TN: 2016 Cavallotto Langhe Nebbiolo (Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC)

[IlkkaL]

I’m really enjoying Nebbiolo right now and have been trying this (price) level from the likes Elio Sandri, Nervi, Brovia and Roagna most recently. The quality here is splendid but stylewise this is by far the most muscular and powerful of the group and it is not even close. Nothing playful or light-hearted about it but pretty impressive nonetheless.

• 2016 Cavallotto Langhe Nebbiolo - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC (9.10.2020)
  Popped and poured, enjoyed over two hours. Wonderfully familiar and expressive on the nose with dark cherry fruit enough to drown in, complex spiciness, tar, ash and some pine. Really rich and nostril-filling, you don’t have to work hard to experience the aromatics here. Sturdy and fairly dense on the palate with good weight and what I would call a confident presence. Pretty richly fruited yet dry and savory. Very firm with considerable tannins, this drinks fantastically well with a steak but on its own it gets more challenging quickly, which I take to mean that despite its designation it is built for the long haul. This is not an elegant ballerina but it does show a lot of class and is pretty damn serious a wine. Convincing stuff but no need to open the next bottle before age 15.

Posted from CellarTracker

[Dennis_Atick]

I’m really enjoying Nebbiolo right now and have been trying this (price) level from the likes Elio Sandri, Nervi, Brovia and Roagna most recently. The quality here is splendid but stylewise this is by far the most muscular and powerful of the group and it is not even close. Nothing playful or light-hearted about it but pretty impressive nonetheless.

• 2016 Cavallotto Langhe Nebbiolo - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC (9.10.2020)
  Popped and poured, enjoyed over two hours. Wonderfully familiar and expressive on the nose with dark cherry fruit enough to drown in, complex spiciness, tar, ash and some pine. Really rich and nostril-filling, you don’t have to work hard to experience the aromatics here. Sturdy and fairly dense on the palate with good weight and what I would call a confident presence. Pretty richly fruited yet dry and savory. Very firm with considerable tannins, this drinks fantastically well with a steak but on its own it gets more challenging quickly, which I take to mean that despite its designation it is built for the long haul. This is not an elegant ballerina but it does show a lot of class and is pretty damn serious a wine. Convincing stuff but no need to open the next bottle before age 15.

Posted from CellarTracker

Thanks for the early look, Ilkka. I, too, have been exploring m ore Nebbiolo lately, and dip more frequently into this range. I have (2) of these '16s and have been holding off. I might check on one soon, and they leave the other for a while as you said. Thanks fro the note.

[John_Morris]

I had Cavallotto’s '15 Nebbiolo this week. At first, it was a tad riper than ideal for me (my reaction to a lot of '15 Barolos), but over a couple of nights (refrigerated in between), it came into better balance, and it was pleasure. Your note makes we want to chase down of the '16 if it can still be found. I’ve had a bunch of great '16 Nebbiolos over the past year or two – Oddero, De Forville, Cigliuti.

[J_D_o_v_e]

I’ve worked through a half case of this. Wish I had bought more. I assume the Barolo is going to be very nice based on the quality of this wine.

[IlkkaL]

Thanks for the early look, Ilkka. I, too, have been exploring m ore Nebbiolo lately, and dip more frequently into this range. I have (2) of these '16s and have been holding off. I might check on one soon, and they leave the other for a while as you said. Thanks fro the note.

Looking forward to your note!

I had Cavallotto’s '15 Nebbiolo this week. At first, it was a tad riper than ideal for me (my reaction to a lot of '15 Barolos), but over a couple of nights (refrigerated in between), it came into better balance, and it was pleasure. Your note makes we want to chase down of the '16 if it can still be found. I’ve had a bunch of great '16 Nebbiolos over the past year or two – Oddero, De Forville, Cigliuti.

My very early impression on this wine last night was of ripeish fruit and somewhat soft mouthfeel but boy did it transform over two hours to something completely different. I’ve never had anything from either De Forville or Cigliuti, will keep my eyes open for them.

I’ve worked through a half case of this. Wish I had bought more. I assume the Barolo is going to be very nice based on the quality of this wine.

Yeah, me too, I think the QPR is very solid here. I am probably going to get some additional bottles and maybe pull the trigger on the 2016 Bricco Boschis as well.

