The verdict is in, and Barolo's 2016 vintage is one of the greats. Antonio Galloni, one of the most respected Barolo experts writing today, calls it "a vintage full of truly spectacular, breathtaking wines that captures all the pedigree that Nebbiolo and Barolo are capable of." Even considering the string of very good years Piemonte has seen recently, 2016 stands out as a vintage where everything just fell into place. In 2016, Brovia turned out a landmark lineup of wines. Even in "off" years, Brovia can be relied upon to produce great wine, but in 2016 they launched themselves into the stratosphere.
Today, we're pleased to offer Brovia's stunning 2016 Barolo lineup, featuring what might be the best value in the region, as well as their highly coveted single-vineyard bottlings.
The Brovia family laid down their roots in Castiglione Falleto, one of the most revered hamlets of Barolo, in 1863. Giacinto Brovia revived viticulture on the property in the 1950s. Since then, Barolo has seen many stylistic swings, but the Brovia family has always remained committed to the classical winemaking traditions that Barolo's reputation rests upon. Macerations are long, aging takes place in massive botti and there's not a stave of new French oak in sight. Their long history in Castiglione has allowed them to amass an incredible stable of holdings in some of Barolo's most celebrated vineyards. When Giacinto's daughters Elena and Cristina – and Elena's talented husband Alex Sanchez – took over, the Brovia wines really reached a new level of complexity and elegance. Now the wines combine a traditional sensibility with a modern attention to detail, and they are beautifully pure expressions of the place they come from. For me, Brovia is something like platonic ideal of Castiglione Falletto Barolo: big structure and deep minerality combined with lifted florals and lovely, warm fruit.
Every year, it's a joy to taste the Brovia wines. But the 2016 vintage sees Brovia operating at the peak of their powers, and their quintet of Barolo are a high watermark for the estate. The growing season was a perfect storm of favorable conditions: a mild spring with adequate rainfall; a warm, luminous summer with no catastrophic weather events; and a relatively cool September with wide diurnal shifts, which pushed the harvest date into October—not a common occurrence in today’s warm climate. The finished wines combine the drive of a cooler, later-harvested vintage with the concentration and richness of a more solar year. The sense of energy and clarity running through all of Brovia’s 2016s is thrilling; even in the context of their typically terroir-evocative style, the crus are particularly well-differentiated in 2016, and they possess the structure to age for decades with ease. And the Barolo normale represents one of the best values in the whole region, as it hails from a combination of Brovia's most prized sites. It offers a complexity and sense of terroir normally found only in other producers' single-vineyard wines. It's an "entry-level" Barolo that's fantastic at every stage of its life, both upon release and with many years of age.
Wines arrive Friday, August 28th.
To order, please click here. Curbside pickup and shipping are available, as always. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to respond to this email.
1) Brovia Barolo 2016 750ml
Sale Price: $59.99/btl!! BUY NOW
Always a stunning value and an excellent encapsulation of the Brovia house style, their Barolo “normale” is comprised 60% of a portion of their holdings in Brea (the oldest vines are bottled separately as “Ca’Mia”) and 40% of the younger vines of their three crus in Castiglione Falletto. One feels both the spicy, boisterous generosity of Serralunga d’Alba and the mineral thrust of Castiglione Falletto in this wine, but this 2016 is notable for its finesse. The contemplative nose evokes a sense of calm stillness, presenting its individual components with clarity and precision; the palate is dynamic in its interplay of pert acidity and fresh, finely wrought tannins.
2) Brovia Barolo "Garblèt Sue" 2016 750ml - 12 bottles available
Sale Price: $89.99/btl!! BUY NOW
Brovia Barolo "Garblèt Sue" 2016 1.5L Magnum - 1 bottle available
Sale Price: $189.99/btl!! BUY NOW
Garblèt Sue, also known as “Altenasso,” is a subsection of the cru of Fiasco in Castiglione Falletto. Soils here are of sand and clay-limestone marl, but they are richer and less well-drained than those higher on the hill in Fiasco proper. Brovia owns 0.7 hectares of western-exposed Nebbiolo here, planted between 1970 and 1979, and situated at 250 meters altitude (their lowest-altitude cru holding).
