Roddolo, Flavio
1909 grandfather, 12h 6 under vine, sponti, 20-25 days four years in wood, makes two Botte of dolcetto but they don't remain the same, change the vineyard, change the quality, either he makes a blend of both, or he makes this selection to produce two types of dolcetto dolcetto only inox, superior sees one more year , 3k botte are ten years old,
2013 Flavio Roddolo Dolcetto d'Alba 13.5
Vinous on the nose, not fruity in style, though rich with perfumes of iris, violet, and bitter almond, all lifted with a touch of va. This is what Dolcetto was, round and supple in the mouth,slightly dried plummy fruit with balanced acids keeping this juicy, and deep with a hint of Monforte vegetal. There's a nice clay mineral note here and dusty tannins that drive the rather long and savory finish. 88pts
2012 Flavio Roddolo Dolcetto d'Alba Superiore 14%
Rather ethereal on the nose with aromas of old wood, certainly purer on the nose than the base Dolcetto and very violet extract driven. Supple, almost loose in the mouth, but it has plenty of acidity,. A rather lean effort, in light of the vintage it is a success but it's dominated by bitter almond and slightly vegetal flavors though it does have fine depth and impressive minerality in the mouth. Long and a bit firm on the finish. 87pts
2009 Flavio Roddolo Barbera d'Alba 14%
Fairly leathery and subtly but firmly bretty on the nose. This is a little too shitty for me to get much more, there is underlying fruit and flowers but only hints. Lovely on entry if a bit compressed in the mouth. There’s nice interplay between the bit of fruit sweetness and good refreshing acids on the palate. Nice length with red plum fruit emerging on the long finish along with hints of eucalyptus and violet pastille. Pleasant but the nose is not generous, except with stinkiness, and the palate remains a bit compressed. 83pts
2010 Flavio Roddolo Nebbiolo d'Alba 14.5%
25 days skin contact
Aged a part in botte a part in very well used 20-25 year old barrique
Dark cherry in alcohol and olive wood aromas greet the nose with a darker, dried black olive note and oily herbs emerging with air. Finely textured, fairly taut in the mouth and transparent with bright raspberry fruit on entry. Juicy and layered with impressive depth of fruit framed by nuanced braised greens note anchoring the palate. Tannins are ripe and round. This is long with real aromatic persistence to the crisp fruit with a clay mineral finale. 93pts
2010 Flavio Roddolo Barolo Ravera 15%
A bit dirty on the nose with lots of braised herbs and greens character along with hints of tar, clay, a little va, and something that really does smell like uric acid. Air helps clean this up with solid wild cherry and rose petal aromas emerging slowly. Incredibly well knit in the mouth, the tannins emerge late on the palate which shows good depth if a bit dry on the finish. Subtle and a bit dark in the mouth, and very tannic in the end. There's a noticeable volatility here, particularly on the finish, which is a bit clipped.The empty glass is very floral, this needs tons of time but shows promise even though the volatility is troubling. 87pts
2006 Flavio Roddolo Appiani 14.5%
A fine blend of earth, dark currant fruit and dried chile aromas with a hint of old wood here as well. Big in the mouth but smooth and polished, almost juicy even with lovely depth of fruit and complexity with minty overtones in the mouth, turning tannic and clay driven on the backend. Pretty impressive Cabernet, chewy, dense but fresh and complex with more savory nuance than you are bound to find in areas more commonly associated with Cabernet. This bottle had been opened for a couple of days before tasting so judgement partially reserved but this is terrific Cabernet 91-93pts
2013 Flavio Roddolo Dolcetto d'Alba 13.5
Vinous on the nose, not fruity in style, though rich with perfumes of iris, violet, and bitter almond, all lifted with a touch of va. This is what Dolcetto was, round and supple in the mouth,slightly dried plummy fruit with balanced acids keeping this juicy, and deep with a hint of Monforte vegetal. There's a nice clay mineral note here and dusty tannins that drive the rather long and savory finish. 88pts
2012 Flavio Roddolo Dolcetto d'Alba Superiore 14%
Rather ethereal on the nose with aromas of old wood, certainly purer on the nose than the base Dolcetto and very violet extract driven. Supple, almost loose in the mouth, but it has plenty of acidity,. A rather lean effort, in light of the vintage it is a success but it's dominated by bitter almond and slightly vegetal flavors though it does have fine depth and impressive minerality in the mouth. Long and a bit firm on the finish. 87pts
2009 Flavio Roddolo Barbera d'Alba 14%
Fairly leathery and subtly but firmly bretty on the nose. This is a little too shitty for me to get much more, there is underlying fruit and flowers but only hints. Lovely on entry if a bit compressed in the mouth. There’s nice interplay between the bit of fruit sweetness and good refreshing acids on the palate. Nice length with red plum fruit emerging on the long finish along with hints of eucalyptus and violet pastille. Pleasant but the nose is not generous, except with stinkiness, and the palate remains a bit compressed. 83pts
2010 Flavio Roddolo Nebbiolo d'Alba 14.5%
25 days skin contact
Aged a part in botte a part in very well used 20-25 year old barrique
Dark cherry in alcohol and olive wood aromas greet the nose with a darker, dried black olive note and oily herbs emerging with air. Finely textured, fairly taut in the mouth and transparent with bright raspberry fruit on entry. Juicy and layered with impressive depth of fruit framed by nuanced braised greens note anchoring the palate. Tannins are ripe and round. This is long with real aromatic persistence to the crisp fruit with a clay mineral finale. 93pts
2010 Flavio Roddolo Barolo Ravera 15%
A bit dirty on the nose with lots of braised herbs and greens character along with hints of tar, clay, a little va, and something that really does smell like uric acid. Air helps clean this up with solid wild cherry and rose petal aromas emerging slowly. Incredibly well knit in the mouth, the tannins emerge late on the palate which shows good depth if a bit dry on the finish. Subtle and a bit dark in the mouth, and very tannic in the end. There's a noticeable volatility here, particularly on the finish, which is a bit clipped.The empty glass is very floral, this needs tons of time but shows promise even though the volatility is troubling. 87pts
2006 Flavio Roddolo Appiani 14.5%
A fine blend of earth, dark currant fruit and dried chile aromas with a hint of old wood here as well. Big in the mouth but smooth and polished, almost juicy even with lovely depth of fruit and complexity with minty overtones in the mouth, turning tannic and clay driven on the backend. Pretty impressive Cabernet, chewy, dense but fresh and complex with more savory nuance than you are bound to find in areas more commonly associated with Cabernet. This bottle had been opened for a couple of days before tasting so judgement partially reserved but this is terrific Cabernet 91-93pts