The Resurrection of Collina Rionda

In Search of Piedmont’s Greatest Terroir

by Eric Guido (Originally published at The Cellar Table Blog)

As trends go, one which seems to have affected nearly every producer throughout Barolo is the desire to explore the terroir of Serralunga.  With nearly every visit to the region, I am told over and over again, often in hushed tones by a wide-grinned winemaker, that they are incredibly excited to be making wine from just about any vineyard in Serralunga.  In some cases, these proclamations are about vineyards that have yet to make a name for themselves or prove their worth.  However, that doesn’t matter to the lucky few who can buy or rent parcels here, because most of the region believes that Serralunga will be a big part of Barolo’s future.

Much of this has to do with consumers, who have liked what they've tasted from this village for many years now, especially as the great vintages of the last thirty years have matured into such beautiful wines, pushing their collectibility and prices through the roof. Then there’s Monfortino, produced by the Giacomo Conterno winery, one of the first wines of the region to demand prices on the same scale of the best Grand Cru Burgundy.  Of course, many wines have followed suit over the last decade or two, but Monfortino led the way, and today’s current releases nearly double or triple in price the moment they hit the secondary market.  

Then there are the vineyards, some of which are only just beginning to show what they are capable of in the right hands, and a few that history has firmly placed among the best in the village.  You can count them on one hand: Cascina Francia, Falletto, Brea, Lazzarito, and what is considered by most to be the Grand Cru of Serralunga--Vigna Rionda.

In fact, Vigna Rionda has a way of creating a fanaticism among lovers of Barolo, as they search for the best expressions from each of its many terroirs, the bottles that have made it famous, and the wines and producers that have either been obscured by the passage of time, or have only just emerged.  As these wine lovers recount the history of Vigna Rionda, they often do it with an excitement and bravado that you’d expect from a great tale or one of the most closely guarded secrets of the world.  This is the fanaticism that I speak of, and you know what, I’ve been guilty of it myself.

One such story involves what is easily one of the greatest wines ever made in all of Italy; some would even argue that it was “THE” greatest wine ever made in all of Italy: the 1989 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Collina Rionda, from the Vigna Rionda vineyard.   

For those of you that may have just found their way here without knowledge of Bruno Giacosa, he was without a doubt one of Piedmont's top winemakers for nearly fifty years.  He was a visionary, with a style that no one has been able to copy, and with an ability to find the best expositions and fruit from within any vineyard.  This was one of his greatest assets, as throughout his life, he often purchased the fruit, while working to add his own famous vineyard holdings to the portfolio, such as Falletto.  Yet it was his ability to find and purchase the best fruit that helped him to create the renowned Collina Rionda, which was only ever made in fourteen vintages, starting in 1967 and ending in 1993.  However, it was the 1989 vintage of Collina Rionda that forever sealed it in vinous history.  After 1993, Bruno Giacosa lost access to the fruit from this noble site, and so the story seemed to end.  As time passed and the vintages of Collina Rionda matured, it became obvious that Bruno had indeed found the best location within the vineyard to produce his wine.

However, my interest in Vigna Rionda was actually spurred by a different producer: Massolino. Currently run by Franco and Roberto Massolino, this family winery is the largest land-owner within the vineyard, and it makes what has become the benchmark wine from its slopes, the Vigna Rionda Riserva.  It was this wine that introduced me to what was possible here, as I searched for vintages after tasting the great bottles of ‘89, ‘90 and ‘96.  To this day, it’s one of the greatest wines that you can find from the vineyard, yet it takes decades in the cellar to mature.  This search one day led me to an opportunity to spend some time talking with Franco about his winery and the Vigna Rionda Riserva.  During this conversation, it occured to me that I didn’t know who Bruno Giacosa was buying fruit from when he created Collina Rionda.  

The Quest

The fact is that there are quite a few producers that make a wine from Vigna Rionda (Massolino, Luigi Pira, Oddero, Anselma, and Terre del Barolo, to name a few), but it’s important to understand that the vineyard crests around a hillside, where the vines face west toward Monforte, while the rest of the vineyard faces south-southwest, meaning that not all Vigna Rionda is created equal.  And so with the question in mind, and sitting with the largest land owner within the vineyard, I chose to ask Franco if he knew where Bruno Giacosa was sourcing his fruit from--and he didn’t.  This conversation started me on something of a quest to figure out who was using this fruit and what wine they were making with it.

This question became the most common thing I would ask any Serralunga producer I ran into, and for years, no one could tell me the answer--until 2015.  

While sitting with Luca Currado, of Vietti, at Centro Storico in Serralunga, he reached over to a bottle on the shelf and said, “This wine, watch for this wine, because this comes from the same vines that Bruno used for Collina Rionda.”  You can only imagine my surprise, after so many years of asking, to have someone simply tell me.  This started my interest in the Giovanni Rosso winery and my search for the Tomasso / Ester Canale Barolo Vigna Rionda.

Finding Vigna “Collina” Rionda

The reality was that the answer had been right in front of me for quite a while.  What’s more, I even had wines in my cellar made from the same vines.  The answer was Tommaso Canale, who had been tending to the family’s 2.2 hectare parcel within Vigna Rionda, a parcel planted in 1946, some of the oldest Nebbiolo vines in the region.  Rumor has it that not only did Tommaso’s Father, Aldo, supply Bruno Giacosa with fruit, but that in some cases he even provided him with finished wines (a rumor I would love to be able to substantiate, but haven’t yet.).  Where the fruit went after that is still a mystery to me, although it’s been said that Tommaso preferred selling only to private clients, yet sourcing from Tommaso later happened again between 2003 and 2006, when Luca Roagna began to buy from Tommaso and produce his own Roagna Barolo Vigna Rionda, a wine that I have tasted, loved, and even own some bottles of.  In 2007, Luca lost access to these vines, and Tommaso himself produced (yet didn’t release) a 2007, 2008 and 2009.

Unfortunately, Tommaso passed away in December of 2010 without a will, and his plot was split between the three surviving relatives, Ettore Germano, Guido Porro and Giovanni Rosso.  There was only one problem--much of the vineyard required replanting, and both Ettore Germano and Guido Porro replanted their entire sections of the vineyard.  

