The 2016 Barolo vintage comes right in the midst of a "Golden Age" for Piedmont, with an almost unbroken string of classic vintages from 2007. But amongst this greatness, the 2016 vintage stands out for a couple of reasons. The first was a longer than usual growing season, which meant that the nebbiolo grapes could achieve full plush ripeness. The harvest occurred later, in the cooler and shorter October days, perfectly preserving the grapes immediately before crushing - many producers extended their macerations in 2016, a sign of very ripe and healthy fruit. Large shifts between night and day temperature in the final stages of ripening gave the wines incredible complexity, In addition, there were no extreme weather events, and the weather in final month of the growing season was characterised by perfect stability. Wine Spectator ranks 2016 the greatest vintage since 1996, while Jancis Robinson considers it the best of the 21st century alongside 2010. But the highest praise for 2016 has been sung by Antonio Galloni below:
"In so many ways, 2016 is all about being in the right place at the right time for Barolo. An ideal growing season with all the prerequisites for a great vintage comes at a time when so many winemakers are in their primes, past the stage of experimentation and settled into their own personal styles. The result is a vintage full of truly spectacular, breathtaking wines that captures all the pedigree that Nebbiolo and Barolo are capable of... In tasting, what stands out most about the 2016s is their extraordinary balance and harmony. Independently of what the numbers show on paper, in vintages like 2006, 2010, 2013 and 2014, the perception of acidity and tannin is higher, because those attributes are prominent. But in 2016, especially among the best wines, nothing really stands out because they are so impeccably balanced." - Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Azelia
These wines are limited in stock and available for immediate dispatch or collection!
Azelia 2016 Cerretta Barolo RRP: $289 Offer: $249! Maximum one unit per customer "The 2016 Barolo Cerretta brings together all the best elements of the Azelia house style. Powerful, dense and dark, the Cerretta has so much going for it. Black cherry, plum, lavender, spice, menthol, sage and licorice all flesh out in the glass. Rich and potent in feel with tremendous nuance, the Cerretta is flat-out stunning. The Scavinos started by renting this parcel in 1995 and they re-planted it in 1996. For many years, all of this fruit went into the straight Barolo. Now, 25 years later, the estate has finally released its first single-vineyard Barolo off this site, and it is a stunner."97pts - Antonio Galloni, vinous.com.
"A new wine for Azelia, who’ve owned a patch of this cru for some time, but waited until the vines were 30 years old before releasing. Cerretta is one of my favourite crus. The normale, Margheria, and Cerretta are now aged only in large casks, which is great to see, while Bricco Fiasco and San Rocco still cop a bit of small format. As an aside, it looks like this wine is sealed with one of the sugarcane ‘cork’ jobbies (the Margheria is not). A floral lavender honey and almond thing happening over red cherry and spiced strawberry, a handful of dried herbs and menthol lift. It’s quite fine for a Cerretta, offering red fruits and almond, fresh and almost cool feeling, then a whole lot of stony tannin chimes in on the long finish and shapes it up very nicely. A great deal of finesse here, and in that way, perhaps something of a revelation when referencing the typical Azelia style."95pts - Gary Walsh, winefront.com.au.
Azelia 2016 Margheria Barolo RRP: $255 Offer: $220! Maximum one unit per customer "The 2016 Barolo Margheria shows the natural weight and gravitas of Serralunga in its dark flavor profile and textural resonance. Black cherry, plum, lavender, spice, mint, chalk and bright saline notes are all laced throughout. Deceptive in its mid-weight structure, the 2016 possesses tremendous persistence and class to burn. Wilder suggestions of sage and lavender add savory top notes, while searing tannins punctuate the finish." 95pts - Antonio Galloni, vinous.com.
"Serralunga from 60 year old vines. Aged for 30 months in large format oak. All the power of Serralunga here with holy sheets of earthy and grainy tannin, plum and cherry, herbes de Provence, mint and almond. It’s lively and ‘minerally’, comes up with fresher red fruits as it takes the air, finishing long and chalky, all warm bricks and honey floral tones in the aftertaste. Best Margheria I’ve tasted from Azelia." 95pts - Gary Walsh, winefront.com.au.
