Cogno, Elvio
April 2023 visit
2022 Elvio Cogno Anas Cetta
No Malo, half in botte
Incredibly aromatic,a bit of sulfur from recent bottling,
Linden, tomato, thyme, oregano, honey, rubber band, a touch of gooseberry, rich but not fruity, tight, So lively with reserves of power. There’s so much intensity on the palate that drops off quickly on the backend but the fruit lingers with a figgy/citrus note on the finale. 93pts
2016 Elvio Cogno Anas Cetta
All in Stainless steel
Smells of flint, more heathery and of woodland spice with roasted yellow fruits, a touch of coffee, tight, lacks something up front, then creamy, waxy Apple fruit, spicy, long, rich, with a still hint of tannin, great mineral steely cut, long with dried apple fruit, might be the more interesting of the two today, obviously more mature. 93pts
2022 Elvio Cogno Dolcetto d’alba 14%
Fruity opening on the nose rich with plummy character, violets with a hint of black pepper spice. Rich, chewy, and fresh, there’s a density here, picture perfect, clean, crisp, mineral, crystal clear, slightly more structured than typical perhaps but perfumed in the mouth. Very fine and very floral, with a hint of bitter almond on the finish, great inner mouth perfume of violets, that really lingers above the long finish. Fantastic drinkability. 93pts
2022 Elvio Cogno Montegrili Langhe Nebbiolo 14%
Watermelon and sandy soil greet the nose, So light and fresh, with a hint of tannin, bright and juicy, like a big rose, so delicate and fresh in the mouth, red cherry wild strawberry, delicate red fruits with a hint of white pepper, long with a nice framed glycerine feel. The perfumes emerge with air, nuanced, a faced jewel of a wine, the perfumes are super primary yet this is firmly structured for a lighter styled wine. 93pts
2021 Elvio Cogno Barbea d’Alba Bricco dei Merli
One year in wood, one week ferment, rich vintage, really powerful.
Dark, a little brooding, meaty, grilled meat, baking brownies, hints of ivy and leather, Powerful, dense, so well balanced, chewy, with integrated yet pronounced acidity, lots of fruit, black fruit, a little wood spice emerges on the backend and merges with wood tannins on the fairly long finish, lots of spicy notes on the backend where this grows on the finish, so perfumed, purity and vibrancy, really long, pure and focused. 94pts
2021 Elvio Cogno Barbera Pre-phylloxera 14.5%
Ivy, black cherry, spiced, sandalwood, savory, dark, oily seeds, almost exotic, Starts lighter on the palate, then develops great depth and cut, fairly tannic and dark, a really profound example, just a pure extract of of soil and varietal fruit with a remarkable concentration of black cherry fruit, enchanting nose, this stunning,so well structured, deep, with near endless length, and such reserves of fruit, with a wiry, briary core emerging, there is nothing that can make this better other than 4-8 years zesty, nuanced elegant wine. It is painfully rare that I think there is nothing that could make a wine better. This is not a benchmark Barbera per se, as it is its own category of wine apart from almost all Barbera. It is however a perfect wine. 100pts
2020 Elvio Cogno Barbaresco Bordini
Dark fruit, dried figs, dried floral notes, rose petal, lemon peel, strawberry with a slight jam edge, Bright, though showing a hint of evolution, powerful but light, great energy and cut on the palate, a little extract of nutty, red fruit, almost ready in some ways, still structured but approachable, but agreeable, with a fine future but the flavors are a little ahead of the structure. Rosehips on the palate, the sweetness of the fruit emerges with air. 91pts
2019 Elvio Cogno Barolo Cascina Nuova
Will eventually be labeled as Novello because they have bought additional vineyards outside Rivera, Panerole, Merli
24 months in botte, 20-15% whole cluster
