2x 2016 Barolo from Renato Corino

WINE TALK
1

A new name to me but I was very impressed. This was one of those strange circumstances where, although I’m confident that the Annunziata is technically the better wine, I have a marked personal preference for the Arborina. Guess I’m a cheap date.

Barolo Arborina 2016 Renato Corino
Great, bright, colour and heady with scent. Almost a piercing black cherry character, with clear rose perfume, spice and a damp earth note. Lifted and bright. Has a sleek entry onto the palate but then bursts with fruit and energy. There’s a marked tannic framework that merges into a chalky mineral element on the mid-palate. Whilst the wine’s structure is tightly wound, the fruit is immediate, airy and graceful. Continues to evolve and pop on the palate, combining weightlessness with masses of light and shade. Tannins give plenty of crunch and grip to the finish but are beautifully ripe and cushioned. This is superb.
94/100

Barolo Rocche dell’Annunziata 2016 Renato Corino
Nose is similarly intense to the Arborina but less exuberant - more mineral, dusty and deeply-pitched. Following this theme, the palate shows less lift and more bass tones - it is powerful and muscular, although there is plenty of dark-toned cherry fruit to buffer the structure. The tannins are more powdery than chalky here yet, if anything, more significant and pronounced. There is a (pleasant) bitterness on on the mid-palate and this has masses of authority and presence. Old vine intensity dominates and there’s a saline twist towards the finish betraying the wine’s minerality. Very serious and quite introspective today but extremely layered and complex. Finishes savoury and spicy.
95/100

2

Thanks for the notes. I’ve never had this Corino’s wines.

I was curious about them, so I poked around. According to the US importer’s notes, they are very much in the modernist camp in terms of winemaking, as many other producers around L’Annunziata are. The fermentation is very short (roughly one week, versus three to four for traditionalists) and they’re aged in barriques, 30% new.

3

Thanks for putting it out there…was recently looking at this producer as a way in to Annunziata.

4

Wine.com has the 2016 normale for $49.99/btl, which is competitive with other retailers.

5

Thanks for the notes, Matthew. I tried the 2013 Rocche dell’Annunziata at a Hi Time Wine Cellars wine bar tasting of 2013 Barolos pre-COVID and it was one of my favorites of the tasting. I haven’t opened my purchased bottle yet though. Glad the 2016s are in good form too!