Roagna is listed pg238.
Oliver does have some comments on the back cover. They certainly weren’t going to put negative comments on the book. He likes the book. He is entitled to his opinion. Other can agree or disagree with him.
My bad - I hadn’t gotten to the Barbaresco section of the book yet, and when she lists Roagna on page 120 under “Other producers”, she clearly includes a cross-reference to the Barbaresco section.
Oliver…can you answer the question anyway…it was a serious question. I know can’t “take chances” but I’m curious about your stable of producers’ treatment or omission in the book, particularly Germano. So, can you answer…I assume you like what she did with them, but…don’t know that for sure.
When I first started my legal career, I was participating in a trial that ended successfully. I discovered during the trial that the law clerk had gone to high school with me many states away. He suggested lunch after the trial and when I met him at his office, introduced me to the judge. When I said the judge was very “fair” , the judge said that “winners” of trials always think that, but never the losers. I think of that mild rebuke quite frequently…and try to evaluate beyond my own bubble. So, that’s why I ask you…how your guys were treated in the book.
I guess you read it as suggesting that you were a “fixer”? But, since I barely know your name, except as a poster here who sells wine, I don’t know enough to even think that…so…
Stuart,
I find it hard to avoid the implication in your words that ‘you are praising the book, presumably that’s out of commercial self-interest.’ That’s mildly offensive; if you want answers to ‘serious’ questions, you might want to be more careful in your phrasing.
Nonetheless I will answer your underlying question. I believe that a certain style of winemaking (‘clean traditional’) serves to bring out the intrinsic character in terroirs better than other styles of winemaking, and I pick wines based on that belief. I was doing this for years before the wine press started to reward traditional winemaking. When I find a journalist who has a similar (but by no means identical) view of what tastes good, I am delighted, and obviously I agree with it.
O’Keefe didn’t omit any of my producers, and she likes all three of them. Why do you say ‘particularly Germano’?
Its a nice book. its easy to read. Informative.
Could it have been better. Yes.
But lets not fixate on the negative aspects. it ruins the soul.
I used to follow his wines, as friend on the east coast imports/imported him, and when I visited the region in 2004 we stayed at his “bed and breakfast” operation, listened to some of his recommendations for seeing the area and tasted his wines extensively. He also came to dinner at our house with the importer and his wife thereafter. So, though I’ve never been that in love with his wines, I have followed them with much interest over the years, and was curious whether he was in the book and whether the author, particularly, likes him.
Stuart,
She’s a big fan, thinks he mystifyingly under-rated. Some producers are better at PR than others, but Sergio has a lot of friends in my market. He relatively recently came into two top crus, too, Lazzarito and Vigna Rionda (which he had to re-plant).
If you go to the town of Barolo I would encourage you to visit Borgogno. They are located in the opposite end of town from B. Mascarello and G. Rianldi. Very near the castle. They have been around for some time, 1761, I believe. Unfortunately you won’t find them in the book.
Perhaps because the winery was sold to the owners of an electronics chain six years ago.
They have that wonderful library of old wines that they release in dribbles, but I have to say I’ve never had one of their wines that excited me, other than their Barolo chianato. I can’t remember anyone extolling their current releases.
You can’t write a book about the wine without talking about it’s history. And they do have some history. I think that the wine was served at a ceremony for the Italian unification/Risorgimento in 1861. And although the current state of the winery is in question, it’s past and position demands it be included. If for no other reason to show how far they have fallen. I had a 1997 last night that was pretty good.
Perhaps the greatest irony is that the picture on the front cover is the town of Castiglione Falletto. In the center of the mass of trees/buildings just below the castle tower is Vietti. But the name appears only one time.
Their 1971 Riserva Barolo was stunning 2-3 years ago, and wasn’t in a rush to start fading. I’ll happily buy older vintages (I picked up a 1961 riserva in Torino just over a week ago)
It is fair to describe them as somewhat foursquare / tightly traditional, and as a result they can be too tight to open inside 2 decades. I like the way they are structured though, and they do last very well.
You’re right to point out the new ownership, and I can’t say I’m rushing to buy recent vintages, as I have doubts about the aims of the new owners (I think 1996 is our youngest). They are very heavily promoted at Eataly (not as reassuring as that ought to be)
Regards
Ian
As many have noted above.
Tom
The man who bought Borgogno also owns or controls Eataly.
The old wines certainly are pristine. My point was that I don’t think anyone holds them up as being in the first tier of producers, now or in the past. They carved out a nice niche and identity because of their deep inventory, but I don’t know that they were influential otherwise. So, while I’m surprised Vietti isn’t covered, I’m not shocked that Borgogno was omitted.
Joel appears to be suggesting that a fine wine that is popular is necessarily worthy of attention in a critical book, but that can’t be what he means. Besides, many of those wines are reviewed in the book, in some cases positively (Altare, Sandrone, Sottimano).
As an aside, Mr. Butler MW appears to be unaware that the second edition of the seminal work on Barolo and Barbaresco (as well as Brunello and a number of other important Italian wines), Sheldon Wasserman’s “Italy’s Noble Red Wines”, was published 23 years ago. Based upon his recounting of his own first visits to the Piemonte, however, we are damn lucky that Butler did not write the subject book, although it does seem as though the modernists would have gotten sympathetic treatment from him… 
Joel’s very good on Italy, he wrote for Tanzer on that topic for a while. I just think he’s off here.
Northeast Italy or something? I followed Tanzer from the beginning, back when it was the “New York Wine Cellar”, and Sheldon Wasserman was covering Piemonte and Tuscany. Nino Beltrami did the ill-fated one-shot 1997 Brunello reviews where all the wines got 97s, but otherwise, Steve did Piemonte and Tuscany before Ian showed up, I thought. Maybe Thomases did a guest shot at some point before his WA stint as well, but not for the Piemonte. I do seem to remember Butler’s name appearing at some point, but not for long…
I do not think that he is off on the scope or the bias of the book. There is not enough book there to pretend that it is at all comprehensive (the liner-note puffery notwithstanding!), and O’Keefe said as much. She also made her traditionalist preferences known up front.
He wrote on white wines, I think.