We had to ‘lay low’ for a while after purchasing the major part of California’s tiny allocation of Antoniotti last year, as a number of inquiring buyers were left with empty hands. Now, (most of) the smoke has blown over, and we’re finally offering the precious loot that we stowed away—it wasn’t much: only half of their already microscopic annual production was crafted in 2014.
With every pull of the cork, these wines never cease to shock us—and even though this vintage is a wildly impressive achievement, I’d happily drink most any year over many far-pricier releases from the great houses of Barolo and Barbaresco. Problem is, the opportunity to drink Antoniotti’s Bramaterra rarely presents itself due to its extreme scarcity. This rarefied gem originates from a centuries-old, organically-farmed, five-hectare family farm in one of the tiniest appellations in the foothills of the Italian Alps (the Bramaterra DOC is only 25 total hectares!). Most important of all is its authentic deliciousness. Imagine your favorite Barbaresco vinified in a 1960s-era Burgundy cellar and you’ll have a glimpse into what this stellar bottle is all about.
Visiting Odilio Antoniotti and his son, Mattia, in the mountainous Piedmontese village of Casa del Bosco is a remarkable experience. Their home/cellar was built in the 1700s and wine has been produced therein ever since. It is like a museum exhibition that demonstrates how pre-industrial wine was made: grapes are harvested by hand in the adjacent vineyard, then channeled through old grated windows into the family’s basement where they ferment in brick-encased cement vats that are built into the walls.
There are no filters, no modern machinery, and almost everything is done by hand, using gravity as the primary force that drives wine from its fermentation vessel to neutral oak
botti (2+ years of aging) to its eventual home in a hand-corked bottle. This simplicity, patience, and attention to detail is obvious in every aspect of the family’s work—and did I mention that each individual wine label is applied by hand with
a paintbrush and glue? It’s fascinating, and in tasting overtly “old school” wines like Antoniotti, I often wonder if there is a purity and depth that gets lost when everything is measured, controlled, and touched by machinery instead of human hands.
The 2014 Antoniotti Bramaterra displays a translucent garnet-red core that transitions to hints of orange on the rim. It’s aromatically gorgeous, with rusticity and tense minerality that underlines red florality and fruit. Imagine Barbaresco and Chambolle-Musigny with a cool alpine twist—doesn’t that sound enticing! You can expect red cherry, currant, plum skin, dried rose petals, leather, crushed stones, and a touch of tobacco that all combine to create an elegant, savory force of nature. The influence of this vineyard’s unusual porphyry/granite composition is always brilliantly strong in these wines, and the “take-home message” here is one of profound depth and history. As such, the ’14 was built to age, so wrap it with caution tape until its seventh or eighth birthday to allow its edges to soften. Otherwise, if you really can’t wait (you should), decant for one hour—more if you have the patience—and enjoy in large Burgundy stems over an entire evening alongside a healthy portion of wild mushroom
ragù. These are limited wines with boundless layers and aging potential—a bottle that savvy Italian buyers hoard for their cellars. I’m certainly taking a generous handful. Enjoy!
