Riporto di seguito i risultati della degustazione di Barolo, effettuata dai degustatori di Decanter, tra i quali compare il Campione del Mondo dei Sommelier Asi ( che raccoglie 54 nazioni a differenza della Wsa che ne raccoglie 15 ndr ) Paolo Basso.
Per brevità riporto solamente quelli che hanno ottenuto una media superiore ai 90/100.
Buona lettura
Roberto Gatti
Virna, Cannubi Boschis, Barolo
Decanter average score: 19pts/20 (96/100pts)
Individual judges’ scores: Paolo Basso 19 Ian D’Agata 19 Michael Garner 19
Virna Borgogno graduated in 1991 from the oenology school in Alba, and only 10 years later founded the estate that she runs with sister Ivana and her husband, Giovanni Abrigo, a producer in Barbaresco. Their Cannubi Boschis vines are roughly 45 years old, and the Barolo is made with short 10-day macerations on the skins at relatively high temperatures (30°C is common). The classic Barolo is instead a blend of two vineyards from Novello (Merli and Sottocastello), which means it is a more rigid, austere wine with good ageworthiness. This is an up-and coming estate that has a tasting room right in the Barolo town centre, so it’s easy to visit.
Paolo Basso Balsamic notes of eucalyptus, anise, vanilla and sweet spices.
Rich, full bodied, with an expressive and savoury deep character. Very long persistency.
Ian D’Agata Clean, fresh, but also rich and ripe red fruit. Real density and long, with silky tannins. Great balance.
Michael Garner Intriguing nose of prunes, chocolate and cinnamon. Ripe, fleshy and juicy, but with good balance. Understated structure with hugely impressive length and definition.
Price £36 Colombier Vins Fins
Drink 2015–2025
Alc 14.5%
Brezza, Sarmassa, Barolo
Decanter average score: 18.75pts/20 (95+/100pts)
Individual judges’ scores: Paolo Basso 18.5 Ian D’Agata 19 Michael Garner 18.5
The Brezza family owns a guest house in the heart of the town of Barolo, which offers the traditional Piedmontese home cooking and excellent wines. And though visitors shouldn’t miss out on the Santa Rosalia Freisa (especially), the Dolcettos or Barberas, it’s Barolo that rules here. Owner Enzo Brezza’s best wine is usually the Sarmassa (though the Bricco Sarmassa is the most famous bottling, made from the highest portion of the cru). Along with Cannubi, Sarmassa is the most famous cru completely within the Barolo township boundaries. Traditionally made, this wine faithfully delivers the richer, bigger style typical of the cru.
Paolo Basso Open aromas of redcurrant, white pepper and balsamic. Well-balanced body showing a sumptuous, rich structure, and intense tannins.
Ian D’Agata Fresh, redcurrant fruit. Delightful, smooth, clean delivery of small red berries and floral touches, but with sneaky concentration and impeccable balance. Marvellous wine.
Michael Garner Pretty and perfumed, this is wonderfully scented. Roses and redcurrants with an underlying richness, this shows a fine structure and could develop as well.
Price £27.20–£45 Fine & Rare, Planet of the Grapes
Drink 2015–2023
Alc 14.5
Diego Conterno, Le Coste, Monforte d’Alba
Decanter average score: 18.75pts/20 (95+/100pts)
Individual judges’ scores: Paolo Basso 19 Ian D’Agata 18.5 Michael Garner 18.5
Pecchenino, Le Coste, Monforte d’Alba
Decanter average score: 18.75pts/20 (95+/100pts)
Individual judges’ scores: Paolo Basso 19 Ian D’Agata 18.5 Michael Garner 19
Sobrero, Ciabot Tanasio, Castiglione Falletto
Decanter average score: 18.75pts/20 (95+/100pts)
Individual judges’ scores: Paolo Basso 18.5 Ian D’Agata 19 Michael Garner 19
Stefano Farina, La Morra
Decanter average score: 18.75pts/20 (95+/100pts)
Individual judges’ scores: Paolo Basso 19 Ian D’Agata 18.5 Michael Garner 19
Fratelli Serio & Battista Borgogno, Cannubi, Barolo
Decanter average score: 18.5pts/20 (95/100pts)
Individual judges’ scores: Paolo Basso 18.5 Ian D’Agata 18.5 Michael Garner 18.5
Rocche dei Manzoni, Vigna Cappella di Santo Stefano, Monforte d’Alba
Decanter average score: 18.5pts/20 (95/100pts)
Individual judges’ scores: Paolo Basso 18.5 Ian D’Agata 18.75 Michael Garner 18.5
Serradenari, La Morra
Decanter average score: 18.5pts/20 (95/100pts)
Individual judges’ scores: Paolo Basso 18.5 Ian D’Agata 18.5 Michael Garner 18.5
Damilano, Cannubi, Barolo
Decanter average score: 18.25pts/20 (94/100pts)
Individual judges’ scores: Paolo Basso 18.5 Ian D’Agata 18.25 Michael Garner 18
Hay and prunes. Ripe cherries, cloves and cinnamon. Rich, full-bodied with great personality, persistent aromas, chocolatey tones, along with ripe and savoury tannins.
