Cavallotto: The Barolo Riservas

During a recent visit to the estate, brothers Alfio and Giuseppe Cavallotto surprised me with not one, but two vertical tastings of their Barolo Riservas, Vignolo and Bricco Boschis Vigna San Giuseppe.  This was a great opportunity to taste both wines side by side and compare vineyard and vintage characteristics.  The Vignolo is typically the more feminine of the two wines.   Explains Alfio Cavallotto “The soils at Vignolo are deep, and they retain water very well.  This means that in hot vintages such as 1997 an 2000, the vines don’t go into stress and the wines remain quite fresh”  I find the Vignolo often has a very aromatic profile and flavors of small red fruits such as raspberries, although that varies from vintage to vintage.”  San Giuseppe is decidedly the more masculine and muscular wine.  “At San Giuseppe we have soils that begin to resemble those of Serralunga.  The wines are usually more complex, structured and higher in alcohol, with flavors of spices and dark fruit,” says Cavallotto.

Both wines are made in an identical fashion.  Fermentation takes places in rotary fermenters and maceration lasts about 25 days.  The wines are aged in large Slavonian oak barrels of various sizes for four to five years and in the bottle for an additional year.  The Cavallotto Barolos tend to be rather dense and chewy, as would be expected from traditionally made wines, and will benefit from a few hours in a decanter prior to serving.  All wines were tasted blind.

1999 Cavallotto Barolo Riserva Vignolo—Rich dark ruby.  A classic Barolo, with aromas of wet earth, spices and oak that are followed by flavors of dense dark rich fruit.  Finishes very long.  Still quite youthful and exuberant, this wine will almost surely improve with age.  90 points/drink after 2009, 12/04

1998 Cavallotto Barolo Riserva Vignolo—Medium ruby color.  The nose is very floral, with notes of spices, minerals, cocoa, and anise. Relatively soft and generous with plenty of supple red fruit and crushed raspberry flavors with a long and delicate finish.  A gorgeous combination of beautiful round fruit and structure.  92 points/drink after 2008, 12/04