Our Barolo Blog Explained

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.

Copyright 2011 - 2022.  All Rights Reserved.  No part of this blog may be used in any other publication, no matter what the media type, without the express written consent of the authors.

Some words about wine tastings in this area for 2022

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

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

 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

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.

2020 Tastings in the Barolo/Barbaresco/Nebbiolo areas

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

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...

 

 

Rocche Costamagna, La Morra

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Silvio Grasso - Annunziata, La Morra

The first stop on that new day was at Silvio Grasso in Annuziata, frazione of La Morra.

We were greeted by Marilena, wife of Alessio Federico Grasso who now runs the cantina.  We were given a short tour of the facility and watched Alessio Federico and his sons, Silvio and Paolo, bottle some of the 2011 Langhe Nebbiolo Peirass (translates as "big stones" because of the rocky nature of the vineyard).  More on this wine later in this post.

The first wine offered was the 2012 Nebbiolo Langhe, 14.5% alcohol.  This bottle had been open for 24 hours.  The wine was quite acidic which pushed the fruit into the background.  It had spent three months in used barrique.  As we aerated the wine, the fruit came into the foreground.  We consider the wine ready to drink.  Euro 9 per bottle.

The second Nebbiolo was the 2011 Nebbiolo d'Alba, 13.5% alcohol.  The bottle was opened for us.  The wine has strong fruit taste with light acids.  We believe the wine needs 1-2 years in the cellar.  Euro 10 per bottle.

All of the following Barolos were opened for us.

First was the 2010 base Barolo, 14% alcohol.  Good fruit, nice Barolo nose, high acid, we think it needs six plus years in the cantina to be ready to drink.  Euro 24 a bottle.

Second was the 2010 Barolo Giachini, 14.5% alcohol.  Big tannins, good fruit and acid.  In our opinion, it needs four to five years in the cellar to come around.  Euro 27 a bottle.

Next was the 2010 Barolo Turne`, 14.5% alcohol.  The fermentation process for this wine was lengthened to 40 days on the skins of the grapes with no control over the fermentation temperature as is normal.  This is an excellent example of the grape.  It has heavy tannins with a muted fruit that will, in our opinion, begin to show itself after seven to eight years in the cellar.  Euro 34 a bottle.

The fourth was the Barolo Bricco Luciani which is the area around the cantina.  14.5% alcohol, great fruit, good balance of tannins and acids with a muted nose that indicates to us that the wine needs at least ten years resting in the cellar.  This is a great wine.  Euro 34 a bottle, purchased for our cellar.

The last, regretfully, was the 2010 Barolo Bricco Monzoni, an area around Monforte d'Alba.  This area has the distinction of producing "big" Barolos that last a long time in the cellar.  This one was no exception.  It has an acidic nose with great fruit in the mouth.  Nice balance with a subdued nose.  You could drink this now or put it in your cellar behind the Luciani to drink when the Luciani is finished.  Euro 37 a bottle, purchased to put behind the Luciani in our cellar!

About the 2011 Langhe Nebbiolo Peirass...we asked to taste the wine they were bottling and was given a glass full.  One word describes it...spectacular!  We ordered six bottles of it for delivery when they are rested and labeled.  They will go very fast according to Marilena.  If you want them, call the cantina!

26 October 2014  Today was a special day...fall has practically finished here and it seems like winter is not too far behind so we barbecued some of the last vegetables from the garden, some of the potatoes we planted in the orchard and some chicken wings that we had marinated overnight in yogurt and tandoori spices.  Seems like a difficult choice for a wine to go along with this lunch.  We have one bottle of the 2004 Barolo Bricco Monzoni.  We have wanted to see what the wine was like after being at rest for ten years (remember we have the 2010).  It is not ready to drink.  But, in all honesty, it is a spectacular Barolo.  The perfect Barolo nose with a lot of acidity and fruit in the mouth.  Highly recommended!!!

24 December 2015  We opened the first of our six bottles of the 2011 Peirass Nebbiolo thinking that it would be ready to drink or at least getting there.  We were incorrect.  It is very good but we believe that with time (at least another year), it will be much better. Put your 2011 Peirass Nebbbio back in the cellar again.  Paolo told us that it must sit at least until 2019-2020.