However, Davide Rosso, of Giovanni Rosso, had a wonderful idea.  He decided to replant all but a small section of the original vines at the top of the Rionda hill, in his mind, the best of the old vines, which he would use for massal selection of the new plantings, and also to make a Barolo Vigna Rionda.  It’s a wine that only sees between 1800-2000 total bottles made each year, and since Ettore Germano and Guido Porro have replanted, it makes the Giovanni Rosso “Ester Canale” (his mother) Barolo the only wine being made from the same vines as the famous Barolo of Bruno Giacosa.

What is a lover of Barolo and Vigna Rionda to do?

With all of the pieces in place, I decided that I had to taste these two wines together.  It was with that in mind that I first worked to find the wine being made by Davide Rosso, which was much harder than you might think.  In fact, after having been denied the ability to buy the wine in the last two vintages, it was in 2018, with the release of the 2014, that I had finally gotten my hands on one.

Then, as fate would have it, a friend contacted me about a tasting he was organizing that would include Icon wines from Barolo and Barbaresco, and he hinted that there might be a Bruno Giacosa Barolo Collina Rionda at the tasting.  Somehow the stars had aligned.

You can imagine the anxiety I felt leading up to this event.  What if one of the wines was corked?  What if the Bruno Giacosa wasn’t a perfect bottle? What if I got sick the day of the tasting?  Luckily, none of that happened, and both myself and the group were able to taste two pieces of history, a mystery solved, and share one of the few times that these two limited and amazing wines would be able sit next to each other at a table.

Yes, the 2014 was young and from a difficult vintage, yet it’s also a vintage that many have called a throwback to the Barolo styles of old.  Still, the ‘89 lived up to its reputation, and the 2014 was an experience I hope to never forget.

The Tasting Notes

1989 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Riserva Collina Rionda - The bouquet was remarkably deep and layered with masses of pure black cherry and ripe strawberry fruit, giving way to a mix of sweet mineral-infused Indian spice, hints of balsamic, and smoky crushed stone. On the palate, I found the most silky, fine textures imaginable, like a veil being pulled across the senses, ushering in vibrant, fleshy cherry fruit, offset by savory minerals and spice, with inner rose and cedar notes, as hints of fine tannin slowly mounted. The finish was long and showed the first signs of the ‘89’s twenty-nine years, as savory minerals, moist earth, and dried floral tones resonated amidst saturating dried cherries and spice. I am in awe of how the ‘89 Collina Rionda has lived up to all of the hype. (99 points)

2014 Giovanni Rosso Barolo Ester Canale Rosso Vigna Rionda - The ‘14 Vigna Rionda was so densely packed and poised, a quality that I don’t often associate with the vintage. The bouquet was beautiful, both savory and spicy, showing zesty tart cherries and cranberry with hints of spiced dried orange, crushed stone minerality, sweet rosy florals and savory botanicals. On the palate, I found soft textures, which were firmed up quickly by a mix of saline-minerality and brisk acidity, as notes of citrus-kissed strawberry, cedar, and earth tones emerged along with grippy mineral-laden tannin. The finish was long and structured with fine tannins saturating the senses, while dried red berries, savory herbs and hints of cedar lingered. This was one of the most structured and backward 2014s I’ve tasted, in need of a long slumber in the cellar, yet gorgeous. (95 points)

** As a bonus, from the newly planted vines of Vigna Rionda, Davide Rosso creates the Ester Canale Nebbiolo, and if this is any clue to how good these wines will be when these vines are old enough to produce Barolo, then we are in store for something very special.

2015 Giovanni Rosso Ester Canale Rosso Nebbiolo Rionda - The nose was dark, rich and layered with masses of dried florals and earth tones, bright cherry, and hints of animal musk. As it spent time in the glass, its bright cherry evolved into ripe strawberry, also adding hints of leather and crushed stone. Like silk on the palate, it washed effortlessly across the senses, brightened by zesty acidity, as notes of dried cherry and inner rose resonated, showing amazing purity and with slow mounting tannin. The finish was long, opening with dried cherries, then cleansed by zesty acidity, leaving hints of strawberries and rosy florals in its wake. The ‘15 Nebbiolo Vigna Rionda Ester Canale is gorgeous. (94 points)

Following Monprivato Through the Ages

by Eric Guido (Originally published at The Cellar Table Blog)

It all started with the 2009 vintage.  As an avid reader of Antonio Galloni, I remember it well.  What was originally a 93-95 point wine in a difficult vintage had suddenly been downgraded to a “?” in January 2014, with reports that the addition of declassified juice from Mascarello’s top wine, Cà d’Morissio, had done nothing to boost the quality of Monprivato--in fact, it hurt it.  However, with a downgrade like this, we were left to read between the lines.  Then there was 2010, a great vintage, and an 89-point score.  Other critics continued to dole out scores in the mid-nineties, while Antonio held his ground.

Frankly, I’m glad that he did, because it has become apparent to me that something has changed about Giuseppe Mascarello Monprivato Barolo, and I know I’m not alone.  Granted, only time will tell if this change is for the better or worse, yet if there’s one thing that tasting this wine multiple times in vertical tastings has shown me, it’s that the Monprivato of today is absolutely a different wine than the Monprivato that most Barolo lovers have come to know over the last forty years.

The Monprivato of yesterday and today

I’ve formed a sincere love for many vintages of Monprivato, yet I’m the first one to admit that it’s a wine that’s incredibly hard to judge in its youth.  However, I’ve learned through experience that the youthful expressions of Monprivato of the past are very different from what we find today.  For me, Monprivato has always been a wine that showed severe austerity in its youth, crystalline tannin against incredibly delicate fruit, making it difficult to imagine the wine ever coming into balance.  Not only that, Monprivato always seemed to take at least two decades before it would even begin to open up.  I can’t recount how many tastings showed younger vintages to be completely shut down.  Yet, once the wines reached maturity, there was really nothing quite like it.