Azelia 2016 Bricco Fiasco Barolo RRP: $255 Offer: $220! "The 2016 Barolo Bricco Fiasco is a glorious wine. Sweet red cherry, mint, iron, rose petal and blood orange are some of the many aromas and flavors that grace this exquisite, beautifully layered Barolo. A wine of subtlety, nuance and grace, the 2016 has so much to offer. I don't remember ever tasting a Bricco Fiasco with this level of finesse and nuance. Two thousand sixteen is the first vintage in which the Bricco Fiasco is aged part in cask and part in barrique. All I can say is: Wow!" 96pts - Antonio Galloni, vinous.com.
These wines are in stock and available for immediate dispatch or collection!
Borgogno 2016 Liste Barolo RRP: $205 Offer: $175! "Fleshy textured with earthiness, sour cherry, dried meats, amaro too. Orange juice, blood orange, dried herbs and fennel notes, mint and dark cherry. Such a great expression here. Tannins slightly gummy but wrap beautifully around the palate. Charming wine of rustic nature but great beauty." 96+pts! - Mike Bennie, The Wine Front
"Red fruit, earthy and biscuity, spicy strawberry, minty perfume. Fine boned, some orange juice character alongside a clip of orange peel bitterness, brick dusty tannin, slight warmth and tang, some development to colour here too, though that’s not so much of an issue with Barolo. Spicy and a little meaty on the finish. Classic feel. Approachable now too, I feel." 94pts - Gary Walsh, The Wine Front
"Loaded with finesse, this wine has enticing aromas of rose, woodland berry, pine forest and herbs. Elegantly structured, the delicious palate delivers juicy Marasca cherry, raspberry compote, star anise and wild mint framed in tightly knit, polished tannins. Fresh acidity keeps it well-balanced. Drink 2022–2036" 96pts! - Kerin O’Keefe, Wine Enthusiast
"The 2016 Barolo Liste, usually a powerhouse, is decidedly laid back relative to the wines that were made here in the past. Medium in body and translucent in feel, the Liste has plenty to offer. Readers should expect a Liste that is more about finesse than raw power. The 2016 is very nicely done, although it is not especially typical of Liste. Time in the glass brings out attractive hints of spice, iron and wild flowers. Drink 2023 - 2032"93pts - Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Borgogno 2016 Fossati Barolo RRP: $205 Offer: $175! "Rustic charm here, grippy tannins, black tea, and rose hip tea, yes, and old flowers, clove, some dried meat. Good pucker and chew, dried fruit and nut, blood orange amaro, savouriness, meatiness, cranberry and dried cherry. Wonderful old school expression. Seriously good." 96+pts! - Mike Bennie, The Wine Front
"Cherry essence, bit of liquorice root, spice, new leather and game meats. Round feel in the mouth, but still very fine, with a ‘mineral’ feel to acidity and brick dust tannin, some orange peel and dried herb/amaro perfume, plus raw almond grip and flavour as it goes. Juicy and sooty. Lovely wine. Loads of character." 94pts - Gary Walsh, The Wine Front
"Underbrush, wild berry, rose and camphor aromas form the enticing nose along with a whiff of forest floor. The youthfully austere, savory palate delivers ripe red cherry, raspberry compote, star anise and botanical herb framed in firm, refined tannins. Bright acidity keeps it balanced. This stunner is definitely one for the cellar. Drink 2026–2041." 96pts! - Kerin O’Keefe, Wine Enthusiast
Tenuta Montanello
This wine is in stock and available for immediate dispatch or collection!
Tenuta Montanello 2016 Barolo Castiglione Falletto RRP: $109 Offer: $98! "Deep and chewy wine, all the chalky crushed rock tannin, raspberry and cherry, tobacco and roses, some spice and liquorice. It’s bold but firm, slight warmth, but has the body to cope with it, finish is all grainy tannin and red fruits, with a black tea and menthol flavour trailing. Rugged, but good." 93pts - Gary Walsh, The Wine Front
"This full-bodied red has aromas evoking exotic spice, rose, spearmint and red berry. The brawny palate features cherry steeped in spirits, tobacco and menthol before finishing on the heat of evident alcohol. Assertive, close-grained tannins provide tight support." 91pts! - Wine Enthusiast
Massolino
This wine is in stock and available for immediate dispatch or collection!
