Giacomo Fenocchio Barolo

John_Morris · September 24, 2020, 1:54pm

Agreed. The foot pressing and 60-day maceration of the Burlotto somehow produce a uniquely elegant wine.

FYI, I have a trio of 2012 Monviglieros – the Burlotto, the Frat. Alessandria and the Scavino – which I want to try blind with some friends at some point. That will be fun.

Greg_K · September 24, 2020, 3:56pm

That would be fun! I’m very curious what Vietti’s rendition will be like. I’m not necessarily the biggest Vietti fan, but they’re also doing whole cluster, so will be interesting.

Markus_S · September 24, 2020, 5:02pm

Have you tried Fratelli Alessandria or F. Rinaldi ? They should be ones you would enjoy based on the list below.

Alessandria’s Monvigliero is a more reasonable cost alternative to Burlotto. I haven’t had it but purchased on others recommendations.

Yes, I think Frat. Alessandria is just waiting to be discovered. Their Gramolere, from the other side of the DOCG, in Serralunga, is also very good, in a very different style. Those two wines really reflect their very different sites.

I’m just starting to try more of these, but I have to say they are not cheap. The Monvigliero is now about $80, which is pretty much the same as Vajra Bricco. I don’t have enough experience with the Monvigliero to decide yet whether it is worth it, but the Vajra Bricco is my standard at that price point and hard to beat. Would be curious to hear from others who have tried more vintages…

Eighty dollars is not bad these days for (very) good Barolo. The top tier is all above $100/bottle and the second tier (Brovia et al) is closing in on that.

E_Vold · September 24, 2020, 5:09pm

I had the 2010 Villero recently and was quite happy with the quality also considering the price.
TN:
Ripe and fruity nose. Textbook autumn leaves, cherry and dried fruits. Perfumed and interesting nose of strawberry jam and liquorice in the back together with a slight note of wet wood. Very playful aroma occasionally showing of some floral elements. Harmonious and smooth tannins and excellent energy. I was surprised by how forward this wine was. This is drinking very well now. Would agree with it being a 20 year Barolo and not 30 year one…

Rob_M1 · September 24, 2020, 9:34pm

I looked up the review you mentioned - but it is for a Riccardo Fenocchio wine - which appears to be a winery that no longer exists - so it appears to be a different Fenocchio.

JohnP · September 24, 2020, 10:05pm

Nice catch! That’s good to know as I just took the flyer on a couple 1989 Brussia Riservas from Chambers St. I’ll report back later this Fall.

ChrisJames · September 25, 2020, 2:35am

I recently purchased some bottles from Chambers and asked the provenance question. They reassured me on their sourcing and informed me they will refund all bad bottles, assuming the purchase was within a reasonable timeframe.

Back to the Fennocchio discussion, has anyone tried any older vintages? Those 82’ riservas looks tempting.

Curious, I went to Vinous and searched the oldest review for Fennocchio, a random 1989 vintage review. AG says “could have been an extraordinary, life-changing wine, but it was marred by dirty barrels.” How horrible, lol.

I looked up the review you mentioned - but it is for a Riccardo Fenocchio wine - which appears to be a winery that no longer exists - so it appears to be a different Fenocchio.

Nice catch! That’s good to know as I just took the flyer on a couple 1989 Brussia Riservas from Chambers St. I’ll report back later this Fall.

For what it is worth, I used to drink Fennocchio a lot back in the early '90s when it was just sitting around in retail as “cheap” Barolo. I always enjoyed it as honest, rustic, old school Nebbiolo without trying to be anything else. I had a chance to visit the winery back around 2004 and spent a good afternoon of drinking wines with the brothers, Claudio and Alberto. My notes from the visit say: Fenocchio’s wines are a bit on the coarse, rustic side, but that is OK with him. As Claudio said, “They are not like those ‘other’ wines that all taste the same.” They are classic family producers with that salt of the earth character and they make good, honest wines of the heart and hands. Their wines won’t make my top ten list, but they are not prices as such either. They only major problem I saw is the barrels might be in need of a good cleaning. I eventually got a bottle of 96 Bussia Riserva for EU19. Claudio perfered the Bussia of all the crus they make (including Cannubi and Villaro) and that “The Riserva doesn’t necessarily see more cask time, but it is only made if one barrel is noticeably better.”
Good luck with the 1989! I’d expect it to be very good.

JohnP · September 25, 2020, 3:15pm

I looked up the review you mentioned - but it is for a Riccardo Fenocchio wine - which appears to be a winery that no longer exists - so it appears to be a different Fenocchio.

