Elvio Cogno Barolo DOCG Bricco Pernice 2007

Date of Tasting: 14 May 2015

Wine Type: Red

Grape Varieties: 100% Nebbiolo

Alcohol: 14.5%

Origin: Piedmont, Italy

Appellation: Barolo DOCG

Expect to Pay: ~ EUR60

Web: http://www.elviocogno.com/
Chubby Appreciation: 93/100
Critics' Opinion: WA - 93/100, AG - 93/100, JS - 95/100, WS - 90/100, WE - 94/100, FS - 94/100, CT - 91/100

Appearance: Bright garnet.

Aroma: Perfume of red berries, tea, tar, spices, flowers.

Palate: Round tannins. Medium-full on the palate. Depth of rich raspberry note. Lively acidity. 

Dry on the palate as in typical Barolo but gorgeous fruits still. It is pretty much accessible now, however, it should be able to age more. I would say it is about sniffing for this one. It is a fine pleasure just to sniff bouquet of this wine.

Fontodi Chianti Classico Riserva Vigna del Sorbo 2009

Date of Tasting: 15 April 2015

Wine Type: Red

Grape Varieties: 90% Sangiovese, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon

Alcohol: 14.5%

Origin: Tuscany, Italy

Appellation: Chianti Classico DOCG

Expect to Pay: ~ EUR50

Web: http://www.fontodi.com/
Chubby Appreciation: 92/100
Critics' Opinion: WA - 94/100, AG - 95/100, WS - 90/100, JS - 95/100, FS - 93/100, CT - 92/100

Appearance: Dense red

Aroma: Tobacco, tar, oak, spices, and mild red berries

Palate: Rich and full. Fine dusty but sweet and velvety tannins. Notes of ripe fruits. Hint of vanilla, tea, and mushroom. Fresh acidity.

Fresh but energetic at the same time. Flaccianello range of Fontodi may be great but Chianti Classico Vigna del Sorbo, on the other hand, cannot be overlooked. It is almost as impressive with complexity but more reasonable priced. However, the overall structure is more like hybrid: not traditional nor modern. Enjoy with rich dishes now and 10 years to go.

Conterno Fantino Barolo Mosconi 2008

Date of Tasting: 23 March 2015

Wine Type: Red

Grape Varieties: 100% Nebbiolo

Alcohol: 15%

Origin: Piedmont, Italy

Appellation: Barolo DOCG

Expect to Pay: ~ EUR60

Web: http://www.conternofantino.it/
Chubby Appreciation: 93/100
Professional Rating: WA - 94/100, AG - 94/100, WS - 95/100, FS - 94/100, JS - 93/100, ST - 93/100, CT - 92/100

Appearance: Rich garnet

Aroma: Cherry, raspberry, earth, mushroom

Palate: Rich and full with dense tannins. Expression of sweet and sour raspberry and red fruits. Dry and powerful. Outgoing characters. Fine length on the finish.

It starts to reveal its characters and is accessible. However, still somewhat reduction on the nose. Give it a little bit more time to sleep and it should be more fantastic. This is not the elegant and sleek kind of Barolo but more on the energy and power type. Modern kind, it is, but lovely. Salute!!!

Elvio Cogno Barolo Ravera 2010

Date of Tasting: 4 March 2015

Wine Type: Red

Grape Varieties: 100% Nebbiolo

Alcohol: 14.5%

Origin: Piedmont, Italy

Appellation: Barolo DOCG

Expect to Pay: ~ EUR50

Web: http://www.elviocogno.com/
Chubby Appreciation: 92/100
Professional Rating: WA - 93/100, AG - 95/100, JS - 93/100, WS - 94/100, BH - 95/100, JR - 17.5/20, CT - 93/100

Appearance: Dark garnet

Aroma: Fragrance of dark cherry, tar, rose, earth, and spices

Palate: Fine and muscular tannins. Powerful and kind of dense. Deep and juicy fruits with juiciness. Playful acidity.

Quality terrior and production technique from gorgeous vintage without doubt, this is. The herbal and floral notes are extremely attractive. Though it is a kind for ageing, it is difficult also to keep hands off now. Cellaring for a few years should be interesting. Looking forward to next tasting in a few years: sniffing in particular. Grazia!!!!!

Cavallotto Tenuta Bricco Boschis Barolo Riserva Vignolo 2005

Date of Tasting: 20 January 2015

Wine Type: Red

Grape Varieties: 100% Nebbiolo

Alcohol: 14.5%

Origin: Piedmont, Italy

Appellation: Barolo Riserva DOCG

Expect to Pay: ~ EUR80

Web: http://www.cavallotto.com/
Chubby Appreciation: 93/100
Professional Rating: WA - 95/100, AG - 95/100, WS - 90/100, WE - 91/100, FS - 92/100, ST - 93/100, JR - 17/20, CT - 95/100

Appearance: Garnet

Aroma: Red fruits, spices, licorice, earth, tobacco, mild mushroom, and rose.

Palate: Big and dense body. Masculine tannins but soft touch. Still well structured with elegance. Notes of cherries and prune. Vibrant finish.

