March 3, 2024 - Redish with orange/brown tint. On the nose, roses and menthol . Took a while to develop but after getting some air quite powerful while being light bodied. Red berries on the palate with some tertiary notes as well, long taste. Maybe drinks slightly hot (15% ABV)? Great wine all things considered
January 15, 2024 - Cappellano Pie Rupestris is flat out singing. The nose explodes upon opening and remained intense after an 8-hour double decant. Aromas are gorgeously floral and red fruited with tar, spice and licorice accents. Palate is seamless with impeccably integrated silky tannins. Long finish. I hesitate to say a pre-teen Barolo is in a peak window, but here we are.
October 14, 2023 - Dinner with Tim and Elliott (Millbrae, CA): Decanted off 2oz fine sediment. Light ruby, lighter than the 2011 Rinaldi, bricking as expected for young Nebbiolo; aromatic, strawberry, tar, not quite tamari but headed there with more time, less floral but some underlying rose petal; palate is light bodied, well integrated medium-plus tannin, high acidity, fresh and red fruited, lovely depth and flavor with a bit of tamari here; finish is medium-plus length. Really lovely, arguably more ready to drink now than the Rinaldi 2011 Tre Tine, fabulous aromatics and I love the lightness and elegance for a warmer year. One of the best Cappellano for drinking now, and no warmth/heat at all with this bottle. Drink now and over the next 5-10 years.
August 26, 2023 - Outstanding from the first pour. A gorgeous, and mostly floral nose with cherries, roses, licorice, and orange zest on the palate. I didn’t notice the tannins until the bottle was open for about an hour. If I had one nit to pick, it would be the 15% alcohol. It didn’t drink hot, but I felt it.
August 11, 2023 - Double decanted in the AM, then decanted for a couple hours in the afternoon. Drunk that evening. this bottle was decidedly more savory and ferrous than my previous bottles on the nose. Tar, roses and a nice mix of red and dark nebbiolo fruit, but certainly less hauntingly perfumed than previous bottles. Full bodied and structured, still quite youthful and tannic on the palate with more of the same fruit and soil notes as the nose. Excellent balance and by itself would have been a delicious drink, but less amazing than previous bottles. There were a couple ounces left in the bottle overnight (uncorked) and the wine had come together quite a bit. I will likely try another bottle some time soon and drink it over a few hours. I think it is all there, but I missed it with the narrow drinking window amongst several wines. A wine I had hoped would shine tonight, and while it was certainly outstanding, my high expectations were not met.
August 4, 2023 - Surprisingly evolved already. A brownish sunset hue with brick rim, the aromas typically medicinal with notes of camphor and menthol. On the palate it's notably soft, with mellow acidity and melted tannins, savoury mineral sensations and yes - completely integrated alcohol. Actually, this is one of the most weightless 15+ wines we ever had. Fully developed, highly enjoyable, nothing more to wait for. Drink now and over the next few.
July 24, 2023 - Fabulous. Amazing perfume, weightless palate despite the 15% abv
Magic
July 19, 2023 - The eternal dilemma as to whether drinking now is better than waiting for some mythical, future pinnacle is embodied in this wine. The rim actually has some orange, and the aromas are notably complex. Yet the palate is still a bit tight, and the tannin has a “no, not yet” astringency. Overall though I found the wine immensely pleasurable, largely because of the citrus, red fruit, rose and cinnamon aromas that were completely captivating. I only ended up drinking 50% of the bottle because zi was so enthralled with smelling it that I only took a sip about every three times I smelled it! I would come down on the side of drinking sooner rather than later, as I have for almost all 2011 Piemonte Nebbiolo wines. The tannins are winning the battle against the palate depth, so enjoy the aromatic beauty while it’s the central feature.
January 29, 2023 - Cappellano, Barolo DOCG « Pie Rupestris » 2011
Couleur : robe rubis légère, presque translucide avec des reflets tuilés – assez classique d’un Barolo de cet âge.
Nez : d’intensité aromatique assez bonne, à la fois chaleureux (on sent les 15° de vol alc) mais doté d’une grande fraicheur apportée par des notes de camphre – marqueur fréquent selon moi du Nebbiolo. Les notes fruitées s’articulent principalement autour de la cerise confite / liqueur de cerise kirschée avec une petite sucrosité qui fait penser aux marqueurs du grenache d’un beau Châteauneuf-du-Pape ; quelques notes de prune très mûre également, des notes florales de type rose bien présentes qui amènent un dégustateur vers un Pinot Noir de la Côte de Beaune. Des notes de réglisse, de pin et de cuir frais en background qui apportent de la complexité.
Bouche : entrée aromatique sur des notes pures et fraiches de cerise rouge – beaucoup moins évoluée et alcooleuse qu’au nez – et des notes florales de pétales de rose.
De corps normal (+), le milieu de bouche offre un style aérien, élégant avec une très belle finesse tannique relative à un nebbiolo.
La richesse alcoolique est bien contrebalancée par cette finesse de chair mais également par une grande fraicheur qui dynamise le palais. Très beau jus intense, digeste avec un fruit « clair » et net – en particulier des arômes de cerise qui sont plus libérés et moins évolués qu’au nez.
Globalement, ce n’est pas un vin très large mais s’exprimant davantage sur la verticalité.
Pour passer un cap supérieur en termes de notation, il lui manque soit un peu plus de structure, soit un plus beau toucher de bouche, et également un petit peu plus de complexité aromatique, mais cela reste très bon.
A noter que le côté alcooleux ressort un peu plus en fin de bouche.
Finale de longueur normale (+) à assez bonne sur de la cerise très légèrement amère, quelques notes florales et des notes médicinales et résineuses de type pin.
Intensité aromatique : 8,5/10
Complexité aromatique : 7/10
Précision aromatique : 8 /10
Note : 16,75-17/20 i.e. 93-94/100
January 15, 2023 - Decanted and followed over five hours.
Powerful nose with rose petals, tar, noble wood, earth, licorice, leather and still present sweet and sour cherry fruit.
Medium-bodied+, but with a massive punch. Concentrated, structured and long. Lingering sweet finish.
Perfect match with filet of deer and creamed mushrooms.