5 September 2016  After the La Morra degustazione, we made our regular trip to Silvio Grasso.  We were able to talk to Marilena, Silvio and Paolo.  Alessio Federico was resting, preparing for the upcoming vendemia (picking of the grapes.  Marilena and Silvio were labeling magnums so Paolo talked us through the 2012 Barolos.  First was the 2012 Turne` (the 2012 Giachini was already sold out).  The Turne` is still in three parts (fruit, tannin and acid) as expected.  It needs an extended period of time in your cantina.  Euro 34 a bottle.

Second was the Turne` 2009.  It is also still in pieces but coming along nicely.

Third was the 2012 Annunziata Vigna Plicotti, 14.5% alcohol.  This is a very nice light, conversation Barolo which can be drunk now but will surely last for another ten years.  We have marked the first opening for 2020.  Euro 34 a bottle, purchased for our cellar.

Next was the 2012 Bricco Luciani, 14% alcohol.  While it is still in three pieces as noted above, we believe this will turn into a spectacular Barolo.  We also believe that you should not disturb this Barolo for at least seven years, possibly more.  Euro 34 a bottle, purchased for our cellar.

Following the 2012 was the 2009 Bricco Luciani.  This wine had been open for three days and had developed a Marsala taste.

The final wine was the 2012 Bricco Manzoni, 14% alcohol.  This vineyard has always been our favorite of their offerings.  It had been opened the morning that we visited (approximately four hours before).  The wine has light acids and great tannins and fruit.  Give the wine another ten years in your cellar.  Euro 37 a bottle, purchased for our cellar.

23 October 2016  Sitting in the back of our cellar for sometime was a magnum (1.5L) of 2003 Silvio Grasso L'Andre Barolo.  We do not remember where we got it but it was there just waiting for the right occasion and enough people to drink it.  Our friends from Agriturismo La Mussia had called the week before and asked us to come for lunch to answer some questions about a trip they were taking to California.  Not a better excuse to open it!!  The menu that Carla prepared was a chicken/celery salad, deviled eggs, baked trout and oven baked potatoes.  Laura opened a bottle of a local Arneis before we sat down.  We were wondering if the wine might be past its prime and considered taking other Barolos with us but we threw caution to the wind and stuck with the L'Andre.  When we opened it, the cork broke off.  Not a big deal but took a little extra coaxing to get the half cork out of the bottle.  We smelled it and took a small amount into a glass to ensure it was ok.  The wine was perfect, just at the right age to drink (remember this was a magnum that takes at least twice the time to come around because of the size of the bottle).  It turned out to be quite light, not the big Barolos that we normally drink.  It went very well with the meal.  Laura's husband Claudio is a grape grower (barbera and chardonnay) and he thought it was perfect also.  Now we have to find more magnums to add to our collection!!

 4 September 2017  In the days after the 1st Sunday in September tasting in La Morra, we usually make the rounds of our favorite wineries/cantinas to see what they have accomplished in the past year.  On Monday the 4th, we made our second stop of the day at Silvio Grasso.  Paolo was in front of the tasting room to greet us.  His mother Marilena joined us later.  We also saw Paolo's brother Silvio during the tasting.  We tasted six of their Barolos, two from 2009 and 4 from 2013.  We own most of their 2010 and 2012.  We did not buy 2011 from anyone.  

First poured was the 2015 Langhe Nebbiolo.  It had spent three months in used barrique.  It was opened two days previously.  Quite good.

The first was the 2013 Bricco Manzoni.  14% alcohol.  Opened on the 2nd of September.  It was almost ready to drink after being open for two days previously.  We would think that it would need at least five years before opening a bottle.  Euro 30 a bottle.


Next was the 2013 Bricco Luciani, 14% alcohol.  Opened for us.  Good tannins, fruit acids.  Have patience with this one.  We think that it needs at least 8 years resting.  Euro 24 a bottle, purchased for our cellar.

Third was the 2012 Vigna Plicotti.  This was opened also on the 2nd of September.  The fruit was starting to fade, tannins are still quite strong.  This is a wine that if you open it, drink it that day.  If you do not open it, leave it in your cellar for another three to four years.

