Hey all,
Wife and I got married in 2015 and we’re thinking of buying up some Barolo and Barbaresco this year to save for anniversaries down the road. We’re looking to stay in the $40-75 range and were wondering what you would recommend. Unfortunately I don’t have a great local wine shop, so I’m reliant on the big retailers (Total Wine, wine.com, etc) and I also have an affinity for Empire State of Wine. Appreciate any insight you all can provide!
Thanks
Produttori Cru 2015’s should be coming out in a few months and well within your price range.
2015 Martinenga is drinking great now and will into the future I imagine.
Chris,
First off, congrats on getting married in 2015. There are a lot of wines that you can age reliably for future anniversaries and Barolo & Barbaresco is a great place to start. Empire State of Wine has nothing interesting as far as Barolo & Barbaresco in my book. I’d look to Sec wines for a better selection, hopefully they ship to your state. Others have mentioned Produttori del Barbaresco and I’d strongly encourage you to not only buy the Crus but also the normal bottling which will age for decades as well.
2015 GD Vajra Bricco delle Viole
2015 Nervi - Conterno
2015 Cavallotto Bricco Boschis
2015 Cavallotto Langhe Nebbiolo (for the next 3-5 years)
I’d also strongly urge you to buy some 2015 German Rieslings which will also age for decades if you buy from of the classic producers.
This is all very good advice; since you mentioned wine.com as a source note that the '15 Cavallotto BB is $72 there before discount; the '15 Produttori Ovello is $68 (the only '15 cru on offer at the moment, at least for the state I ship to); and the '15 Varjra BDV is $80. However, once you apply the $100 off $300 coupons (see the other threads on the front page about this) and buy through Rakuten the pricing becomes very sharp indeed (the free shipping paid subscription may also be worth considering). I have zero affiliation to wine.com, except for being one of those that has made ample use of these coupons, including for the purpose of buying the Cavallotto and the Vajra.
Some good suggestions already above, here is another:
2015 La Ca’ Nova Barbaresco Montestefano
About $40 from some big on-line retailers (check wine-searcher), a 94 from Antonio Galloni (a good resource for Barolo and Barbaresco, IMHO), and a fairly long drinking window.
They only have 3 B&B’s from that year, so that really limits you.
You all never disappoint, thank you!
Bummer to continue to see that wine.com doesn’t ship their entire inventory to all states though so I can’t get a lot of what is listed above.
Couple of follow ups-
For me, wine.com has the G.D. Vajra Barolo Albe for $39, Pio Cesare for $80, Elvio Cogno Cascina Nuova for $65, and the Paitin Barbaresco Sori Paitin Serraboella for $55. Any favorites there?
Kirk- dont have much experience with German wines but did love a Dr Loosen Dry Riesling I had recently. Can you recommend a few of your favorites? Thanks
Marcarini and F. Rinaldi.
Chris,
If you’re enjoying dry Rieslings then I’d suggest that you seek out Seehof, they’re seriously good wines for the $. I’m a fan of JJ Prum for the Kabinett, Spatlese, & Auslese levels of their rieslings. They have a lot of vineyards & have been a consistent favorite for me since I started drinking German Rieslings about two decades ago. I would be remiss to not mention my love for Keller, Wittmann, Donnhoff, & Robert Weil. All are exceptional producers…and I’m really hoping to visit them all while in Germany on my honeymoon later this year.
Awesome, thank you Kirk! Enjoy the honeymoon!
I tasted the 2015 Burlotto Monvigliero last year at the winery and thought it was otherworldly. Would be great as a special occasion bottle if you can find it.
Someone here recently raved about Vajra’s ‘15 Ravera. I wouldn’t overlook it. Bought both Ravera and BdV in ‘15 myself.
I will definitely second the recommendation for 2015 GD Vajra Bricco delle Viole. Beautiful wine now that I think will be great in the years to come.
Looking forward to the Produttori Crus, bu I have not tried any of them.
Elvio Cogno Cascina Nuova for $65
Seems a bit pricy but is a very nice wine.
Vajra and Francesco Rinaldi have been mentioned.
Oddero Villero and Rocche are terrific and about $65 a pop as well.
Pecchenino San Giuseppe is a sleeper often available inexpensively
The Einaudi wines are often available at very favorable pricing and quality has consistently been on an upswing.
Giacomo Fenocchio is a great value play, great vinyards, traditional production
Don’t ignore the great Barolo Classicos: Massolino, Oddero, Vietti, and while I’m at it, Massolino’s crus are terrific and can be found around $80 a bottle.
Fratelli Alessandria have moved up the quality scale and their prices are lagging so I would add them to the list. The 2015 San Lorenzo in particular is a masterpiece of precision, energy, and finesse.
Colla’s Dardi le Rose is also a steal at current pricing.
Scooped up the 2015 Fratelli Alessandria and a Donhoff Riesling from the First Bottle Leap Day sale. Thanks for the advice!
Not sure what you ended up with Chris but the Vajra BDV and Ravera available in your price range. I continue to back buy vintages I missed. Picked up both versions of the 13 this morning. Priced higher than their 15 versions but should be less than the 16’s.
At or about that pricing, Oddero’s 2015 are lovely and Fenocchio’s Villero is terrific. Sottimano’s crus were also nice when I had them.
I am huge fan of Poderi Colla Bussia Dardi le Rose 2015, drak a magnum with friends last night and it is drinking beautifully now but will last
would second a lot of the reccs here so far, especially the produttori riservas, Vajra, and cavalotto. If you can find Rinaldi’s Langhe 2015 it may be in the price range, along with some of the “lesser” Mascarello crus, like Santo Stefano or similar. also wanna second the Alessandria recc. some great wines from them as well!
you may also want to think about something like Ferrando Carema?
also, depending on your state, you can access tons of great retailers via shipping. Check out websites like Crush wine, Chambers St, Benchmark Wine, SommSelects… which may all ship to you depending on your states laws.