Price £39 (2008) Bordeaux Index
Drink 2013–2022
Alc 14.5%
Luigi Pira, Marenca, Barolo
Decanter average score: 18.25pts/20 (94/100pts)
Individual judges’ scores: Paolo Basso 18 Ian D’Agata 18.25 Michael Garner 18.5
Balsamic aromas of pine, anise, cinnamon, camphor, plum, violets and roses. Rich, round with an expressive body. Clean and fresh, with peppery tannins at the back, but finishes long and pure.
Price £49 (2008) Fine & Rare
Drink 2015–2024
Alc 14.5%
Sylla Sebaste, Bussia, Monforte d’Alba
Decanter average score: 18pts/20 (93/100pts)
Individual judges’ scores: Paolo Basso 18.5 Ian D’Agata 17.5 Michael Garner 18
Oaky and spicy with exotic fruit notes of papaya and loganberries. Big, full, ripe and luscious with fleshy, dark fruit flavours. Powerful, ripe tannins and a long and tasty finish.
Price N/A UK syllasebaste.com
Drink 2014–2022
Alc 14%
Bussia Soprana, Vigna Colonnello, Monforte d’Alba
Decanter average score: 17.75pts/20 (92/100pts)
Individual judges’ scores: Paolo Basso 17.5 Ian D’Agata 18 Michael Garner 17.5
Flinty, mineral, very floral and with sweet, chocolate-covered cranberries. Round, ripe and spreading flavours on the palate. Good development of flavour and a good structure. Long, aromatic finish. This will develop.
Price N/A UK bussiasoprana.it
Drink 2015–2025
Alc 14%
Ciabot Berton, Rocchettevino, La Morra
Decanter average score: 17.75pts/20 (92/100pts)
Individual judges’ scores: Paolo Basso 16.5 Ian D’Agata 18.5 Michael Garner 18
Beautifully perfumed and refined with an open and expressive nose, showing aromas of ripe cherry, ginger and toasted coffee. Big and powerful but finishes long and pure with hints of tar. Lovely, textbook Barolo.
Price £26 Vinexus
Drink 2014–2024
Alc 14.5%
Ferdinando Principiano, Serralunga d’Alba
Decanter average score: 17.75pts/20 (92/100pts)
Individual judges’ scores: Paolo Basso 17 Ian D’Agata 18 Michael Garner 18
Intense aromas of fresh strawberries, raspberries and black pepper. Good intensity and extraction with flavours of exotic herbs, plus red and black fruits; really lovely purity of fruit.
Price £30 Define, Italian Continental Stores, Quaff, Secret Cellar, The Sampler, Tria Wines, Vineking
Drink 2013–2028
Alc 14%
Filippo Broccardo & Flli, Monforte d’Alba
Decanter average score: 17.75pts/20 (92/100pts)
Individual judges’ scores: Paolo Basso 18 Ian D’Agata 17.5 Michael Garner 17.5
Spicy oak aromas of vanilla and liquorice. Fresh and rich on the palate at first, then smooth and balanced. Very pure red fruit and polished (though still chewy) tannins. Needs time.
Price N/A UK broccardo.it
Drink 2015–2030
Alc 14.5%
Francesco Rinaldi & Figli, Cannubbio, Barolo
Decanter average score: 17.75pts/20 (92/100pts)
Individual judges’ scores: Paolo Basso 18.5 Ian D’Agata 17.25 Michael Garner 17.5
Ripe strawberries, sweet spices, cinnamon. Fleshy, ripe and full with notes of aniseed and cherry. Big, ripe and full with a good structure; finishes smoothly.
