Barolo, Barbaresco and Nebbiolo As We See (and drink) Them

E. Molino Wine

2026-01-12T16:00:00.002+01:00

11-01-2026 We bought the 2017 Riserva del Fico six bottles in of September of 2020. I put them where they could not be opened as they were quite a lot of money. About three years ago, I talked to the owner of E. Molino what he thought when the wine would be ready to drink. He told me that he said it should be then. I had thought it should be ready in September, 2028.

We opened a bottle of 2026 to see it was coming along and see if the producer was correct. It is not ready. Next, we might open another bottle next year but we have a lot of wine for 2027 so may not do so. I still think it should be ready in 2028 or more.

No rush, friends, it is worth waiting!

The 2024 La Morra Degustazion

2024-08-18T21:32:00.001+02:00

Information here:

https://en.cantinalamorra.com/post/degusta-la-morra-2025

Tenute Cisa Asinari dar Marchiesi di Gresy

2024-07-13T19:51:00.002+02:00

7 July 2024 On this Sunday, we went to a restaurant highly recognized in a small town. As always, it was my obligation to pick wine for the four of us. I usually choose a Barbaresco because I do not know what the Chef uses for the plates that he creates.

As we walked into, the wines, standing up, were on a table in the dining room with no air conditioning and the windows open on a almost hot day. I looked through the wine list and found some unknown Barbarescos from the 2016 which was a very good for the grapes.

Our lunch was quite good but the problem was the wine. As I said, I do not know where the bottles were stored other than on the table that you pass as you go into the dining room.

The wine, when opened, was very good as I expected to be. However, toward the end of the bottle (about 45 minutes), the grape taste disappeared. All was left was the taste of the acid.

My question for the producer of the wine would be the way the 2016 Martinenga Barbaresco would not hold to the end of the bottle for all the bottles or does the restaurant have an incorrect storage area?

I would be pleased to hear from the Producer to know about the wine. We would be very interested in the wine for our collection if the 2016 is still good and the producer has some other varies of the Martinenga.

Our Barolo Blog Explained

2022-11-05T16:58:00.004+01:00

Since for part of the year, we live near the town of Barolo, we visit there as well as some of the eleven towns in that area that, by law, are able to produce Barolo, to taste new releases and, if they are suitable for our cellar, purchase them. Since we do go more than the average person, we decided to write about our findings, mainly the good, but also some of the not so good Barolo, Barbaresco and Nebbiolo that we taste. This blog will not be updated every day nor every week and maybe not even every month but, we will relate to you what we think when we do travel there. We will also provide the reader with the type of food that you might serve with the wine we review once it is opened.

We take no compensation for what we write. On occasion, we are offered a complementary bottle or two of their wines, usually because we have purchased a number of bottles. Sometimes, even a discount if our purchases past the level that the cantina has set.

Some confusion has surfaced about the prices we list on some of the wines. Those are prices that the cantina/winery sets and are for the clients that buy directly from the cantina/winery. Prices may vary where you buy your wine!

We do not drink Barolo, Barbaresco or Nebbiolo every day. Our house wine, a Barbera d'Asti, is grown and made by Michele Ferrero in Costigliole d'Asti. We also have his Arneis for guests that prefer white wine. He and his brother make excellent wines. We have most of his efforts in our cellar for aging and drinking on a regular basis. Michele is the brother-in-law of one of our very good friends, Laura Toso of Agriturismo La Mussia (https://www.lamussia.it). This is the only possible conflict of interest that could be perceived.

Another piece of information...we are frequently served wines that are not Barolo, Barbaresco (both made with the Nebbiolo grape) or Nebbiolo itself. This blog is about Barolo, Barbaresco and Nebbiolo so we will not discuss anything except these three.

If there is a particular cantina (winery) you would like us to visit, please communicate and tell us why and what particular offerings that you would like us to concentrate on. You may contact us by clicking here!

For the short time we have been writing about our experiences in tasting Barolo, Barbaresco and Nebbiolo, we have come to realize that dealing with the owner of a cantina or the winemaker makes a big difference in the wines. Yes, we know that this is all psychological but if you have tasted as many wines as we have (one of us was a wine investor in California before moving to Italy), you realize the personal touch is very important so we will not write any further about wine "factories" nor will we even visit them unless it is unavoidable. Someone asked us how many Barolos that we had tasted. Our first "guess" was around 400 but after thinking about it, the number increased to 500.

One more thing that has become more common in our travels...wineries/cantine have begun to charge for tastings/degustazione. In an effort to still bring in the public to taste their wines, they often do not tell people that they will owe what we consider a significant amount if their purchases do not qualify them for a waiver. Be aware and ask if there is a charge to taste!

Since the world has become what could be considered a dangerous place with the virus running rampant, for those that read the blog on occasion, you will see that we have not had a lot of things to write about. Even now, the second week in June, 2020, while not being confined to our home, we have not visited any wineries because they are still not allowed to have visitors or do tastings. We look forward to tasting the 2018 vintage which is widely said to be one of the best in recent times.

And lastly, as many of you know, wine is a subjective thing. What we like, you may deplore, but you will have the opportunity to read what we think and maybe give you the impetus to try something new.

The opinions expressed here are ours and ours alone.

Some words about wine tastings in this area for 2022

2022-06-12T15:03:00.005+02:00

We believe that most of the wine tastings that are normally held in this are will be happening at least for the summer and early fall. We have been told that the La Morra tasting that occurs the first Sunday in September is being planned.

But, remember, fall is when the virus begins to raise its ugly head.

We can hope that the La Morra tasting will happen this year after being cancelled for the last two years.

We can say that the tasting in Serralunga di Alba seems to be not happening. The website for that tasting still shows 2020. We had planned on going to that one when it was cancelled.

UPDATE: There is a tasting on the 3rd of September in Castiglione Falletto but all places to sleep have been booked.

The La Morra tasting will be on the 11th of September this year. We got the last room at the B&B where we normally sleep.

Stay safe everyone!

Renato Corino, La Morra

2022-06-12T14:57:00.003+02:00

We stopped at this winery on the 26th of May, 2022 on the suggestion of our friend Chef Bruno at Dulcis Vitis Restaurant in Alba. We were welcomed by Liliana.

Their 2020 that we had tasted at Dulcis Vitis was sold out as was the 2021 so we did not get to taste their Nebbiolos.

The first Barolo that was poured was the 2018 Del Comune di La Morra, a base Barolo, 14.5%, opened on the 25th. Nice light nose with a slightly acid mouth. Euro 26 a bottle. Give it two years before opening.

Second was the 2018 Arborina, 14.5%, opened the 25th. Good Barolo nose, light acidity in the nose, soft mouth fruit, no tannin, slightly acidic. Euro 38 a bottle, give it three years to age.

Next was the 2018 Stefano Corino (son of Renato) Roncaglie, 14.5%, opened the 25th. Light mouth, slightly acidic. A good cherry flavor in the mouth with no tannin showing at this point. Euro 41 a bottle, purchased for our cellar.

Last was the Roche del Annunziata, 15%, opened the 25th. The nose is quite acidic with light tannins. The mouth was a light cherry flavor with good tannins. Give it five years to age. Euro 46 a bottle, purchased for our cellar.

We also bought two bottles of their 2016 Riserva which was highly recommended. We will let them rest for another ten years.

Wine Tasting in the latter half of 2021

2021-05-09T17:09:00.004+02:00

As most of you know, Italy is in the grips of the Covid-19 virus. It has been two years since we have been able to go to an outdoor tasting such as the annual La Morra tasting the first Sunday in September. Do we know if there will be any of the aforementioned tastings this year? Our crystal ball is fogged up so it is telling it nothing. If I had to guess, I would say it will be another year without seeing our friends in La Morra and Serralunga d'Alba. But, I have been wrong and hope that I am this time again.

Hope to see you somewhere on the trail!!

