Winemaker Notes
Ruby red, slightly opalescent, in appearance. When young, the nose has typical fruity and floral notes such as dried rose and hints of spices and licorice. The palate is dense with tannic structure leading to a fresh but strong finish.
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Spectator
Bright, revealing cherry, plum, leather, licorice and earth flavors backed by lively acidity and firm underlying tannins. Shows supple texture and spice nuances that lend harmony. Tight, exposing chewy tannins on the finish, yet there is plenty going on here. Best from 2027 through 2046. 320 cases made, 160 cases imported.
-
Wine Enthusiast
Slightly reserved on the nose, this wine needs a bit more time in the bottle to really show its stuffing. As it opens, aromas of candied cherries, anise, wild herbs and sweet spices waft from the glass. The firm palate shows the more savory side of the wine with medicinal herbs, dried leaves and black tea as raspberry and red plum flavors weave their way into the 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.