I’m trying to dabble in Barolo. I bought some of the 06 Massolino that was on Cinderella wine and now I’m eying the 06 Pio Cesare at a local retailer. At $50 I’m willing to throw the dice, but want to know if this is a good example of Barolo? The CT scores seem underwhelming, though Galloni seemed to like it. Any thoughts (and other Barolo suggestions) would be appreciated. The few Barolo I have had and liked ha the great tar and rose profile which I like.
I’ve had the 04 and 05. Both were decent but the 04 was my preference. I’ve seen the 06 at Costco for a while but haven’t been able to pull the trigger on it yet.
I’ve had the '04, '05, and '06 at retail tastings shortly after their release and have always been surprised at how accessible they are so early. So, yes, a good choice for exploration. Aged barolo is the thing but it’s hard to find at “exploratory” prices.
Giovanni Manzone’s baroli are great QPR also but I haven’t tried them young.
If you’re exploring Piemontese nebbiolo vs. Barolo specifically plenty of CA retailers have Travaglini '04 Gattinara in the $25-30 range. That’s probably relatively accessible by now.
Sorry. Failed to answer your specific question. Good example of a Barolo with some oak on it. Nothing pops to mind as an example of one that doesn’t and is accessible now.
The regular Pio Cesare Barolo and Barbaresco are good quality wines and pretty consistent from vintage to vintage, with 2006 being a good vintage. They are accessible young with some extended decanting, and of course they are best with long term aging. I think they are good representatives of Barolo and nebbiolo, albeit more towards the darker and more fruit forward part of the Barolo spectrum (but not at all out of bounds or close to it, in my opinion).
Barolo is a bit tough to read on CT, because (a) the wines generally need so much time (both bottle age and aeration) to show their stuff, and (b) Barolo isn’t something that many wine drinkers appreciate.
One thing I’d recommend in exploring Barolo, particularly younger Barolo – drink the wine gradually over a long evening just you or you and your wife, including during dinner but not all of it then. Don’t share the bottle among 8 friends over a lively dinner, and don’t bring it to a restaurant. The wines need some patience, attention, and reflection to appreciate. You’ll probably find that the last few tastes, later in the evening by the fireplace or on the porch while nibbling on some hard cheeses, will be the time when it captivates you the most.
Appreciate the insights.
Our Costco (m.d.rey) has it for $44.50. For that it’s a good buy. I don’t think it’s the most complex (nor rustic) Barolo, and wouldn’t think it will be outdone by many others at the age (10-15+ years) which most consider Barolo’s peak. I Still it is one of the better Barolos to drink for an investigation. Resaonably priced, isn’t abnormal for the type, and it’s one of the one’s that seems to be fruitier and able to be enjoyed without much age. For those reasons I buy more of it than any other barolo, though still not a lot. Chris is on, that it is definitely best to either give it a lot of air or at least follow it over a night.
Chis is right, Barolo can be night and day depending on how much cellar time and aeration they get. I have had far more Barolo that tasted better the next day, even with 10+ years of cellar time. Not a wine to pop and pour for a crowd.
I enjoy the Pio Cesare offerings, both barolo and barbaresco. Looking back at my cellar inventory, it turns out that Pio Cesare is my top bottle count in terms of nebbiolo producers, which reflects largely on my thinking in terms of value. I generally find the Pio stuff to be a bit more approachable young than some of the “big boys”, though earlier comments re: decanting are certainly warranted.
Another one that you might want to consider in your exploratory phase is Produttori del Barbaresco. Not a Barolo, but a fine example of entry-level nebbiolo. Always good, sometimes very good, and a very good value at about $25/btl.
Thanks for the rec. Keep em coming. I am making a list so 2011 will be the year I get out of my Cab comfort zone.
At the low cost, easy to find and can-be-enjoyed-earlier end of the spectrum, another producer I think delivers a good QPR Barolo is Stefano Farina, at least in good vintages (and most Piedmont vintages have been good of the last dozen that are currently available).
