This was an excruciatingly beautiful tasting hosted by a (very) generous friend who’s been collecting top Piedmontese wines for a long time. Not just beautiful, but extremely eye-opening for me.
Over the years, I’ve had a decent handful of experiences with Nebbiolo- some inexpensive Langhe bottles, a few from Barolo, Barbaresco, and Lombardy. I’ve TRULY loved a few, but many others were misaligned with my palate. Either brutally astringent, too shy, showing overly dried fruit or no fruit at all, really expensive for the quality, etc etc. So, when this friend announced that he was planning this tasting last year, I was curious- he would definitely open bottles FAR more special (and also with more age) than I was used to, so how would they compare to my existing experiences? The answer: I was not even *remotely* ready for how these stunning wines were going to show.
Throughout the tasting, two things stood out to all of us. Firstly, although the Barolos were all produced between 1998 and 2007, most felt closer to ~10 years old, with some only showing a BIT older than that, and a few even showing younger. It was unreal how slowly these appear to age when stored properly. Secondly, most of them showed shockingly different profiles, even coming from an area only a few miles across (as shown on the detailed maps our host also provided and explained!)
**NOTES BELOW**
Pierre Péters Cuvée de Réserve NV- no detailed notes, brought by another taster. Extremely beautiful, one of the best Champagnes I’ve tasted near the $100 range. Bright and effusive with white orchard fruit, ultra crisp lemon, and beautifully vivid croissant.
Roagna, Derthona Montemarzino 2019- BY FAR the best Italian white I’ve ever tasted, and somehow my second experience with the rare Timorasso grape. So rich and aromatic but precise. Almost like a cross between a great GG Riesling and white Bordeaux. Dough and pastry, intense lemon and pineapple cake, gorgeous round texture but tons of integrated acidity. Frankly one of the best whites I’ve tried in the last year, not just from Italy.
On to the Barolos (notes in order of tasting, although we revisited them after the full lineup, going back and forth)-
Rinaldi, Brunate – Le Coste 2006- immediately hits you with dizzying aromas of menthol, leather, deep black black cherry, brown spices, “mature” but *very* alive, with fresh fruit hanging on. Intense tannin, but superfine, powdery, never coarse. The concentrated black cherry lasted for ages. Later I got a balsamic note, with some anise and fennel.
Gaja, “Conteisa” 2001- by far the darkest, blackest Nebbiolo I’ve ever encountered- so wildly different from the Rinaldi. Meat, cigar, truffle, dried blackcurrant, faint prune and dripping with concentrated purple dried fruit. Leather, woodsmoke, ash…tannins are SO resolved, wispy and silky, leaving all the room from the fruit and tertiary aspects with a tough texture getting in the way. Lingers for ages and ages. More obviously aged than the Rinaldi but aged to perfection. Some torched caramel later on.
Burlotto, Monvigliero 2007 – once again, such a different wine than the last two, it was as though they were all made from different grapes and different regions. This was the most surprising in some ways- so fresh, bright, pure, and elegantly-textured that it almost reminded me of a Santa Barbara Pinot mixed with a Barolo. By far the “freshest” fruit in the entire lineup- vivid, concentrated, macerated strawberry/raspberry with sea air and nag champa incense. Later showed some mushroom, forest floor, etc but the insanely fresh red fruit was the star of the show. Truly silken tannins as well. I think this was the most “fun” of the Barolos, less complex than others, but in a way, the most immediately delicious. Felt much younger than the previous two, especially the Gaja, except for the softened structure.
Sandrone, Le Vigne, 1998- both a bit more closed AND more obviously mature than the previous wines, but very pretty and showing some fresh cherry that reminded me of the Rinaldi, just less vivid or aromatic. Very interesting nutty tone as well. I think this was maybe the least interesting of the lineup, but still objectively a gorgeous, well-aged wine. Lots of complex character and plenty of structure remaining, with notable tannin.
Mascarello, Monprivato 2006- of the entire lineup this was the closest to my previous experiences with Barolo (with less expensive bottles)- just MUCH more intense. In other words, closer to the kind of wine I was picturing most might taste like, just with more of everything. Felt notably younger than all the previous bottles with more rusticity and power- tons of sour cherry, leather, rose, tobacco, VERY bright and nervy, almost a pinch of vanilla but in the far background. Felt like a 10 year old wine, not 20. Almost feels like a new release. Later the fruit darkened slightly, tart black plum, so precise, then some raw wood notes, like cutting the boards at home depot. Loads of tannin, not coarse, but not integrated yet. Wow- probably needs the most additional aging in the lineup?
