Tasted at Vinitaly: Commendator Burlotto

As I have noted before, I usually finish Vinitaly with a visit to Commndator Burlotto, and I did so once again this year, finding Fabio and Marina still talking, though they were thinking about beginning to pack up -- this year the final day of Vinitaly finished at 6, and things were still hopping at 5:30.

So I began to taste and chat, and by the time we were finished the announcers had stopped telling everyone that the Fair was over, and to come back again next year :-/


Commendator Burlotto Elatis Vino Rosato 2011
E112
Pale rose petal pink with brilliant pinkish reflections and white rim. The bouquet is fresh with fairly bright forest berry fruit supported by raspberry acidity and some greenish vegetal accents with a fair amount of heather. Refreshing; a fellow taster also finds sweetish ginger root. On the palate it's bright, fresh, and fairly sweet, with delicate flinty tannins that flow into a fairly rich slightly greenish finish. Pleasant in a more voluptuous key than usual, and will be a pleasant summer wine.
2 stars

Commendator Burlotto Viridis langhe Sauvignon 2011
Lot VLS112
Lively brassy gold with brassy reflections and greenish highlights. The bouquet is quite varietal, with rich gooseberry fruit supported by greenish accents and spice with some chalk dust as well. Quite fresh and still coming together. On the palate it's rich, with bright gooseberry fruit supported by warm sour gooseberry/tart loquat acidity and a slight peppery tang that flow into a warm greenish finish. Quite pleasant, and will drink well with grilled or roasted fish, and be pleasant with fried fish or meats too.
2 stars

Commendator Burlotto Dives Langhe Sauvignon 2010
Lot LDLS111
Brassy white with brassy reflections and greenish highlights. The bouquet is fairly rich, with greenish notes and some spice mingled with gooseberry and sweaty blonde, which is a consistent marker for this wine. Pleasant, though it does bring to mind a certain Springsteen song (though he was talking about redheads). On the palate it's ample and rich, with fairly powerful loquat fruit supported by loquat acidity laced with slight lemon, and supported by the burr that loquats can have, flowing into a long tart finish. Pleasant to drink and will work well with fish or white meats, including fried fish.
2 stars

Commendator Burlotto Verduno Pelaverga 2010
Lot VP 211
Pale ruby with black reflections and brilliant ruby highlights. The bouquet is intense and spicy with wild flowers mingled with sandalwood and red berry fruit, and savory accents and slight cedar, with mace and nutmeg as well. An explosion in a spice shop! And absolutely typical of the varietal. On the palate it's mg, with lively spicy berry fruit supported by warm sour cherry raspberry acidity and by tannins that have a smooth spicy burr and flow into a warm savory berry fruit finish. Quite pleasant and will be very nice in the summer months, and also into fall.
88-90

Commendator Burlotto Dolcetto D'Alba 2010
Lot DA111
Deep ruby with black reflections and cherry rim. The bouquet is intense, with red berry fruit supported by almond blossoms and warm peppery notes, and by hints of underbrush and underlying spice. On the palate it's bright, with fresh moderately intense berry fruit supported by warm berry fruit acidity and tannins that are a little darker and more splintery than they have been in some years; it's a bit more brooding. It will work quite well with grilled meats or light roasts.
2 stars

Commendator Burlotto Barbera D'Alba 2010
Lot BA 111
Deep lively cherry ruby with black reflections and cherry rim. The bouquet is fairly bright, with tart berry fruit supported by raspberry acidity and some bitter accents. On the palate it's bright, with lively sour strawberry raspberry fruit supported by strawberry acidity and slightly flinty notes, while the tannins are smooth and it flows into a fairly long tart strawberry finish. It's a little firmer than other vintages have been, but is quite pleasant and will work very well with rich foods. Worth seeking out.
2 stars

Commendator Burlotto Aves barbera D'Alba 2010
Lot LBAA 111
Lively cherry ruby with black reflections and cherry rim. The bouquet is fairly intense, with berry fruit supported by spicy notes and some cedar, and by some greenish vegetal accents. On the palate it's bright, with fairly rich cherry fruit supported by bright berry fruit acidity and some flinty minerality, and by tannins that are warm and have a slight dusky cedary overlay, and flow into a long warm berry fruit finish. Powerful, and a nice expression of a harder vintage; it's not as bright as some but will work quite well with grilled meats or roasts.
2 stars

