We don't drink great barolos on a daily base. So when we do, I need to document this.
Today we had a really beautiful Barolo made by Walter Fissore, winemaker at Elvio Cogno's beautifully located estate Poggio Petorchino.
Today we had a really beautiful Barolo made by Walter Fissore, winemaker at Elvio Cogno's beautifully located estate Poggio Petorchino.
In 1993 we had bought some wine at Elio Grasso's winery, still in the centre of Monforte at that time. Driving down the road in Novello we saw a sign indicating Elvia Cogno's winery. Having read that this man had a famous plot with pre-phylloxera vines in La Morra, we stopped by and received a warm welcome by a man which I presume was Valter Fissore, Cogno's son in law. They had just recently purchased this estate, had new plantings with dolcetto and barbera, and a clean, spaceous cellar. The man showed us the detailed maps of the vineyards, while pouring wines in huge glasses. Not the pre-phyllowera wines I had dreamed of, but still wonderful and authentic wines.
Now, 17 years later, we drank the Barolo Ravera, a subtle and complex wine, almost burgundian in style, with a slightly evolved brick/tile colour, and a sweet taste wrapped in fine tannins (or is it the other way around?) and a nice chocolate finish.
This is how the wine is described on the web:
Barolo Ravera is produced with the grapes of the most important cru in Novello, a guarantee of fine aromas, sapid flavour and great complexity. The mainly calcareous soil of this historical vineyard adds elegance and structure to the wine, making it ideal for ageing. Only a few great wines possess its capacity to develop successfully in the course of time. Austere and severe in its early years, Barolo Ravera loses none of its typicality with the passing of the years; on the contrary, it improves all the time. Careful selection in the vineyard and relatively long fermentation help to heighten the characteristics of the grapes, which express themselves to the full after ageing in the bottle. A unique testimonial for a prestigious terroir, a wine takes the typicality of the Langa hills to the top in terms of quality.