Next was the 2013 Vigna Plicotti.  This was also opened on the 2nd of September.  Has a very nice nose and the typical hard tannins for this vineyard.  Paolo had warned us that the wine needed more than the usual time in the cellar for the tannins to even out.  We estimate up to 15 years of rest before opening.  Euro 24 a bottle, purchased for our cellar.

Last was the 2013 Turne`.  Opened for us.  In the past, we had not been big fans of this vineyard.  However, the 2013 is another story.  We found balanced fruit and tannins in this wine.  It is very good now but we are going to leave this in our cellar until 2027.  Euro 24 a bottle, purchased for our cellar.

We did reserve a case of the 2015 Peirass Nebbiolo to pick up sometime during the winter.  This is a wine that is sold out before it is even bottled.  If you find it, try this great Nebbiolo.  But remember, read the notes about the 2011 above.  It needs a long time in the cellar!

26 May 2018  Before we went to Io, Barolo last evening, we stopped at Silvio Grasso to get our case of the 2015 Peirass Nebbiolo.  We also had a bottle of wine that Paolo wanted to try from our friends at Ferrero.  Of course, Paolo asked if we wanted to try the Nebbiolo and of course, we wanted to.  What a spectacular wine!  It is one of the best examples of the grape we have tasted for many years.  In fact, Paolo said that he had two cases if we wanted them.  We took them both.  Euro 22 a bottle.  We suggest that you leave the 2015 for about five years before opening one.  We also had the opportunity to taste the 2014 base Barolo.  Base Barolo is a combination of grapes from a number of vineyards rather than the single vineyard wines that we 99% of the time purchase.  2014 was a wet year so the grapes do not have a lot of taste and they were late in ripening.  However, the 2014 from Silvio is a very nice wine.  Give it two or three years in your cellar and it should be very nice for a lightly spiced meal.  Euro 24 a bottle, purchased for our cellar.

5 October 2018  Today is the eighth anniversary of Natalya coming to Italy.  We decided to make a trip up to La Morra to see our friends at Silvio Grasso and taste some of the 2014 offerings that were not available when we were there in May.  Marilena was waiting for us and asked if we could do some translations for her since she does not speak any English and Paolo and Silvio had other groups to take care of.  She also told us that they had made a decision that the single vineyard wines from 2014 were not good enough to bottle as single vineyard wines.  We had purchased this in May when we were at the cantina the last time.  So, they have a large number of bottles of the base Barolo at attractive price.  We have tasted that and find it good for a lightly spiced meal.  She also opened a bottle of the 2011 Barolo that celebrates Alessio Federico's retirement.  The wine uses grapes from the 2011 vintage and is quite good.  It is actually a Riserva which means that it spent five years in wood before being bottled.  Each bottle has Alessio Federico's signature on it.  We recommend it also.  It is quite good and should rest in your cellar for at least four years before being opened to try.  We also ordered some bottles of their 2016 Barbera d'Alba, some of the new Nebbiolo and the 2011 Riserva noted above.  We will pick these up during the winter.

 19 February 2019  We had kind of a day off from running the farm so we decided to go to La Morra and see our friends at Silvio Grasso.  Marilena was there, Silvio and Paolo were in the vineyards pruning the vines.  It was a quite nice day.  We also had a box of Barbera d'Asti for Marilena.  She had asked if we could bring her some as it is not available in La Morra.  Since we were there, we were invited to taste the 2015 Barolos that had just been released.  All wines noted here had been opened for 24 hours prior to our arrival.  Estimates of when the wines would be ready to drink take this into account.  One thing we will say about the 2015 Barolos from this producer.  Normally, we would think that you can put their Barolos for at least ten years before drinking them.  However, the 2015 seems to be ready a little sooner.  Give them five years and then see how they are maturing.

Before the Barolos, she brought out a bottle of the 2016 Peirass Nebbiolo that did not even have a label on it.  There was some writing that indicated what it was but the labels had not been printed yet.  This is a spectacular wine even at this young age.  The nose is deep and evident of the grape.  The mouth shows acid and tannin which should become part of the wine as it ages.  Give it three years in the cellar, euro 22 a bottle.  Purchased for our cellar.

