Category Archives: Barolo

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2017 Boggione Claudio Brunate Barolo

An important goal for this trip was a stop at Mamma Maria, a well-regarded mainstay of Boston’s North Square and part of our ongoing quest for great Italian. This one checked all the boxes! I’ll never forget its amazing windows and striking views of downtown Boston—along with our fantastic eats and vino. 

Our beef carpaccio (with shaved black truffles!) and braised rabbit ragu with homemade pappardelli were perfectly prepared and highlights of a night spent wandering through Cara’s former stomping grounds in the North End. The lines outside the bakeries and the merriment of all the customers will be in my memories for years to come, just like the 2017 Boggione Claudio Brunate Barolo.

2017 Boggione Claudio Brunate Barolo, Piedmont, Italy.

As I have but limited experience with old world wines, I was not entirely sure what to expect from the Barolo. We ordered it in part based on the reputation of Piedmont region wines, its price, and the Barbaresco selection we’d made just two nights prior (we wanted to switch it up with a more substantive pick)! It’s produced from Nebbiolo grapes, and we savored the wine’s red cherry goodness while overlooking cobblestones and city streets once walked by Cotton Mather, Paul Revere, and Charles Dickens. Headsy stuff!

We had a fantastic waiter, and he was attentive to our glasses and generous with his pour. This Barolo had plentiful red cherry and leather notes along with a bold finish. Ample tannins but not to the point of overpowering…

Quick sidebar for you on the Boggione family: they sold grapes from their Barolo Brunate parcel to notable winemakers until 2008, when they decided to bottle under their own label. Brunate is one of the most famous vineyards in all of Italy, and the Boggiones only produce 6,000 bottles annually. Their production is free of pesticides and herbicides and also embraces traditions and techniques true to the region. The resulting Barolo is structured and sooo enjoyable. 

The wine, the ambiance, and night out will stay with this fella for years ahead. 

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2015 Azienda Agricola Marianot, Garblet, Barolo

About two years ago I snatched up several of these “Garblet” bottles from Azienda Agricola Marianot, and slowly I’ve worked through them without providing a Notes summary—until today. This is a classic Barolo from Italy’s Piedmont region, with Nebbiolo fruit harvested from vineyards (ranging in age from 10 to 40 years) in Castiglione Falletto, Serralunga d’Alba, Monforte d’Alba, Barolo, Novello, La Morra, Ceduno, and Grinzane Cavour.

The 2015 Barolo vintage, I’ve come to learn, is pretty exceptional and I half-question the good deal that delivered the Marianot Garblet to me. I mean to say, if 2015 is indeed a great year for Barolo (and acknowledging Barolo as the “king of wines”) doesn’t it suggest this a fledgling offering if I obtained at less than $20 per bottle? Freely I share that the previous bottles I sampled felt slightly undeveloped, but that could have been me drinking too early or without allowing the wine to breathe as much as I did tonight.

2015 Azienda Agricola Marianot, Garblet, Barolo, Italy.
2015 Azienda Agricola Marianot, Garblet, Barolo, Piedmont, Italy.

This bottle I liked much better, and not just because I was savoring the UNC victory over Duke tonight. The wine is light red in your glass, clearly not as deep-hued as a Cabernet or Syrah, but delivers excellent cherry flavors. Call it garnet red? The 2015 Marianot Garblet has notes of strawberry and earthiness on the nose too, a dry wine overall. It grew on me over time and I’m wistful I had not allowed the previous bottles to set up properly. We had this wine with dinner, a Saturday night special with steak, wedge salads, and asparagus—and though light in color its tannins stood up well to the task.

Of the 2015 Marianot Garblet, James Suckling comments, “A fragrant Barolo that adds a spicy, herbal edge to the impression of dried rose petals and caramelized orange peel. Medium-bodied and grainy. Medium-chewy and medium-long on the finish.”

The Marianot team fermented the Nebbiolo in stainless steel tanks and ultimately let the wine mature for 24 months in Slovenian oak barrels. Fining consisted of 4 to 6 months in stainless steel tanks and at least 6 months in the bottle. The result is an intense, harmonious 2015 wine that I really enjoyed. Looking forward to more Barolo in the days and weeks ahead.