Price £44.50 Astrum
Drink 2014–2022
Alc 14%
Oddero, Rocche di Castiglione, Castiglione Falletto
Decanter average score: 17.75pts/20 (92/100pts)
Individual judges’ scores: Paolo Basso 17.5 Ian D’Agata 17.5 Michael Garner 18
Vanilla, sweet spices, liquorice, with hints of porcini and marzipan, plus ripe, red cherry jam. Big, ripe and fleshy with concentrated black fruit flavours overlaid with leather and oak notes. Good balance and persistence.
Price poa Pipai
Drink 2014–2025
Alc 14.5%
Renato Corino
Decanter average score: 17.75pts/20 (92/100pts)
Individual judges’ scores: Paolo Basso 18 Ian D’Agata 17.5 Michael Garner 17.5
Spiced, ripe and expressive nose. Fresh, long, lively and pretty, with vibrant aromas and flavours of red fruits and herbs, displaying fine concentration, balance and length.
Price £32 Fine & Rare, Swig
Drink 2013–2022
Alc 14.5%
Rivetto, Serralunga d’Alba
Decanter average score: 17.75pts/20 (92/100pts)
Individual judges’ scores: Paolo Basso 18 Ian D’Agata 18 Michael Garner 17
Seducing notes of violets, dried roses, cinnamon and cherries under the alcohol. Sweet, rich and fleshy but with Serralunga tannins, this succeeds where others fail in that it has larger amounts of rich, ripe fruit as well.
Price £34 Ellis of Richmond
Drink 2015–2028
Alc 14.5%
Ca’ Bianca
Decanter average score: 17.5pts/20 (91/100pts)
Individual judges’ scores: Paolo Basso 18 Ian D’Agata 18 Michael Garner 16.5
Very persistent and open aromas of violet. Very oaky and spicy with promising red and black fruit aromas. Wonderfully rich and dense with ripe red cherry liqueur and cinnamon nuances.
Price £30 GIV UK
Drink 2015–2030
Alc 14%
Ca’ Rome’, Rapet, Serralunga d’Alba
Decanter average score: 17.5pts/20 (91/100pts)
Individual judges’ scores: Paolo Basso 16.5 Ian D’Agata 17.5 Michael Garner 18.5
Round and spicy with notes of blueberry and cinnamon and a savoury edge. Full, upfront flavours of plum and liquorice. Another tannic behemoth from Serralunga, with enough fruit to buffer the tannic clout.
Price N/A UK carome.com
Drink 2015–2026
Alc 15%
Cascina Bongiovanni, Pernanno, Castiglione Falletto
Decanter average score: 17.5pts/20 (91/100pts)
Individual judges’ scores: Paolo Basso 17.5 Ian D’Agata 17.5 Michael Garner 17.5
Brooding nose of dark plum, hot rocks, tobacco and underbrush. Big, luscious and juicy with impressive depth of ripe fruit flavours. Balanced and long with fine tannins.
Price £31.50 Colasanti
Drink 2015–2026
Alc 15%
Conterno Fantino, Sori Ginestra, Monforte d’Alba
Decanter average score: 17.5pts/20 (91/100pts)
Individual judges’ scores: Paolo Basso 17.5 Ian D’Agata 18 Michael Garner 17
Milk chocolate and blackcurrant with notes of green pepper. Perfumed, clean nose, very pure then laser-like acidity and pristine red fruit and mineral flavours. Great stuff, hard to put the glass back down.
Price £57.50 Carruthers & Kent, Enotria, Great Western Wine
Drink 2014–2025
Alc 14.5%
Fontanafredda, Serralunga d’Alba
Decanter average score: 17.5pts/20 (91/100pts)
Individual judges’ scores: Paolo Basso 18 Ian D’Agata 17 Michael Garner 17.5
Very spicy with a note of meat extract, sweet tobacco, smoke, blackcurrant, cloves. Savoury, full-bodied, harmonious with a noble character. Ripe and round tannins, with a long finish.
