Date of visit: October 24, 2022
Our Visit to G.B. Burlotto
This past October we were fortunate enough to have been invited back to G.B. Burlotto to taste some wines which we didn’t have an opportunity to try during our previous visit in June, and to re-taste some of our favorites. Although some of these wines we’d just tasted 6 months ago, it was really interesting to see how they’d already evolved in such a short period of time.
If you’d like to read more about this amazing producer, or our previous visits, you can do so here:
We also encourage you to visit their website which provides great information on their history as well as their wines.
Tasting Notes
2021 Langhe Sauvignon Dives: “For Dives we select the grapes from the best exposed and positioned portion of our vineyard, which also happens to be the oldest parcels of the vineyard planted in 1986 which, according to our memory and knowledge, should be the oldest Sauvignon blanc vineyard in the Barolo area”.
Aromas of fresh squeezed grapefruit, lemon pith, green herbs, green apples, jasmine, and hay. Incredibly, crisp, precise, and refreshing, with vibrant, fresh acidity. Flavors of green apples, white flowers, grapefruit, and tea roses with pleasant salinity, and a persistent finish.
2021 Pelaverga: Captivating aromas of fresh crushed raspberries and black peppercorns, rosemary, pine, smoke, and strawberries. Almost weightless on the palate, with great fresh acidity, and a wide array of extremely unique, well defined, and complex flavors; wild strawberries, raspberries, and white pepper, with some pine, dry leaves, and smoke. We’ve tasted the last 5 vintages of this wine, each one has been incredible, and the 2021 is no exception. Its flavor profile makes it extremely enjoyable year round, and it pairs extremely well with just about anything we’ve tried (especially sushi, truffles, and snails). But beware, this wine goes down far too easily, we think it should be bottled in magnums.
2021 Dolcetto d’Alba: One of the few Dolcetto d’Alba made from whole cluster pressed grapes (50% in this case). This is a serious Dolcetto, but is still super accessible, and drinkable. The nose is fresh and juicy, filled with aromas of crushed red fruits, namely cherries, raspberries, and pomegranates, all of which carries over to the palate, along with some licorice, and hints of pine and spices, which finish long. Structured and complex, yet light, fresh, and approachable, with soft, supple, beautifully integrated tannins, and terrific balance. Vintage after vintage this continues to be one of our favorite expressions of Dolcetto there is, both immediately upon release, or with a few years of age on it. This wine was bottled over the summer, and was just released for sale a few weeks ago. We’ve tasted every vintage of this wine since 2017, and they’re always stunning, but the 2021 may be our favorite.
2021 Barbera d’Alba Aves: G.B. Burlotto makes two different examples of Barbera, one known simply as “Barbera d’Alba”, and one known as “Barbera d’Alba Aves”. Aves is produced only in exceptional vintages, and is made from a selection of grapes from their best and oldest vineyards. Just like the Dolcetto d’Alba, this wine was bottled over the summer, and was just released for sale a few weeks ago. Extremely pronounced, vibrant, energetic and lively aromas of red berries, licorice, smoke, roses, peonies and plums. You can practically smell the vibrant, lively acidity and fruit on this wine which draw you in toward the glass before even taking a sip. Smooth on the palate, with tart flavors of red and black fruits, namely raspberries, blackberries, and ripe plums, with hints of tobacco, cigar box, vanilla bean, and cedar, with soaring acidity and a persistent finish.
2018 Barolo Acclivi: Produced only in exceptional vintages, Acclivi, is made from a selection of the best and oldest grapes from different vineyard sites all located in Verduno (Monvigliero, Neirane, Rocche dell’Olmo and Boscatto), the final blend varies depending on the vintage. Floral and fruity, with pronounced aromas of fresh raspberries which practically leap out of the glass, but quickly taper off and give way to hints of licorice, anise and roses. Incredibly fresh, fruity, floral, clean and pure. Flavors of cooked strawberries and raspberries, cherries, and just the slightest hint of espresso. The tannins are velvety and well integrated, and are accompanied by vibrant, fresh acidity, but make no mistake, this is a super structured, serious wine, almost surprisingly so, given how inviting the nose is. Very enjoyable and accessible today, and will without a doubt evolve beautifully over the next 15-20 years and beyond.
2018 Barolo Castelletto: The Castelletto vineyard, is located in Monforte d’Alba. G.B. Burlotto purchased 1.07 hectares in this vineyard in 2018, and this is their first time producing a Barolo from this vineyard site. Vines were planted in 1973, exposure is East and Southeast, and altitude ranges from 270 and 300 meters above sea level. A beautiful nose, led by roses, along with licorice, raspberries, forest floor, and wet leaves, accented by hints of crushed cherries, and leather. Flavors of fresh crushed red cherries, raspberries, roses, and licorice. Masculine, serious, and structured, but with fantastic balance, and the tannins, although bracing, are beautifully integrated.
2018 Barolo Monvigliero: Grapes are grown in the famed Monvigliero vineyard, in Verduno. Monvigliero is located in the northernmost part of the Barolo growing zone, not far from the Tanaro river. Grapes are whole cluster fermented in open French oak vats, followed by a lengthy 2-month submerged cap maceration. Grapes are foot pressed to avoid damaging the stalks. Captivating, pronounced, distinctive aromas that could only be one wine and one wine only, G.B. Burlotto Barolo Monvigliero. There really is nothing else that we’ve encountered that smells anything like this. Candied sugar and red berries, licorice, cherry blossoms, roses, peonies, violets, apples skins, lavender, and probably a dozen other aromas found on the bouquet of this gorgeous wine, which draw you in, and keep you coming back for more. Ultra fine, velvety, beautifully integrated tannins, with vibrant acidity. This wine glides across your palate with a silky-like mouthfeel as juicy flavors of crushed red raspberries, cherries, rose water, and cherry pits unfold, and pleasantly linger on. All about elegance and finesse, it’s gentle and soft, and shockingly accessible, yet somehow still possesses incredible aging potential. It’s brutally difficult to resist this wine in its youth, given how absolutely amazing it’s already showing today, but we also can’t wait to see where it will go over the next few decades.
Thank You
Thank you so much Cristina, Fabio and the entire team at G.B. Burlotto for welcoming us back to your estate, sharing your incredible wines with us, and for having us as guests at the beautiful Villa Giobatta. We look forward to seeing you again very soon. Grazie mille! A presto!
Citations:
Burlotto.com
Comentarios