An update...it seems like Italy is opening up, just a touch. I have communicated with the tourist bureau in La Morra, one of the Barolo towns. They indicate that the Cantina Communale is having tastings. They are unable to say that the first Sunday in September tasting might happen or not but if I had to guess, it will happen if the variant that is starting to be running amok in Italy is stopped.

Stay tuned, we will keep you informed as soon as we know.

Casetta, Vezza d'Alba

2020-09-05T20:58:00.025+02:00

Please note Vezza d'Alba is not one of the Barolo "towns". All of his grapes are grown within the "towns" and transported to the winery/cantina in Vezza.

All bottles were opened for us including some that were yet to be labeled. We shall indicate which had not yet been labeled.

19 August 2020 The first was the 2012 Nebbiolo d'Alba, 14% alcohol. The wine had the nose of Nebbiolo with a small amount of acid in the mouth. We thought that the wine had a off taste right in the beginning but was gone almost immediately. The wine had a bit of a brown color which could be explained that the a cousin of the grape is used to make Barolo which tends to turn a brownish color as it ages. Leave for two years before opening.

The next was the 2009 Nebbiolo d'Alba, 13.5% alcohol. It had a Nebbiolo nose and a good mouth with a slight acidity. Leave for a year before opening.

Third was the 2006 Nebbiolo d' Alba Vigin, 13.5% alcohol. This was a spectacular Nebbiolo. All what you would ever want in a Nebbiolo is here. We will leave in our cellar for a minimum of one year, more than likely longer. In our opinion, this is not a "food wine". We believe it is a "conversation wine". The label on this wine shows an old photo of the father of the secretary at Casetta carrying a box of grapes. Purchased for our cellar.

Fourth was the 1996 Nebbiolo Roero Superiore, 13.5% alcohol. For those that do not know the indication "Superiore", it means that the wine spent some time in small barrels. Spectacular nose, heavy fruit. We believe that you should leave this in your cellar for at least two years but if you cannot wait, give it a minimum of one year. Purchased for our cellar.

Next was the 2006 Barbaresco, 13.5% alcohol. The wine has a light Barbaresco nose that disappeared quickly but a very good Barbaresco mouth. Leave in your cellar for a year before opening.

Sixth was the 2007 Barbaresco Riserva, 13.5% alcohol. A nose with wood indications since it had spent time in barrels. It disappears after some glass working. Give it at least two years of rest before opening.

Next was the 2004 Barbaresco Riserva, 13.5% alcohol. An acid nose, little wood therein, both overwhelmed by one of the best mouths we have encountered for this grape. Give it at least three years in your cellar (and ours also). Purchased for our cellar.

Eighth was the 2016 Barolo Casa Nere. This was not labeled so alcohol was not available. It had been in the bottle for only 20 days before we tasted it. The nose is spectacular. It has a very young mouth with heavy tannins. We believe that it needs a minimum of five and probably up to ten years of rest before it really is ready to drink. Purchased for our cellar.

Next was the 2014 Barolo Casa Nere, 14.5% alcohol. Light Barolo nose and mouth. We believe that this would be best as a "conversation wine". Leave for two years in your cellar.

The 2011 Barolo La Serra Riserva was next, again a bottle not labeled. Cherries in the nose, good mouth, serve with light foods. Let rest for three to four years.

The 2010 Barolo La Serra Riserva was the eleventh wine. This wine was the reason we contacted Casetta as we had tasted it at the 2019 La Morra Degustazione. It was the only wine that day that we rated a 5! It has a heavy Barolo nose, albeit slightly acidic. The mouth was subdued with little or no tannins. We believe it needs a minimum of five and probably some years longer for it to become the wine deserving of the high rating. Purchased for our cellar.

Last was the 2009 Barolo Nicolello Riserva, 14.5% alcohol. The nose is what you would expect for an older Barolo with a mouth slightly off that came around with some working of the glass. We expect you should leave this in your cellar for at least three years.

We want to thank Ernesto, the owner for the hospitality and tasting. We had arrived at the cantina around 1100 and ended up going to lunch after a few wines and returning for more afterwards. We will add Casetta to our list of yearly visits.

04 April 2021 As we have written previously, we are running out of wines that are ready to drink, mainly because it has been almost a year since we have been able to visit a cantina to find new wines because of the lockdown here in Italy. However, today as is all Sundays, Natalya had the kitchen. It is Easter and she wanted to do somethings that she had not tried previously so I went into the cantina and brought up a bottle of the 2006 Nebbiolo d' Alba Vigin. When I had tasted in at the cantina in Vezza, I thought that it was a very good example of the grape. After tasting it seven months from bringing it home, I am convinced that we should have purchased at least two boxes of the wine rather than only one. With only one exception, the wine went extremely well with lunch today. That exception was that of Natalya's borsch. The wine got lost in the different flavours of the soup. However, she had also done chicken breast, sliced potatoes and sliced zucca on the barbecue. All went quite well with the wine. When we get the opportunity (and can leave the house), we will travel to see Ernesto to see if he has more. We can only hope so. Great grape juice, start to drink now for the next year.

2 September 2021 We are still, as noted above, short on great wine that is ready to drink. Thus, another bottle of the 2006 Nebbiolo d'Alba Vigin was opened for Natalya's efforts in the kitchen for this Thursday. It was very successful. She made, using peppers from our garden, stuffing them with two different mixes...one was porcini mushrooms with cabbage and the second with ground chicken thighs (no antibiotics) and carnaroli (the type you should use for risotto) rice. Great combinations in the very tasty green peppers! Brava Natalya!

9 January 2022 A good lunch with a spectacular 2006 Nebbiolo d'Alba, from Casetta. We served it with Pollo Milanese and Natalya's perogi. The wine can still rest for another year but it is good now.

12 February 2022 Today we decided to open a bottle of Casetta's 2009 Nebbiolo d'Alba. We had picked up three boxes from the winery for a holiday party we went to at La Mussia owned by our friends Laura and Claudio. It went very well with all the different dishes that we served at the party. One of the family, a wine maker, thought the wine was really a Barolo or very close to being one. In any case, for our lunch, we had Thai yellow curry shrimp with green onions, tomatoes and some added peperoncini. It was served on pasta that had been cooked in the curry. It held up to that food very well. We were very please with the wine. We will contact the winery to see if they have another box that we can put in our cellar.

19 February 2022 Lunch today was made spectacular by a bottle of Casetta's 2009 Nebbiolo d'Alba. Start was a spinach salad with black olives, ricci lettuce and avocado. Then, Natalya's borsch. Then, straciatella with french toast. The main course was my rabbit stew with peperoni, garlic, rosmary, carrot, origano, tagliashe olives, cherry tomatoes, laurel, butter all sauteed in Arneis wine. Again, the pasta was cooked in the liquid of the stew. Great wine, did very well with the complicated dish.

12 June 2022 Today we opened a bottle of Ernesto's 2006 Nebbiolo d'Alba. Natalya had made dolma, picking the leaves fresh from our grapevine and a pirogi of trout and potatoes. The wine had a touch of off nose upon opening and continued off and on throughout the meal. The mouth was fine and for the most part, the mouth was fine. We have one bottle left in our cellar and will drink them sometime this year.

25 September 2022 The last of the 2006 Nebbiolo d'Alba has been served with a Sunday lunch: steamed clams and mussels with sauteed salmon, pirogi of potato and porcini mushrooms, a salad of beets, corn, carrots, onion and black olives. Desert was piroshki of apples from our orchard. The wine was quite light in the mouth and was almost gone when the last was poured. We strongly recommend that you open a bottle now to make sure your are not losing a very good wine.

29 December 2022 It was Natalya's day to make lunch and she made one of my favorites...dolma! Dolma is stuffed grape leaves (for us, chicken and rice) and simmered in a tomato liquid. She opened a bottle of the 2009 Nebbiolo d'Alba that I brought up from the cellar. After just a minute or two, the wine took to the dolma (or was it the dolma to the wine?). It was a perfect match. If you have the wine, it is ready to drink. But, we will go to Ernesto after the holiday to see if he has any more and to taste to 2008 Riserva Barbaresco. It is a very good wine!!

