I guess from the prices, someone must be buying these. I have a few bottles I bought 15 years ago but I have almost no experience with them, and can’t recall the last time anyone posted any comments about them here.
What’s the story with them these days? Are they like Voerzio and Gaja – a bit off the radar for most Berserkers because of style or price?
We had an off line last summer and I brought a 1983 Ceretto, not a great year, that was starting to fade, but still retained a great depth of flavor. The prices have grown to the point where there are many others at a lower cost and more easily available.
I’m not a big fan of the more recent Ceretto Barolos but I’ve had really good luck with older wines. We opened 3 85 Villeros last week in Piedmont with two great ones and one slightly shot. I’m not sure when things changed at Ceretto - I’m sure someone on this board has better info than me - but these are worth a look. I see them on Jamie’s offers from Chambers St occasionally and the provenance is generally excellent.
Indeed, I have seen the bottles, but never read much about them and never tried one.
I got curious about them after reading on Enogea (an Italian magazine on wine) a retrospective on 1996. The Ceretto Brunate was the best and described as a stunning, wonderful wine, close to perfection, in the words of the taster (and given 97, the second wine Andrea Oberto Rocche, 93 pts).
Perhaps you have it?
I want to try it once, but it’s not easy to find it.
I bought a few of the '10 Bricco Rocche’s, don’t think they arrive until later this year. Hoping to source some late 80s/early 90s at some point.
They had a reputation of being very modern – lots of oak. Is that still the case or have they regressed toward the mean like some others in the modernist camp?
A further thought: I don’t see them much in stores in NYC. Nor do I seem them in the e-mail offers I get. When I first got interested in the region, they were very widely available around here. What changed, I wonder?
IMO, they adopted a premium-priced business model for a middle-of-the-road producer - to use a local example, kind of like Far Niente in California (and when do you ever see a post about that winery)?
Have only had one at a resto, and not one of their pricier options, but was clearly left thinking modern camp. Enjoyable, and a decent QPR, but not classic/traditional.
KJF
Was either 2007, 2008 or 2009.
I bought a '88 Azienda Bricco Asili (Ceretto) Barbaresco Faset from Chambers that I paid $100 for about a year ago and haven’t drank yet. They thought it would be in a good place.
I recently opened a 1990 Brunate(?), which I owned from the mid 90’s. Quite enjoyable as a matter of fact. Like others I don’t see them around much.
Back in the early early '90s a very kind friend hunted out two bottles of the 1990 Ceretto Barolo Brunate for me while he was in Rome and bought them back to NZ for me. I had the second bottle about four years ago and it was glorious: multi layered and nuanced and still with youth and vitality on its side. The restauranteur rushed off to find a couple of 1990 Barolos that he had in his cellar (one was a Fontanafredda) and neither were a patch on the Ceretto. I haven’t seen them here for a few years but did buy a couple of bottles of the '04 of the same wine that I have high hopes for.
I bought two bottles each of the 96 Brunate and 96 Barbaresco Bricco Asili from Rare wine in an offering a year or two ago. Have had one of each. the barbaresco sort of middling older style stuff-not necessarily modern. the Brunate was actually quite good. Comes out of the bottle underwhelming, but with 2 or more hours of air blossoms. would place that wine in between traditional and modern. Very enjoyable. Not sure I’d seek it out in preference to other producers but still quite good (not a 97 wine–maybe 93).
I would say its more of a distribution issue than a style issue. My experiences with the wines themselves have ranged from very good to good, and I’ve never found them too oaky, though I’ve never found them breathtaking, either. They have bounced back and forth amongst importers, so that may speak to why you have seen them inconsistently available.
Tasted through the line up last week at Vinitaly. They are distributed by Winebow. And I was in the Winebow room for about two hours tasting. Pretty good lineup of wines and I was very impressed. In the past I have not really liked the wines. Federico Ceretto came in to the booth in mid-tasting and we talked about the wines. I will do a visit to the cellar next year. Pretty good stuff and worth a look.
This is my experience. They viewed themselves as the best and they are not. The wines are generally good, but not great. Why would I buy Ceretto Brunate at $80 when I can buy Marcarini Brunate at $50?
I agree with this…this has never been a super-modern winery, and I’ve really never heard others viewing them that way. The most you could push it would be to say they are a very middle style between traditional and modern. The wines are just NOT terribly oaky, extracted, dense, or otherwise “modern” in style…And the wines aren’t bad…in fact, they are quite nice. However, there are better wines for the $79+ asking price. For $45-$50, I would likely consider the Prapo and Brunate to be nice buys.
The wines can be good. But the price has to be good also. Many other good choices.
I love the ones from 70’s to early 1990. Don’t have much experience with newer.
A couple of years ago, a wine group that I am part of had a Nebbiolo dinner where the WOTN was the 1982 Ceretto Barolo Brunate. The other bottles were no slouches – 1985 Conterno Cascina Francia, 1999 and 1997 G. Mascarello Monprivato, 1985 Cavallotto San Giuseppe, 1970 Produttori del Barbaresco Pora, etc. – but the Ceretto was truly delicious. At a subsequent dinner, the same group opened a 1982 Ceretto Barbaresco Asili, which was very good, but not as good as the Brunate.
-Ben