2013 Cogno, Barolo DOCG “Ravera” Piemonte, Italy.
I had just gone through the current set of Barolo offerings from Cogno, at this year’s Slow Wine, and really liked them, when I had an opportunity to try their nicely aged 2013 Ravera Barolo, that was almost as youthfully gripping as the 2020 and 2021 wines! Thanks to my friend Alex Lallos again, who generously shared this one, I dug into this deeply impressive cru Barolo that showed the region’s legendary power and complexity, but with loads of charm and lifting acidity that allowed us to enjoy of the pure terroir driven Nebbiolo flavors and class. This 2013 Ravera is dark garnet, with very subtle brick edges and is seductively aromatic with delicate florals, savory tobacco notes and minerally red fruits lifting from the glass, leading to a full bodied and tannic palate of perfectly ripe vine picked berry, damson plum, black cherry, Mission fig and earthy mulberry fruits, along with minty herb, dried lavender, bay leaf, salty black licorice and a hint of hoisin. Ravera, set up at almost 350 meters, in an amphitheater with great exposure, is the most important single vineyard or Cru in Comune di Novello and it’s on a very complex soils, including marls of Tortonian origin mix with sandstones and clays of the Serravallian period, that contributes to the depth and serious nature of this wine.
The Cogno family, it is noted, has been making wine in the Langhe area of Piedmont for four generations, and I’ve in mire recent years become a big fan of the wines here The winey pays tribute to their values, history and traditions that were handed down by Elvio to his heirs and are now enhanced by the freshness and innovation that has been introduced by his daughter Nadia and her husband Valter Fissore, who run this excellent property, who’s main focus is Nebbiolo and primarily Barolo. The Ravera vineyard, I relate to Burgundy Grand Crus, it shows off pedigree and place, much the same way let’s say Clos de la Roche does in the Côte de Nuit and I am drawn to the profound nature of the wines that come from here. For the Barolos at Cogno, the fermentation is done exclusively in stainless steel, 100% de-stemmed and temperature-controlled, it gets automatic pumping-over, with post-fermentation maceration lasting for 30 days with a submerged cap. The Barolo is then traditionally aged for 24 months in large Slavonian oak barrels, or Botti, and then rested for another 6 months in bottle. I was impressed by the this latest set of Cogno wines, which, as mentioned, I tasted at the San Francisco Slow Wine event and highly recommend them to Barolo fans, with their 2021 Ravera being a good choice for longer term drinking.
($99 Est.) 95 Points, grapelive