The Auswine Forum

Ian - below notes are stolen from Red Smurf:

1999 Cavallotto Barolo Riserva Bricco Boschis Vigna San Giuseppe
Slow ox’d all day and decanted at the table. First wiff is melting bitumen and a bunch of hung flowers. Very giving on the nose. Wow, we are in Neb territory that’s for sure! Toasted and charred with black cherries cardamom and nutmeg. Palate is going through its first evolution and the tannins are becoming more fluid though the palate and acid receding. Dark cherries slightly macerated, spices adding complexity and some woodsy grainy chew. It is drinking quite well at such a young age. Lovely.

1999 Bartolo Mascarello Barolo
This wine had the same treatment as the Cavallotto. Slo ox’d all day and decanted at the table. Very feminine nose, bright red cherries like it was bottled yesterday. This took a little while to open out but we enjoyed the Cavallotto while it did. Fruit is so precise for nebbiolo. You can see the class. Pot pouri, black and red cherries and bark. Everything is melding flavour wise and nothing dominating. The structure is still piling on mid palate and this lets it down for me but shows this will have a long life ahead of it with its massive length. Once it evolves, sheds that puppy fat and tannins meld it will be magnificent. An excellent wine.

I'd leave it for sure. I have another bottle that I won't look to open for another 5+.

Mivvy wrote:

winetastic wrote:If you were to open one of these two bottles this weekend, which would you choose and what would be your decanting treatment?
2004 Cavallotto Barolo Bricco Boschis
2001 Cavallotto Barolo Riserva Vignolo

I had a 1999 Vigna San Giuseppe a couple of months ago which had a double decant in the morning, sat in the bottle for the day and then maybe an hour or two in a decanter in the evening. It was very good drinking up against a '99 Bartolo and I would say at the start drinking window but by no means near maturity. Using that as a reference point I'd say the Vignolo would be in a similar place. Not had much of the Bricco Boschis although its not what I'd call an entry level Barolo so expect an '04 would be on the young side as well. If you have more of the Vignolo I'd crack that open for a try.

Cheers, have one bottle of each, saw some recent tasting notes suggesting that 2004 may be drinking better than 2001 right now, but then some contradictory opinions as well

I think ill go with the 2001.

Mivvy wrote:Ian - below notes are stolen from Red Smurf:

...

I'd leave it for sure. I have another bottle that I won't look to open for another 5+.

Many thanks!

Mivvy wrote:Slow ox’d all day and decanted at the table

Do you have a view on this approach vs decant in the morning vs double decant in the morning?

Great tasting notes as an aside.

I prefer to double decant and then leave in the bottle in the morning. Then you can take a quick taste later in the day to see how its going and decide whether or not to have a longer decant before drinking. I know some think to slow o only but I think you benefit from giving the wine a bit of air in the double decant process. Certainly for wines of this age I don't think its an issue.

Interested to hear how you go - I haven't had any '01 Cavallotto.

Got this cheeky number breathing. Cork was perfect, fill level perfect, sediment was almost entirely caked onto the bottle - looks like excellent storage.

Initial taste was outstanding and complex: Rose, caramelised balsamic, plenty of fruit, green herbs, medium weight, licks of silky tannin, mushroom and forest floor in there as well. Full review to follow tonight, I am excited.

Cavallotto Barolo Vignolo Riserva 2001
So after double decanting and 6 hours slowly breathing in the bottle, a lot more fruit weight has emerged. Flavours tend toward dried fruits, liqorice and dried rose petals. On the nose the alcohol does show a little, however it smells of an intoxicating mix of dried roses, caramelised balsamic and pine forest. Tannic grip is moderately firm, yet very fine and silky. If I had my time over with this bottle, I would probably double decant then serve within an hour.

Either way, a wonderful Barolo with years left ahead of it if one so chooses.