Commendator Burlotto Mores Langhe DOC 2009
Lot ML111
This is a 50-50 blend of Nebbiolo and Barbera that ferment together. It's lively cherry ruby with brilliant ruby reflections. and pink rim. The bouquet is intense, with red berry fruit supported by some cedar and slight rosa canina, and by a greenish underpinning; it's quite fresh and displays considerable verve. And is also young. On the palate it's bright, with lively cherry fruit supported by bright berry fruit acidity, and by tannins that are ample and tightly woven, flowing into a bright fairly tannic finish. A nice balance between the varietals, and though it does need a year to meld, it will be quite nice with red meats. Something to set aside (briefly) and enjoy.
90

Commendator Burlotto Freisa Langhe DOC 2010
Lot FL 111
Lively cherry ruby with some almandine in the rim. The bouquet is bright, with fairly rich berry fruit laced with rosa canina and some cumin seed spice, and also slight peppery accents, and some gunflint with a fair amount of alcohol as well. More charged and firm than some vintages. On the palate it's fresh, with bright sour cherry fruit supported by lively sour berry fruit acidity and by tannins that have a warm spicy slightly greenish burr with licorice root accents, and flow into a fairly long licorice and berry fruit finish. Quite pleasant, in a powerful zesty key, and will drink well with grilled meats or light stews. Welcoming on the palate!
2 stars

Commendator Burlotto Langhe Nebbiolo 2010
Lot LN 111
Lively almandine ruby with black reflections and almandine rim. The bouquet is deft, with rosa canina supported by red berry fruit and some cherry strawberry acidity, and by clean spice. Pleasant to sniff, in a slightly less expansive key than in some vintages. On the palate it's bright and fresh, with lively cherry fruit supported by dusky sour berry fruit accents and acidity that has some orange to it, and flows into a clean bright tannic finish that has some youthful splinteriness to it. Pleasant in a light zesty key and will be very nice with roasts and grilled meats, and if you wanted to be extravagant a burger with good beef and a great cheese would be perfect. Worth seeking out.
2 stars

Commendator Burlotto Barolo 2008
Lot L.BR111
Almandine with black reflections and almandine rim. The bouquet is deft, with elegant rosa canina and floral accents mingled with spice and berry fruit; it's classic young Barolo, and very pleasant to sniff. On the palate it's rich, with powerful elegant cherry fruit supported by rosa canina and delicate strawberry orange acidity that flows into a long clean bright spicy finish with a deft tannic underpinning. Quite pleasant, though very young, and needs another 2-3 years to come together. One could drink it now but it will reward those with patience.
90

Commendator Burlotto Acclivi Barolo 2008
Lot BRA 111
Lively almandine with brownish reflections and almandine rim. The bouquet is intense, with powerful slightly peppery fruit supported by considerable spice and pleasant underlying rosa canina. Quite young, but promises very well. On the palate it's ample and quite smooth, with bright fresh cherry fruit supported by moderate strawberry acidity and by tannins that have a warm slightly peppery burr. Pleasant, and though it is quite young one could drink it, one would be forcing things to do so. I'd give it 3-5 years and then enjoy it with a hearty stew.
2 stars

Commendator Burlotto Vigneto Monvigliero Barolo 2008
Lot BRM 111
Almandine with brilliant almandine reflections and almandine rim. The bouquet is deft, with rich rosa canina laced with nutmeg and spice, and moderate berry fruit that is still working through what it wants to be when it grows up. Quite elegant, and welcoming, but also quite clearly in mid stride,. On the palate it's full and very smooth with ripe rich fruit supported by spicy tannins that have that nutmeg imprint, and by sour berry fruit acidity that has some hints of orange to it and flows into a long spicy berry fruit finish. Beautiful but a toddler; it's a wine that needs 3-5 years and will be worth waiting for.
90-91

Commendator Burlotto Vigneto Cannubi Barolo 2008
Lot BRC 111
Lively almandine with brilliant almandine ruby reflections and bright almandine rim. The bouquet is powerful, with fairly rich cherry fruit supported by nutmeg laced spice and some peppery accents, and by slight vegetal notes. Pleasant, and rich, but doesn't have the grace of the Monvigliero at present, and may be somewhat broader shouldered in the future. It is now. On the palate it's bright and fresh, with brilliant berry fruit supported by tannins that have some nutmeg and mace spice, and hints of rosa canina to them, and by bright rather mineral acidity that flow into a clean mineral tannc finish. It's very young, younger even than the Monvigliero, and to say which will do what in the future is a bit of a crapshoot; the Cannubi is more muscular, whereas the Monvigliero is more graceful, and we will see what happens in the future. Because both wines need time.
90