Molino, Ernesto
April 2023 visit
2021 Ernesto Molino Langhe Nebbiolo 13.5%
One week around 21 degrees, ss, one small part goes in barrel, 40 years old with some replanted in 1995
Super pale color, very floral and delicate, white flowers, very high toned, very cool and precise smelling. A hint of smokiness, fruit grows in the glass a little yellow currant, lingonberry, light, bright so zesty high acid yet with totally sweet/tart fruit. Wow this is zesty, lots of energy, lots of ripe tannins a little brown fruit accente to the very bright red fruits, the finish is long and shows more glycerin ripeness, that incredible nervosity, the freshest Langhe Nebbiolo of the trip 93pts
2019 Ernesto Molino Barolo Bricco Rocca
Open top fermenters 500l-700l , 18 months in wood, sandy soil towards the bottom lends tenderness to the tannins
Very cool aromatics, some jammy wild berry fruits but mostly, soil, drying herbs, dried wild flowers, white soil and clay, nettles and a hint of artichoke. Lovely, warm and open for the vintage up front then austere and noble, generous if not flamboyant, really very poised with good cut and noble tannins, has a deep core of ripe fruit, a very reserved example, terrific balance, still quite short, but lengthening. 93pts
2017 Ernesto Molino Barolo Riserva del Fico. 15%
Big barrel open top fermenters, similar to Bricco Rocca, top of hill, less water, ripens a bit earlier, 24 months in oak
Subtle, elegant, no sense of heat, complex, transparent soil driven, aromatics a hint of red berry fruit, so impressive, transparent, gorgeous wine, one of the top 2017s, it’s finely textured, gorgeous mouthfeel, very La Morra, silky and elegant, long with a cinnamon spice accent on the subtle finish, excellent acidity on the finish, tannins are abundant but pretty silky, slow to emerge inner mouth perfumes, orange rind, some dried cherry accents perhaps a bit of rosehip, lovely wine. 93pts
2020 Ernesto Molino Barbera d’Alba Melia 16%
70 yo vines, 1000 bottles, small bunches, low yields, from the wrong side of Bruante, Boiolo
Lots of black cherry fruit, plums, quite spiced, a hint of ivy, quite fresh and pure round, very generous in the mouth, ripe with just enough residual sugar to balance the acidity which is not terribly high, has picked up some wood tannin, surprisingly well balanced, fruity but not sweet even from the high alcohol, it is warm and generous, and warms the throat and stomach, dry, with a balance of alcohol and acid, there’s a wood spice note that emerges on the nose lending complexity but also robs it of its purity, it’s a statment wine but at the end of the day it is a definite outlier, make some wild boar stew, sit by the fire and get drunk and fed. 88pts
2021 Ernesto Molino Langhe Nebbiolo 13.5%
One week around 21 degrees, ss, one small part goes in barrel, 40 years old with some replanted in 1995
Super pale color, very floral and delicate, white flowers, very high toned, very cool and precise smelling. A hint of smokiness, fruit grows in the glass a little yellow currant, lingonberry, light, bright so zesty high acid yet with totally sweet/tart fruit. Wow this is zesty, lots of energy, lots of ripe tannins a little brown fruit accente to the very bright red fruits, the finish is long and shows more glycerin ripeness, that incredible nervosity, the freshest Langhe Nebbiolo of the trip 93pts
2019 Ernesto Molino Barolo Bricco Rocca
Open top fermenters 500l-700l , 18 months in wood, sandy soil towards the bottom lends tenderness to the tannins
Very cool aromatics, some jammy wild berry fruits but mostly, soil, drying herbs, dried wild flowers, white soil and clay, nettles and a hint of artichoke. Lovely, warm and open for the vintage up front then austere and noble, generous if not flamboyant, really very poised with good cut and noble tannins, has a deep core of ripe fruit, a very reserved example, terrific balance, still quite short, but lengthening. 93pts
2017 Ernesto Molino Barolo Riserva del Fico. 15%
Big barrel open top fermenters, similar to Bricco Rocca, top of hill, less water, ripens a bit earlier, 24 months in oak
Subtle, elegant, no sense of heat, complex, transparent soil driven, aromatics a hint of red berry fruit, so impressive, transparent, gorgeous wine, one of the top 2017s, it’s finely textured, gorgeous mouthfeel, very La Morra, silky and elegant, long with a cinnamon spice accent on the subtle finish, excellent acidity on the finish, tannins are abundant but pretty silky, slow to emerge inner mouth perfumes, orange rind, some dried cherry accents perhaps a bit of rosehip, lovely wine. 93pts
2020 Ernesto Molino Barbera d’Alba Melia 16%
70 yo vines, 1000 bottles, small bunches, low yields, from the wrong side of Bruante, Boiolo
Lots of black cherry fruit, plums, quite spiced, a hint of ivy, quite fresh and pure round, very generous in the mouth, ripe with just enough residual sugar to balance the acidity which is not terribly high, has picked up some wood tannin, surprisingly well balanced, fruity but not sweet even from the high alcohol, it is warm and generous, and warms the throat and stomach, dry, with a balance of alcohol and acid, there’s a wood spice note that emerges on the nose lending complexity but also robs it of its purity, it’s a statment wine but at the end of the day it is a definite outlier, make some wild boar stew, sit by the fire and get drunk and fed. 88pts