12 February 2023 Today we had a filet of fish for lunch with Natalya's sauteed potatoes. I had been wanting to open a bottle of the 1996 (yes, year is correct) Roero Superiore Nebiolo from Ernesto. I had my doubts that the wine was still good. The wine is very good and may need another six months to make it as good as it was made to be. We have five bottles left. I wonder if Ernesto has any more...Short trip calendared!

4 April 2023 We opened our last bottle of Ernesto's 2009 Nebbiolo d'Alba to celebrate my return from the hospital. It was a great wine to bring me home.

5 April 2023 Natalya stuffed some pasta with ground chicken and soft cheese to handle the 1996 Casetta Roero Superiore Nebbiolo. It went very well. Be aware that the wine is a soft wine because of the age!

28 May 2023 Every time we open a bottle of the Roero Superiore 1996, we are surprised how good the wine is. We had some new potatoes lightly sauteed after boiling and some chicken slices with sauce made from a Thai sauce. The wine stood up to the lunch. The wine should be on your table soon as it is 27 years old after all. It is very good.

18 June 2023 We opened another bottle of the Roero Superiore 1996 for lunch today. The wine is still very good that went well with a stuffed a pasta with bio chicken and mushrooms. It was very good but we only have two bottles of the 1996. Ernesto, any more or is the 1998 the next one available?

16 July 2023 We had one of Natalya's light taste lunches today. So, I brought out the last bottle of the 1996 Roero Superiore Casetta wine. The wine had been in large wood barrels (about 1200 liters) for three years. The wine was perfect for the lunch especially after Natalya had gone to the wine class last year, she is quite good at talking about the taste of the wines we drink. We have one more bottle of the 1996 so we have to go to Ernesto to see if he has more the '96 or if another year that is as good.

7 August 2023 It is Monday so it is chicken burger day! We opened the last bottle of the 1996 Roero Superiore. It went well with the burger. Too bad it was the last bottle but it is ready to drink. Have to go to Ernesto's to see what other older wines he has...

01 September 2023 The three years that I thought it would take to make the 2004 Barbaresco Riserva would be ready to drink so it was time to open a bottle for lunch. Well, I was extremely close. The wine went very well with Natalya's Thai shrimp, pasta and a vegetable sauce for the pasta. We left a glass for me to taste in the evening to see if it needed more time in the cellar. We decided that it was very close to be ready so we will leave the bottles left in the cellar for another six months. It is a very good Barbaresco, better than the one we had a restaurant last Tuesday for my birthday.

13 June 2024 We like Ernesto's wine!! Today I picked a bottle of Casetta 2004 Barbaresco Riserva. It is very good but it is not ready to drink. We believe that it needs another four years before the grape becomes in the glass while we want it. Patience!!

22 March 2025 We had a bottle of Ernesto's La Sera Riserva 2010 for a very good meal that Natalya made. We think that it needs at least another year before it is right. Take a little time more!

03 May 2025 We had a bottle of Ernest's 2004 Riserva Barbaresco with lunch. We are sad that this bottle is the next last of the wine. It is very good in a medium tasting lunch to have. It is very good. BTW, they are gone at the winery.

22 December 2025 We drank the last of the Barbaresco 2024 Riserva from Ernest. The last is gone but it was a great wine. Look for others of them!

2020 Tastings in the Barolo/Barbaresco/Nebbiolo areas

2020-06-07T13:28:00.004+02:00

We believe that many if not all Barolo and Barbaresco tastings for at least 2020 and possibly part of 2021 will not occur because of Covid-19. For those of you that have never attended one, there can be up to 200 people vying to get to a table to get a glass of wine. Social distancing can not be done in cases such as this.

At the time of this writing, we have few bottles of Barolo or Barbaresco as well as Nebbiolo that are ready to drink in our collection. We are reluctant to take a bottle that we know is not ready to drink as much as we want to drink some of the finest wines in the world.

At this point, patience is the watchword. We strongly encourage the wearing of masks whenever you are in areas where there are people (outside as well as inside) and we also encourage social distancing.

Sordo, Castiglione Falletto

2019-09-15T12:51:00.020+02:00

We visited this cantina on the 3rd of September 2019. It is a modern building including a robot that assist in the bottling and labeling of their wines.

We were greeted by Giorgia who gave us a tour of the facilities including the older and newer parts of this producer. She then took us into the tasting room where she showed us a number of the wines produced by Sordo, adding more as the morning progressed.

The first wine was the 2017 Nebbiolo d'Alba, 14% alcohol, opened on the 2nd. Has the typical nose of Nebbiolo which told us that it needs 2-3 years in the bottle before drinking.

Second was the 2016 Barbaresco, 14.5% alcohol about 4 hours earlier. Has the nose of the grape which lightened after a few minutes. The mouth was a good example of the grape albeit slightly acidic. The wine needs a year in the cellar but it is drinkable now for those that like a younger wine.

Next was the 2015 Barolo base, 14% alcohol. It had an acidic nose and light fruit. We noticed a slight off nose that quickly blew off. The mouth is quite tannic with light fruit and a touch of acid. We estimate another 4-5 years before ready to drink.

Fourth was the 2015 Barolo Rocche di Castiglione, 14% alcohol. We immediately had a flavor of vanilla in the nose which disappeared after a short time but returned when the glass was emptied. We consider this a nice but not common flavor for Barolos. Mouth is good, still three pieces but coming together, estimate 1-2 years in the cellar before drinking.

Next was the 2014 Parussi, 14% alcohol. The nose had a typical Barolo flavor which was short lived, a slightly acidic but not overdone indication. The fruit was light. The mouth was subdued but came around as the glass was worked. Give it a couple of years and then try it.

Sixth was the 2011 Gabutti, 14.5% alcohol. Good but light nose of Barolo, mouth still in 3 pieces, quite balanced between fruit, tannin and acid. Drinkable now but let it rest for another three years in proper storage.

Next was the 2011 Monvigliero, 15% alcohol. A light Barolo nose, seems quite stable with work of the glass. Mouth a bit on the light side and stable. Could be enjoyed now but again, leave for 2-3 years before opening. Purchased for the cellar and will rest for the indicated number of years before opening.

Eighth was the 2011 Rocche di Castiglione, 14.5% alcohol. This wine has a very nice nose which lightened up a bit as the glass was worked. The initial impression of the mouth was burnt sugar which blew off quickly. We purchased this wine and will leave it for at least two years before opening.

Next was the 2007 Monvigliero Riserva, 14% alcohol. Nose was slightly off, improved as the wine glass was worked, mouth indicated ready to drink. Now for the next 2-3 years.

The last wine was the 2001 Perno Riserva, 14% alcohol. We are quite familiar with this cru and like it. This was probably the oldest Barolo we had ever had the opportunity to taste. It had a lilac nose, the mouth slightly acidic with excellent fruit. No tannin was noticed. Give it two years. We will. It now resides in our cellar.

We really wish to thank Giorgio, the owner of the cantina and of course, Giorgia, for taking the time (we were there for about four hours) to show us around their wines. We look forward to stopping to see them again in the future. They have Barolo Riserve going back to the early 1990's and also large bottles for special occasions.

27 September 2020 Because of a special occasion, my 20th anniversary of moving to Italy, we opened a bottle of the 2001 Perno Riserva for lunch today. Natalya made my specialty, risotto with zuca and chicken breast. She had learned well from my teaching. It was as good as I could have made. Now about the wine...it went very well with the risotto. You could drink this now or leave it in proper storage for a good five years. We have only one of these left and will save for another special occasion.

11 June 2021 Heads' up! We made another trip to Sordo and of course, were guided by Giorgia through the wines she chose to show us. The first wine presented was the 2018 Nebbiolo d'Alba. Opened for us, 14% alcohol. It had a good Nebbiolo nose (which became slightly acidic after a time in the glass) and the normal ruby red color. It needs 1-2 years before being ready to drink. Purchased for our cellar.

