I’m definitely now a fan of theirs after tasting there last month. One of our favorite visits and ordered quite a few bottles (including this one)
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Thanks, just purchased this and the 2019 online.
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I will never ever get tired of some aged Ar.Pe.Pe. No notes on this last night, but I will say that it tasted as expected, but younger. Never forget that these wines need air. I decided on the wine a bit late so it only had a short decant, and was consumed over 4 hours, and still improving by the time it was gone.
If you don’t know Chiavennasca, and you like Nebbiolo, it should be the next thing you dive into! A 500+ year old clone of Nebbiolo. Which is important because it has been separately evolving in the Valtellina for all of that time and the differences are evident.
Since the wines generally show more red, and more earthy than Barolo and Barbaresco comparisons are often made with Spanna (the name for Nebbiolo in Alto Piemonte), but again the differences are pretty distinct.
In their youth, red cherry, cranberry, strawberry, raspberry, sort of candied red fruit a times, and sometimes with such high acidity that we get citrus notes, the spice leans more white pepper, and the tannins more green tea, tobacco, and more importantly tomato leaf. While there are also classic Nebbiolo notes of roses, there is a bit of minerality here.
With age, spices can shift to coves, notes of mushrooms, and forest floor can emerge, and that tomato leaf can turn to hints of tomato paste or sun dried tomato.
Also worth noting that these wines serve best somewhere just below 60F, though I find that to be even more true in their youth, while higher temps become more tolerable, still not ideal, with age. The wines, especially in the case of Ar.Pe.Pe. can be sneaky about how much air they need to show best. They don’t often show tight like a young Bordeaux or Brunello might to let you know they need air, yet the fruit can be timid for hours, and then they become explosive. These are one of the few wines that I decant as a regular practice, as I generally prefer to let the process happen more slowly.
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Just tried Bruno Giacosa 2020 Barolo Falletto and was pretty disappointed given the asking price. Nothing wrong with the wine per se - but quite a bit more closed and narrow than any other Giacosa wines I’ve had in the past. And asking for a retail in the $400-$500 range just left me wondering.
It’s more like $200 retail. And that’s very young for a Serralunga wine.
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folio quoted a $300/btl wholesale.
interestingly, wine.com lists the retail at 439 if shipping to CA but that drops to 293 if shipping to NY. don’t believe i’ve ever seen that big a delta in retail depending on fulfillment destination:
https://www.wine.com/product/bruno-giacosa-barolo-falletto-2020/2326590
thanks ken. folio is obviously trying to reposition it. hopefully you prove to be correct about the ongoing retail and the 2020 comes around. personally i’ve liked many others from the vintage better
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Two questions: 1) - Ready to go? 2) - Where are you at??
In front of a nice painting? 
Agreed. And I’ve found that the Sassella is my favorite in the lineup. Cheers!
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Looks like Nordfjord in Norway.
The Pora was in a very good spot for my taste. Open and giving right after pnp, red fruited, not much tertiary development yet.
@Odd_Rydland is correct, northwest Norway.
Clearly no heatwave here this morning.
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My Nebbiolo group notes from last week. The gatekeeper for this function likes a bit of barrique, so there were some mixed results.
