Motivated by Robert Creth’s recent thread to open a good bottle or two in the midst of all this craziness, I pulled the corks on a couple of mature Piemonte wines that I’ve had stood up in the cellar for a few months. It’s a sunny and mild day in the Delaware Valley, and if this is indeed “the end of the world as we know it”, it doesn’t seem all that bad as viewed from my kitchen counter right now!
Tar and a dash of funk on the nose. This nose is definitely not about the fruit at 30 years of age.
Seamless on the palate, with black & red fruit; quite expansive. Decent acidity and nicely balanced. I don’t see any more potential for favorable development at this point, so if you have this in the cellar, pull a cork on a bottle to check in - I will be making sure that my remaining stash is disposed of near-term. That said, I don’t want to give the impression that I think this is in danger of falling off a cliff.
1999 Fratelli Brovia Barolo Garblèt Sué- Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (3/14/2020)
This is very good, and a welcome respite from the current craziness that we are experiencing - I heard on the radio this morning that wine & liquor stores are doing good business right now, so at least one segment of the economy is doing well ;^)
Adequate acidity, maybe a bit abbreviated on the finish, but tasty if not overly complex. One could do a lot worse on a Saturday afternoon. The nose has a smoked meat note that I wouldn’t necessarily associate with Barolo, but it provides interest all the same.
Rich and Jeff’s comments below prompted me to pull the cork on the 2006 Stella di Campalto Brunello, which was to be our red wine for an entree course tonight at our now-cancelled wine dinner. Pristine nose here, with earthy red fruits (cherry most prominent). Delicious - really expansive on the palate, with ripe red fruit. Closes with a tannic kick for what should still be considered a young wine in my book, but this is very close to it’s prime drinking window. My wife is making pumpkin ravioli in a sage butter sauce for dinner tonight, and all three reds should be fine with that pairing.
I’ve only had Scavino’s Rocche dell’Annunziata a couple of times and never with age, but I wasn’t keen on it. The extra time in wood and the balsamic note seemed to detract from the wine for me. I preferred Scavino’s other bottlings. I’d be curious to know how he aged the '90 – entirely in barriques or partly or entirely in botte. His other wines were pretty heavily barriqued in that period.
I think the '90 was the first vintage for the Rocche Riserva, and I believe that the barrique elevage was the same here as with the Bric Del Fiasc. I do get that Balsamico note, but don’t mind it.
Regular Barolo needs to be aged for 18 months in wood and at least 38 months in all. Riserva has to spend three years in wood and be aged five years before release. Barolo - Wikipedia
Bob, you inspired me to pop a 1989 Fontanafredda Barolo with grilled lamb chops. Looked like it was recorked (unusually youthful for 31 years). If the wine was topped off, it was minimal. Nice amount of bricking. Light-ish weight. Some minty oak blew off quickly and from then on it was a thoroughly enjoyable balanced aged Barolo. Leather, caramel (somehow unsweetened), dried fruit, subtle licorice, Enjoyable tertiary notes. Nice presence/length. Fine integration.
Bob also inspired me, but it turns out I didn’t any older Baroli standing up. I almost opened a 97 Vietti Lazzarito, but I was worried about the sediment. I ended up with a 2000 Lanessan that was sitting on the floor. It was good, but no Barolo. I am bummed about our dinner being canceled.
The place I always reference for questions about D.O.C./G. Regulations is Italian Wine Central. They state that the minimum time in barrel for both Barolo and Barolo Riserva is 18 months.
Sediment can definitely be an issue. Perhaps it’s sacrilege but I simply carried the bottle upstairs sideways…the way it’d been lying in the rack. Gently turned it upright…opened and poured. Minimal sediment disturbance. There’ll always be some IMHO, even if the bottle’s been standing for a week+…just the act of pouring. As long as you can avoid creating that cloudy Barolo “milk-like” suspension, it works for me.
Yes, the pandemic erupted just in time to mess up an excellent off-line. More opportunities ahead.
Looks like you’re right. My information is out of date. It’s funny, but the footnote in the Wikipedia article leads to the government summary of the requirements, which is 18 months in wood for each, as Italian Wine Central says:
This eliminates the difference in the minimum standards for normale and riserva, except for the bottle aging, since the alcohol and yields are the same for each.
I think the reality is Riserva’s will spend longer in wood than non-Riserva’s although not required by D.O.C.G law. Off the top of my head I think most spend between 30 to 42 months in barrel. On a side note I can’t recall every reading about a Barolo that only the minimum 18 months in wood either.
Yeah, my understanding is that in Piemonte it’s almost a subjective call by the individual producer. In Scavino’s case, he must like the Rocche 'dell Annunziata site because he generally releases it as his Riserva.
I use two superfine mesh filters, one nested inside the other and both inside a funnel, when decanting, with terrific results. I’ve almost given up using a candle.
One of the filters is a reusable lacquer filter and the other a reusable drip coffee filter.
Scavino’s only constant Barolo riserva since 1990. Found in the village of La Morra, Annunziata is one of the most prestigious and historical Grand Cru of the Barolo zone. It shows great complexity, finesse and harmony. As opposed to the other Barolo, > Rocche Annunziata is aged 8-12 months more in large cask and 1 full year more in the bottle.
It’s not clear whether it’s aged in barrique at all before the cask. I know Scavino has cut way back on barrique usage over the past decade or so. Scavino’s website doesn’t give technical detail.