Our Red Wine of the Year: 2016 Barolo Monvigliero - Under $45

The Fass Selections 2020 Red Wine Of The Year

- 2016 Palazzo Schiavino Barolo Monvigliero -

Today's 2016 Barolo is our red wine of the year and before I tell you what it is I'm going to tell you why it's the red wine of the year. 

• It's from a world class vineyard 
• It's from a once in a decade vintage 
• It's under $45 for a case ($43.99)
• It will age 20+ years. 
• It's got world class stop you in your tracks aromatics
• It's relatively accessible if you drink it in 2 hours. Don't air it out too much. 
• The palate had a Chambolle elegance and fruit sweetness to it that is reminiscent of much more expensive wines.

The 2016 Vintage in Barolo

No vintage blew me away for red wine this year more than 2016 Barolo. Is it as good as 2013 and 2010? Yes. Is it better? From what I've tasted it is. But I've also tasted some misses as well from 2016 which was not nearly as frequent in 10 and 13. The highs in 2016 are particularly compelling. The aromas in 2016 are completely out of this world. The aromatic specialty Barolos I've sold this year (Sara Vezza Barolo Ravera and Josetta Saffirio Barolo Commune Monforte d'Alba) have aromatics that knock you into the stratosphere. 

The Fass Selections Red Wine Of The Year is the 2016 Palazzo Schiavino Barolo Monvigliero for $45.99 on a 4-pack and $43.99 on a 12 bottle case. They made a tiny amount of the debut vintage 2015 that was sold out instantly in Italy and the 2016 is the first real release of this wine. Any of you that have had the 13 and 15 Barolo and Barolo Massara can attest to the amazing quality and QPR going at Schiavino. 

The Palazzo Schiavino Story

Palazzo Schiavino is really Castello di Massara made by Gian Caroli Burlotto. Another Burlotto. Not the

100pt guy. Think of the 100pt Burlotto guy as Liger-Bel Air and today's winery as Thibault Liger-Bel Air. It's complicated and that's fine and that's also wine. What's not complicated is how unreal this wine is. As soon as I popped the cork and poured the wine and sniffed it I knew. It was the red wine of the year and it was without a doubt. Easiest decision I've made all year. The red wine of the year finds me. I don't find it. I know I'm looking for it but I don't force it. When you know you know. 

What a nose. Sick sick wine. The best value Monvigliero I've ever had. Haunting old school and very, very aromatic nose. Tar, dried roses, leather horse saddle, a fragrance that one needs a nose as big as mine to smell or you need at least 3 normal sized noses to really get it all. It is wafting with a capital W. The aromas are to die for. Classic classic stuff and just insane. So Chambolle. Lacey aromas and so, so deep and delicate. But intense! Some light cherry initially but this is all black tea, leather and dried roses until more complex cherry tones developed a few hours open. Also insanely pure old wood shavings. Sick. Sick. Sick.

Wow, what a brilliant palate. So juicy and so elegant. Classic Monvigliero. Amazing sap and purity. So so elegant. God this is good. So balanced. The fruit is so luscious and stacked plus the energy and linearity of this wine is second to none. There's a serious mineral spine to the nose as well. Smells like pulverized earth and rocks. Just a hedonistic and brilliant bottle of Barolo. Breathtaking in every sense of the word! The structure develops and weaves in and out to make this between tannic as hell and drinkable with painfully intense sweet fruit after our three. But after two hours it's greatness is evident for everybody to see. The combo of vivid violets after two hours on top of the black tea, tar and roses and leather is to die for. The most incredible aromas, the most incredible sweet Nebbiolo fruit and the magic that comes from a magical site such as Monvigliero. I hope you all enjoy this wine as much as I did.  

Verduno's Rising Star: the Paradox of Elegant Accessibility

Everyone now loves Verduno because that's where the 100 point 2013 Burlotto Monvigliero Barolo wine comes from. I'm all for anything that puts a micro region on the map as if one winery gets into the stratosphere, that means the others below get attention but usually, initially do not get the price boost. 

It's really important to know that in Verduno the Baroli are very elegant and accessible. That's the trademark. As many can say elegant and accessible can sometimes be seen as not that interesting but then you get Burlotto leading the charge or De Montille or Bertheau in Volnay and Chambolle and one can see that elegant and accessible can be a very very good thing. And today's wine is elegant, refined, accessible and has the perfect energetic and dynamic fruit expression of 2016. 

2016 Palazzo Schiavino Barolo Monvigliero - $47.99 ($183.96 4-pack, $527.88 12 bottle case {$43.99}) (LIMITED)