Cavallotto Barolo Vignolo Riserva 2001
Whoot whoot...my second wine tasting note

On the nose a unique blend of fennel, rose, pine, eucalyptus and caramelized balsamic. It is definitely something to sit and sniff for days! Once drinking, WOW...is the best word that comes to mind. I am new to aged wine; but if this is what it is all about...sign me up for life. Although the tannin is a little grippy the more it sits in the glass the softer they become. On the palate there is glorious dark fruit merged with balsamic and secondary characters of forest floor, leather and mushroom make you just want to just let it sit in your mouth as long as possible as swallowing seems like such a shame. Amaze-Balls!

Sounds like a great bottle!

Tee-hee, another one hooked and ready to put in the Nebbiolo 'keep-net'.

Yes it is still a little young, but seems to be opening up again very nicely.

p.s. I also like their more 'basic' wines, the Langhe Nebbiolo and the Dolcetto 'vigna Scot' - and in general I'm not enthused by Dolcetto.

michel wrote:

winetastic wrote:Picked up a dozen 2010 Alessandro e Gian Natale Fantino Langhe Rosso dei Dardi at auction for $20/each, fingers crossed they are in good shape.

Good year
Good price
Good luck
Galloni has no review alas

On third bottle tonight, first was stewed/cooked and far too garnet for a 2010, second was ok and fine for $20. This third one is great - vibrant crimson, fresh, spiced, moderate licks of fine tannin, a lovely langhe.

There are still bottles around at auction under $20, worth a punt imo.

Held a small tasting of Rizzi Barbarescos over the weekend, we split 5 wines across two brackets aligned by their Cru - the Boito Riserva is actually made from the best section of the large Rizzi Cru in good years.

Some general musings on Nervo vs Rizzi - Nervo is far more open, fruit forward and the wines tended to be immediately pleasing to the crowd. The wines from the Rizzi Cru showed better balance and a more fine boned mineral structure.

We knew which Cru was being served in each bracket, however the vintage was blind. Everyone ranked the wines 1 through 5 and the 2010 vintage came through as the clear winner, with 2011 placing last. Personally it was very hard for me to pick between the 2010 Boito and the 2012 Rizzi for first place, both were outstanding.

Wines had a couple of hours to breath in the bottle.

Bracket 1
Rizzi Barbaresco Nervo 2010
Somewhat muted nose, long and balanced with glorious silky tannin, hint of dried cranberries and toasted nuts.
My Rank: 3rd
Group Rank: Equal 1st

Rizzi Barbaresco Nervo 2011
Open and fruity aromas with menthol and a touch of alcohol sticking out. Drying and slightly coarse tannin by Barbaresco standards, bold and fruity.
My Rank: 5th
Group Rank: 5th

Bracket 2
Rizzi Barbaresco Boito Riserva 2010
Long, broad and velvety in texture. The nose was a bit shy at first but then started to build and showed very much like a high altitude Barolo with pine, dark fruits, spices and some leather. The intensity and wonderful texture was really something to behold.
My Rank: 1st
Group Rank: Equal 1st

Rizzi Barbaresco Rizzi 2011
Open, rich and fruity nose. Touch hot on the palate with drying tannins, good length.
My Rank: 4th
Group Rank: 4th

Rizzi Barbaresco Rizzi 2012
Mineral, fresh and gorgeous nose of red fruits - clearly a 2012. Red fruits also show on the palate with moderate amounts of super fine tannin. Palate is also quite mineral, fresh and overall a wonderful wine.
My Rank: 2nd
Group Rank: 3rd

The net result is I am even more convinced now that one should be wary of the 2011 vintage in Piedmonte. The wines tend to lack balance and show alcohol heat. The 2012s continue to impress if you are keen on the more fine boned wines and red fruit profile which typifies the vintage. I have only had a few 2010 Barbarescos but for Rizzi, it seems they had an excellent year.

Paolo Conterno Barolo Ginestra Riserva 2003- I have enjoyed this producer of late and have been buying up the Ginestra for the cellar. I have been warmed by the very informative winebeserkers thread " Traditional vs. Modern Barolo / Barbaresco" indicating Paolo Conterno a traditionalist. So a punt on the 2003 worthwhile I felt.