After a recent vertical tasting, led and hosted by Elena Mascarello, I had the chance to taste some of my favorite vintages of the past, along with new releases and recent vintages.  This is where the questions began to arise.  Tasting the 2013, 2012, 2011 and 2010, one can’t help but notice that those hard crystalline tannins that used to define this wine in its youth are quite different today.  Yes, the wines are tannic and youthful, but today’s tannins are finer and softer than they were previously.  I know I’m not alone in this opinion either, as fellow tasters began asking questions.

Questions about Monprivato and… Answers?

One of the first questions from the audience that day was asking Elena if the tannin management was being handled differently at any point in the process.  Her answer was a resolute “No.” 

Another taster asked about changes to the pressing of grapes.  Again, a firm “No.” 

Turning our attention to the fruit, today’s Monprivato is more forward, which is not to say riper, just more present with a bright red berry persona, instead of the delicate, almost floral fruit I was accustomed to (this is a vineyard that has often been compared to Rocche). During the question and answer, I asked about replanting, as I had heard that a good amount of replanting had been done recently.  Elena confirmed this, stating that it has been more widespread than in the past, yet also confirmed that those plants are not currently being used for Monprivato.  Struck out again.

As we all continued to try to bend our brains around the apparent differences between older and newer vintages without a satisfactory reason for the differences, another participant asked about yeasts, citing Kerin O’keefe’s book, Barolo and Barbaresco: The King and Queen of Italian Wine, where she explained that Giuseppe Mascarello is using  “...a strain of selected Barolo yeasts, BRL 97, created by the University of Turin.” (p.118).  Elena confirmed that in 1997, the family did decide to switch from naturally-occurring yeasts to selected yeasts, because they discovered that the fermentations went smoother and were more uniform.  This did raise a few eyebrows in the crowd, but the fact is that the majority of wineries around the world use selected yeasts.  That said, yeast could be part of the equation, but not the answer.

As the tasting let out, I found myself leaving without any of the answers I’d hoped for.  Don’t get me wrong, the new vintages are good wines, especially the 2010 which has continued to get better over the last few years.  But that’s just it; with over a decade of tasting Monprivato, I can’t help but feel that a vintage like 2010 should be an iron vault at this time--impossible to read.

This all got me thinking, reading (and re-reading), digging and searching for answers, and through it all, I can’t help but come to one conclusion: the Mascarello family has been experimenting in their vineyards and altering their processes for decades.  Is it possible that they have simply experimented and refined their way into a completely different style of wine?

A Deep Dive on Giuseppe Mascarello and Monprivato

The Mascarello family has a winemaking history that goes back to the mid-1800s.  Originally located in Monforte, and working the vineyards of wealthy landowners of the region, the family aspired to own their own vineyards, and by the early 1900s, moved the winery to Castiglione Falletto.  The key to their success was acquiring Monprivato, a vineyard located in Castiglione Falletto, with vines that enjoy a southwest exposure, planted in white and grey marl soils rich in limestone.  Sourcing fruit from Monprivato as well as purchasing from other sources (Villero and Bussia Soprana among them), Giuseppe Mascarello began to build a reputation as one of the region’s top producers.  I can attest to the outstanding quality of the amazing wines from that time, as they rank among the best Barolo I’ve ever tasted.

Today, the cantina resides in Monchiero, and it still incorporates the large Slavonian oak barrels that were purchased by the current owner’s grandfather, Maurizio, in the 1950s.  Mauro, the head of toady’s Mascarello family, is the fourth-generation winemaker of the estate, having taken the reins from his father Giuseppe and his grandfather Maurizio in 1967.  Any source will tell you that he is a traditionalist, like the generations before him, yet I believe that a better way to describe Mauro is as a progressive.  The winery does employ long macerations (by today's standards, 25-30 days) and aging in large Slavonian oak, calling cards of a traditional estate.  However, Mauro was bent on refining the winemaking and experimenting in the vineyards to create the absolutely perfect representation of Monprivato terroir, and to be more specific, how that terroir could be communicated using the Michét Nebbiolo clone.

It all started with the 1970 vintage, the first single-vineyard example of Monprivato, which was created from a small parcel of old vines in the heart of vineyard.  Mauro had been instructed by his father that these vines, all of the Michét clone variety, were the best that the family had.  Michét is a late-ripening clone of Nebbiolo that is known to give lower yields. In 1920,  Mauro’s grandfather, Morissio, had identified the best Michét vines within the vineyard and planted this section using massal selection.  The 1970 Monprivato was an unprecedented success and remains one of the iconic examples of the region.  With the success of this wine, Mauro decided to use Monprivato to make only one Barolo, a blend of Michét, Lampia, and Rosé Nebbiolo clones from throughout the entire vineyard.

Yet Mauro had an idea which began with the 1970 vintage.  He believed that the vines planted by his grandfather had so perfectly adjusted to the distinct terroir of Monprivato, that they would create a far superior wine if planted throughout the vineyard using massal selection from the estate’s best performing vines.  His father before him had a similar idea, having done some replanting in 1963 using the same logic.

This began the Cà d’Morissio project, which started in 1983 and continued on through the late nineties.  Mauro started by dedicating two acres of Monprivato, where he removed the Rosé vines that were planted, installed drains to help prevent erosion (which had plagued Monprivato in the past), and replanted these locations through massal selection using Michét at high density.  Mauro worked block by block, and by 1993 had decided that it was time to put his theory to the test; the Cà d’Morissio Riserva was born.  Sourced from the blocks Mauro had experimented on and aged an extra year in smaller Slavonian oak barrels (25-27 hectoliter), Cà d’Morissio continues to only be released when the wine itself is unique enough to stand out from the Barolo Monprivato, if not, it’s blended in.  Mauro was so happy with the results of the 1993 and 1995 vintages that he immediately started work on another block of the vineyard in 1996, following the same processes as before.

The Theory, or maybe just a fool’s ponderings

As stated on the Giuseppe Mascarello website, prior to 1992, the clonal makeup of Monprivato was Michét 30%, Lampia 45%, and Rosé 25%.  I could find no reference of the exact current percentages, but since that time, Mauro has ripped up multiple acres of Rosé clones to replant Michét for the production of Cà d’Morissio.  While doing this, he changed the plant density of the vineyard to 5680 plants per acre and added “drainage.”  The only reference that I could find relating to the clones planted in Monprivato today comes again from Kerin O’keefe’s book, Barolo and Barbaresco: The King and Queen of Italian Wine, where she explains that beyond the planting of Michét, that “...the rest of Monprivato is cultivated with Lampia clones… planted in the 1960s” (p.117), making no mention of Rosé.  What’s more, during the tasting event, Elena Mascarello confirmed that even today, when replanting needs to be done in the vineyard, it is completed using massal selection from the best Michét of the estate.