Next was the 2016 Monvigliero Barolo. It also was opened for us, 14.5%. It is a bit acidic and in reality, it is really nowhere being ready to drink. We would leave it rest for a minimum of five years but probably a lot longer.

Next was the 2015 Perno. If you read this blog, you will know we really like the 2001 Perno Riserva. This bottle was opened two days ago and kept properly stored, 14.5% alcohol. It has a typical Barolo nose with a slight touch of the wood where it was aged. The mouth was slightly acidic and showed a light taste. We give it four to six years before we would go near it. Purchased for our cellar.

The third was the 2013 Parussi. Served from the Coravin, 14% alcohol. It exhibited a tannic nose and a slightly acidic mouth. No estimate as to how long it will take before being ready to drink.

Next was the 2006 Rocche di Castiglione Riserva. This was also served from the Coravin, 14% alcohol. A slightly acidic, woody Barolo nose. Mouth is there telling us that the wine is very close to being ready to drink. Give it two years before trying it. Purchased for our cellar.

Next was the 2003 Rocche di Castiglione Riserva. Opened for us, 14% alcohol. A spectacular Barolo nose, light mouth. We go out on a limb and say it is ready to drink but give it a year or two to settle down. Purchased for our cellar.

Last was the 1998 Gabutti Riserva. Served from the Coravin, 14% alcohol. It will be a strong Barolo when it rests for 4-5 years. Purchased for our cellar.

12 June 2021 We decided to try an older Barolo from Sordo for lunch today. My initial tasting of the 2011 Monvigliero led me to believe that it should be ready around this date. However, I was wrong by at least four years. You should not open it until 2025 and after. In any case, the wine was served with Natalya's mushroom soup and octopus salad. Food was really good with the wine once about two hours had passed. Leave it to rest for at least four years.

12 September 2021 It is difficult to pass up a good reason to open a spectacular bottle of Barolo, the 2001 Sordo Perno Riserva! It is a Sunday so Natalya has the kitchen and made a eggplant hamburger for an appetizer. Other than eggplant from our garden, she mixed in an egg and some Rasquera cheese. Quite good but it brought out a hidden acidity of the wine. Then she served her Borsch which was four days old. The Russians (of which she is one of) believe that Borsch is not ready to eat for at least two days after it was made. The four day old Borsch went very well with the wine. We had bought two bottles last year but on our last trip to the cantina, we bought four more. EYHO!! She then served a stuffed verza (a variety of cabbage). The stuffing was carnaroli rice and ground chicken we get from a producer that does not use antibiotics when growing the birds. It went well with the wine. We believe that the wine is ready to drink for at least a year, maybe two. If you have multiple bottles, try one to see how it aged in your cellar. Ours is ready now.

14 November 2021 Well, another of the Perno Riserva was opened today. Natalya made a vegetable soup and Dolma (stuffed grape leaves). We now believe that the wine may need another year or two to be really correct to drink. This bottle (maybe the problem is the cork of this bottle) had an off nose and mouth when it was opened but we are not going to take a chance. Or, you may open it a hour before serving if you must. Great wine in any case.

21 November 2021 Today we opened a bottle of the Sordo Barolo Rocche di Castiglione 2011. Natalya made Thai soup, chicken sotto filleti marinated in lemon juice and garlic and sauteed. The wine needs at least another year before we open another bottle but it is very good grape juice.

14 February 2023 It is Valentine's Day so hope you have a good bottle of wine to show your best person how much you care about him or her. For our lunch, we opened a bottle of 2003 Sordo Barolo Rocche di Castiglione Riserva. The wine is ready to drink. We served it with my version of chili con carne. Instead of carne (meat), I use ground chicken and instead of Mexican spices, I use Pakistani curry. It is very good, you should try it. In any case, the wine is ready to drink. I suggest that if you have bottles, try one and make a calendar to drink the rest of your bottles.

27 April 2023 I am still recuperating so Natalya made some Chinese food with a chicken base. I thought that this wine would stand up to it but I was wrong. The food kind of stood on the wine. So, we left it for later. We tried it again about six hours ago and it was spectacular. When I put it in the list, I wrote that it should be right in 2022. Wrong!! We know believe the wine needs other four years or maybe you can try a decanter! My failure. Sorry, readers!

3 May 2023 Well, I am making up for missing the above review. We opened a bottle of the 2003 Rocche di Castiglione Riserva for lunch today of pasta with fresh salvia leaves and black olives. It is very tannic with a light nose but it all came together. We recommend that you drink it now. Great wine from Sordo as usual.

3 June 2023 Natalya made her famous dolma so I got out our last 2011 Sordo Roche di Castiglione Barolo. On opening and tasting, it seemed that the wine was not ready to drink. We let it sit for another half hour but there was only a slight difference. We decided it was old enough so got out the large open glasses. By the time we finished lunch, the wine was very good. We suggest that if you have the wine in your cellar with proper humidity and temperature, leave it for another two years.

28 July 2023 Sometimes, we get a bottle from the cantina that may not go with the lunch that we were going to have. Today, we pulled a bottle of 2006 Rocche di Castiglione Riserva that we were going to serve it with a piece of light flavored fish, our tomatoes, our string beans and our potatoes. We knew the the wine was a big flavored Barolo but we had the taste for a Barolo for a Friday lunch. The wine went with the fish and vegetables very well. The wine is ready to drink. Do you have a bottle or two in your cellar? Try it. You will not be disappointed!

29 November 2023 For lunch today, Natalya took some bio chicken breasts and made them with Milanese ingredients. She also sauteed some yucca and some of our peppers from the garden. She also made a salad with beets and a small amount of onion. I opened the last 2006 Sordo Rocche di Castiglione Riserva. When we had first taste it, the bottle was opened with the Corvin. I was some worried as to how much air really gets into the bottle but there was no choice. The wine was exactly the time to open. It was a spectacular Barolo and went very well with the lunch. I wonder if there is any more at the producer. We will inquire...

30 June 2024 A Sunday at home for lunch and I pull a very good bottle from the cantina. This day, I picked a bottle of the Sordo Perno Riserva Barolo, 2001. We had purchased the wine about five years ago and it had laying in the cantina for that time. The wine was very good. We have two bottles left and will use them on special Sunday lunches.

20 November 2025 We opened the last of our Sordo Barolo Perno Riserva 2001. It was a very good of Barolo light. I had thought that it would have been a more "Riserva Barolo" but it was not. In any case, it a good flavor with the meal. However, if you have any of them, they are ready to drink!

Rocche Costamagna, La Morra

2019-09-07T16:04:00.004+02:00

We visited this cantina on the 2nd of September 2019.

We requested a visit to taste the wines of this quite well known winery in La Morra. There is not really a full cantina there but there is a lot of aging wines and machinery to bottle the wine.

We were welcomed by Eleonora, one of the guides to the wines. She showed us the library, both of books and of almost ancient bottles of wine that was produced including some bottles that were of 720ml rather than the current 750ml. We were unaware that these bottles were once used.

The first wine presented was the 2017 Nebbiolo which was opened for us. It is 14.5% alcohol. It is a typical, young Nebbiolo that needs time to rest in your cellar in order to truly present its characteristics. It has, at this young age, a good Nebbiolo nose and somewhat muted flavors that will come around with proper aging. We believe it needs two years minimum to reach the drinkable state. We also believe that it is a very good example of the grape. Euro 15 a bottle, purchased for our cellar.

The second was the 2014 Barolo Rocche del Annunziata, 14.5% alcohol. This was presented in a bottle with a Coravin. More and more wineries are using the Coravin to take a small amount from the bottle via a tube the size of a medium size hollow needle and pumping argon gas into the bottle to replace the wine that goes into the glass. Argon is a gas that should not affect the taste of the wine nor should it allow to age. A number of cantine in the area believe that 2014 was not a good year and have not produced anything except basic Barolo...no singular crus were produced. However, some wineries had good harvests and went ahead with singular cru bottlings. The wine has a quite acidic nose with light fruit. The mouth shows an acidic nose with light fruit and tannins. After some time in the glass with movement of the glass, it loses much of the mouth characteristics. Euro 33 a bottle.

