Tasting today’s wine, and eventually finishing the bottle over the course of two days, was the kind of show-stopping, mind-expanding experience every wine lover should get to have. From when it was first opened to the moment it was gone, this Barolo from Cascina Amalia got better and better—that’s the sign of a wine that’s built to age, and this one has just begun an evolution that will continue for another decade or two.
To be able to catch a world-class wine at this moment is a privilege usually reserved for a select handful of well-heeled restaurant-goers or private collectors, but today we all get a seat at the table. I’ve talked myself hoarse on this site about the still-remarkable value that exists in Barolo, and here’s yet another that’s got me jumping up and down, waving my hands, making loud noises…whatever I need to do to get your attention. When you read wine reviews, there’s always that point where the reviewer tells you whether to “drink” or “hold.” Today, I’m telling you to do both, because (A) you can afford to in this case, and (B) the wine is going to reward both choices handsomely. Whether you have a wine cellar or not, this is an opportunity no one should pass up!
In tradition-heavy places like Barolo, where total vineyard acreage is quite small and families have been entrenched for generations, there’s not a lot of “newness”—and when something new does come along, there’s a tendency toward skepticism. But the Boffa family, who acquired their property in the village of Monforte in 2003, have proved an extremely worthy addition to the Barolo community. In addition to renovating a century-old farmhouse and converting it into a boutique B&B, they built a state-of-the-art winery from scratch and acquired some prime vineyard real estate: today’s flagship Barolo combines fruit from the “Le Coste” and “Fantini” vineyards in Monforte, the latter a sub-section of the legendary “Bussia” cru—arguably the best-known single-vineyard designation in all of Barolo.
As we’ve noted in previous offers, the Barolo style spectrum can vary widely as you move from village to village: In the western part of the zone, in villages such as Barolo itself, La Morra, and Verduno, wines tend to be marginally less tannic, a little more fruit-driven and perfumed. On the eastern side of the zone, especially Serralunga d’Alba and Monforte d’Alba, the wines tend to be a little denser, darker, more brooding. We found today’s wine to be a perfect stylistic midpoint between those two poles—deep and generous, as wines from the Bussia vineyard are wont to be (about 70% of the wine comes from two hectares in the “Fantini” site), but also soaringly aromatic, with lots of rose petals and sappy cherry fruit beginning to come to the fore. All Barolo, of course, is 100% Nebbiolo, and this one offers a panoramic view of everything this variety is capable of: it has just begun to emerge from its youthful shell and show off its operatic range of aromas and flavors.
If you are someone who thinks of Barolo in “modern versus traditional” terms, Cascina Amalia’s 2013 is an example of how those lines are increasingly blurred these days. The wine is aged in large, 26-hectoliter casks, for example—something typically associated with “traditional” styles—but those casks are made of French oak, not Slavonian (the classic Barolo oak of choice). Especially now that it has enjoyed some extended bottle age, the oak is just an accent note at this point—a kiss of warm spice amidst a brambly tangle of fruit and earth. In the glass, it’s a classic medium garnet-red moving to pink and brick orange at the rim, with explosive aromas of red cherry, black and red raspberries, orange peel, black tea, leather, tobacco, and underbrush. It is full-bodied and quite silky at this stage of its life—Nebbiolo’s notorious tannins are very well-managed here, as is its alcohol, and the freshness and lift is remarkable. That backbone of acidity is what will preserve this wine for the long term, so if you’re able, stow away a few bottles to re-visit in 10-15 years. After 30-60 minutes in a decanter, it’s already singing, but the climactic aria is still a few years away. When it comes time to pull a cork, you really need something special to go with it: Take a little extra time to prepare some fresh, eggy pasta, and I assure you, it’ll be worth the effort. Cheers!
