- Terrific Fruit, Structure and Density
- Best Vintage Since 2010 - - -Maybe Better?
"For many growers, the 2016s are not just epic, they are career-defining wines." Antonio Galloni
"In tasting, what stands out most about the 2016s is their extraordinary balance and harmony. Independently of what the numbers show on paper, in vintages like 2006, 2010, 2013 and 2014, the perception of acidity and tannin is higher, because those attributes are prominent. But in 2016, especially among the best wines, nothing really stands out because they are so impeccably balanced. Many wines remind me of 2008, with a bit more body and structure, but very much along the same lines. Some wines show a sense of classical austerity that is reminiscent of 1996 or 2006, but they are the exception rather than the norm."- Antonio Galloni
- Gorgeous Aromatics
- Dark Cherries, Sour Cherries
- Tar, Burnt Orange Rind
- Leather, Spices Galore, Oolong Tea
- Palate: Amazing Density of Fruit
- Light on Its Feet and Very Fresh
- Classic Balance and Insanely Terrific Length
- Will Age 20-25 Years
2016 Palazzo Schiavino Barolo Massara
- At $39.99 This is an Insane Value
- The Best "Cru" Value We've Ever Sold
- Nose: Dark, Dark Cherries, End of Season Cherries
- Cherry Flower, Roses
- Tar, Leather
- Superbly Complex and so Profound
- Huge, Huge Reckoning Level Spice
- Dense and Super Chewy
- Beautiful Balance, Texture and Mouthfeel
- 20-25 Year Wine
- Will Become Insanely Refined As It Develops
- Barolo Royalty, Terrrific Vintage, Great Vineyard Under $40
A Crazy Secret in the Last Paragraph...
- Even Better Deals than It Appears
Wines You Buy in Quantity
One of the things that I have leared in my 2 decades buying wine is that in great vintages, very good producers make great wine. And when that wine can last for 10+ years, you buy a ton of it.
As we all know, 2016 is a vintage for the ages in Piedmont. And today, I have wines that in a normal vintage represent excellent quality fot the price.
-You have excellent terroir
- A very good winemaker
- And the wines are not yet famous so they are very, very underpriced.
In a vintage like 2016, these wines represent an opportunity to stock your cellar for 20-25 years with brilliant bottles of Barolo for $35.99 and $39.99
I cannot emphasize enough that this is an offer that you should give careful consideration.
Verduno's Rising Star: the Paradox of Elegant Accessibility
Everyone now loves Verduno because that's where the 100 point Burlotto 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. Elegant and accessible can sometimes be simple and 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 wines are elegant, refined, accessible have the perfect energetic and dynamic fruit expression of 2016.
The 2016 Vintage
2016 is one of the most well fruited young vintages of Langhe wines I've ever tasted and has the most classic aromas since at least 2010. The fruit is pure, rich, dense and so sappy and juicy. This has the explosiveness of the legendary 2010s but is a bit more restrained and dare I say, Fassy. It's got clarity and definition. I adore 2016. The finesse in these wines is off the charts and, other than the powerful 2010 vintage, arguably the best vintage in Piedmont over the past 20 years. Today's two wines are epic epic values.
The Wines
Up first is the 2016 Palazzo Schiavino Barolo for $35.99 a bottle. Please, I am begging you, do not judge this wine by the price. That would be a massive mistake. Via 3 tiers this is easily $50+ Barolo and the quality really shows. As soon as I opened it I was entranced by the aromas.
Superb nose. Floral, cherries, mesmerizing. Bright and high toned. Glorious spice and chestnut aromas. Very complex. Classic old school Barolo. Some leather and tar. Keeps opening and opening. Just terrific. Even some mint and menthol. They were gorgeous. Dark cherries, tar, burnt orange rind, sour cherries, leather, spices galore, oolong tea and maybe black tea. So complete and classic. After extensive air there is even bigger cherry and it comes across as much deeper. Spice and minerals almost overflow out of the glass. It was so aromatic and really wide open.