Other than the fact that the winery changed from naturally-occurring yeasts to selected yeasts in 1997, we’ve been told that nothing else has changed.  The fruit is always destemmed, macerated for about thirty days, fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks (since the early nineties, which is quite common in the region today), employing a soft vinification with gentle pumping over, and then aging in large neutral Botti for three years until bottling.

Having said that and circling back to where this all started…

Is it possible that the Giuseppe Mascarello winery has forever changed the profile of Monprivato over the course of thirty years by removing clonal and biodiversity from their vineyards, using their best plots for Cà d’Morissio in all but the worst vintages and planting at a higher density in their vineyard?

This is just a theory, but it’s a theory based on over a decade of experience tasting these wines, and countless (I repeat, countless) hours obsessing over every source and printed piece of material (including the Mascarello website) that I could find.  Until a firm answer is found, what I can assure you is that the recent vintages of Giuseppe Mascarello are quite enjoyable, but they are not the same Barolo Monprivato that I have grown to love over the decades.  How will they age?  It’s anyone's guess.   For now, all we can do is love them for what they are.

On To the Tasting Notes

Giuseppe Mascarello Barolo Monprivato 2013 - Here I found intense floral perfumes with dusty dried roses up front, followed by notes of ripe strawberry, bright cherry and hints of undergrowth.  On the palate, I found a lifted expression, showing feminine textures with pure ripe strawberry, a light dusting of sweet spices and inner floral tones, remaining remarkably fresh and pure throughout, with hints of acid and tannin.  The finish was shorter than expected with light strawberry and light, fine grain tannin. (91 points)

Giuseppe Mascarello Barolo Monprivato 2012 - The nose was reserved with mineral-infused dried strawberry, tart raspberry, stone dust, dried flowers and dusty earth.  On the palate, I found wonderfully soft textures with tart raspberry, inner spices and floral perfumes.  The finish was medium in length with lingering spice and floral tones. This showed very little in the way of structure, save for a coating of dry inner florals.  As much as I enjoyed this, it’s a lighter style of Barolo that depends on grace over staying power. (92 points)

Giuseppe Mascarello Barolo Monprivato 2011 - The nose showed crushed cherry with an herbal tinge, marine-minerality, and hints of spice that emerged over time. The warmth of the vintage showed only in its sweet cherry fruit, being a bit overripe, yet kept in check through earth tones.  On the palate, I found soft, medium-weight textures with pretty notes of strawberry, minerals and light spice.  The finish was long, showing crushed cherry and spices, which coated the senses. This is not one for the ages, yet I found it quite enjoyable today. (91 points)

Giuseppe Mascarello Barolo Monprivato 2010 - The nose showed dusty dry earth and notes of raspberry, with sweet and sour brown sauce, then lifted by notes of lavender, hints of licorice and cinnamon.  On the palate, I found silky textures with sweet-and-sour cherry, masses of inner floral tones, licorice and spice, yet lacking dimension on the mid-palate.  It finished with medium-length and hints of young tannin, yet remained lifted throughout. (94 points)

Giuseppe Mascarello Barolo Monprivato 2009 - The nose was darker than the surrounding vintages, with marine-influenced minerals giving way to dark moist undergrowth, hints of animal musk, black cherry, raspberry and herbs.  On the palate, I found silky, pliant textures with notes of bitter cherry, blackberry, lavender and hints of spice.  The finish was medium-long and balanced, showing ripe strawberry and inner florals over hints of grippy tannin. (92 points)

Giuseppe Mascarello Barolo Monprivato 2008 - The '08 Monprivato showed a pretty bouquet of dusty, mineral-encased bright cherry, crushed stone, dried roses, soil tones and hints of undergrowth. On the palate, I found zesty, feminine textures, accentuated by brisk acidity with bright cherry and strawberry, sweet herbal tea, saturating mineral tones and the slightest hint of fine tannin. It finished medium-long, fresh and savory, with lingering inner florals, minerals and spice. This is showing beautifully tonight, but it's very hard to gauge how well it will age. (93 points)

Giuseppe Mascarello Barolo Monprivato 2006 - The nose was dark and brooding with hints of animal musk up front, then opening to reveal exotic florals, dusty spice, earth, and mineral-infused black cherry.  It seemed to seamlessly glide across the palate, where I found silky textures offset by an intense mix of black cherry and tart raspberry, with mineral and savory spice tones emerging along saline-minerals.  The finish was long, with a coating of complex tannin offset by brisk acidity and dark red fruit. (96 points)

Giuseppe Mascarello Barolo Monprivato 2004 -  The nose was intense yet also quite pretty with marine-influenced minerality, dried flowers, undergrowth, hints of rosemary and animal musk.  On the palate, I found silky textures with an energizing mix of brisk acids and saline-minerality, as notes of tart cherry and inner floral tones emerged. The finish was medium-long with saturating cherry tones, minerals, hints of spice and lingering tannin. This was highly enjoyable and worth every point, yet it fell short of the 2006, as I craved more persistence on the palate. (94 points)

Giuseppe Mascarello Barolo Monprivato 2003 - The nose was dark with earth and minerals up front, followed by crushed blackberry, cherry and spicy florals.  On the palate, I found silky textures with ripe cherry, violets, brisk acidity and hints of grippy tannin in an unexpectedly balanced and highly enjoyable performance.  The finish was medium-long with lingering dark fruits and hints of gruff tannin. This was a beautifully balanced wine for the vintage. (92 points)

Giuseppe Mascarello Barolo Monprivato 1998 - The ‘98 showed a mature color in the glass. The nose was dark and earthy with hints of undergrowth, moist fall leaves, sous bois, crushed ripe cherry, and hints of spice.  On the palate, I found silky textures with a wave of balancing acidity, notes of tart cherry, spice and balsamic tones with impeccable balance.  The finish was long and spicy with saturating dark fruits, moist earth and inner floral tones. Wow. (94 points)

