Cavallotto Vignolo Riserva Barolo 2016

Exclusive owners and producers of the famed Bricco Boschis cru, Cavallotto is situated in the heart of Barolo's Castiglione Falletto commune. From here the Cavallotto family craft a set of wines that are as traditional as they are delicious. Castiglione Falletto's sandy/calcareous clays combine with the Cavallotto's meticulous viticulture and low yields to produce wines that offer both bewitching depth and texture as well as the classical structure that plucks away at the heartstrings of Barolo devotees. While the showpiece of the family's vineyards is the monopole Bricco Boschis, there is also the adjoining Vignolo cru that also produces outstanding Barolo. Nonetheless, the majority of the Estate's bottlings come from the majestic Bricco Boschis, at the foot of which can be found both the family home and cantina. Facing south/southeast, this sun drenched hill has long been considered one of Barolo's blue-ribbon vineyards. The entire planted area covers some 8.8ha yet because of variation in soil composition, elevation and aspect, the Cavallotto's parcelate the site into three subzones; Vigne Colle Sud-Ovest, Punta Marcello and Vigna San Giuseppe. The last of these is also bottled as a single cru Riserva. The densely planted, old vines grow here at an altitude of 300-360mt and the soils, a patchwork of yellow, white and grey calcareous clays, interwoven with sand and sandstone, are as varied as the vineyard's myriad exposures. Cavallotto blood runs deep in Castiglione Falletto and while the Estate remains steeped in tradition, it is also one of the region's true pioneers. It was under the stewardship of Olivio and Guido Cavallotto, in the 1970s, that this Estate began managing their vineyards organically - inviting ridicule from their neighbours. The brothers were also the first to interplant grasses between rows and to introduce natural pest management, not to mention restricted yields (today the yearly average is a low 32-38 hl/hl). This was also one of the first Barolo producers to vinify and bottle their own wine, beginning in the 1940s. The wines continue to be fermented using indigenous yeast and there isn't a whiff of a small oak in this surgically-clean cantina. All the reds we ship save for the Dolcetto (which rests only in tank) are aged exclusively in mammoth-sized Slovenian botti. Today it's the fifth generation, Alfio, Giuseppe and Laura who continue their family's rich tradition, with the same attention to detail in both the vineyards and cellars. Much more comfortable amongst the vines than in the public eye, these humble siblings are growers in the purest sense, a fact that is reflected in the quality of every Cavallotto bottle. As Antonio Galloni alludes to in the quote above, the wines of this impeccable Estate have flown under the radar for too long. Perhaps it's because the family members are so introverted? Or that they don't court critical acclaim for their wines? Whatever the reason, you can take it from us (and countless others who know the wines); Cavallotto's relative anonymity on the international stage is in diametric opposition to the remarkable quality of the wines. The Cavallotto's incredible vineyard holdings married with their perfectionist viticulture, low yields and benignly precise vinification begets some of the DOCG's most intense and pure Baroli.

- Importer Note