Manzone Barolo Castelletto 2016

Just a few weeks now and we’ll be back in Alba with Mauro to taste all the upcoming vintages...but we’re not ready to stop drinking this beauty (and won’t be anytime in the next two decades!). Wow. So much power and complexity, longevity and length wrapped up in such ethereal weight. So amazing. A MUST. And at our price? Pretty much a no-brainer, while it lasts...

Manzone Giovanni bought the "Preve Ciabot" (the priest's house) in 1925 and acquired the coveted Castelletto and Gramolere vineyards in Monforte, before most of the wine world even knew of Barolo. Today his son, Mauro, is heading up most of the winemaking, and we are so proud to have had a chance meeting with them some years back and have been importing them directly to our Napa warehouse. Since then, they’ve gone on to critical acclaim and allocated wines, but we still get a few cases!

The grapes come from the Castelletto vineyard, located in the Monforte d’Alba cru revered for the power and complexity of the wines produced herein. The vineyard exposure is east-southeast, set amongst clay and calcareous soils on a steep and unforgiving slope. An energetic, powerful wine of tremendous depth – taste dried roses, cherries, dried cherries, balsamic, licorice, orange pekoe tea, currants – all things beautifully polished and fine. This will last for decades! DON’T MISS at our crazy price today!

PAIRING IDEAS: Yet another reason why fall is my favorite season... MUSHROOMS! Porcinis and chanterelles are popping here in Northern California, and I just can’t get enough. Meaty, umami rich porcinis go especially well with this powerful wine, so make this pasta dish of Tagliatelle with Porcini Mushrooms. I promise, you’ll thank me later.

MUSIC SUGGESTIONS: John Mellencamp and Me’Shell Ndegeocello coming straight from 1994 with this rocking duet "Wild Night”...that’ll do!