Cavallotto: The Re-Emergence of One of Barolo’s Historic Estates

Time has always marched to a different beat at Cavallotto. One of the things I enjoy most about visiting this property is the absolute calm and relaxed pace here. Cavallotto remains somewhat of an anomaly in Piedmont. Up until recently the estate was off the radar screens of all but the most devout Barolo aficionados. The 1990s boom seemed to have passed this winery by. I remember seeing plenty of 1996 and 1997 Barolos still available for sale a few years ago, including a significant number of large format bottles, long after those vintages had disappeared from other producers’ cellars. Perhaps that is because Cavallotto releases their flagship Riservas later than what has become the norm these days.

Alfio Cavallotto and I recently sat down in New York to survey a selection of the winery’s Barolos encompassing a broad range of vintages. According to Cavallotto the estate is less well-known because historically his family preferred to focus on the quality of the wines, and consequently some of the more commercial aspects of the business weren’t given as much importance. As a result the wines remain some of the most reasonably priced Barolos on the market. Cavallotto is also one of a very small number of Barolo producers with a collection of older vintages. Over the last year or so the estate has gradually been re-releasing wines from their extensive library. These bottles offer wine lovers the rare opportunity to taste wines from historic vintages with perfect provenance. I am told that most of the re-releases will end up in restaurants. Readers who have the opportunity to drink these lovingly cared for Barolos are in for a treat. As delicious as the older wines are, Cavallotto’s newer releases are just at noteworthy, as this tasting amply demonstrated. In time they too will offer just as much, if not greater, pleasure.

The Cavallotto winery is located in Castiglione Falletto, the town that is geographically in the center of the Barolo zone. The wines of Castiglione often show an intriguing combination of the floral qualities that are the hallmarks of La Morra and the greater structure, power and age-worthiness that are typical of the Barolos of Monforte and Serralunga. The estate’s largest holdings are in the Bricco Boschis vineyard, which lies just north of Monprivato. Bricco Boschis is divided into three sub-plots; Punta Marcello, Colle Sud-Ovest and Vigna San Giuseppe. Punta Marcello is the highest portion of the vineyard. During the 1970s and 1980s the fruit from Punta Marcello was used almost exclusively for large format bottlings. Despite its name, Colle Sud-Ovest actually has a due south, rather than southwest, exposure. It is the warmest microclimate of the hill. The wines from this part of the vineyard have proven to be more accessible when young, with softer tannins and a shorter aging curve. Vigna San Giuseppe is the heart of the vineyard and yields structured, age-worthy Barolos. Many of the vines are quite old and therefore the exact nature of the clones that are planted is not entirely known. Cavallotto believes that these old clones are just as important as the differences in soils in terms of explaining the unique qualities of the individual parcels.

In 1967 Cavallotto started using the vineyard name Bricco Boschis on their label, although previous vintages were made exclusively from this vineyard as well. In 1970 the estate began bottling the Punta Marcello, Colle Sud-Ovest and Vigna San Giuseppe sub-plots as three distinct Riservas. Deciphering the labels of the 1970s and 1980s Barolos is no easy task. The front labels typically indicate the broader “Bricco Boschis” designation while the exact sub-plot information is only visible on the rear label, a choice which understandably led to much confusion. The decision to abandon three Riservas from the Bricco Boschis vineyard was taken in the early 1990s when the estate decided to replant significant portions of the Punta Marcello and Colle Sud-Ovest plots. Today the old and young vine fruit from those plots is used for the entry-level Barolo Bricco Boschis, which also sees an addition of 10-30% of Vigna San Giuseppe fruit, depending on the vintage. Vigna San Giuseppe is vinified and aged separately as a Riserva. A second Barolo Riserva, from the Vignolo vineyard, also in Castiglione Falletto, was added to the line-up in 1989.

It’s not too often that a Barolo tasting begins with a 1978, so when it does you know you are in for a memorable evening. Cavallotto’s 1978 Barolo Riserva Bricco Boschis Vigna Colle Sud-Ovest is a very pretty, delicate wine. Fully mature, yet showing no signs of fading, it reveals a sweet purity in its fruit along with an open personality. With air leather, iron and animal scents waft from the glass to complete this beautiful Barolo. The Colle Sud-Ovest plot yields wines that mature a little faster than Vigna San Giuseppe so it is no surprise that this Barolo comes across as ready to drink. 91/Drinking window: 2007. The 1979 Barolo Riserva Bricco Boschis Vigna San Giuseppe is a revelation. Powerful, fresh and structured, this is muscular yet delicate Barolo provides stunning balance in its leather, white truffle, menthol and sweet dark fruit flavors. Made in a somewhat slender style, it doesn’t quite have the body of the best wines of this tasting, but it isn’t too far off. I would be thrilled to own bottles of this exemplary, classic Barolo. Despite its nearly 30 years of age, it appears to still have plenty of life ahead of it. 93/Drinking window: 2007-2012.