Such a classic nose, cherries in alcohol, amarena cherry, hints of tar and licorice, deep wild rose, a hint of candied wood note. Fine balance and energy on entry, then lifted with bright, tart, red cherry fruit, dried flower, soil, a little dried meadow, rainwater, then the finish show this intense flourish great length, showing very well, still needs time but it is both complex and easy to see/understand. There’s depth, then a fine sheen of spice notes with a hint of wood tannin on the finish. Great balance. 93pts
2019 Elvio Cogno Barolo Ravera
50% whole cluster 60% Lampia
So much macchiato, dried herb, hint of torrefaction, dried cherry note, dried blood orange peel, a hint of green laurel, white pepper, and some wood spice top notes. Succulent, mineral, briary, powerful, long, noble tannins, so sweet on entry paired with intense yet transparent cherry strawberry fruit, it’s powerful, light, and frankly tannic yet long, elegant and full of finesse, a knockout wine. This is about as good and as serious a Barolo can be. Needs 10 years. What a value. 96pts
2018 Elvio Cogno Barolo Bricco Pernice
100% lampia
More classic Barolo, cherries in alcohol floral, raspberry, high toned, very intense but focused. Has a light medicinal golia accent. Elegant, finesse, tiny tannins, almost silky, bright citrus, juicy good length, Nuanced and complex, really quite acid driven on the finish, then there is a return of tart cherry fruit. There’s nuance here, a lightness on the palate, slowly a sweetness is emerging 91pts
2017 Elvio Cogno Barolo Vigna Elena
Lots of rose petals, little cherry in alcohol, very fine finesse even on the nose, a little red currant fruit, this is so refined and elegant, deep, savory chewy tannins, clips the length, faceted and nuanced, rather front loaded, then the tannins pile on, but they are ripe and sweet. Tobacco and briar emerges o nthe nose, with this lacy, twirling dried, orange peel. Rather closed in the mouth will need plenty of time. The nose is amazing, 94pts
2018 Elvio Cogno Barolo Vigna Elena
Bottled in august of 2022
More subtle, perfumed but in a different spectrum, all tea, chamomile, small red fruits, a spicy expression, more lilac. Gains freshness on the nose, elegant, so fine and absolutely silky, the tannins are very finely ripe as opposed to the coarser 2017, deep, nuanced, that grows with every sip, long, vibrant, with red fruit emerging on the finale, briar emerges with time, a noble wine. 94pts
2022 Elvio Cogno Anas Cetta
No Malo, half in botte
Incredibly aromatic,a bit of sulfur from recent bottling,
Linden, tomato, thyme, oregano, honey, rubber band, a touch of gooseberry, rich but not fruity, tight, So lively with reserves of power. There’s so much intensity on the palate that drops off quickly on the backend but the fruit lingers with a figgy/citrus note on the finale. 93pts
2016 Elvio Cogno Anas Cetta
All in Stainless steel
Smells of flint, more heathery and of woodland spice with roasted yellow fruits, a touch of coffee, tight, lacks something up front, then creamy, waxy Apple fruit, spicy, long, rich, with a still hint of tannin, great mineral steely cut, long with dried apple fruit, might be the more interesting of the two today, obviously more mature. 93pts
2022 Elvio Cogno Dolcetto d’alba 14%
Fruity opening on the nose rich with plummy character, violets with a hint of black pepper spice. Rich, chewy, and fresh, there’s a density here, picture perfect, clean, crisp, mineral, crystal clear, slightly more structured than typical perhaps but perfumed in the mouth. Very fine and very floral, with a hint of bitter almond on the finish, great inner mouth perfume of violets, that really lingers above the long finish. Fantastic drinkability. 93pts
2022 Elvio Cogno Montegrili Langhe Nebbiolo 14%
Watermelon and sandy soil greet the nose, So light and fresh, with a hint of tannin, bright and juicy, like a big rose, so delicate and fresh in the mouth, red cherry wild strawberry, delicate red fruits with a hint of white pepper, long with a nice framed glycerine feel. The perfumes emerge with air, nuanced, a faced jewel of a wine, the perfumes are super primary yet this is firmly structured for a lighter styled wine. 93pts
2021 Elvio Cogno Barbea d’Alba Bricco dei Merli
One year in wood, one week ferment, rich vintage, really powerful.
