Germano, Ettore
From an onsite visit March 2017
It admittedly has been a long time since I’ve tried the wines of Ettore Germano and this visit proved that it was long overdue. Certainly one of the most interesting and exciting visits I've had in the region in quite some time. This is one of the very few cantine where one can not only find a truly complete line-up of wines, sparklers to traditional barolo, but also find experimental lots and wine fermenting in eggs. One of the most interesting moments of my visit was being afforded the opportunity to try three vintages of Vigna Rionda from botte. Well enough in 14, complete, bright and complex in 15, and with added power in 16. Wines well worth keeping an eye out for, but that should not be news. The current line-up of Barolo on offer here is really quite strong, traditional but with intensity of fruit and perfumes that make the wines almost drinkable already.
This year Sergio will begin to test organic farming
2013 Ettore Germano Alta Langa Brut
80% Pinot Noir fermented in inox, rest Chardonnay fermented in tonneaux, first vintage was 2003. Adds one gram RS at degorgement.
Lovely fruit on the nose, a hint of spice graces fresh yeast dough and sweet yellow fruit aromas framed with a hint of sage. Bright acids in the mouth, juicy, not complicated but delicious and fruit driven, Upright on the palate, has a firm core and vibrant fruit,yet marries delicacy and power. 88pts
Ettore Germano Rossana Brut Rose
Nebbiolo, 18 months on lees as opposed to the 3 years required by law for Alta Langa to preserve the fruit character and freshness, no maceration just a slow pressing.
Delicately aromatic with hints of dusty rose petals and strawberry fruit on the nose. Firm, lean, elegant in the mouth with nice hints of red sour cherry fruit over lightly tannic, dusty, and chalky soil driven flavors. There’s good length,and great cut on the palate, a nice contrast to the more opulent and fruitier Brut. 90pts
2015 Ettore Germano Langhe Chardonnay 12.5%
Fermented and aged in inox, spending six months on lees with no more than 20% going through malo
Since 1988 this has always seen only inox.
Smoky on the nose, dried pear fruit, round, minerally and lively in the mouth. This offers up a lovely blend of fruitiness and freshness, with good length but is straightforward and a bit simple. 86pts
2015 Ettore Germano Nascetta
Five days on the skins with pumping over
Has that mineral, bacon fat, dried parchment aroma that I find in almost all examples of this variety. Chalky and slightly rubbery on the nose, almost like white pinotage.Intense in the mouth, the palate mimics the nose, with clay soil tones,and savory flavors. There’s a fine, bright. mineral finish rich with dried herbs, yet something unique and almost off putting here. Hints of heather and a whisper of tannin grace the finale. A divisive wine that I want to like more but I find it hard to fall for Nascetta. Obviously well made though and more complex than the Chardonnay. With air this brightens up considerably on the nose showing great freshness with floral and apricot notes on the palate, gains some richness and length as well. 88pts
2014 Ettore Germano Binel
Almost 90 Chardonnay the rest Riesling, half aged in wood, half in inox
This comes from the older Chardonnay vines, harvested a week after than fruit used for the Chardonnay to give the wine its richness and big fruit, 550 meters for this with soils that are stoney so they drained well,
Smells sweetly of vanilla dusted yellow fruits topped with confectioners sugar. In the mouth there is a touch of sweetness, lending this roundness and highlighting the sweet fruit flavors, finishes clean and bright and acid driven with more of a dusty, almost sandy mineral base note blending with hints of dried grasses and a subtle toast note. 87pts
2015 Ettore Germano Herzu
Riesling, in inox spending 6 months on the lees
5 grams of RS
