TN: 2014 Comm. G.B. Burlotto Barolo Monvigliero and now the regular Barolo

  • 2014 Comm. G.B. Burlotto Barolo Monvigliero - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (9/23/2018)
    Medium expressive nose displaying subtle red and black fruit, dilute blackberry and black cherry, rose, iron and earth. Medium concentration, subtle fruit expression, cool, lean and watery, medium acidity, strong earthy mineral and a medium long subtle red and black fruit driven finish. It lacks finesse and complexity of the 12 and 13. Perhaps I need to revisit soon.(92 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Thanks for the note Kevin, what kind of cellar life do you think this wine has?

My drinking windows are much longer than most people. I think this will reach the peak in twenty years, mostly tertiary with subtle fruit at that point. If one prefers generous fruit, may be a decade.

Grazie mille

Kevin,

My last visit at Burlotto was in november 2015 and I could taste some interesting 2014, on a weak vintage :
Burlotto Pelaverga 2014 : 14,5/20
Robe claire. Nez exprimant des senteurs de poivre, de grenadine, d’herbes aromatiques (romarin). Moins structuré que le Ruché de Rinaldi. Finale assez courte, sur des amers de qualité.

Burlotto Dolcetto d’Alba 2014 : 16/20
Originalité (et exclusivité ?) du domaine sur ce cépage, une partie de la récolte est en vendange entière. Cela donne un vin rappelant un bouquet de fleurs, expressif/net/cohérent, développant des goûts de rafle (en mode discret), de poivre. Distingué, fuselé, superbement réussi.

Burlotto Barbera d’Alba 2014 : 15,5/16
Profond, fruité (évocation de gelée de mûres), acide (comme il se doit). Appréciable tenue juteuse.

Burlotto Langhe Nebbiolo 2014 : 16/16,5
Robe pâle. Fraîcheur avenante, sur le menthol, le quinquina, les fleurs, les fruits rouges et noirs, le poivre. Fin, net, attirant et d’une belle densité, encore plus si l’on compare au Brunate 2014 de Rinaldi.

… Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Brunate 2014 : (15,5/16)
Très terre mouillée mais ce qui est frappant, c’est que le vin, par ailleurs en déficit de couleur et de degré alcoolique, manque de structure, semble un peu « lâche » (2014 a été un millésime épineux).

Good to see some notes on this, I was only able to grab 3 bottles of this. When you say this lacks finesse comparing it to 12 & 13; do you expect the elegance to come out with a little more time sideways in the bottle?

Kirk,

We discussed with Fabio Alessandria.
The 2014 will probably show elegantly but will never have the consistance and complexity (through times for this last aspect) of 2013 (I rated the “mere” Barolo 2013 17,5/20) or 2011.

Kirk,
It is already elegant but seems pretty pedestrian. The 12 and 13 stood out but this seems pedestrian comparably speaking. Only one experience so need to revisit.

But not pedestrian in price! Lowest WsPro is $139.99. I think I got mine for $75 which I thought was already a tad high.

Note there is no Acclivi in 2014 …

$60 to 70 should be the us retail.

I very much doubt the price increases are at the winery, but rather the fallout of the sheep following the AG 100 point anointment for that earlier vintage. Maybe there will be another 100 points dropped on a different wine, and the sheep will follow that one instead.

I had the 2014 Monvigliero at the winery recently and have had it again at a dinner since. I think it is excellent, in a different style but of similar quality to the 2013, not far behind the 2014 Monfortino. It was 40 euros a bottle at the winery.

What’s the bridge to US pricing? If 40 euro at winery = $48 USD - $10 winery markup = $38 + ?$10? customs/shipping = $48 + $10 wholesale broker = $58 would be expected price in the US? How are you folks able to source it even at $75 (just friendly retailers you have been buying from for a while)?

  • 2014 Comm. G.B. Burlotto Barolo - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (10/16/2018)
    Medium expressive nose displaying pure blue and black fruit which is a bit surprising, blackberry, black cherry, strong rose, licorice, a hint of tar and earth. Medium concentration, fresh sweet slightly wet blue fruit, silky and polished, slightly hollow middle, medium acidity and mineral, noticeable but fine tannins and a medium to long pure blue fruit driven finish. This is a very well made wine, kinda reminds me the 13 Chablis or the 13 right bank Bordeaux, i.e. very well made and delicious but a bit uninteresting and lacks vibrancy. This would go well with a fatty roast. For now, I don’t see a big gap between this and Monvigliero. (91 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Good data points Kevin. Time will tell but these are normally beautiful wines that deserve some time for at least the stems and tannin to integrate, just like any Barolo.

I recall tasting the 08’ on release and not caring for it at all. 5 years later it was just starting to turn secondary and all the potential was crystal clear. I had a similar experience with the 2010 on release, not seeing the charm, though I will have to revisit. 2013 was an exception, so ripe that it was able to overcome the usual austerity.

Though anyhow, if you like ripe to super ripe fruit, 2014 probably isn’t going to work very well.

My experiences with Burlotto is very limited. My first exposure was tasting the 12s and the 13s at the winery. I thought the 12 and the 13 Monviglieros were great. I just don’t get it in the 14s.

How would you folks describe the 2013 monvigliero? There was some debate at a recent offline on its structure and ageability.

Shane I meant to comment on your note, I thought your comments were clear headed and right on. As I alluded to, the wine isn’t your normal blockbuster (it’s the farthest north “Grand Cru” vineyard in Barolo), the tannin is a bit subtle, as is the fruit, but it’s there, it just takes time to come together.

I’m not fully following your calculations. (What’s the winery “markup”?) Historically, US retail prices were about double the cellar door price in Piemonte. It’s not hard to see that when you consider shipping and duty and the three-tier system. Full retail pricing is 50% above wholesale, so full-price retailers get 33% of what you pay. And the importer and distributors get their cuts.

The differential between the winery price and US retail has narrowed in the last decade or so, and sometimes the price at the winery wasn’t too different from what you’d pay here. (I bought some 2007 Marcarinis in 2011 for ~$40-$42 and then found them on sale here for about that a few months later.)

I suspect the winemakers have raised their prices to retail customers because there has been such a huge increase in tourism in the area, and there are so many Northern Europeans who drive down and load up their cars. Also, it used to be that the winery prices were substantially lower than the prices in the local wine shops. It wouldn’t be surprising if the shop owners exerted some pressure.

It also depends a lot on the producer. Price for benchmarks like Giacosa, Conterno Monfortino, etc., are about the same there as here. There’s a global market for those, so the price spread has vanished. Where there is still a differential is with producers a notch or two down the pecking order.