2019 Cavallotto Barolo Riserva Bricco Boschis Vigna San Giuseppe, Piedmont

Bright, intense ruby colour. Opens with notes of smoke and leather, then some dried orange peel, finally lots of raspberry and plum. Clear and precise in its attack and progression, fine-meshed tannins in many layers, spreads across the palate with a savoury cedar finish.

97 points falstaff.com

The organic Cavallotto 2019 Barolo Riserva Bricco Boschis Vigna San Giuseppe shows thick texture and density with dark fruits, plum and blackberry layered with extra depth. This wine makes a big impact on the palate and wraps lavishly over the senses. This is one of the most opulent and full-bodied editions I have yet tasted. The fruit is sourced from a 2.38-hectare site with 60-year-old vines with southwest exposures at 310 and 340 meters in elevation. The wine sees 60 months of careful maturation in 20-hectoliter and 100-hectoliter Slavonian botti. In a curious sequence of numbers, production is 8,888 bottles, 666 magnums and 111 three-liter bottle formats.

97 points Monica Larner robertparker.com

From the celebrated Bricco Boschis hill in Castiglione Falletto, this Riserva represents the pinnacle of Cavallotto’s estate, drawn from the Vigna San Giuseppe parcel and released only in exceptional years. The family has farmed these slopes organically for decades, treating the vineyard as a living system rather than a factory. Limestone and marl soils combined with prime exposure produce Nebbiolo of immense structure and aromatic depth. The wine is built for the long view, a statement of site and patience rather than immediate generosity.

Winemaking follows strict traditional practice with extended maceration and long ageing in large cask. Time is the essential ingredient, allowing the tannins to refine and the layers to emerge slowly. Nothing is rushed, and the result is a Barolo that feels sculptural and deeply rooted in place.

Garnet in colour with brick highlights, the aromas open gradually, revealing dried rose, sour cherry and blood orange layered with tar, tobacco, leather and balsamic spice. There is a haunting perfume that continues to evolve in the glass. The palate is full bodied and commanding, with concentrated red fruit wrapped in dense, chalky tannins. A vibrant acid spine carries flavours of cherry, truffle and mineral notes into a finish that lingers with extraordinary persistence. The texture is firm yet noble, built for decades.

It pairs beautifully with braised beef, wild game, truffle rich dishes and aged cheeses. While already complex with extended air, it will cellar effortlessly for thirty years or more, deepening into earthy and savoury complexity.

This is Barolo at its most profound, traditional, architectural and timeless.