Barolo Tour 2012 - Re-visits at top producers
Elio Altare
Domenico Clerico
Schiavenza
Sottimano
Paolo Scavino
La Spinetta
Marchesi di Gresy
English version
This is because the visits are all re-visits, and faced with the decision to write seperate articles or make updates and news from the last visits, we decided to make 1 large article with lots of pictures from our wonderful trip to this beautiful area in Italy!
The 7 producers are some of the really heavy quality producers from the Barolo and Barbaresco areas.
All 7 are among the wellknown top 15 producers from the area.
4 from Barolo, 3 from Barbaresco and more than 60 new wine tests are the direct result of the 7 visits and this article - half of our trip this year.
To the left you see a dish of ravioli with butter and salvie from Schiavenza.
As you will know, Vinhulen.dk is simply in love with this little spot on the Italian map. Barolo has just around 550 citizens and Barbaresco a little less, but both have a significant impact on the world of wine.More famous than most other wines and second to almost none in Italy. What more can you possible want as a visitor?
Many people tell us that people in nothern Italy are more restricted and business like in their behaviour compared to people in the southern Italy. Allow us to disagree and disagree in the strongest terms possible.
Everywhere you go, you're welcome and greeted by smiling wineproducers, and it gets better every time you come back.
After more than 10 trips to the area one can truly say that joking together with Silvia and Elio Altare, eating at Schiavenza's at one of the best restaurants in Serralunga d'Alba, having a great time with Jeff at Marchesi di Gresy is truly something we carry in our hearts.
Visiting Andrea at Sottimano's is wonderful even though Andrea is more often in Denmark than we are in Italy.
Only 2 times at Paolo Scavino but look at the picture above from the estate. Are you doubtfull about being welcome? - no :-)
La Spinetta and Domenico Clerico are more business like with dusins of visitors every day but always available when we visit.We hope the pictures and the article gives you the urge to visit the area and drink the wine. No where else in the world you'll find so fine wines and so exceptional well made food and top restaurants scattered throughout the area.
There are no more than a few coffee shops in downtown Barolo, but we always find the time to relax and enjoy an espresso between visits. Even if it's November, the sun is shining, and it's often 10-15 degrees in daytime compared to cold Denmark in November.
The days are all alike. 2-3 visits at wineproducers every day and dinner in the evening with red wine from producers not listed in our schedule - the true way to find new producers to visit the year after and always making sure you keep updated to what is happening in the area.
If you like to read about the previous Barolo Tours in 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2012, you can find the articles here including the previous visits to the mentioned 7 topproducers:
Barolo Tour 2008
Barolo Tour 2009
Barolo Tour 2011
Barolo Tour 2012
To the right you se Silvia Eltare, the daughter of famous Elio Altare, taking a wine sample from one of the barrels in the cellar.
A visit at Elio Altare in La Morra is highly recommendable :-) The best of wines, the kindest and funniest young woman - Silvia - and the very skilled winemaker Elio Altare. Don't miss the opportunity to visit...
This year was also very interesting in other aspects. Domenico Clerico had just finished the new winery and new cellar.
The wines are as good as ever - and that is good!
The new winery is breathtalking in quite a sort of space station look in the middel of the old area. Old and new go hand in hand. Some will call it over the top. Others will praise it, but for sure it's modern and garantied to handle the kind of innovation that Domenico Clerico has always stood for.
To the left you see the new cellar at Domenico Clerico. Notice the large glass dor between the fotografer and the barrels. The cellar is temperature controlled - ofcourse!Also nice to visit Andrea Sottimano in the Barbaresco area. Andrea informed us that Barbaresco 2010 is a wonderfull vintage together with the rest of the 2010's.
We tasted a few of the 2010's and we certainly agree. This vintage is special in Barbaresco. Very nice information for a wine buyer! At Marchesi di Gresy we met up with Jeffrey Chilcott originally from "down under" but somehow he ended up in Barbaresco of all places!
He's one of the nicest guys with very strong opinions and the ability to produce significant quality wines. When we visit, there is always so many bottles to taste that it's quite easy to forget time and place and just get carried away!
If you ever go to Serralunga d'Alba, we strongly recommend that you visit the Schiavenza family! The wines are fantastic, and the restaurant is one of the best in the Barolo area.
Schiavenza has during the past 10 years evolved from good to outstanding producer of fairly powerfull and long living Barolo wines with lots of finesse, when the wine gets older. The first picture in the article is taken in the family restaurant. It's Raviolo with butter and salvie - don't miss it!
We have known the Schiavenza family for quite som years know. Some of the kindest people in the area.
We have only visited Paolo Scavino in Castiglione Falletto one time before this visits and this time we met up with the daughter of the family, Elisa.
2 hours in the tasting room taking us through all the wines step by step before having af trip around the winery, which was under renovation. As you can see in the picture above, we met Elisa's father, Enrico Scavino. This gave us the opportunity to take som pictures...
Almost more wines than we could handle - almost :-)
La Spinetta is very famous for their Barbaresco wine and ofcourse we like to visit this place a bit far from other producers in the area. La Spinetta winery is situated in Castagnole Lanza.
