Date of visit: May 30, 2023
Consistently One of Piemonte’s Greatest Producers
Cavallotto is crafting some of the most incredible wines to come out of Piemonte. Each time we visit Langhe, Cavallotto is always one of the highlights of our trip.
If you’re someone who enjoys the wines of Langhe as much as we do, chances are you’re already familiar with the name Cavallotto, and for good reason. This is an estate which is far from under the radar. Critics and wine lovers alike have always viewed the estate quite favorably. However, in our opinion they still remain quite underrated and underappreciated by many, given how high quality their wines really are.
This isn’t the first time that we’ve written about Cavallotto, and we realize this may sound repetitive, but it’s still worth mentioning; Cavallotto’s entire lineup of wines, not just their Barolo, is nothing short of magnificent. All of Cavallotto’s wines receive the same care and attention that their top Barolo does. This is really amazing and can’t go overlooked, particularly because their non-Barolo offerings are shockingly affordable, and consistently over deliver. These are wines which like their Barolo are outstanding now, but also possess serious aging potential, and are just downright delicious.
In addition to the estate’s out of this world wines, Giuseppe Cavallotto is quite literally a walking encyclopedia on all things related to the wines of Langhe. He possesses an absolutely incredible wealth of knowledge, and speaking with him about any topic from corks, to climate change, to new projects that he's working on, is always extremely interesting and informative.
As a side note, over the last year we’ve been fortunate enough to have tasted two bottles of 1971 Cavallotto Barolo Bricco Boschis, and we can say confidently, that these two wines are hands down the two greatest wines we’ve ever tasted.
Our Tasting Notes
2022 Dolcetto d’Alba “Vigna Scot”: This wine was pulled fresh off the bottling line just seconds before tasting it. Pronounced aromas of crushed red and black berries, cherries, and licorice, along with nuances of mint, anise, and truffles. Flavors of tart, but fruity, crushed red and black berries, cherries, smoke, and mushrooms. Firm, rustic tannins, with fresh acidity. A very serious, structured, and complex Dolcetto, but still approachable.
2020 Barbera d’Alba “Vigna Cuculo”: This wine was opened the afternoon before our visit, and was bottled in 2022. Pronounced aromas of cherry blossoms, roses, and flowers leap out of glass before even bringing the glass to our nose, and give way to new leather and more rustic aromas. The palate is juicy, silky, and mouthwatering, filled with flavors of crushed cherries, pomegranates, and some new leather. This is a super structured Barbera, with very fine, beautifully integrated tannins, vibrant acidity, and excellent balance. We suspect this will be a very long lived Barbera. Giuseppe said that “2020 was a great vintage for Barbera”, and added that it will be showing even better in another two or three years.
2020 Langhe Nebbiolo: Pronounced, beautiful, elegant aromas of stewed cranberries and raspberries, wild strawberries, roses, earl grey tea, new leather, and hints of anise. Super tart, mouth puckering flavors of crushed cherries, cranberries, pomegranates, and licorice along with some mushrooms. Fine, but firm and structured, teeth coating tannins with vibrant acidity. A serious and structured Langhe Nebbiolo.
2019 Barolo Bricco Boschis: This Barolo opens with ultra classic captivating aromas of tar and roses (moreso roses), and gives way to a kaleidoscope of other sensations; strawberries, raspberries, crushed cherries, wild flowers, a pleasant gameyness, wet earth, old leather, dry leaves, old church-like aromas, and smoke, with hints of fresh torn mint, anise, truffles, and mushrooms. Flavors of tart cherries, leather, tar, and roses, with firm, structured tannins, balanced by vibrant acidity. Amazing balance. Rustic, and beautiful. As this wine spent some time in our glass, aromas of earl grey tea and chocolate unfolded. A truly gorgeous Barolo with exceptional again potential, which can be enjoyed today, but will be even more enjoyable in decades to come.
2017 Barolo Riserva Vignolo: Aromas of forest, forest floor, wet leaves, wet earth, licorice, rosemary, leather, apricot pits, and sage, along with raw game meats and gamey-earthy qualities (typical of Barolo from Vignolo). Flavors of tart crushed red cherries, lingonberries, red currants, licorice, some bloody-like qualities, a gameyness (typical of Barolo from Vignolo), with a very faint hint of raisins and prunes on the finish. A captivating mouthfeel which starts off silky and inviting (almost surprisingly), and finishes with teeth coating, powerful, bracing tannins. After some more time in the glass aromas of wet leaves and a good amount of anise and tar emerge.
2017 Barolo Riserva Bricco Boschis Vigna San Giuseppe: Alluring pronounced aromas of roses lead the way on the nose, followed by peonies, candied cherries, truffles, porcini mushrooms, some new leather, sage, and apricot pits. Flavors of juicy, tart, crushed cherries, lingonberries, black currants, new leather, semi-dried tomatoes, and a slight bloodiness. Bracing overt tannins cling to the palate on this ultra structured Barolo which is stunning right out of the gate, and with time in the glass, becomes even more enjoyable. The mouthfeel which was once quite austere (though not in an offensive way by any means), begins to become a bit more approachable, and is almost silky for a second or two at first, before aggressive, structured tannins emerge. If someone never had Barolo before and wanted to know what Barolo is, THIS is Barolo. An absolutely beautiful example of a textbook, classic Barolo. One of the most enjoyable showings of Vigna San Giuseppe we can remember, and like so many of Cavallotto’s wines, built for aging. This wine will only become increasingly enjoyable over the next few decades. Giuseppe told us that this is the first time since 1948 that their Barolo reached 15% alcohol (both the 2017 Vignolo and Vigna San Giuseppe have 15%). With that said, we didn’t find the alcohol level detectable, and it didn’t take away from either wine by any means.
2021 Langhe Nebbiolo: Giuseppe explained their Langhe Nebbiolo starts off by aging for approximately two years in wood, and is then moved to stainless steel for one to three weeks. He told us this sample was taken from stainless steel tank, and would be bottled tomorrow. A highly expressive fruit forward nose filled with beautiful notes of crushed red and black berries, cherries, roses, and anise. The palate, like the nose, is fruit forward with notes of dark fruit compote, and hints of smoke and tobacco. It’s structured, balanced, and has a silky mouthfeel, with smooth, mouth enveloping tannins. This is drinking really nice at the moment, and is incredibly enjoyable. We have no doubt this will be a stunning wine once bottled, it already is.
A Note About Corks
At the end of the tasting we somehow got on the topic of corks and Giuseppe gave us a crash course on the topic. Giuseppe told us they source their corks from a few different places and producers; 90% are from Spain and Portugal, and a small amount are from Sardegna. He explained that Portugal has approximately 3-5 producers, who essentially have a monopole of the industry. He added that sadly, quality today is nowhere near as good as it was in the old days. Today, corks are generally harvested from trees which are much younger than in the past. Many years ago, when cork demand was much lower than it is today, cork was harvested from trees which were around 45-50 years old. Giuseppe explained that older trees produce cork which has superior microoxygenation. We asked if one can determine the quality of a cork just by looking at it, and the short answer is no. Giuseppe stated that many people will tell you that they can, and they’ll show you some different areas that you can inspect to determine the quality. However, he explained that it’s impossible to determine the quality of cork just by touching it or looking at it with the naked eye.
Thank You
As always, grazie mille Giuseppe, Alfio, Valentina, and the entire team at Cavallotto for welcoming us back to your estate once again, and for being such generous, and amazing hosts. Your wines are really spectacular, and are something very special. Thank you so much for sharing them with us. We hope to see you again very soon. Grazie mille!
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