Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
The Einaudi family has its roots in Dogliani, but in 1997 they acquired just over five acres of Cannubi, one of the most acclaimed crus in Barolo. In 2004, Einaudi produced its best Cannubi yet, an aristocratic expression of nebbiolo that feels almost perfectly formed. There's immediacy to the wine's beauty, an arresting floral aroma that recalls a walk through a rose garden at sunrise, the dew clinging softly to the petals and earth. And while the wine feels soft at first, with subtle flavors of cherries and rose, it soon reveals the firm structure and mineral expression at its heart. Its evolution continues for several days, maintaining a freshness and vibrancy that's utterly compelling. Gentle and elegant, yet drawing power from its broad, succulent middle, this '04 is a must for any serious Barolo lover. It will continue to evolve for decades.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The estate's classy, elegant 2004 Barolo Nei Cannubi is even more promising. It reveals a richly concentrated personality with the compelling perfumed inner sweetness that is the hallmark of this great vineyard. The wine offers terrific energy and structure, with gorgeous, silky tannins that round out the sweet, lingering finish. The Cannubi was still in oak when I tasted it in mid-November 2007. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2024.
92-95
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.