Skip to main content

Barolo - 91 points and affordable!

The Decanter review of 2010 Barolo includes a good number of wines at £30+, £40+, even £50+. There are even a couple for £75 (and I just spotted one for £140!). I am sure they are very good but I am unlikely ever to taste them at those prices.

Of course, given land prices, there is such a thing as too cheap Barolo (I saw some in a shop recently for £12. I bought a bottle: it was dreadful) so what is a good starting point? I think, on the whole, around £25 should buy you a decent wine. In the 'Highly Recommended' section fo the review (wines scoring at least 90 points), only four or five wines (out of 71) are in this ball park and the top scoring of these is...

Filippo Broccardo e Figli, Monforte d'Alba 2010

'Pristine and pretty aromas and flavours of red cherry, flint, citrus peel and white stone fruit. Fleshy palate with full, savoury flavours and hints of smoke and cedar. Good balance with a harmonious finish'. Drink 2020-2035. 91/100 or 17.5/20

It's in need of further ageing, as the review suggests, but the 2009 is fabulous now and it did rather well last year (and we still have a few bottles left)!

"Spicy oak aromas of vanilla and liquorice. Fresh and rich on the palate at first, then smooth and balanced. Very pure red fruit and polished tannins." 92/100

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Joblot in the glass

Always one of my favourite tastings: the new vintage – in this case the 2019s – of Domaine Joblot’s wines from the bottle and, better still, in the comfort of my own home. 2019 has been much lauded but, thanks to Covid, only a very few people have tasted widely around the vintage. Jancis Robinson said of the wines she tasted, ‘ the wines were delightfully easy to like ’ although she rarely looks at the Chalonnaise which can be viewed as unfortunate for the top estates there but, perhaps, lucky for us since it keeps prices down and wines available. Anyone wanting to delve into Joblot’s wines could either choose any available vintagesand try wines from across the range or follow particular cuvées across a range of vintages (horizontal or vertical comparisons).   Juliette was clearly pleased with the way the wines turned out and rightly so. They tend towards sweetness in their youth but that is necessary for the wines to show at their best after 5-10m years (they will last much, much ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Juvenal strikes a home run again

Super critic Jeb Dunnuck (the new Parker?) has tasted the current range from Chateau Juvenal - he likes them! For now, we only have the 'everyday' range of Ventoux wines called 'Ribes de Vallat'. Here's what he has to say about them: Ribes de vallat 2021 Blanc 'I loved the two whites from Juvenal. Based largely on Clairette, the 2021 Ventoux Les Ribes Du Vallat Blanc has pretty pear, crushed citrus, and honeyed flower notes in a medium-bodied, fresh, mineral-laced package perfect for near- term drinking.' 2023-2026 (91/100) Ribes de Vallat 2019 Rouge 'Moving to the reds, the entry level 2021 Ventoux Les Ribes Du Vallat is well worth seeking out. Juicy darker berries, raspberries, peppery garrigue, and floral notes define the aromatics, and this medium-bodied, round, supple, delicious Grenache is best drunk over the coming 3-5 years. ' 2023-2028 (89/100) He's right! These are  consistently enjoyable and immensely good value too. Enjoy!
Post a Comment
Read more

A pair of Santenays

 Justin Girardin's Premier Cru Beauregard: 2017 v 2018 It's been a while... I realise I haven't posted in over two years so, to make amends, here's a note about two wines for the summer season (actually, why not all year round?). A (very) mini-vertical from rising star, Justin Girardin. First, a word about the price: £30 for the 2018 and only sixty pence short of that for the 2017. Thirty pounds? That's a lot of money for a bottle, isn't it? No, this is Burgundy where, ordinarily, that sort of cash barely gets a bottle of Bourgogne Rouge, the lowliest appellation other than the somewhat confused and confusing Passetoutgrains and Coteaux Bourguignon (traditionally, anyway). So, a couple of bargains then? All depends on the wine. First, as custom dictates, the 2018: slightly fuller in colour than its older sibling. More extracted or slightly oxidised? It smells like it should so I'm going with the former. Beauregard is usually one of the softer Santenays and t...
Post a Comment
Read more