Jay Kline

9.2

“Bricco Ambrogio” stands alone as the only MGA in the tiny commune of Roddi and it’s almost completely under vine. In fact, the most prominent geological feature in Roddi is the hill of Bricco Ambrogio. While the Lodali family were the first to bottle a single expression, back in the late 1970’s, we largely have Paolo Scavino to thank for the growth of its reputation as a source of depth and balanced Barolo over the last 20+ years.

The 2020 “Bricco Ambrogio” pours a bright, luminous garnet color; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing and predominately red fruited with notes of Morello cherry, cranberry, raspberry, rosebushes, tar, dried green herbs, cedar chest, spices, and gravely earth. On the palate, the wine is bone dry with high tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finishes long, grippy and spicy. A lovely Bricco Ambrogio with beautiful balance and sneaky power; arguably the benchmark for the MGA. Drinking well now in its youth (thank you 2020) but will surely gain complexity after 2030 and deliver smiles through 2040+. — 2 months ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Served to me double-blind at Tasting Group. The wine appears a deep garnet color with a transparent core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears and no signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is developing with ripe bramble fruits: a mix of blackberries and raspberries with Morello cherry, roses, tar, talcum powder, dried herbs, and gravelly soil. On the palate, the wine is dry with high tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and delicious. Alcohol is medium+. Initial conclusions: this could be Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, Pinot Noir or Grenache from Italy or France. Because of the high tannin and talcum powder/tar/roses combo (and the utter lack of staining), my final conclusion is: Nebbiolo; from Italy; from Piemonte; Barolo…from Monforte d’Alba. I chose 2016 because it shows good great balance of structure and fruit. Ooooof…that was too close.

“La Villa” is Fratelli Seghesio’s most precious wine and until now, I can only ever recall drinking their Barolo “classico” and Barbera d’Alba and only on a few occasions. Believe it or not, “La Villa” is the oldest, single MGA bottling from any producer in Castelletto. The name “La Villa” is an old name for an area within Castelletto when it was once a commune all to itself. The distinguishing feature of “La Villa” is the eponymous ridge that runs perpendicular with Collaretto and Vigna Rionda to the east, across the stream of Talloria di Castiglione. The vines facing south are dedicated to their Nebbiolo while the vines facing north are predominately Barbera and Dolcetto. A very tasty Barolo. Drink now through 2035. — 3 months ago

Jay Kline

9.1

Figli Luigi Oddero, the Barolo producer in La Morra currently markets one Barbareso and all of the fruit comes from approximately 5 acres of vines they own in the Rombone MGA in Treiso.

Popped and poured. The 2018 “Rombone” pours a light ruby color with a transparent core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, this is developing and already very pretty with Luxardo cherry, pomegranate, red flowers, dried earth and mild spices. On the palate, the wine is bone dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+ and grippy. A lovely Barbaresco showing the elegance and juiciness of the vintage. Drink now and through 2038.
— 9 months ago

Jay Kline

9.3

I’ve been so looking forward to experiencing one of my bottles of the 2018 Margherita Otto and decided tonight was the night since it was -17°F here in Omaha. While a relative new-comer as far as Barolo producers are concerned, Alan’s approach leans heavily towards the traditional. Until now, his Barolo remains a blend of Nebbiolo from different communes in an effort to make a more complete expression of the zone. The first few vintages incorporated fruit from Monteforte, Serralunga and Castiglione Falletto. This vintage was the first to incorporate some fruit from the Vignane MGA in Barolo.