Delicate, dusty, seems like one can smell the soil here layered under delicate floral notes with hints of candied lemon zest and earl grey tea. Round and opulent in the mouth, almost sweet with a sweet candied apricot and citrus palate, but this has polyphenolic bitterness that recalls wildflower pollen and honeycomb serving as contrast to the fruit and emerging gently on the finish which is driven by huge acidity. This is a big wine, but it has great balance. Chalky from the mid palate through the relatively long, somewhat sugar lengthened finish which ends with a buzzing energy and vibrancy from all the acid here. Totally fascinating wine. 91pts
2015 Ettore Germano Lorenzino Dolcetto 12.5%
Ferments for 4-5 days at 25C in inox
Still has fermentation aromas,along with bitter almond, soil tones, and jammy frutti del Bosco notes. Light but fruity in style, very classic, not too acidic but bright with a nice earthy base, plummy fruit, a bit of tannin, particularly on the finish. This is darker in profile and slightly more tannic, and denser than one might expect from the nose but that might just be the strength of the vintage showing through. The nose gains a lovely floral component, though in the mouth this remains just a little less bright than I prefer. 87pts
2015 Ettore Germano Barbera d'Alba 13%
Lovely and precise aromas of plum skin, freshly tilled earth and elegant floral notes grace the nose. This is also a touch chunky and powerful, very Serralunga in nature and obviously a ripe vintage yet it remains somewhat elegant.. There is lovely balance here with a slinky texture on the palate, this just glides across the palate, remaining elegant with bright red, plummy fruit and bright acids emerging on the finish, which is moderately long. Really lovely purity 90pts
2013 Barbera d'Alba Superiore. Vigna della Madre 14%
Aged in used barrique and tonneaux of 700l
Pencil shavings and dark fruit are very well married on the nose and yes, while it's obviously somewhat oaky the wood is not not covering the fruit, framing it instead. Soft, powerful, and fruit driven in the mouth, there’s a lovely texture here, again a fairly elegant rendition though this is more complex and powerful than the Barbera d’Alba with fine depth on the palate, good length, and a sense of purity and vibrancy on the finish, Acid is present but not intrusive, and the nose grows with air turning more rose petal scented and floral with a touch of wood tannin lending grab to the finish. All in all a lovey wine, and in many way better than the Barbera d’Alba, but not as fun and easy to drink. It is more serious. 90pts
2015 Ettore Germano Langhe Nebbiolo 14%
4 to 5 days of skin contact followed by six months in inox
Lightly aromatic. Fresh, juicy and fruity in the mouth,a lovely wine, easy to drink with pure cherry fruit, though there is some chunkiness here today. Lovely purity but a slightly extracted feel. All cherries and rose petals on the mouth and the nose with great inner mouth perfume, this is long and supple, finely enough textured to consider serving with fish. The finish drops off a bit quickly though and this remains a bit simple but eminently drinkable. 87pts
2012 Ettore Germano Barolo Serralunga 14.5%
Produced from young vine fruit in Prapo, Cerretta, and Lazzarito
About 20 days on the skins after which it spends two years in used 700L tonneaux.
Smoky and tarry on the powerful nose with a hint of confiture to the spicy, dark berry fruit topped with gorgeous rose petal aromas. Opulent, juicy and cherry fruited in the mouth though with a fine mineral undertone. Remains long in the mouth showing some evolution already. Almost chewy but not quite, fresh, upright and tannic today with good length and fine persistence to the dark fruit leading to a clay tinged finale which shows off hints of spice and warmth. 88pts
2012 Ettore Germano Barolo Prapo 14.5%
A bit of sand in the soil which contributes to a more aromatic wine and tannins that are a bit less aggressive.
