The Terence Malick of Cuvees - the 2015 Il Chiosso Gattinara Riserva - First Vintage Since 2008 - An Absolute Piedmont Superstar Wine

2015 Il Chiosso Gattinara Riserva
 - A Wine of Prodigious Depth
 - Next Level Concentration
 - Beautiful Purity
 - Nose - Truly Exquisite
 - A Garden Full of Every Kind of Ripe Berry on a Hot Day
 - Smoke, Leather, Tar, Roses and a Hint of Mushroom
 - An Incredible Symphony of Nebbiolo Aromas
 - Palate: Explosive Berry Fruit
 - So Complex, and So Refined
 - Internal Aromatics are Simply Gorgeous
 - Fruit, Spice, a Bit of Licorice
 - Balance is Extraordinary and the Finish Does not Quit
 - Very Serious and Very Compelling Gattinara
 - Please Do Not be Misled by the Price
 - A Super Premium / Elite Nebbiolo

 - The Structure and Acidity to Last for 15+ Years 

Terence Malick

One of the greatest American filmmakers is Terence Malick. But his career is an odd one as he doesn't follow a traditional release schedule. Arguably every film he's every made has been a masterpiece. Below are his films and the release dates. 

Badlands (1973)

Days of Heaven (1978)

Thin Red Line (1998)

The New World (2005)

The Tree of Life (2011)

That's a complete list of Terence Malick's films. They are gorgeous looking with some of the best cinematography you'll ever see. They are very philosophical and complex films that have an overarching theme of transcendence. Roger Ebert said it best that Terrence Malick is one of the few filmmakers "who yearn to make no less than a masterpiece." 

The Wine

Today's wine is that type of wine. 

There are wines that perk up even the most jaded collector.

This is one of them.

One of the most legendary wines in the history of Fass Selections is the 2008 Il Chiosso Gattinara Riserva. We were growing the portfolio nicely and then all of a sudden people started going crazy over this wine.  We had to offer it a second time and people bought tons of it.  

This is not a regular "productized riserva"- it's only made in the most exceptional years when everything goes right. That's twice now in in a decade. That's why this wine is truly a gift. It's one of the most guaranteed elite wines in the entire portfolio across Europe.

The Wine

The 2015 Il Chiosso Gattinara Riserva for $52.99 a bottle on a 4 pack purchase  is a wine I tasted out of barrel when I went to Italy and was immediately moved by it. This was 2017. Now we are in 2021 and it has just been released.  I haven't tasted this wine in 4 years. But I remember that warm day in Gattinara tasting this with Marco Arluno and being just gobsmacked by this wine. This was the best Gattinara I'd ever had. 

A wine of prodigious depth, next level concentration, beautiful purity and those crazy, deep classic old school Il Chiosso aromas. But the most vivid expression of these aromas yet. They know what they have and have priced it as their most expensive wine yet. And it's underpriced. By a lot. But for the best wine in an appellation that I've had for $52 it's a steal. At $52 you are getting village Barolo. Well at Fass Selections you are getting some Cru Barolo but we are a bit unique. For $52 in Gattinara you're getting some elite, rare, next level stuff. Which is what people who shop here want and expect. This is as Grand Cru as Gattinara gets and one can understand why Roberto Conterno bought Nervi and pumped a ton of cash into it. Gattinara will be the Pauillac of Alto Piemonte. 

This is one of those wines that is like a punch in the face (in a good way). You are tasting wine after Piedmont wine after Piedmont wine and some are good, some bad.  And then you put this in your mouth and you are like "what the heck is that?"  

First the nose.  It's as if there was a garden full of every kind of ripe berry on a hot day when the aromatics

are swirling all over and your head is in the middle of all of this with all of these berry fruits swirling around your nose.  It's truly exquisite. Just an incredible nose. The nose has an incredible symphony of Nebbiolo aromas. The heavens opened and sprayed this aroma in the glass it seems like. Secondary aromas come out with air. Smoke, leather, tar, roses and a hint of mushroom. Just that glorious old school Nebbiolo. Old bookcase aromas as well.

The palate is explosive berry fruit, but juicy, the way we like it at Fass Selections.  Very, very concentrated berry fruits with great acidity.  The palate is so complex, and so refined (some Gattinara can be too rustic) with big juicy red cherries. The internal aromatics are simply gorgeous: fruit, spice, a bit of licorice.  The tannins are big, ripe and sweet with dazzling complexity on the finish. This is stunning now but has at least 15+ more years of life. The inner mouth aromas are ridiculous as is the purity and freshness. Flowers, spice and cherry fruit are enveloped in the stunningly refined tannins that have a lovely rustic but not too rustic edge to them. The balance is extraordinary and the finish does not quit. It's a big but graceful wine with palate staining fruit and firm but beautiful tannins. Such an intense huge core of mid season cherry fruit and this wine palate is unapologetically old school.

So long and strikingly mineral on the finish. Powerful and deep yet light on its feet. Profound. This wine is so so good and pulls of the combo of cerebral and hedonistic at the same time. This is very serious and very compelling Gattinara. I love the appellation as the wines have a happiness and brightness to them that I find so appealing. This wine is good to go.  It would cost $85+ 3 tier so it is not imported by the people who import the regular Gattinara.  

Please do not be misled by the price - this is a super premium elite Nebbiolo. There is the level of terrific concentration that you expect from a top wine from the Northern Rhone or even Burgundy (and Barolo as well, of course).  If you like wines with a solid amount of fruit, this is one to really stock up on.  this is not a modern, jammy fruit wine (it is well balanced with secondary flavors) but for a traditionally made wine, it has awesome fruit.  2015 was an insane vintage for this winery and they are running out of this bottling even though it was just released and we are in a global pandemic.  This is at the beginning of its drinking window and has the structure and acidity to last for 15+ years. Maybe longer. This is very limited. 

2015 Il Chiosso Gattinara Riserva - $54.99 ($211.96 4-pack)