Dark, a little brooding, meaty, grilled meat, baking brownies, hints of ivy and leather, Powerful, dense, so well balanced, chewy, with integrated yet pronounced acidity, lots of fruit, black fruit, a little wood spice emerges on the backend and merges with wood tannins on the fairly long finish, lots of spicy notes on the backend where this grows on the finish, so perfumed, purity and vibrancy, really long, pure and focused. 94pts
2021 Elvio Cogno Barbera Pre-phylloxera 14.5%
Ivy, black cherry, spiced, sandalwood, savory, dark, oily seeds, almost exotic, Starts lighter on the palate, then develops great depth and cut, fairly tannic and dark, a really profound example, just a pure extract of of soil and varietal fruit with a remarkable concentration of black cherry fruit, enchanting nose, this stunning,so well structured, deep, with near endless length, and such reserves of fruit, with a wiry, briary core emerging, there is nothing that can make this better other than 4-8 years zesty, nuanced elegant wine. It is painfully rare that I think there is nothing that could make a wine better. This is not a benchmark Barbera per se, as it is its own category of wine apart from almost all Barbera. It is however a perfect wine. 100pts
2020 Elvio Cogno Barbaresco Bordini
Dark fruit, dried figs, dried floral notes, rose petal, lemon peel, strawberry with a slight jam edge, Bright, though showing a hint of evolution, powerful but light, great energy and cut on the palate, a little extract of nutty, red fruit, almost ready in some ways, still structured but approachable, but agreeable, with a fine future but the flavors are a little ahead of the structure. Rosehips on the palate, the sweetness of the fruit emerges with air. 91pts
2019 Elvio Cogno Barolo Cascina Nuova
Will eventually be labeled as Novello because they have bought additional vineyards outside Rivera, Panerole, Merli
24 months in botte, 20-15% whole cluster
Such a classic nose, cherries in alcohol, amarena cherry, hints of tar and licorice, deep wild rose, a hint of candied wood note. Fine balance and energy on entry, then lifted with bright, tart, red cherry fruit, dried flower, soil, a little dried meadow, rainwater, then the finish show this intense flourish great length, showing very well, still needs time but it is both complex and easy to see/understand. There’s depth, then a fine sheen of spice notes with a hint of wood tannin on the finish. Great balance. 93pts
2019 Elvio Cogno Barolo Ravera
50% whole cluster 60% Lampia
So much macchiato, dried herb, hint of torrefaction, dried cherry note, dried blood orange peel, a hint of green laurel, white pepper, and some wood spice top notes. Succulent, mineral, briary, powerful, long, noble tannins, so sweet on entry paired with intense yet transparent cherry strawberry fruit, it’s powerful, light, and frankly tannic yet long, elegant and full of finesse, a knockout wine. This is about as good and as serious a Barolo can be. Needs 10 years. What a value. 96pts
2018 Elvio Cogno Barolo Bricco Pernice
100% lampia
More classic Barolo, cherries in alcohol floral, raspberry, high toned, very intense but focused. Has a light medicinal golia accent. Elegant, finesse, tiny tannins, almost silky, bright citrus, juicy good length, Nuanced and complex, really quite acid driven on the finish, then there is a return of tart cherry fruit. There’s nuance here, a lightness on the palate, slowly a sweetness is emerging 91pts
2017 Elvio Cogno Barolo Vigna Elena
Lots of rose petals, little cherry in alcohol, very fine finesse even on the nose, a little red currant fruit, this is so refined and elegant, deep, savory chewy tannins, clips the length, faceted and nuanced, rather front loaded, then the tannins pile on, but they are ripe and sweet. Tobacco and briar emerges o nthe nose, with this lacy, twirling dried, orange peel. Rather closed in the mouth will need plenty of time. The nose is amazing, 94pts
2018 Elvio Cogno Barolo Vigna Elena
Bottled in august of 2022
More subtle, perfumed but in a different spectrum, all tea, chamomile, small red fruits, a spicy expression, more lilac. Gains freshness on the nose, elegant, so fine and absolutely silky, the tannins are very finely ripe as opposed to the coarser 2017, deep, nuanced, that grows with every sip, long, vibrant, with red fruit emerging on the finale, briar emerges with time, a noble wine. 94pts
I’ve been visiting with Walter and Nadia at Elvio Cogno for quite a few years now and have seen the quality here consistently move up the scale. There are only a few producer who really impress me each year, or rather exceed my expectations and Elvio Cogno has been on a tear as of late and absolutely knocked things out of the park this year. Every wine was terrific. When people ask me about Piemontese wines I now tell them not to forget the name elvio Cogno. If you see his wine on a wine list and are unsure of what else might be better, just go with the Cogno.