An outstanding Castiglione Falletto Barolo from Cavallotto in an overlooked vintage it is. We had this along with Philippe Pacalet Beaune 1er Cru Les Perrieres 2010 and both were hard to beat each other. Two different great regions that showed well in particular, aroma. Cavallotto Barolo Riserva Vignolo 2005 may be more masculine but still rather feminine in overall. Perhaps a few hours of decant before serving will reveal its complexity better. Love it and cheers Cavallotto. Surely, a plate of steak with shaved truffle would go supremely well with it. Looking forward to the next bottle.

Bartolo Mascarello Barolo 2008

Date of Tasting: 22 December 2014

Wine Type: Red

Grape Varieties: 100% Nebbiolo

Alcohol: 14.5%

Origin: Piedmont, Italy

Appellation: Barolo DOCG

Expect to Pay: ~ EUR100

Web: n.a.
Chubby Appreciation: 95/100
Professional Rating: WA - 96/100, AG - 98/100, WS - 92/100, JS - 95/100, FS - 96/100, ST - 93/100, JR - 16/20, CT - 94/100

Appearance: brick red

Aroma: cherry, peppermint, mushroom, and rose petals

Palate: Polishing texture of fine tannins. Juicy and silky with packed sweet red fruits. Balance in overall. Fine acidity. Classic medium body.

Stunning, it was. The first thing came up in my mind was how difficult it would be for me to keep my hand off the remaining bottles. It is drinking beautifully now with some air. But would be surely nice to see how it develops towards the end of this decade. Such an elegant and finesse bottle. A true masterpiece by Maria-Teresa Mascarello.

Pio Cesare Barolo Ornato 2009

Date of Tasting: 9 October 2014

Wine Type: Red

Grape Varieties: 100% Nebbiolo

Alcohol: 14.5%

Origin: Piedmont, Italy

Appellation: Barolo DOCG

Expect to Pay: ~ EUR90

Web: http://www.piocesare.it/
Chubby Appreciation: 95/100
Professional Rating: WA - 93/100, AG - 92/100, WS - 92/100, JS - 96/100, ST - 92/100, JR - 17/20, CT - 91/100

Appearance: bright and dark red

Aroma: white truffle, cherry, menthol and spices, floral hint

Palate: Rather full and thick body but silky texture with smooth integrated tannins. Soft and fine mouth feel. Sweet and ripe plum and red cherry. A touch of oak. Long finish.

Modern style Barolo with dark and structured framework. An opulent and expressive wine it is. However, the oaky mouth-feel could be a little overwhelming. The primary aroma of truffle was beautiful. I had this along with risotto cooked with Barolo at Le Torri in Cuneo and they went along each other beautifully. This is pretty much ready at this age and should be enjoyable for a decade to go. If you like concentrated and full Barolo, here is a choice for you. Sante!!!!

Elvio Cogno Barolo Cascina Nuova 2010

Date of Tasting: 26 October 2014

Wine Type: Red

Grape Varieties: 100% Nebbiolo

Alcohol: 14.5%

Origin: Piedmont, Italy

Appellation: DOCG

Expect to Pay: ~ EUR40

Web: http://www.elviocogno.com/
Chubby Appreciation: 91/100
Professional Rating: WA - 92/100, AG - 93/100, WS - 94/100, JS - 93/100, JR - 17/20, CT - 91/100

Appearance: bright garnet

Aroma: elevated red cherries with refreshing herbs, mushroom, and mild flowers

Palate: Medium bodied texture with some fine grained particles but silkily smooth. Sour and concentrated cherry as the primary taste. Cool mint and spiced notes. Long on the finish.

Another interesting Barolo from an interesting vintage of 2010. This is a production of elegance and pleasure. At this stage, the sour taste of cherry seems to dominate and there were some fine particles, though nose perfume is already awesome. Perhaps a few years in bottle to soften down and balancing would do it better. I had this with Chinese food and they seemed to play their roles nicely. Surely, meaty dishes and game should be awesome too. Looking forward to the next bottle (perhaps 2018). Cheers!!!!!

Elvio Cogno Cascina Nuova Barolo DOCG 2007

Date of Tasting: 31 January 2014

Wine Type: Red

Grape Varieties: 100% Nebbiolo

Alcohol: 14.5%

Origin: Barolo, Piedmont, Italy

Appellation: DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita)

Expect to Pay: ~ THB1,800 - THB2,500

Web: http://www.elviocogno.com/
Chubby Score: 92/100
Value for money: 7/10
Professional Rating: WA - 92/100, WS - 95/100, WE - 95/100, JS - 92/100, ST - 90/100, CT - 92/100

Appearance: brick red

Aroma: spices, floral, rose, earth, and hint of vanilla

Palate: sweet red fruits. round, silky, and exciting medium body that shows depth and length. complex and balance. tobacco and cedar on the background.

I love this well integrated red wine from Piedmont. I does not just show liveliness, vibrant, and sexiness, it is also elegant. A good example of fine wine from great producer, top vineyards, and excellent year. Despite its rich aroma characters, this should well be enjoyable with roasts and flavourful dishes for a decade to go. I shall revisit this awesome in 2016. Let raise many more glasses.