Giuseppe Mascarello Barolo Monprivato 1996 - The nose showed mineral-infused black cherry and crushed stone, as hints of wild herbs, moist soil and animal musk evolved.  On the palate, I found soft textures, which were firmed up by a mix of tart red fruits, minerals and fine tannin, yet the fruit persisted throughout, picking up perfumed florals and spice.  It was remarkably balanced yet still very young, with a long and structured finish that showcased intense tart red fruit that saturated the senses. (96 points)

Giuseppe Mascarello Barolo Monprivato 1988 - The nose was gorgeous, showing dried cherry and undergrowth up front, opening more with time in the glass as the fruit gained richness, changing more to crushed strawberry, dried orange, smoked meats, wild herbs, dusty earth and hints of animal musk.  On the palate, I found soft textures with sweet cherry offset by savory minerals with saline spray, spice and zesty acidity.  The finish was remarkably long and fresh with lingering dried cherry and inner florals.  What a performance from the ‘88, showing perfect balance and maturity. (96 points)

Giuseppe Mascarello Barolo Monprivato 1985 - The nose was dark and earthy with iron-borne minerality up front, giving way to dried roses, tomato leaf, dusty earth and hints of dried strawberry.  On the palate, I found soft yet zesty textures with tart raspberry, dried citrus and hints of lingering tannin.  It finished long and a bit spicy, still full of so much life with lingering hints of red berry and rosey florals. This was wonderfully youthful on the palate and finish, promising years of further development. (93 points)

Giuseppe Mascarello Barolo Monprivato 1979 - The nose showed dark red fruits with dried florals, dusty earth and hints of animal musk.  On the palate, I found soft, perfectly resolved, fresh textures with minerals, hints of earth and dried red fruits.  It finished with medium-length, showing earthy minerals and inner floral tones. It was very pretty with beautiful energy, yet the fruit has dropped out to show more earth and minerals than anything else. (88 points)

Giuseppe Mascarello Barolo Ca’ d’Morissio 1995 - Here I found a gorgeous, dark and brooding bouquet with animal musk up front, giving way to mineral-infused crushed black cherry, licorice, dried orange, stone dust and dusty roses.  On the palate, I found silky textures with saline-mineral thrust, before giving way to tart black cherry, inner rosey florals and youthful fine tannin. The finish was long with lasting fine tannins and mineral-soaked red berry fruit. (94  points)

Is Monprivato a Monopole

At one time, Mauro Mascarello was thought to have controlled the entire slope of Monprivato, making the vineyard a monopoly for nearly two decades, as no other producer bottled its fruit as a single vineyard. You would need to look all the way back to 1990 for the last Monprivato made by another producer, and that was Brovia.  Today it is thought that Giuseppe Mascarello controls over 93% of the vineyard, with only one other producer that I know of who has begun to bottle a Barolo Monprivato: Giovanni Sordo.  However, having tasted this wine, it is still far off from the quality, of even the lesser vintages from Mascarello.

What is Massal Selection or Selection Massale

Massal selection is a process of replanting vineyards using cuttings from vines which are identified as superior or better suited to the terroir of a specific location.  These cuttings can be obtained through nurseries or from vines within the vineyard that have demonstrated superior performance or health.  It’s important not to mistake this for clonal selection, a process carried out in nurseries to propagate the same genetic clone of a vine for planting.  In the case of Giuseppe Mascarello, he has been identifying Michet vines (Michet being a clone of Nebbiolo) within Monprivato, and then using massal selection to propagate these vines throughout the rest of the vineyard.

A Year in Review & Top Wines of 2019

Touring Vineyards with Daniel Landi

Here we are, quickly approaching the end of 2019, a year that seemed to fly by due to just how jam-packed it was with events, tastings, and memorable moments. It was also a year of new discoveries, which I consider myself lucky to have been a part of, and I am very happy to share these with my readers. What's more, I gained a new respect for a region that I had dismissed to a certain degree, and in doing so have now opened my eyes to a category of domestic wine that will be filling my cellar for decades to come. As for tastings, I was fortunate to have been included in some of the most amazing events I can remember throughout my time as a wine lover, which became apparent as I toiled with the winner of my Top Back-Vintage Wine of the Year. And so, without further ado:

Welcome to my 2019 year in review.

This was a year that started at a high point of tastings, leading off with a dinner at the new Legacy Records, NYC. The hype is warranted at this trendy westside location, with the Honey Lacquered Duck being the food highlight of the night. As for wine, however, starting the year with a taste of the 1995 Poggio di Sotto Brunello Riserva set a high standard for the year. Anyone that follows my notes probably knows that I am a huge fan of the Piero Palmuci era of Poggio di Sotto - the only sad thing is how expensive these wines have become. However, this is a rare occasion where it’s truly warranted. This evening also began a series of vintage Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo tastings that continued throughout the year (and yes, I feel blessed for that).

As we moved into February, like most years, the onslaught of producer visits and organized tastings began. Keep in mind that there isn’t much for a winemaker to do in the winery or vineyards during the months of January and February, so most get on the road to visit accounts and talk about new vintages. One of the standouts this year was, undoubtedly, Luca Currado of the Vietti winery, who in conjunction with Jeff Porter (ex-Bastianich Beverage Director and the mastermind behind Sip Trip), held a focused tasting of the Vietti crus that all go into making the Barolo Castiglione. The Castiglione Barolo is one of the best values to be found in the region, vintage after vintage, and at this tasting, Luca went into detail to explain the terroir of each vineyard, just how important they are from an individual standpoint, and how each of them affects the final blend of Castiglione. It was eye-opening, to say the least.

Next up was a memorable 20-year retrospective of 1999 Barolo, organized by our private Barolo group, which was formed through the Vinous forums. It was a remarkable evening, showing how this vintage has slowly worked its way toward maturity, and in doing so, proved its worth. 1999 fell through the cracks for a large number of collectors since it landed in the middle of an amazing streak of great vintages in Barolo, but its importance is apparent. My closing remarks from that evening still echo clear: “Do you have enough 1999 Barolo in your cellar?”