First Barolo was the 2015 base (a mixture of grapes from a number of vineyards). Nose was slightly off as a new wine should be.  We estimate three to four years before you should open this.  Euro 24 a bottle.

Second offering was the 2015 Giachini.  This vineyard does not belong to the cantina but it is rented by them for the grapes.  Very tannic with a light nose and mouth.  We were intrigued by the wine since it had never been available to us prior to this year.  Euro 30 a bottle, purchased for our cellar.  We will give it 3-5 years before trying it.

Next was the 2015 Turne`.  We had never been fans of this wine but this is another that is usually sold out before we visit in September.  We have purchased it once but this year, will not.  It has a very fruity Barolo nose with the mouth light and quite tannic.  Euro 34 a bottle.  We recommend 2-3 years before opening it.

Fourth was the 2015 Plicotti.  This wine has a spectacular, big Barolo nose.  It is acidic with light tannins which start to soften during the time in the glass.  We believe the wine needs 5 to 7 years before it is ready to drink.  Euro 34 a bottle, purchased for our cellar.

Next was the 2015 Luciani.  A light nose with a very tannic mouth and the fruit beginning to show.  We estimate that it will take 5-6 years before it is ready to drink.  Euro 34 a bottle, purchased for our cellar.

Last Barolo was the 2015 Manzoni.  Good Barolo nose with great fruit, light acids and tannins.  Probably 4-5 years of rest required.  Euro 36 a bottle, purchased for our cellar.

The last wine to be tasted was the 2017 Nebbiolo.  The bottle we tasted from was a half bottle, opened for us.  We are big fans of their Nebbiolos.  We have quite a number of bottles in our cellar.  This wine is very good.  Ready to drink now but will last at least another four years.  Euro 9 a bottle, purchased for our cellar.

30 June 2019  We opened a bottle of the 2017 Langhe Nebbiolo to see how it was coming along.  We served it with faraona (guinea hen) and oven roasted potatoes.  The wine is not ready to drink.  It has all the pieces but they are still standing apart from one another.  Give it another year, maybe two.

8 December 2019  As some of may have gleaned, we are great fans of the wines of Silvio Grasso.  Today, we ventured and opened a bottle of their Barolo, the 2009 Bricco Luciani, the only one of this vintage in our cellar.  When we had originally tasted it, I had said that it would be ready in this time period.  Well, I was short a year or even more.  While there was absolutely nothing wrong with the wine, it needs more time.  The wine was very tannic with balanced fruit and acid.  The year previously mentioned or even longer would make the wine more approachable.  In any case, we served it with a zucca soup and Natalya's blini with potatoes and porcini mushrooms.

29 March 2020  Today we opened a bottle of the 2017 Langhe Nebbiolo from this producer.  We served it with a chicken Milanese cooked on lime leaves from one of our fruit trees and basmati rice.  Also served with a green salad from our garden (yes, fresh from the garden).  While the wine is quite good now, we believe it needs at least another year in the cellar before we open another one.  Patience, people!

10 May 2020  For lunch today, we opened a bottle of the 2011 Peirass Nebbiolo.  It is a spectacular wine.  You may drink it now but in reality, it needs more time in the cellar.  Our wine list indicates that it might be ready in December of this year but that is probably too soon.  It is still in pieces but as we said, it is really good grape juice.  It has heavy tannins, good fruit and a light acid.  It was served with ground chicken and rice stuffed grape leaves, anchovies with a sauce of tuna and hazel nuts.  Again, patience people!!

30 August 2020  Also for lunch, we opened another bottle of the 2011 Peirass Nebbiolo.  Again, it is a spectacular wine even though it is not ready to drink.  We have two bottles left.  We have changed the "open date" to February of 2021 for the next bottle.  Today we had Natalya's borsch, sauteed chicken breast slices and Turkish vegetable stew.  Yesterday was my 75th birthday so we ate light.