We were then poured the 2015 Barolo Rocche del Annunziata, 14% alcohol. This was also poured by the Coravin. The nose was mostly acidic with the fruit almost hidden by the the acid. There was evidence of a light fruit in the mouth which became more evident as the glass was "worked". We also encountered a slight tobacco in the mouth which was pleasing. Euro 38 a bottle.

The fourth wine was the 2013 Barolo Rocche del Annunziata, 14% alcohol. This wine had a very evident Barolo nose which tapered off as the glass was "worked". The mouth was quite tannic (a favorite characteristic), the fruit was very evident and the acids were in balance. We believe that this wine needs 7-8 years in proper storage. Purchased for our cellar. Euro 40 a bottle, purchased for our cellar.

Eleonora then brought out three Barolos that are made as Riserve. These wines spend more time in wood than a normal Barolo.

The first Riserva was the 2013 Rocche del Annunziata. The nose was quite subdued. This told us that the wine needed a minimum of 5+ years of further ageing. After tasting it, we think it needs at least 7-8 years of proper storage before drinking. The wine has hard tannins, medium level of acids and fruit in between. A quite interesting wine. Euro 54 a bottle.

The second was the 2012 Rocche del Annunziata, 14.5% alcohol. A spectacular nose, light tannins and little acids in the nose holds up to glass work without losing any of the previous mentioned characteristics. We believe that this wine needs ten years of proper storage. Purchased for our cellar. Euro 54 a bottle, purchased for our cellar.

The last was the 2011 Rocche del Annunziata, 14.5%. Good nose with great fruit. Nose tells us 6-7 years, mouth says 4-5 years. Split the difference and try it after 5. It is coming together but needs time in your cellar. Euro 60 a bottle

After the tasting we met Alessandro Locatelli who is the manager of the cantina. He told us he is going to San Francisco soon. We offered our knowledge of the Central Coast of California and encouraged him to visit Paso Robles.

If you plan on visiting Rocche Costamagna, we suggest that you request Eleonora as your guide. She is very good at her chosen career.

26 March 2021 We realized after opening this bottle that maybe we have too many bottles of Barolo in our collection (is that really possible?). We have others that are Rocche and picked the wrong one when I went to get a bottle for a Friday lunch. The wine I brought to the table was the 2013 Rocche Costamagna Rocche del`Annunziata Barolo. The wine is not ready to drink. In any case, it was served with Boscaiolli formaggio, insallata from our garden and rabbit angliotti. While the lunch was very good, the wine was really not there. Wait until 2025 and after before opening it.

23 May 2021 We have been ready to open the Langhe Nebbiolo from Rocche Costamagna for some time now and we finally had the opportunity. Natalya took some melanzane (eggplant) from our garden and sauteed it in EV olive oil. Then she topped it with chopped tomatoes from our garden and some smoked scamorza cheese. She then made stuffed peppers (from the garden, of course) with cabbage (no further comment about the garden) and porcini mushrooms. She then served chicken thighs (no antibiotics!) sauteed in mayonnaise. Spectacular lunch with a very good wine. Ready to drink folks but do not panic. It has years to live.

25 July 2021 We opened another bottle of the 2017 Rocche Costagmagna for lunch today. The menu included straciatella cheese with bread, a soup with fresh mushrooms from Monale and chicken sotofiletto. The main course was chicken with grilled vegetables from our garden. The wine does need additional years in the cellar but we like it as it is. We suggest that you try it now and after a year or two to decide which you prefer.

Franco Conterno - Monforte d'Alba

2018-10-07T14:33:00.002+02:00

We had tasted the wines of Franco Conterno at the tasting at Roddi earlier this year. Since we had seldom ventured out of the Barolo/La Morra area to taste wines from the other nine towns that have producers that make Barolo (by law here in Italy), we decided to try one that we had tasted previously.

Franco Conterno's wines are produced, for the main part, from grapes in the Monforte area. Some grapes are taken from other areas but as we said, most are from around the cantina.

All wines tasted had been opened for 24 hours. This will subtract from the estimates of time needed for the wines before they are opened so the number of years below should be adjusted to reflect this. Our estimate is that adding two years to the number of years below should be sufficient.

The first wine presented was the 2016 Nebbiolo, 14% alcohol. This Nebbiolo is a very good example of the grape in the mouth. It is slightly acidic which should blend in once the wine stays in the cellar for two years. The nose is a little restrained. Euro 12 a bottle.

Second was the 2014 Barolo base with the name Pietrin, 14% alcohol. It is ready to drink (remember the bottle was open for 24 hours prior to our arrival). It is a light Barolo, good for conversation and lightly spiced foods.

The next was the 2013 Panerole Barolo, 14.5% alcohol. The 2014 grapes from this cru, which is a little higher in altitude, caused the grapes not to ripen enough to make the wine so they are presenting the 2013. There is a very good nose that tells you that it is a good Barolo. The color is quite dark indicating a slightly longer maceration. Very good wine, drink with medium spiced foods. Needs time in the cellar to allow the mouth to evolve. We recommend another three to four years (plus the two from the open bottle) before opening. Euro 27.50 a bottle.

There were then two Riserva Barolos presented. The first was the 2012 Bussia, 14.5% alcohol, so named for the localita` of Bussia where the cantina is situated. Riserva designation is because the wine spent five years in wood rather than the three to four for normal Barolos. Again, a very good nose indicating the grape. Medium color, light mouth. A very smooth wine. You could drink this today or save for a few more years. Euro 39 a bottle.

The second Riserva and the final wine was the 2010 Sette7anni Riserva, 14.5% alcohol. The wine is called Sette7anni because the wine spent seven years in wood before being bottled. Initial reaction was a quite hard nose. After some swirling of the wine, there was a small off scent that quickly blew off. Mouth is quite nice, smooth, light tannins, ready to drink but it should last another five years in your cellar. Euro 59 a bottle, purchased for our cellar.

15 March 2020 We opened a bottle of the Sette7anni Riserva for lunch today. Referencing the information when we tasted it the first time, the nose was not there but gradually appeared as the wine was in the glass. The mouth is light with the tannins appearing only during the last ten minutes of the bottle. For most of the time, the acids had the stage. The wine was served with porcini and bean soup and pasta with hearts of carciofi, green olives capers and burro with Pecorino Romano grated on it.
We think that we will go back to the original idea that it might need five years. We will not be in a rush to open the last bottle that we have. Give it time, you will not be sorry.

13 December 2020 As mentioned previously, we have a problem that most of our bottles of Barolo are a long way from being ready to drink. So, a little sooner than we would have liked, we opened the last bottle we have of the Sette7anni Riserva for lunch today. The main course was Natalya's pirogi of chicken breast and porcini mushrooms. A very good match. Wine can be drank now or give it another year. It is quite good!!

Grand Degustazione 2018, La Morra

2018-09-30T12:36:00.001+02:00

The Barolo tasting that every year is on the first Sunday in September was cancelled this year due to a death at one of the participating cantinas. It is usually a pretty good way to find out about the new year's wine that is coming onto the market.

We will try to visit our regulars in the near future when time allows.

Io, Barolo 2018

2018-05-27T11:59:00.000+02:00

Last evening was the 2018 version of Io, Barolo in the village of Roddi. We had skipped the last two or three because of the lack of space allotted for the producers to have sufficient space to show their wines properly to the public. While last evening's presentation was better than the last one we had attended, the people who run it still have a few more things, in our opinion, to make it better. Yes, there were large crowds and it was difficult to reach the space of the producers but what we feel was one of the main problems was the fact that people were smoking as they approached the space of the producers. For those of you that do not smoke, you know that smoke blowing in your face is not conducive to being able to taste wine properly.

