I get it, but that’s on par with Roagna Rosso, more than Burlotto and Cavallotto, all of which are “serious” LNs, and at or nearly at the level of a lot of good Barolo and Barbaresco. For basically the same price in Verduno I can get F. Alessandria Barolo del Commune di Verduno from the superior '21 vintage. While I’d certainly be happy to try the wine and maybe I’d be convinced, I just struggle a bit with new producers coming in at $40-50+ for their entry level wine, which seems more and more common. The one caveat to all of this being that I don’t know what these producers are actually charging compared to the more established producers charging less, and how much of this price is attributable to all the hands it passes through along the way.
Pale rider!! I will non-sincerely apologize for drinking it this young but I have to know and now I know and I swear I’d do it again. All the structure, all the flowers and fruit and tar and herbs and more. 15% alcohol on the label which I would never have guessed.
Our annual dinner where we know which wines will be served - the order is randomised and we only find out at the end which wine is which. I know it won’t be everyone’s preferred way to enjoy wines but we have a lot of fun with the format. There’s enough shared traits between Nebbiolo, Sangiovese and Nerello Mascalese that the results can be humbling.
2026-09 PST KNOWN WINES TASTED BLIND AT THE REC - The Recreation (9/4/2026)
- 2022 Antonio de la Riva Vino de la Tierra de Cádiz San Cayetano Macharnudo - Spain, Andalucía, Vino de la Tierra de Cádiz
Tasted blind. Bright, floral nose with some pear and fairy floss. Some oak. Deep golden colour. Nice grip and good acid. Honey and rich fruit. 10% flor. 92 (92 points)
- 2010 Talenti Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Tasted blind. Deep rep colour. Vanilla oak on the nose. Oak tannins on the palate. Rich sweet cherry fruit. Definitely an "oak and fruit" wine. Full but also some freshness. 93 (93 points) - 2001 Elio Altare Barolo Brunate - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Tasted blind. Dark coloured - can't see through it. Oak on the nose along with raspberry and strawberry fruit. Very expressive Maraschino cherry on the palate. Quite tannic. Small tart red berries. Anise. Bright and quite a lot of acid. The overall experience is strawberry and raspberry with tart red berry fruits. 95 (95 points) - 2005 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Asili - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
Tasted blind. Light colour. Nose of light red fruits. Strawberries and light red fruits. Nice furry background tannins. Raspberries. Super pretty wine. 95-96. (96 points) - 2016 Passopisciaro Terre Siciliane Contrada Guardiola - Italy, Sicily, Terre Siciliane
Tasted blind. Scalped by TCA. The other note is for the 2nd bottle. (NR/flawed) - 2016 Passopisciaro Terre Siciliane Contrada Guardiola - Italy, Sicily, Terre Siciliane
Tasted blind. Juicy red fruits. Minerality. Ash. Jubey. Cranberry and translucent red cherry. Pomegranate. Super red fruited and fresh. 94. (94 points) - 2014 Olek Bondonio Barbaresco Roncagliette - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
Tasted blind. Smells fantastic - full of red berries. Grippy tannins. Really quite tannic. Fragrant tart red berries. Puckery. So fragrant but super grippy tannins. 94+ (94 points) - 2013 Castello di Verduno Barolo Vigna Massara - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Tasted blind. Tart red berries. Tart and concentrated. Dark red cherries. Nose of tar and roses but the palate is on the darker red fruited spectrum. High acid. 94 (94 points) - 2010 Giacomo Fenocchio Barolo Villero - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Tasted blind. Medicinal and fungal nose. VA. Quite a bit of orange. Lots of drying bitter tannins. Faulty. (NR/flawed)
- 1975 Chateau Reynella Vintage Port - Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale
Quite a dark colour. A bit of caramel and rich dark red fruits. Quite ripe and full. Blackberry fruit. Well integrated spirit. Very balanced. 93+ (93 points)
La Ca’ Növa Barbaresco Montestefano 2018
No where near as good as my first bottle of the lot. Color is clearly advanced already with brownish hues. Nose has hints of prunes (?), ripe black cherry, mint and upon opening strawberries that then fades away. This is significantly more dark toned and riper than expected.
Palate however is more fresher with sweet red fruits on top of hard candy tones. Tannins are very fine and they grow towards the end. Acidity is still present but balanced with the fruit. Medium+ length. When the wine warms up the heat from alcohol pokes up a bit so at this stage you need to keep this between 16 and 18degC.
