I’ve not tasted this wine since its release. At that time, the wine was, not unexpectedly, a bit closed. In the interim, I’ve had many 2012 Barolo wines from a good cross-section of producers. Results have been, for me, generally quite good, with very few falling into an exceptional category; I’ve only come across a…
Category: Langhe
G.B. Burlotto – 2013 Barolo wines, and more
I’d contacted Fabio Alessandria, winemaker at G.B. Burlotto, several months in advance of my trip to Langhe – I know how busy he is, not only in the vineyards/cellar, but also marketing the wines in London, New York City, etc. And even though I saw Fabio on 2 April, at the Grandi Langhe 2017 event that morning…
Really impressed with this – 2011 Cascina Chicco Roero Riserva Valmaggiore
It’s not often (enough!) that I’ve got a glass of wine that makes me repeat, like a broken record (dating myself here, oh well) exclamations, like wow!, and fantastic!, or really?, that’s amazing!; this was one of those wines/experiences. (below: inside a part – there are more than half a dozen – of the old…
More is (not always) preferred to less – 2012 Bruno Giacosa Barbera d’Alba
“More is preferred to less“, that’s what my first Economics professor exclaimed. I wasn’t comfortable with this idea, and thirty years later, I’m still not, though I understand the context a little more now. Last night I pulled a 2012 Bruno Giacosa Barbera d’Alba, a bottle I acquired in a great little shop inside San Gimignano…
Exactly as it should be – Az. Agr. Monchiero Fratelli
Sometimes it happens when we least expect it – we come across something that stands apart, it rockets up from a set of expectations, and it enters your inner circle along with all your other prized memories, possessions, experience, etc. That’s precisely what happened one day when I happened to stop by the Cantina Communale dei…
HOW TO MAKE A LASTING IMPRESSION – MASSOLINO (AZ. AGR. VIGNA RIONDA), PART II
Referring to the map he’s provided me with, Franco (a graduate of the oenologic school in Alba) gives a quick overview of the Barolo area – he mentions the eleven communes/villages (see below), and points out the Massolino Cru (i.e. single) vineyards, three of which are in Serralunga d’Alba proper, and one, Parussi, located in…
How to make a lasting impression – Massolino (Az. Agr. Vigna Rionda), Part I
They say you only get one chance to make a first impression. Some make full use of that opportunity, and others, well, let’s just say they do not. In the case of Massolino’s wines, which I’ve enjoyed for well over a decade, and during my lengthy visit there in 2014 (I will return spring 2017,…
HOW TO MAKE A LASTING IMPRESSION – MASSOLINO (AZ. AGR. VIGNA RIONDA), PART III
Franco describes the new project. It’s part cellar, part community park. The cellar will be all underground (even if in the picture below it is exposed – it won’t be when completed ), and on top, there will be a natural space with places to sit, gather, relax. This is how it was, many years ago…
Getting wowed in Barbaresco
It’s not easy to get wowed these days. You see, I’ve been doing this wine thing professionally for nearly 20 years, and getting wowed happens less and less often it seems. Well today that changed – I visited Sottimano. Andrea Sottimano is slight of build, but his vision for what is possible is quite big,…
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