Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Enthusiast
Menthol, eucalyptus, violet, berry, clove and sage aromas all meld together on this savory wine. The bright, succulent palate delivers dense black cherry and crushed raspberry accented with mocha, cinnamon and vanilla alongside a backbone of brisk acidity and fine tannins. It's tempting now but will be even better after 2018.
-
James Suckling
Cherry cola, dried mushroom, spices and leather. Full of complexity, with good structure and tannins. Rounded, Long finesse. Better in 2016.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2010 Barolo Castelletto shows a dark, saturated garnet color and an immediate sense of heft and power that builds in intensity as the wine opens in the glass. Castelletto is very different from the wines in Mauro Veglio’s portfolio and this expression will most appeal to those who appreciate more roundness, structure and darkness in their Nebbiolo. Hold off from drinking for another ten years or more. Drink: 2017-2030.
-
Wine Spectator
An initial core of pure cherry gives way to menthol, tobacco and iron notes as this elegant red builds to a long, spice-tinged finish. Shows fine balance and freshness. Best from 2017 through 2030.
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.