Red Wine

The 2020 Pinot Noir La Colline du Château is from two blocks on the lower part of the Schlossberg Grand Cru, on granite, from 50-60-year-old vines. This was made with 50% whole bunches and spent two years in just 20% of new oak. A reasonably deep color points to some sumptuousness. The nose holds red and black berries and some notions of mocha. The palate is fresher yet brimming with ripe red, juicy cherry; this is very 2020. The tannins are ripe, velvety and smooth, but they also provide some structure and freshness to counter some alcoholic power. The finish is bone-dry and has a beautiful, streamlined focus. (Bone-dry)

The 2016 Barolo Pajana is ample, powerful and resonant, with terrific body and a real sense of expansiveness that builds with time in the glass. Sweet spice, citrus and floral overtones add brightness to this attractive, mid-weight Barolo. The 2016 is deep and yet also tannic. I would prefer to cellar it for at least a few years.

The 2016 Barolo Cerequio is a big, powerful wine. Chiarlo has chosen to bring out a bit more power and density than Cerequio seems naturally predisposed to, but it all works well. Black cherry, spice, leather, licorice and menthol all flesh out with some coaxing. The new oak tannins are pushed to the maximum, but it all works.

The 2016 Barolo Mosconi is a gorgeous wine made all the more remarkable given that Mosconi can't really be said to be a top-level site. Dark and imposing, the 2016 captures all the breadth and tannic clout that are such signatures of this site. This is an especially brooding, virile Barolo, but Chiara and Giorgio Boschis clearly brought out all the best the vineyard had to give.

There’s so much to love about the 2019 Saint-Joseph Vignes de l'Hospice. Prominent menthol, pencil shavings, blackberry compote, delicate wood smoke and crushed violets enter the stage. Sexy and polished, the 2019 sports excellent flavor concentration and wraps it all up in a resonant finale. Give it another two years in bottle.

Scavino’s 2016 Barolo Ravera is another highlight in this range. Tense, brilliant and finely sculpted, the 2016 has so much going on. Crushed flowers, iron, mint and cedar add beguiling aromatic breadth to a core of translucent, intense Nebbiolo fruit. The 2016 really captures the energy that makes wines from this site so distinctive. The 2016 was fermented in stainless steel and aged entirely in cask.

The 2016 Barolo Cannubi captures the essence of this site in the generous style that is such a Chiarlo signature. Freshly cut flowers, sweet red fruit, mint, white pepper and cinnamon are some of the many notes that grace this silky, supple Barolo. The Cannubi can be enjoyed with minimal cellaring, but it also has enough pedigree to drink nicely for at least a number of years to come. It is one of the finer wines I have tasted from Chiarlo in some time.

The 2016 Barolo Gavarini Chiniera is a vibrant, massively tannic, austere wine, the likes of which I have never tasted here before. Vertical and explosive in the glass with tons of pure power, the 2016 Gavarini Chiniera is a gorgeous Barolo that is going to need a number of years to be at its best. Swaths of tannin wrap around a core of sweet red cherry fruit. White pepper, mint, orange peel and floral notes develop a bit later, but the 2016 remains reticent and inward, with brilliant acids and tannins that dominate today. The 2016 is a striking wine, but it is going to require considerable patience.

The 2017 Palafreno, 100% Merlot, from vineyards in Greve, is a wild, exotic wine that marries the natural richness of the year with the structure of this site. Blackberry, licorice, cloves and menthol all build in a resonant, super-expressive Merlot that will tempt readers with its considerable powers of seduction. The 2017 is classy and supremely elegant. Even so, I wouldn't think of touching a bottle any time soon.

The 2016 Barolo Bussia is explosive, vibrant and full of energy. Bright saline notes give the Barolo Bussia great tension and sheer drive. Deceptively medium in body the Bussia is also incredibly distinctive. Its rich, vivid flavors are so finely sculpted. In this range, the Bussia is distinguished by its mid-palate sweetness and that creaminess that is so common in the best Bussia Barolos. I love the vibrancy here.

The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova drawing you in with a display of exotic brown spice, mint and cedar dust. Further coaxing unlocks depths of cherry, plum, hints of dark chocolate and roses. It coasts along a medium-bodied frame with velvety richness, complemented by polished red and black fruits while contrasted by brisk acids and hints of sour citrus. This coats the teeth in concentration, as if you can feel the pulp, seeds and skins of its fruit, while a layer of fine tannin slowly grounds you back to earth. The Tenuta Nuova already has so much to give, yet it will be many years before it reaches its apex. Wow. Thinking back to my tasting of the 2015, I can’t say that the 2016 is necessarily a better wine, just a little less immediate. Either way, both wines are beautiful expressions of vintage.

The 2016 Barolo Campè is superb. Dark, potent and powerful, the 2016 possesses tremendous intensity to match its dark, virile personality. More than anything else, in 2016 the Campè offers a captivating interplay of fruit and structure. The 2016 is not a shy wine; rather it is rich and hedonistic to the core, while maintaining a striking sense of translucence. Black cherry, chocolate, espresso, licorice and clove all build into the huge finish. In a word: Superb. In 2016 Giorgio Rivetti and his team made a Barolo with a sense of classicism I have never seen before to this degree in a La Spinetta wine.

The 2016 Pommard Clos des Epenots 1er Cru offers a mixture of red and blue fruit on the nose, floral with hints of pressed violets and iris, quite pure and demonstrating very well integrated oak. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe, succulent tannin that insistently grips. Just a slight chewiness towards the finish and yet there is a satisfying degree of elegance and poise throughout this Pommard. Excellent. Tasted blind at the 2016 Burgfest tasting.