Winemaker Notes
Garnet red color. Spices, leather, violet and tilled soil are among the aromas that emerges on the nose. Berry flavors abound, layered with vanilla, licorice, sage and balsamic notes which add complexity and intensity. Ferrous tannins giving the wine brightness and lift. The vibrant finish is highlighted by a blast of orange peel.
Pair with fresh pasta with truffle or meat sauce, roasted red meats, braised meats, and long-aged cheeses are the perfect accompaniment to this wine.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Remarkably fresh and youthful, with sprightly, firm tannins that are still working to to soak up the clean red-berry fruit. Full-bodied and, though not overly complex, this is showing incredible tension and focus for an almost 15-year-old wine. Everything is pristine enough to allow you to hold this, or enjoy now.
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Vinous
The 2008 Barolo Riserva Le Coste di Monforte is a powerful, virile wine. A host of smoke, tobacco, scorched earth, game and licorice give the 2008 its masculine, brooding personality. The volatile acidity is a bit high and there are some rough edges, but there is also plenty to like. I would prefer to drink the 2008 sooner rather than later, before the edges fray too much further. Scents of rose petal, mint, kirsch and sweet spices add to the super-classic finish.
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Wine Spectator
Menthol, eucalyptus, wild herb and tar notes are the flavor themes in this beefy, rustic red. An animal note emerges as the burly tannins play out on 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.