• Barolo,  Cellar Selection,  Italy,  Nebbiolo

    Cellar Selection

    Pio Cesare 2012 Barolo The Pio Cesare Winery was founded in 1881 by Cesare Pio.  He was one of the very first wine producers to believe in the great potential and quality of Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera and in the other great wines of Piemonte.  Cesare Pio in the second half of the 1800s, was among the very first winemakers to produce these wines with a philosophy that was dedicated to the terroir and the strictest quality of the wine.  For five generations, the Pio Cesare family has been producing traditional Piemontese wines in its ancient cellars, located in the center of the town of Alba.  The cellars walls date back…

  • Barolo,  Cellar Selection,  Italy,  Nebbiolo

    Cellar Selection

               Domenico Clerico Aeroplanservaj Barolo 2010 Domenico Clerico spends his days among the vineyards of Monforte’s Crus, as he has been doing for years. In 1976 this Piedmont producer took the reins of the family winery and dedicated himself exclusively to the production of great wines, and acquired some of the most highly-rated parcels of the Monforte Crus. Aeroplanservaj (“wild aeroplane”), is the nickname his father gave him when he was little and in his fantasy world imagined himself flying high above the vines. Only produced in the best vintage years, it’s a Barolo that starts life in a vineyard with east/south-easterly sun exposure in Serralunga d’Alba. The soil composition,…

  • Barolo,  Cellar Selection,  Italy,  Nebbiolo

    Cellar Selection

    Renato Ratti 2009 Barolo Rocche In 1934 Renato Ratti is born. After studying enology in Alba, he “emigrates” to Brazil where he is put in charge of the production of Vermouths and sparkling wines for Cinzano of Sao Paolo. The experiences gained operating in such a vast, and challenging country as Brazil will prove fundamental in the development of an innovative outlook, one that will characterize his later work back in the hills of Piedmont’s Langhe region. In 1965 Renato Ratti returns to Piedmont and buys his first vineyard for the production of Barolo: a small plot in the historical zone of Marcenasco, right below the Abbey of L’Annunziata (Our…

  • Barolo,  Cellar Selection,  Italy,  Nebbiolo

    Cellar Selection

    Michele Chiarlo 2009 Barolo Tortoniano The Chiarlo style has always that of producing greatly elegant and complex wines with a tendency to excellent longevity and at the same time, featuring all the characteristics of the vineyards and soil from which they claim their origin. In the cellar, winemakers Stefano Chiarlo and Gianni Meleni pursue the goal of being faithful to the Chiarlo style: a moderate and careful use of wood for their red wines so that the varietal and the soil characteristics remain evident. Michele Chiarlo worked tenaciously together with other prestigious producers to raise the level of the noble Barolo, making it less austere and with smoother tannins, but…

  • Barolo,  Cellar Selection,  Italy,  Nebbiolo

    Cellar Selection

    Renato Ratti 2009 Barolo Marcenasco In 1934 Renato Ratti is born. After studying enology in Alba he “emigrates” to Brazil where he is put in charge of the production of Vermouths and sparkling wines for Cinzano of Sao Paolo. The experiences gained operating in such a vast, and challenging country as Brazil will prove fundamental in the development of an innovative outlook, one that will characterize his later work back in the hills of Piedmont’s Langhe region. In 1965 Renato Ratti returns to Piedmont and buys his first vineyard for the production of Barolo: a small plot in the historical zone of Marcenasco, right below the Abbey of L’Annunziata (Our…

  • Barolo,  Cellar Selection,  Italy,  Nebbiolo

    Cellar Selection

    Serradenari 2005 Barolo The name of the farmhouse, Serradenari, harks back to centuries ago, when the Black Death forced the peasants of Barolo and La Morra to leave their lands and take refuge on the crest, taking with them all their savings – hence, the name Serradenari, from “Sara D’nè,” which in the local dialect means “sierra of money.” The Diatto-Negri family has owned Serradenari since the late 19th century, they were entrepreneurs in Turin, where they produced Italy’s first automobile in the late 1800s, and Serradenari was their country estate. But year after year the Diatto-Negri family started exporting the wine it produced almost as a hobby. It was…

  • Barolo,  Italy,  Nebbiolo,  Restaurant Selection

    Restaurant Selection

    Fratelli Alessandria 2005 Barolo Monvigliero Fratelli Alessandria produces wines only from their own grapes and continues to manage the winery as a family run operation.  Fratelli Alessandria is owned by Gian Battista together with his wife Flavia, his brother Alessandro and his son Vittore.  Together they proudly carry on their ancestors’ tradition and passion for wine making.  Gian Battista’s belief is that “A great wine comes from a great vineyard”, and he personally takes care of the vineyards. Fratelli Alessandria Barolo Monvigliero has been aged for at least two years in oak and six months in the bottle before release.  The Nebbiolo grapes used in this vintage comes from vines…

  • Barolo,  Cellar Selection,  Italy,  Nebbiolo

    Cellar Selection

    Pio Cesare 2009 Barolo The Pio Cesare Winery was founded in 1881 by Cesare Pio. He was one of the very first wine producers to believe in the great potential and quality of Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera and in the other great wines of Piemonte. Cesare Pio in the second half of the 1800s, was among the very first winemakers to produce these wines with a philosophy that was dedicated to the terroir and the strictest quality of the wine. For five generations, the Pio Cesare family has been producing traditional Piemontese wines in its ancient cellars, located in the center of the town of Alba. The cellars walls date back…

  • Barolo,  Italy,  Nebbiolo,  Weekend Selection

    Weekend Selection

    Damilano 2009 Barolo Lecinquevigne The Damilano Wine Company, one of the oldest wineries in Barolo, dates back to 1890 when Giuseppe Borgogno, the great grandfather of the current owners, began to vinify his own estate.  The town of Barolo resides in the lavish and beautiful Langhe region, which basically produce Nebbiolo wines, including Barolo.  Barolo, known as the “king of wines”, because of the uniqueness of the Nebbiolo grape and its balance of acidity and tannins combined with remarkable flavor and delicacy.  Damilano produces wines that are celebrated for their unmatched style and the tradition is carried on by Paolo, Mario and Guido Damilano, the fourth generation.  Together they have…

  • Nebbiolo,  Weekend Selection

    Weekend Selection

    Valadoria, Serralunga d’Alba, 2007 Barolo Visiting with my daughter Christine, she called me at the last minute and wanted a Barolo.  Not having immediate access to my cellar, I stopped at a wine shop (not my usual place) and began looking for something nice and approachable to drink now.  When I came across this Barolo from Valadoria, I said Eureka!  It’s been a while since I tried one, but remembered it’s an approachable wine from a notable producer, the Lanzavecchia Family, at a reasonable price.  Check out their website as they have an English translation as well.  You will see that their wine making dates back to the beginning of…