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of three days. There was some evolution but it was consistent, with no noticeable dip in enjoyment. The 2018 pours a deep ruby with a translucent core and a slightly garnet rim; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, youthful with a pleasant mix of red and black fruits: bright Morello cherry, strawberries, raspberries, Marionberries, pomegranate, roses, dried herbs, tar, orange peel and dry gravelly earth. On the palate, bone dry with high tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long with a touch of anise and red rope licorice thing. Just lovely and definitely a producer I'll be following. Drink now with some patience and over the next 20 years. Fewer than 4000, 750ml bottles were produced. — 10 months ago

Jay Kline

9.2

As someone who has been described as an Italophile, I’m particularly enamored with the wines of Piemonte. You’ve probably all heard the saying, “the more you learn, the less you seem to know”. Yeah, I don’t know that it really makes sense. Yet, it seems to apply more and more these days. This wonderful bottle from Giovanni Rosso was an entire lesson of its own for me.

Okay, so I’ve been enjoying the Barolo’s from Giovanni Rosso for almost a decade now and it was not until this bottle that I realized this is not their “classico” but instead, a blend of their holdings exclusively throughout Serralunga d’Alba. A sort of “super classico” (I just made that up) I guess one could say. Since the mid-1990’s, they have been best known for their Serralunga parcels in Cerretta (Bricco). Later, in 2004, they were the first to release a single-vineyard bottling of the Serra MGA (not to be confused with the La Serra MGA in La Morra 🙄). More recently, they have picked up parcels in other Serralunga MGA’s including Costabella, Sorano, Lirano, Damiano, as well as the up and coming Meriame and their most famous of all, Vignarionda (the only other MGA from which they do a single-vineyard besides the aforementioned Serra and Cerretta). I know…it’s a lot to absorb. Let’s just get to the notes.

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of an hour. The 2019 “Del Comune Di Serralunga d’Alba” pours a pale garnet color with a transparent core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with powerful, heady notes of red (mostly) and black fruit: fresh raspberries, pomegranate, blood orange, roses, talcum powder, freshly tarred roof and dry earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with high tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. This is a powerful expression of the 2019 vintage that needs some time to settle down. The fruit profile is quite big but the classic Serralunga structure is there in the background. You can drink now if you’re a hedonist (guilty) but I suspect a bigger reward to come from 2029-2040+. — 3 months ago

Jay Kline

9.5

The Scavino family’s holdings in the Rocche dell’Annuziata MGA have always been quite special and at Paolo Scavino, it’s bottled as a Riserva. This 2016 was popped and poured and enjoyed over a several hour period. It pours a deep ruby with a transparent core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with powerful notes of dark cherry, red roses, some tar, dried herbs, gentle warm spices and minerals. On the palate, the wine is dry with high tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. There’s wonderful concentration and the finish is grippy, long and delicious. As far as Riserva’s go, this is a winner. And, because this is a 2016, you can drink now (with some patience) if you wanna enjoy in its relative youth but this will undoubtedly last for decades.

Over the last 70+ years, Enrico Scavino was a force behind the family’s expansion in the Barolo region. And while he was never been shy about innovation (Enrico was one of the “Barolo Boys” after all), he was a bit more judicious with his use of new French oak; careful to ensure each vineyard’s story was being told. Increasingly, there has been an even greater lean towards a more traditional touch with less time spent in barrique (very little of it new) and more time spent in botti. And while the quality has never really been an argument, the results are evident in the glass and I’ve been impressed with the wine of the last several years. But I digress, the real news is that Enrico passed away in late February which means Piemonte has lost yet another legend.
— 8 months ago

Jay Kline

9.5

Brought to V. Mertz from my cellar. Cascina Fontana is an ultra-traditional producer located in the commune of Castiglione Falletto; just across the border from Monforte d’Alba. The bulk of their holdings are western-facing parcels within the Mariondino MGA that were formerly part of the “Valletti Zone”. However, as an ultra-traditionalist, they only produce two Barolos and both are blends of fruit from different MGAs. One is labeled simply "Barolo" (which is a blend of fruit sourced from their holdings in both Castiglione Falletto and La Morra) and this wine, labeled under the “del Commune di Castiglione Falletto” designation. It is a blend fruit from Mariondino and the neighboring Villero MGA. Their holdings in Villero don’t suck either. Their parcels reside next to those of Vietti and Giacomo Fenocchio.