7 September 2020  Today we made our yearly visit to Azienda Agricola Silvio Grasso.  Of course, we are usually a lot earlier in the year but we were locked down by Covid-19 and were unable to travel.  Silvio and Paolo were on their way to a customer to deliver wine so we got a chance to have a short conversation with them.  And, as usual, we were greeted by Marilena.  Except for one bottle, the wines were opened for us.  Since there are a number of wines to write about, we will do it piecemeal so have patience, please.

The first wine presented was the 2019 Nebbiolo, 13.5% alcohol.  As expected, mouth is in three pieces, should take a minimum of three years to come around.  Purchased for our cellar.

Second was the only bottle that had been opened previously (on the 5th of September), the 2017 Nebbiolo Peirass, 14.5% alcohol.  We really like this wine and have vintages going back to 2011.  Marilena told us that they had opened a bottle of the 2003 recently that was very good.  The mouth of the 2017 is very good, a spectacular wine that requires a minimum of 4 years to come around and allow the three pieces to get to know each other.  Purchased for our cellar.

Next was the 2016 Barolo base.  15% alcohol.  Beautiful Barolo nose, mouth in pieces as expected, needs five years minimum to come around.

The 2016 Barolo Giachini was next.  It is not very often that they have the Giachini because it is so popular and gets sold out quickly.  We got to taste and buy it probably because of the virus.  It has a real Barolo nose, indications of vanilla, mouth in pieces, of course.  Five years minimum.  Purchased for our cellar.

2016 Turne` was next, 14% alcohol.  This wine is produced in traditional manner.  No small barrels are used, only large ones.  Not a Barolo nose right away but it comes around after about five minutes in the glass.  Given some time, this wine should be a very interesting addition to yours and our cellars.  Purchased for our cellar.

The next Barolo was the 2016 Plicotti, 14.5% alcohol.  A typical Barolo nose, complemented by a smooth mouth with an emphasis on the acids.  You might drink it now but leave it for another three to four years to let the real wine settle down.  Purchased for our cellar.

The 2016 Luciani was next, 14.5% alcohol.  This wine was also opened on the fifth of September.  A very hidden Barolo nose, with time in the glass, the nose showed a good acid flavor.  We believe that this wine needs a minimum of ten years to become what the vintage is really about.  Purchased for our cellar.

Next was the 2016 Manzoni, 14.5% alcohol.  The nose gave indication of chocolate.  It also shows a chocolate mouth, both of which disappeared quite quickly.  This is a lighter Barolo but still needs a good deal of time to be who it really is.  If you have patience, we recommend seven years before trying it.  Purchased for our cellar.

Last, but surely not least, was a surprise.  In the many years we have tasted and purchased wines from Silvio Grasso, we have never seen a riserva.  However, Marilena brought out the  2013 Barolo Riserva.  It is the first and from what she indicated, the last that they will make.  It has a very good Barolo nose and mouth even at this early age.  We expect to let it rest for at least ten years before opening a bottle.  Purchased for our cellar.

21 January 2021  The wine was opened not for a spectacular Sunday lunch but what we call and ordinary lunch, this time on a Thursday.  We are running out of wine that is ready to drink because of the lockdown so I thought a nine year old Nebbiolo, the 2011 Langhe Nebbiolo Peirass might be a good wine for the sauteed chicken with dill, sauteed mushrooms, sauteed red potatoes and chicken soup.  WRONG!  The wine is a long way from being ready to drink.  As good as it is now, it needs at least another three years before I would open the last of our bottles.  Patience, patience!!

21 March 2021 Today was kind of a strange Sunday lunch.  Yesterday, I got out my Chinese chef hat and made Kung Pao Chicken.  Natalya called it our Sunday lunch for this week as she wanted to make pizza today...and she did.  It was quite good other than she did not start our outdoor pizza oven soon enough to be able to cook it there.  It was cooked in an oven in the house and was quite good.  Along with the pizza, she made an Asian fantasia soup and a salad from our garden.  Along with the lunch, I chose the 1917 Nebbiolo Langhe from Silvio Grasso.  The wine, after a long wait (years), is started to be ready to drink.  The pieces are all together giving it a wonderful nose and mouth.  You may try a bottle now but the wine has at least another year or two to age.  Nice grape juice!!