La Spinetta was founded in 1977 by Giuseppe and Lidia Rivetti, so the winery has a relatively short history compared to other producers in the area, but the fame has come quickly to this very modern winery.
In 2000 they purchased a vineyard in Barolo leading to Barolo Campé, and in 2001 they purchased a vineyard in Tuscany leading to the fist vintage of Sezzana Sangiovese.
Always lots of visitors in the large tasting room but always lots of time and many great wines in our glasses. You can always tell that the wines are from La Spinetta if you see the logo - the rhinoceros. Now, this is most of the story from the 7 visits.
Now we turn to all the great wines tasted during the visits at the producers. There is a lot of nice wine!!
We are so very fortunate to have the opportunity to visit the area at least one time every year and collect memories, drinking some of the best wine in the world, tasting some of the best dishes known to mankind and meet up with some of the worlds greatest wineproducers.
Now we present you with a large variety of ratings below.
If you like to see a specific rating of a wine from the list below, click on the specific wine, and you will see the text and the rating (opens during saturday and sunday 15 and 16 February):
All updated sunday 16th February 18.15
Dolcetto d'Alba 2011, Elio Altare
Barbera d'Alba 2011, Elio Altare
Nebbiolo d'Alba 2010, Elio Altare
Langhe Rosso Larigi 2009, Elio Altare
Langhe Rosso La Villa 2009, Elio Altare
Barolo Arbonrina 2008, Elio Altare
Barolo Cerretta Vigna Bricco 2006, Elio Altare
Barolo 2004, Elio Altare
Barbera d'Alba Trevigne 2010, Domenico Clerico
Langhe Nebbiolo Capisme-e 2011, Domenico Clerico
Langhe Rosso Arte 2009, Domenico Clerico
Barolo Ciabot Mentin 2008, Domenico Clerico
Barolo Percristina 2005, Domenico Clerico
Barolo Aeroplanservaj 2007, Domenico Clerico
Dolcetto d'Alba 2011, Schiavenza
Barbera d'Alba 2011, Schiavenza
Barolo 2008, Schiavenza
Barolo Broglio 2008, Schiavenza
Barolo Prapo 2008, Schiavenza
Barolo Bricco Cerretta 2008, Schiavenza
Barolo Riserva Prapo 2006, Schiavenza
Dolcetto d'Alba 2011, SottimanoBarbera d'Alba Pairolero 2009, Sottimano
Barbera d'Alba Pairolero 2010, Sottimano
Barbera d'Alba Pairolero 2006, Sottimano
Langhe Nebbiolo 2010, Sottimano
Barbaresco Fausoni 2009, Sottimano
Barbaresco Pajoré 2009, Sottimano
Barbaresco Cotta 2008, Sottimano
Barbaresco Fausoni 2010, Sottimano
Barbaresco Pajoré 2010, Sottimano
Barbaresco Pajoré 2004, Sottimano
Langhe Bianco 2011, Paolo Scavino
Sorriso e Langhe Bianco 2011, Paolo Scavino
Dolcetto d'Alba 2011, Paolo Scavino
Barbera d'Alba 2011, Paolo Scavino
Barolo 2008, Paolo Scavino
Barolo Carobric 2008, Paolo Scavino
Barolo Bricco Ambroco 2008, Paolo Scavino
Barolo Monvigliero 2008, Paolo Scavino
Barolo Cannubi 2008, Paolo Scavino
Barolo Bric del Fiasc 2008, Paolo Scavino
Chardonnay Lidia 2008, La SpinettaBarbera d'Asti Ca' di Pian 2009, La Spinetta
Barbera d'Alba Gallina 2008, La Spinetta
Barbera d'Alba Bionzo 2008, La Spinetta
Pin 2010, La Spinetta
Barbaresco Bordini 2008, La Spinetta
Barbaresco Gallina 2009, La Spinetta
Barolo Campé 2008, La Spinetta
Langhe Chardonnay 2011, Marchesi di Gresy
Dolcetto d'Alba Montearibaldo 2011, Marchesi di Gresy
Barbera d'Alba 2011, Marchesi di Gresy
Langhe Nebbiolo 2011, Marchesi di Gresy
Merlot da Solo 2007, Marchesi di Gresy
Barbaresco Martinenga 2009, Marchesi di Gresy
Barbaresco Martinenga 2008, Marchesi di Gresy
Barbaresco Gaiun Martinenga 2008, Marchesi di Gresy
Barbaresco Camp Gros 2008, Marchesi di Gresy
Barbaresco Camp Gros 2005, Marchesi di Gresy
Barbaresco Camp Gros 2004, Marchesi di Gresy
Barbaresco Camp Gros 2001, Marchesi di Gresy
So this was the list of 63 wines from the area from producers Elio Altare, Domenico Clerico, Schiavenza, Sottimano, Paolo Scavino, La Spinetta and Marchesi di Gresy.
This was the article about producers previous visited. So great pleasure to visit and truly some of the finest producers. How lucky we are here at Vinhulen.dk!!
Most of the wines outstanding in quality, some just really good and absolutely no low quality wines.
We will return to the area at the end of 2014 for more adventures!!
Here you'll find the article about some of the best restaurants in the area:
Barolo - Gode restauranter
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