The 2016 Cascina Fontana pours a bright garnet with a transparent core; medium+ viscosity and no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with gorgeous aromas of Morello cherry, bruised strawberry, pink and white roses with freshly cut stems, crushed rock and some tar. On the palate, the wine is bone dry with high tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and savory. The texture? Simply divine. A debonair Barolo from Castiglione Falletto that paired well with Morgan Ranch wagyu tartar. Because it’s 2016 (and with a little Villero), you can drink now with patience and through…well…probably 2066. No cap. — 10 months ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Mention “Monvigliero” around any Barolo nut and there is a better than good chance you might witness the following behavior: waxing poetic in hushed tones, sighing, swooning…possibly fainting. Monvigliero truly is the zeitgeist. For over 40 years, Comm. G.B. Burlotto (and Fratelli Alessandria before them), have quietly been making great single-vineyard Monvigliero and it was only in the last 10-15 years that the world started to catch on to the magic that was happening in Verduno. In the last handful of years alone, there have been a flurry of producers with holdings in Monvigliero that have released their own single-vineyard expression. However, what many may not realize is that Enrico Scavino and his daughters have been producing a “Monvigliero” since 2007, making them one of the first half dozen to do so. I’m only suggesting that the Scavino’s knew there was something special there well before the hype train came to the station.

Popped and poured; enjoyed with dinner and over the course of a couple hours. The 2020 “Monvigliero” pours a deep garnet color with a transparent core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. The nose is gorgeous; seemingly darker fruited with blackberry, pomegranate, black cherry lozenges, roses and spice box. On the palate, the wine is bone dry with high tannin (though friendly) and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and lithe. An elegant wine and downright delicious. I think Paolo Scavino did a fabulous job of capturing the synergy of what Mother Nature gave in the 2020 vintage and the source of their fruit in the heart of the Monvigliero MGA. These are very early days for this wine but it’s already a joy to drink now but I expect this will continue a lovely evolution through 2038, easy. — 3 months ago

Jay Kline

9.5

Splash decanted immediately prior to service; enjoyed over the course of several hours. “Acclivi” is a blend of selected fruit from several MGA’s in the commune of Verduno, including fruit from some of their prized holdings in Monvigliero as well as Boscotto, Neirane and Rocche dell’Olmo (which is an MGA that is no longer bottled on its own by any producer).

The 2017 pours a pretty, light garnet color with a transparent core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with loads of roses, pomegranate, cranberry, talcum powder, exotic spices, pastilles, orange rind and dry gravely earth. On the palate, the wine is bone dry with high tannin and acid that only seems to build over an hour of air.

Over the last 20 years, there have been few vintages with less love than 2017. There were significant issues related to frost in the Spring and the vines had to deal with a very hot growing season. Yet, despite these challenges, Fabio was able to nurture an ethereal beauty which only gains power and grace as the hours roll by. Effortlessly elegant. Drink now with lots of patience (air) and through 2042. I would not decant or you’ll miss parts of the ride. — 4 months ago

Jay Kline

9.1

BTG at Howard Street Wine Merchants. The 2017 Prapò pours a deep ruby with a garnet rim and a transparent, but nearly opaque core. Medium+ viscosity with no staining on the tears. On the nose, this was initially funky stewed cherries, Twizzlers and tar. The fruit profile seemed to freshen up with some air and along came a dozen dark red roses, leather, dried herbs, orange zest, and some asian spices. On the palate, the wine is bone dry with high tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. Sometimes I wonder how certain 2017 Barolo’s will age, primarily due to the heat and solar nature of the vintage. This is one that has me scratching my head. Perhaps it’s the healthy southern exposure of the Prapò MGA? It’s drinking well now on the pop and pour but I’m curious how it will show towards the end of the decade? I say drink’em. — 9 months ago