Festa dal Barolo 2019 Masterclass
The Pool, Manhattan
Tasted February 3, 2024 by cct with 96 views
Introduction
I was excited to revisit the '19s, a vintage I loved last April.
Flight 1 - Commune of Barolo (3 notes)
These were singing and a hard act to follow. The Trediberri was much more together than last April. The Burlotto with terrific balance and poise. The Oddero was fantastic. I find this bottling in their lineup can be too rich for me, but this wine has terrific poise and has come together since I tasted it in April. FWIW, it's the only wine I reloaded on during the tasting.
A floral and red fruited nose. Lovely perfume and spice on the nose. Seemingly only midweighted but carrying more depth beautifully. More red fruits, licorice, spice on the palate with outstanding balance. Nice sense fo clarity and focus. This has come together nicely since last year.
A cool, calm and deep nose. Red fruits, less dark and brooding than most vintages of this bottling with lovely Cannubi perfume. Expansive and deep on the palate with a sense of effortless power and inner calm. More of the same fruit, spice one florals on the palate, with a lot going on, but nothing really stands out here, but everything comes together into a greater whole. Subtle power delivered with nuance, lift and freshness. Finishes with ripe fine firm tannins. Terrific.
A lung filling nose with rose, balsam, locirce, and tar. Rich and sapid, ripe yet not heavy with fantastic perfume. It's expansive on the palate, rich yet not heady. This is the iron fist in a velvet glove. Fleshy but with enough structure to carry it. Very long spice driven finish on the back end. Regal. Terrific. One of my favorites today and even better than last year.
Flight 2 - Commune of Verduno (2 notes)
I think Vittore at F Alessandria, is one of the more underrated winemakers in the Langhe. His Monvigliero (usually my second favorite of his bottling) was singing. I loved the Verduno bottling and feel less good about myself for not having tried this bottling before. I will change that in short order.
Floral and red fruited with distinct savory- herbal notes on the nose. Midweighted and sapid with more of the same fruit and savory on the palate. Overall a complex mid weighted wine with great clarity and excellent palate presence. Long on the back end with ripe fine tannins. Youthful and with real promise. This was my pleasant surprise of the tasting and I will seek this out. 94
A terrific nose. Roses, violets, spice, cherry fruit with a Giacosa like hard candy feel to it. Midweighted expansive yet graceful with terrific depth without weight. Deep and cool on th epaulet with more of the same fruits, florals and some lingering licorice notes on the back end. Beautifully balance. Finishes with firm ripe tannins. Needs tine. Tons of promise here.
Flight 3 - Rocche adjacent (3 notes)
The Brovia spoke softly, but there is a ton going on in this wine. I loved it. I do like the softer touch at Sandrone of late. OTOH, it was clear the fruit in the Cerretto was terrific and for me such a waste of potential. If you don't mid obvious wood in nebbiolo, this wine is likely stunning.
Wood spice, rose, violet, spice and cherry fruit on the nose. On the palate, it's fleshy, structured, and ripe but not heavy, but the wood distracts for me and it comes across blurred around the edges. I suspect as the wood integrates it may gain some harmony. I would love to know what this fruit could have become with different cellar choices, but that said, this is my personal preference and if you like wood in nebbiolo, this is really well made in the style. Different strokes. NR due to stylistic aversion
Cooler fruited and perfumed. Rose and violet, red fruited with lovely clarity. I really like Rob's exotic and concentrated description of it. It's powerful, yet graceful and pretty with some savory herbal notes that add to the floral and fruit perfume. Firm fine and a little bitter tannic back end. I do like the turn in the producers style of late. 93
A more reserved nose, holding it close to the vest, but underneath there is a ton going on. Cooler fruit, violets, red licorice and spice.This speakss quietly with a terrific degree of clarity and finesse. Beautifully fine detail and lift with subtle power brought with grace. Finishes with firm fine tannins. Terrific and in need of much cellar time. 96++
Flight 4 - Barbaresco interloper (1 note)
This wine is stunning. Complete and I am probably being stingy on my rating. I loved buying this wine when it was not sold at oligarch pricing. Impossible not to stand in awe though. Well done Luca!
