Barolo
Known as the king of wines, it is potent, complex and long-lived wine made from the Nebbiolo grape. The appellation is spread over 2,134 ha in total and consists of several villages and communes. divided into a multitude of individual vineyard sites and crus similar to Burgundy, with many producers owning small plots of the individual crus.
The main winemaking approach is a long maceration of Nebbiolo grapes - between 30 to 60 days -followed by a long maturation period in large old casks for a minimum of 38 months. And many producers often choose to age their wines even longer than this because of the intense fruit and powerful tannins of their grapes.
The combination of microclimate, altitude, soil, exposition and each winemaker’s individual touch is what makes every Barolo different. And in the main communes such as Serralunga, Castiglione Falletto, and La Morra, their Barolos are renowned for certain characteristics unique to each of them, due to their differing soils and exposition.
Barolo
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$365.00 -
Wine Advocate (96)
This wine was not produced in 2012. The excellent 2013 Barolo Aeroplan Servaj (with fruit from the clay soils of Baudana in Serralunga d'Alba) is a powerful, generous and dramatic wine that promises a very long drinking future ahead. The fruit is dark, rich and exuberant. There is a touch of black cherry sweetness that is very specific to this growing site and the heavier soils that characterize it. At this young stage, the wine is slightly austere and rigid, especially in terms of mouthfeel. This is completely expected, especially in a cool vintage such as 2013. The wine needs time to unfold and blossom like a rose.$105.00 -
Wine Advocate (96)
This wine was not produced in 2012. The excellent 2013 Barolo Aeroplan Servaj (with fruit from the clay soils of Baudana in Serralunga d'Alba) is a powerful, generous and dramatic wine that promises a very long drinking future ahead. The fruit is dark, rich and exuberant. There is a touch of black cherry sweetness that is very specific to this growing site and the heavier soils that characterize it. At this young stage, the wine is slightly austere and rigid, especially in terms of mouthfeel. This is completely expected, especially in a cool vintage such as 2013. The wine needs time to unfold and blossom like a rose.$537.00 -
Wine Advocate (95)
In terms of power and intensity, this is always the highest-flying wine in the Domenico Clerico lineup. The 2014 Barolo Aeroplan Servaj reaches those altitudes thanks to the quality of the fruit, all sourced from the Baudana vineyard in Serralunga d'Alba where some of the most powerful Barolos are born. The wine is solid and decisive in personality, imparting long-lasting flavors of dark berry, spice, moist earth and freshly shaved truffle. You feel that intensity grow, especially as the wine washes over the palate in thick waves. The tannins are dry and solid. The 2014 vintage was not easy, but Aeroplan Servaj glides straight past those difficulties.$105.00 -
Wine Advocate (95)
In terms of power and intensity, this is always the highest-flying wine in the Domenico Clerico lineup. The 2014 Barolo Aeroplan Servaj reaches those altitudes thanks to the quality of the fruit, all sourced from the Baudana vineyard in Serralunga d'Alba where some of the most powerful Barolos are born. The wine is solid and decisive in personality, imparting long-lasting flavors of dark berry, spice, moist earth and freshly shaved truffle. You feel that intensity grow, especially as the wine washes over the palate in thick waves. The tannins are dry and solid. The 2014 vintage was not easy, but Aeroplan Servaj glides straight past those difficulties.$481.00 -
Vinous (93)
The 2015 Barolo Aeroplan Servaj, from a parcel in Baudana, is the most successful of Clerico's 2015s, as it has handled the rigors of the year well. Bright red cherry, blood orange, mint, spice, anise and pine give the 2015 a lovely upper register of aromatics, while veins of Serralunga add energy as well as persistence. This is very nicely done.$123.00 -
Vinous (93)
The 2015 Barolo Aeroplan Servaj, from a parcel in Baudana, is the most successful of Clerico's 2015s, as it has handled the rigors of the year well. Bright red cherry, blood orange, mint, spice, anise and pine give the 2015 a lovely upper register of aromatics, while veins of Serralunga add energy as well as persistence. This is very nicely done.$560.00 -
Vinous (93)
The 2016 Barolo Aeroplan Servaj is powerful and incisive, with plenty of Serralunga tannin that gives the wine tension. Red cherry and red plum fruit pulse with real energy all the way through to the finish, with a whole range of savory and iron/mineral accents that add complexity. Deceptive in its mid-weight, structure, the 2016 has a lot to offer.$107.00 -
(3x150cl) 2016Vinous (93)
The 2016 Barolo Aeroplan Servaj is powerful and incisive, with plenty of Serralunga tannin that gives the wine tension. Red cherry and red plum fruit pulse with real energy all the way through to the finish, with a whole range of savory and iron/mineral accents that add complexity. Deceptive in its mid-weight, structure, the 2016 has a lot to offer.$696.00 -
Vinous (93)
The 2016 Barolo Aeroplan Servaj is powerful and incisive, with plenty of Serralunga tannin that gives the wine tension. Red cherry and red plum fruit pulse with real energy all the way through to the finish, with a whole range of savory and iron/mineral accents that add complexity. Deceptive in its mid-weight, structure, the 2016 has a lot to offer.$512.00 -
$134.00 -
$519.00 -
Vinous (87)
The 2018 Barolo Aeroplan Servaj has reasonable depth and body, but it lacks the complexity and pedigree of a truly great Barolo. Blood orange, sweet red cherry and licorice linger.$107.00 -
Vinous (87)
The 2018 Barolo Aeroplan Servaj has reasonable depth and body, but it lacks the complexity and pedigree of a truly great Barolo. Blood orange, sweet red cherry and licorice linger.$521.00 -
Decanter (92)
