Winemaker Notes
It achieves its best expression when served with red meats, particularly game, and with dishes dressed with trufffle. It is also excellent with fresh egg pasta and meat sauce, and with risotto, as well as medium-mature cow's milk and goat's milk cheeses.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Lots of pretty, ripe yet subtle fruit in this wine with plum, dried strawberry and spice character. Full body, silky tannins and a fresh finish. Better in 2018.
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Wine Enthusiast
Round and already surprisingly accessible, this full-bodied red offers aromas and flavors of ripe black cherry, leather, licorice, cake spices, orange zest and a balsamic note. Polished tannins provide the framework and give it a smooth texture. Drink through 2021.
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Wine Spectator
A tightly coiled version, with a solid core of black cherry framed by licorice and spice accents. Though locked up for now, this shows the potential for a long evolution. Delivers fine ripeness and midpalate density. Best from 2019 through 2033.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2011 Barolo is an expansive wine that shows great definition and ample richness that is reflective of the warm growing season. It opens to soft lines with plush tones of ripe berry, black cherry, spice and mahogany. It is best suited for near-term consumption. Soft lines and plush tannins characterize the finish.
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.
Even to this day, the Roero folklore lives on about witchcraft lurking behind its dramatic contours and obscure woods—but these stories only add to the region’s allure and charm. Actually today Roero winemakers are some of the most astute and motivated in Piedmont. While the white Arneis has attracted global attention for some time, now Roero Nebbiolo wines (elevated to the same DOCG status as Barolo and Barbaresco) are making a name for themselves. Keep an eye on any labeled with the vineyard, Valmaggiore, as Barolo producers have been investing here for years. If you’re looking for hidden gems, this is your region!