2016 Cappellano Barolo Piè Rupestris Otin Fiorin (Gabutti)- Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (7/16/2022)
Until this bottle, I had been concentrating on drink sub-$100 wines from 2016. My line of thinking is that if the vintage is great at the bottom, it’ll be even better at the top. And then, enter Cappellano. Because, if you’re going to drink crack into the more expensive wines of the vintage, then you may as well just go for it. After a few swirls and putting my nose to the glass, the only real word I can use to describe the nose is: Kaleidoscopic. It is extremely primary and youthful, yet it envelops the glass with bright red cherries, strawberries, crushed rocks, herbs, potpourri, tobacco, violets, lic, and all sorts of spice notes. This is a deeply complex nose that shows off excellent depth at this exceedingly young stage. The Full bodied feel is deft, balanced, and poised with tart, high acidity and silky, high tannins. The structure has a seamless quality that is very deceiving. It doesn’t interfere, yet it certainly let’s you know that this is a marathon runner at mile 1. I can easily say a lot more about this wine. Instead, I’ll just say this: It is the greatest young Barolo that I’ve had and there is still plenty of room for it to improve. (96 pts.)
I had this a few months back with a friend at Gramercy Tavern, and it’s pretty fvcking great. It’s very hard to get that much density and concentration in Barolo without it feeling heavy or overripe. Other than the 2014, which was a very challenging vintage, the 2010s have been a spectacular decade for Cappellano, including a magical 2011 that is far better than it has any right to be.
I had 2016 last week or so. A wow wine despite 15% alcohol. Intense fruit, acid spine and tannin all in balance on a transparent frame (that carries 15%). I thought the wine needs a lot of time to integrate the intensity of the components; a long decant helped bring the components together better than PNP but decant not a proxy for time. A top Rupestris for me and potentially the top Rupestris for me. I do wish it was sub 15% alcohol; eg, 2011 is a great wine but I feel the alcohol detracts from it as it ages.
And thank god for that! It sometimes feels like Russian roulette when opening older bottles. Whether it’s VA or poor storage somewhere in the chain, I’ve basically stopped bothering with anything 04 and older when I’m paying.
I completely agree with what you said about their run so far in the 10s. The 11 has been so giving and generous for a while now that I wonder if it’ll ever really shut down.
This was definitely a wine that has a great amount of potential going forward and right now is a glimpse into that future. It also happens to be a real banger right now!
I think the fruit held in the alcohol very well here. Or at least I didn’t notice it that much and it felt pretty well in balance all things considered.
As I was drinking it, what consistently came into my mind is that I can easily see this being scored 99 or 100 by people down the road. It’s not there yet, but everything is there for something completely unforgettable when it gets to the 20 year mark.
Yeah, the mid 2000s were a particularly rough Cappellano patch as far as consistency goes - too many corked bottles. And storage, of course, always an issue with older Barolo. I’ve drunk so much of the 2011 - used to be easy to find and cheap
I tasted a bottle a year ago on release and my take was structurally, it had all the right elements to be a very good Barolo in time, with significant concentration, great acidity, and finessed tannins, but was more shut down than most other '16s I’ve tasted. I found it hard to get a read on just how high the potential was, whereas some of the '16s on release were obviously great like the Vietti Rocche, Vajra Bricco, or Bartolo. Perhaps I’ll have to taste another bottle to see if it shows more open. Personally given the rapid price increase and my tasting I didn’t buy more than 2 bottles at release.
And we have a market! I bought a couple more last week… around $250 all-in… not cheap… but I figure it’s not getting much cheaper (I was offered 2017s for $300!), and some of my other favorites are impossible (I was blanked on Burlotto 2018s and won’t pay the $350 or so for 2017 Giuseppe Rinaldi… based on my taste I think the 2016 Rupestris > 2017 Bartolo for the same price). Obviously if you can buy Burlotto Monvilgiero for $89 in any vintage, have allocations for Rinaldi/Bartolo etc. the math may be different for you. I have a lot of 2016 Vajra BdV and that has some high alcohol concerns for me as well… but think the Rupestris is better… that said, room for both of them in my (offsite) cellar.
The Pie Franco is a different wine, it’s not a riserva. In some years it’s better, in some it’s worse. From the 2010s I’ve had the 2011 (not as good as the Rupestris) and the 2012 (absolutely spectacular). Given the rarity and pricing, I’m not opening mine any time soon.
When Cappellano Barolo Rupestris is good it is wonderful, and in the last years it is consistently wonderful. For Franco, even rarer than Rupestris, the same quality and with a stronger intensity: when it is good it is extremely wonderful.
