Wine & Spirits - December 2020 - 83

FOCUS: BAROLO & BARBARESCO
97 | Paolo Scavino

$107

2016 Barolo Bric dël Fiasc ^ The Scavino
family's vines flow down from the crest of a
southwest-facing slope in Castiglione Falletto's Fiasco cru, the oldest of them planted in
1979. The 2016, coming off a long and even
growing season, combines powerful tannins
and fresh acidity in a richly textured wine; it
unfolds in flavors of black cherry and cassis
layered with notes of anise and tobacco leaf.
Sensual and perfumed, this finishes vertically
on a bright note of menthol. § Skurnik Wines
& Spirits, NY

278939

96 | Fratelli Alessandria

$60

2016 Barolo ^ This wine is impossible to resist
right out of the gate. Its flavors of red cherry
and blood orange are tart and crisp, tinged
in notes of mint and white pepper that add
to the wine's freshness and verve. Finely cut
tannins keep the flavors in balance yet never
impede the fruit tones. The wine reflects the
steps that Vittore Alessandria has taken in
the last five years to boost its quality, such as
using only first-press wine and aging it for 33
months as he does with his single-cru Barolos. The 2016 combines elegance and energy
in a way that makes this one of the vintage's
best Barolo classicos, a wine to buy by the
case and enjoy as it develops over the next
decade. § North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA
279028

96 | Fratelli Alessandria

$80

2016 Barolo San Lorenzo di Verduno ^ San
Lorenzo is the most sensual of Vittore Alessandria's 2016 Barolos, unfolding with notes
of black cherry and plum laced with soft
herbs and dark spices. The flavors are deeply
concentrated and penetrating, framed by
dusky tannins that weave together in a silky
texture. § North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA
278862

96 | Luigi Baudana

$90

2016 Barolo Cerretta ^ Giuseppe Vaira has
been making the wines at this small Serralunga estate since 2008, and his 2016s are
particularly impressive. Cerretta opens with
fresh floral scents that lead into flavors of red
cherry and plum, the deep fruit tones almost
crunchy in their ripeness, layered with notes
of menthol and orange peel. Cool acidity

drives the long, harmonious finish. Already
well integrated, this will reward patience to
allow the firm tannins to soften. § Vajra USA,
Manhasset, NY
278960

of French oak barrels and larger casks, gaining richness and depth as well as warm spice
notes. § Dalla Terra, Napa, CA
278861

$138

2016 Barolo Baudana ^ This wine is hightoned and tautly structured, its flavors of
cherry and raspberry crisp and precise.
Cool, ferrous tannins underline the red fruit
as notes of mint emerge. Brisk acidity will
keep those flavors fresh while the tannins
soften over the next several years. § Vajra USA,
Manhasset, NY
278936

96 | Conterno Fantino

2016 Barolo Ginestra Vigna del Gris ^ This
wine captures the character of the 2016 vintage with exuberant aromas of rose petals,
mint and sage and vibrant red berry and
cherry flavors. Those aromas and flavors
remain poised and balanced for days after
the bottle has been opened, suggesting a
long life ahead, though the sheer energy of
this wine makes it immensely appealing even
now. § Empson USA, Alexandria, VA
278884

96 | Paolo Scavino

$81

96 | G.D. Vajra

$90

96 | G.D. Vajra

$75

2016 Barolo Carobric ^ The blend for this
wine, first produced in 1996, is based on
fruit from Rocche di Castiglione with smaller
contributions from Cannubi and Fiasco.
Carobric is exuberant in the 2016 vintage,
brimming with flavors of fresh red berries
and blood orange. Bright acidity draws the
intense flavors together as notes of licorice
and spice resonate on the finish. § Skurnik
Wines & Spirits, NY
278913
2016 Barolo Ravera ^ This wine's red-cherry
and raspberry flavors are juicier and richer
than the Vaira family's taut Bricco delle
Viole in 2016, though this is another longlived wine with plenty of aging potential.
Cool mineral tones support those ripe red
fruit tones, and the wine picks up notes of
licorice and menthol as it surges to a fresh
finish. § Vajra USA, Manhasset, NY
279034
2016 Barolo Coste di Rose ^ This is the second vintage of Vajra's Coste di Rose, a sandy
cru in the southern end of the Barolo commune. The vines delivered an intensely floral
wine in 2016, its flavors generous for a young
Barolo. The wine unfolds toward flavors of
ripe cherry and apple skin laced with notes of
licorice and lavender, lifted by vibrant acidity. Lush and layered, this will only get better
with age. § Vajra USA, Manhasset, NY
278854

96 | Vietti

$175

2016 Barolo Brunate ^ This wine is darker
and more sensual than Vietti's other 2016
releases, the fruit coming off 53-year-old
vines in La Morra's Brunate cru. Its flavors
of black cherry and rhubarb show a crisp
edge characteristic of this vintage, brightened by notes of mint and orange zest. The
wine rested for 30 months in a combination

95 | Luigi Baudana

$90

95 | Cavallotto

$192

95 | Elvio Cogno

$145

2013 Barolo Riserva San Giuseppe ^ Initially
reticent, this Riserva unfolds with exposure
to air, revealing fresh floral scents and bright
cherry flavors edged in notes of tobacco and
tangy blood orange. The fruit comes from
the family's nine acres of vines in the heart
of Castiglione Falletto's Bricco Boschis cru,
and the wine aged for close to five years in
large oak casks. Lithe and firmly structured,
it is still in its nascent stages and will only get
better with more cellar time. § Skurnik Wines
& Spirits, NY
278919
2014 Barolo Riserva Ravera Vigna Elena ^
Vigna Elena is a single, sandy plot in the Ravera cru that is planted exclusively to nebbiolo
rosé, a late-ripening variety once thought to
be a clone of nebbiolo but now considered
distinct yet closely related. In a growing season like 2014, with a cool and rainy summer
followed by a spectacular September, this
late ripening worked to the wine's advantage,
giving the fruit an extra two weeks to soak
up the autumn sunshine. The wine smells of
roses-petals, leaves and stems-and tastes
of tart cherry and pomegranate with undercurrents of fresh tobacco. Lithe and lively,
with supple tannins and brisk acidity, it may
not be one of Valter Fissore's longest-lived
wines, yet it offers a fascinating and appealing interpretation of this challenging vintage. § Wilson Daniels, St. Helena, CA
278959

95 | Paolo Conterno

$76

2016 Barolo Ginestra ^ Giorgio Conterno
makes this wine with fruit from the southfacing slopes in the Ginestra cru, where the
grapes gained optimal ripeness in the fresh
2016 vintage. Flavors of crisp red cherry and
pomegranate are laced with notes of menthol, thyme and licorice that enliven the fruit
tones. The cool, ferrous structure keeps the
flavors taut and will benefit from some time
in the cellar. § Skurnik Wines & Spirits, NY
278962
WINE & SPIRITS

DECEMBER 2020

83
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/fratelli+alexandria+docg+barolo+piemonte+italy/2016
Wine & Spirits - December 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - December 2020
