Our Last Regular 2016 Barolo Offer - and It's a Stunner

2016 Gillardi Barolo

- Our Last Regular 2016 Barolo Offer

- Nose: Strawberry and Big Ripe Mid Season Cherries
- Startling Minerality
- Fresh Roses

- Wonderful Herbals As it Airs
- The Aromatic Depth and Concentration You Pay Big $ for in Burgundy
- Palate: Silky, Sweet and Perfect
- Big Structure
- Very Pure and Very Sappy
- Outrageous Explosive Sweet Cherry Fruit
- Stunning Concentration and Depth - $51.99!

2019 Gillardi Dolcetto di Dogliani Cursalet 
- The DOCG for Serious, Structured Dolcetto
- 80+ Year Old Vines
- One of the Best Dolcetto I've Had As Dogliani Can Be
- Nose Is Incredibly Complex: Dense Blackberry, Spice, Forest
- Palate: Complex, Sweet Blackberry Fresh
- Juicy, Some Licorice As It Aerates
- Dogliani Has More Acidity than Dolcetto d'Alba
- Terrific Structure and Balance
- I'm a Dolcetto Dogliani Guy As I Think It's Best Value For Serious Wine in Italy. Much Better than Dolcetto d'Alba

- Grand Cru Dolcetto - $22.99

We've been talking for a while about a new generation of producers in the Langhe. The winemakers that we've been selling are what we like to call polished traditional. They age in large barrels and while they use modern technology to ensure quality (e.g. temperature controlled fermentation) the wines are essentially cleaner and more consistent versions of the wines of old. Stylistically, these are similar to modern Burgundy. These are wines of elegance that certainly have fruit but are more about structure, balance and the classic spice, tobacco, tar and roses of Nebbiolo. They are the style of wines that made Barolo famous.

Elena Gillardi of Azienda Agricola Gillardi is a fourth generation winemaker. Her grandfather has worked at Barolo/Barbaresco legend Ceretto for 40 years. He started as a winemaker at Ceretto and is now helping in the cellar at Gillardi. Elena and her father learned at his side in the cellar and in the vineyards. They are most famous for their brilliant Dolcettos. Especially the unreal Dogliani. The Baroli were a lifetime dream of Elena's father which was realized in the past decade. 

The style is very clearly traditional. And very well made traditional but they have that extra that makes them truly special. To have the Vignane in a blind lineup of both Mascarello, Brovia and Burlotto would turn some heads. These wines are almost a throwback in the sense that the fruit density is much lower than the average post climate change Baroli of today. These are wines with the structure and balance to age for decades. These will be aromatic rockstars in 10 years.

The Wines
Up first us the last regular release 2016 Barolo that I’ll offer less some Riservas down the road. This is an exceptional wine and is a terrific value. It’s an outrageous wine and one of the best “normal” Barolos of the 2016 vintage. The 2016 Gillardi Barolo for $51.99 a bottle on a 4-pack is a string case purchase consideration. I’ve found that some 16s drink well out of the gates while 17 will need a few years. This was not how I thought things would play out. Elena destroyed 2016 and left achingly beautiful Nebbiolo in her wake. What a wine. Such clarity and definition. Look at that color. Like 1950’s Barolo.

Nose of strawberry and big ripe mid season cherries, a hint of tar and even some cherry compote but it’s all buttressed by startling minerality. So many fresh roses. Dazzling aromas. Compact and vivid aromas. Almost in 3D. So fine. Nose gets wonderful herbals as it airs. The nose smells like the elite burgundy people fight for allocations over. What concentration and density.

Palate is just wonderful. Amazingly fine grained tannins that are just so silky, so sweet and so perfect. This is delicacy and elegance exemplified. Perfect balance of sweet fruit, elegant tannins and great freshness. What a wonderful wine. 16 hits keep on coming. Big structure ensures a long life. Very pure and very sappy. Such length. Brilliant wine. Has decades to go. Outrageous explosive sweet cherry fruit here.

DO NOT SLEEP ON THIS DOLCETTO - This Is What Made Them Famous
The second wine is the 2019 Gillardi Dolcetto di Dogliani "Cursalet" for $22.99 per bottle on a 4 pack purchase. This is from a DOCG called Dogliani which is renowned for its ability to make serious, bold, powerful and ageworthy Dolcetto. This is from 80+ year old vines and they deliver. This is as serious a Dolcetto as I've ever had. Elena sent me the 18 and 19 and the 19 was clearly the better wine. More clarity and cut. Also the flavors were more pre ice and the structure was more fine and noble. Make no mistake this is the best Dolcetto value I’ve ever tasted. 

What a freak show of a nose. Stunningly complex nose of blackberry, coffee grounds, chocolate, and tightly integrated spice. Wow this nose is outstanding. Super deep and pure violets. What clarity. Stunning. Just sick. Unreal clarity of fruit. So vivid. Like one has 20/10 smell! Earthy and crushed stones and outrageous blackberry fruit. Bold aromas of flowers, spice, blackberry fruit and very mineral tones make this almost waft. It is perfumed to the max and so, so compelling. Super high toned. Grapey and confectionary with a massive aromatic spectrum. Big earthiness as well after air. The value here is insane. Really compelling aromas. Some forest floor elements as well. 

The palate is amazing. It is tight but focused like a laser. Huge structure and much room for development. Unreal concentration and complexity. So so good. This is even more focused than the very good 18. Awesome blackberry fruit. Really really mineral on the finish. Great linearity and energy here. Sweet blackberry and licorice with terrific juiciness. Such sweetness and insane velvety tannins cut like a diamond. Such precision. This has incredible structure and will age for a decade or more. Imagine doing a blind pour of a 10 year old Dolcetto in 10 years. 

The finish is long, juicy, complex and has some chocolate elements. Just awesome.

2016 Gillardi Barolo for $53.99 ($207.96 4-Pack) 

2019 Gillardi Dolcetto di Dogliani "Cursalet" - $24.99 ($91.96 4-Pack)