96pts, Antonio Galloni: "The 2016 Barolo Garblèt Sue' is laced with bright red small berry fruit, wild flowers, sage, mint, star anise, apricot and blood orange. In 2016, the Garblèt Sue' is incredibly sensual, with finer tannins than are the norm. A range of floral and savory notes add striking aromatic lift and exotic perfume. This is the most polished vintage of the Garblèt Sue' I can remember tasting. As always, the Garblèt Sue' is marked by a very obvious nervousness in its tannins, but the 2016 also has more than enough fruit to balance things out."
3) Brovia Barolo "Rocche di Castiglione" 2016 750ml - 12 bottles available
Sale Price: $99.99/btl!! BUY NOW
Brovia Barolo "Rocche di Castiglione" 2016 1.5L Magnum - 1 bottle available
Sale Price: $219.99/btl!! BUY NOW
Rocche di Castiglione is one of the most coveted crus in the appellation, and for good reason: its high-altitude, white-sand soils render a Barolo of dizzying perfume and supreme elegance. Brovia owns a 1.5-hectare parcel of southeast-facing vines at 350 meters altitude, and this is indeed the most refined wine in their lineup year after year.
96pts, Antonio Galloni: "The 2016 Barolo Rocche di Castiglione Brovia is explosive and exuberant from the very first taste. There is a rush of sweet red plum, red cherry, mint, blood orange, cinnamon and wild flowers in this rich, heady Barolo that captures the essence of this Castiglione Falletto site. Plush fruit and silky tannins suggest the 2016 will drink well with just a few years in bottle. The 2016 is so alluring, even in the early going; it is not austere at all. The 2016 is fabulous - that's pretty much all there is to it."
4) Brovia Barolo "Villero" 2016 750ml - 12 bottles available
Sale Price: $99.99/btl!! BUY NOW
Brovia Barolo "Villero" 2016 1.5L Magnum - 1 bottle available
Sale Price: $219.99/btl!! BUY NOW
Brovia owns a hectare and a half of old vines (planted in 1961) situated at 340 meters altitude in this characterful southwest-facing cru in Castiglione Falletto. Villero’s clay-limestone marl (though still containing some sand) renders a wine of notable structure—one which often assumes a dark, brooding personality in its youth.
97pts, Antonio Galloni: "The 2016 Barolo Villero is one of the most refined editions of this wine I can remember tasting. Lavender, spice, licorice, mint and blue/purplish fruit are beautifully delineated here. Transparent and nuanced, the Villero is so classy. There is plenty of depth and structure, but what impresses most about the Villero is how unusually sophisticated it is. Time in the glass brings out the wine's explosive personality, but the 2016 remains incredibly elegant, especially for this site. This is a tremendous showing from Brovia."
5) Brovia Barolo “Brea - Ca’Mia” 2016 750ml - 12 bottles available
Sale Price: $99.99/btl!! BUY NOW
Brovia Barolo “Brea - Ca’Mia” 2016 1.5L Magnum - 1 bottle available
Sale Price: $219.99/btl!! BUY NOW
Brovia’s lone Barolo from the neighboring township of Serralunga d’Alba, “Ca’Mia” is sourced from the best and oldest part of the family’s holding in the centrally located cru of Brea. The Nebbiolo for “Ca’Mia” was planted in 1955 on a southeast-exposed part of the cru at 350 meters altitude, and Brea’s limestone-dominated soils—in contrast to the generally sandier soils of Castiglione Falletto—yield a Barolo of titanic minerality and boisterous power.
97+pts, Antonio Galloni: "The 2016 Barolo Brea Vigna Ca' Mia' continues a theme of total sensuality in this range. Black cherry, plum, spice, lavender, mint, licorice, sage, black pepper and leather infuse the wine with striking layers of nuance. The 2016 possesses striking inner perfume and tons of depth, with impossibly refined tannins that add to the wine's captivating balance. As always, this is the most reticent and inward of the four Barolos at Brovia, with a massively powerful finish. Even so, the 2016 possesses tremendous brilliance and plenty of the refinement that is such a signature of the vintage at this address. I can't wait to taste the 2016 with more time in bottle. What a wine!"
Wines arrive Friday, August 28th.
To order, please click here. Curbside pickup and shipping are available, as always. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to respond to this email. |
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