- France Has Its Oddball Artistic Genius Winemakers
- And Now Italy Does As well
- Danilo Has Crushed the Mold in Piedmont
- His Wines Are Selling Out in Italy and There Are Almost None Left
2016 Quazzolo Barbaresco
- Maybe the Last Offer of these Wines to the General List
- A Marvelously Well Made Wine
- From the Epic 2016 Vintage
- Special Case Pricing
"With the 2016 vintage, Barbaresco has catapulted itself to the very top of Italian fine wine. A conclusion that forcefully pressed itself upon me, and which came as a total surprise, after having tasted 122 wines earlier this month. The vintage has turned out an almost embarrassing number of great wines, not unlike 2010 and 2013, but the 2016s are potentially greater. It is my firm belief that 2016 could be a total game-changer for the region, ...There's a transparency that gives a clear indication of what Barbaresco is stylistically about and one that can no longer be ignored, especially by Barbaresco producers themselves." Walter Speller, Jancis Robinson
So for people who have been on the list for a while, you know that there is a pattern to offers from new superstar wineries.
- First offer - I'm so far ahead of the curve. Get as much as you want; this is a crazy value.
- Second offer - Wow - we all know that this stuff is great and it's getting popular. Stock up.
Well - I thought that Quazzolo would follow this pattern but man was I wrong. This guy is already sold out of his entry level wines (which are crazy). And the funny thing is that demand is not even coming from some big importer in the US. The wines are selling out in Italy. And it's not even because Danilo is making much of an effort to market them. He seems to spend most of his spare time making modern art and hanging out with his cool friends (I met them ... they are cool).
An any case, I have a paltry amount of the 2026 Barbaresco to sell today. As we all know, 2016 is the bomb vintage in Barbaresco.
So on to the 2016 Quazzolo Barbaresco for $34.99 each on a 4 pack and $32.99 a bottle on a 12 bottle case. This wine is simply stunning and unlike anything I've had in Piedmont. It has incredible balanced density - it is NOT a wine with big jammy fruit like a Shiraz.
The nose. It was still closed so I didn't get much on the nose at first. After coaxing the wine and singing to it I got plums and spice with some tar flitting in and out. But then each aroma reveals itself. Beautiful cherry, like stunning and detailed cherry like you will not believe. Holy shit. Sawdust. Like wood shop, end of class, 8th grade sawdust. So pure. Spice. Some roses. Heavenly nose. Wafting stellar aromas. Some gorgeous licorice as it aerated. A bit of Christmas but in an elegant way. But in 10 years this nose will sing to me and the not the other way around.
The palate is an absolute show stopper. Plum fruit, a touch of licorice on the palate. Spice up the absolute yin yang. Remarkable acidity and fresh fruit juiciness. 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 insane crushing fruit and velvety tannins. Wow. The wine is absolutely amazing. It's a joy to drink young and it is incredible today. But I think that in 2-3 years this wine is going to absolutely blow people away. It's almost brooding today. Like it knows it is only showing you a tenth of what it's got and it's almost laughing at you. The palate impact is almost like someone put plum licorice and fired it into your mouth with a high pressure hose - it absolutely stains the palate beyond belief. Palate is exquisite. Amazing ripe tannins intermingled with dynamic fresh and super deep cherry fruit. Palate is elegant. No hard edges. Superb power and concentration. Dense yet lithe. Superb sap and length. Amazing build on the finish. One of those finishes when you think it ends it really is just beginning.Aged in new tonneaux but you can't taste the wood - whatever - I taste and then I ask. The price is what he charges plus my standard markup. This is a steal at $80. It's that good and that unique.
Now for Some Background
I first tasted the Barbera and it blew my mind so badly I couldn't sit down while I drank it. There was so much energy I had to walk around the winery as I tasted it (yes ... Danilo thought that was a bit odd, even though he's an artist). After I had recovered from the first wine, I got some background on the winemaker, Danilo. 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.
2016 Quazzolo Barbaresco - $36.99
($139.96 4-pack, $395.88 12 bottle Case {$32.99!}) (LIMITED)
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