Winemaker Notes
This vertical three-pack includes one bottle each of Borgogno Cannubi Riserva 2012, 2015, 2018
- 1 Bottle of 2012 Borgogno Cannubi Riserva
- The 2012 Cannubi Riserva has a garnet red color with orange highlights. In this Barolo, there is an attack of licorice that hits the nose. In the mouth, great freshness that plays in a very fine balance on its elegance that gives a sense of sweetness. It ends with an iodized sensation.
- 1 Bottle of 2015 Borgogno Cannubi Riserva
- The 2015 Cannubi Riserva has a ruby red color with garnet reflections. On the nose hints of red flowers such as geranium; ripe cherries and raspberries and a marked spiciness that recalls notes of tobacco. Excellent body on the palate, an incisive sip, pleasant acidity that gives great crunchiness. Also has well integrated, persistent tannins. A wine that completely reflects its vintage, defi¬ned by many as majestic. A wine which with these characteristics is destined for long aging.
- 1 Bottle of 2018 Borgogno Cannubi Riserva
- The 2018 Cannubi Riserva is an intense ruby red with garnet reflections. On the nose hints of red fruits, such as strawberry and blackberry; and the spiciness reminiscent of black pepper. On the palate a ¬fine wine, but at the same time elegant and characterized by power. Tense and persistent tannins, long and ¬ne taste. A wine that is at the beginning of its journey, but which will be able to reveal all its complexity over time, with great potential.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
2018: Beautiful fresh nose filled with lifted cherry scented and iron touches, really open and expressive and light - almost an aerial quality to the aromatics on the nose. Juicy and so crunchy and alive, this is wonderful, it's got a flash of heat and touch of that cherry cough syrup spice but backed up by the most beautifully integrated fine tannins and pristine acidity. Pure and controlled, so easy to appreciate this wine for its quality and the drinkability. The stars have aligned here, doesn't carry as much overt tannic weight or structure as the 2017s but this has finesse and such allure. Graceful, charming, clean and crystalline with a long pulsing energetic frame.
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Decanter
2015: 2015 was a warm year giving ripe fruit, and this Cannubi Riserva doesn't disappoint – in fact, the generous vintage is perfectly suited to the extended ageing of a Riserva. Flashes of ripe cherry and wild strawberry along with sous bois and floral hints introduce a palate of fleshy red fruits tamed by a tight weave of fine, initially firm tannins. A core of dried and fresh red berries flecked with wood and tobacco is surrounded by a wash of energetic acidity. Sapid and fresh, it still feels remarkably youthful, but it could develop into something even more special given additional time to harmonize in the bottle.
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James Suckling
2015: A lovely Cannubi here with cloves, preserved plums, sliced oranges, balsamic and a touch of mineral and dried flowers. Fine, dusty tannins with juicy plums and minerality that extend to a refined, nuanced finish. Beautiful now, but can hold, too.
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James Suckling
2018: A nuanced, elegant Cannubi showing a nervy mineral edge to the cranberries, racy berries and sliced oranges. Pure, juicy and elegant on the palate with a refined finish. Drink now or hold.
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James Suckling
2012: Savory and well-evolved with dark walnuts, some caramelized cranberries, orange rind, dry earth and a hint of dates. Medium body with supple fruit and tamed, fine tannins. Drinking pretty well now.
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.