|
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dear Friend,
What do you get when you take powerful fruit (think Bordeaux) with ethereal aromatics, elegant structure and mouthwatering acidity (think great Burgundy)? Simple. Barolo, one of the great wines of Italy. If you have never tried Barolo, you owe it to yourself to try one and have I got a fantastic wine for you.
Today’s release, Lot 260 2007 Badarina Vineyard Barolo DOCG comes to us from a family owned winery, one of Piedmont’s largest vineyard holders, making wine in Piedmont since the late 19th century. Lot 260 comes from the Badarina Vineyard in Serralunga D’Alba, one of the best communes, where the vineyards of Barolo reach 450 meters above sea level with a southeast exposure resulting in wines with great structure and elegance.
With 3 years in barrel/cask and 6 months in bottle, Lot 260 is archetypal Barolo made in the classical style. My original notes from a few weeks ago, right out of the bottle, are as follows: Lot 260 is textbook Barolo redolent with blackberry and raspberry-fruit, intermingling with fresh tobacco, forest floor, and balsamic notes. With its silky texture, excellent minerality, and fantastic overall structure, this wine offers waves of pleasure and great ageing potential (10-15 years). Fruit up front with plenty of grip in the rear, this wine comes together beautifully in a long-fruit and spice-tinged finish.
Tonight, after 4 or 5 hours of air, the aromatics have evolved considerably showing more strawberry/cherry inflected fruit, plumskins and crushed rock all wrapped around a piercing core of anise seed. On the palate, strawberries, plums and tobacco leaf mingle with fennel and mineral in a tightly wound yet lavish structure with plenty of fruit to support big tannins. This is a fantastic bottle of wine…give it plenty of time to breathe or try a 24-hour decant. Lot 260 will easily last 10-15 years and in the near-term is best consumed with rich fare such as meat dishes, heavy pastas and risottos.
As many of you know, the 2007 vintage in Barolo was just rated 95 points by the Wine Spectator and 97 points by the Wine Advocate, a fantastic vintage by any measure. The lower tier offering from our grower partner (which sells for $35-40) has already scored a 91 from the Wine Spectator. We picked this out as the best of a lineup of many 93 and 94 point wines all retailing in the $60-80 range and I fully anticipate this wine to score somewhere in the 93-95 point range. I have to say I am very proud, not to mention amazed, that we have this wine for offer under our label. Truly an exceptional and untouchable deal in Barolo at $29. Compare at $60-80.
As always, if you have any questions regarding this release, any of our other wines, or just general wine questions, please don't hesitate to call us at 1-800-805-1971 or email us. We are always happy to hear from you.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