These are wines that seem to have a bit of modernist edge when they are young. That’s simply the purity of fruit and lack of overt winemaker signature talking. They are immensely appealing when because of this, pleasing almost any palate but as they age the baby fat slowly melts away revealing more detail, traditional style, and squeaky clean winemaking. I have said in the past that I don’t mind a bit of dirtiness in my wines, but these wines just go to show how captivating perfect wines can be.
Expanding cellar to be able to bottle the wines when he can not when he is able, he sometimes wants to bottle earlier but has no space to store bottles
Thinks that for example fifteen Elena needs only two years in wood and the third in bottle,
2016 Elvio Cogno Anas cetta 13%
1994 restarted the production,
Very fragrant with a little sweet pork fat note on the nose that is joined by aromas of dried flowers with a grassy edge with lots of salt and rosemary on the nose making this almost a marinade in the mouth. A touch of dissolved gas adds a hint of early petillance. Super acids support lots of bright citrusy fruit in the mouth with a hint of rubber band on the mid palate with green fruit highlights. Good length and drive, with real energy on the palate, the fruit is more green apple this year, with just a lovely finish, this has a touch of Muscadet to it, but more body and complexity than your typical Muscadet. This is a great showing. 93pts
2010 Elvio Cogno Anas cetta 13%
Lovely golden color still with green reflections, deep and complex on the nose, with gentle hints of beeswax, sweet fruit, golden apple,heather and white flowers and a touch of flint. Bright, mineral, and a little salty on entry but very metallic, muscular and energetic in the mouth with clean fruit and good acidic drive. Still lots of life left, crab apple toned fruit, real mineral base here with some green apricot tones on the finish. It’s very complex and nuanced, and very different from the younger version. This is a white to age and to follow. 91pts
2016 Elvio Cogno Dolcetto d’Alba 14%
3-4 days on the skins
A little subdued but complex on the nose with nuanced violet, earth, and fine black berry fruit undertones on the nose. Lots of acid and supple tannins lands this a restrained and elegant feel. A real Dolcetto made in a. fresh style with a slightly modern character. Great purity and cut on the palate with lovely ripe fruit that is quite pretty, which is rare for Dolcetto. With fine inner mouth perfumes, plum and blueberry come together on the palate in a very delicate way with no sign of extra ripeness or alcohol. This is acid driven with the finest of tannins, fairly long and slightly earthy. 91pts
2016 Elvio Cogno Langhe Nebbiolo Montegrilli 14%
Not a small barolo, should be not too expensive, drinkable, SS for a lot fresh aromas, very versatile, universal, also fish no problem, shooting for elegant style, not heavy, a little like Pinot Noir and Grenache, a little carbon is maceration, 40% whole cluster the rest is pressed very softly,
2013 only nebbiolo, initially just a touch of carbonic, increased each year, now they are comfortable with the percent not producing a wine that is too simple by increasing,
Reticent on the nose with hints of rose petals, sandalwood, and a suggestion of apple stems with a wash of powdery red cherry fruit. Turns very floral in the mouth, fresh and bright but with some gravitas.This has a, lacy tannic richness, dusty minerality and the purest most tender of fruit. So delicate yet so complex with the tannins so well measured. Dusty limestone tannins lend it such a vivid nature in the mouth with fruit that is persistent and delicate. OMG this is arguably the best bistro wine ever. Stunningly good wine this price point, buy it by the case. 92pts
This is the first, fifteen is good but not these tannins
2015 Elvio Cogno Barbera d'Alba Bricco dei Merli 14.5%
One year in botte, 15-25 Hl
Strives fora good balance between wood and acidity
This is incredibly fragrant, I can smell this from quite a distance with its cocoa dusted and slightly creamy blend of dark berry and black cherry fruit. Gauzy and fine, showing a certain restraint, this is a fabulous showing. So fine, deep and rich in the mouth and yet remaining elegant, man this is fresh on the palate, a touch salty, layered and ultra refined with acids that are real Barbera but so well integrated. A top Barbera, the finish is stunningly pure, a strong showing, texturally perfect, hard to imagine a better Barbera. 95pts
2014 Elvio Cogno Barbaresco Bordini 14.5%
Neive cru more elegant