Spends about 35 days on the skins followed by two years in 20hl botte
A fine mineral framed nose, vertical and pure with fresh berry fruits, spice, tar, and India ink notes. There is a real robe of fruit covering the structure in the mouth here, impressive and delivering a lovely blend of richness and transparency on the palate with fine nuance to the cherry skin, floral, and gently medicinal flavors. This finishes with deep minerality, ripe, dusty, yet classically firm tannins, really very fine. 92pts
2012 Ettore Germano Barolo Cerretta 14,5%
Very calcareous soil,
Spends about 35 days on the skins then it’s aged for 2 years in 700L untoasted tonneaux
The ripest of the three 2012 barolos today with darker plummy fruit, hints of vanilla, dried cherry and dried strawberry and fresh tar flavors. This is tight in the mouth, still, and a bit tough with a more vertical presentation on the palate. Quite tannic in fact but long, a real powerhouse, this might be too tannic, though it finishes with attractive if subtle mint and walnut inner mouth perfumes. 90pts
2013 Barolo was bottled in August, will be on sale in September
2013 Ettore Germano Barolo Serralunga 14%
Less ripe and finer than the 2012, seemingly a real step up on the nose which is reticent yet lovely with freshness and lift that the 12 lacks though it delivers a similar cherry fruited, tarry, and slightly earthy, baked soil aromatic profile. Bright, juicy,and lively in the mouth, the palate is graced with ripe tannins, elegance, finesse, depth, and minerality, with finely ripe tannins lingering on the cleansing finish, smells of hot soil. 90pts
2013 Ettore Germano Barolo Prapo 14%
Tight but here to there is a finesse to the perfumes that makes the 12 seem a bit clumsy on the nose, tarry and smoky and topped with a hint of black pepper. Tight in the mouth but with fine balance, really love these tannins from Prapo, very ripe yet not soft. The palate shows off gorgeous black cherry skin fruit, transparent and pure with tannins really surging on the finish but never overing the intensity of the fruit, and finsihing with lovely cut on the finale. 93pts
2013 Ettore Germano Barolo Cerretta 14.5%
Dark prune, date and vanilla lace nose, rich and a bit denser, certainly denser than the 12, deep dark fruit with very Serralunga tannins that are riper than in 12 as well. The finish is tight but not overly tannic as with 12,showing good length and rich with mineral and dark fruit flavors. This is powerful and classic, a wine for the ages, drying austere, old school but with the fruit of a perfectly ripe vintage, gaining clay and smoky complexity on the finish with a hint of mint. 93pts
2001 was the beginning of long fermentation since sister got married and they couldn't get to the wines so they let them sit, feels that the development of the tannins begins in the fermentation this way and ends up as more elegant,
2011 Ettore Germano Barolo Lazzarito Riserva 14.5%
Has a lot of the blue marl, with layers of sand, almost 60 days on the lees,
Very different here a nose much more based on dried herbs, dried rose petals, a touch of iron and some icy almost ivy minty base notes. On entry there's a lovely burst of wild berry fruit, across the palate showing a very elegant character. Full of dried berry fruit, with softer tannins, good length, really quite herbal, a much more delicate wine, it really stands apart in this lineup. There’s a fine mineral base, lending this a dark almost cool dusty character typical of the vineyard then finishes with huge lingering dusty minerality and a stemmy note on the finale. This stand out so much it’s almost as if someone else made it, powerful but delicate. 94pts
It admittedly has been a long time since I’ve tried the wines of Ettore Germano and this visit proved that it was long overdue. Certainly one of the most interesting and exciting visits I've had in the region in quite some time. This is one of the very few cantine where one can not only find a truly complete line-up of wines, sparklers to traditional barolo, but also find experimental lots and wine fermenting in eggs. One of the most interesting moments of my visit was being afforded the opportunity to try three vintages of Vigna Rionda from botte. Well enough in 14, complete, bright and complex in 15, and with added power in 16. Wines well worth keeping an eye out for, but that should not be news. The current line-up of Barolo on offer here is really quite strong, traditional but with intensity of fruit and perfumes that make the wines almost drinkable already.
This year Sergio will begin to test organic farming
2013 Ettore Germano Alta Langa Brut
80% Pinot Noir fermented in inox, rest Chardonnay fermented in tonneaux, first vintage was 2003. Adds one gram RS at degorgement.
Lovely fruit on the nose, a hint of spice graces fresh yeast dough and sweet yellow fruit aromas framed with a hint of sage. Bright acids in the mouth, juicy, not complicated but delicious and fruit driven, Upright on the palate, has a firm core and vibrant fruit,yet marries delicacy and power. 88pts
Ettore Germano Rossana Brut Rose
Nebbiolo, 18 months on lees as opposed to the 3 years required by law for Alta Langa to preserve the fruit character and freshness, no maceration just a slow pressing.
Delicately aromatic with hints of dusty rose petals and strawberry fruit on the nose. Firm, lean, elegant in the mouth with nice hints of red sour cherry fruit over lightly tannic, dusty, and chalky soil driven flavors. There’s good length,and great cut on the palate, a nice contrast to the more opulent and fruitier Brut. 90pts
2015 Ettore Germano Langhe Chardonnay 12.5%
Fermented and aged in inox, spending six months on lees with no more than 20% going through malo
Since 1988 this has always seen only inox.
