Jay Kline

9.5

A continuation of sharing my early impressions of the 2021 vintage in Barolo; Cavallotto is one of those benchmark producers for me, inextricably connected to Bricco Boschis, which they have farmed for nearly 100 years. Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of a few hours. The 2021 Bricco Boschis pours a brilliant garnet color with a transparent core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with powerful notes of Morello cherry, dehydrated orange, cumin, tar, roses, talcum powder, fresh sage and fresh mint, and dried gravelly earth. On the palate, the wine is bone dry with structure like that of Helm’s Deep; the tannins are absolutely rippin’ and acid at medium+. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is extremely long, savory and drying, to the point that you feel it in your gums several minutes. A brilliant Barolo that has a very long life ahead. Drink now with plenty of air and patience through 2071. Pairs well with hearty lasagna and baseball. — 7 months ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of a couple of hours. In the 2005 Albesani pours a garnet color with a transparent core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears and no signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is developing with powerful notes of tart and ripe red fruit: Morello cherry, pomegranate, red roses, cedar chest, a touch of leather, dried green herbs, and gravity earth. On the palate, the wine is bone dry with high tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+. All around delicious. Drink now through 2035. — a year ago

Barny

9.4

Morello Cherries, spice, mouth filling — 2 years ago

Daniel Bloom

9.2

N: Like a walk in the woods. In 10 yrs, oh my. Morello cherries, paste( like cherry paste) tree bark and some tar.
P: Really nice puckering tannins, w a braise, would be great. We did Ligurian walnut sauce. Great depth w/o being heavy, some pepper, deep dark red fruits, woody notes. Delish. — 3 years ago

with Sarah

Cristiano Humberto Naves de Freitas Azevedo

9.0

Great tannins, tar, cherries, spices, roses.
Just in the right place — 5 years ago

Darren Dittrich

9.0

Lovely Morello cherry Barbaresco with softer tannins and little oak influence. Perfumed nose of violets, nuanced licorice flavors, no obvious flaws... slightly riper than the Langhe wines I’ve been drinking this summer. — 6 years ago

Romain Fitoussi

8.9

“Black wine” with a deep robe enlivened by purple hues and with intense and dazzling aromas of slightly spicy and menthol black fruit. Nose: Intense fresh fruit: morello cherry, redcurrant, spices and liquorice Palate: Supple, fine, with crunchy fruit. Ample with good length — 6 years ago

Jay Kline

9.4

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of two days. Consistent both days but this needed at least 3 to 4 hours to really start to strut. Day 2 this kept pulling like a freight train with no stop in sight. The 2019 Classico pours a garnet color with a slightly orange tinge and a transparent core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with powerful notes of ripe Morello cherry, roses, tar, new leather, dried sage, old wood and dry gravelly earth. On the palate, the wine is bone dry with high tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. I will say again, this really benefits from serious patience and air, but this is a beautiful Classico that has a very long life ahead. Drink now through 2059+. — 7 months ago

Jay Kline

9.1

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of 90 minutes. The 2020 Classico pours a garnet color with a translucent core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of Morello cherry, pomegranate, red flowers, old wood, and dry gravelly earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with high tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+. My first time trying the 2020 vintage of Produttori’s Classico and it’s another really lovely, benchmark example of Barbaresco. Drink now through 2040. — 9 months ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Popped and poured; enjoyed over an extended, 10 hour period. The 2009 Reserva pours a deep garnet with a nearly impenetrable, translucent core. I say nearly because some light is just barely able to find its way through. The rim shows a slightly more orange color. Viscosity is medium+ with moderate staining. On the nose, the wine is developing and initially was a bit reminiscent of a damp horse stable. With time, it relaxes to show a heady, balanced mix of ripe and desiccated red and black fruits: both morello and black cherry with leather, anise, dill, cumin, cigar box, toasted coconut, cocoa, and vanilla. On the palate, the wine is dry. Tannin and acid are both medium+. There is noticeable density. Confirming the notes from the nose however I would say the fruit is showing a bit more freshness than the nose; slightly more tart and ripe than ripe and desiccated. The finish is long and sapid.

This is an outstanding Reserva with remarkable class. This is drinking so well right now, even on the pop and pour but I would suggest decanting a couple of hours if you want to get past the more feral stage. Expect a long, long life; 2039+ — 2 years ago

Charles York

9.4

Leather. Tobacco. Morello cherry. Lilac. Mint. Gorgeous. Ready to drink, but better with a 30 min decant. — 4 years ago

Jakub Kalinowski

9.1

Surprisingly approachable considering the vintage. Sweet morello cherries, rose petals, moist earth... a very fresh & inviting nose. On the palate this is juicy, with the tannins grippy yet finely grained and the acidity balancing true sweet cherries. Medium bodied and not over extracted nor polluted with heavy oak.
This is delicious stuff, just after opening the bottle, yet even better after 4h decanting. And absolutely perfect with a medium-rare flank steak.
You just got to love Cogno’s lightness of touch with Nebbiolo. — 6 years ago

Peter van den Besselaar

9.1

Vintage 2009 / my first Relic. Rich smell with morello cherries. Good acidity and an amazingly good balance. A frivolous sweet start in the mouth. A hint of chocolate. Very quaffable and long aftertaste. — 6 years ago

Jay Kline

9.4

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of four hours. The 2021 Bricco Ambrogio pours a deep garnet color with a transparent core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with a mix of tart and ripe, mostly red fruits: Morello cherry, strawberry Jolly Ranchers, pomegranate, lingonberries, a whole freaking rose bush, dehydrated orange, tar, talcum powder, dry gravelly, earth, and a gentle mix of cool and warm spices. On the palate, the wine is bone dry with high tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. At this point, I’m convinced that the Scavino’s are making the most interesting Barolo from the Roddi commune and they have nearly single-handedly put Bricco Ambrogio on the map. Drink now with patience and through 2061. — 8 months ago

Jay Kline

9.4

Opened about an hour prior to service; enjoyed over the course of a few hours. The 2017 “Lazzarito” pours a bright garnet color with a transparent core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with ripe notes of mostly red fruit; Morello cherry, raspberry’s and absolutely loaded with alpine herbs, almost like Campari and roses. There is truffle, talcum powder, and some tar for good measure. On the palate, the wine is bone dry with high tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. Among one of the better 2017 Barolo’s I’ve had. Drink now through 2042+. — a year ago

Martinez

9.0

75% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc. Notes of dark fruit, Morello cherries, tobacco. Fresh and juicy on the palate — 2 years ago

Jason Keefer

9.0

Nice rioja, light tobacco and morello cherry. Probably in its prime right now! — 4 years ago

with Natasha

Romain Fitoussi

8.9

Rather dark color. Open nose, elegant melting black cherry bigarot, morello cherries, with floral and herbaceous notes. The mouth is fine with many nuances and finesse. An elegant Brouilly done for aging. it should be delicious in 2.3 years.

Robe plutot sombre. Nez ouvert, elegant melants cerise noirs bigarot, griottes, avec des notes florales et herbacées. La bouche est fines aux nombreuses nuances tout en finesse. Un Brouilly plein d’elegance taillé pour la garde. A goûter dans 2,3 ans. — 6 years ago

Peter Wassam

9.4

Sage and white pepper on the nose. Silken lingonberry and morello cherry and strawberry pop tart filling. Absolutely seductive, I’m interested in his whole bunch stuff cause this texture is a memory foam pillow — 6 years ago

Jodi Suguitan

9.0

Tobacco, leather, morello cherry, clove, cinnamon, and potpourri. 15.5% alc is hidden well. In Lecce — 6 years ago