 16 May 2021  Today we opened a bottle of the 2018 Langhe Nebbiolo.  With it we served a saute of turkey slices, stuffed carciofi and mushrooms from Monalfunghi in Monale.  A lighter wine for a light lunch.  Recommended highly!

1 July 2021 For those of you that read our blog, you know that we make yearly trips to this producer to taste their wines.  This year, we were late of course, due to the pandemic.

We were greeted by Marilena and Paolo on a very hot summer day in Roero.  Paolo had suggested that we come early because of the heat and he was correct.

The Barolos served were from the 2017 vintage.  2017 was a very hot, dry year and therefore the wines are quite different.  Some were not produced because the grapes were not up to the standards of the Cantina. Also, even I was a little confused by the wines.  Normally, I can tell when the wine will be ready to drink on these visits.  I am little concerned that my estimates, usually early rather than later, may be way off.  We will see as the years pass.

All the wines on this day for opened for us.

First was the 2020 Nebbiolo, 13.5%.  It has a very good Nebbiolo nose.  The fruit is probably the main thing that you would taste even in the nose.  The mouth is also a terrific example of the fruit.  We think this wine can be drank now but if you have any doubts, read the paragraph just above.  Purchased for our cellar.

Second was the 2018 Peirass Nebbiolo, 14%.  This is a small area between two Barolo crus.  Wines are extremely good and long lasting.  This one has a deep Nebbiolo nose.  The mouth is slightly acid but the fruit is there.  It reminds me of a "baby" Barolo.  Purchased for our cellar.

Next, we got into the Barolos.  First was the Vigna Plicotti, 14.5%.  A subdued Barolo nose although the mouth says it is almost ready (refer to paragraph above about this vintage).  We estimate that anywhere between 3 and 5 years are required for the wine to reach the time to try it.  Purchased for our cellar.

The second Barolo was the Turne`, 14%.  Again, a subdued nose but this wine has a hard mouth leading us to believe that it needs 7-10 years before a bottle will allow you to open it.  Purchased for our cellar.

Next Barolo was the Bricco Luciani, 14.5%.  The nose is in pieces with an emphasis on the acid.  However, as we worked the glass, it did open up some.  Again, a hard mouth with an emphasis on acid.  One thing about this wine is the color.  The color reminds us of a very old Barolo.  It is not the normal color as you would expect.  Marilena said that it is because the grapes from that particular cru was facing the sun more than the others and the grapes were slightly "burned".  We see no reason that after 8 to 10 years, the wine will be ready to drink with not a lot of color.  Purchased for our cellar.

The last Barolo was the Bricco Manzoni, 14%.  The nose has not shown itself at this time and the mouth is light.  We believe that the wine should be just all the other vintages we have of this cru...a spectacular wine.  Give it at least 4 years before trying it.  Purchased for our cellar.

We also had the opportunity to taste a wine that eight producers had individually produced for charity.  The wine from Alessio Federico Grasso is 40% Nebbiolo, 20% Barbera, 20% Cabernet and 20% Merlot.  It is called L'insieme.  If you have the opportunity, pick up a bottle.  It is probably ready to drink now.  We have two bottles in our cellar.

31 October 2021  Trick or treat!!  In celebration of the holiday, we opened a bottle of the 2020 Langhe Nebbiolo for lunch today.  The menu included stuffed zucca (pumpkin) from our garden, Natalya's borsch and sauteed bio sotto filetto chicken with pasta.  Surprisingly, the wine is ready to drink.  It went very well with the lunch she prepared.  If you have bottles, try one!

30 December 2021 Pre new year's, Natalya made a sauteed zucca, angliotti with fontina cheese, spinach and ricotta and salad with spinach and onion with balsamic vinegar.  Great wine, you can drink it now.

1 January 2022 Happy new year, fans!!  The start of lunch was the lucky dish of the year: lentils with spinach with olive oil.  Then, accughi with verdi, stuffed turkey breast.  I opened a bottle of 2020 Langhe Nebbiolo.  Went well but it does need another year and a half before it is really ready.  In any case, great wine!