Aeroplanservaj is a kind of futurist label to indicate the first Barolo produced in Serralunga from Domenico Clerico. Oscar Arrivabene, winemaker of the estate, explained that 10% of oak for ageing is barrique; more a logistical rather than stylistic decision since the property in Serralunga is so small. There's a hint of smoky woodland in the wine, with dried cherry, cinnamon spice and an intoxicating sweet violet character soaking the structure. The attack is stern, not rustic but just fiercely youthful. The tannins at the moment need taming, but it's a Serralunga full of details and I would bet on it ageing well.$118.00 -
Wine Advocate (95)
The 2010 Barolo Briccotto is immensely soft and velvety with a bold and immediate style that is uncommon in the 2010 vintage. Compared to other wines from 2010 that are initially shy and hesitant, the Barolo Briccotto sings in a loud and clear voice the second you pour it from the bottle. Drink: 2017-2035.$600.00 -
$409.00 -
(3x150cl) 2001Vinous - Antonio Galloni (95)
Clerico's 2001 Ciabot Mentin Ginestra was one of the first Barolos that really captivated my attention and for me it remains this producer's most representative wine. It is a superb achievement and one of the highlights of the vintage.$641.00 -
(3x150cl) 2007Wine Advocate (98)
The 2007 Barolo Ciabot Mentin is one of the greatest wines I have ever tasted at this address. Deep, sensual layers of fruit flow from the glass as this full-throttle, intense Barolo reveals its profound, breathtaking personality. The 2007 shows tons of Ginestra nuance, but with extra dimensions to the fruit that literally covers every nook and cranny of the palate. Tasting this next to the 2006 is quite a comparison, as both wines are fabulous. Readers who can should be sure to own bottles of both. A side-by-side comparison is sure to be fascinating as the wines develop over the coming years. Astute readers will note the slight name change here, which is the result of new regulations that require the use of the historic vineyard name, in this case Ginestra, or a proprietary name. Call me nostalgic, but it is sad to see one of the iconic labels in Barolo disappear. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2027.$628.00 -
Vinous (96)
(Clerico is no longer using Ginestra on the label as of 2007: a change in the law recognized numerous crus, including Ginestra, but since many other growers use Ginestra on their labels, Clerico decided to name this wine after his own parcel): Medium red. Deeper and richer on the nose than the Pajana, with scents of redcurrant, mocha, dried flowers and earth. Wonderfully deep, layered and sweet; lush but with good limestone lift. This floods the palate with flavor and lingers with exceptional purity and persistence.$906.00 -
Wine Advocate (94+)
One notch down on the intensity ladder is the 2009 Barolo Ciabot Mentin. Less obvious and definitely more flirtatious, this gorgeous wine playfully dangles subtle hints of licorice, dark fruit, anisette and Middle Eastern spice in front of your nose. They morph and transform into something new and unexpected with each swirl of the glass. There’s enough flesh here to keep the wine grounded, but there’s also enough tonic freshness to keep it from feeling heavy. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2028.$824.00 -
Vinous (95+)
Good full red. Liqueur-like plum and black cherry on the nose. Then fine-grained and classy but tightly wound, showing utterly primary flavors of cherry, red berries and menthol. There's no way into this extremely backward wine today. But it has the racy acidity and excellent clarity for a spectacular evolution in bottle.$592.00 -
$451.00 -
Wine Advocate (97)
The 2013 Barolo Ciabot Mentin shines bright in this tasting of excellent new releases from Domenico Clerico. As with past vintages, this wine is distinguished by the intense inner energy it delivers from deep within and by the unyielding nature of its textural richness. There is muscle power here and determination, and you feel it especially now, in the wine's youth. At the same time, it is blazing to move forward. The wine offers an important sense of longevity that starts with a focused and immediate delivery of dark fruit, spice, tar and smoke. As these aromas continue to emerge from the glass, they become more linear, focused and elongated with time. Barolo Ciabot Mentin offers this magical transformation in this classic vintage.$134.00 -
Vinous (90)
The 2014 Barolo Ciabot Mentin is energetic, focused and driven in feel, but it remains a bit clenched and less expressive than the other wines in this range. Today the tannins are a bit aggressive, which contributes to the wine's unyielding personality.$123.00 -
Vinous (92)
The 2015 Barolo Ciabot Mentin shows a bit more body and richness than the Pajana, but it, too, looks like an early maturing wine. Black cherry, plum, licorice, spice and menthol all flesh out in this attractive, mid-weight Barolo. Bright Ginestra floral and mineral notes develop with time in the glass, adding freshness and vivacity.$512.00 -
$119.00 -
$580.00 -
(12x75cl) 2018Vinous (86)
The 2018 Barolo Ciabot Mentin is washed out, lacking in depth and flavor. Ginestra is a site with tremendous personality. Sadly, there is little, if any, of that here. There is just no substance.$1,235.00 -
Vinous (86)
The 2018 Barolo Ciabot Mentin is washed out, lacking in depth and flavor. Ginestra is a site with tremendous personality. Sadly, there is little, if any, of that here. There is just no substance.$99.00
Known as the king of wines, it is potent, complex and long-lived wine made from the Nebbiolo grape. The appellation is spread over 2,134 ha in total and consists of several villages and communes. divided into a multitude of individual vineyard sites and crus similar to Burgundy, with many producers owning small plots of the individual crus.
The main winemaking approach is a long maceration of Nebbiolo grapes - between 30 to 60 days -followed by a long maturation period in large old casks for a minimum of 38 months. And many producers often choose to age their wines even longer than this because of the intense fruit and powerful tannins of their grapes.
The combination of microclimate, altitude, soil, exposition and each winemaker’s individual touch is what makes every Barolo different. And in the main communes such as Serralunga, Castiglione Falletto, and La Morra, their Barolos are renowned for certain characteristics unique to each of them, due to their differing soils and exposition.