From there, an event I look forward to each year: I started to gear up for Antonio Galloni’s, La Festa del Barolo. What made the 2019 edition of Antonio’s event truly special was his Rare Wine Dinner, held at Nomad’s rooftop and featuring a rare vertical of large-format, Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Brunate Riserva. This was a once-in-a-lifetime tasting, with the majority of the wines coming from one collector’s cellar, and a bottling that is never commercially released. The only way to build a collection such as this was to be a friend of the family or a long-standing, regular customer at the cellar door for decades. Not only was it like tasting history, it also showed how much provenance counts--the wines were pristine. This was also the night that I tasted my Top Back Vintage Wine of the Year (hint, hint).

As the year moved on and tastings continued to present themselves, one that stands out and opened my eyes to a neglected category was La Tablee, which featured wines from the Rhone, where each producer put a new vintage against a mature one for attendees to taste. The Rhone, particularly the south, has always represented a love-hate relationship for me, as I was introduced to it in the heights of the Parker Era of wines from the region. 2005, 2007, and 2009 Chateauneuf du Pape still lines my cellar, but I find those vintages a little hard to stomach. That said, what this tasting gave me was a newfound respect for the “lesser vintages”, which have since provided me with a great deal of pleasure, 2004, 2006, and 2012 being years that I follow closely now. What’s more, if you haven’t tasted the wines from the 2015 through 2017 vintages, then you don’t know what you’re missing. Châteauneuf du Pape has completely upped its game.

Tasting with Gonzalo Iturriaga of Vega Sicilia

Next up was a sit-down with Gonzalo Iturriaga, head winemaker of Vega Sicilia, who was showing the most recent vintages from all of the Vega properties across Spain and even into Hungary. What struck me most was how these wines have evolved over the short period of time that I’ve had the pleasure of tasting them. Spain is changing right before our eyes, and Vega isn’t missing a beat. Little did I know at the time that this tasting would be followed by a trip to Spain only two months later, but not to see the historic properties. Instead, this was a trip to visit the “off-the-beaten-path” producers of the region, and what better way to preface such a trip than by reading Luis Gutierrez’s recent book, The New Vignerons. I was enthralled by the The New Vignerons, which turned out to be an easy page-turner, filled with new producer names and regions that I had never thought to explore. It was a great preface to my visit, which brings me to my most memorable moment of 2019--my trip to Spain.

Preparing to climb to Tumba del Rey Moro

Having already been to the major wine-producing regions of Spain, I thought I had a good idea of what to expect, but little did I know that this trip would introduce me to a whole new way of thinking about the region. Today’s Spain is no longer about centuries of tradition and trying to be or replicate the prestige of any other wine-producing region. Instead, it’s about defining terroir, looking to locations that have over a century's worth of vinous history, yet had never previously been known outside of the small mountain-top villages that enjoyed them. Names like Dominio del Aguila, Comando G, Envinate, Casa Castillo, and just about anything with Raul Perez’s name attached to it are sure bets for the future. The only problem is how limited they are.

Chris Figgins of Figgins Family and Leonetti

As is usually the case, the travel period of each year seems to go at breakneck speed, which brings me to the next trip of 2019, and my realization of just how important this oft-forgotten region of domestic wine is: Washington State. My trip out west to Washington proved that this is a category to watch. As we all lament over the cost and limited nature of California Cabernet and Bordeaux blends, here we have a region that produces some of the best examples that I’ve tasted in years, and they’re doing it at a fraction of the price. What’s more, these aren’t California look-alikes, nor are they trying to be Bordeaux. Instead, Washington falls comfortably in the middle of the two; lovers of both the Old World and the new can find a lot to like here.

Five Years of
Morrell Catalogs

My return home meant the start of the 2019 Morrell Wine Catalog, a time that I’m incredibly proud of, but as is usually the case, envelops the entire months of July through October. In the end, it’s always been worth the effort, and this year was no different. Volume 5 of Morrell Wine’s catalog is the largest (184 pages), most comprehensive version to date, along with a digital version that contains 240 pages worth of content. Each year, I struggle with the dilemma of how to outdo the year before. This year, it was through the introduction of many new producers that were discovered throughout the year. Even the cover is a departure from the norm, showcasing one of the most dramatic vineyards I’ve ever encountered: the old vines of Pintia in Toro, Spain.

With November came our gearing up for the Holidays, as well as sneaking in one more Giuseppe Rinaldi tasting for good measure, courtesy of a good friend and collector. But also, the start of a new project which I’m very proud of, and that’s the new producer video interview series, which began with Giuseppe Vajra of G.D. Vajra, and has now also includes Claudia Cigliuti and Andrea Sottimano. Being a collector puts me in a position where I find myself with a lot of questions for winemakers, which I believe consumers are eager to know the answers to as well. Keep an eye out for many more to come in 2020. This is something that I’ve wanted to do for many years.

Behind The Scenes with
Andrea Sottimano

Which brings us to December and what has yet to come. I know the holiday season always presents some great tasting opportunities and surprises, but what’s gotten me even more excited is what 2020 will bring. In fact, I’ve never been so eager to get a jump on a new year as I am right now, because I have a feeling that 2020 will be EPIC. Until then, enjoy my top wines of 2019, and cheers to the new year ahead of us.

Eric Guido’s Top Wines of 2019

Daniel Landi of Comando G

Spain, Italy and Washington hold the top spots of my list this year, and each of these wines has earned their place. In fact, 5 years ago, I would never have believed you if you had told me that these would be my top three wines. Why? When it comes to Spain, all I had the opportunity to taste were oak-slicked wines of dark ripe fruit. As for Fontodi in Tuscany, I was a devout lover of Vigna del Sorbo, and I would always say that Fallianello was too “Internationally-styled”. And then there’s Washington, which I respected, but simply didn’t understand at the time. However, today, Spain has a new pulse, Fontodi and Tuscany has achieved an unprecedented increase in quality and level of balance, and Washington continues to refine, improve, and also benefit from one of the best recent vintages: 2016.

