- If I Could Make Wine and Had Land In Barbaresco, I'd Make Wines Like This
- 70, 80 Year Old Vines
- The Added Density from Hand Selection
- As Dense as Grand Cru Burgundy Made from Nebbiolo
- Stunning Fruit Yet Incredible Balance
- Incredible Acidity from Very Northern Vines
- The Mad Genius of An Artist Winemaker
- There Is Nothing Like These Wines in the Langhe. Nothing.
- A Teeny 2 Hectares of Pure Mad Genius
- I'm So Early on This, It's Not Even Funny
- Easily Top 20 in Barbaresco, Maybe Top 10 or Higher
2017 Vintage
- The Masters Made Great Wines
- Everyone Else ...
- Quazzolo Made Wines that Lean Much More to Elegance
- These Wines Are Insane DTC (Direct To Consumer) Values
2017 Quazzolo Barbaresco Cole
- More Of This Than Ovello. Just The Way It Is.
- Nose: So Expansive
- Gorgeous Perfume
- Some Spice
- Deep Lilacs as it Opens
- Palate: Has That Quazzolo "Grab You By Your Socks" Thing
- Fruit Is Better than Actual Fruit
- Some Spice, Hint of Cherry Licorice
- Super Fresh
- Stunning Value
- Case Pricing @ $39.99
2017 Quazzolo Barbaresco Ovello
- Only 60 Bottles Left/ Scarcity Does Not Mean Better In This Case
- Unlike Any Wine I've Had from Piedmont
- Should Cost $100+ - It Will Some Day
- One of The Coolest Sites in Barbaresco
- Nose: Plum Flower, Plum, Spice, Clove
- So Lovely
- Palate: Quazzolo Juiciness
- Plums and Cherries
- So Succulent
- Elite Quazzolo Deliciousness
- Case Pricing @ $39.99
It's been a crazy year and I've been waiting for all of you to try the 2016s so you can appreciate the genius that is Damilo Quazzolo. This guy is making wines unlike anyone in Barbaresco. And everyonr seems to love them. And the wines are almost slod out in Italy so it's time to offer the single vineyards.
The House Style
I'd like to give a reference point for these wines but, they are like nothing else in the Langhe. Think Grand Cru Burgundy but Nebbiolo made in in Richebourg or Romanee St. Vivant. Previously these grapes went into the Riserva blend, which was psychotic, but I think that the single vineyards are even better.
The Wines
The first wine is the 2017 Quazzolo Barbaresco "Cole" for $42.99 a bottle each on a 4 pack and
special case price of $39.99 a bottle. I had a sample sent to me and had it a couple of months ago so I have a pretty good rad on this wine.
special case price of $39.99 a bottle. I had a sample sent to me and had it a couple of months ago so I have a pretty good rad on this wine.
The nose was cherry flower with some spice. Hints of dark cherries. Graphite. Some smoke and leather. As it opens, the wine gets a bit darker. Some deep, deep lilacs emerge. Wow - incredibly intense and distinctive (especially for Nebbiolo). Like Volnay on steroids a bit - but still elegant and gorgeous. This site is known for it's stern muscular character
The palate was wide open. The density on this wine is terrific. Basically, cherries and chocolate if it was made by Maison du Chocolat, for my money the best chocolatier in the world. Delicious, pure hints of cherry pit and cherry liquor. Some spice. And on top of the pure, dense palate, the internal aromatics are simply palate filling and almost head spinning. Cherry, cherry liquor, chocolate, cherry licorice. Again - this vineyard is in the North of Barbaresco and has terrific acidity so despite the density and powerful fruit, it's incredibly well balanced and juicy. It has that Quazzolo "grab you by your socks" intensity.
The 2017 Quazzolo Barbaresco Ovello for $42.99 a bottle on a 4 pack purchase and special case price of $39.99 a bottle. This is simply much more elegant than the 2016 which was a force of nature kind of wine. It comes from one of the coolest sites in Barbaresco. It has the density of Grand Cru Burgundy - it is NOT a wine with big jammy fruit like a Shiraz. I got plum, plum flower, and some clove. Lovely spice and cherries. Cigar, mint, tobacco and menthol leaf, white pepper and mint soar out of the glass after the appropriate amount of time. Cherry flower as well and gorgeous licorice.
The palate has such juicy succulent fruit. Plum and cherry. Really gorgeous. Cherry fruit, cherry licorice on the palate. Elite Quazzolo deliciousness. Remarkable acidity and fresh fruit juiciness. Some terrific chocolate intertwines with the cherries. Terrific juiciness and inner mouth aromas and intense sweetness and voluminous fruit yet with all that this is so so fresh. Incredible mid palate and velvety tannins.
The finish is this incredibly intense spice; long, long, long. Wow. Aged in tonneaux. The price is what he charges plus my standard markup. This is a steal at $100 and a federal felony at $39.99. It's that good and that unique.
The Winery
The winemaker is Danilo Quazzolo. His grandfather started the estate and his uncle continued his work. Danilo learned at his feet and took over in 2013. He used the same traditional techniques as his grandfather and uncle but changed things a bit. Danilo is an actual visual artist whose favorite painter is Jackson Pollock. He uses a squiggle to make his art, much like the pointalists used dots. His labels, which are very cool, all have this squiggle motif.
2017 Quazzolo Barbaresco "Cole" - $44.99
($171.96 4-pack, $479.88 12 bottle case {$39.99!})
2017 Quazzolo Barbaresco "Ovello" -
($171.96 4-pack, $479.88 12 bottle case {$39.99!})
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