Cavallotto Barolo Vignolo Riserva 2012 (750ML)

96 WS / 95 WE / 17++ JR / 94 WA

Perfumed, revealing rose, strawberry, cherry, hay and eucalyptus aromas and flavors, with a mineral underpinning and a lean, taut frame that keeps this red focused through the long aftertaste. Beginning to open up aromatically, but the tannins indicate there's no rush to drink this. Drink now through 2036. 580 cases made, 200 cases imported. — BS Wine Spectator

Pressed rose, sunbaked earth, aromatic herb, new leather, balsamic notes and a whiff of game are just some of the aromas you'll find on this multifaceted red. The full-bodied palate boasts structure and personality, delivering dried Marasca cherry, blood orange, star anise and tobacco set against a backbone of firm noble tannins. Drink 2022–2032. Kerin O’Keefe – Wine Enthusiast

Castiglione Falletto. Gorgeous raspberry and cherry fruit nose. Generous supple red-fruit palate that is not heavy at all. Long and with plenty of grainy tannins weaved through the fruit. (WS) Walter Speller – Jancis Robinson

This wine will be released next September. The 2012 Barolo Riserva Vignolo shows a darkened and enriched side of the graceful Nebbiolo grape. This effort delivers a bit more weight and power with firm structure and balanced but also slightly dry tannins. The wine's acidity plays an important role in giving this expression such a sharp and focused personality. This wine ages in large oak casks for five years, thus prompting deep complexity and aromatic layering. The Vignolo vines are a bit lower in altitude (from 250 to 310 meters above sea level) compared to San Giuseppe (at 310 to 340 meters above sea level). That lower positioning favors the immediate richness and succulence you taste here. Monica Larner – The Wine Advocate