Damilano sign

~ Benvenuto a Damilano! ~

Damilano is an amazing producer.  And not just because their wines are high quality.  The family crafts wonderful Barolo from some of Piemonte’s best Cru vineyards.  The bonus?  In the realm of quality Barolo, Damilano’s wines stand out as values!

Yes, you read that right. Barolo value.

It began in 1890,  when Giuseppe Borgogno left his family wine business and began vinifying his own estate wines.  That passion transcended the years until the founder’s son in law, Giacomo Damilano took control of the winery.  Today, it’s the 4th generation that run the winery; Giacomo’s grandchildren Guido, Mario and Paolo.

Damilano vineyards

~ Window on the Cannubi vineyard ~

Today, the Damilanos have 53 hectares of vineyards in some of the most prestigious Crus of Piemonte including Cannubi, Cerequio, Liste, and Brunate.  They vinify wines from each of the separate Crus but also create a fifth Barolo called “Le Cinque Vigne” which is an overall blend from the various Crus and the subject of today’s article.  Similar to the Cannubi which I reviewed, it’s also a great value.

Damilano Cannubi

~ Part of Damilano’s parcel within the Cannubi Vineyard ~

The 2016 Damilano Barolo Le Cinque Vineyard is a brilliant violet color in the glass with reflections permeating throughout the bowl.  Using a Coravin, I “decanted” a few glasses into a large stem over the course of several hours.  This young Nebbiolo is very expressive on the nose with wild cherry, fresh flowers, fennel and leather notes combining nicely.  On the palate, this is medium to full bodied and although tannic; elegantly so. Ripe flavors of crushed cherry are accented with toasted spices, red licorice and earth notes.  It’s approachable as you would expect from this “blended” wine but that doesn’t diminish the quality in the least.  Really pretty and an amazing value at $39.  93 points.  Find this wine & Support Tuscan Vines.
Damilano Le Cinque Vigne in glass

~ This wonderful 2016 Barolo is the current release and a tremendous value ~

One further note: in my mind, sometimes when people hear the word “approachable” from a wine writer they read “shouldn’t be cellared”.  Maybe sometimes that’s true, but not in this case.  I’ve grabbed a pair of these and put them in my cellar.  In 4 short years, they’ll be a decade old and I’m willing to bet they’ll be really interesting.  And let’s face it, finding decades old Barolo from a great vintage isn’t easy, especially at $40.

Salute!

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