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Luigi Einaudi - spellbinding 2019 Barolo

Matteo Sardegna is doing amazing work at his family estate.  Using classical winemaking in a state-of-the-art winery, it is hard to think of a Barolo producer delivering greater bang for buck.  The wines of Luigi Einaudi deserve to be better know and more sought-after…but then they would be more expensive.

I have been charmed by Einaudi’s Monvigliero since first tasting the 2017 – which, frustratingly, they chose not to release! – but this year my heart belongs to the stunning Cannubi.  Re-checking my notes, though, there’s very little in it!

  • Costa Grimaldi is the most forward, elegant and delicate wine in the range
  • Bussia delivers greater complexity and volume.  It will be longer-lived.
  • Monvigliero – made famous by Burlotto – is more scented and Burgundian in profile.
  • Cannubi: pure knock out!

These 2019s deserve a place in the cellar of everyone with an interest in Italy’s finest wines.

Available ex our cellars in Singapore Q3 2023.

Barolo Terla Vigna Costa Grimaldi 2019
$405 per case (1×6) OC (inc GST $437.40)
Begins with a reserved aromatic profile – similar to the Bussia that follows – but the palate delivers all the slender and elegant qualities of this vineyard.  Floral, aromatic and brambly.  The tannin is dry but sits nicely within the frame.  Finishes with focus and finesse but lacks some of the fireworks of Bussia.
92/100 – Matthew Hemming MW

Woodland berry, camphor, spearmint and pressed rose petal lead the nose along with whiffs of underbrush and oak-driven spice. Youthfully austere at this stage, the tense, focused palate features spiced cranberry, red cherry, blood orange, ground clove and dried mint set against a backbone of tightly knit, fine-grained tannins and firm acidity. It closes on a hint of coffee bean. It needs time to fully develop and will age for decades. Drink 2029–2049.
94/100 – Kerin O’Keefe / kerinokeefe.com

Barolo Bussia 2019
$510 per case (1×6) OC (inc GST $550.80)
Tight, like the entry-level Ludo (not offered here), but with a lift and perfume that was missing in that wine.  Multi-faceted and layered on the palate – this is properly expressive.  Fruit, spice and savoury, mineral qualities.  Has the volume of the Bussia cru but also delivers on freshness and delineation.  Muscular yet balanced tannins on the finish.  This is so weighted to the back end that it shows huge promise as the saline notes reverberate on the finish.
94/100 – Matthew Hemming MW

Enticingly fragrant, this lovely red offers head scents of rose petal, camphor, exotic spice and wild red berry. Elegantly structured, the linear palate shows juicy red cherry, spiced cranberry, licorice and black tea accompanied by tight, fine-grained tannins. Bright acidity keeps it fresh and energized. Drink 2024–2032.
94/100 – Kerin O’Keefe

Barolo Monvigliero 2019
$540 per case (1×6) OC (inc GST $583.20)
**Limited to 1 case per person**
Brambly, scented and quite Burgundian.  The acidity is not quite as vivid as in the Cannubi.  Crisply framed by tannins that are firm and mineral.  Benefits from air, filling out on the mid-palate and gaining in volume.
95/100 – Matthew Hemming MW

Barolo Cannubi 2019
$540 per case (1×6) OC (inc GST $583.20)
A stunning showing.  This laces together elements of Bussia’s volume and Grimaldi’s lift.  As with all these wines, the nose is shy but the palate has expressive and fragrant red fruit that really soars on the mid-palate.  Nuanced and full of energy, it’s when you hold it on the palate that you really start to see the energy, scent and complexity.  Beautifully layered.
95/100 – Matthew Hemming MW

Red berry, rose petal and whiffs of exotic spice come to the forefront on this stunning red together with whiffs of camphor. It’s still youthfully austere, precise and firm, delivering wild strawberry, cranberry, ground clove and hints of coffee bean alongside taut, fine-grained tannins. Bright acidity keeps balanced. Give this a few more years to fully develop. Drink 2029–2049.
97/100 – Kerin O’Keefe

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