Winemaker Notes
Ruby red with orange reflections with notes of balsamic, spice, forest floor and menthol. On the palate the is a structure with a sturdy tannin leading into flavors of chocolate and tobacco.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This is fantastic, with great energy and freshness that gives an abundance of freshly cut flowers, raspberries and dried mushrooms. Medium-bodied with refined tannins that run the length of the wine and give texture and focus. A harmonious and vivid young 2020. Perhaps the best ever from here? Drink in two or three years. Try after 2027.
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Wine Spectator
In the savory camp, this red expresses eucalyptus, juniper, broom and earth flavors surrounding a core of cherry and blackberry. The tannins are present yet refined, with a firm, persistent finish. Best from 2028 through 2043. 400 cases made, 80 cases imported.
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Wine Enthusiast
Grown in a slightly cooler exposures, the wine shines with elegance. The wine opens with layers of red cherry, rose petal, and crushed stone. The limestone-rich soils of the vineyard contribute to the wine's sophisticated tannin structure and mineral core. Beautifully balanced between power and finesse, characteristic of this respected producer's meticulous approach.
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.