The 1982 Barolo Riserva Bricco Boschis Vigna San Giuseppe takes things to another level. It explodes from the glass with an array of menthol, minerals, spices and ripe fruit in the weightless yet powerful, structured style that is so typical of the 1982s. Whoever coined the phrase an “iron fist in a velvet glove” that is often used to describe Barolo must have had this wine in mind. It reveals superb precision and definition, fresh aromatics and terrific poise. Simply put this is a stunning Barolo. 94/Drinking window: 2007-2017. The 1985 Barolo Riserva Bricco Boschis Vigna Colle Sud-Ovest is naturally more advanced, owing to both the qualities of the vintage as well as the terroir of this particular plot. This is a very representative 1985 Barolo with an open, seductive personality defined by the multitude of sweet fruit, tar, leather, anise, menthol and spices flavors that emerge from the glass. Soft-textured and opulent, it is a highly pleasurable Barolo to enjoy now and over the next few years. 92/Drinking window: 2007-2012. The estate’s 1989 Barolo Riserva Bricco Boschis Vigna San Giuseppe presents the quintessential expression of tar and roses. This exquisite Barolo offers the sweetness and richness of the 1985 allied to the more classic structure of the 1982, with remarkable intensity as well as balance. The aromatics are captivating, the flavors well-defined, and everything is simply in the right place in this beautiful, highly pleasurable, contemplative Barolo. 94/Drinking window: 2007-2017.

The first thing that is immediately obvious about the 1996 Barolo Riserva Bricco Boschis Vigna San Giuseppe is that it is clearly the stylistic heir to the great 1982 and 1989 vintages, which is surely good news for anyone who may be able to still find this wine. It reveals an exciting combination of expressive, perfumed aromatics along with dark cherries, licorice and spices. This is still a very austere Barolo that is in need of further cellaring, but its true potential is becoming clearer with each successive tasting. In time it will take its place among the great San Giuseppes. 93/Drinking window: 2011-2021. When I last tasted a vertical of the estate’s wines a few years ago it was the 1996 Vigna San Giuseppe that was in an awkward stage of its development, today it is the 1997 Barolo Riserva Bricco Boschis Vigna San Giuseppe that is in a similar place, which reinforces my impression that the Cavallotto Barolos are best tasted either immediately upon release or after at least age ten, but not in between. The 1997 San Giuseppe is an opulent Barolo loaded with smoke, tar and sweet dark fruit on a richly-textured, sumptuous frame. The wine has lost some of the baby fat it had a few years ago and seems to be turning more and more classic with each passing year. Today the finish is a bit hot, but that has not been typical of this wine in past tastings. It remains one of my favorite 1997 Barolos, even if it is somewhat disjointed in this tasting. Alfio Cavallotto says 1997 is the first wine that reflects the relatively recent trend towards warmer vintages. 93/Drinking window: 2009-2022. 

The 1998 Barolo Riserva Bricco Boschis Vigna San Giuseppe is stylistically closer to the 1997 than to the 1996. It reveals an attractive core of ripe fruit and a soft-textured, open personality with outstanding persistence and a long, fresh finish. Like many wines of the vintage it is somewhat slender, and my impression is that it won’t be one of the longer-lived San Giuseppes. It is best enjoyed on its own, as it does suffer somewhat by being placed next to this group of mostly stronger vintages. 92/Drinking window: 2008-2018. It appears I underestimated the 1999 Barolo Riserva Bricco Boschis Vigna San Giuseppe when I last tasted it a year or so ago. It is another classic San Giuseppe, with an expressive nose that is remarkable for its detail. Spices, violets, tar, menthol all emerge to complement the sweet dark fruit that hides under the wine’s intense, massive structure. A weighty, complex Barolo, it opens beautifully in the glass, gradually revealing the true nature of its potential. Today it comes across as closer to ready to drink than previous tastings have suggested, although patience will be highly rewarded. This is another remarkable wine from the Cavallotto brothers. 94/Drinking window: 2011-2024.

The 2000 Barolo Riserva Vignolo perfectly captures the essence of this site as well as the vintage. A delicate, feminine Barolo, it offers perfumed aromatics and a core of generous, soft-textured fruit with notable harmony and a gorgeous sense of inner purity that is inescapably seductive. 92/Drinking window: 2008-2020. The 2000 Barolo Riserva Bricco Boschis Vigna San Giuseppe is not especially easy to assess at this adolescent stage. Today it is a dark, strapping Barolo loaded with sweet dark fruit, leather and mineral flavors. The wine’s track record leads me to believe the 2000 will almost certainly develop into another splendid Vigna San Giuseppe. 93/Drinking window: 2012-2022. The 2001 Barolo Riserva Vignolo is a terrific effort. This elegant, refined wine presents expressive, perfumed aromatics and sweet red fruit, with notable persistence and delineation on the palate. It is a finessed, superbly poised Barolo that will benefit from another few years of bottle age to soften the tannins, even if it is surprisingly accessible as well as irresistible today. 92/Drinking window: 2011-2021. The 2001 Barolo Riserva Bricco Boschis Vigna San Giuseppe is simply captivating. Made in a dark, brooding style, it reveals a deeply layered personality that marries richness to depth, with generous tar, smoke, menthol, spices and sweet black cherries. As expected, it comes across as much more powerful and structured than the 2001 Vignolo tasted alongside it. Still an infant, the 2001 Vigna San Giuseppe is a wine to buy and forget about for several years if not considerably longer. It may very well be the finest Barolo Cavallotto has ever made, and it is not to be missed. 95/Drinking window: 2013-2026.

 --Antonio Galloni