Massolino 2016 Vigna Rionda Riserva Etichetta Nera RRP: $850 Offer: $690! Limit 1 bottle per person "Packaged with a special black label, the Massolino 2016 Barolo Riserva Vigna Rionda is only released in the best vintages. Showing the power and the determination of Serralunga d'Alba, the wine is redolent of dried berry, lots of rusty earth and fragrant red rose. These are the typical aromas of this vineyard, and this wine presents them with impeccable integration. To the palate, this Riserva remains open-knit, tightly structured and broad in scope. This is an impressive production of 12,000 bottles." 97pts! - The Wine Advocate
"The 2016 Barolo Riserva Vigna Rionda is absolute stunning. Deep and statuesque in bearing. the 2016 captivates all the senses from start to finish. A whole range of Rionda aromatics soars out of the glass. Silky and yet powerful, gracious and yet full of gravitas, the 2016 captures all the contrasts taht make Barolo such an alluring wine. Rose petal, lavender, red/purplish fruit, spice and new leather lend striking nuance to this hypnotic Barolo from Massolino." 97pts! - Antonio Galloni, Vinous
"The 2016 growing season was marked by a water and thermal balance hardly experienced in recent years. The long vegetative cycle and great temperature variations across the seasons gifted us wines with rare completeness and depth. In this vintage, Vigna Rionda reaches unique levels of complexity. For this reason, reverential fear makes us unable to write the tasting notes you normally find here. In fact, we think it is not just limiting to try to describe this amazing tasting experience in a few lines, but impossible." - Massolino
Rare / Limited / Eclectic Offerings - Some with Only a bottle or Two!
Dauvissat 2020 Chablis 1er Cru 'La Forest' PRE-ARRIVAL FEB 2023 RRP: $695 Offer: $590! 95+ pts- The Wine Advocate
Dauvissat 2020 Chablis Grand Cru 'Les Preuses' PRE-ARRIVAL FEB 2023 RRP: $2069 Offer: $1759! 97 pts- The Wine Advocate
Dauvissat 2020 Chablis Grand Cru 'Les Clos' PRE-ARRIVAL FEB 2023 RRP: $2175 Offer: $1850! 98 pts - The Wine Advocate
Krug NV Grande Cuvee #170 (2014 base vintage) Offer: $365 "This is based on the stupendous 2014 vintage with 11 older vintages from back to 1998, including an impressive parcel of 2005 Ambonnay Grand Cru pinot. After blending it was aged in bottle, on lees, for 8 years. This is a stunningly great wine, and one of the benchmark Krug GC’s" - Randall
Jim Barry 2018 'The Armagh' Shiraz Offer: $475 Only one bottle available! 100pts!- Decanter
Keller 2020 Kirchspiel GG Offer: $490 Only one bottle available! 19/20 - Jancis Robinson
Giacomo Conterno 2018 Barolo 'Cascina Francia' Offer: $695 Only two bottles available! 95+pts! - Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Dominique Laurent 2015 Charmes-Chambertin MAGNUM Offer: $1290 Only one bottle available!
Marechal NV Vouvray Brut
Loire Valley, France Reine Juliette 2020 Picpoul Blanc
Languedoc, France Wagner-Stempel 2018 Silvaner
Rheinhessen, Germany Naked Run 2021 ‘The First’ Riesling
Clare Valley, SA Bieville 2020 Chablis
Burgundy, France Heart Wines 2019 Victor Chardonnay
Beechworth, VIC Roubine 2019 Rose
Provence, France Storm Bay 2020 Pinot Noir
Coal River Valley, TAS Lethbridge Estate 2019 'Passetoutgrain' Gamay/Pinot Noir
Mornington Peninsula, VIC Heart Wines 2019 'Archie' Grenache
McLaren Vale, SA Mount Trio 2018 Cabernet Malbec
Frankland River, WA Tyrrells 2017 ‘Vat 7’ Shiraz
Hunter Valley, NSW
Delivery to Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane is available at a rate of $16 per case. Complimentary delivery for orders exceeding $300 within Melbourne Metro. Other locations upon request.
Randall The Wine Merchant provides insurance for any purchases charged at a premium of 2% of the total purchase. It is the Purchaser’s responsibility to accept and pay for insurance. By forgoing the insurance, the Purchaser assumes all responsibility for any damage that may occur during transit. Goods must be accepted at their destination by a person legally able to receive them, and no responsibility is taken for goods left unattended.