16 April 2022 Well, I could not wait to try another bottle of the 2020 Langhe Nebbiolo.  Yes, it does need longer in the cellar.  In any case, it went well with a series of deviled eggs with different spices.  They were accompanied by a finocchio salad with chopped onion and lemon juice.  Again, needs time.  Let it rest!

26 May 2022 We made our annual visit to the Grasso family today to taste the 2018 Barolos and the 2019 and 2021 Nebbiolos.  Paolo had a surprise for us which we will talk about later.   

The first thing he poured was the 2021 Langhe Nebbiolo, 14%, opened for us.  As usually, it is a very good example of the grapes and is one of our favorite Nebbiolos in our cellar.  It had an acidic mouth when first tasted but leveled out quickly.  The fruit was muted but as usual, it started to come out as the wine opened.  We believe that it needs two years rest before opening.  Purchased it for our cellar, euro 10 per bottle.  If you are interested in this wine, call the winery before visiting to see if it has been bottled.  It had been sold out when we were there.  

Next was the 2019 Langhe Nebbiolo Peirass, 14%, opened for us.  This is a special Nebbiolo that comes from a certain vineyard and is aged more before bottling.  It has a heavy fruit, spectacular nose even now.  Euro 24 a bottle.  Give it three to five years rest. Purchased for our cellar.

Next was the 2018 Barolo base, 14.5%, opened the 24th.  It has a light nose with a slightly acidic mouth.  Ready now to 2 years.  Euro 25 a bottle.

2nd Barolo was the 2018 Turne`, 14%, opened the 23rd.  Acid nose, no fruit as of yet, light mouth, but it is opening up as the glass is worked.  Needs 2-3 years before opening.  Euro 37 a bottle.

Next was the 2018 Annunziata Vigna Plicotti, 14.5%, opened the 23rd.   Good acidic nose, light fruit at this point.  A very good heavy mouth fruit is evident.  Give it 5-6 years in your cellar.  Euro 37 a bottle, purchased for our cellar.

Fourth was the 2018 Bricco Luciani, 14.5%, opened the 24th.  Slightly acid nose, light fruit.  The wine is in pieces as of now.  We are suggestion that the first bottle you should open will be somewhere around 6-7 years.  Our mouth tells us that it may be 10 years before it is really ready to drink.  Euro 37 a bottle, purchased for our cellar.

Before Paolo poured the 2018 Bricco Manzoni, he poured a glass of the 1999 (yes, 1999) Bricco Manzoni.  It was opened the 25th.  It is what all Barolo wants to be.  It is a spectacular wine.  I was still drinking Cabernet Sauvignon in California when it was made.

Now, the 2018 Bricco Manzoni, 14%, opened the 24th.  The nose was heavy with fruit but little acid.  The mouth was heavy fruit, little tannin and no acid.  This is another wine that needs to rest in your cellar for a number of years.  Try a bottle after six years but be prepared to wait for more.  Euro 37 per bottle, purchased for our cellar.

29 August 2022  Today is my 77th birthday.  And, it is a Monday.  Monday's for us is chicken hamburgers with Michele's Barbera.  But, you never get to be 77 twice so I got out what I believed to be a very good wine: the 2016 Silvio Grasso Langhe Nebbiolo Peirass.  Our wine list said it was ready in July so we wanted to know whether or not my date of being ready was correct.  It was!  The wine, from the time I opened the bottle to the time the last drop was poured, was very, very good.  We have five bottles more.  Wish I had bought twelve instead of six.  Drink it if you own it.

1 January 2023  We opened another bottle of the 2016 Silvio Grasso Langhe Nebbiolo Peirass for lunch today.  The wine is ready to drink as written previously.  Hope you all had a safe and sane New Year's!

13 May 2023  Do you have the Langhe Nebbiolo Peirass 2016?  Try a bottle and then lock up the rest of them.  There are no more in Europe.  It is a spectacular wine.  We have three left.  We served one with a plate of pasta and our special sauce (grown and cooked by the two of us).  It will have to be a spectacular meal to open another bottle.  We will open a bottle of the 2015 next.  Hope it is as good as the 2016.

