Barololand 2015 Day 5

I'm falling behind in recording the days' events, so I hope I don't miss too many details.

Day 5 started out with a simply terrific vistas at Burlotto. I am happy to call Fabio Alessandria a good friend, and I mention that just because I am such a fan and proponent of the wines that, in the spirit of full disclosure, it's worth sharing.

Fabio is working on the finishing details of a cellar expansion and restoration that has been going on for the past three years. Nothing is really changing regarding the winemaking, though there is more space for bottle storage and the like so perhaps there might be some incremental improvement of the conditions of the wines at release, though I have never experienced anything other than terrific wines here.

As you might know we had had dinner with Fabio just the night before at Bercau in Verduno, and enjoyed a pair of fabulous Monvigliero from double magnum, 85 and 97. today it was all about the current releases of course, with a quick tour through the cellar to take a look at the open tinny used for fermentation, the medium sized both used for aging, and the deconsecrated chapel used as a tasting room. The chapel is quite a special place, where some miniskirt wearing angels look over Fabio and his wines.

There are of course some news coming out of Burlotto, the Dolcetto has benefited from increasing percentage of while cluster fermentation, arriving at 60% in 2014. It makes for a different style of Dolcetto to be sure, less overtly fruity and both more complex and more tannic, by a bit, than one might expect. Other than that though the winemaking and aging here has been stable over the years, which doesn't account for the simply stunning set of wines on offer today. As usual I preferred the base Barbera to Aves, fresh and crisp and screaming for tajarin al ragu, but that was just the beginning.

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The 2010 Barolo classico is a stunning wine, and the best example of this wine I have tasted at this point in its life. Ditto the Aclivi, a wine that has often tricked me in the past, being rather subtle in its youth, the 2011 is more obvious, but full, rich and complex. The Monvigliero may not be the best Monvigliero on record, but is certainly one of the wines of the vintage. Verduno was indeed fortunate in 2011, as witnessed by the showing of the Cannubi, which as a very good wine, but not up to the level of the first three.

After a quick lunch back at Montanello it was time to head over to Monforte for a visit at Elio Grasso. Roberto, our Australian guide took us through the property, which seems to cast a spell on cars so be careful there. Almost every year we encounter some issue while there. Wrong fuel, faulty handbrake, walls that bang into cars, it's all here! We were fortunate that today we had beautiful skies because this is not only in the midst of great vineyard, surrounded by Gavarini and Ginestra, but it's also well positioned and we took advantage of the views to Serralunga and Castiglione from the terrace and the cellar as well.

This part of Monforte is warm, and the 2011s showed some of that heat. While the 2010s were stunning in their purity and energy, the 2011s here had much more of the power one usually associates with Monforte. Good wines all around to be sure, but when we were treated tot he 2008 Runcot one could see the energy that cooler vintage wine brought to the table. Gianluca Grasso took some time out of his busy day, overseeing the repair of a small landslide that took out a road leading from the property out to the vineyards and treating the vines in anticipation of today's rain non-event, though all expect heavy rains overnight, to meet with us.

Passion virtually pours from Gianluca's veins, custodian of a grand estate, responsible for building upon the great reputation his parents put in place here. The drive to improve quality, though organic farming techniques, treatment of the vineyard works, and the vines themselves is an ongoing process here, and you can't help but feel sympathy with Gianluca as he flashes a smile while discussing it all with the dust of Gavarini on his hands.

From Grasso in Monforte we made our way to Perno to meet with Mario Fontana. Tucker away in Perno we have one of the great producers of Castiglione falletto! It's a long story but Mario was born and bread in Castiglione, and his vineyards there are part of his family's historic holdings. His sitter Livia Fontana continues to produce wines from the family property as well, making both a Villero and fine Bussia Riserva.

Mario now makes two Barolos as well. He added to his modest holding, some 5 hectares more or less, in 2008 with a piece of Giachinini La Morra. For several vintages the La Morra juice was simply blended into the single classic Barolo but over the years Mario because disillusioned with that blend, feeling that it had lost the true character of Castiglione, a character he had known since he was a young man.  Beginning in 2013 there are now two crus produced. The Castiglione Falletto "village" wine, with vineyards in both Mariondinio and Villero, as well as the base Barolo, which now is a blend of La Morra and Castiglione juice. 

These are traditional wines, no doubt about that, and Mario is a modest, gentle soul, and that clear shows through in the wines. We shared a bottle of the 2005 Barolo the following day at diner and found it quit pleasant, particularly in light of the nature of the vintage, though perhaps a little more La Morra than Castiglione in nature, though it was pure Castiglione juice. The more recent wines show more finesse and complexity. I've got no doubt that wines here will age well, and as proof I put forth the 2001 that Mario shared with us during the tasting. Everso rustic not he finish, it was fresh, alive and complete. A terrific example of what the faithful continued to produce while the market when gaga over oak juice. I think we are all thankful that such effort and expertise is now being rewarded.

That was the day, the evening consisted of a lovely dinner at Centro Storico in Serralunga with great fans from the north of Europe. Through their generosity we enjoyed some crappy old wines, 2011 Giuseppe Rinaldi Brunate, which was a bit fat and fruity at the outset but improved nicely in the glass and warrants purchasing. We also popped a both sample of 2011 Cascina Fontana, which as gentle, rounded and nicely fruity if obviously too young, a 1978 Brigante wines from the vineyard in Falletto de Serralunga that was to become Bruno Giacosa's, a few dead bottles, and some intriguingly old Cantina Mascarello Chinato. Who could ask for anything more?