2016 Familia Nin-Ortiz Garnacha Priorat Nit de Nin Coma D'en Romeu - Now this is unique and highly enjoyable, showing a display of dried strawberries, offset by spicy orange zest, hints of lime, exotic spice, savory herbs, dried red florals, smoky minerals and hints of brown sugar. On the palate, I found velvety textures, enlivened by fresh acidity, continuing the citrus theme, as ripe red berry fruits, sweet spices, and hints of fine tannin settled on the senses. Thoroughly enjoyable from start to the long, long finish, showing saturating minerality, spices, red fruits and hints of wild herbs, as lingering acids buzzed upon the senses. (97 points)

To My Surprise, Flaccianello Edged out
VdS in 2016

2016 Fontodi Flaccianello della Pieve Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT - The nose was alluringly dark, spicy and floral, with crushed stone, giving way to blackberry, savory meats, animal tones and wild herbs. On the palate, I found silky textures offset by zesty acidity, with saturating spices and mineral-infused dark fruits cascading across the senses in a wonderfully fresh expression, before fine tannins settled in. The finish was long, almost salty and savory, with tart blackberry and minerals soaking the senses with grippy tannins. Wow. A totally different expression of young Flaccianello, and I like it a lot. In fact, I’m noticing that Flaccianello has been impressing me a bit more than Vigna del Sorbo in recent vintages. (97 points)

2016 Leonetti Cellar Reserve Walla Walla Valley - Here I found a mix of dark, herbal-infused fruit, with lifting mineral tones and sweet spice. On the palate, velvety textures host a wave of ripe dark fruits, sweet spice, and minerals, as inner florals emerged, along with saturating tannins. The finish was long, intense, spicy, but also perfectly balanced, as dark fruit and tannin slowly faded from the senses. The 2016 Reserve is already showing so beautifully, yet it is also built for the long haul. (97 points)

Following up my top three is a series of wines that are almost impossible to categorize by quality. In fact, wines holding the fourth through tenth spots are all overperformers. In many cases, they are overlooked or misunderstood, but in my mind, they represent the future of each region.

Like Splitting Hairs Trying To Decide:
The 2015 Scavino Barolo Collection

2015 Paolo Scavino Barolo Bric dël Fiasc - The nose was intense and viral, as the bouquet wafted up from the glass with masses of dark red fruit, crushed stone, dried rosy florals, wild herbs and smoke. On the palate, I found silky textures, displaying fleshy ripe cherry offset by zesty spices, minerals and acids. The finish was long, resonating on mineral-infused dark red fruits with energizing acids and balsamic spice, as fine tannins slowly mounted. This is so easy to like already, but it is structured and balanced for the long haul. (96 points)

2016 Daniel Gómez Jiménez Landi Vino de la Tierra de Castilla El Reventón RV - The nose was slightly restrained, yet very, very pretty, showing fresh, ripe strawberries off the vine, moist earth, dusty sweet spices, a mix of exotic florals, stone dust, and hints of white pepper. On the palate, I found silky-soft textures, with an almost-creamy feel, delivering a sweet but peppery display of ripe and savory cherry, raspberry sauce, confectionary spices, minerals and wonderfully balancing acidity. The finish was long, but subtle, with pretty red fruits, red licorice, spice, and masses of tactile inner florals, as I felt a warming, pleasing sensation of heat going down. What a crazy wine and so easy to like already. (96 points)

2016 Sottimano Barbaresco Pajoré - The ‘16 Pajore was pure elegance in a glass. The nose showed dark wild berries, dried roses, spice box, dusty earth and hints of floral undergrowth. On the palate, I found silky textures over a weighty framework, as brisk acidity added poise, showing a mix of cherries and strawberries, with sweet inner florals and spice. It was so balanced and, at times, pliant. As its youthful tannins mounted, the finish slowly resolved into an expression of dried red fruits and clenching tannin. (96 points)

2013 San Giusto a Rentennano La Ricolma Toscana IGT - The ‘13 La Ricolma showed a darker and spicier expression than the vintages surrounding it. Here I found a bouquet of crushed black raspberry, tart cherry, sage, dusty earth tones, stone dust and dried florals. On the palate, silky textures were contrasted by savory spice, minerals and lively acidity, as an intense mix of saturating red and blue fruits bombarded the senses, leaving youthful tannins in their wake. The finish was long and structured, as zesty acids gave life to lingering tart cherry, spice and minerals. There are many years of evolution in store for the ‘13, and anyone who has it in their cellar will be very happy in another ten years. (96 points)

Cristiana Tiberio with Levi Dalton
and Giuseppe Palmieri

2015 Tiberio Trebbiano d'Abruzzo Fonte Canale - The nose was deeply expressive, showing more like a steely white Burg than what you’d expect from an Italian Bianco. Here I found a display of rich white stone fruits, savory minerals, rubbed sage, sea air, and hints of spice. On the palate, I found round textures on a medium-bodied frame showing savory minerals, green apple, young peach, and saline-infused yellow citrus. The finish was long, with saturating mineral tones, resonating tart apple acidity, hints of lemon peel, and inner florals. (95 points)

2016 Domaine Charvin Châteauneuf-du-Pape - The nose was incredibly fresh and pretty, showing crushed stone with dusty, violet pastille infused blackberry, fresh black cherry, and dark, dried floral tones. On the palate, I found velvety textures, yet still so fresh and lifted by brisk acids, seeming like liquid violet florals splashing across all of the senses, showing a mix of blue and black fruits with sweet spice, minerals and hints of tannin. The finish was fresh, with just a hint of heat, displaying saturating young tannin and dark floral-infused black fruits. This is so fresh yet still structured to age. I can imagine that 2-3 years in the cellar will reveal an even better experience. Wow! (95 points)

2016 Domaine Saint-Damien Gigondas La Louisiane - The nose was intense, with a complex display of blackberry, crushed stone, smoke, incense shop, exotic spice, wild mountain herbs, pepper and hints of violet flowers. On the palate, I found silky, verging on velvety, textures, offset by a mix of compact blackberry and cherry fruit, followed by spices, minerals and fine tannin, which all seemed quite poised, like a bomb waiting to go off, as brisk acidity kept the experience juicy and pleasurable, and an inner floral note of violets toward the finale. The finish was long and structured, as fine tannins saturated the senses, leaving savory minerals and dried black fruits to linger on and on. This is a serious Gigondas, distinctly savory, and in need of some time in the cellar. It's a gorgeous wine. (95 points)

Wines eleven through thirteen hold a special place in my heart, as I originally intended this to be a “Top Ten” list, but I just couldn’t leave them out. Each of these wines truly moved me. Granted, all three of them are very limited, but in my opinion, they are all worth seeking out, and they represent amazing value in their category.

