar, roses, licorice, etc. Seemed very classic to me.
Does this producer register on people’s radar?
If I were taking your approach, these are the wines I would buy:
Porro Lazzairsco
Vietti Castiglione
Cavallotto Bricco Boshis (a little more than $50 but worth the extra cost)
Marcarini Brunate
Burlotto Barolo
Brovia Barolo
Elvio Cogno Cascina Nuova
Most of these are traditionally made but should start to show well eight to ten years after vintage. I recently had a 2005 Porro Lazzairsco and a 2004 Cavallotto Bricco Boshis that both showed beautifully.
I like that list.
I would add the De Forville Barbarescos, which can be had for less than $30 and are approachable now.
I enjoyed the nose on all three of the Brezza, but would have a hard time describing the nose except for the first basic 2010 Brezza Barolo that seemed to have more dark cherry or red fruits. It seemed a bit lighter on the palate than the other two at first, but the taste stretched on and seemed to become more powerful. Ended with some tar bitterness. The 2010 Brezza Barolo Cannubi had more of a mushroomy ending to it—really enjoyed that flavor–but the acids and tannins really attacked the sides of my mouth. The 2010 Brezza Barolo Sarmassa seemed to be the one with the most powerful start of the three, but was also the one where I felt the tannins the most.
I didn’t put more tasting notes initially because I am really a newbie on tasting Barolo and really appreciate hearing from others on this board who have a great deal of experience. Thanks for the comments and would advise that you take my tasting notes with a large grain of Sale de Cervia.
Matt,
I tasted the Rupestris and Franco 2010 about two weeks ago when visiting Cappellano. They will be released in April 2015. Both deep, dark and amazing wines. I will also buy some for sure.
![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
Horrible plan to buy any Barolo or Barbaresco expecting to enjoy it in less than 10 years. Sometimes it happens, but it’s a fluke and not something you can plan on.
My palate is like yours, but I don’t think it’s a crazy strategy. In the Langhe, they certainly are willing to drink things pretty young.
If you do drink them young, I’d definitely recommend having them with some substantial food, i.e. more than just a few nibbles. Maybe a nice steak or braised venison etc. or at least a nice plate of cured meats and a little hard cheese and some bread. Such food should do a good job at counteracting the tannins. Great mature Barolo is still great with food (albeit maybe subtly different food), but I find it can also ease through the end of a meal before coffee/cheese/dessert merit being considered.
If you want to drink before (say) 2020, then do keep a look out for earlier vintages, which should still be lurking in the system. 1998-2001 should be worth a look (good 1997s should be even better for early drinking, but I’m grumpy today, after having to use a supposedly great 1997 wine to cook with as it, like it’s two predecessors was prematurely aged). 1996s also worth looking for, but I’m still of the belief these are typically for the genuinely long term. The 2007s I tasted were also very open on or soon after release, so they might be worth keeping an eye out for.
Regards
Ian
Keith,
that’s what I thought this past Saturday night (but my constitution crumbled after a bottle of Cedric Bouchard Inflorescence, a 2005 Camille Giroud Bourgogne and some other Rhone valley wine that our guests brought) when I decided to pop a bottle of the '06 Aldo Conterno Cicala. Just pop and pour and the juice was amazing. Emitted awesome perfume of flowers, cherries and tar, whilst on the palate great depth and structure that was nicely masked by sappy cherry fruit. I was surprised. In contrast, I then popped and poured a bottle of the '97 Marcarini Brunate, which on that night was a tannic beast. Luckily, we could not drink most of that, and two nights later, that bottle was singing. My wife drank the last bit clouded with sediment.
Rob – this depends hugely on your budget. The top examples can be pretty pricey. Here are a few options at different price points.
or
If you want to spend a bit more, HDH has some 1990 Aldo Conterno Colonnello’s as well – 24 years old and still youthful.
hdhwine.com and rarewineco.com have more options, but you’ll see they crank up in price pretty rapidly. BTW I’ve bought a lot from hdh and winebid, and have had great experiences very consistently. Actually zero bad bottles out of (I’m afraid to say how many). Winebid is expecially great for trying out just one bottle of something.
Although it’s dangerous to read too much into a single wine, the last of my 3 bottles of 1997 Aldo Conterno Barolo Cicala went into tonight’s ragu, as it had followed the others in being prematurely aged. CT experience doesn’t seem to replicate my experience, but as the 1998 Aldo Conterno Bussia Sopranas from the same order have been better, I’m left wondering whether them seeking earlier drinking wines might have backfired on the 1997s? Heat damage is possible but not something that is a chronic risk in the UK ;¬)
regards
Ian
Like I said, sometimes it happens, but it’s still a fluke…
Not true at all. If you stay out of single vineyard wines, many producers make wines that are very good at 6-8 years of age.
After searching through several threads, I feel this is probably the best one to post this article:
Good Barolo Comes to Those Who Wait
Regardless of what anyone may think about any of the specific wines or their producers, I thought there were some insightful points raised on the wines of Barolo in general. For me personally, the following made me say “ouch!” - The best are structured wines, with layers of complex aromas and flavors, but they will need time to evolve, maybe a decade or more. That will require quite the investment of patience and space — and, for those of us who may be approaching an actuarial precipice, optimism.
At the Spectator New York Wine Experience this past weekend, I had Paolo Scavino Bric del Fiasc 2010 and Vietti Lazzarito 2010, both of which were absolutely tannic beasts (the Scavino being the most).
That said I had several other 2010 Barolos at Vinitaly earlier this year that showed much more accessible. Whether those were producer/style differences, pop/pour issues or the wine is shutting down in the bottle I have no idea, but given my prior experience I was somewhat surprised with what I tasted Friday…
P.S. one of the single most impressive wines of the whole event for me was Elio Grasso’s Barolo Runcot Riserva 2007 – stunning!
Thanks Julius. Interesting that they mentioned not drinking the Cappellano due to the $100 price cutoff. I sure hope that isn’t the case (for the Pie Rupestris)!
I love Barolo. I prefer the ones that exhibit the true nature of the Nebbiolo grape. I don’t care about whether it’s from a modern or traditional producer, as long as it clearly states (or even screams) “I’m Nebbiolo” without overly distracting secondary oak characteristics. That being said, I had the pleasurable opportunity to try the 2010 Sandrone Le Vigne and Cannubi Boschis. Drinking these sent chills down my spine. Big but not harsh tannins that forecast a long life and plenty of fruit to stay the course of time. And most important, clearly defined Nebbiolo characteristics. Expensive? Yes. But I couldn’t resist. I had to buy a bottle of each to be able to relive the enjoyment that they gave me.
Had a chance to try the 2010 Barolo from Oddero (not to be confused with Luigi Oddero). Very different style than the very high-acid 2010 Barolo that I tried last week. I liked all three: the classic 2010 Oddero Barolo (a bit of medicinal herbs on the nose, plenty of minerality that you could taste on the top of your tongue); the 2010 Oddero Barolo Villero (cocoa powder and cinnamon on the nose, sweet fruit on the palate with a bit of tobacco at the end…pretty tight) and the 2010 Oddero Barolo Rocche di Castiglione (with some floral notes mixed with medicinal on the nose, but also almost meaty…a lot going on for a wine that isn’t supposed to be even drunk yet). Again, not sure how these will evolve, but given the positive discussion on 2010 seemed worthwhile to put aside. Isabelle Oddero is in NY showing the collection.