2014 Domenico Clerico Barolo 93WA

About the Wine

• Domenico Clerico is a pioneer in Barolo
• Considered the benchmark in Monforte d'Alba
• Blend of two premier estate vineyards
• BHW has the lowest price in the US
• Free Shipping on 12 bottles of this wine

Domenico Clerico passed in 2017, but he is remembered for his indelible imprint on the Barolo region and the world. He was one of the original "Barolo Boys." He authored the textbook on the region around Alba, ever studious of the soils and the Nebbiolo grape. Antonio Galloni wrote that this wine, "Could be one of the surprises of the vintage."

Have a look at this table and you'll understand that this "normale" wine is the lowest price 93pt rated Barolo from Wine Advocate from 2014. 

Reviews

This was a very expensive year to make wine. The team at Domenico Clerico had to deal with three devastating hail storms and were forced to use helicopters (something that is no longer allowed today) for vineyard treatments. Happily, the 2014 Barolo seems to have moved past its difficult birth. Tasted today at this young stage in its evolution, the wine is steady and intense with lovely berry tones that rise delicately to the top. The mouthfeel is also richer and more complete than I expected. The blend is 90% Nebbiolo from Ginestra and 10% from Mosconi.

I wrote about the passing of Domenico Clerico last year. He left us in July 2017 after a long illness. This year I tasted with his widow Giuliana and winemaker Oscar Arrivabene. I wanted to repost a memory from the last time I tasted directly with Domenico Clerico: When I tasted with Domenico Clerico just three years prior in this same room, I remember the pure sense of vitality and enthusiasm that radiated off this legendary vintner. His soulful energy permeated the entire room like warm rays of sunshine pouring through those transparent glass walls. Domenico was inexhaustible. He proudly introduced his line of new releases and then brought me down to the cellar to show me all his vinous treasures and keepsakes. Domenico was a lean and wiry man with a thick mane of gray hair, a broad smile and penetrating eyes that always looked straight ahead. He will be remembered for his game-changing contributions to the stylistic evolution of Barolo. Domenico Clerico is a modernist who succeeded in articulating a contemporary voice for the Nebbiolo grape. He farmed vineyards in Monforte d'Alba to produce the legendary wine Barolo Ciabot Mentin Ginestra (now called Ciabot Mentin), Barolo Pajana and Barolo Per Cristina from the Mosconi cru. With a leased parcel in Baudana in Serralunga d'Alba, Domenico Clerico made his Barolo Aeroplan Servaj. In local dialect, the term means “wild airplane” and is what the young, high-spirited Domenico was nicknamed by his father. ~93WA

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