2016 Domaine Georges Vernay Côte-Rôtie Maison Rouge - The nose was gorgeous, with purple florals giving way to smoky crushed stone, blackberries, a dusting of violet candies, and sweet spice. On the palate, I found soft textures contrasted by salty minerals, tart black fruits, brisk acids and savory spice. The finish was long, saturating the senses with tart black fruits, savory dried meats, minerals and young tannins. This is just a baby, and with so much potential. (95 points)

2017 Montsecano Pinot Noir - The nose was gorgeous and exotic, more lifted than the 2016, as a burst of orange and yellow citrus gave way to bright strawberry, sweet, dusty minerals, a bouquet of fresh florals and spice. On the palate, I found silky, pure red-fruited textures, guided by laser-like acidity, as a mix of saline-minerals, tangerine and sweet herbs flooded the senses. The finish was long, yet quite feminine and graceful, echoing the citrus-tinged red fruits from the nose and palate, while showing sizzling acids, salty minerals and fine tannin, with a hint of tamarind that seemed to last for well over a minute. At this time, the gutsy ‘16 has a leg up on this vintage, but with time, that opinion might change. (94 points)

2014 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits St. Georges Blanc - What a gorgeous intoxicating bouquet on the ‘14 Nuits-Saint-Georges Blanc. It literally kept me coming back to the glass over and over again. On the nose, I found a savory, salty expression of sea air mixed with smoked meats, green olive, and savory spice. Behind it I found the prettiest white floral tones. On the palate, soft textures flooded the senses, as a wave of acid-infused, salty minerals cut through them like razor, revealing white peaches and inner floral tones. The finish was long and spicy, with wild herbs and resonating minerality. What a gorgeous wine. (94 points)

My Top Scoring Vintage Wine of the Year

I know that finding this wine in the market will be extremely difficult, but if you have the means, then it’s worth the hunt. 1978 is considered one of the greatest vintages of the region, and Giuseppe Rinaldi captured all of that magic in his 1978 Brunate Riserva. I was humbled by this wine, moved, and left in awe. It is now ranked among a small list of wines that have achieved a 99-point score from me.

1978 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Riserva Speciale delle Brunate - The 1978 was absolutely a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We often hear about how great this vintage is, yet we seldom get to experience it. The nose was dark, rich, layered…intense, showing a mix of brown spice, crushed black fruits, dried strawberries, balsamic tones, savory herbs, dusty soil and hints of sour animal muskiness. On the palate, silky textures were perfectly balanced by refreshing acids and lingering tannin, as red berries and spice tones emerged, along with lifting minerality and masses of dark inner florals. It finished long, balanced, and wonderfully enjoyable, with lingering spice, earthy minerals and resonating dried florals. What a dramatic and perfectly matured bottle of Barolo. I will never forget it. (99 points)

My Top Scoring Current Release Wine of the Year

It’s one thing to read about a producer and a region and another to actually visit them. My trip to Spain included a hike up the Tumba del Rey Moro vineyard in the Gredos mountains, and I must say that it felt like a pilgrimage of sorts. At 1200-1300 meters above sea level, this centennial vineyard exists in spite of its poor rocky soils and desolate climate, but it produces Garnacha of such remarkable beauty that I was left speechless. I sat with this glass for at least an hour, watching it blossom and evolve. Only a master could capture such immaculate purity in a bottle, and Comando G is apparently up to the task.

2016 Comando G Tumba del Rey Moro - To walk through and witness the magnitude of the Rey Moro vineyard, and then taste the wine, was such an amazing experience all on its own. Here I found an absolutely stunning, savory and alluring bouquet, showing mountain and brush herbs, cracked pepper, smoke, crushed rocks, and embers, as the wine opened more in the glass, evolving into ripe strawberries fresh on the vine, rose petals, and exotic spices. On the palate, silky textures flooded the senses, laced with peppery spices, liquid florals, fresh strawberries, and saline-infused minerality, with energy in abundance as brisk acids made the mouth water, and youthful tannin slowly mounted. The finish was long, savory and almost salty with its intense minerality, darker fruit than the nose and palate, and lingering savory herbs. What an incredible wine. So unique, so fresh, and so intense. (98 points)

Best Value Buy of the Year

What’s a top wines list without the value score of the year, and the 2017 Descendientes de José Palacios Pétalos is the winner. This is a remarkably energetic wine that balances between sweet and savory, along with an acid spine that keeps it juicy and fresh. It can pair with a wide variety of foods from seafood to hearty red meats, and it simply keeps you coming back to the glass over and over again. The Pétalos is a field blend that’s based on Mencia, but it also contains a mix of other reds, and even a few indigienous white varieties. It’s off the beaten path, but a path worth traveling. I highly recommend seeking it out.

2017 Descendientes de José Palacios Bierzo Pétalos - The nose showed a mix of dusty cherry and strawberry fruits, with savory smokiness and admirable richness, as notes of sage and floral undergrowth developed. On the palate, I found soft yet vibrant textures giving way to zesty acids, with spicy red and black berries, violet-tinged inner florals and saturating minerality. The finish was long, spicy, and staining to the senses, with notes of mineral-soaked raspberry and hints of fine tannin. To think that this is their entry-level wine is amazing. (92 points)

Luca Currado of Vietti, who speaks of passion
for Piedmont through his every word.

And that’s that. Another year done, and quite an amazing one at that. I want to thank all of the amazing friends, collectors and business partners who opened these amazing wines for me.

Eric Guido

Article, photos and tasting notes by: Eric Guido

Thanks you to David Bowler Wine

Thank you to IPO Wines

Thank you to Skurnik Wines

Thank you to Cristiana Tiberio and Jeff Porter

Thank you to Luca Currado, Giuseppe Vaira, Claudia Cigluti and Andrea Sottimano