2009 Enzo Boglietti, Barolo DOCG “Fossati” Piemonte, Italy.
The beautifully mature 2009 Fossati cru Barolo by Enzo Boglietti a pure gem of a wine with dried rose petals, laurel and earthy fruit lifting from the glass and classic Nebbiolo flavors unwinding on the full bodied and perfectly ripe palate. Rich macerated cherry, damson plum, fig and mulberry fruits led the way, along with hints of grilled orange, a touch of sous bois, truffle, licorice, balsamic and subtle cedary spice adding some background notes. I had not seen, heard of or sampled these Enzo Boglietti wines before my recent tasting with Linda Boglietti at the Slow Wine tour stop in San Francisco and I was left very impressed with my experience. This small winery has access to some pedigreed grapes for a limited series of Cru Barolo, including Fossati, Brunate and the Brandini, seen here, as well as their basic Barolo bottling from La Morra. For the legendary cru Fossati Barolo the grapes were fully de-stemmed and macerated in cool temperature controlled stainless vats with fermentation done spontaneously with native yeasts. After the maceration and primary fermentation, which lasted about three weeks, the Nebbiolo was racked off to large Botti, where it matured in the cask for close to two years and then rested in bottle another 6 to 8 months.
The Azienda Agricola Enzo Boglietti label was all new to me and I was excited to try the wines from this small La Morra estate, with this Brandini and their Brunate cru offerings being standouts, even in an exceptionally warm vintage, with beautiful, as noted above aromatics and elegant structures to go along with some ripe fruit density. This was excellent work in a tough year and these are wines that will impress and age nicely for another decade in the bottle. The Boglietti label began in 1991, when for the first time the family decided to make and bottle Barolo from the fruit coming from their own vineyards. These 3 hectares, includes small parcels of Brunate and Boiolo in La Morra, which were partly the inheritance from their grandfather and are set on silty clay soil, sub-alkaline, with limestone marl and with very little organic matter with La Morra’s good elevation that heightens balance and aromatic lift, as seen here. While known for these Barolo wines, I hear the Dolcetto and Barbera offerings here at Boglietti are fabulous too, and I look forward to checking them out when I get a chance. This 2009 Fossati, which was direct from the winery cellar, was a wonderful addition to the younger Barolo offering on offer at the Slow Wine tasting and I was thrilled to get the opportunity see how the Boglietti wines age and I can definitely recommend them to Nebbiolo enthusiasts like myself!
($79 Est.) 94 Points, grapelive