Barolo Bingo

The Chairman decided to bring a Barolo to the annual fine dinner, but wondered if it would be the only Piedmont wine, as Burgundy rules at the Nessie’s household.  He needed not to have worried as most Pinot Noir fans are also Nebbiolo fans too.  His wine, a 2011 vintage was match by another 2011 Barolo – bingo!

The two Barolos were a contrast in style.  The Chairman’s 2011 Vietti ‘Castiglione Falletto’ Barolo was a study in the modern style, fruit from a number of vineyards, and the wine aged 24 months in cask, whereas the 2011 Cavallotto ‘Riserva Bricco Bochis’ Barolo was a hark back to tradition, a single vineyard wine, aged 4-5 years in Slavonian oak botti.  The Vietti was about elegance, bright and fresh fruit, and a spring in its step, whereas the Cavallotto had depth and breadth, and a brooding disposition.  Yet in some ways, the wines were more similar than dissimilar.  Surprisingly, the tannins were tame, and both wines were quite accessible and enjoyable now.  Most of us who have tried a selection of Barolo are aware of how fiercely the extraction can be, and such wines need time to mellow.  The fruit characters were in the same camp – dark red and black fruits, a touch of oak in the Vietti, or so it seemed, with the more savoury big format flavours in the Cavallotto, but not worlds apart as modern and traditional could be.  Lovely rich fruit, more savoury and spicy than floral and faded roses.  Both exhibited very fine-grained tannins, and the Vietti a tad more acidity, but then the Cavallotto more density and blacker fruit.

These were both delicious and when a vote was asked for a favourite, it was pretty even, with maybe one or two of the dozen drinkers giving the nod to the Vietti.  My vote went to tradition.