2000 Vintage Barolo Wine Tasting

Thoughts on the matter: “I like all paintings. I always look at the paintings, good or bad, in barbershops, furniture stores, provincial hotels. I’m like a drinker who needs wine. As long as it is wine, it doesn’t matter which wine.”

Pablo Picasso
Painter

The Piedmont saw an unprecedented string of outstanding vintages from 1995-2001, each vintage being different but all of them offer wines of unprecedented quality.  The 1999 vintage may prove to be one of the longest lived along with 1996 and 2001.  The two vintage that received the highest accolades from the press were 1997 and the 2000 vintage (the perfect -100 point vintage according to the Wine Spectator).  We would agree with the critics that 2000 was an outstanding vintage but even the best wines will not need much more time as they approach their 20th b-day.  I could not wait till 2020 to start sampling these wines again as this was a vintage that offered incredible appeal upon release, but I never felt that it would live as long as the 1999’s most of the top wines still need time from 1999 as we have seen tasting through 20 year old wines this year.  We just picked up a small collection including some top level Barolo from the 2000 vintage and rather than selling them I thought we should put an event on the calendar to drink them. 

The fee for this tasting which includes dinner is $195 + tax and there are only 14 spaces available.  For reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.

2000 Vintage Barolo Piedmont Tasting
Friday, July 26th
7:30pm

2000 Pio Cesare Barolo Piedmont
Price: $95.00    Your Price: $83.60               Quantity in Stock: 3

2000 Rocche Dei Manzoni Barolo Big D Big
Price: $120.00    Your Price: $105.60          Quantity in Stock: 1

2000 Aldo Conterno Barolo Riserva Granbussia
Price: $280.00    Your Price: $246.40          Quantity in Stock: 5

2000 Pianpolvere Soprano Barolo Bussia Riserva
When Bruno Giacosa was asked what the greatest vineyard site was in Barolo he stated without hesitation Pianpolvere.  (My Last bottle!) 

2000 E. Pira Barolo Cannubi
Our good friend Chiara Boschis makes this wine and I can’t say its my last bottle because I have a lot of this in my personal stash, including 3-liter bottles for the vintages of both of our children.

2000 Massolino Barolo Vigna Rionda Riserva
Price: $177.00    Your Price: $155.76          Quantity in Stock: 2

2000 Sandrone Barolo Cannubi Boschis
Price: $260.00    Sale Price: $210.00           Quantity in Stock: 1

2000 Cavallotto Barolo Bricco Boschis
Price: $200.00    Sale Price: $170.00           Quantity in Stock: 2

2000 Revello Barolo Vigna Gattera Piedmont
Price: $95.00    Your Price: $83.60               Quantity in Stock: 1

2000 Gaja Sori San Lorenzo
Price: $450.00    Your Price: $396.00          Quantity in Stock: 5

Menu
Charcuterie and Cheese Selection
Beef Osso Bucco Ravioli with truffle and White Bean Puree
Pancetta Wrapped Kurobata Pork Loin with butter whipped potato mash and fried sage
Hazelnut Napoleon with chocolate drizzle and honey pretzel crumble

The fee for this tasting is $195 + tax for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com

A brief History of Barolo
Barolo has a long history of wine production, the area was named some 400 years ago and probably came from the Celtic brolio or brol, meaning “wood” or “orchard”.   The region of Barolo encompasses approximately 3,000 acres of vines situated southwest of the town of Alba, in all or part of 11 communes.  First is La Morra, with nearly one-third of the total acreage.  Following in decreasing order are Serralunga d’alba, Monforte d’Alba, Barolo, and Castiglione Falletto, and parts of six other villages.  One of the most famous and most sought after vineyards in Barolo is Cannubi. 

There are two main valleys in the Barolo production zone: the Barolo Valley to the west, and the Serralunga Valley to the east.  La Morra and Barolo itself are the major villages in the western valley, which also encompasses Cherasco, Novello, Roddi d’Alba, Castiglione Falletto and Monforte are the major towns;  Diano d’Alba and Grinzane Cavour are also included in this district.  There are distinct characteristics that are indigenous to the wines of various area:  the wines of Serralunga Valley have suggestions of licorice and tar, the Barolos of Serralunga itself display camphor and mint; those from Castiglione Falleto have a pronounced licorice characteristic as well as nuances of spice, mint, dried peaches, and prunes; those from Monforte recall spices, mint hazelnuts, and almonds.  The wines from the Barolo Valley bring up underbrush and truffle, as well as licorice.  Those wines from the village of Barolo have less of a licorice character but more suggestions of underbrush, truffles, and mint.  The wines of la Morra, especially those from the slopes, combine nuances of white truffle, mint, tobacco, spices, cherries, and blackberries and those from Cannubi display motes of white truffles, underbrush, raspberries, and black cherries.