Altitude: 250 meters

Aspect: south

Soils: calcareous silt, clay

Tasting notes:

• medium garnet
• Nose: medium(+) intensity of rose, rose petal, plum, and leather, fig, dark chocolate, tar
• Palate: dry with medium acidity, a high level of ripe, mouth-coating tannins, high alcohol (14 %), medium(+) flavour intensity of rose, cream (malolactic fermentation), dark chocolate (from oak ageing), medium(+) finish with sour red cherry, mint, cloves (new oak), and dry sensation
• Evaluation: New oak influences are subtle and well integrated with primary fruits. The south-facing aspect ensures highest sunlight interception in Barbaresco so that grapes and tannins can achieve full ripeness. Silt and clay help preserve water, particularly important in dry vintages like 1990. Tannins are structured and soft, indicating high quality of fruit with full ripeness and sophisticated extraction.

Altitude: 350~440 meters (Francia vineyard)

Aspect: south-west

Soils: sandstone, chalk, and clay

Tasting notes:

• pale garnet
• Nose: medium(+) intensity of dried rose petal, red cherry, mint, spices
• Palate: dry with medium(+) acidity, medium(+) tannins (ripe and structured), high alcohol (14.5%), full body, medium(+) intensity of red cherry, strawberry, cranberry, creamy notes (malolactic fermentation), cloves and cedar box (oak), medium(+) finish with sour cherry, and dry sensation
• Evaluation: Monfortino is known to be produced from grapes of Francia vineyard in outstanding vintages. This wine shows an amazing complexity and delicate fruity flavours from such a cool vintage of 2002. A unique wine style distinct from the typical vintages, demonstrating thorough canopy management and superb winemaking skills can produce powerful Barolo in warmer years yet a sophisticated style in cool vintages. For a magician, there is no poor vintage! Relatively lower altitude (< 300 m) with warmer soils (sandstone, sand, and chalk) with good drainage help retain heat so that buds break earlier to allow a longer ripening season. In addition, the free draining soils play a key role in 2002 of high precipitation. Sunny September and October with high diurnal ranges mean that grapes can be harvested rather late (around October/20) to achieve full ripeness while retaining higher acidity. A medium(+) level of tannins suggests less time in extraction compared to the traditional winemaking of Barolo to balance the less intense flavours due to cool weather. The high alcohol due to very late harvest is well supported by the concentrated fruit, zesty acidity, and the medium(+) level of high quality tannins. No sign of tertiary notes indicates the wine is still evolving.

Altitude: 330~420 meters

Aspect: south, south-west

Soils: sandstone, clay

Tasting notes:

• pale garnet
• Nose: medium(+) intensity of mint, lavender, sour cherry, rose petal, chocolate
• Palate: dry with medium(+) acidity, a medium(+) level of fine yet structured tannins, high alcohol (14%), medium(+) body, medium(+) flavour intensity of rose petal, mint, cedar box (oak) as well as prune, resinous, toffee, chocolate and tar (tertiary notes from ageing), a medium(+) finish with sour cherry, and dry sensation
• Evaluation: This is an elegant wine with concentrated fruit showing a wide range of primary flavours from floral, red fruit to herbal notes as well as high quality tannins. The subtle secondary flavours suggest wines were primarily matured in old wood. Diverse tertiary flavours strike a good balance with the primary fruit, greatly increasing its complexity. The relatively higher altitude (> 330 m) means delicate, fresh aromas can be preserved and a variety of flavour components can be slowly developed in cooler temperature. This may contribute to its elegant style in Barolo! A medium(+) level of fine tannins indicates gentle extraction.

Altitude: 250~320 meters

Aspect: south-west

Soils: sandstone, sand

Tasting notes:

• medium tawny
• Nose: medium(+) intensity of nutty, rose petal, mint, dark chocolate and cloves, hay, toffee
• Palate: dry with residue sugar, medium acidity, a high level of fine and structured tannins, high alcohol (14.5%), full body, medium(+) flavour intensity of mint, rose, dark chocolate and cloves (oak), soy source and toffee (from ageing), and estery notes, medium(+) finish with saltiness, and dry sensation
• Evaluation: The wine has a high alcohol and residual sugar, meaning very full body. Nevertheless, the high level of fine and structured tannins and medium(+) flavour intensity manage to support the unusually full body, despite the medium acidity. The overall structure of the wine in this hot vintage is not as strong as typical Barolo. Flavours evolve faster with marked tertiary notes. The estery notes may come from fermentation at lower temperature to promote fresh fruit in the hot vintage.

Altitude: 200~400 meters

Aspect: south, south-west

Soils: blending wines from grapes harvested in various vineyards

Tasting notes:

• pale garnet
• Nose: medium(+) intensity of rose petal, sour cherry, mint, spices, and camphor, leathery, tar
• Palate: dry with medium(+) acidity, a high level of fine yet structured tannins, medium(+) alcohol (13.5%), medium(+) body, medium(+) flavour intensity of rose petal, sour cherry, lavender, spices (oak), and camphor, leathery, farmyard, tar (from ageing), medium(+) finish with sour cherry, mint, and clove
• Evaluation: This wine has medium(+) body, unusual in Barolo. The medium(+) acidity may indicate that later harvest to reach fuller body and full ripeness of tannins in the capricious weather conditions slightly lowers its acidity. Nevertheless, its wide range of flavours from primary (rose petal, sour cherry, mint from grapes), secondary (spices from oak) to tertiary (camphor, leathery, farmyard, tar from long ageing) along with balanced structures (refreshing acidity, high levels of fine tannins) shows the typicity of high quality Nebbiolo and tremendous complexity achieved via blending different plots and long bottle maturation.