### Cappellano: The 2010 Barolos

Time marches to its own beat at Cappellano, where the wines remain imbued with an elegant classicism that is all their own. Over the years I have had the good fortune to taste and drink many of the estate’s older Barolos, including a recent bottle of the 1989 that was sublime. The focus was on younger wines during my most recent visit. The 2010s and 2013s are firm, ageworthy Barolos for classicists, while the 2011s and 2012s will delight readers who appreciate riper styles and those of us who need something to drink while the more structured vintages blossom in the cellar. The 2010s, the only wines I tasted from bottle, are set to be released within the next few weeks.

It’s impossible to visit Cappellano and not feel the real gravitas of time and history. The tasting room is filled with treasured family photos, numerous accolades and prizes from decades past and countless older bottles that document the estate’s rich lineage.

Cappellano traces its history back to 1870, although the Cappellano of today is much different than that of the past. In the late 1960s, Baldo Cappellano found himself running a large enterprise with around 60 hectares of vineyards focused on volume production. Numerous family members, heirs and outside partners were involved. Cappellano yearned for a simpler and more artisan life, so he sold off the family’s holdings and old cellar and moved to the site of the current winery, which was then in the middle of the Serralunga countryside.

While he completed work on his new facility, Cappellano made his Barolos in the cellars of friends. From the early 1970s until 1989 the Cappellano Barolos were made from purchased fruit, mostly from the Baudana, Parafada and Gabutti vineyards in Serralunga.

![](https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1427123811011-CapCupboard+-+Copy.jpg)

_The Cappellano cupboard is filled with old bottles that paint a telling portrait of the estate’s rich history. Where can I get some of that Super Barolo?_

In 1989, Cappellano purchased three hectares in Gabutti, which lies on the lower slopes of a hillside it shares with Parafada and Lazzarito in Serralunga. The vineyards, which today are around sixty years old, were planted with the three main Nebbiolo clones; Lampia, Michet and Rosé, all on American rootstock. Cappellano decided to add the name of Fiorino, the farmer who had tended the land, and the ‘Otin Fiorin’ Barolo was born.

In the early 1990s, a portion of the vineyard was damaged by a landslide. Cappellano chose to replant with own-rooted Nebbiolo, something I have not seen anywhere else in Piedmont. The replantings were done with mostly Michet, although there was some Rosé clone as well. I remember going to see the vineyard with Cappellano during one of my first visits many years ago. I was struck by the loose architecture of the bunches. There was very little fruit on each bunch, which is good for health, as there is plenty of room for air to circulate, but not so good when it comes to yields.

Cappellano made his first Barolo from ungrafted Nebbiolo, the Piè Franco, in 1994 with vines that were just a few years old. In doing so, Cappellano created one of Piedmont’s most deeply personal, unique wines. The Barolo from the older vines on American rootstock was christened Piè Rupestris-Nebioli, a combination of the Latin name for the grapevine and the traditional spelling of Nebbiolo.

![](https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1427123824754-CapCellar+-+Copy.jpg)

_The Cappellano winery, Serralunga d’Alba_

Baldo Cappellano passed away in 2009, but not before leaving a rich legacy behind. Today, the estate is run by Cappellano’s son, Augusto, who is pretty much a carbon copy of his father. The wines remain utterly exquisite and human in both scale and spirit. Both Barolos are made along strictly traditional lines. In top years like 2010, when the skins are thick, a portion of the Rupestris is vinified with the submerged cap method, while the rest of the juice is vinified with pumpovers. Because of the smaller volume involved, the Piè Franco is always vinified only with pumpovers. Malolactic fermentations unfold gradually, relying exclusively on ambient yeasts. The wines spend nearly four years in cask, during which they see only minimal rackings, as was the case with the 2010 Barolos, which were bottled in summer 2014. In a normal vintage Cappellano produces just 8-9,000 bottles of the Piè Rupestris-Nebioli and less than 2,000 (one solitary cask) of the Piè Franco, making it one of the rarest birds in Piedmont.

The Rupestris is typically bigger and richer when it is young, although it develops considerably greater finesse in bottle, while the Piè Franco is weightless, ethereal and all about grace. Both represent pinnacles of expression for Nebbiolo and Barolo. Starting in 2010, the Piè Franco is packaged with a retro label inspired by the house’s distinguished history, a legacy Augusto Cappellano wants to pay tribute to with his flagship wine.

![](https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1427123687913-CapLabelsCover+-+Copy.jpg)

_Cappellano's 2010 Barolo Piè Franco label is inspired by this old Barbera (center), believed to be from the 1920s or 1930s_

The **2010 Barolo Otin Fiorin Piè Rupestris-Nebioli** is powerful and intense, but a distinctly more floral/savory edge than is typically the case. In other words, the 2010 Rupestris is quite Piè Franco-leaning in many of its inflections. Dark red cherry, plum, sage, tobacco, menthol and new leather are all pushed forward as this exquisite, regal Barolo shows off its remarkable pedigree. Expressive balsamic notes wrap around the fleshy, explosive finish laced with an extra kick of minerality. What a gorgeous wine this is.

Cappellano’s **2010 Barolo Otin Fiorin Piè Franco** is eternal in its beauty. Impossibly fine tannins caress the palate as the 2010 captivates all the senses. The 2010 has no real beginning and no end; rather is a wine of almost impossible profoundness. Rose petal, mint, cinnamon, hard candy and red stone fruits are woven together in a fabric of incredible sweetness, perfume and silkiness. The flavors are a bit brighter and more lifted than they are in the Rupestris. Readers who can find the Piè Franco should not hesitate, as it is clearly one of the wines of this great vintage.

![](https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1427123787720-CapChinato+-+Copy.jpg)

_An assortment of colorful labels document Cappellano's Barolo Chinato over the decades_

As profound as the Barolos are, Cappellano remains indelibly associated with Barolo Chinato, a medicinal tonic of Barolo steeped with tree bark and herbs that Baldo Cappellano’s great uncle Giuseppe invented in the late 1800s. Over the last few years, Augusto Cappellano has moved the family recipe towards the more classically austere side of things. The current release is based on the 2009 Barolo Rupestris and is quite a bit less sweet than other recent vintages have been. A second lot of Chinato based on 2009 is still in cask and will be eventually be bottled. It is a touch more generous, inviting and ready to drink than the bottled version. Both wines will drink well for many decades.

In keeping with his father’s longstanding policy, Augusto Cappellano ask critics not to assign numerical scores to his wines, something he views as divisive among growers. For what it’s worth, I have been visiting Cappellano for more years than I can recall and never miss an opportunity to buy the wines when I see them. I can’t recommend Cappellano’s 2010 Barolos highly enough. They are among the very finest wines of this superb Barolo vintage.

-- Antonio Galloni



Cappellano: The 2010 Barolos

Cappellano: The 2010 Barolos (Mar 2015)

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