These are not earth shattering, but they are a great way to get familiar with Barolo at about $25-35. The 01, 03, 04 and 05 have all scored between 90 and 92 from WS, and the ones I’ve had over the years warrant those kinds of scores, in my opinion.
If this is where you’re coming from and you don’t have much experience with Galloni reviews you should know that he is a tough grader. His 89 and 90 pointers are great value.
More thoughts based on nebbiolo I’ve tasted in the last 9 months:
Elio Grasso’s Barolo lineup is outstanding. Not cheap but plays in a league with bottles priced 30-50% higher.
I am told by those more experienced than me that Oddero is very old school Barolo. It doesn’t get tons of love from the critics but I like the style. It’s a very different take on Barolo than the Pio Cesare.
Pelissero’s '07 Barbaresco Nebiola is round with pure fruit, a screaming single vineyard deal at $34, and widely available right now.
Giovanni Almondo '07 Roero Nebbiolo and Marchesi di Gresy '09 Langhe Nebbiolo Martinenga are interesting nebbiolos in their own right but I would also describe them as “fun”. They are ready to drink, less tannic (probably appealing to a wider wine audience than nebb-heads), and at less than $20 they are a low-risk proposition.
Chris and J.'s advice to let Barolo and Barbaresco breathe for hours or a day is great. We drank a lot of nebbiolo this week from my young cellar. Around noon I poured a quarter glass, and left the open bottles in a cool place. Leftovers were gassed for the next day. A Manzone '03 Barolo Gramolere was ready after 8 hours and better the next day. A Parusso '04 Barolo was ready after 8 hours and didn’t improve the next day. A Produttori del Barbaresco '04 Paje Riserva was still closed after 8 hours and only started to open up the next day.
Picked up the Cesare at Costco for $44. Will give it a try to see if I want to load up. Thanks to all.
Bingo!
Seo, get the 2006 Produttori. Excellent, excellent juice. Also Paitin’s Serra Boella bottling is very good, though on the darker, richer side.
For aromatics, get the Monvigliero bottling from Burlotto. Marcarini’s Brunate can be gotten around the $50 mark. Castello di Neive’s Santo Stefano cru is pretty good. Cantina del Pino’s Ovello cru is excellent. I recently picked up bottles of Francesco Rinaldi’s 2006 Brunate, ridiculously good.
I tend toward the traditionalist style of nebbiolo, but not entirely. If you sorta double your price range, then absolutely pick up G. Mascarello’s Monprivato. Best high-end QPR out there.
I agree, even despite the rapidly rising prices the last few years. Though these really don’t give you anything when you taste them young, and the manner in which they are not ready when young strikes me as different than the way other Barolo are when they are too young – rather than being searingly tannic and astringent, Monprivato instead seems very simple and lightweight and rather dull when they are young, then they put on heft and complexity slowly over time.
Seo, I would be very interested in hearing what you thought of it. I saw a bunch at the Costco in Irvine and, while I haven’t had this producer since the 2001 vintage, I do recall enjoying it, although I my Barolo tastes have changed somewhat since then.
Also check out Vietti’s Perbacco. Both the '06 and '07 are outstanding values at $20 to $25. The wine is Nebbiolo and comes from Barolo vineyards, but, as I understand it, Vietti chooses not to age it quite long enough to label it “Barolo” so that it does not compete the the winery’s Castiglione Barolo. Anyway, the wine is a great entry to Barolo.
While I dont have the experience of judging young Barolo, I enjoyed this. It has a massive amounts of tannins, but after a few hours in the decanter, the tobacco, bright cherry and rose petal start to peep through. No discernible heat and balanced at this stage. Definitely a wine that warrants a few years at a minimum in the cellar, but I can see the fruit shining past the tannins in time. I will likely pick up a few and cellar them.
Both the Oddero and Pio Cesare are nice values. I have found both wines at reasonable prices with older vintages in restaurants. Good luck.
Don’t forget Barbaresco. I just picked up some of this 2005 Cigliuti Barbaresco Serraboella, Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco - CellarTracker … and it is off the hook. Not much left around.