Conterno, Cascina Francia 2004- you could tell this was on another level in terms of a sort of “broad spectrum” of complexity- felt like several of the previous wines rolled into one, showing fairly mature, but also fresh, with lots of dark concentration, but some brighter character- and yet still demanding age. Not as explosively perfumed as some others early on, but very harmonious and focused, more of a quiet confidence than forward intensity. Shockingly fresh black cherry, leather, LOTS of mushroomy umami, some allspice. By this point my palate was getting a bit torched, but the beauty here was obvious. At this stage, I preferred it to the Sandrone and Mascarello, but it didn’t have the excitement of the Rinaldi, Gaja, or Burlotto…yet.
Elio Grasso “Riserva” 2006- notably more “baked” and vanilla-rich than the rest, likely thanks to the extended barrel aging of a Riserva- still plenty of room for fairly rich, ripe fruit, cherry compote, fruit leather, very round. Tannic as hell, one of the most textured of the night, but pretty fine-grained, still. This was maybe tied with the Sandrone for my “least fave”, but for different reasons; seemed to lack some of the precision and freshness of the rest. Again- I cannot stress enough that this was a beautiful aged wine. It just had some legendary competition.
Cappellano, Otin Fiorin, 2004- ahhh. Now this was something else. Our host opened this in a moment of spontaneous passion long after the rest of the flight had been finished. He poured it for us fully blind- I found myself thinking it could be a grand cru from Gevrey, maybe 10 or MAX 15 yrs old. Even with a blown-out palate, this quickly climbed its way to my WOTN- by a small margin, but WOTN nonetheless. The word I would immediately use for this is *ornate*. Not just fresh and expressive, but showing innumerable little complexities, like individual voices in a harmonious choir. Vivid wild cherries, raspberries, strawberries, almost a crunchy freshness even at 22 years, but began to bloom into this voluptuous wine with vivid baking spices, cedar, and perfectly-integrated tertiary tones with smoked meat, even some sweeter glazed meat, and so on. Acidity was singing, but never sour/tart- tannins were intense, but never coarse. Everything coming together, dancing on a tiny tightrope of elegance, intensity, seriousness, and playfulness. I truly wish I would have tried this earlier in the night.
So, am I starting to save up for top-tier Barolo myself? Not currently, but I was thinking about these wines for days afterward. For the most part, I’ve never tasted anything like them, and I’ve been seriously into wine for over a decade. Hoping I’ll be lucky enough to try even one of them again.
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This was an excruciatingly beautiful tasting hosted by a (very) generous friend who’s been collecting top Piedmontese wines for a long time. Not just beautiful, but extremely eye-opening for me.
Over the years, I’ve had a decent handful of experiences with Nebbiolo- some inexpensive Langhe bottles, a few from Barolo, Barbaresco, and Lombardy. I’ve TRULY loved a few, but many others were misaligned with my palate. Either brutally astringent, too shy, showing overly dried fruit or no fruit at all, really expensive for the quality, etc etc. So, when this friend announced that he was planning this tasting last year, I was curious- he would definitely open bottles FAR more special (and also with more age) than I was used to, so how would they compare to my existing experiences? The answer: I was not even *remotely* ready for how these stunning wines were going to show.
Throughout the tasting, two things stood out to all of us. Firstly, although the Barolos were all produced between 1998 and 2007, most felt closer to ~10 years old, with some only showing a BIT older than that, and a few even showing younger. It was unreal how slowly these appear to age when stored properly. Secondly, most of them showed shockingly different profiles, even coming from an area only a few miles across (as shown on the detailed maps our host also provided and explained!)
**NOTES BELOW**
Pierre Péters Cuvée de Réserve NV- no detailed notes, brought by another taster. Extremely beautiful, one of the best Champagnes I’ve tasted near the $100 range. Bright and effusive with white orchard fruit, ultra crisp lemon, and beautifully vivid croissant.
Roagna, Derthona Montemarzino 2019- BY FAR the best Italian white I’ve ever tasted, and somehow my second experience with the rare Timorasso grape. So rich and aromatic but precise. Almost like a cross between a great GG Riesling and white Bordeaux. Dough and pastry, intense lemon and pineapple cake, gorgeous round texture but tons of integrated acidity. Frankly one of the best whites I’ve tried in the last year, not just from Italy.
On to the Barolos (notes in order of tasting, although we revisited them after the full lineup, going back and forth)-
Rinaldi, Brunate – Le Coste 2006- immediately hits you with dizzying aromas of menthol, leather, deep black black cherry, brown spices, “mature” but *very* alive, with fresh fruit hanging on. Intense tannin, but superfine, powdery, never coarse. The concentrated black cherry lasted for ages. Later I got a balsamic note, with some anise and fennel.