3 June 2023 We opened three bottles of Nebbiolo today to determine how they are doing.  The first was 2011 Silvio Grasso Nebbiolo Peirass.  The wine is ready to drink.  If you have more, we suggest that you put it on your menu.  The next was the 2015 Silvio Grasso Nebbiolo Peirass.  This wine needs to rest for another two years.  We have a number of these bottles so we can experiment.  The last was the Silvio Grasso 2017 Nebbiolo (not the Peirass!).  This wine is ready to drink.  This is a very light flavor wine and should be drank soon.

11 July 2023 For those of you that follow this blog, you know that we like Silvio Grasso's Nebbiolo Perirass a great deal.  Today, we opened a bottle of the 2018.  This was mainly to find out how the aging was going along.  I made a Milanese chicken breast, sauteed potatoes from our garden and my Grandmother's tomato salad from our garden also.  The wine is spectacular and it is ready to drink.  We recommend that you taste it when you have the proper meal (it is a good tasting and big grape mouth).  It should last for at least a year.  It is very good wine!!

6 August 2023 Today, Natalya made Indian Sinohi Biryani Rice with chicken.  I opened a bottle of the Silvio Grasso Langhe Nebbiolo 2017 to go with it.  Not only was the rice spectular, the Nebbiolo was perfect for it.  It had a good flavor that held up to the rice.  The rice was served with a salad and sauteed potatoes and mushrooms.  Try the 2017...it is very good!

12 September 2023  We had visitors from the US for a couple of days.  She and I had worked together when we both lived in California.  We opened the 1999 Silvio Grasso Magnum of Barolo and a bottle of the Langhe Nebbiolo Peirass 2016.  Both were spectacular wines and gave them an idea of two different Barolos that had aged.  She and her husband had come to visit us to attend some Barolo tastings but because of strikes and weather, the tasting was in our house.  They brought us two bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon from the Napa Valley which is impossible to find here.

6 October 2023  We wanted to find out how the 2019 Langhe Nebbiolo from this producer is going.  We can tell you that the wine needs another 18 months before it is ready.  Patience, my friends...

13 October 2023 For lunch today, we opened a bottle of the Silvio Grasso 2020 Nebbiolo.  We served sauteed persico (a local fish) and sauteed potatoes.  While the wine is not ready yet, it went well with the fish.  Give the wine another 2 years.

21 October 2023  Most people would tell you to not serve red wine with a fish lunch.  We disagree.  On a Saturday, we served a bottle of the Langhe Nebbiolo Peirass 2016 (the last one we have) with a fish, sauteed potatoes and salad for lunch.  Worked fine.  No problems or not tasting the wine or the fish.  The wine is ready to drink.  Suggest that you open it now!

11 November 2023  Again, we are drinking a red wine with a fish lunch.  And as the 13th, we had sauteed persico.  The wine was the Langhe Nebbiolo 2018 from this producer.  Went very well.  Try it, you might find another dish to serve red wine from your cellar.

18 November 2023 For lunch today, we opened a bottle of the 2018 Langhe Nebbiolo Peirass for filet of Orata, sauteed potatoes and salad made for Rosanna's spinach.  As usual, the wine went very well for lunch as well as being ready to drink.  If you have the wine, we suggest that you try a bottle to see how it is coming.

17 December 2023 As you might guess, we have a plethora of the 2018 Langhe Nebbiolo Peirass.  We opened a bottle for a lunch a Russian fish cake, a beet salad and a lettuce/spinach salad with olive oil from the town where my grandfather was born.  The wine is drink.  I would not wait to taste it if you have more one bottle.

3 January 2024 Another bottle of the 2018 Peirass today was opened for lunch.  With this bottle, we left about 20% left to try it at dinner.  We were sure that the wine is ready to drink.  The wine had lost a lot of the flavor.  We have 7 bottles left and will drink them during winter, no longer.  Today was sauteed chicken breast over steamed saraceno.  We started the lunch with Natalya's borsch and ended with a spinach salad from our friend, Rosanna.

12 January 2024  We have a few bottles of the 2018 Langhe Nebbiolo Peirass left.  We think that they will not last very much longer so if you have one that you have not tried, do so!  We will finish our 2018 before the summer arrives!