Cordero Mario

2022 Barolo DOCG Valentino MGA

The first thing I want to talk about here is not even the wine, it’s the Nebbiolo Rosé. Cordero Mario’s Valentino parcel is planted entirely to this old and increasingly rare Nebbiolo clone, one prized precisely because it tends to give a more delicate, perfumed expression of the grape. And Valentino itself is such a cool little piece of Barolo geography: a west-facing MGA in Castiglione Falletto, sitting between Villero and Monprivato and looking across toward La Morra. Cordero Mario are also the only producer vinifying Valentino as its own Barolo, which makes this bottle a pretty singular look at the site.

The wine really follows that quieter register. There’s a wide floral thing going on first, then fresh red fruit starts filling in underneath, with this little flicker of spice that keeps showing up. The palate is full and fresh, the tannins unusually velvety and tucked into the wine, and the whole thing feels agile rather than massive. These are vines planted in 1969, around 300 metres up on sandy Sant’Agata Fossili marls, so there is plenty of old-vine seriousness here, but the personality is almost the opposite of stern. One of those Barolos that reminds you Nebbiolo can whisper and still have an awful lot to say.
Italy
Red
Biodynamic Wine
Vegan

Region:  Barolo, Piemonte

Appellation:  Barolo DOCG, Castiglione Falletto, Valentino MGA

Varietal/Blend:  100% Nebbiolo

ABV: 

Vineyard:  Valentino MGA vineyard lies between Villero and Monprivato in Castiglione Falletto, on a west-facing slope overlooking La Morra at approximately 300 metres. Planted in 1969 entirely to the rare Nebbiolo Rosé clone, it is rooted in sandy Sant’Agata Fossili marls and trained to Guyot. Grapes are harvested by hand in early October.

Cellar: The grapes are destemmed and only partially crushed, with a portion of the fruit fermented as whole clusters. A cold pre-fermentation maceration is followed by fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless steel with short daily pump-overs. After fermentation, the wine is drained and undergoes MLC in tonneaux, followed by approximately 24 months of ageing in French oak tonneaux.

CSPC:  128555

Winemakers Note:  []

What the Critics are saying:  []

A logo for vino al vino with a bottle of wine in the center.
Cordero Mario
2022 Barolo DOCG Valentino MGA

Region:  Barolo, Piemonte

Appellation:  Barolo DOCG, Castiglione Falletto, Valentino MGA

QR code that takes the user to all the Italian wines of Vino al Vino
Italy
Red
Biodynamic Wine
Vegan
The first thing I want to talk about here is not even the wine, it’s the Nebbiolo Rosé. Cordero Mario’s Valentino parcel is planted entirely to this old and increasingly rare Nebbiolo clone, one prized precisely because it tends to give a more delicate, perfumed expression of the grape. And Valentino itself is such a cool little piece of Barolo geography: a west-facing MGA in Castiglione Falletto, sitting between Villero and Monprivato and looking across toward La Morra. Cordero Mario are also the only producer vinifying Valentino as its own Barolo, which makes this bottle a pretty singular look at the site.

The wine really follows that quieter register. There’s a wide floral thing going on first, then fresh red fruit starts filling in underneath, with this little flicker of spice that keeps showing up. The palate is full and fresh, the tannins unusually velvety and tucked into the wine, and the whole thing feels agile rather than massive. These are vines planted in 1969, around 300 metres up on sandy Sant’Agata Fossili marls, so there is plenty of old-vine seriousness here, but the personality is almost the opposite of stern. One of those Barolos that reminds you Nebbiolo can whisper and still have an awful lot to say.

TECHNICAL INFO

Varietal/Blend:  100% Nebbiolo

ABV: 

Vineyard:  Valentino MGA vineyard lies between Villero and Monprivato in Castiglione Falletto, on a west-facing slope overlooking La Morra at approximately 300 metres. Planted in 1969 entirely to the rare Nebbiolo Rosé clone, it is rooted in sandy Sant’Agata Fossili marls and trained to Guyot. Grapes are harvested by hand in early October.

Cellar: The grapes are destemmed and only partially crushed, with a portion of the fruit fermented as whole clusters. A cold pre-fermentation maceration is followed by fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless steel with short daily pump-overs. After fermentation, the wine is drained and undergoes MLC in tonneaux, followed by approximately 24 months of ageing in French oak tonneaux.

CSPC:  128555

Winemakers Note: []

What the Critics are saying: []

Giovanni Autuori
Calgary + Alberta South

T: 403-971-1898

E: giovanni@vinoalvino.ca

Joe Gurba
Edmonton + Alberta North

T: 780-203-5284

E: joeg@vinoalvino.ca

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TECHNICAL INFO

Country:  Italy

Region:  Barolo, Piemonte

Appellation:  Barolo DOCG, Castiglione Falletto, Valentino MGA

Climate: 

Altitude: 

Soils: 

Varietal/Blend:  100% Nebbiolo

Fermentation:  Spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts in old oak puncheons.

Ageing: 

Vineyard & Vine Age:  Bull Swamp and Manilla vineyards in Baw Baw Shire. The vines were planted in 1961 and and 1964 respectively.

ABV: 

Produced Cases:  50

CSPC:  128555

Calgary + Alberta South

Andrew Stewart

403-604-0408

andrew@vinoalvino.ca

Rajat Parr & Sashi Moorman in the vineyard

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Edmonton + Alberta North

Joe Gurba

780-203-5284

joe@vinoalvino.ca

Saskatoon + Saskatchewan South

Kerrie Gavin

306-290-0277

kerrie@vinoalvino.ca