2012 Barolo Otin Fiorin Piè Franco

This retrospective of Cappellano Barolos provided a great opportunity to revisit a number of vintages, including many of the benchmarks, going back to 1971. All of the wines were sourced directly from the estate, making this a tasting that will be very hard, if not impossible, to replicate.

I had an opportunity to taste a number of Barolos on my most recent visit with Augusto Cappellano. The 2014s come across as delicate and a touch fragile, which is how they showed from cask. It will be interesting to see if the wines acquire a bit more body in aging. My impression is that they will always be on the lighter side of things. Because the skins were thin, Cappellano opted for fairly short fermentations, with no submerged-cap maceration, which he carries out only in exceptional years in which the skins are thick. As explained in the accompanying review, the Barolo Piè Franco was aged a bit differently than is the norm because yields were so punishingly low. I also had a chance to revisit the 2013s and 2012s. The 2013s are just as impressive as they have always been, while the 2012s are marked by a distinct red fruit profile and terrific aromatic freshness. On a personal level, there are few Barolos I enjoy reaching for more in the cellar than those of Augusto Cappellano. These remain some of the most compelling Barolos readers will come across. As always, Cappellano asks that his wines not receive numerical ratings. That hasn't stopped these wines from being as scarce as scarce gets, even in local shops.

Augusto Cappellano crafts wine of notable personality and character. A recent tasting back to 1935 (that is not a misprint) reinforced just how special these wines can be, although I should add the vast majority of those wines were made by Cappellano's late father and grandfather. I will report on that tasting very soon. In the meantime, the 2012 and 2013 vintages are both strong here. The 2012s are softer wines that should drink well with only minimal cellaring, while the 2013s will need more time. In 2013 Cappellano opted for shorter fermentations than normal and little or no post-fermentation maceration because the skins were fragile. The 2013s are brilliant, understated Barolos built for cellaring. Since 2012, Cappellano has reduced the amount of time his wines spend in cask by a year in order to preserve greater freshness. Sadly, production remains tiny. Cappellano prefers that his wines not receive numerical ratings, hence their absence here.

Augusto Cappellano continues to refine his approach in the vineyard and in the cellar. One of the recent developments here is a decision to bottle the Barolos a year earlier than in the past. The wines have always been aged with minimal racking and low sulfur levels. Cappellano believes that today's weather conditions, and climate change specifically, create a level of risk for the wines as they age that was not an issue in previous decades. As a result, the 2012s were bottled alongside the 2011s during the summer of 2015. I find the 2012 Barolo Rupestris superb, while the Barolo Piè Franco appears to still be going through a period of bottle shock. I also retasted the 2011s, both wines that will give pleasure with minimal cellaring.