Gaja, “Conteisa” 2001- by far the darkest, blackest Nebbiolo I’ve ever encountered- so wildly different from the Rinaldi. Meat, cigar, truffle, dried blackcurrant, faint prune and dripping with concentrated purple dried fruit. Leather, woodsmoke, ash…tannins are SO resolved, wispy and silky, leaving all the room from the fruit and tertiary aspects with a tough texture getting in the way. Lingers for ages and ages. More obviously aged than the Rinaldi but aged to perfection. Some torched caramel later on.
Burlotto, Monvigliero 2007 – once again, such a different wine than the last two, it was as though they were all made from different grapes and different regions. This was the most surprising in some ways- so fresh, bright, pure, and elegantly-textured that it almost reminded me of a Santa Barbara Pinot mixed with a Barolo. By far the “freshest” fruit in the entire lineup- vivid, concentrated, macerated strawberry/raspberry with sea air and nag champa incense. Later showed some mushroom, forest floor, etc but the insanely fresh red fruit was the star of the show. Truly silken tannins as well. I think this was the most “fun” of the Barolos, less complex than others, but in a way, the most immediately delicious. Felt much younger than the previous two, especially the Gaja, except for the softened structure.
Sandrone, Le Vigne, 1998- both a bit more closed AND more obviously mature than the previous wines, but very pretty and showing some fresh cherry that reminded me of the Rinaldi, just less vivid or aromatic. Very interesting nutty tone as well. I think this was maybe the least interesting of the lineup, but still objectively a gorgeous, well-aged wine. Lots of complex character and plenty of structure remaining, with notable tannin.
Mascarello, Monprivato 2006- of the entire lineup this was the closest to my previous experiences with Barolo (with less expensive bottles)- just MUCH more intense. In other words, closer to the kind of wine I was picturing most might taste like, just with more of everything. Felt notably younger than all the previous bottles with more rusticity and power- tons of sour cherry, leather, rose, tobacco, VERY bright and nervy, almost a pinch of vanilla but in the far background. Felt like a 10 year old wine, not 20. Almost feels like a new release. Later the fruit darkened slightly, tart black plum, so precise, then some raw wood notes, like cutting the boards at home depot. Loads of tannin, not coarse, but not integrated yet. Wow- probably needs the most additional aging in the lineup?
Conterno, Cascina Francia 2004- you could tell this was on another level in terms of a sort of “broad spectrum” of complexity- felt like several of the previous wines rolled into one, showing fairly mature, but also fresh, with lots of dark concentration, but some brighter character- and yet still demanding age. Not as explosively perfumed as some others early on, but very harmonious and focused, more of a quiet confidence than forward intensity. Shockingly fresh black cherry, leather, LOTS of mushroomy umami, some allspice. By this point my palate was getting a bit torched, but the beauty here was obvious. At this stage, I preferred it to the Sandrone and Mascarello, but it didn’t have the excitement of the Rinaldi, Gaja, or Burlotto…yet.
Elio Grasso “Riserva” 2006- notably more “baked” and vanilla-rich than the rest, likely thanks to the extended barrel aging of a Riserva- still plenty of room for fairly rich, ripe fruit, cherry compote, fruit leather, very round. Tannic as hell, one of the most textured of the night, but pretty fine-grained, still. This was maybe tied with the Sandrone for my “least fave”, but for different reasons; seemed to lack some of the precision and freshness of the rest. Again- I cannot stress enough that this was a beautiful aged wine. It just had some legendary competition.
Cappellano, Otin Fiorin, 2004- ahhh. Now this was something else. Our host opened this in a moment of spontaneous passion long after the rest of the flight had been finished. He poured it for us fully blind- I found myself thinking it could be a grand cru from Gevrey, maybe 10 or MAX 15 yrs old. Even with a blown-out palate, this quickly climbed its way to my WOTN- by a small margin, but WOTN nonetheless. The word I would immediately use for this is *ornate*. Not just fresh and expressive, but showing innumerable little complexities, like individual voices in a harmonious choir. Vivid wild cherries, raspberries, strawberries, almost a crunchy freshness even at 22 years, but began to bloom into this voluptuous wine with vivid baking spices, cedar, and perfectly-integrated tertiary tones with smoked meat, even some sweeter glazed meat, and so on. Acidity was singing, but never sour/tart- tannins were intense, but never coarse. Everything coming together, dancing on a tiny tightrope of elegance, intensity, seriousness, and playfulness. I truly wish I would have tried this earlier in the night.
So, am I starting to save up for top-tier Barolo myself? Not currently, but I was thinking about these wines for days afterward. For the most part, I’ve never tasted anything like them, and I’ve been seriously into wine for over a decade. Hoping I’ll be lucky enough to try even one of them again.