Поиск импортера /дистрибьютора в РФ

2017-09-12T21:49:00.000+02:00

Один из производителей лучших местных марок Barolo, Nebbiolo, Barbera выразил желание найти импортера / дистрибьютора своих вин в Российской Федерации. Если Ваша компания заинтересована и у Вас есть возможность значительных закупок, Вы можете указать Ваши контакты, нажав ЗДЕСЬ, рассказать о Вашем предложении и Ваших идеях для этих очень хороших итальянских вин. Мы переведем ваше сообщение на итальянский язык и перешлем его производителю и уточним детали для Вас. Мы владеем русским, итальянским и английским языками.

Grand Degustazione 2017, La Morra

2017-09-11T20:57:00.001+02:00

The degustazione took place last Sunday in the town of La Morra, one of the eleven Barolo communities in Provincia di Cuneo.

We normally attend the degustazione and this year was no exception. The Barolo presented was from the 2013 vintage which was not a memorable one to say the least.

We estimate at least 10% of the Barolo offerings that should have been left at home to rest. Hopefully, the 2014 vintage next year will be better.

As our habit, we made appointments with some of the presenters to taste their offerings in private tastings in their respective cantinas. This year, however, we decided to choose the last producer to visit from the wine that was offered at this year's tasting. We visited Enzo Boglietti, Silvio Grasso, Cascina Ballarin and Saglietti.

We will give you the results over the next week or so. We were quite pleased with the wines that were offered by the producers in their facilities. We got to taste some of the 2017 Dolcetto that had just started its fermentation at one of the producers. More about this when we write about our visit to his facilities.

Saglietti, La Morra

2017-09-10T15:07:00.001+02:00

As mentioned above, we chose Saglietti for our Tuesday morning visit based solely on the wines he offered at the La Morra degustazione.

This is a difficult place to find as the area he is in is on none of the maps nor navigators that we use. We had asked for directions from a friend but you can find signs that will lead you to the cantina.

When we arrived, he was cleaning the hazelnuts that had been picked the day before with his father and son. This year is not a good year for hazelnuts (we got nothing off of our trees).

We were escorted to the tasting room by Flavio and his wife, Paola. Before getting started on the bottled wines, Flavio took us to the barrel rooms where we tasted some of his wines that are still resting, waiting for the proper time to bottle. We were also given the opportunity to taste the 2017 Dolcetto which was just starting the fermentation process. What we tasted was grape juice with no alcohol. We are not fans of Dolcetto but the raw grapes after being crushed and before the fermentation had progressed provided a new light on this popular wine in Piemonte. We tasted the 2014 base Barolo (a very big wine for a base Barolo), the 2014 Cerequio and three other Barolos from the 2015 and 2016 vintages.

Back in the tasting room, the first Barolo poured was the 2009 Cerequio. We had never tasted a Barolo from this cru. It is quite interesting and we are very interested to see what Flavio and Paola do with these grapes. The 2009 Cerequio has an alcohol level of 14% and was opened the day before. At first, the wine seemed to be over the hill, giving off a nose that was not conducive to a good glass of Barolo but after one hour, it had come around. In the meantime, he had opened another bottle for us. There is still the hint of the Marsala but it quickly disappeared. We believe that this wine needs at least five years of aging before drinking. Euro 27 a bottle, purchased for our cellar.

The second Barolo offered was the 2006 Brunate. It had been opened about one hour. Both the Brunate and the Cerequio crus are adjacent to the cantina. 14% alcohol, the 2006 Brunate is a spectacular wine now but we believe it has a few more years in the cellar that would not hurt it. Euro 30 a bottle, purchased for our cellar.

Last was the 2011 Brunate. Opened for the degustazione in La Morra two days previously. The mouth was like a piece of candy, not a glass of Barolo. This is not something that would be considered to be a defect but it was what it was. The nose was quite light for a wine this young open two days. Euro 25 a bottle.

27 August 2018 Because we believed the wines presented by Flavio and Paola were very good, we tried to make an appointment to return to their cantina to again taste, this time from the bottle, the 2014 wines. Neither our emails nor phone calls were responded to. We have been unable to contact Flavio so we have to conclude that they are no longer in business.

14 April 2019 Since we have no guidance from the producer, we have started to drink the offerings from Saglietti. The first we tried was the 2013 Brunate. We served it with Risotto with radicchio with Natalya;s pyrogi with fish. It stood up quite well to the combination. We would recommend that if you have this, you plan on drinking it soon.

16 June 2019 We wanted to try one of the older Barolos that we purchased from them so opened a bottle of the 2006 Brunate. It was served with the risotto with radicchio since we had luck with the first bottle of Brunate we opened. The wine changed dramatically during the first 15 minutes it was open. We suggest that you open it 20 minutes prior to serving it. The wine complimented the risotto as did the 2013.

20 October 2019 A bottle of our 2006 Brunate Barolo from this producer was opened for lunch today. It was accompanied by zucca soup, sauteed turkey breast and a salad of beans and beets. We noticed that the nose and the mouth had off flavours. We suggest that if you have this wine, it be opened as soon as the opportunity is available.

26 November 2019 After our lunch in October with the 2006 Brunate, we decided to open the last bottle of the 2006 Brunate in our cellar. It was served with a Tex-Mex dish, chili con chicken (a substitute for the beef). While not as off as the last bottle, we again strongly suggest that you open any bottles of this wine that you might have.

1 October 2022 Today, it was my turn in the kitchen. I made Shrimp fried Rice. Before my schooling in cooking, my grandmothers were my teachers. When I moved to San Diego, I took a class in Chinese cooking. The teacher taught me how to use chopsticks and some very good Chinese dishes. The Shrimp fried Rice I made is not the one she taught me (it was a long time ago) but it came out very good. We served our last bottle of the 2009 Cerequio Barolo with lunch. It was not really a good match to the Rice but we needed to drink the wine as we thought it was on its way to be not drinkable. It was quite good but at the end of the meal, the wine was almost nothing in taste. If you have it, we strongly suggest that you try a bottle to see if it the way we saw it. It is too bad that there is no more from this producer. They have disappeared.

Enzo Boglietti, La Morra

2017-09-06T21:44:00.003+02:00

After the Grand Degustazione yesterday, our first visit of the day was Azienda Agricola Enzo Boglietti. We had met them last year at the degustazione and after reviewing their brochure, decided that we should visit them.

They took us through their offerings starting with the 2016 Langhe Nebbiolo. It had been bottled about two weeks ago and was quite disjointed, or as we like to call it "in pieces". It would be unfair to them and the wine for us to form an opinion on the wine so if they have it available next year, we will write about it them. Euro 9 per bottle.

What they call "Buio" was next. It was from 2015 and is 80% Nebbiolo and 20% Barbera. It was a very interesting combination that we feel needs 3-4 years to come around to what should be a very good wine. We were told that this blend was very popular during the 1990's and they were going to see how it was received here in 2017. We estimate 3-4 years in the cellar should make it ready to drink. Euro 16 per bottle. Purchased for our cellar.

They they proceeded to open their series of 2013 Barolos, all of which were opened for us. The first was from the vineyard Boiolo. We are familiar with this vineyard having had 2006 and 2008 Barolos from Bosco who makes wines from that vineyard. Boglietti's 2013 Boiolo was quite acidic. The fruit was evident but there was little indication of tannins. We estimate that it would take 3-4 years to come around. Euro 23 a bottle.

The second 2013 Barolo was Fossati. It had a light nose that did not tell us it was Barolo. However, after about five minutes open, the nose had become evident. We estimate a minimum of 5 years before opening. Euro 33 a bottle.

The next was the 2013 Arione. It had a big Barolo nose, both the acids and tannins were quite evident. It obviously is in the legendary 3 pieces. Arione has great fruit for a young wine. Let it rest for at least five years. Euro 39 per bottle. Purchased for our cellar.

The fourth was the 2013 Casa Nere. The nose is there but light as is the mouth. It, however, has a high level of tannins. We estimate at least four years to come around. Euro 39 a bottle.

The last was the 2013 Brunate. This is a very balanced wine for a 2013. The fruit is good blending well with a light tannin structure. Let it rest for two or three years before trying. Euro 39 per bottle.

