1999 Cavallotto, Barolo Riserva, Vigna San Giuseppe (RT 96) Bought a case on release, stored in my cellar since, this is the fourth bottle I’ve opened. SO’d for five hours, followed over the course of two days and served directly from bottle. The 1999 San Giuseppe shows a dark, sparkling ruby hue with no signs of bricking. The enormity of the vintage shines through in spades as vibrant masculine notes of black cherry and ripe plum, anise and Asian spices rise from the glass. Incredible focus and depth of fruit is the name of the game. With time in the glass the notes deepen and begin to enunciate with great fervor. This is a powerful Barolo with booming vibrato, echoing the precise, perfectly ripe nature of the vintage. The mouthfeel dials up the aromatics as its richness coats the mouth with perfectly ripe tannin that’s sweet and integrated beautifully, this gem shows the 1999 vintage in spades. A fabulous incarnation of the Piedmont’s most prized variety, on night two it hadn’t lost an iota of precision and depth. Hang on to any you’ve got if you can, this is a stellar bottling. Drink now – 2030+