Price £22.60–£31 Enotria, Fine & Rare, Great Western Wine
Drink 2013–2025
Alc 14%
Giacomo Grimaldi, Le Coste, Monforte d’Alba
Decanter average score: 17.5pts/20 (91/100pts)
Individual judges’ scores: Paolo Basso 17.5 Ian D’Agata 17.5 Michael Garner 17.5
Delicate nose with red cherries and spiced notes. Intense and well-extracted. Full, plummy, upfront fruit flavours, this is no blockbuster but poised and precise. An outstanding wine.
Price £49.99 Pipai
Drink 2014–2022
Alc 14.5%
Gian Piero Marrone, Pichemej, La Morra
Decanter average score: 17.5pts/20 (91/100pts)
Individual judges’ scores: Paolo Basso 17.5 Ian D’Agata 18.5 Michael Garner 16.5
Fresh, very balanced, with almost decadently ripe red cherry, marzipan and cinnamon on the nose. Savoury, intense and tasty mid-palate with rich and ripe tannins, and a fleshy, smooth back-palate. Great stuff.
Price N/A UK agricolamarrone.com
Drink 2015–2023
Alc 14.5%
Le Cecche, Sorano, Serralunga d’Alba
Decanter average score: 17.5pts/20 (91/100pts)
Individual judges’ scores: Paolo Basso 17.5 Ian D’Agata 16.75 Michael Garner 18
Great nose of cloves, blackcurrant, black pepper and fresh plums. Round and juicy, harmonious. Excellent balance and length. Understated and elegant.
Price £38 Oeno
Drink 2013–2025
Alc 14.5%
Manzone Giovanni, Castelletto, Monforte d’Alba
Decanter average score: 17.5pts/20 (91/100pts)
Individual judges’ scores: Paolo Basso 18 Ian D’Agata 17.5 Michael Garner 17
Ripe blackcurrant, strawberry jam, anise. Intense and harmonious palate with concentrated fruit flavours, though little development as yet. Rich, powerful and muscular – needs time to improve.
Price £31 Lay & Wheeler
Drink 2015–2026
Alc 14.5%
Massolino, Parafada, Serralunga d’Alba
Decanter average score: 17.5pts/20 (91/100pts)
Individual judges’ scores: Paolo Basso 16.5 Ian D’Agata 17.5 Michael Garner 18.5
Black chocolate, cloves, pomegranate. Big, powerful and spicy, loads of fruit with notes of liquorice and anise. Well-balanced palate with good freshness and structure.
Price £68.99 Liberty Wines
Drink 2014–2025
Alc 14%
Poderi Luigi Einaudi, Costa Grimaldi, Barolo
Decanter average score: 17.5pts/20 (91/100pts)
Individual judges’ scores: Paolo Basso 17.5 Ian D’Agata 17.5 Michael Garner 17.5
Blueberries, black pepper and cloves. Rich, savoury and imposing body with ripe and well-integrated tannins. Full, balanced and intense with elements of bark and spice. Good length.
Price £35.20 (2007)–£50.95 Lea & Sandeman, Try Wines
Drink 2015–2026
Alc 14.5%
San Biagio, Sori’ del Rovere, La Morra
Decanter average score: 17.5pts/20 (91/100pts)
Individual judges’ scores: Paolo Basso 17 Ian D’Agata 17.25 Michael Garner 18
Charming with floral red fruits and camphor. Round, ripe and fleshy with sweet red fruit flavours and a spreading aromatic finish. This has great balance, is very floral in style and very La Morrese.
Price £27.89 Natura Amore
Drink 2013–2022
Alc 14%
Silvio Grasso, Bricco Luciani, La Morra
Decanter average score: 17.5pts/20 (91/100pts)
Individual judges’ scores: Paolo Basso 18 Ian D’Agata 18 Michael Garner 16.5
Balsamic and spiced nose with aromas of anise, eucalyptus and cinnamon. Rich, savoury, tasty and with a deep personality. A very long and intense finish.
Price N/A UK silviograsso.com
Drink 2015–2025
Alc 14%
Vietti, Castiglione, Castiglione Falletto
Decanter average score: 17.5pts/20 (91/100pts)
Individual judges’ scores: Paolo Basso 17 Ian D’Agata 17.75 Michael Garner 17.5
Full, ripe and intense nose of some power. Big, round and juicy with spicy-toned plum and cherry flavours. Lovely balance and lovely fruit, with promise of more to come.
Price £40.49 Bibendum
Drink 2015–2026
Alc 14.2%
( Fonte Decanter )