28 February 2021 Because we are having a lot of trouble finding something that is ready to drink, we decided to open a bottle of the 2015 Buio, the blend of Nebbiolo and Barbera from this producer. We had concluded that it needed 3-4 years before it was ready to drink but as I said, we are becoming desperate. As usual, the wine is not ready to drink. If we told you that the top was acid, the middle fruit and the bottom tannins, you would think, probably, that we had fallen off the wagon. But, that is what we thought, even with a fairly open mouth glass and at least an hour to drink the wine with Natalya's Thai soup and a pirogi made from our biological chicken, bio potatoes and onion. Regretfully, we have one bottle left and if the La Morra tasting ever occurs again, we will go to the producer and get six bottles that will reside, with the one we have left, for at least three more years.

09 October 2021 We opened another bottle of the 2013 Arione Barolo for lunch today. Menu was a salad with sedano bianco cuore (white heart of celery), pioppino mushrooms from Monalfungo, bio lemon juice and fresh ground black pepper. Natalya also made angliotti with white chicken, burrata and pistachio nuts. The wine needs another two years before we will open another bottle but you can taste what will be enjoyed very much in the future.

29 October 2023 We opened a bottle of Enzo Boglietti Arione 2013 for a Sunday dinner. We were quite disappointed, not about the wine, but the fact that the wine is not ready to drink. And, I really mean it is not ready. After two hours open, we started to get the mouth and the nose. Both are very good. So, we put the other bottle we have for another two years. Patience, Vittorio!!

Az. Agricola Montaribaldi, Barbaresco

2017-07-01T21:00:00.003+02:00

Normally, we do not write about wines we have in restaurants but the producer's 2012 Ricu is one of the best Barbarescos we have ever tasted. We had dinner at Il Moncalvo in Acqui Terme this past week and chose this wine to have with dinner. Without a doubt, it is one of the most complete Barbarescos we have ever had. We will tell you that it needs time in the bottle. We estimate that two years will pass before we open one of the bottles we purchased at Moncalvo. If you find it, put it away in the back of your cellar. You will not be disappointed.

The restaurant is very good also.

29 December 2019 One of those bottles was opened today and served with a vegetarian lunch. Spectacular wine, we will give it another two years before trying another bottle.

3 June 2020 We served a bottle of this very good Barbaresco with sauteed farona (guinea hen) and broccoli sauteed with garlic. It went quite well, the wine is nearing its peak, we believe. We still have two bottles of it and will be looking for an excuse to open another one.

21 June 2020 We opened another bottle of this Barbaresco to serve with Thai soup, boscaioli cheese and pierogi. It went very well with this meal and is ready to drink. One bottle left....boo-hoo!

11 October 2020 The last bottle of this Barbaresco was served for lunch of shrimp fried rice with peanuts. The rice was Basmati from India. It went very well with lunch but we do recommend that if you have this wine in your cellar, it is time to drink it. By the time lunch was completed, so was the nose and most of the mouth of the wine. Again, drink it if you have it!

Cascina del Pozzo, Castellinaldo d'Alba

2016-12-31T16:19:00.001+01:00

We have not visited this cantina. We were given a bottle of their 2013 Nebbiolo d'Alba by a friend who wanted our opinion as to when it would be good to open a bottle of this wine.

One thing you should know is that the striking difference between Nebbiolo from Alba and Langhe besides the area of production is that the Nebbiolo d'Alba is required to be 100% Nebbiolo grape whereas the Langhe has to be at least 80% Nebbiolo.

That being said, we believe that this wine needs a minimum of one year from today's date before it is served. It was still in "pieces", acid and fruit. No tannin was detected in the mouth but that does not mean it will not appear at a later time. Wait one to one and a half years before opening, IOHO.

Annual Barolo tasting 2016, La Morra

2016-04-23T20:56:00.001+02:00

This year, on the 4th of September, will be the annual Barolo tasting in the Barolo community of La Morra.

Going? Better book your room now as things are filling up fast.

Yes, we missed the 2015 tasting. Our apologies!

COMMENTARY: We did attend the 2016 La Morra tasting last Sunday. However, it was not as it had been in previous years. When I told my friends about it previously, I related that there were usually 50 producers in attendance. It was not so this year. There were only 34 and most of them did not have their best wine to pour. Yes, I know that to pour your best wine for someone that will probably never buy a bottle of it is like pouring it down the drain but there are a few of us that use a tasting such as La Morra to decide who to go to when we need to buy wine.

Also, I will ding the person or persons that decided to move it to a different street, more residential and less commercial. Is that why the producers decided not to support the tasting in the numbers they used to? Maybe.

Io, Barolo - Roddi - 30 Maggio 2015

2014-12-23T16:49:00.001+01:00

Sabato 30 maggio 2015 – Io, Barolo. Altra graditissima conferma per gli amanti del “Re dei Vini” sparsi in giro per l’Italia e per il mondo: i produttori della Strada del Barolo presentano al grande pubblico l’annata 2011 del Barolo, nella splendida cornice del Castello di Roddi, con una degustazione illimitata di oltre 30 diverse etichette. A completare il programma della serata, grande novità di questa edizione, show cooking e laboratori Wine&Food, proposti grazie alle partnership con la Strada del Riso Vercellese di Qualità. Come di consueto, durante la serata sarà possibile visitare le sale del Castello di Roddi con le guide dell’associazione Turismo in Langa.

Piacere Barbaresco 2014 - Barbaresco

2014-10-20T18:29:00.002+02:00

We had a pleasant weekend trip, the 18th and 19th of October, to Barbaresco which is only about 30 minutes from where we live.

It was the annual tasting of the wine for which the town was named. There were about 50 producers represented there but only about half of the actual people from the cantine were at the tasting. Quite disappointing. But let us be very serious...if we go to a tasting and the producer or one of his/her people is not present, we have no way of contacting them for a follow-up because there is usually no business card or brochure nor were we able to make an initial decision on the wines.

As usual, following is the list of those whose offerings we thought worthy of a visit to their facilities and for us to write about after the visit. We were asked many times during the tasting who our favorites were and we are quite sure that some of you would like to know who they were. We will try to answer this question diplomatically: the list is in alphabetical order. If you wish to know our favorites, write and we will reveal our preferences.

Azienda Agricola Bera
Azienda Agricola Cascina della Rose
Cascina Longoria
Fontanabianca
Azienda Agricola Luigi Giordano
Azienda Agricola Giuseppe Cortese
Azienda Agricola Grasso Fratelli
Azienda Agricola Lano Gianluigi
Azienda Agricola Montaribaldi
Poderi Colla
Massimo Rattalino
Azienda Agricola Roberto Sarotto

We hope to get to all of these producers before the next Piacere Barbaresco.

We will add Punset Winery (even though they chose not to be at the tasting) on a special request from the proprietors of the B&B we stayed in while at Piacere Barbaresco. Their daughter is the owner. Please note that we did not taste the wine.

Cascina del Monastero - Annunziata, La Morra

2014-09-14T17:15:00.000+02:00

The next day, we made our last stop of the trip at Cascina del Monastero in Annunziata. We had met Beppe at a tasting in Asti earlier this year and had told him we would stop to taste all of his wines the next time we were in the area. Cascina del Monastero is also an agriturismo so contact them if you are going to the area around La Morra for a nice place to stay and try their wines.

First was the 2011 Nebbiolo Langhe, 14% alcohol. The bottle was opened for us. Quite acidic with subdued fruit. Recommend 3-4 years in the cellar to let it smooth out. Euro 10 per bottle.

We then tried the 2009 Barolo Pernot, 14.5% alcohol. This bottle was open for 24 hours before our arrival. The fermentation time on this wine was 25 days under controlled temperature. Light fruit, tannin and acids. We consider this ready to drink. Beppe then brought out the same wine that was produced for the Chinese market. It had only eight days of fermentation which would practically eliminate any tannins and increase the fruit in the mouth. Euro 20 a bottle.

