There must be something in the Langhe air. Tasting and drinking wine all day yesterday and yet I wake up with energy and a yearning for the next visit and tasting. Or is it the Nebbiolo...?
After a swift breakfast we got in the car and head to Castiglione Falletto and Vietti. Elena Currado greated us and we swiftly took our seats in the tasting room, salivating over the opportunity to taste the whole range of Baroli 2013. But first some other fine bottles.
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| Elena Currado |
2016 Roero Arneis
The Vietti celebrates 50 year with its Arneis, with the late Alfredo Currado rescuing the Arnesis from oblivion in the 60´s. The nose is pure and high pitched with notes of tangerines, gravel and grapefruit. A fine steely scent. Very, very good.
The taste is young, fresh and cool with notes of white flowers, tangerines, spices and minerals. This is gooood! This could easily be my all summer wine.
90p (tasted 2017/05)
2015 Barbera d´Alba Vigna Vecchia Scarrone
The Scarrone always tingles my spine and the 15 version is no exception. The nose is deep, creamy and dark with broading raspberry fruit and additional notes of dark herbs, Finnish licorice and violets. Rich and very, very fine.
The taste is open, fruity and tasty with notes of ripe black cherries, licorice, moist undergrowth and bakelite. Very long. A very fine acidity. I really like this style of Barbera.
92p (tasted 2017/05)
2013 Barbera d´Asti La Crena
The La Crena is two years older, darker and denser than the Scarrone. It has a deep, weighter nose with notes of undergrowth, plums, fried herbs and raspberry licorice. Very deep and fine.
The taste is tight and textured with a fine mix of raspberries and blueberries with some licorice, undergrowth and dark chocolate tossed in. A long, stern finish. Seedy. Very, very good.
91p (tasted 2017/05)
2014 Langhe Nebbiolo Perbacco
This 14 has a cool, herbal nose with notes of dried roses, paint, earth and mushrooms. A tad linear. Good though.
The taste is tight and dry with notes of red currants, herbs, undergrowth and rosehips. Needs time. The midpalate is somewhat thin.
86p (tasted 2017/05)
2013 Barbaresco Masseria
The Masseria is a stunner. A lovely, low key yet intense nose, with notes of hard cherry candy, expensive soap, fir and smoke. Very, very fine. A lovely depth.
The taste is young, tight and seedy with notes of ripe red cherries, almond paste, sweet minerals and violets. Very long and finely tuned. Really fine. Has that 13 energy.
94p (tasted 2017/05)
2013 Barolo Castiglione
A very fine, seedy, crisp nose with notes of wild strawberries, mushrooms and rosehips. High and pure. Really good.
The taste is cool, pure and juicy with notes of ripe red cherries, licorice, flowers and minerals. A long lasting finish with fine tannins. This is great, the best Castiglione I have ever tasted.
93p (tasted 2017/05)
2013 Barolo Brunate
The Brunate has an exquisite that is deep and light on its feet at the same, with wonderful notes of wild strawberries, dry licorice, summer flowers and rose petals. Very, very fine.
The taste is structured and finely tuned with lovely notes of sour/sweet cherries, moist earth, dried flowers and hard cherry candy. A one minute long finish. One for the cellar.
96p (tasted 2017/05)
2013 Barolo Ravera
I don´t know what Galloni finds in the Ravera that I don´t. Last autumn I got the 2010 Ravera which has scored 100p. I had it, blind tasted, at 93p. He has also scored the 2013 100p. Well, to each his own. Don´t get me wrong though, this is a stellar wine, just not a perfect one. A future candidate for perfection came in the next glass...
The Ravera has a deep, concentrated node with notes of ripe red and black cherries, salt rocks, herbs and ski wax. Interesting, fine and multi layered.
The taste is intense and rugged with notes of black cherries, bakelite, fir, herbs and rosehips. Very, very long. Has the stuffing for a long life. Really good.
94p (tasted 2017/05)
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| Tasting bottles |
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| Manuela, assistent at Vietti, concurs with me that the Rocche rocks! |
The Rocche really rocks! The best 13 in the Vietti line up with its gorgeous, profound nose with notes of ripe strawberries, marinated cherries, hot almonds, forest floor and violets. A lovely floral aroma. Stunning.
The taste is the proverbial iron fist in a velvet glove, and the finish goes on for minutes. Fine notes of ripe red cherries, wild strawberries, dried ceps and sweet minerals. Perfection in the making, just give it 6+ years.
98p (tasted 2017/05)
2013 Barolo Lazzarito
Back in the days, the Lazzarito used to get some new barriques. Not anymore, all the cru´s gets the same upbringing, yet it feels like this has some new wood on the nose, alongside notes of smoke, sugared coffee, leather and a touch of meat. Ripe, deep and generous. Very, very good.
The taste is very deep and dense with notes of ripe black cherries, blueberries, moist undergrowth, tobacco and violets. Very long and intense. Needs time. Very structured.
95p (tasted 2017/05)
We had an appointment at 14.00 at Brovia so we had to eat an early lunch. So we headed to Osteria Veglio right after Vietti and sat down at the table with a lovely scenery in front of us.
Red Wine! Lets go there!
But before we had to have some lunch, again keeping it simple - Carne Cruda and Tajarin! :-) And a bottle of bubbly - the 739 Jacquesson is a marvel. And of course we needed a Barolo.
