Barolo tasting

A week in Barolo has been a magnificent experience, the people are warm, friendly and welcoming to show us their gem of product.
We stayed at the Giovanni Canonica place a great vigneron in the center of Barolo, a very cool place to enjoy the town of Barolo.

The first winery we visit was Giuseppe Rinaldi, we had an appointment at 11 am and on the dot we were there. Amazing house with extraordinary view of Le Coste cru 

outside of Rinaldi winery
We were led through the visit by one of the daughters of Mr. Rinaldi, Miss Carlotta a charming girl with lots of knowledge about her land and through the world. She did stage's in many places overseas in the southern hemisphere gaining experience and different points of view.

We taste the current vintage release 2010 and some barrel tasting, was an amazing experience. Rinaldi aging the different parcel in different container "called "tini" in italian"... after the vinification has been done, everything being the different parcel, is blended in the bottle.

2010 is a superb vintage in Barolo and Barbaresco. The Brunate, le Coste 2010 was superbly refined with masculine tannin and finesse in the palate lots of licorice and crushed violet quite balsamic with hints of minerality quite sandy and tuff stone. Palate dry nicely sensation with the tannin sweetness on the palate.

The 3 Tine which is the new name of the Cannubi, San Lorenzo e Ravera thus following the law change in Barolo from 2010 which the producer are not allowed to put more than one cru on the label. Rinaldi came up with this interesting name referring to the style of production because each cru aging in different Tino which is oak vats before blending.

Ruby red with a garnet rim with narrow oily legs, intense nose of fruity and floral aroma, dried mushroom, tobacco and underbrush. Fine mellow tannin and great personality.
The wines from the barrel are almost ready with some time they will be beautiful and charming, they are simply good.
The freisa was superbly nice.
Carlotta taking wine from barrel.
Thanks to Carlotta for the time spent with us, was amazing talking with her.

Rinaldi tasting cellar, my wife amazed by the wine collection.

 In the center of Barolo we also visit the Bartolo Mascarello winery another oldest traditional producer. Here the vinification of the different cru goes in the bottle are assembled directly after the harvest. There isn't a vinification by clos or vineyard separately.

Mascarello concrete tanks.
These concrete tanks vitrified inside are used for maceration only with pumping over juice and going for quite long apparently the 2010 has been one of the longest over 45 days.



We tasted different vintage of wine in Mascarello winery but the one surprise me was the 2010.
Out of control of how good it looks now:
Very vivid, bright ruby red with narrow arches and on the rim a shining orange. Nose intense, penetrating, vinous and fragrant, on the nose plum, banana with appealing hints of sandalwood with violet and licorice. Palate warm, full body very muscular and luscious. Lots of length will age forever. 

Tasting in the cellar Bartolo Mascarello.

The second day we booked the visit of Giovanni Canonica to try his Paiagallo cru next to the famous Cannubi vineyards. A very traditional producer with long maceration on skin.
 
Giovanni is a simple honest producer with great respect for the land and his wine. Talking with him was a completely unforgettable experience and taste his wine in the morning was a sublime tasting.
We did taste the 2010 in the glass the wine is lovely clear ruby red tending to garnet, with an orange rim. The nose was typical of red flowers (violet and roses), forest fruit, wild cherry and spice with a hint of white pepper, mineral sandy and rocks clay. The tannin filling the mouth with genuine flavor, rustic and elegant. A masterpiece.
 

The small cellar of Canonica.
Canonica told us he got a new small part of Ginzane Cavour another village for Barolo with old vines, I can't wait to taste this new label.
I really liked also staying at his place very nice room with a great view from the different windows in the small apartment, I recommend to everyone to try to book this place for a future holiday in Barolo. 


Old vines

Looking @Paiagallo through Canonica room.
 

Comments

Post a Comment

A drinker

Chablis Climats and Lieux-dit

Image
Climat: from the Greek Klima via the Latin Cliamtis.  Precisely delimited plots of land which benefit from specific geological and climate conditions...  Lieux-dits a designated area of land with a historical particularity from a topographical point of view of an ancient story... These two terms in wine always as an interchange used; however, you can find several Lieux-dits within a single Climat... Chablis is a really good example of how these two concepts work together.   See the map above and you can see how many Lieux-Dit compose a climat, in this case, 1er Cru. For example Montmains 1er Cru, a famous block of vineyard on the left bank of the Serein river at the bottom holds two famous Lieux-dit called Forets and Butteaux; according to the INAO, this can be a label on his own or as Montmains 1er Cru.  Vaillons 1er Cru got several different names, those are: Sechet, Les Lys, Les Epinottes, Ronciers, Mellinots, Beugnons and Chatains....
Podcast

Brunello based on a map….

Image
Brunello di Montalcino is one of the most famous and prestigious italian wine. All Brunello di Montalcino wine is made exclusive from Sangiovese grapes grown on the slopes around Montalcino a classic Tuscan hilltop village 30 km south of Siena. The world Brunello translates roughly as "Little dark one", and is the local vernacular name for Sangiovese grosso, the large-berries form of Sangiovese which grows in the area. The climate in the production zone is Mediterranean. On the lower slopes the soil is clayey marl, higher up a combination of limestone and marl with some tufaceous volcanic stone. The best soil are "galestro albarese" clay with carbonate of lime and friable rock. The harvest go between the latter part of September and the middle of October. Subdistrict of the Brunello zone Brunello production zone can be divided into three district. The first district takes in the area north and to the east of the town of Montalcino, including the town of Tor...
Podcast

Cahors Simon Busser - Corbières Maziere Fabrice Monnin

Image
SIMON BUSSER from the village in Prayssac, in the AOC Cahors: Cahors is a small town in southwestern France, located 160km to the east of Bordeaux. The climate here is subject to multiple influences; from the Atlantic coast which bring a continental climate, and the Mediterranean from the south which gives a maritime influence. We can divide the AOC into two different terroirs the "Causses" based limestone plateau that produces more tannic, mineral lived wines. The other vineyards profile is the one that influenced by the river Lot with a more gravelly slope which makes more approachable wines on the fruity spectrum profile.  Cahors is home of Malbec, Bordeaux grapes mainly Merlot, and also a small amount of Tannat more present in the neighborhood Madiran AOC.  Simon Busser has been training with Olivier Cousin in the Loire. He returns to his village Prayssac and start to looking after his father’s vineyards. He works his small vineyard with a horse, as Cousin taugh...
Podcast