A bit evolved on the nose with notes of carob and tea, sweet tobacco, very complex with nice red fruit as well and an interesting mineral and almost marine accent. Enters the mouth with really fresh fruit, totally supported by bright but not tart acids, turning more minerality and savory across the midpalate with forest floor notes that ebb and flow across the palate. Not big by any means but fills the mouth with fine cherry fruit and leafy accent notes supported by fine grained, dusty tannins. Fragrant red currant and cranberry berry fruit lingers on the long finish with lovely ripe tannins. This has a lovely core of fruit, just a lovely refined and nuanced bottle with great freshness to the vivid wild raspberry fruit. With air this turns cleaner and more precise. 91pts
2013 Elvio Cogno Barolo Cascina Nuova 14.5%
Recalls 99 as a style, it's powerful and fresh
15-16 yo Lampia Michet more than thirty five days, two years in botte slavonian not toasted, these are newer hybrid clones
Tight, pure and fresh on the nose filled with rose petals a little mint, wildflowers, and wild strawberry. Elegant and fine, this really fills the mouth with breadth, fine grained tannins, supportive acids, unevolved, but fine elegance and balance. Another refined wine with just terrific fresh mouthfeel, this is so pretty, the potential shows most strongly on the finish which is long with a gentle spice to it, real fresh crushed berry fruit, again there's a particularly fresh raspberry/strawb quality to it. Great length, with dusty tannins contributing to the length and gorgeous minerality. , I expect this will gain complexity with age but even already the freshness is impressive, there's real depth on the palate as well. As complete a wine as you can expect. 93pts
2013 Elvio Cogno Barolo Ravera 14.5%
70 years old, Lampia and Michet original clones,
Taken to another level aromatically, there's richness behind the fruit, a depth to this on the nose full of burnished fruit and a core of balsamic spice, a touch medicinal even in a good way, just lending nuance and serving as a counterpoint to the sweetness of the fruit. Moderately high acid lends this lovely freshness. This is very young with power that arrives vertically and later on the palate than the Cascina Nuova, a more precise, tauter wine, more tannic as well with a chewiness late on the palate and noble if austere tannins on the moderately long finish. The nose gains a hint of gunpowder with air. A grand vin indeed. 95pts
2012 Barolo Ravera Bricco Pernice 14.5%
4000 bottles.
Three years in wood,
The extra ageing shows here with a little sweetness to the hints of apricot, red fruit and fresh bay leaf on the nose. So well knit, just a fine texture with tart red fruit flavors and tannins that are more important and tend to dominate the finish, which shows good length with fine rose inflected inner mouth perfumes on the backend. A powerful wine, lacks the sheer elegance of the 13s, a more chunky and angular vintage, the nose is very pretty though and that front loaded fruit is gorgeous, then there's that little misfire between front and back palate that is so typical of the vintage. 91pts
2011 Elvio Cogno Barolo Ravera Riserva Vigna Elena 15%
27 years
A touch darker than usual
An explosion of fruit, truffle,Iris, ginseng, a hint of dried rosepetal, spice perhaps and a touch of meat juice all explode on the nose. This is bordering on opulent, filling the mouth, though remains light on its feet. Fruit first, just gorgeous fruit, dances across the palate with layers of truffle, meat juice, and dark fruit flavors. Open knit but not loose at all, elegant and fine with acid driving the juicy fruit flavors. A joyful wine, weightless but powerful, a ballerina of a wine already so enjoyable but this is very young with a richness on the backend and this really impressive incipient complexity. Absolutely terrific. 95pts
2014 Elvio Cogno Barolo Ravera from the botte.
Fruit and spice greet nose with a hint of red licorice. Juicy and nuanced in the mouth with lovely dried herbal overtones and a bit of medicinal mineral spice. Rather high in acid, and linear in the mouth but already complex and complete. It has distinct cool vintage character throughout, ripe tannins, beautiful fruit on the palate, small scaled, compact and clean but elegant and fine with persistence to the fruit. Cut from classic cloth this has lean power with a subtle yet refreshing evergreen note. 88-90pts
These are wines that seem to have a bit of modernist edge when they are young. That’s simply the purity of fruit and lack of overt winemaker signature talking. They are immensely appealing when because of this, pleasing almost any palate but as they age the baby fat slowly melts away revealing more detail, traditional style, and squeaky clean winemaking. I have said in the past that I don’t mind a bit of dirtiness in my wines, but these wines just go to show how captivating perfect wines can be.