Next was the 2010 Barolo Bricco Luciani, 14.5% alcohol. Good fruit and acids with a nice nose. Leave it four to five years in your cellar. Euro 26 a bottle.

Last was the 2007 Barolo Riund Riserva, 14.5% alcohol. We had tasted this one in Asti and wanted to put it in our cellar for further aging. The wine has a beautiful Barolo nose with light acids and tannin. Let rest for one to two years. Euro 30 a bottle, purchased for our cellar.

26 May 2016 We opened the first bottle of the 2007 Riund Riserva Barolo today with a lunch of Russian Borsch and Lebanese Dolma. We had expected the wine to be quite "big" and robust. It was not. The wine was quite soft (should not have been, IOHO) and should have stood up to the Borsch. We now know that it is quite soft for a Riserva and should be drunk as a "conversation wine" rather than with food. We will open another bottle around the end of 2016 to see if our opinion has changed. This weekend, I hope to see Beppe at the Vinessage in Asti to talk to him about the wine. If there are any things to report, you may read them here!!

2 November 2016 We opened, as promised, another bottle of the 2007 Riund Riserva Barolo for lunch today. We served it with a lightly seasoned meal (see review just above) of sauteed vegetables and ground turkey. Similar to the first bottle, there was a strange taste that neither one of us could pin down nor could we tell you what it was. The best description of it was "unpleasant". We decided to leave the bottle open for about 45 minutes to see what it would do, remain or go away. It was still there after the 45 minutes but gone after one hour. We have pushed the opening of the third bottle out to no earlier than June of 2017. We hope that the strange flavor will have decided to fly away when it sees the cork gone. In any case, a light Barolo, could be considered a conversation wine but leave it open for a hour if you open it now.

19 February 2017 We opened the next to the last bottle of the 2007 Riund Riserva for lunch today. It seems like Sunday is "Barolo Day" in our house. We have a number of bottles that are ready to drink so it might spill over to other days of the week but in any case, we will drink them. Similar to the first and second bottles, there was a strange taste that neither of us could identify much less tell what it was. After about 30 minutes, that strange taste was gone and what we had in our glasses was a very nice Barolo. We felt it was not a "big" Barolo as we prefer but there really is nothing wrong with it if you give it a hour open before you pour it. Of course, if you are in a hurry, just decant it and swirl it in the decanter. We served the wine with a plate of pasta with a bagnetto sauce (as for the recipe). It was an abnormal Sunday lunch as we had been to a Polenta dinner in Monale the evening before and were not interested in a big meal. Next and last opening will be in late summer.

9 April 2017 The last bottle of the 2007 Riund Riserva was opened today for our lunch. The menu was mozzarella di buffala, a plate of pasta with fresh asparagus tips from the garden of a friend and a hunters' turkey stew which had red bell peppers, sauteed mushrooms and onions seasoned with Sicilian oregano in a jar of tomatoes from our garden. The wine matched very well with the stew. If you have this, we would strongly suggest that you open a bottle to see its progress of maturation!

Osvaldo Viberti - Serra dei Turchi, La Morra

2014-09-14T17:00:00.001+02:00

The last stop for today was at the home of Osvaldo Viberti. We had met Osvaldo at the 2013 La Morra tasting and had promised him that we would come to taste all of his wines.

We were shown into the kitchen of his home for the tasting. We met his wife and two children before beginning what was to be a very enjoyable evening tasting all of his efforts. We will not write about his Nascetta nor the Barbera d'Alba but if you visit him, make sure you taste both.

His 2012 Nebbiolo, 14% alcohol was first. The wine has great fruit, nice acids and a lite tannin for a young Nebbiolo. Needs two years in the cellar. Euro 8.50 a bottle, purchased for our cellar. We own the 2011 also.

The 2010 base Barolo was the next offering. Nice balance between the fruit, tannin and acids, even at this point. Would like to give it another two years in the cellar before drinking. Euro 19 a bottle.

Third was the 2008 Barolo Serralunga, 14.5% alcohol. This is a wine completely in balance and, in our opinion, ready to drink. Leave it another year in the cellar to be sure. Euro 24 a bottle.

The last Barolo was the 2007 Serra dei Turchi, 14.5% alcohol. This is another Barolo ready to drink (bottle was open seven hours before we arrived which leads me to leave it in the cellar for at least one, maybe two years before opening). It is a very good Barolo with great balance. Euro 24 a bottle, purchased for our cellar.

29 September 2014 Today for lunch, we had a Pizzocchieri della Vantellina. Vantellina is a valley in Lombardia bordering Switzerland. The dish is a pasta with a predominance of buckwheat flour unlike normal Italian pasta which has a predominance of wheat flour. The dish also has potatoes, spinach, soft cheese like Toma, garlic and is cooked in butter, not olive oil. For this, we opened the bottle of 2011 Nebbiolo from Osvaldo. When we visited him earlier this month, we had asked him whether it was ready to drink. He said it was. This is spectacular grape juice. It is no wonder we spent most of the last hour of the 2013 La Morra tasting at Osvaldo's barrel drinking this wine. If you have it, open and enjoy. It is ready to drink.

25 December 2015 For the holiday dinner which was one of our specialties that we adapted from my Sicilian Grandmother's recipe, we opened the first bottle of the 2007 Serra dei Turchi. Lunch was a stuffed chicken boneless chicken thigh. This wine is still "in pieces" and has yet to come together as we believe it will. It also had a slightly off nose that we hope will resolve itself before we open the next one which will be at least a year down the road. Let it rest if you have it. If not, find it!

28 March 2016 Today for lunch, we opened one of our four bottles of the 2012 Langhe Nebbiolo. We opened it just before serving lunch which was a chicken burger with a slight curry seasoning. The wine took us on quite a roller coaster. At first, there was no nose and a slightly acidic mouth. Then the nose took over giving us a very nice Nebbiolo nose. Then, the acid took a back seat and the Nebbiolo fruit showed itself. By the end of lunch (and the bottle), we knew why it was put in the cellar. It is not a big Nebbiolo so you should serve it in a closed mouth glass with a lightly seasoned meal. Highly recommended, drink now.

12 August 2016 For lunch today, we prepared Chinese noodles with shrimp. Needing a light wine to go with it, we chose a bottle of Osvaldo's 2012 Nebbiolo. The wine was not "together" when it was opened but after a short time (less than 20 minutes), it was the prime example of Nebbiolo that we know Osvaldo produces. It went very well with the Chinese dish. Highly recommended, as stated in the previous entry, drink it now, leaving it open for 15 minutes before pouring.

17 September 2017 Today for lunch, we had something very special...we had purchased some summer truffles when we were in La Morra for the Barolo tasting. We decided to use one for a plate of pasta with just a little extra virgin olive oil from Sicily. We also sauteed some slices of turkey breast. For this, we opened the bottle of 2012 Nebbiolo from Osvaldo. When the bottle was opened, it had an off nose that was something like a mold. The mouth was fine. We studied the cork and found it to be cracked on the bottom that may have let some air in that may have caused the off nose. Toward the end of the bottle, the musty smell had blown off. We will be interested to see if the other bottle of the 2012 we have has the same problem. Stay tuned. The wine is ready to drink so enjoy it. It does have time left but try a bottle now!

4 February 2018 Today Natalya made Thai soup and Turkish dolma for lunch. I know what both of them are like so had to pick a wine that would stand up to the Thai soup but not cover up the Turkish dolma. I chose a 2007 Viberti Serra dei Turchi. The choice was correct. The food went very well with this very good Barolo. Highly recommended, drink now!

11 March 2018 Again, Natalya, born Russian, made Thai soup for lunch to go with a sauteed turkey breast. I was tasked with finding a wine that would stand up to the Thai soup and yet, not kill the sauteed turkey breast. My choices were limited but we had one more bottle of Osvaldo's Nebbiolo from 2012. The wine stood up to the Thai soup and did not step on the turkey breast. However, if you have this wine, we find that it has faded fast and should be enjoyed as soon as possible, hopefully within the next 30 days. It is still there but we feel it will not be much longer.