- 94 Points Antonio Galloni
- One of the Top 20 Barbaresco Scores in 2013 By Jancis Robinson
- Same Jancis Score as Produttori di Barbaresco Riservas (Pora, Ovello and Paje)
The Style
- From the Very far North in Barbaresco
- The Absolute Apogee of Elegance - Ridiculous Elegance
- Some of the Most Singular Italian Wines that We Sell
- If You Drink Traditional Langhe Wines, You Must Try This
- The Structure and Balance to Age .... For Decades
2014 Cecilia Monte Barbaresco Serracapelli
- 94 Points Antonio Galloni
- "a wine of pure and total refinement"
- So, So Pretty and Elegant
- Almost a Hint of Plum and Plum Flower
- Exotic Spice, Orange Peel and Tobacco as It Aerates
- Deliciously Fresh Elegant Cherries and Plums
- Elegant Integrated Spice
- Almost a Brooding Density
- "one of the dark horses of the vintage"
2016 Cecilia Monte Langhe Nebbiolo Ca di Monti
- A Foreshadowing of What the Barbaresco Will Be
- Nose: A Field of Flowers - Cherry Flowers, Some Rose. Really Gorgeous.
- Palate: Serious, Fresh Cherries
- Very Drinkable and Delicious From a Top Vintage in Barbaresco
- But with an Overlay of Monte Elegance and Florality
- A Great Wine to Drink Now
- Very, Very Serious and Distinctive Langhe Nebbiolo
Usually when I discover a new winemaker, I'm a couple of years ahead of the critics. In this case, I found today's winemaker from the venerable Jancis Robinson. Cecilia Monte had one of the top scores of 154 Barbarescos reviewed in 2014. I later found out that Antonio Galloni loves the wines as well and gave the 2014 on offer today 94 points.
The phrase that comes to mind when drinking them is "the wings of an angel." These wines are truly things of beauty - so precise and aromatic. Really remarkable and the product of a prodigious talent.
They are traditional in approach even though the impeccable winemaking technique certainly benefits from modern scholarship.
The wines are from the northernmost part of Barbaresco in Serracapelli. A combination of the cooler climate and the style of the winemaker result in singular wines. Yes, they are "old school" in that they are more aromatically focused and not really about giant fruit. But they do have terrific density but more of a controlled fashion that is more like a "built up power" / brooding kind of thing when young.
Cecilia took over her family's estate and made her first vintage in 2003. Serracapelli is on the outskirts of Barbaresco but I love the fact that the terroir is the northernmost in Barbaresco. Cecilia is a classic Fass Selections budding star. Very intelligent and serious about her work and more focused on winemaking than marketing. When you taste with her, she pours the wines and let's you drink - there is no salesmanship - the wines speak for themselves.
Cecilia makes wines in a place (Serracapelli) that is unknown to most Americans (or even most Italians) and is making those wines to resonate with that place and not with some common understanding of what all Barbaresco should be. As such, she makes something unique and quite beautiful.
The Wines
The first wine is the 2014 Cecilia Monte Barbaresco Serracapelli for $44.99 a bottle on a 4 pack
The palate is so good - deliciously fresh elegant cherries and plums with some good spice. Terrific balancing acidity but not of the up front kind; more like the acidity that balances out the fruit just enough to keep it fresh but not forward. Almost some savory elements in an elegant kind of way that are interwoven with the fruit. The density is present but it's not fruit density but more that built up kind of density. The tannins are so wonderful. Chewy, complementary and structured but not obtrusive. This wine has terrific structure and will age for at least a decade. You can drink it now with a decant but it will start to really sing in 30 years.
Antonio Galloin's review of the 2014 is below.
"Cecilia Monte's 2014 Barbaresco Serracapelli is a wine of pure and total refinement. Lifted and gracious on the palate, the 2014 is wonderfully energetic from start to finish. Beams of supporting acidity and tannin give the wine a nervous, edgy feel that will soften with bottle age. Orange peel, exotic spice, tobacco, cedar and amaro herbs add an intriguing upper register of aromatics to this mid-weight, classically proportioned Barbaresco. Cecilia Monte's Barbaresco Serracapelli is one of the dark horses of the vintage." 94 Points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous
The second wine is the 2016 Cecilia Monte Langhe Nebbiolo Ca di Monti for $22.99 a bottle on a 4 pack purchase. This is an absolute bonkers steal in 2016 as we all know it is a legendary vintage in Barbaresco. The Langhe Nebbiolo is, for some reason, more advanced in its evolution than the Barbaresco and I think gives a future look at what the Barbarescos will be in a few years.
The nose has that all of the elements the Monte style. Super, super pretty florals. Cherry flowers, some rose. Really gorgeous. A field of flowers. The palate is terrific.
On the palate, the wine has fresh cherries but not fresh crushed in your mouth juice but more a mature, serious cherry juice if that makes sense. In any case, the wine has terrific freshness; very juicy on the palate. There is a mere hint of well integrated chocolate. What I love about this wine is that it has what I want in a Langhe nebbiolo (great fruit and drinkability) but also has an overlay of Monte-ness (that incredible elegance and florality). This is just a crazy delicious wine but also very distinctive because of the location and style of the winemaker. I would buy a decent amount of this to enjoy while you wait on the Barbaresco; it's quite good and very interesting - unlike almost any Langhe Nebbiolo I've had.
2014 Cecilia Monte Barbaresco Serracapelli - $46.99 ($179.96 4-pack)
2016 Cecilia Monte Langhe Nebbiolo Ca di Monti - $24.99 ($91.96 4-pack)
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