Barolo Chinato Cappellano review and tasting notes
When you are preparing to uncork a bottle of Barolo Chinato Cappellano, it is always done with respect and trepidation, since legend has it that it was the pharmacist Giuseppe Cappellano, in 1870, who prepared the first Barolo Chinato ever produced in the history of flavored wines. . And every time the experience is always positive, it is difficult to find a more elegant and traditional Barolo Chinato, so much so that the new Chaplain generations carry on this ritual, re-proposing the historical recipe of their ancestor with religious meticulousness.
How is Barolo chinato Cappellano produced
And speaking of atavistic recipes, let’s immediately say that this aromatized wine is produced with great respect for Barolo, the aromas that emerge are clear, clean and do not cover those of the vine, rather they enhance them by highlighting the earthy and ethereal component of Nebbiolo. It starts with a base of Barolo DOCG wine from Serralunga, to which sugar and an alcohol infusion are added in which the four original drugs are used for the first production of Barolo Chinato, namely china calissaia, rhubarb, cardamom and gentianella, are macerated. After assembly, the wine rests for a year in oak wood to find balance and roundness, a choice to be rewarded, because in this way the wine finds remarkable pleasantness and concentration.
The bouquet of Barolo chinato Cappellano
Very elegant, balsamic nose, played on a chiaroscuro that alternates cinchona and rhubarb and fresher, fruity, graceful tones with pungent returns of pepper and aromatic herbs. Overall it is dense but well balanced, the wood has added a delicate spicy set that frames without covering the ethereal grace of Nebbiolo, which is free to take flight for a fabulous tertiary evolution. The scents are already there: tar, licorice, anise, chocolate, cinnamon and a thousand herbs and alpine flowers. Despite being very rich and sumptuous, it is declined with austerity and without ever falling into the redundant or the banalest wood stylization.
What does Barolo chinato Cappellano taste like?
On the palate, it is first of all a Barolo and then comes the china. Fortunately, the sensitivity behind the production process of this great flavored wine is firm but endowed with sensitivity, which has carefully dosed each ingredient to make them dialogue, avoiding bullying and contrasts. Pungent fruit that tastes of undergrowth, vigorous tannins, but with a fine grain, slightly sweetened by sugar, in short, overall it is a compact and progressive wine, despite the many flavors and suggestions that start in a thousand directions. Sweetness is at the service of spices, dosed sparingly, the dominant taste is that of the roots, so don’t expect a velvety wine. Complex and wide structure, dynamic development, very satisfying herbaceous finish with hints of fruit in alcohol.
Price of Barolo chinato Cappellano
35-42 euros: a price certainly not popular, but it reflects the quality of great flavored wine, of what is above all a great artisanal Barolo, made traditionally, with indigenous yeasts and large casks. Paying for quality is a duty, especially when it comes to niche products, tailored, produced in very limited editions.
Recommended pairings for Barolo chinato Cappellano
It finds a perfect match with extra dark chocolate due to the bitter-sweet game, but it is also to be tried with spoon desserts, trifle, cantucci and blue cheeses.