“The Poderi Aldo Conterno 2017 Barolo Bussia Cicala reveals a deep garnet color with some dark copper. Like the other 2017 wines from this celebrated producer, I can’t help but suspect that these areas of Bussia suffered from the heat and some of the other weather challenges associated with this growing season. A clear note of overt ripeness comes across as dried strawberry or sweet crème de cassis. The finish is similarly weighed down by the fruit weight and oak tannins. Drink: 2023-2028. 91 points”
“The Poderi Aldo Conterno 2017 Barolo Bussia Colonnello shows good focus, structure and a sharper character that is often the distinguishing factor in this wine. The bouquet is redolent of dark fruit and plum, but it also shows a solid framing of iron ore and dark stony mineral. These give the wine greater lift and contoured edges. This is not the first time that Colonnello is my favorite wine in this lineup, and I suspect it won’t be the last. Drink: 2025-2040. 94+ points”
“Opening to a dark color and robust consistency, the Poderi Aldo Conterno 2017 Barolo Bussia Romirasco is perhaps the most powerful of the four new releases reviewed here. Wearing broad shoulders and sporting a heavy gait over the palate, the wine sees a solid construction of dark berry and spicy or toasted oak aromas. There is a lot to behold in this bottle, and it definitely shows the potential to soften and relax with more cellar aging. However, you definitely need to put the bottle aside for many years. Drink: 2025-2043. 94 points”
“The Cavallotto 2018 Barolo Bricco Boschis (a certified organic wine) is a lovely expression with fruit from one of the most beautiful sites in Castiglione Falletto, measuring 7.3 hectares. The wine is streamlined and tight with forest berry, blackcurrant and spice. It is taut and silky, showing fruit that has been shaped by cool nights and warm days. Bricco Boschis always delivers a special sense of sharpness and focus. Production is 23,747 bottles and 1,333 magnums. Drink: 2024-2040. 94 points
Alfio Cavallotto and his family have farmed organically since 1976. In 2008, they started to reduce the use of copper, finally eliminating it by 2013, thereby cleaning the soils of metal buildup. These are excellent wines from a unique position. Bricco Boschis is located at the center of the Barolo growing region, and it links the eastern part of the appellation (Serralunga d’Alba and Monforte d’Alba) to the western side (where La Morra and Barolo are found).”
“The 2017 Barolo Cerretta stands out in this range for its intensely floral personality and mid-weight structure. Crushed rose petal, sweet red berry fruit, cinnamon, dried leaves and anise lend quite a bit of aromatic nuance. The 2017 is classy and polished today. Even better, it will drink well with minimal cellaring. Drinking window: 2022-2032. 93 points
Sergio Germano’s new Barolo releases are strong across the board. The move towards a style that shows more freshness and less oak influence is a big positive. The Lazzarito is the one Barolo in this range I find a bit less interesting than the others, as the style is more pushed. The last thing Serralunga fruit needs is more push.”
“The 2017 Barolo Prapò is powerful and quite dense, yet also retains a sense of transparency that is admirable. Sage, dried herbs, menthol licorice and earthy accents give the Prapò an element of wildness that is beguiling. The tannins are firm, and yet there is more than enough fruit to provide balance. The 2017 is very nicely done. Drinking window: 2024-2037. 94 points
Sergio Germano’s new Barolo releases are strong across the board. The move towards a style that shows more freshness and less oak influence is a big positive. The Lazzarito is the one Barolo in this range I find a bit less interesting than the others, as the style is more pushed. The last thing Serralunga fruit needs is more push.”
“The 2015 Barolo Riserva Lazzarito (with fruit from Serralunga d’Alba) shows a generous, full-bodied consistency, with dark fruit, spice, baking clove and other dustings of exotic spice, such as cardamom and clove. That spiciness washes through the bouquet, and you can feel it on the palate, where the wine is structured and firm. Some 4,500 bottles were released. Drink: 2024-2040. 94 points
Ettore Germano has taken ambitious leaps and bounds toward greater quality and consistency in this impressive group of new releases.“
“Serralunga d’Alba. Youthful and just mid ruby. Firm and fragrant with hints of liquorice. Elegant palate that at the same time is firmly structured. This shouts Serralunga in the glass. Great sappy fruit impact and then rich fine tannins on the finish. Long and vivid. Drink: 2022-2030. 17+ points”
“The Ettore Germano 2017 Barolo Vignarionda reveals a very bright and lively bouquet with ripe fruit, candied cherry, sandalwood, wild rose and rusty nail. The wine shows extra saturation, with no heaviness, and especially fine but firm tannins. Vignarionda exhibits lots of density with energy and life on the finish. Drink: 2024-2040. 94 points”
“The 2017 Barolo Ravera di Monforte is the best wine I have tasted from Principiano in some time, maybe ever. Bright and energetic, with piercing tannins and soaring aromatics, the 2017 is wonderfully complete and totally beguiling. Dried rose petal, mint, crushed red cherry, kirsch and sweet pipe tobacco lend striking inner perfume. I would give the tannins a few years to soften. Drinking window: 2025-2037. 94 points
It’s been a few years since I last tasted Ferdinando Principiano wines. I was impressed with both 2017s.”
“The 2018 Barolo is a delicate, pretty wine with plenty of immediacy and overall appeal. Naturally, the 2018 is a small-scaled wine, but all the elements are nicely balanced. This is nicely done and also quite promising, in its peer group. Drinking window: 2024-2036. 88-90 points
I tasted all of the 2018 Barolos at Francesco Rinaldi from cask, as the wines had not been bottled at the time of my November visit, which is standard for this domaine. I chose not to include notes on the new Barolo from Rocche dell’Annunziata and the Riserva, as I felt SO2 levels were low. That is not unusual, but it can make wines hard to evaluate accurately. So far, the vintage looks promising. “The older vines definitely fared best,” Paola Rinaldi told me as we ran through the vines. Harvest started on October 10, which is on the later side in 2018.”
