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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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!

Fratelli Serio & Battista Borgogno - Barolo

Last stop for this day was Fratelli Borgogno just outside of Barolo.  When we drove up and parked, we saw Serio sitting on a bench enjoying his retirement and the view across the valley.  We had a nice conversation with him and he gave us permission to pick a few grapes to taste the Nebbiolo of 2014.

We were met in the tasting room by Federica Bofa.  After a bit of history about the cantina, we stated on the wines she had planned for us.

First up was the 2010 Nebbiolo d'Alba.  The wine was opened for us.  14% alcohol, this wine, as with all the others that they produce is done in large Slovenian barrels called botte.  They can hold up to 4000 liters.  This particular wine spent two years in botte and is ready to drink.  Euro 7.70 a bottle.

Next was the 2010 Barbaresco.  Again, the wine was opened for us.  This wine is made in the cantina in Barolo with grapes from Barbaresco.  This is an exception to Italian law that requires Barbaresco to be produced in the Barbaresco area as Barolo must be produced in the area of Barolo.  It is ready to drink, quite tannic with light fruit flavors.  14% alcohol, euro 15.80 a bottle.

Third was the basic Barolo 2009.  Bottle was opened for us.  It is a strong tannin mouth with sufficient fruit and light acids to balance the tanins.  This Barolo rested three years in the botte.  Needs to be open at least a hour before drinking after spending an additional five to ten years in the cellar.  Euro 17 a bottle.

The second Barolo was the 2007 Riserva.  14.5% alcohol, it spent five years in the botte (required to be called Riserva), two in new and three in used.  Quite soft, ready to drink.  Euro 25 a bottle.

The third Barolo was the 2006 Riserva.  14.5% alcohol, same treatment as the 2007 Riserva.  Very tannic but the fruit is enough that it will be a very good wine after at least five and probably seven years in the cellar.  The quite evident Barolo nose backs up our opinion that it will last that long.  It was opened for us because we indicated that we liked more full body Barolos.  Euro 25 a bottle, purchased for our cellar.

We also purchased a bottle of their Grappa di Barolo Invecchiata.  An excellent Grappa, euro 26 a bottle.

Latest Tastings

Over the last two weeks, we have been to two different locales for two different tastings.  For the most part, the wines were quite good but some stood out more than others and will dictate further follow-up.

At the Enofila in Asti, we had the opportunity to taste the 2007 Barolo Riserva from Cascina del Monastero, represented by Beppe Grasso.  To be called "Riserva", a Barolo must have a minimum of five years of aging before release.  Beppe told us he also has a 2005 Riserva that we are looking forward to tasting.

We also tasted the 2007 Varaldo Lori Loreto in the Enofila...a spectacular Barbaresco that is ready to drink.  They were represented by Rino and his daughter.  This wine was purchased for the cellar as it is in short supply.

At the Castello di Roddi, there was a first tasting of the 2010 Barolo.  We had good Barolo from Le Strette (see our commentary about Le Strette in a posting below), Fratelli Serio & Ballista Borgogno, represented by Federica Boffa and Broccardo, represented by Federica Broccardo.

A short comment about the 2010 Barolo...in our opinions, this Barolo will be very difficult to judge.  It is practically completely closed giving the drinker little to base their purchase decisions on.  It took more than two hours for any of them to open enough to give us any sort of idea as to how it will be when ready to drink.  But, going out on a limb, our "guess" is that they will require a minimum of five to seven years in the cellar before we would even consider opening them.  This turns out to be a great opportunity to stay in touch with the producers as they will, of course, be more knowledgeable about what is going on with the wines.  We will be sure to provide detailed observations when we visit the Cantine and are able to taste the wines and speak to the producers in an atmosphere that is more conducive to getting to know the wines.