For me it tastes like it’s coming out of a dormant phase and starting to open, where as the nose and color indicates more advanced wine. Need to pop the next one soon to see if that is consistent or if this was just tad off
I had exactly the same thought trying a new producer’s Carema a few months ago, which at 85 bucks and not the riserva runs more than Ferrando.
The initial nose is of a new jar of Smuckers Strawberry Preserves that has just been opened. Brilliant stuff.
2006 Aldo Conterno Barolo Cicala
In a good place, tannins are melting, vital and savoury. Plush mouthfeel.
This was a huge hit around the table, although I was less enthused than most. Quite ripe and showing more sweet high-octane fruit than would be my ideal. I also thought the frame was a tad clunky. Of course I’m being very critical, because it was certainly a friendly yet structured wine that could give you a dose of fruit and work with your food. But if forced to analyze…
Nice. Visited nearly 3y ago and they make a reasonably good QPR Brunate and Cannubi. 19s at that point were very compact but “doable” though have probably shut down now. 18s generally are hit and miss for me, probably slightly skewed to former.
Just had this wine from a producer I am not familiar with in our Saturday’s tasting. A late night note based on a few sips but I was very impressed.
- 2021 Bricco Carlina Barolo Comune Di Grinzane Cavour - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (27.9.2026)
Very bright and detailed red fruit on the nose and attractive floral tones, plus some herbal nuance. Confidently gripping tannins yet there is this sense of polish and elegance here. Very little weight, this comes off as a finesse wine all the way. Excellent.
Posted from CellarTracker
2010 Cavalotto “Bricco Boschis” Opened at around 2pm and decanted for about 3 hours. Upon opening the tannins were still pretty grippy and my fear was this was too young. I have refrained from opening really any 2010s, but reports that I’ve seen are that many 2010s are in a good place.
After 3 hours of air, the tannins had integrated nicely. The wine is big and powerful, carrying plenty of concentration. Dark-fruited with strong anise notes, there is nice balance and harmony here. I think this is in a good place now. There is not a ton of freshness present, so if I owned more, which I don’t, I would consume over the next 2-4 years.
A couple of Nebbiolo wines over the last weeks.
2018 Burlotto LN
I’m in general not a fan of 2018 but this is very good for a LN and the vintage. I wouldn’t be surprised if some Barolo juice ended up here. It was a bit fuller, less elegant than some other vintages perhaps, yet drinking pleasure and very enjoyable.
2000 Aurelio Settimo Barolo Rocche
I had this and a few other bottles standing upright for a week or so, for a dinner that didn’t happen in the end. Based on the sediment, a week or two more would have been better as I with 1/3-1/4 of the bottle ran in to sediment while decanting. Tasted the wine over three nights (sealed decanter).
Spices (complex), herbs, not much fruit initially, fresh acidity. Tannins still has bite. Cherris showing over time. Best on day three. Lingonberries in addition, probably tasting its youngest. Theirs is a hint of that aged-ness, not over excessive but don’t think it will improve (can maintain).
Two Nebs while watching the replay of the AFL Grand Final.
2020 Bruno Giacosa Nebbiolo d’Alba - super stuff. Just so smashable, textured and nuanced at this level.
2016 Ceretto Barolo - balsamic notes interplay with the tar and roses. Quite forward. Preferred the Giacosa.
I’m looking to open a Giacosa Barberseco from 07 for a wine dinner. What would you suggest for decanting. Any or just open at restaurant? Sadly it’s only been standing up for 24 hours.
Which one? With any of these you need to decant before traveling or you’ll have too much sediment.
Here’s my recent note on the 2007 SS:
9/8/2026 - I like this wine: 96 points
Nebbiolo Dinner with Frank & Elissa Giaimo (Quality Italian, NYC): [Double-decanted at 10:30am.] Nose of black fruit, tar, and fruitcake. Both light and full in the mouth. Expansive, long, and complex. It doesn’t have the intense fruit of the Castello di Neive, but it has an ethereal quality that is a hallmark of Giacosa. Great balance and harmony.
Thanks it’s the Reserva Asili
See post #998. I liked this though thought structure was for current consumption rather than cellaring. Curious what you thought.
Same, it definitely seems like it’s made for current consumption. It drinks more like a Pinot than a Nebbiolo. It’s something a bit different and interesting but I enjoyed it.
I would double decant the wine three or four hours prior and re cork then take to the restaurant aka the Audouze method.