Oh my. A lung filling nose. It's deep with balsam, cooler nebbiolo fruit, spice and savory notes. On the palate, sapid and expansive without weight. Powerful yet effortless. Graceful. Deep. Very long. Seamless, effortlessly gorgeous wine. Very long on the back end with the usually coarser tannins of Paje yet finer. Effortless. Harmonious. Fantastic. 98
Flight 5 - Commune of Monforte (3 notes)
I really like the Colla Bussia. Another underrated producer I would fill up a young cellar with. I'm filling my too full cellar with it. I just don't get Conterno Fantino. The Grasso Chiniera is outstanding and Gianluca could not be a nicer human, but his two unoaked Baroli are almost too clean and technical, kind of like Vietti for me, coming off a bit too polished to evoke emotion.
Savory nose with nettle, mountain herb, darker nebbiolo fruit, cured meats and some spice. Sapid with lovely palate presence. Firm and structured yet beautifully balanced. Youthful with tons of promise. An underrated producer. 94
Floral and spice driven with balsam and tar. Deep and broad on the palate, a bit polished and too clean if that makes sense. Lovely palate presence. Finishes with a cooler perfume on finish. Pretty but for me a bit polished and technical. Still outstanding. 92
Woody with vanilla, iron, dark nebbiolo fruit, tar and balsam. Structured, with clearly very good grapes but the wood distracts and detracts. Not for me. Others may like it more. NR due to stylistic aversion.
Flight 6 - Commune of Serralunga (3 notes)
These wines were really solid. The two Cerretta wines were terrific with the Conterno having another gear. Super. The Vajra was a little more closed than the bottle I had last April, but it has a ton going on under the surface. The Margheria beautifully balanced.
Lovely perfume with a mix of fruit, floral, and savory. Violets as much as roses, nettles, highly perfumed red and dark fruit. Sapid and expansive. A little polished, but overall outstaindg, maybe lacking a little lift to make it really special. 94
Another wine of finesse more than overt power. Foral with cherry fruit, spice and a sense of clarity. Terrific perfume with a sense of fleeting beauty. Detailed and nuanced on the palate with a sense of weightless harmony. More lovely fruits, mountain medical herbs and a sense of minerality and clarity like mineral water. Structured, yet so well balanced and graceful. Terrific and in need of cellar time. 96
Deeper more savory nose than the Baudana with dark nebbiolo fruit, cured meat, tar, nettle, and balsam. Fantastically deep nose like looking into a bottomless pool of water. Texturally brilliant. Structured, powerful, expansive, sapid and deep yet elegant. Iron fist in a velvet glove. This combines fruit, soil, meaty and savory into a terrific whole. Long on the back end with mountain medicinal herbs. Terrific. Complete 98
Flight 7 - Lunch wines (4 notes)
The hamburger and french fry lunch with some terrific wines.
Leftovers from the previous evening Gala Dinner (in magnum)
A structured firm and vertical wine with terrific clarity depth. Ferrous notes add to the darker fruited perfumed and spice driven nose with some early maturing notes.
In magnum
A brooding savory nose with iron, meat and dark fruits. Structured and with the ripeness of '11 held together beautifully. Full bodied and powerful. Long and impressive if not charming. This is not a warm and fuzzy wine, serious and youthfully firm. 95
In magnum
A lovely nose. Balsam, medicinal with rose hip and lovely maturing fruit and savory notes. Sapid with lovely palate presence and balance and a minty back note on the finish. Lovely and at peak with time in hand. 93
Closing
It is always a treat to attend this tasting. The wines showed beautifully. The setting is great. The Vinous team put together a great program. It was great to catch up with friends and break some bread afterwards. '19 is s special vintage. Maybe not the gravitas of '10 and '16, but it had the combination of structure, lift and freshness l love. Something special. Roberto Conterno likens it to '13 and I would be loathe to disagree. There are a lot of similarities there. Anyway, a great morning and a special treat.