Nice catch! That’s good to know as I just took the flyer on a couple 1989 Brussia Riservas from Chambers St. I’ll report back later this Fall.

For what it is worth, I used to drink Fennocchio a lot back in the early '90s when it was just sitting around in retail as “cheap” Barolo. I always enjoyed it as honest, rustic, old school Nebbiolo without trying to be anything else. I had a chance to visit the winery back around 2004 and spent a good afternoon of drinking wines with the brothers, Claudio and Alberto. My notes from the visit say: Fenocchio’s wines are a bit on the coarse, rustic side, but that is OK with him. As Claudio said, “They are not like those ‘other’ wines that all taste the same.” They are classic family producers with that salt of the earth character and they make good, honest wines of the heart and hands. Their wines won’t make my top ten list, but they are not prices as such either. They only major problem I saw is the barrels might be in need of a good cleaning. I eventually got a bottle of 96 Bussia Riserva for EU19. Claudio perfered the Bussia of all the crus they make (including Cannubi and Villaro) and that “The Riserva doesn’t necessarily see more cask time, but it is only made if one barrel is noticeably better.”
Good luck with the 1989! I’d expect it to be very good.

Thanks Chris! I’m now more hopeful knowing I went with the Brussia Riservas for a few more bucks. I’ll report back.

John_Morris · September 25, 2020, 4:16pm

I looked up the review you mentioned - but it is for a Riccardo Fenocchio wine - which appears to be a winery that no longer exists - so it appears to be a different Fenocchio.

Nice catch! That’s good to know as I just took the flyer on a couple 1989 Brussia Riservas from Chambers St. I’ll report back later this Fall.

For what it is worth, I used to drink Fennocchio a lot back in the early '90s when it was just sitting around in retail as “cheap” Barolo. I always enjoyed it as honest, rustic, old school Nebbiolo without trying to be anything else. I had a chance to visit the winery back around 2004 and spent a good afternoon of drinking wines with the brothers, Claudio and Alberto. My notes from the visit say: Fenocchio’s wines are a bit on the coarse, rustic side, but that is OK with him. As Claudio said, “They are not like those ‘other’ wines that all taste the same.” They are classic family producers with that salt of the earth character and they make good, honest wines of the heart and hands. Their wines won’t make my top ten list, but they are not prices as such either. They only major problem I saw is the barrels might be in need of a good cleaning. I eventually got a bottle of 96 Bussia Riserva for EU19. Claudio perfered the Bussia of all the crus they make (including Cannubi and Villaro) and that “The Riserva doesn’t necessarily see more cask time, but it is only made if one barrel is noticeably better.”
Good luck with the 1989! I’d expect it to be very good.

I’m confused. Was it Giacomo or Riccardo Fenocchio you visited?

Billbell · September 25, 2020, 6:50pm

I do like F. Rinaldi, and Alessandria is on my list to try.

I’d also like to chime in on Chambers Street…I’ve been able to try a lot of really great Baroli from the 50s, 60s, and 70s as a result of their cellar purchases. I’ve had a pretty high success rate with good vintages and they’ve been quick to refund me if I get an undrinkable bottle. I find that their prices on these bottles are low enough that the occasional mediocre but drinkable bottle is worth the risk. Jamie Wolff is also incredibly knowledgeable on Italian wines and can point you to less heralded but excellent producers of these old wines.

ChrisJames · September 26, 2020, 2:48am

Nice catch! That’s good to know as I just took the flyer on a couple 1989 Brussia Riservas from Chambers St. I’ll report back later this Fall.

For what it is worth, I used to drink Fennocchio a lot back in the early '90s when it was just sitting around in retail as “cheap” Barolo. I always enjoyed it as honest, rustic, old school Nebbiolo without trying to be anything else. I had a chance to visit the winery back around 2004 and spent a good afternoon of drinking wines with the brothers, Claudio and Alberto. My notes from the visit say: Fenocchio’s wines are a bit on the coarse, rustic side, but that is OK with him. As Claudio said, “They are not like those ‘other’ wines that all taste the same.” They are classic family producers with that salt of the earth character and they make good, honest wines of the heart and hands. Their wines won’t make my top ten list, but they are not prices as such either. They only major problem I saw is the barrels might be in need of a good cleaning. I eventually got a bottle of 96 Bussia Riserva for EU19. Claudio perfered the Bussia of all the crus they make (including Cannubi and Villaro) and that “The Riserva doesn’t necessarily see more cask time, but it is only made if one barrel is noticeably better.”
Good luck with the 1989! I’d expect it to be very good.

I’m confused. Was it Giacomo or Riccardo Fenocchio you visited?

Giacomo