Trip to Alba: Tasting Barolo 2007s

Alba, Piemonte (and surrounding towns)
Tasted Tuesday, November 1, 2011 by il_diavolo with 901 views

Introduction

A great trip as usual - no sign of euro crisis with full restaurants, crowds around the truffles (maybe not the best year for the latter though) and germans down en masse. All hosts were very welcoming and the region must be towards the top of wine tourism destinations. I used this to test the 2007 vintage and while I had a slight bias already, there was nothing new that indicated greatness in the making. It seems that there are many nice wines in 2007 but if it does turn out great (and I guess we have to respect some of the names that have called it such) I will be one of the ones looking back with regret. On the flip side, the showings from Marcarini and Cappellano reinforced my huge respect for 2006. The notes below are brief.

Flight 1 - Tasting at Bartolo Mascarello (1 Note)

Nice visit to Bartolo's where you can really see the traditional approach to winemaking (not a lot of technology to hand). The great surprise was the astonishing amount of magnums that are on site at the winery including back to 1980s etc. The minor wines (freisa, dolcetto) were just OK and I won't list a note nor particularly recommend them. There was no barbera but the barolo 2007 was a good intro to the vintage.

  • 2007 Bartolo Mascarello Barolo 91 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    traditional violet, spices and a distinct tar and tobacco finish - but a little too easy and shortish for a mascarello and I would rate this behind all of 2004/2005/2006

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Flight 2 - Lunch La Cantinetta, Barolo (3 Notes)

Nice place for lunch, not high end but really solid, friendly and great value. The Ornato was good but a little too much, while the G. Rinaldi was a gem.
On the way out of Barolo we caught the F. Rinaldi on the fly and boy was I happy we did that.

  • 2005 Pio Cesare Barolo Ornato 91 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    dark cherry, quite fruit forward style and quite a bit of oak coming through. It's a good wine for the style (california boldness in piedmont).

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  • 2007 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Brunate Le Coste 93 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Nice floral and violet nose. The Brunate vineyard seems to have hit a good stride in 2007 and the dark power comes through the fruit here, though with that viscereal elegance that seems to float above all with the brunate-le costes. a winner.

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  • 2007 Francesco Rinaldi e Figli Barolo Cannubbio 93 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    this was shockingly good, as usually cannubi is not one of my favourites as a single vineyard cru. It definitely had the aromatics and balance of cannubi but added complexity with some menthol and licorice - a great outcome in 2007.

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Flight 3 - Tasting at Marcarini (2 Notes)

Marcarini had run out of the 2007s but we had a chance to taste the two 2006 barolos and enjoy the difference between La Serra and Brunate. Both were great but the brute force of the Brunate was the winner for most.

Flight 4 - Dinner La Libera, Alba (3 Notes)

Great dinner at la libera and while the service can still be so-so occasionally it always merits a visit. In a recurring theme for the trip, the traditionally made wine trumped the rest. The tide has turned !!

Flight 5 - Tasting at Luigi Pira (4 Notes)

A great tasting with the friendly Giampaolo Pira. All wines very good, especially the lesser lights. I usually prefer the Marenca but I like the Vigna Rionda more in 2007.

Flight 6 - Lunch at Trattoria Della Posta, Monforte (1 Note)

If you have 4 hours to spare (...), a great spot for a high end lunch with great food. This Beppe Rinaldi was slightly disappointing though.

  • 2007 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Cannubi San Lorenzo Ravera 89 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Somewhat inferior in my view to the brunate le coste. nice aromatics but lacking length and oomph, a little simple. From magnum and popped and poured so deserves a break, but not screaming much to me over the 3 hours we drank it.

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Flight 7 - Tasting at Elio Grasso (4 Notes)

The facilities at Elio Grasso are superb and the cellar looks amazing. I was disappointed that the 2007 ginestra was too low on numbers to be on taste as that is my favourite. The rest of the range was good but perhaps not as good as I would have expected.

Flight 8 - Dinner Enoclub, Alba (1 Note)

at the newly renovated enoclub (is it me or it looks slightly too fancy now) - a solid though unspectacular dinner. The Marcarini was good but probably too young to be popped and poured.

  • 2007 Marcarini Barolo Brunate 90 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    maybe unfair to rate as very tight on pop and pour. Dark and mineral with nice barolo tar. Could be longer and more complex - I was hoping for more.

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Closing

Wines on the podium for the trip were the F. Rinaldi Cannubi 2007, G. Rinaldi Brunate Le Coste 2007 and the Cappellano Rupestris 2006, in no particular order. The Cappellano especially was a beautiful wine and a producer I will seek out more often. Also, the strength in depth across the Luigi Pira offerings was impressive.

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