Now there is no way the 2003 is traditional Barolo. It oozes Fench wood on day one which builds the fruit. On day two the wine delivered on my 2003 gamble. Aromatically, it's hot vintage, dark and sticky-ripe nebbiolo fruit. There's malt and anise-menthol too, licorice and spice, so plenty happening. The fruit is dense and layered, and on the edges, the wine's bracketed with a spirity warmth of the vintage and the tannin structure is cocoa powder like with seedy grip.

I'm happy !

90pts

Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Ovello 2011 en magnum- Love a magnum for mid week drinking. See where a Barbaresco goes over the week.


Explosive 2011 bouquet of ripe-red raspberries, roses and powerful calcareous minerality. Lesser shades of spices, pine and licorice add pleasant youthful complexity. Beautiful and full, not shy in showing its traditonal roots in what I'd suggest is rather gratifying. Impressive in its approachability from a magnum, the completeness of the wine in its palate roundness is then evenly balanced with tickling, fine tannins, that indicate earlier resolution. I think this is a good wine to convert folks to the joy of nebbiolo.

Day two and three the wine becomes more linear and classically reticent. I've left 300ml for the end of the week to stress-test the wine for its longevity. No brainer at this stage; magnums are exactly 2 x the normal bottle price and its 20 years plus anyways.




93pts +

JamieBahrain wrote:Love a magnum for mid week drinking

Quote of the year so far.

• 1996 Poderi Luigi Einaudi Barolo Nei Cannubi - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (20/04/2017)
  A bit of bottle variation in our case - this one thankfully rather good!
  
  Tar certainly evident on the nose, with a little VA lifting it, but then fennel/mint comes through to really lighten it up. A lovely wine to sniff.
  
  Definitely opening up on the palate with fine but persistent tannins suggesting a few more years might reveal more. Acidity solid and supportive without over-reaching. Could use a little more complexity on the palate, so accepting there is bottle variation, I'll bank on a little more cellar time for remaining bottles.
  

p.s. vintage is 1996 (CT image included)

On the subject of glassware...

Gary Walsh mentioned the Plumm "Red Wine B" glass was his favorite for Nebbiolo, so despite having a bunch of Zaltos, I had to order two - for science.

So far have tried only with a 2015 Cigliuti Langhe Nebbiolo (which as an aside, is a wall of tannin right now, do not touch for at least 3 years) - I found the Plumm was broader in texture across the palate and also seemed to show more textural depth, whereas the Zalto had the more intense and complex aromatics, as well as far more intensity on the palate at the expense of being somewhat narrow. Overall however, I preferred the wine from the Plumm. More experiments shall follow.

Its cool to note that Plumm are an Aussie company. Feels somewhat similar to a standard Reidel as far as the quality goes.

Comparison picture of the glasses:

I noted Gary's comments too - especially on the palate delivery. I use food to counter austerity in young nebbiolo which is fine except if a very expensive bottle. Very keen to try these glasses out.

Last year, I was fortunate to drink a number of times with Rudi Pichler in the Wachau in Austria. It was more social than formal, due a mutual friend, so we enjoyed his old rieslings in magnum format. Just wow! Now, magnums abroad tend to just be 2 x bottle price so I've revisited magnums as a preference in purchases for the cellar. For nebbiolo they are a grand format ! In youth, open one on a Sunday and drink over the week, and of course, with age, can it get any better?

So all this enthusiasm for magnums was last night dampened with what is a double whammy ! The 1985 Silvio Grasso I'd stood up for a week was corked.Consequently, in saving the day for guests a 1995 was rushed in preparation.

Silvio Grasso Ciabot Manzoni Barolo 1995 en magnum- Quick decant for aeration only, spreading the sediment throughout the wine. Now , 1985 looked a treat in color and texture- so ready ! The 95 needs another decade to sort out the tannins of the vintage and meld the oak. Loaded up with ripe violet fruit with a sticky nebbiolo ripeness- excellent length and dare I say infanticide. I ahve an 04 magnum too I'll squirrel away to Australia for drinking well downrange !

