Barolo recs

OK. I have been reading the Barolo threads and they have given me the urge to try some. I have never been very knowledgeable about Italian wines, though I have drank and enjoyed a lot of it over time. Barolo is, for whatever reason, something I have very, very rarely tried. Sad, but true.

I’d like to go out and get a few to give it a whirl. Any recommendations to get me started?

burlotto, g rinaldi, and cappellano.

Don’t know what your price point for trying some Barolo, but Vajra’s Albe Barolo is a pretty available and usually accessible early that is a good wine at a great price point.

If you want to spend some cash, maybe an ‘11 or another early accessible vintage from some of the better modern producers. I had an ‘11 Bartolo Mascarello couple days ago I thought showed well despite being extremely young and primary.

Agree with the 2011 suggestion. The vintage is drinking well now.

Vajra’s Albe is a good suggestion, the Bricco is excellent too for ~$80.

Burlotto, G. Rinaldi, and Cappellano would be great, if you can find sources and have a few hundred dollars to spare.

Definitely try to taste some older barolo, in the 10-30 year window. The young stuff can be a bit tough. I’m tasting through some 2015 and 2016 and finding them more difficult to appreciate than I would have expected.

Paul,

I’d start with some Gattinara, Langhe Nebbiolo, and invest in some wines that already have age on them. I’d also be sure that you’re consuming food with fat & earthy tones (Taleggio or well marbled steak with mushrooms & onions).

Producers to buy & age for 10+ years that are “affordable”

Ellio Grasso
Cavallotto
Elvio Cogno

No looking to spend a grand, but I understand the good stuff isn’t inexpensive. 150-200?

For accessible wines at reasonable prices that show some site character, I’d suggest:

  • '14 Burlotto Barolo (the base wine, not the single vineyard designations). '15 is probably showing well now, if likely less elegant than the lighter '14. Both can be had for less than $50
  • '12 Roagna Langhe. It’s a blend of wines from vines that are less than 25 years old in Barolo Pira (right below the town of Castiglione Falletto) and Barbaresco Pajé. The '13 is great too but a little sterner. Both can be had for around $40
  • '11 Rinaldi and Cappellano wines are brilliant and pretty accessible right now, but of course a massive jump in price (into the $150-200 range). A little bit cheaper would be the '11 Vietti Ravera. I wouldn’t decant these, as it will accentuate the tannins rather than softening them. Just drink slowly and let them evolve in the glass

I would take a stab at the 2015 G. Mascarello Monprivato. It’s about $150, and they show well in their youth the few that I’ve had.

I think reaching out to other expressions of Nebbiolo is also a good idea. 10-20 yo Produttori Reserva Barberesco is easy to find, delicious, and great QPR for what you get in the bottle. Also, as mentioned above, wines form Alto Piemonte are good and relatively cheap. I have a feeling once people figure out the amount of great stuff that out there with age …the prices will rise.

IMHO 2013 Roagna Lange is better than a lot of other good producers Barolo

Another very good, easy to find, reasonably priced and earlier drinking Barolo is Vietti’s Castiglione. Elio Grasso, Brovia , and GB Burlotto make very nice entry level Barolo. I’d look for these. If you splurge on a $150+ bottle from a recent vintage you might be disappointed as these wines can be pretty tannic and rough in their youth.

Or make friends with Barolo in their cellars. :grinning: They may very well be interested in trying what you have in yours!

I know you said Barolo, but from reading the OP, I’m going to hazard a guess that Piedmont as a whole is a new area to you, so I’d probably steer you towards Produttori di Barbaresco as it’s pretty easy to find and great, especially for the money.

Vajra is a great suggestion if you want Barolo.

Suggested producers for the Barbaresco?

Barolo doesn’t work until it’s been aged for 50 or 60 years.

If you’re legit curious about this, and if you’re not a billionaire, then I’d urge to you learn the Nebbiolo cultivar.

In the old days, the cheapest way to do that was to purchase an aged Nebbiolo from the far northern part of the Piemonte, where it’s known as “Spanna”.

Unfortunately, free Wine-Searcher indicates that the “Aged Spanna” trick no longer works in the USA, although it might still work if you were a tourist in Italy.

So you’re largely now stuck with these obscenely priced wines from the south of the Piemonte [which is known as the “Langhe”].

They’re you’ll be paying $45 for a recent vintage of a label which had been a $15 table wine back circa the end of the previous Millennium, but that’s the entry price for learning Nebbiolo these days.

And once you start laying down the $$$s necessary for acquiring recent vintages of Nebbiolo, it is IMPERATIVE that you learn the Nebbiolo oxidation curve.

EVERY bottle should be sipped over the course of at least seven days, and arguably more like 14 days [I recork them and put them back in the fridge after each pour, and let them stay there overnight].

Also be forewarned that the Nebbiolo oxidation curve is badly counterintuitive, and often seems to defy [what ought to be] the laws of physics - a Nebbiolo can be utterly impenetrable upon opening, can seem to be developing into something enticing on Day 2, and then on Day 3, it will be shut down hard as nails again, etc etc etc.

As above, if you’re not a billionaire, then keep a very close eye on your wallet, and do not get your hopes up - you’re going back to first grade again, in a foreign country, trying to learn & socialize with a teacher & classmates who do not speak your language - so be prepared for plenty of frustrations & travails along the way.

PS: Above all else, do not get yourself invited to one of those tastings where you get a chance to smell & sip on a few drops of a properly aged Giacosa or Conterno or Gaja or similar - you’ll never be able to enjoy normal wine again.

Maybe there is actually a reason I haven’t had much Barolo! [wow.gif]

Thank you everyone, this is really informative.

definitely not this. These aren’t starter/introduction type wines.

If you have very little experience with Barolo wines, I’d ask about your experience with Nebbiolo in general, e.g. have you had many Langhe Nebbiolo, and or Nebbiolo d’Alba? If so, what were those experiences like?

What about Barbaresco wines, any experiences, good, bad or indifferent?

In my experience, people tend to like/understand/etc. Barolo wines more if they’ve had the benefit of some/all of the aforementioned first.

I like the suggestion of vietti castiglione. The 14 is drinking great atm.

Barolo is not easily understood.
It is pale, often tawny, often very tannic, often very savoury.
It si not everyone’s cup of tea. It needs perseverence to understand its charms.
It can be darn expensive.
It can take a long time to hit its peak.

That being said, it is worth the chase, but it really needs to be paired with the right foods. Go for a roast leg of pork or lamb.

Here are some recos:-
These are in the main less expensive, accessible wines. The nebiolos tend to drink well younger.

Nebs
Vietti Perbacco
Burlotto
Sottimano
Giribaldi
Poderi Colla

Less expensive Barolo, accessible young
Prunotto
Revello
Vietti Castiglione
Massolino
Marcarini Brunate

Produttori del Barbaresco would be the producer. The wines are readily available and great from top to bottom.