Smoky on the nose, dried pear fruit, round, minerally and lively in the mouth. This offers up a lovely blend of fruitiness and freshness, with good length but is straightforward and a bit simple. 86pts
2015 Ettore Germano Nascetta
Five days on the skins with pumping over
Has that mineral, bacon fat, dried parchment aroma that I find in almost all examples of this variety. Chalky and slightly rubbery on the nose, almost like white pinotage.Intense in the mouth, the palate mimics the nose, with clay soil tones,and savory flavors. There’s a fine, bright. mineral finish rich with dried herbs, yet something unique and almost off putting here. Hints of heather and a whisper of tannin grace the finale. A divisive wine that I want to like more but I find it hard to fall for Nascetta. Obviously well made though and more complex than the Chardonnay. With air this brightens up considerably on the nose showing great freshness with floral and apricot notes on the palate, gains some richness and length as well. 88pts
2014 Ettore Germano Binel
Almost 90 Chardonnay the rest Riesling, half aged in wood, half in inox
This comes from the older Chardonnay vines, harvested a week after than fruit used for the Chardonnay to give the wine its richness and big fruit, 550 meters for this with soils that are stoney so they drained well,
Smells sweetly of vanilla dusted yellow fruits topped with confectioners sugar. In the mouth there is a touch of sweetness, lending this roundness and highlighting the sweet fruit flavors, finishes clean and bright and acid driven with more of a dusty, almost sandy mineral base note blending with hints of dried grasses and a subtle toast note. 87pts
2015 Ettore Germano Herzu
Riesling, in inox spending 6 months on the lees
5 grams of RS
Delicate, dusty, seems like one can smell the soil here layered under delicate floral notes with hints of candied lemon zest and earl grey tea. Round and opulent in the mouth, almost sweet with a sweet candied apricot and citrus palate, but this has polyphenolic bitterness that recalls wildflower pollen and honeycomb serving as contrast to the fruit and emerging gently on the finish which is driven by huge acidity. This is a big wine, but it has great balance. Chalky from the mid palate through the relatively long, somewhat sugar lengthened finish which ends with a buzzing energy and vibrancy from all the acid here. Totally fascinating wine. 91pts
2015 Ettore Germano Lorenzino Dolcetto 12.5%
Ferments for 4-5 days at 25C in inox
Still has fermentation aromas,along with bitter almond, soil tones, and jammy frutti del Bosco notes. Light but fruity in style, very classic, not too acidic but bright with a nice earthy base, plummy fruit, a bit of tannin, particularly on the finish. This is darker in profile and slightly more tannic, and denser than one might expect from the nose but that might just be the strength of the vintage showing through. The nose gains a lovely floral component, though in the mouth this remains just a little less bright than I prefer. 87pts
2015 Ettore Germano Barbera d'Alba 13%
Lovely and precise aromas of plum skin, freshly tilled earth and elegant floral notes grace the nose. This is also a touch chunky and powerful, very Serralunga in nature and obviously a ripe vintage yet it remains somewhat elegant.. There is lovely balance here with a slinky texture on the palate, this just glides across the palate, remaining elegant with bright red, plummy fruit and bright acids emerging on the finish, which is moderately long. Really lovely purity 90pts
2013 Barbera d'Alba Superiore. Vigna della Madre 14%
Aged in used barrique and tonneaux of 700l
Pencil shavings and dark fruit are very well married on the nose and yes, while it's obviously somewhat oaky the wood is not not covering the fruit, framing it instead. Soft, powerful, and fruit driven in the mouth, there’s a lovely texture here, again a fairly elegant rendition though this is more complex and powerful than the Barbera d’Alba with fine depth on the palate, good length, and a sense of purity and vibrancy on the finish, Acid is present but not intrusive, and the nose grows with air turning more rose petal scented and floral with a touch of wood tannin lending grab to the finish. All in all a lovey wine, and in many way better than the Barbera d’Alba, but not as fun and easy to drink. It is more serious. 90pts
2015 Ettore Germano Langhe Nebbiolo 14%
4 to 5 days of skin contact followed by six months in inox
Lightly aromatic. Fresh, juicy and fruity in the mouth,a lovely wine, easy to drink with pure cherry fruit, though there is some chunkiness here today. Lovely purity but a slightly extracted feel. All cherries and rose petals on the mouth and the nose with great inner mouth perfume, this is long and supple, finely enough textured to consider serving with fish. The finish drops off a bit quickly though and this remains a bit simple but eminently drinkable. 87pts
2012 Ettore Germano Barolo Serralunga 14.5%
Produced from young vine fruit in Prapo, Cerretta, and Lazzarito
About 20 days on the skins after which it spends two years in used 700L tonneaux.
