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The May 2017 Distinguished Cellar Auction, Part IV
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1 / 2Lot 2066
Estimate: $900
OWC.
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Collection name
Reviews
N/AWA
"The spotlight goes to the stunning 2008 Barolo Pie Franco. As its name suggests, fruit is sourced from 25-35-year-old vines that have not been grafted (“piede franco” in Italian). The wine offers a fascinating view onto what Barolo may have tasted like before phylloxera. Following the massive damage cause by the louse roughly a century ago, the vineyards of the Langhe were all grafted to modern rootstock. Elegant and determined, the aromas of this beautiful Barolo peel back slowly to reveal dried fruit, tar, licorice, ginger and spice. Apparently a mudslide many years ago destroyed a portion of vineyards. Instead of replanting with grafted vines, Teobaldo Cappellano randomly decided to put ungrafted vines there instead. I asked Augusto why his father did this: “I’m not even sure he knew the reason,” he tells me. “I think he just wanted to sow something that was against the norm.” Anticipated maturity: 2019-2045. The Barolo Pie Franco shows a slower, steady evolution in the glass while the Rupestris shows more vigor and higher energy. In keeping with his father’s wishes, Augusto Cappellano does not send samples to wine guides and he asks all of those who tastes his wines to refrain from assigning numerical points."
Region
Red
Country
Score
"The spotlight goes to the stunning 2008 Barolo Pie Franco. As its name suggests, fruit is sourced from 25-35-year-old vines that have not been grafted (“piede franco” in Italian). The wine offers a fascinating view onto what Barolo may have tasted like before phylloxera. Following the massive damage cause by the louse roughly a century ago, the vineyards of the Langhe were all grafted to modern rootstock. Elegant and determined, the aromas of this beautiful Barolo peel back slowly to reveal dried fruit, tar, licorice, ginger and spice. Apparently a mudslide many years ago destroyed a portion of vineyards. Instead of replanting with grafted vines, Teobaldo Cappellano randomly decided to put ungrafted vines there instead. I asked Augusto why his father did this: “I’m not even sure he knew the reason,” he tells me. “I think he just wanted to sow something that was against the norm.” Anticipated maturity: 2019-2045. The Barolo Pie Franco shows a slower, steady evolution in the glass while the Rupestris shows more vigor and higher energy. In keeping with his father’s wishes, Augusto Cappellano does not send samples to wine guides and he asks all of those who tastes his wines to refrain from assigning numerical points."
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Italy grows more indigenous grape varieties than any other country and produces wine in all 20 of its regions. From Piedmont's Nebbiolo to Tuscany's Sangiovese, its finest wines pair structure and bright acidity with a strong sense of place.
In Italy's northwest, Piedmont is home to Nebbiolo, the grape behind the powerful, perfumed and long-lived reds of Barolo and Barbaresco. Fog-shrouded hills and calcareous soils define its greatest wines.
The 'King of Wines,' a powerful, tannic and perfumed Nebbiolo from Piedmont's Langhe hills, celebrated for tar-and-roses aromatics and extraordinary aging potential.
Produces pale but powerfully tannic and perfumed reds with tar, rose and cherry notes. The grape behind Barolo and Barbaresco, it is among the most age-worthy in the world.