Palate is just dynamite. What a value. Best value of 16 Barolo for me. Sweet, sweet cherry fruit, wonderful elegant and ripe, juicy and velvety tannins. Wow, so round and complex. Just terrific fruit. Really elegant as well as this is from Verduno. Balanced and super clean. Remarkable. Palate has amazing density of fruit yet remains light on its feet and very fresh. Juicy and ridiculously sweet and just saturates the palate. Velvety tannins. So much energy and clarity and the fruit is just sick. Lovely acidity in this really percolates the fruit on the finish. Gorgeous sweet tannins makes this a substantial wine but very drinkable. This is utterly delicious and very well made with classic balance and insanely terrific length. Terrific energy and so fresh and lean yet with thrilling 2016 fruit. This is great now but will have no issue aging 20 years. This is a remarkable value. The Langhe is like Burgundy in the 70s and 80s. New producers every day popping up that offer amazing value. But not for long. 
Today, we have the 2016 Palazzo Schiavino Barolo Massara for $39.99 a bottle on a 4-pack. Massara
is a heralded Cru that the two most famous producers, Burlotto and Castello di Verduno make world famous examples.
is a heralded Cru that the two most famous producers, Burlotto and Castello di Verduno make world famous examples.
At $39.99 this is an insane value and best "Cru" value we've ever sold. The Cru is high up at 700 meters and the wine is aged classically in casks after a long 45 day maceration.
Deep deep nose of spices, dark dark cherries, end of season cherries, cherry flower, roses, tar, leather and just so many provocative wisps. Tobacco and blackberry along even some Puer-eh tea. Superbly complex and so profound. Beautiful designer leather. Huge, huge reckoning level spice. With air this gets crazy. Captive and enveloping nose. Just sick. Much more mineral inflected than the normal. Unreal breadth here. Mint, spices, smoke, leather, and so complex. Just dizzying. I love Nebbiolo. Tar, leather, intense chestnut and amazing cherries.
On the palate, this is deep, juicy and very drinkable despite being superbly complex. Having said that it could use maybe a 2-3 year period to work off a bit of the tannins. Dense and super chewy with fiercely juicy fruit and velvety tannins. Wow. It's just so, so intense. Darker and richer then the normal Barolo. Balance of this wine is beautiful despite all the material. Soppy and so vivid. More structured and dense than the normal Barolo and has just unreal, thick fruit. Man, what wonderful velvety tannins. The fruit just lets loose like water from a fire hydrant on a warm day on a city block in the summer. Assaults one's palate and stains it. What a finish on this. This was very good in 13/15 but in 16 it is profound. Amazing fruit concentration. This is so young but what potential this has. Just unreal sappy fruit that stays and stays. The focus is off the charts here. Really a 9.45 now. Let's see how air treats this. As this airs out the finesse makes it a 9.5. Wow. After around 12 hours the palate is rich and ripe and super velvety with lovely structure and fresh fruit. Beautiful balance, texture and mouthfeel. Super complete. Amazing acidity and freshness. What length. Minutes. This is amazing.
This will be a 20-25 year wine and at its best in 2-3 years. As this ages and the aromatics come to the fore, this will be a classic, classic, textbook Barolo. At this price, this is a 4 pack purchase for sure and more if you can store it.
Now, here's the secret of these wine. This is the same label as Cascina Massara from Gian Carlo Burlotto. The Massara is the same wine as the Massara from Burlotto that I referenced as being $70. Barolo royalty, from a terrific vintage and a great vineyard for under $40. Happy Tuesday.
2016 Palazzo Schiavino Barolo - $37.99 ($143.96 4-Pack)
2016 Palazzo Schiavino Barolo Massara - $41.99 ($159.96 4-Pack)
2016 Palazzo Schiavino Barolo Massara - $41.99 ($159.96 4-Pack)
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