Expanding cellar to be able to bottle the wines when he can not when he is able, he sometimes wants to bottle earlier but has no space to store bottles
Thinks that for example fifteen Elena needs only two years in wood and the third in bottle,
2016 Elvio Cogno Anas cetta 13%
1994 restarted the production,
Very fragrant with a little sweet pork fat note on the nose that is joined by aromas of dried flowers with a grassy edge with lots of salt and rosemary on the nose making this almost a marinade in the mouth. A touch of dissolved gas adds a hint of early petillance. Super acids support lots of bright citrusy fruit in the mouth with a hint of rubber band on the mid palate with green fruit highlights. Good length and drive, with real energy on the palate, the fruit is more green apple this year, with just a lovely finish, this has a touch of Muscadet to it, but more body and complexity than your typical Muscadet. This is a great showing. 93pts
2010 Elvio Cogno Anas cetta 13%
Lovely golden color still with green reflections, deep and complex on the nose, with gentle hints of beeswax, sweet fruit, golden apple,heather and white flowers and a touch of flint. Bright, mineral, and a little salty on entry but very metallic, muscular and energetic in the mouth with clean fruit and good acidic drive. Still lots of life left, crab apple toned fruit, real mineral base here with some green apricot tones on the finish. It’s very complex and nuanced, and very different from the younger version. This is a white to age and to follow. 91pts
2016 Elvio Cogno Dolcetto d’Alba 14%
3-4 days on the skins
A little subdued but complex on the nose with nuanced violet, earth, and fine black berry fruit undertones on the nose. Lots of acid and supple tannins lands this a restrained and elegant feel. A real Dolcetto made in a. fresh style with a slightly modern character. Great purity and cut on the palate with lovely ripe fruit that is quite pretty, which is rare for Dolcetto. With fine inner mouth perfumes, plum and blueberry come together on the palate in a very delicate way with no sign of extra ripeness or alcohol. This is acid driven with the finest of tannins, fairly long and slightly earthy. 91pts
2016 Elvio Cogno Langhe Nebbiolo Montegrilli 14%
Not a small barolo, should be not too expensive, drinkable, SS for a lot fresh aromas, very versatile, universal, also fish no problem, shooting for elegant style, not heavy, a little like Pinot Noir and Grenache, a little carbon is maceration, 40% whole cluster the rest is pressed very softly,
2013 only nebbiolo, initially just a touch of carbonic, increased each year, now they are comfortable with the percent not producing a wine that is too simple by increasing,
Reticent on the nose with hints of rose petals, sandalwood, and a suggestion of apple stems with a wash of powdery red cherry fruit. Turns very floral in the mouth, fresh and bright but with some gravitas.This has a, lacy tannic richness, dusty minerality and the purest most tender of fruit. So delicate yet so complex with the tannins so well measured. Dusty limestone tannins lend it such a vivid nature in the mouth with fruit that is persistent and delicate. OMG this is arguably the best bistro wine ever. Stunningly good wine this price point, buy it by the case. 92pts
This is the first, fifteen is good but not these tannins
2015 Elvio Cogno Barbera d'Alba Bricco dei Merli 14.5%
One year in botte, 15-25 Hl
Strives fora good balance between wood and acidity
This is incredibly fragrant, I can smell this from quite a distance with its cocoa dusted and slightly creamy blend of dark berry and black cherry fruit. Gauzy and fine, showing a certain restraint, this is a fabulous showing. So fine, deep and rich in the mouth and yet remaining elegant, man this is fresh on the palate, a touch salty, layered and ultra refined with acids that are real Barbera but so well integrated. A top Barbera, the finish is stunningly pure, a strong showing, texturally perfect, hard to imagine a better Barbera. 95pts
2014 Elvio Cogno Barbaresco Bordini 14.5%
Neive cru more elegant
