Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
It’s the fruit tea and hibiscus that really lifts this, not to mention the roasted herbs that lurk beneath the surface. But there’s no shortage of dried fruit either, whether it be dried cherries, dried plums or Christmas cake. It’s a real mouth-coater, showing sheer elegance in a bottle, encapsulated in the tannins that weave an ornate tapestry, hung between every corner of the palate. Full-bodied and very, very long. Best ever?
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This wine draws its fruit from a half hectare of vines that have often suffered in the hot years, and it will be discontinued as of the 2018 vintage. The Scavino family was not able to renew their lease here. There is a lovely elegance to this 2015 Barolo Cannubi, due largely to the high elevation of this parcel, where there is more dryness in the topsoil and more erosion, resulting in less plant vigor. It is made from smaller grape clusters. There is more concentration to this Barolo as well, and the tannins are never too powerful. But the low yields in the past and the general challenge to growing here make for more difficulty than it is worth, so I suppose this 2015 vintage could be considered something of a collector's item as a result.
Rating: 94+ -
Wine Spectator
A supple, ripe style, boasting rose, plum, cherry, licorice and tea flavors, with a hint of mint. The tannins are soft and wide. Lingering finish. Best from 2021 through 2038.
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Wine Enthusiast
Dark-skinned berry, thyme, ground clove and blue flower aromas form the nose. Focused and austere, the palate shows red cherry, orange zest, sage and star anise before a coffee bean close. Taut, fine-grained tannins provide the framework. Drink 2021–2030.
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Wine & Spirits
This comes from a plot on the Cannubi hill’s central crest, some of the vines planted in 1946. It offers crunchy flavors of cherry and pomegranate brightened by notes of eucalyptus and orange peel. Polished tannins frame the flavors as warm spice notes emerge toward 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.
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.