SommSelect Editorial Director David Lynch is back with an unbelievable Barolo value from one of the most historic properties in the region.
I’m not going to name names, but a well-respected, well-traveled wine writer recently said that “Italy has become a tough place for cellar-worthy value.” Huh? Come again? I was about to go bananas on Twitter and elsewhere in response, but a few East Coast Italophiles had already beaten me to it—correctly (and indignantly!) pointing out that Piedmont’s Barolo and Barbaresco alone are an absolute trove of cellar-worthy values (never mind any number of other Italian regions). I’m a little surprised we need to keep saying this, yet at the same time I’m inclined to keep my mouth shut so I can still afford wines like this 2012 Barolo from Oddero. As an Italian wine booster I’m almost a little offended that this wine costs less than $40, as it would run circles around innumerable red Burgundies, northern Rhône reds, and other “collectibles” with much higher price tags. This 2012 is a perfectly proportioned, alluringly aromatic, classically styled Barolo from a family that has been making wine in the Langhe hills of Piedmont since the 17th century. Oddero also boasts one of the greatest collections of vineyard holdings in the Langhe. You could open this wine now and be easily seduced or you could cellar it for 10-plus years and be even more handsomely rewarded. I mean, come on already.
Another noteworthy feature of the Oddero estate is that it is, like many iconic Barolo properties these days, a fempire—Maria Cristina Oddero has been at the helm here for many years, and is now assisted by her niece, Isabella, and her son, Pietro. Maria Cristina’s great-grandfather, Giacomo, was one of the early legends of Barolo: born in 1847, he inherited a small property in the hamlet of Santa Maria, near La Morra, and was a shrewd assessor of vineyard sites. He built up a collection of top Nebbiolo parcels and was one of the first to bottle and sell wines with the name ‘Barolo’ on them; he was also involved in mapping and ‘delimiting’ what would become the Barolo DOCG. His grandson, also named Giacomo (and Maria Cristina’s father) brought the Oddero name to prominence in the modern era, helping them to become one of the larger landowners in the zone. Today they farm about 35 hectares of vineyards (going organic back in 2008) in both Barolo and Barbaresco, with pieces of great cru vineyards in La Morra (“Brunate” and their home vineyard, “Bricco Chiesa”), Castiglione Falletto (“Villero”; “Bricco Fiasco”), Monforte (“Bussia”), and Serralunga (“Vigna Rionda”). They’ve got the Nebbiolo bases covered, to say the least.
Oddero has long been known as one of the great classicists of Barolo, with wines that are built to age without any heavy ‘makeup’ from new oak (the only small barriques in the place are used for Barbera, while the Nebbiolo wines are aged in a mix of Slavonian and Austrian oak casks of 40, 60, and 75-hectoliter capacity). One thing they have done in more recent times is shorten the times their Barolos spend macerating on their skins during fermentation (this one was macerated for 20 days, shorter than in the past, and there’s definitely a positive impact on the wine’s color and accessibility in its youth).
This 2012 is their “base” Barolo bottling, sourced from two specific vineyard parcels—“Bricco Chiesa” in La Morra (which supplies some bright, sappy cherry fruit) and “Bricco Fiasco” in Castiglione Falletto (which lends backbone). It was aged 30 months in larger casks and then a further 6 months in bottle before release. Our experience so far with the 2012s has been overwhelmingly positive, and I’d place this one right at the top: In the glass it’s a fairly deep (for Nebbiolo) garnet red with just the slightest hint of brick at the rim, and the nose shows terrific concentration of both sweet and savory: bing cherry, raspberry, and blackberry are layered with notes of pipe tobacco, tar, potpourri, tea leaves and turned earth. It is exceptionally well-balanced, with a nice, sweet mid-palate of tangy fruit framed by firm tannins and bright acid. Nothing sticks out—the characteristically high Nebbiolo alcohol is well-integrated, and the finish is both mineral and perfumed. The balance, in fact, makes it a very attractive wine to drink now, but it is clearly built for the long haul; I’d be inclined to “lose” a few for a decade or more, as there’s no question it’ll continue to broaden and become more profound. So, to recap: This is a classically styled, eminently “cellar-worthy” wine for $40. Not only should you cellar some, you should decant one about an hour before serving in Burgundy stems at 60-65 degrees. Pair it with something a hunter might eat: game birds, rabbit, etc. I like the looks of
this recipe for braised quail, and I really, really like this textbook Barolo wine.
