2020 Barolo Castelletto

A youthful ruby hue, the 2020 Barolo Castelletto really takes things to the next level with aromas of framboise, violets, spice, pine, and rosemary. Medium-bodied, it has a weightless feel but good intensity and ripeness. With a linear drive, ripe tannins, and a long finish, this is a fantastic wine to enjoy over the coming 12-15 years. It comes quite close to the highest level in the range for this vintage. Based in Verduno, Fabio Burlotto leads the estate named after his great-great-grandfather. The holdings currently consist of 17 hectares in total, predominantly in Verduno, and a small portion outside of the commune with parcels in Cannubi (Valletta) in Barolo and most recently in Castelletto in Monforte d’Alba. In 2018, he produced his first vintage from 50-year-old vines at the higher part of their parcel in Castelletto, while the lower section was replanted and saw its first harvest last year. Their vision at the moment is that this fruit will become a part of their Classic Barolo. Aclivi is a selection of the best part of each vineyard site, with the traditional blended style of Barolo in mind, and stands in as a substitute for a Riserva bottling. Usually, the grapes are destemmed for the Aclivi, while the Monvigliero is fermented with whole clusters. There was no Aclivi produced in 2020. Historically, Fabio’s grandfather was fermenting all of his Barolo with whole clusters before 1967. When his father took over after he died in 1968, he began destemming the grapes until the 1982 vintage, when they moved back to utilizing whole clusters for the Monvigliero, which Fabio continues to this day. There is a great commitment and dedication to the other varietals of the region, with only half of the total production being Nebbiolo and the remaining half Dolcetto, Barbera, Freisa, Pelaverga, and Sauvignon Blanc. Fermentation for the Barolo occurs in 20-year-old open-top French oak containers, with some punching down, but generally a gentle approach. In the cellar, they utilize 30-year-old large French oak casks, and when barrels need to be replaced, only Barbera or Langhe Nebbiolo will go into the new barrels on occasion. The majority of the wines in this report were tasted at the winery with Fabio in March of 2024, as well as with the Consorzio the same month. The style is marked by lift and energy, with the majority offering an outstanding bouquet of aromatics. They tend to lean toward a Burgundian aesthetic in that they are highly expressive and offer fantastic mineral texture in a medium frame. The indigenous grapes are not to be missed and offer some of the best-hidden gems at an insane value when and if you can find them. Though the US is certainly a major market for wines, Fabio is uniquely committed to having a substantial proportion of his wines distributed in Italy, and I personally intend to have the great fortune to enjoy them while abroad.

The Comm. G.B. Burlotto 2020 Barolo Castelletto is a driven wine that sails across the senses with inner power and grit. There are bright, clean berry aromas with tart cassis, more red flower rather than blue flower (maybe geranium or heritage rose), with iron ore or ferrous mineral at the back. The bouquet is compact and tight, requiring more time to unfold. The structured mouthfeel reveals a spicy hint of white pepper. Castelletto remains an angular and powerful wine to hold in your cellar for now. Only 3,000 bottles were made.

The 2020 Barolo Castelletto is a beguiling wine. Lavender, sage, coffee, gravel, melted road tar and pine give the Castelletto tons of aromatic presence. There's plenty of depth, too. Black cherry, plum, licorice and new leather build with time in the glass. All the elements are so well balanced. I would give the tannins a few years to soften.