Act Two: 2008 Barolo Then & Now

~ Nebbiolo on the Vine ~

For some reason, the start of Autumn always makes me think of soft rolling banks of fog.  In turn, that reminds me of Piedmont, which brings images of Barolo to the fore. 

 

Continuing our retrospective, which started here,  we uncorked a 2008 from one of the regions most prestigious vineyards:  Cannubi. 

 

Barolo then....

 

This wine was a major shift in style from the Scavino wines. The balance and elegance of the Scavino style is evident, but this wine flexes muscles the others don't have. It's a dark purple-red in the glass and the nose is quite complex after being decanted for over an hour. Cherries, flowers, spice and a slight mushroom element are woven together wonderfully. On the palate, the heft of this vineyard is prominently displayed with the crushed red berries, cigar tobacco, dried herbs and fennel taking center stage. Ripe but substantial tannins require some patience to resolve. With the grilled leg of lamb we had, this wine's tannins were tamed. But it needs that sort of help right now, or 5-10 years in the cellar. Delicious. 95 points.

 

Barolo Now..........

 

Given the above look back,   I was a bit surprised at how expressive this wine was at this tasting.  Frankly, it's awesome.  The aromatics here are stunning.  There are tons of fresh flowers,  cigar tobacco, a rich core of ripe cherry fruit and baked spice and mushroom note.  Wonderful!   On the palate, there's no let up.  The wine is fresh and racy.  There's a massive core of ripe wild cherry fruit with tobacco, anise, and leather playing supporting roles.  The complexity will evolve here,  but what surprised me most was the change in the tactile nature of the tannins.  They're silkier, more refined at this tasting and with some aeration (this was decanted for 45 minutes)  this wine should sing.  The food to accompany this time was pasta with sausage and mushrooms and drizzled with a bit of truffle oil,  the match was wonderful.  97 points. 

~ The Cannubi is a prized vineyard.  Scavino portrays it wonderfully in this exceptional wine ~ 

Salute!