- 2010 Sergio Barale Barolo Riserva Bussia - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Tasted blind. The colour is red with some browning. Liquorice and cherry. The oak tannins stick out. Liqueur cherry and aniseed. 92 (92 points) - 2010 Luciano Sandrone Barolo Le Vigne - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Tasted blind. Much much better than the bottle I had in March which was dark, dense and heavy. This had tar and cherries on the nose. Dark cherry and quite full to start with on the palate with prominent tannins. Balanced acid. The wine became more elegant and red fruited the longer it sat in the glass, and the tannins turned fine and lingering. Looking bright, energetic, lifted and elegant. 95 (95 points) - 2010 Massolino Barolo Riserva Vigna Rionda - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Tasted blind. Intense cherry nose. Deep red cherry colour. Lovely deep nose. Fantastic palate of intense cherry, powdery silky tannins. Silky sweet cherry fruit. This wine is repeatedly a perfect example of an iron fist in a velvet glove - so much stuffing and depth of fruit but surrounded in light silky tannins and texture. 96. (96 points) - 2010 Ceretto Barolo Prapò - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Tasted blind. Varnish on the nose. Bitter oak on the palate. Dark cherry fruit but just ruined by the bitter oak tannins - nearly undrinkable. (82 points)
- 2007 Luciano Sandrone Barolo Cannubi Boschis - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Tasted blind. Dark colour. Much less tannic than the flight of 2010s before it. Sweet fruit, ripe/ Rhubarb. Nice balanced light tannins. Lifted and bright. Maraschino cherries. Almost as good as the excellent 2010 Le Vigne in the previous bracket. 94. (94 points) - 2007 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Riserva Le Rocche Del Falletto - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Tasted blind. Holy moley. Sweet fruit. So full of sweet red fruits. Light and powdery tannins. Lifted violets and diverse red fruits. Strawberry became the most prominent fruit tone which I don't usually get in Barolo outside of Burlotto. A great reminder of how elegant and fine Giacosa can be. 97. (97 points) - 2007 Gaja Langhe Nebbiolo Sperss - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC
Tasted blind. Quite dark. Dark fruit. A bit fungal on the nose and the fruit was clipped. Yet another flawed / disappointing / f*cked Gaja. (NR/flawed)
- 2004 Bartolo Mascarello Barolo - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Tasted blind. Sour cherry nose. Some VA. Nice fleshy fruits and tannins. Some lift but a bit angular on the palate. Sour cherry palate with bite. Not quite the follow-through that I'd like to see. Am yet to have my wow-moment with B Mascarello. (93 points) - 2004 Poderi Aldo Conterno Barolo Colonnello - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Corked. (NR/flawed) - 2004 Poderi Aldo Conterno Barolo Romirasco - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Tasted blind. Intoxicating nose of redcurrants. Supple and suave. Succulent red cherries and redcurrants. Some creaminess. Really enjoyed this and made me question everything I know about Aldo Conterno. 95+ (95 points)
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We had some Berserkers over yesterday for a long lunch, with a main couse of roasted Fat Tail Lamb, and decided to do a few bottles from Piemonte, old and “young",” with the last two courses of polenta with lamb kidney and egg yolk, and the lamb itself.
We paired two older bottles with the kidney dish: 1967 Produttori Rabaja, and 1971 Marcarini Brunate. I decanted both wines at 9AM and we drank them around 4 (I kind of lost track). Wow! Both were just stunning. The Produttori was crystal clear, ethereal and elegant, still showing some red fruit and flowers, with a little green pepper. The Marcarini was a much more classic nose of tar and roses, touch of VA. I didn’t decant it quite as perfectly as the Produttori, so it had a tiny bit of dust giving it some cloudiness. Still, it had great power and depth, and kept unfolding in the glass, whereas the 67 was pretty much set at peak. I loved them both. The group preferred the Produttori.
Next up we had a 1989 Gaja Sperss and a 1996 Sandrone Cannubi. These I decanted sometime after guests arrived, so maybe at 2PM to drink at 5 or 6? Anyway, again, both were showing just beautifully. No overt modern elements at all, just exactly what I want from middle aged Barolo from two outstanding years, still with years of devleopment ahead. Both in perfectly glorious shape, and a joy to drink. Hard to pick a favorite, though I think the Gaja edged out the win. Maybe @Zachgoldstein or @Rob_Isaacs might have some additional comments. I was busy and didn’t take any notes, even mentally.
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Thank you Sarah! All 4 wines were truly a joy to drink, and what a testament to both the diversity and longevity of Nebbiolo. The Gaja was an amazing combination of power and finesse. The aromatics were so explosive and got more intense as we drank. I couldn’t believe how much tannin was left in an almost 40 year old wine (the Sandrone by comparison was softer despite being younger) but this was also baby’s first Gaja so maybe I was a little starstruck by it. The fruit was still quite fresh, probably the freshest of the 4 wines and also probably the most acid. I really loved it.
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Thanks Sarah, all the wines were amazing. The Produttori took it for me! Such freshness for it’s age and with the polenta and kidneys, just perfect. Gaja came in a close second and was singing with the lamb. Wish I had a picture of the Produttori in the glass, it was beautiful!
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1967 is my fav vintage of PdB, both for Rabaja and in general. Hell of a wine! I think 2016 is the closest thing to the vintage for me, and I don’t expect to be here long enough to see if it really keeps up in the long run.
But on another note, thanks to @Diane_Kessler for bringing this so very under appreciated gem from Alto Piemonte! (below)
No formal notes, but red and black fruited, characteristic cherry, rose, and hints of anise, great purity and precision, still with some tannic grip, but becoming approachable. Feels to me like this is just getting into its window and has lots of upside still.
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I just ordered a 2020 to test ride. Looking forward to it.
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