Luigi Oddero Barolo Specola 2011
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Suckling
James -
Enthusiast
Wine
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Bright garnet-red colored with a pale orange tinge. An unmistakable bouquet of intense and persistent iodate notes. Aromas of sweet spices, soft fruit and licorice. Dry, soft and velvety on the palate. Great structure.
Best served at about 65° F in a large balloon wine glass. It is excellent with game and meat in general and pairs wonderfully with cheese, both fresh and aged.
Definitely an age-worthy wine, especially in the best vintages.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Drying out a little now but some attractive berry and coffee character along with full body, chewy tannins and a flavorful finish. Fun to drink. Do so now or hold.
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Wine Enthusiast
Underbrush, dried herb, raisin, saddle leather and balsamic aromas follow over to the ripe palate along with dried cherry, crushed herb and ground clove. Taut tightly wound tannins provide a grippy framework. Give the tannins a few years to unwind then drink to capture the remaining fruit.
Other Vintages
2018-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert
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Enthusiast
Wine
Luigi Oddero is a historical winery from La Morra in Piemonte, one of the patriarchs of Barolo, which was already producing wines with a proper label back in 1878. The story of the family dates back to the 19th Century when the brothers Luigi and Lorenzo, winegrowers and oenologists stared vinifying Barolo, Dolcetto and Barbera wines. Now the estate is guided by Lena Oddero, the wife of the last Luigi Oddero who is preserving this important heritage for his children Giovanni and Maria, the next generation and the future of this small but important winery, part of the history of Barolo and Piemonte.
The wines are aged according to the traditional methods in big barrels in the oldest part of the winery, the walls have more than 300 years, the optimal level of humidity makes it a perfect place for the conservation of the wine and for long aging.
The vineyards of Luigi Oddero are dislocated in different areas and have exceptional positions, Oddero has part of some of the most important cru of Barolo as Vigna Rionda at Serralunga and Rocche Rivera at Castiglione Falletto.
Responsible for some of the most elegant and age-worthy wines in the world, Nebbiolo, named for the ubiquitous autumnal fog (called nebbia in Italian), is the star variety of northern Italy’s Piedmont region. Grown throughout the area, as well as in the neighboring Valle d’Aosta and Valtellina, it reaches its highest potential in the Piedmontese villages of Barolo, Barbaresco and Roero. Outside of Italy, growers are still very much in the experimentation stage but some success has been achieved in parts of California. Somm Secret—If you’re new to Nebbiolo, start with a charming, wallet-friendly, early-drinking Langhe Nebbiolo or Nebbiolo d'Alba.
The center of the production of the world’s most exclusive and age-worthy red wines made from Nebbiolo, the Barolo wine region includes five core townships: La Morra, Monforte d’Alba, Serralunga d’Alba, Castiglione Falletto and the Barolo village itself, as well as a few outlying villages. The landscape of Barolo, characterized by prominent and castle-topped hills, is full of history and romance centered on the Nebbiolo grape. Its wines, with the signature “tar and roses” aromas, have a deceptively light garnet color but full presence on the palate and plenty of tannins and acidity. In a well-made Barolo wine, one can expect to find complexity and good evolution with notes of, for example, strawberry, cherry, plum, leather, truffle, anise, fresh and dried herbs, tobacco and violets.
There are two predominant soil types here, which distinguish Barolo from the lesser surrounding areas. Compact and fertile Tortonian sandy marls define the vineyards farthest west and at higher elevations. Typically the Barolo wines coming from this side, from La Morra and Barolo, can be approachable relatively early on in their evolution and represent the “feminine” side of Barolo, often closer in style to Barbaresco with elegant perfume and fresh fruit.
On the eastern side of the Barolo wine region, Helvetian soils of compressed sandstone and chalks are less fertile, producing wines with intense body, power and structured tannins. This more “masculine” style comes from Monforte d’Alba and Serralunga d’Alba. The township of Castiglione Falletto covers a spine with both soil types.
The best Barolo wines need 10-15 years before they are ready to drink, and can further age for several decades.