[Dillon_S]

Thanks for the tasting notes Ilkka

Cavallotto has been one of my all-time favorite producers for several years now. I actually was supposed to visit for the 3rd time in this past June, but COVID-19 saw to it that wouldn’t happen… I’ve visited twice, and had the chance to spend 3 hours or so tasting with Giuseppe Cavallotto each visit, and can tell you first hand that they’re some of the most down to earth people that you’ll come across. I definitely have an emotional bias toward their wine. That being said, emotions aside I love their entire line-up, and I’m consistently shocked that they still remain somewhat under the radar. The QPR of all their entire wines in my opinion is very strong. Antonio Galloni stated awhile ago (not referring to Cavallotto, but another great producer, G.B. Burlotto), that part of what he believes makes a truly great Barolo producer is someone who can deliver a stellar lineup across the board not just with their flagship wines. I believe Cavallotto does this. The drinking pleasure I receive from their “Grign” (Grignolino), Freisa, Nebbiolo Langhe, Barbera, etc. is equal to that of their Barolo. Another thing that impresses me is the age-ability of a lot of their wines. Most of their wines are built for considerable cellar time, which I happen to really enjoy. If you enjoyed this wine I can’t stress enough that you should seek out others from them. Also, something that I really like is they have PDF files on their website for just about every wine in their line up from the last 5 or so vintages that allow you to nerd-out and see all the technical nitty-gritty on the wines which I love. Here’s the link for the 2016 Nebbiolo Langhe you had the other day: https://www.cavallotto.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/EN.NebbL_.2016.pdf

By the way I have no affiliation with Cavallotto, but if they’re reading this I’d would love a job working with you, and would accept wine as payment

On a side notes, if you enjoy Nebbiolo at a great QPR, traditionally crafted, with the ability to age a bit, aside from some of the more obvious producers I’d suggest Ettore Germano. They’re another producer I’m really blown away by, and shocked they don’t receive more attention. Also, G.B. Burlotto’s non Barolo’s can occasionally be found and are priced very fair. Keep in mind Burlotto’s pricing cellar door is INCREDIBLY low, it’s just the demand for their Barolo in the US is so high it causes the prices to skyrocket. It appears the demand for their non Barolo’s isn’t there just yet. I tasted at Burlotto about a year ago and was stunned when I saw every Barolo including Monvigliero was under 50 Euros, just to give you an idea…

[dcornutt]

Cavalloto is an A+ producer in my opinion. Sounds terrific.

[melvinyeo]

Thanks for the note, down to earth and honest wines whose prices haven’t escalated yet luckily! Looking forward to trying their Bricco Boschis and Vigna Rionda at maturity.

[IlkkaL]

Thanks for the tasting notes Ilkka

Cavallotto has been one of my all-time favorite producers for several years now. I actually was supposed to visit for the 3rd time in this past June, but COVID-19 saw to it that wouldn’t happen… I’ve visited twice, and had the chance to spend 3 hours or so tasting with Giuseppe Cavallotto each visit, and can tell you first hand that they’re some of the most down to earth people that you’ll come across. I definitely have an emotional bias toward their wine. That being said, emotions aside I love their entire line-up, and I’m consistently shocked that they still remain somewhat under the radar. The QPR of all their entire wines in my opinion is very strong. Antonio Galloni stated awhile ago (not referring to Cavallotto, but another great producer, G.B. Burlotto), that part of what he believes makes a truly great Barolo producer is someone who can deliver a stellar lineup across the board not just with their flagship wines. I believe Cavallotto does this. The drinking pleasure I receive from their “Grign” (Grignolino), Freisa, Nebbiolo Langhe, Barbera, etc. is equal to that of their Barolo. Another thing that impresses me is the age-ability of a lot of their wines. Most of their wines are built for considerable cellar time, which I happen to really enjoy. If you enjoyed this wine I can’t stress enough that you should seek out others from them. Also, something that I really like is they have PDF files on their website for just about every wine in their line up from the last 5 or so vintages that allow you to nerd-out and see all the technical nitty-gritty on the wines which I love. Here’s the link for the 2016 Nebbiolo Langhe you had the other day: https://www.cavallotto.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/EN.NebbL_.2016.pdf

By the way I have no affiliation with Cavallotto, but if they’re reading this I’d would love a job working with you, and would accept wine as payment

On a side notes, if you enjoy Nebbiolo at a great QPR, traditionally crafted, with the ability to age a bit, aside from some of the more obvious producers I’d suggest Ettore Germano. They’re another producer I’m really blown away by, and shocked they don’t receive more attention. Also, G.B. Burlotto’s non Barolo’s can occasionally be found and are priced very fair. Keep in mind Burlotto’s pricing cellar door is INCREDIBLY low, it’s just the demand for their Barolo in the US is so high it causes the prices to skyrocket. It appears the demand for their non Barolo’s isn’t there just yet. I tasted at Burlotto about a year ago and was stunned when I saw every Barolo including Monvigliero was under 50 Euros, just to give you an idea…

Hi Dillon,

Sorry to hear you missed the visit! OMG those PDFs are top notch indeed, somehow I had not checked the website out myself so thanks for linking it. No need to worry, I’ll definitely look to buy more Cavallotto moving forward, hopefully you will be given some wine for being such a great ambassador

I am not familiar with Germano, thanks for the tip. I’ve had some Burlotto and are very high on them. Re: pricing I do remember dining near the Duomo in Milan a couple of years ago and seeing the 2013 Acclivi on the list for something stupid like 60 €. However as the food was supposed to be quite delicate I ended up choosing a Castell’In Villa Chianti Classico with some age instead. Visiting Burlotto is something I very much wish to do, though!