92pts +

winetastic wrote:

michel wrote:

winetastic wrote:Picked up a dozen 2010 Alessandro e Gian Natale Fantino Langhe Rosso dei Dardi at auction for $20/each, fingers crossed they are in good shape.

Good year
Good price
Good luck
Galloni has no review alas

On third bottle tonight, first was stewed/cooked and far too garnet for a 2010, second was ok and fine for $20. This third one is great - vibrant crimson, fresh, spiced, moderate licks of fine tannin, a lovely langhe.

There are still bottles around at auction under $20, worth a punt imo.

Thanks for the heads up. At $11 each (uncontested), it would have been rude not to try some.

swirler wrote:Thanks for the heads up. At $11 each (uncontested), it would have been rude not to try some.

Cant go wrong there. Give at least a month for sediment to settle after shipping.

Cheers!

I just found a bottle of 2010 Rizzi Nervo Barbaresco 2010 in the wine fridge, should have been in the tasting last month... First world problems.

Red fruits, leather, orange peel and pine, the palate is less fruity than the 2011 or 2012 and all the better for it. Juicy, succelent and long, the tannins are firm yet fine, a real delight.

For the glassware scientists, the Plumm Red B beats the Zalto Burgundy here.

Paitin Sori Paitin Barbaresco 2010- I stayed with these folks on my first visit to the region so have a little bit of a soft spot for their wines- though they seemed to be variable at times possible due some very traditional warm storage at the guesthouse!

I liked this wine a lot, it was very welcoming reflecting the vintage. Sour cherry, orange peel and violets, pine and sage with just a traces of minerals and some tobacco development throughout. Excellent spherical and full mouthfeel, a light creaminess to the fruit and they did at one stage mix a little new French Oak in the mix- not sure if they still do. The wine completes with a tail of fine, tobacco infused tannins in the same friendly matter it was introduced.

93pts


Photobucket driving me nuts. Really hard to get an uncorrupted img link!






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winetastic wrote:
For the glassware scientists, the Plumm Red B beats the Zalto Burgundy here.

It's what I've been saying! Zalto B great for lesser grapes, like Pinot Noir.

Edit: Sorry, just read your post above. Bang on. Palate seems so much better in Plumm.

I'm very keen to try out the Plumm.

My quaffer this week was a magnum of Giacomo Conterno Barbera and it took me a while to get the right glass match up in the Zalto range. The pinot glass presented an austerity on the palate which is just not typical of barbera and especially not Conterno. Endend up getting a better match with a Universal glass.

Dead set keen to try the Plumm. Any reference to the glassware and the story behind them? Their web page a mess.

An interesting 'data point' on the debate about extended decants for older nebbiolo (not that this bottle was especially old) spotted on a CT event
https://www.cellartracker.com/event.asp?iEvent=35205

Note the 2x two TNs on the 1996 Prod del B Montestefano Barbaresco (I have a bottle, hence spotted the TNs), both from a magnum, one half simply double decanted, whilst the other had longer in the decanter (as espoused by those that believe long decanting is important for nebbiolo). One taster very much in favour of the simple double decant, the other seeing a difference but less obviously clear cut.

Parusso Barolo 2007 en magnum- Consumed over a number of days. Initially unyielding, with those dark coal notes observed in a lot of 2007's in their youth. At it's best, when the restlessness of the vintage calmed, pronounced violet fruit in a berry-tar buzz, spices and light wood throughout. Full and complete in the mouth, loaded up with unyielding dark violet and tar again- spicy gritty fine tannins.

You can't get carried away with Parusso's most elemental Barolo; but there's gratification all the same.

90pts+

still approachable?

You can see by the colour that wine has had small oak maturation! Looks like Barossa Shiraz.