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Barolo 2019

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Barolo 2019

Before we dive into Barolo 2019, I want to just touch on something quickly. One can go on an on  about rainfall, temperature, weather conditions, natural disasters and more, but in the end, you can’t judge a wine before you have it in a glass in front of you. I am not saying that weather isn’t important. And it definitely affects the wine. I am just saying that because vintage is defined as “warm” or  “cold” or “dry”, doesn’t mean that all wines in that vintage reflect the general characteristics that go with that classification. If you catch my drift?

Anyways, a lot of good things have been said about Barolo 2019, and the vintage 2019, and I find I tend to agree. I’ve tried a few 2019’s, and my immediate thoughts are: concentrated, intense, aromatic. Now, that’s not to say that every Barolo 2019 is intense, or aromatic. But looking over my notes, those are words that pop up frequently. 2019 will most likely be remembered as a “classic” vintage, but the temperatures were quite high, which is probably what contributed to the fairly high concentration in the wines. I’m no expert, so feel free to refer to Masnaghetti or Berry Bro’s for a more detailed vintage report.

Now, moving on to the reason you’re here: Barolo 2019 tasting notes!
PS: they are in alphabetical order

Chiara Boschis Barolo 2019

Tasting Notes

Bartolo Mascarello Barolo 2019
Beautiful, clean, crisp nose. Complex, delicious. My notes literally say “Mouth is amazing. Full of tastes”. Smooth, but big at the same time. Round tannins. Quite high in acidity, so it has a good aging potential!

Bruna Grimaldi Barolo Camilla 2019
Beautiful nose. Aromas of dark fruit, with some spice notes. Very different from the 2019. More tension, bigger tannins.

Bruna Grimaldi Barolo bricco Ambrogio 2019
Vegetal, herbal. A bit closed on the nose, needs some time to open up. More tension in this one as well, compared to the 2018.

Bruna Grimaldi Barolo Badarina 2019
Beautiful nose, less vegetal than the Bricco Amborgio. Balsamic, herbal and fruity. I even caught a glimpse of some chocolate. A super wine!

Cavallotto Barolo 2019
Floral notes, with a hint of spices. Clean and crisp. Round in the mouth, with a long aftertaste. An approachable, balanced Barolo.  

Chiara Boschis Barolo Cannubi 2019
The Cannubi is often a favorite of mine, and the 19 is no different. It’s such a beautiful wine. Aromas of red fruits, maybe a hint of strawberry? The 19 is intense, but the tannins are round. Good body with a long finish. And I think maybe I detect a hint of herbs?

Chiara Boschis Barolo Mosconi 2019
The Mosconi is slightly more masculine. The fruit is darker, and there is a hint of balsamic. The nose is intense. Although the tannins are more intense, they are still round. This is a wine with good body and a long finish.

Chiara Boschis Barolo Via Nuova 2019
The Via Nuova is even more masculine than the Mosconi. The fruit is not as dark in this wine, but there is a stronger hint of balsamic. A very intense wine. The tannins are also more intense, but not overpowering.

Cristian Boffa Barolo del Comune di la Morra 2019
An aromatic and intense wine, with a beautiful nose. Floral aromas, as well as red fruit, cherry. A mineral and crisp nose. Quite easy to drink, very approachable tannins, with a long finish.  

Cristian Boffa Barolo Capalot 2019
More aggressive tannins in the Capalot, compared to the Comune di La Morra, but not overpowering. A beautiful, intense nose. Quite complex. Has good aging potential!  

Elio Altare Barolo Arborina 2019
Beautiful nose, has that typical La Morra feel to it. Floral and fruity. Good tannins, with a little bit of oomph.

Luigi Pira Barolo Serralunga 2019
Their classic Barolo contain grapes from multiple vineyards including Marenca, Margheria, Sorano and Rivete. It’s aged in big barrel for 24 months. Beautiful, typical Barolo nose. Floral with hints of leather and balsamic. Big tannins, but still very fruity. A good bodied wine with a long finish.

Luigi Pira Barolo Margheria 2019
The Margheria is quite a bit more aromatic than the Serralunga. Crisp with aromas red fruit and hints of herbs and spices. Very crisp in the mouth. An elegant wine with quite approachable tannins.

Luigi Pira Barolo Marenca 2019
The Marenca spends 12 months tonneaux and 12 months in big barrels. The nose is similar to the Margheria. Maybe a bit more balsamic. The grapes come from a steep hill. The bunches are smaller, more concentrated. This is a bit more punchy, with bigger tannins.

Luigi Pira Barolo Vignarionda 2019
Now on the to grand finale: Vignarionda! The Vignarionda has a bit more masculine nose with aromas of tobacco and herbs. Powerful, but elegant. Tannins are big but not punchy.

Marengo Barolo 2019
The classic Barolo has an intense nose with aromas of red fruit, flowers, tobacco and a hint of spices. The tannins are smooth. Round in the mouth, with good balance and quite long finish.

Marengo Barolo Bricco Delle Viole 2019
Beautiful nose on the Bricco Delle Viole. More explosive than intense. A bit more floral and fruity than the classic Barolo. Bigger tannins, but still smooth. A balanced, beautiful wine.

Marengo Barolo Brunate 2019
The Brunate was, not surprisingly, a bit more complex than the other two. Beautiful nose with aromas of red fruit and spices, with a hint of floral notes. Bigger tannins, more structure, yet smooth. Good balance with a long finish.

Chiara Boschis Barolo 2019

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Chiara Boschis Barolo 2019

It’s 8:59 am, and I am standing outside the big wooden door of Chiara’s winery. I am there to taste the Chiara Boschis Barolo 2019. As soon as the clock strikes 9:00, I ring the doorbell. The door opens, but Chiara is nowhere to be found. Not surprisingly, she is in the vineyard. For those of you who know Chiara, you know that she definitely prefers being in the vineyard to being in the tasting room. That’s not to say she doesn’t like showing her wines to wine lovers, or working in the cellar. She just prefers working in the vineyard.