A bit evolved on the nose with notes of carob and tea, sweet tobacco, very complex with nice red fruit as well and an interesting mineral and almost marine accent. Enters the mouth with really fresh fruit, totally supported by bright but not tart acids, turning more minerality and savory across the midpalate with forest floor notes that ebb and flow across the palate. Not big by any means but fills the mouth with fine cherry fruit and leafy accent notes supported by fine grained, dusty tannins. Fragrant red currant and cranberry berry fruit lingers on the long finish with lovely ripe tannins. This has a lovely core of fruit, just a lovely refined and nuanced bottle with great freshness to the vivid wild raspberry fruit. With air this turns cleaner and more precise. 91pts
2013 Elvio Cogno Barolo Cascina Nuova 14.5%
Recalls 99 as a style, it's powerful and fresh
15-16 yo Lampia Michet more than thirty five days, two years in botte slavonian not toasted, these are newer hybrid clones
Tight, pure and fresh on the nose filled with rose petals a little mint, wildflowers, and wild strawberry. Elegant and fine, this really fills the mouth with breadth, fine grained tannins, supportive acids, unevolved, but fine elegance and balance. Another refined wine with just terrific fresh mouthfeel, this is so pretty, the potential shows most strongly on the finish which is long with a gentle spice to it, real fresh crushed berry fruit, again there's a particularly fresh raspberry/strawb quality to it. Great length, with dusty tannins contributing to the length and gorgeous minerality. , I expect this will gain complexity with age but even already the freshness is impressive, there's real depth on the palate as well. As complete a wine as you can expect. 93pts
2013 Elvio Cogno Barolo Ravera 14.5%
70 years old, Lampia and Michet original clones,
Taken to another level aromatically, there's richness behind the fruit, a depth to this on the nose full of burnished fruit and a core of balsamic spice, a touch medicinal even in a good way, just lending nuance and serving as a counterpoint to the sweetness of the fruit. Moderately high acid lends this lovely freshness. This is very young with power that arrives vertically and later on the palate than the Cascina Nuova, a more precise, tauter wine, more tannic as well with a chewiness late on the palate and noble if austere tannins on the moderately long finish. The nose gains a hint of gunpowder with air. A grand vin indeed. 95pts
2012 Barolo Ravera Bricco Pernice 14.5%
4000 bottles.
Three years in wood,
The extra ageing shows here with a little sweetness to the hints of apricot, red fruit and fresh bay leaf on the nose. So well knit, just a fine texture with tart red fruit flavors and tannins that are more important and tend to dominate the finish, which shows good length with fine rose inflected inner mouth perfumes on the backend. A powerful wine, lacks the sheer elegance of the 13s, a more chunky and angular vintage, the nose is very pretty though and that front loaded fruit is gorgeous, then there's that little misfire between front and back palate that is so typical of the vintage. 91pts
2011 Elvio Cogno Barolo Ravera Riserva Vigna Elena 15%
27 years
A touch darker than usual
An explosion of fruit, truffle,Iris, ginseng, a hint of dried rosepetal, spice perhaps and a touch of meat juice all explode on the nose. This is bordering on opulent, filling the mouth, though remains light on its feet. Fruit first, just gorgeous fruit, dances across the palate with layers of truffle, meat juice, and dark fruit flavors. Open knit but not loose at all, elegant and fine with acid driving the juicy fruit flavors. A joyful wine, weightless but powerful, a ballerina of a wine already so enjoyable but this is very young with a richness on the backend and this really impressive incipient complexity. Absolutely terrific. 95pts
2014 Elvio Cogno Barolo Ravera from the botte.
Fruit and spice greet nose with a hint of red licorice. Juicy and nuanced in the mouth with lovely dried herbal overtones and a bit of medicinal mineral spice. Rather high in acid, and linear in the mouth but already complex and complete. It has distinct cool vintage character throughout, ripe tannins, beautiful fruit on the palate, small scaled, compact and clean but elegant and fine with persistence to the fruit. Cut from classic cloth this has lean power with a subtle yet refreshing evergreen note. 88-90pts