2010 Barolo Cavarini Chiniera, Elio Grasso
We drank the 10 Case Mate on our last trip so we thought it could be fun to try this out. It displays a deep, racy nose with notes of sweet/sour cherries, licorice, smoke and ripe flowers. Very, very good. High and fine. Creamy fruit.
The taste is concentrated and balanced with notes of Morello cherries, forest floor, smoke and a hint of ceps. A very long, handsome finish with silky tannins. Just lovely.
95p (tasted 2017/05)
After this long, relaxing lunch overlooking the Langhe hills we rolled down the road to Brovia where we meet up with Alex Sanchez.
Brovia is an old estate, they have been wine growers since 1863. Cristina and Elena, descendants of Giacinto Brovia who started the firm in 1862, are now in charge and Elenas husband Alex joined the estate in 2001.
Alex arrived on his Harley-Davidson to great us and then poured some stunning wines.
Brovia
2016 Roero Arneis
A fine, open nose with notes of pears, peach, minerals and a toch of band aid. Very good and salivating.
The taste is dry and fresh with notes of almonds, peach and wet stones. Refreshing and fine.
88p (tasted 2017/05)
2015 Barbera Sori´ Del Drago
Grapes from Castiglione Falleto and Serralunga and bottled only two months ago. The nose is open and spicy with notes of smoke, tobacco, dark flowers and raspberry jam. Very, very good. A fine warmth.
The taste is steady and stern with notes of raspberry licorice, smoke, tobacco and leather. A very fine backbone. A very good acidity. Succulent.
91p (tasted 2017/05)
2013 Barolo
A deep, intriguing nose with notes of sour cherries, Christmas spices, (over)ripe strawberries and dark gravel. High and fine. This is on cru level. Really, really good.
The taste is fresh, pure and sappy with notes of rosemary spiced cherries, dry licorice, forest floor and some tobacco. Very long and distinct. This is a stunner. The best Normale tasted.
93p (tasted 2017/05)
2013 Barolo Rocche di Castiglione
Ooooh boy, what a wine! The nose is vibrant and focused with gorgeous notes of hard cherry candy, wild strawberries, road dust, coffee beans and a sea of roses. Absolutely beautiful. I could sit and sniff this for hours.
The taste is as good as the nose promises with notes of sour/sweet cherries, dried strawberries, smoke and violets. The finish goes on and on and on, and the tannins are of the silkiest kind. Awesome!
97p (tasted 2017/05)
2013 Barolo Villero
The Villero is no slouch either. The nose is tight and steady with notes of cranberries, aspahlt, warm gravel and dried flowers. Warmer than the Rocche. Very, very fine.
The taste is refined and tight with notes of ripe cherries, raspberry licorice, asphalt and tobacco. Very long and structured. A high, elegant note. This is going to turn out great with 5+ years in the cellar.
95p (tasted 2017/05)
2013 Barolo Brea Vigna Ca´Mia
This monopole cru shows a wonderful, deep and concentrated nose with notes of red plums, sour cherries, mushrooms, coffee powder and finnish licorice. A high, pure nose. Really, really fine.
The taste is pure like a mountain river with stunning notes of ripe raspberries, chalk, asphalt, violets and fir. The tannins that comes through in the finish is of the teeth gripping kind. This gonna need 8+ years. But the quality, the finesse and the drinkability (even though I would wait for some years) of the Baroli from Brovia - impressive stuff.
96p (tasted 2017/05)
We then went into Alba and raided the wine shops for a couple of hours before going back to our appartment.
For dinner we had booked a table at L´osteria del Vignaiolo which lays within crawling distance from our appartment. But before heading there we thought we needed some...Barolo!
I bought this bottle in Alba, having read about the producer but haven´t tasted anything from him. He is a practitioner of the natural wine moment, he ferments only with wild yeast and without temperatur control and he doesn´t add sulfites during the winemaking process. Lets see what that gives us.
2013 Barolo Ravera, Principiano Ferdinando
A light but persistent nose with notes of asphalt, dark nougat, ripe lingonberries and wild flowers. Medium deep. A bit restrained. Very good.
The taste is tight and seedy with notes of cherry pips, dry licorice, undergrowth and dry leather. Chewable tannins. A bit taut in character but it is very good. Needs time.
90p (tasted 2017/05)
2013 Barolo Tre Tine, Giuseppe Rinaldi
After a while into the dinner we ask ourselves - what are we drinking? As you can see from the pics below the front label of the Tre Tine says 2013 but the back label says 2012. We ordered it to get a better grip on this lovely wine than the short tasting we had yesterday.
When talking to the sommelier he said the cases from which this bottle came was delivered from Rinaldi just the other week. So we conclude that it is the 13 but we have to have a talk with Carlotta next we visit...:-)
The wine behaved the same as the day before but with more air it got a bit more muscular and showing more of the silky tannins in the finish. A great wine yesterday and a great wine today.
94p (tasted 2017/05)
2012 Barolo, Bartolo Mascarello
Just wooow! What a wine. The nose is pure, clean a whistle and filled to the brim with lovely scents of dried raspberries, wood smoke, asphalt and spices. Real intense and yet light as a feather. Maria Teresa know what she is doing. Great wine.
The taste is tight, seedy and absolutely wonderful with notes of sour/sweet cherries, dried mushrooms, asphalt, salt rocks and earth. Long, pure and multi layered. Very complex and fine. Would love to have some.
97p (tasted 2017/05)
On our way back to our apartment we concluded that yet anoher fantastic day have passed in Barolo land.
And Saturday looks gooood...
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