Question

C

Cory Cartwright

Cory Cartwright
Given two days to taste at any Barolo producers you could, who would you pick? (This isn't some boring hypothetical if you had to choose between killing your mom or you dad question, either. I'm not terribly informed when it comes to Barolo because of obvious price issues so any help would be great.)
 
Bartolo Mascarello, Giuseppe Mascarello, Beppe Rinaldi, Giacomo Conterno, Cappellano, Burlotto, Brovia, and whoever Dante Scaglione makes wine for now.

I wouldn't turn down appointments at Marcarini, Cavallotto, Brezza or Guido Porro either.

With Bruno's health in decline and daughter Bruna at the helm, Giacosa may not be the visit it once was (or so I'm told).

Visiting the Langhe is a great time, especially during truffle season. Lots of affordable agroturismi options, especially closer to Barbaresco.
 
Brovia, Mascarello, Conterno, but there are many, many good ones.

And it also might matter whether you want to buy wines to drink soon-ish (i.e., you might try someone in Barbaresco or someone a bit modern).

If you have a preferred region (e.g., Serralunga, Castiglione Falletto) then you could identify makers in that place.
 
How long should one wait before drinking a traditional Barolo or Barbaresco? Would a Barolo from the late 90s be drinkable at this point or hopelessly shut down?

If one wanted to drink something sooner, are there any modernish Barolo producers worth trying that make wines that are still recognizably Barolo?
 
originally posted by Yule Kim:
How long should one wait before drinking a traditional Barolo or Barbaresco? Would a Barolo from the late 90s be drinkable at this point or hopelessly shut down?

If one wanted to drink something sooner, are there any modernish Barolo producers worth trying that make wines that are still recognizably Barolo?
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I almost never enjoy Barolo and Barbaresco younger than 20 years. If you want to drink young nebbiolo that's seriously distinctive, Gattinara is your ticket. They just don't have the angry tannins of young B & B - they can be almost Burgundian.

If it has to be Barolo or Barbaresco, Cavallotto comes to mind as a producer whose wines are sorta "modern" but not in the barriqued Scavino-type sense. I realize this is a statement I can get in trouble for. (Antonio Galloni put Cavallotto on a lot of people's radar screens with reviews calling them arch-traditional.) But they have a borderline-inky fruit concentration that saturates the tannic structure while still tasting like a fairly pure rendition of nebbiolo - very much unlike the real arch-traditionalists which can often be like chewing on cotton (cough-Monprivato!-cough-cough) but not spoofy either.

Or wait for more vintages like '93 which taste great at 10 years or so.
 
On Gattinara, the producers I see most often are Antoniolo, Nervi, and Travaglini. Any preference?

I also notice that Travaglini has a regular cuvee and a riserva. Is the regular cuvee worth getting?

Can Gattinara be drunk relatively young? When does it start getting enjoyable, around 10 years?

Thanks. Sorry for the thread drift.
 
originally posted by Yule Kim:
How long should one wait before drinking a traditional Barolo or Barbaresco? Would a Barolo from the late 90s be drinkable at this point or hopelessly shut down?

If one wanted to drink something sooner, are there any modernish Barolo producers worth trying that make wines that are still recognizably Barolo?
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In a light vintage (e.g., 1993, 1994) you can get away with 15 years.

If you want something younger, as Keith said, try Gattinara. Also, try Carema or Ghemme (not Barolo but it is nebbiolo). There may be Ceretto or Voerzio bottlings that will drink OK at 10 years. Lesser houses (e.g., Marcarini, M. di Barolo, Burlotto, Boasso (I suppose)) can be drunk sooner (or later).
 
I love both Antoniolo and Travaglini. But Antoniolo definitely drinks better young. You can hit 'em right on release - no need to wait - but they will age at least as long as top B & B.
 
Well, yes, Gattinara, and then I think of Le Colline Gattinara Monsecco, which I've tasted a couple times, a while back a bottle from the early '70s, and a year or two ago the '82, and each time I think it needs another 10 years...
 
originally posted by Chris Weber:
Well, yes, Gattinara, and then I think of Le Colline Gattinara Monsecco, which I've tasted a couple times, a while back a bottle from the early '70s, and a year or two ago the '82, and each time I think it needs another 10 years...
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Just completely amazing wines.

This producer just so nailed it back in the day. I would probably call out Giacosa if served to me blind.
 
Cory, I'm confused are you going to the Langhe and looking for visits recs or are you putting together a tasting?

There are two different answers.
 
...I almost never enjoy Barolo and Barbaresco younger than 20 years.
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Enjoy? Or be able to drink? For my own tastes, it depends on the producer. And vintage. Even some 2001's are ready (from Roero, a satellite appelation of B&B). 1998's to my tastes are drinking mighty fine right now (or at least the Giacosa and G. Conterno were). Some 1990's I've had have seemed over-the-hill already. Like any wines, YMMV, but there's no harm in erring on the early.
 
Valtellina should also be mentioned for earlier-drinking Nebbiolo.

Boca, too, if you see any Campo della Piane floating around. Of course, they aren't flashes-in-the-pan, either. The '85 Piane I'm finishing up this evening would testify to that, though it was made by the previous owner of the estate.

I don't get pissed off when I drink youngish Brovia or Boasso, either in the "Why did I open this now?" or "This ain't fuckin' Barolo" sense.
 
originally posted by MarkS:
...I almost never enjoy Barolo and Barbaresco younger than 20 years.
Click to expand...

Enjoy? Or be able to drink? For my own tastes, it depends on the producer. And vintage. Even some 2001's are ready (from Roero, a satellite appelation of B&B). 1998's to my tastes are drinking mighty fine right now (or at least the Giacosa and G. Conterno were). Some 1990's I've had have seemed over-the-hill already. Like any wines, YMMV, but there's no harm in erring on the early.
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Not too surprisingly, the 2000 Bartolo Mascerello and the Giacosa Santa Stefano (normale) are dringking really well right now; especially after 30-40 minutes in decanter. What is very surprising to me is that the '99 Bartolo is also drinking amazingly well. It is a beautiful wine; complex and complete with fruit and soil in perfect balance. No doubt will improve, but if you are in pinch, don't hesitate to open it.
 
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