While I wait for Chiara to return from the vineyard, I smile, as I think back to what she said during one of our live streams during the pandemic. “The wine comes from the grape.” The wine comes from the grape. So simple. And so true. Wine is indeed made from grapes. And in many ways, the wine is made in the vineyard. That’s one of the reasons why Chiara’s wines are so fantastic. She spends an incredible amount of time working with the vines, doing everything she can before the harvest, giving the grapes the best shot possible at becoming excellent wines. I’ve often thought her wines remind me a little bit of her: beautiful, energetic, bold. And although the wines reflect the vintages, the quality is consistent. Every year.

The door bursts open, and Chiara comes running in. And before we know it, we’re sitting down with the 2019 Barolo’s in front of us! Every visit with Chiara is incredibly educational and informative. Her knowledge of wine and winemaking is second to none, and you are guaranteed to learn something new every time you chat with her! And I always love to hear about her new projects. I am especially excited about this new one (stay tuned)!

Chiara Boschis Barolo 2019

Chiara Boschis Barolo 2019

We’ve finally reached the “tasting note” portion. For comparison, I’ve attached my tasting notes on the 2018’s below. I think the 18’s were a bit more feminine and approachable, compared to the 19’s. This reflects the difference in the vintages, and as always the quality is consistent.

Chiara Boschis Barolo Cannubi 2019

The Cannubi is often a favorite of mine, and the 19 is no different. It’s such a beautiful wine. Aromas of red fruits, maybe a hint of strawberry? The 19 is intense, but the tannins are round. Good body with a long finish. And I think maybe I detect a hint of herbs?

Chiara Boschis Barolo Mosconi 2019

The Mosconi is slightly more masculine. The fruit is darker, and there is a hint of balsamic. The nose is intense. Although the tannins are more intense, they are still round. This is a wine with good body and a long finish.

Chiara Boschis Barolo Via Nuova 2019

The Via Nuova is even more masculine than the Mosconi. The fruit is not as dark in this wine, but there is a stronger hint of balsamic. A very intense wine. The tannins are also more intense, but not overpowering.

Chiara Boschis’ 2018 Barolo’s

Chiara Boschis Barolo Cannubi 2018

I kid you not, my notes actually say “holy shit”.  What a nose! Crisp, mineral, complex, rich, beautiful, feminine. There are aromas of tar and roses. Good depth and long finish. Chiara herself describes the Cannubi as “a kind wine”. And I can’t argue with that.

Chiara Boschis Barolo Via Nuova 2018

The Via Nuova is a bit more austere. A fruity and balanced wine. I agree with Chiara that the 2018 Barolo’s are more Burgundian than other recent vintages.

Chiara Boschis Barolo Mosconi 2018

I guess the word I’d use about Mosconi is “more”. More complex nose, more masculine, more spices, more structure. There are also hints of orange, apricot, peach and white pepper in this wine.

Marengo Barolo 2019

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Before I dive into the actual topic of this article, Marengo Barolo 2019, I need to make one thing clear. I do not consider myself a wine critic. If we go by Wikipedia’s definition of the word, I guess I technically could be called a wine critic. But I’d rather consider myself a wine lover, on a mission to help people drink good wines. I try to tell stories. About the winemakers. About the wines. Yes, I do write tasting notes. But when I do, I try to accompany those notes with some background information and perhaps a few anecdotes. I do this to try and give you the bigger picture. Not just my subjective opinions about the wines.

Which brings me to another point. If I taste a wine that I don’t like, I don’t write about it. If, for whatever reason, I don’t like a wine, I leave it alone. And there could be many reasons why I don’t like a wine. Maybe it was a bad bottle. Maybe there was something wrong with the wine. Or maybe I just didn’t like it. It wasn’t for me. It could also be that the wine was bad. Because there are wines out there that are bad. But who am I to tell the world that? Now, I understand that it’s a wine critics job to critique wine. But when I was little I learned that “if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” This is especially true if what you say can affect someone’s life. Someone’s livelihood.

Some friends of mine recently received a particularly bad review of some of their wines. I won’t spend much time on that, but when I read that review I knew I had to taste those wines for myself to see they really were as bad as they were made out to be. And spoiler alert, they absolutely were not! My friends, Jenny and Marco, make excellent wines, and the 2019 Barolo’s are no different. I was also happy to see that Jancis Robinsons agrees with me, in her Financial Times article.

Jenny and Marco Marengo

Jenny and Marco Marengo are warm and generous people, who are very passionate about their wines. Together with their son, Stefano, the three of them work enthusiastically together in the pursuit of excellent winemaking. Marco really is a nerd, in the modern, positive, definition of the word. The same way Bill Gates is often referred to as a nerd, an expert and enthusiast, and obsessed with intellectual pursuit of winemaking.

And without further ado, here are my tasting notes on the Marengo Barolo 2019:

Marengo Barolo 2019

The classic Barolo has an intense nose with aromas of red fruit, flowers, tobacco and a hint of spices. The tannins are smooth. Round in the mouth, with good balance and quite long finish.

Marengo Barolo Bricco Delle Viole 2019

Beautiful nose on the Bricco Delle Viole. More explosive than intense. A bit more floral and fruity than the classic Barolo. Bigger tannins, but still smooth. A balanced, beautiful wine.

Marengo Barolo Brunate 2019

The Brunate was, not surprisingly, a bit more complex than the other two. Beautiful nose with aromas of red fruit and spices, with a hint of floral notes. Bigger tannins, more structure, yet smooth. Good balance with a long finish.

Marengo Barolo 2019