2017 Barolo Enrico VI
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Tasting notes
Aromas of ripe berries with dark mushrooms, wet earth and some tar. Itâs full-bodied with creamy and chewy tannins that are polished and rather bold, but still held back. The finish is very long and caressing, if a little austere. From organically grown grapes. Needs four or five years to soften. Try in 2025.
Critic scores
Average Score
Walter Speller, jancisrobinson.com
James Suckling
More reviews and scores
Made with certified organic grapes, the 2017 Barolo Enrico VI represents a selection of fruit from a two-hectare parcel in Villero (Castiglione Falletto). Enrico VI steps down with power and an especially robust footprint in this hot and dry vintage that produced thickly concentrated fruit. The power overlaps and maybe masks some of the complexity of the fruit, especially at this young age. The wine presents aromas of dark plum and spice that are slightly soft and sweet and do not repeat the extremest focus that we saw in the previous 2016 vintage. It needs a little extra time. This was a release of 6,100 bottles.
The 2017 Barolo Enrico VI, from the Villero cru, is striking. In 2017, the Villero shows a level of translucence I don’t remember seeing in this wine for as long as I have followed the domaine. Whether that is a reflection of the year or a move towards organic farming will only become evident in future vintages. Dark cherry, spice, new leather, menthol and licorice all run through this wonderfully transparent Barolo from Cordero di Montezemolo.
Castiglione Falletto. Grapes come from a plot in the Villero cru. Just mid ruby. Real concentration and depth on the nose but otherwise pretty much closed. Finer than the Gattera with no alcoholic prickle on the nose. Pure and elegant and yet not lacking in power. A rich layer of powdery tannins that turn just a tiny bit astringent but is then balanced out by the long, layered finish. Time will even this out. A great effort in this torrid vintage. (WS)