Smoky and tarry on the powerful nose with a hint of confiture to the spicy, dark berry fruit topped with gorgeous rose petal aromas. Opulent, juicy and cherry fruited in the mouth though with a fine mineral undertone. Remains long in the mouth showing some evolution already. Almost chewy but not quite, fresh, upright and tannic today with good length and fine persistence to the dark fruit leading to a clay tinged finale which shows off hints of spice and warmth. 88pts
2012 Ettore Germano Barolo Prapo 14.5%
A bit of sand in the soil which contributes to a more aromatic wine and tannins that are a bit less aggressive.
Spends about 35 days on the skins followed by two years in 20hl botte
A fine mineral framed nose, vertical and pure with fresh berry fruits, spice, tar, and India ink notes. There is a real robe of fruit covering the structure in the mouth here, impressive and delivering a lovely blend of richness and transparency on the palate with fine nuance to the cherry skin, floral, and gently medicinal flavors. This finishes with deep minerality, ripe, dusty, yet classically firm tannins, really very fine. 92pts
2012 Ettore Germano Barolo Cerretta 14,5%
Very calcareous soil,
Spends about 35 days on the skins then it’s aged for 2 years in 700L untoasted tonneaux
The ripest of the three 2012 barolos today with darker plummy fruit, hints of vanilla, dried cherry and dried strawberry and fresh tar flavors. This is tight in the mouth, still, and a bit tough with a more vertical presentation on the palate. Quite tannic in fact but long, a real powerhouse, this might be too tannic, though it finishes with attractive if subtle mint and walnut inner mouth perfumes. 90pts
2013 Barolo was bottled in August, will be on sale in September
2013 Ettore Germano Barolo Serralunga 14%
Less ripe and finer than the 2012, seemingly a real step up on the nose which is reticent yet lovely with freshness and lift that the 12 lacks though it delivers a similar cherry fruited, tarry, and slightly earthy, baked soil aromatic profile. Bright, juicy,and lively in the mouth, the palate is graced with ripe tannins, elegance, finesse, depth, and minerality, with finely ripe tannins lingering on the cleansing finish, smells of hot soil. 90pts
2013 Ettore Germano Barolo Prapo 14%
Tight but here to there is a finesse to the perfumes that makes the 12 seem a bit clumsy on the nose, tarry and smoky and topped with a hint of black pepper. Tight in the mouth but with fine balance, really love these tannins from Prapo, very ripe yet not soft. The palate shows off gorgeous black cherry skin fruit, transparent and pure with tannins really surging on the finish but never overing the intensity of the fruit, and finsihing with lovely cut on the finale. 93pts
2013 Ettore Germano Barolo Cerretta 14.5%
Dark prune, date and vanilla lace nose, rich and a bit denser, certainly denser than the 12, deep dark fruit with very Serralunga tannins that are riper than in 12 as well. The finish is tight but not overly tannic as with 12,showing good length and rich with mineral and dark fruit flavors. This is powerful and classic, a wine for the ages, drying austere, old school but with the fruit of a perfectly ripe vintage, gaining clay and smoky complexity on the finish with a hint of mint. 93pts
2001 was the beginning of long fermentation since sister got married and they couldn't get to the wines so they let them sit, feels that the development of the tannins begins in the fermentation this way and ends up as more elegant,
2011 Ettore Germano Barolo Lazzarito Riserva 14.5%
Has a lot of the blue marl, with layers of sand, almost 60 days on the lees,
Very different here a nose much more based on dried herbs, dried rose petals, a touch of iron and some icy almost ivy minty base notes. On entry there's a lovely burst of wild berry fruit, across the palate showing a very elegant character. Full of dried berry fruit, with softer tannins, good length, really quite herbal, a much more delicate wine, it really stands apart in this lineup. There’s a fine mineral base, lending this a dark almost cool dusty character typical of the vineyard then finishes with huge lingering dusty minerality and a stemmy note on the finale. This stand out so much it’s almost as if someone else made it, powerful but delicate. 94pts