Mauro Veglio Barolo Castelletto 2014
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James
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Castelletto is a vast area that winds between Monforte d’Alba and the frazione of Perno along the confines of Serralunga d’Alba. Here, we cultivate about four hectares of vineyards that lay in a southeast position. Beginning with the 1996 vintage, we were the first producers to use this name on the label, and the first with its official recognition. The prevalent amount of sandstone and the well-ventilated microclimate create a tannic Barolo that is very fresh, with balsamic, mint, and eucalyptus notes.
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French oak, blue flower, underbrush and wild berry aromas escape the glass. On the smooth, full-bodied palate, firm fine-grained tannins frame juicy black cherry, crushed raspberry, espresso and star anise. Fresh acidity keeps it balanced. Drink 2024–2034.
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James Suckling
Attractive orange rind and light cherries, as well as herbal notes. The palate has a succulent feel with brisk acidity and bright flavors of dark cherries.
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2018-
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Their families were farmers for many generations, like many other families in the Langhe. In 1992, Mauro began to drastically reduce the number of grapes per hectare and started to vinify on his own in his new cantina. He utilized shorter macerations with temperature controlled rotary-fermenters and aging in small oak barrels, and he started to produce, little by little, wines that were more elegant with higher quality grapes.
Unlike the tendency of contemporary philosophy production which means the same as manipulating nature, they believe in natural systems of cultivation and vinification: they reject the use of chemical fertilizers or pesticides in their vineyards. Any chemical process is refused in the winemaking as well as any artificial concentration or aromatization: this means that the quality of the wine is the result of the natural character of the vineyards, their soil composition and microclimatic differences determining the maturity of the individual vintages. The result is the authentic essence of their "terroir" in a glass.
Responsible for some of the most elegant and age-worthy wines in the world, Nebbiolo, named for the ubiquitous autumnal fog (called nebbia in Italian), is the star variety of northern Italy’s Piedmont region. Grown throughout the area, as well as in the neighboring Valle d’Aosta and Valtellina, it reaches its highest potential in the Piedmontese villages of Barolo, Barbaresco and Roero. Outside of Italy, growers are still very much in the experimentation stage but some success has been achieved in parts of California. Somm Secret—If you’re new to Nebbiolo, start with a charming, wallet-friendly, early-drinking Langhe Nebbiolo or Nebbiolo d'Alba.
The center of the production of the world’s most exclusive and age-worthy red wines made from Nebbiolo, the Barolo wine region includes five core townships: La Morra, Monforte d’Alba, Serralunga d’Alba, Castiglione Falletto and the Barolo village itself, as well as a few outlying villages. The landscape of Barolo, characterized by prominent and castle-topped hills, is full of history and romance centered on the Nebbiolo grape. Its wines, with the signature “tar and roses” aromas, have a deceptively light garnet color but full presence on the palate and plenty of tannins and acidity. In a well-made Barolo wine, one can expect to find complexity and good evolution with notes of, for example, strawberry, cherry, plum, leather, truffle, anise, fresh and dried herbs, tobacco and violets.
There are two predominant soil types here, which distinguish Barolo from the lesser surrounding areas. Compact and fertile Tortonian sandy marls define the vineyards farthest west and at higher elevations. Typically the Barolo wines coming from this side, from La Morra and Barolo, can be approachable relatively early on in their evolution and represent the “feminine” side of Barolo, often closer in style to Barbaresco with elegant perfume and fresh fruit.
On the eastern side of the Barolo wine region, Helvetian soils of compressed sandstone and chalks are less fertile, producing wines with intense body, power and structured tannins. This more “masculine” style comes from Monforte d’Alba and Serralunga d’Alba. The township of Castiglione Falletto covers a spine with both soil types.
The best Barolo wines need 10-15 years before they are ready to drink, and can further age for several decades.