Wine & Spirits - December 2019 - 74

YEAR'S BEST BAROLO & BARBARESCO
274042

Vibrant acidity propels the wine's spiced
cherry and plum fruit while lush, polished
tannins draw it out through a long finish. §
Vajra USA, Manhasset, NY
274223

95 | Vietti

$205

2015 Barolo Rocche di Castiglione ^ Luca
Currado selected fruit from Vietti's plots
across the Barolo zone to make this beautifully balanced 2015 Castiglione. The aromas
are like a basket of freshly-picked roses, red
berries, violets and soft herbs, those notes
carrying into mouthwatering flavors of
cherry, raspberry, tarragon and fresh porcini.
The tannins feel cool and mineral, the wine
poised for long aging. § Dalla Terra, Napa, CA
274311

94 | Fratelli Alessandria

$95

2014 Barolo Monvigliero ^ This is impressively ripe for a 2014, with flavors of dark
cherry and plum framed by fine-grained tannins. Notes of licorice, mint and black pepper
enliven the flavors, and the finish is long and
lifted. § North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA
274012

94 | Luigi Baudana

$80

2015 Barolo Baudana ^ From a cru named
for the Baudana family, who have been farming vines in this corner of Serralunga for as
long as anyone can remember, this Barolo
rested for 31 months in large Slavonia casks,
developing notes of dried leaves and graphite
to balance its deep, rich tones of cherry and
plum. Firm, mineral tannins bring focus to
the bold fruit and provide good aging potential. § MHW, Manhasset, NY
274041

94 | Pio Cesare

$82

2015 Barolo ^ According to Pio Boffa, his team
has worked for more than a decade to identify
clones with smaller berries and clusters that
give more consistent phenolic ripeness and
allow them to pick earlier, which keeps alcohol levels moderate. They have also refined
their oak regimen over the years, backing
off their use of new French oak barriques in
their Barolos so that just 20 percent of the
wine rests in new barriques, the rest in large
oak casks, for about 30 months. Their efforts
show in Pio Cesare's 2015 releases, some of
the best we have tasted from this house. The
2015 Barolo is comprised of fruit from estate
vineyards in five communes, including, for
the first time, a small percentage from Monforte d'Alba's Mosconi, acquired by the estate
in 2014. It's lively and long, with flavors of
ripe red cherry and raspberry laced with
subtle spice and bright notes of orange peel,
the acidity drawing out the flavors into a balanced finish. § Maisons Marques & Domaines
USA, Oakland, CA
74

WINE & SPIRITS

DECEMBER 2019

94 | Pio Cesare

274187
$175

2015 Barolo Mosconi ^ Pio Boffa closed the
deal on a 24-acre plot of old vines in Monforte d'Alba's Mosconi cru in the summer of
2014, just three days before his 60th birthday.
He originally intended to use the Mosconi
fruit to bolster the estate's blended Barolo,
but the team vinified each Mosconi plot
separately, and the cask holding juice from
the oldest vines (planted in 1947) convinced
Boffa to release it as a single cru wine. This
inaugural vintage is high-toned and elegant
in the context of 2015, a warm, dry growing
season helped by some rain and cooler temperatures in mid-August. The fruit feels fresh
and crunchy, accented by notes of lilac, sage
and orange peel, while ferrous tannins and
cool acidity keeps the flavors taut. § Maisons
Marques & Domaines USA, Oakland, CA
273427

94 | Elvio Cogno

$135

2014 Barolo Ravera Bricco Pernice ^ The
2014 growing season was cool and wet, but
Walter Fissore is a master of managing his
vines, having worked the Ravera cru for more
than a quarter-century. This feels fully ripe,
fresh and high-toned, with snappy red-fruit
flavors girded by powerful, ferrous tannins.
Mouthwatering acidity amplifies the berry
flavors as notes of dried herbs and pressed
florals emerge. § Wilson Daniels, St. Helena, CA
273911

94 | Conterno Fantino

$148

2015 Barolo Ginestra Vigna Sorì Ginestra ^
From vines planted between 1971 and 1988,
this is a robust, powerful wine. Broad, muscular tannins grip dark, tarry flavors of plum
and blackberry even as the wine's ample alcohol (15 percent) warms the fruit tones and
adds a peppery bite to the finish. Hints of
mint and licorice begin to emerge with air,
but this is a wine to forget about for at least
five years, giving those massive tannins time
to soften. § Empson USA, Alexandria, VA
274337

94 | Alessandro e Gian
Natale Fantino

$67

2013 Barolo Bussia Cascina Dardi Riserva ^
Brothers Alessandro and Gian Natale farm
about 20 acres of vines in Bussia, a large cru
that lies primarily in Monforte d'Alba. They
make three Barolos from their old-vine plots
(up to 65 years of age) in Bussia's Dardi section, including this Riserva, which ages for
five years in large Slavonian casks. It shows
Bussia's characteristic dark tones of black
currant and plum, layered with notes of
tobacco and tar. The wine's meaty tannins
and savory flavors feel evolved, although a
core of cool acidity brightens the finish. § Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA

94 | Paolo Scavino

$79

94 | Paolo Scavino

$104

94 | Vietti

$205

93 | Elio Altare

$136

93 | Ca'Rome' di Romano
Marengo

$118

93 | Ca'Rome' di
Romano Marengo

$118

2015 Barolo Carobric ^ A blend of fruit from
three sites (Rocche di Castiglione, Fiasco and
Cannubi), this is a spicy wine with red-berry
flavors buoyed by bright menthol and orange
peel notes. Appealing now for its supple tannins, it also has the structure to improve with
time. § Skurnik Wines & Spirits, NY
274217
2015 Barolo Bric dël Fiasc ^ This is a darkfruited, seductive wine, its black cherry and
plum flavors layered with notes of warm
spice, dark chocolate and braised fennel.
Compact, leathery tannins add to the earthy
impression, as do the leafy tobacco accents. §
Skurnik Wines & Spirits, NY
274220
2015 Barolo Brunate ^ Luca Currado's 2015
Brunate is a large-scaled wine with dark flavors of plump berries layered in notes of
anise, licorice and tobacco. It feels crisp and
precise, lifted by scents of rose and violets
and infused with brisk acidity that balances
the wine's robust alcohol (15 percent). § Dalla
Terra, Napa, CA
274193
2013 Barolo Cerretta Vigna Bricco Riserva ^
This is almost decadent for a Barolo, with
rich flavors of cherry jam, plum pie and dark
chocolate. The wine underwent five days
of maceration in rotary fermenters to promote extraction, then rested for two years in
French oak barriques, gaining smooth, silky
tannins and warm spice notes. A bright core
of acidity draws out the flavors on a long finish. § Skurnik Wines & Spirits, NY
273918
2015 Barolo Rapet ^ Scents of stemmed roses
and pithy red-fruit flavors give way to darker
tones of cocoa powder and clove in this wine.
Its bright acidity and firm tannins begin to
outshine the fruit flavors, suggesting this will
benefit from at least five years of cellaring. §
Empson USA, Alexandria, VA
273917

2015 Barolo Cerretta ^ A rich vintage of Ceretta, this offers dark cherry and black currant flavors swirled with notes of warm baking spices and dark chocolate. Notes of fresh
tobacco and loamy soil lend it an earthy balance, the wine supported by the cool, ferrous
tannins that close in on the finish. § Empson
USA, Alexandria, VA
273588
Wine & Spirits - December 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - December 2019
