Anytime a highly rated Barolo with an excellent pedigree comes across my desk, I sit up from my usual slump in my chair and take notice. What really gets my juices flowing is when I can sell that historic Barolo for under $40. Can I get an Amen from the Nebbiolo lovers in the choir?

The famous slogan "Barolo is the king of wine and the wine of kings." is based on history. While the Nebbiolo grape dates to the 13th century, Barolo wine got its start in the mid-1800s when Camillo Benso, the Count of Cavour who led Italy's drive to unification, wanted to improve his family estate in the Lange by improving its winemaking. He hired famed French winemaker Louis Oudart, who fermented the Nebbiolo grape completely dry for the first modern Barolo. Soon after that success, noblewoman Giulietta Falletti, the Marchioness of Barolo, had Oudart develop a Barolo wine so good that King Carlo Alberto of Savoy purchased estates in the nearby towns Verduno and Roddi for wine production. The wine became all the talk of royal aristocracy; thus, the wine of kings was promoted as the king of wines.

Made entirely from the Nebbiolo grape and aged for at least three years, Barolo is produced on a chunk of beautiful highland territory in northwestern Italy known as Piedmont. Roughly the size of the state of Vermont, the region includes hilltop castles, gorgeous valleys, white truffles, amazing cheeses, and sumptuous hazelnut spreads. Thanks to a string of successful vintages, there has been a great deal of publicity regarding Barolo. The last twenty years have witnessed beneficial weather in almost every growing season, and there have been a few genuinely outstanding vintages, such as 2004; 2006; 2008, 2010, 2013, and 2016. To be considered a great vintage, the growing conditions must be just right to produce a massive, muscular, dense wine that is often closed upon release and needs time to meld flavors to create the magic. Pricing for these wines reflects the demand that Barolo is getting, well above $50 for a reasonable wine and closer to $100 for top cru Barolos that have the power to last 20 years or more in your cellar before it reaches their optimum drinking age. Barolo producers will tell you that you can't have great years, such as 2016, every year for various reasons. Perhaps the most important being that from time to time, you need wines that are more approachable upon release than those that are typical for outstanding vintage Barolo. That doesn't mean they lack quality or complexity; it only means they don't require so many years to round out before being able to enjoy them. Enter the 2017 vintage Barolo wines that you can drink now and will age easily 5 - 10 years. This vintage is offered at a significant discount because they are overshadowed by the 2016 vintage, which you won't be ready to drink till after 2046.

Damilano is one of the flagship wineries of Barolo and one of the oldest. The family business dates back to 1890 and has some of the most extensive holdings in Barolo's cru vineyards. Today, the Damilano winery is synonymous with innovation and quality. It has a centuries-old tradition of quality that becomes more and more successful every year, thanks to production based on a constant pursuit of excellence. Meticulous and well-researched work starts with the proper care and respect of the vineyards. It continues into the cellar, where potential wines are monitored at every single phase before maturing for years in wooden barrels.

The strategy for Lecinquevigne is combining grapes from different parcels of Nebbiolo to produce an elegant wine that lacks the stiffer tannins of a more classic wine from the region. Lecinquevigne is in reference to the five cru vineyards of Barolo that Damilano sources the grapes from vineyards, partly owned and partly leased. The vineyards are situated in the most famous crus of the Langa region: Cannubi, Liste, Fossati, and Brunate. Sourcing from multiple vineyards allows for the finest qualities of the calcareous-clay soil of Piedmontese municipalities—vineyards with an average of 40 years, over 1,000 feet in elevation. Wines are aged for 24 months in large and small oak barrels and bottles aged for an additional 12 months. 

Part of Damilano's focus on 'service' includes the opening of their Michelin-star Massimo Camia Restaurant at the winery. Visitors can sample wines while tasting gnocchi and vongole (a type of pasta) or poached eggs with porcini mushrooms and white truffles. I can see a road trip coming.

Lecinquevigne is made from the assembly of grapes from five vineyards located in the most suitable areas for the production of Nebbiolo. Sourcing from multiple vineyards allows for the finest qualities of the calcareous-clay soil of Piedmontese municipalities such as Barolo, Grinzane Cavour, and Monforte to be incorporated into the wine. The vineyards all sit at a southeast exposure.

Ruby red in color with orange reflections. An intense bouquet with tertiary notes of rose, leather, tobacco, and emerging notes of violet and tar. The palate is ample and embracing, with prevailing impressions of a soft, persistent long finish.

A juicy red with dried strawberry and orange peel, as well as cedar and spice undertones. It's medium-to-full-bodied with firm, fine tannins that are integrated with a flavorful finish. Juicy with lots of flavor. Approachable now, but better in 2024. James Suckling 94 pts

Aromas of ripe wild berry, blue flower, and forest floor mingle with a balsamic whiff of camphor. Full-bodied and firmly structured, the palate offers ripe black-skinned berry, raspberry compote, licorice, and menthol alongside tightly knit, fine-grained tannins. Wine Enthusiast 92 pts

As its name suggests, this wine draws its fruit from five crus across the appellation. They are Brunate, Liste, Cerequio, Cannubi and Raviole. The 2017 Barolo Lecinquevigne is balanced and bright. If there are leading qualities to assign to the Damilano family wines, they are consistency and accessibility. This medium-term 2017 is linear and less constructed overall, and you do sense some of the ripeness of the vintage, thanks to that sweet spot on the close. Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 91 pts

Sweet red cherry and berry flavors are augmented by spice, tar, and wild herbs in this lightly chewy red. Firm and finishes on the dry side in the balance, yet with fine length. Wine Spectator 90 pts

Damilano Barolo Lecinquevigne 2017

It didn't take much to find a crew to taste this wine. As we all crowded into our small tasting kitchen and poured the wine, descriptive adjectives came very quickly on this wine, all good. Typical rusty dark red Nebbiolo color. Aromas of dirty strawberries, leather, tea. A brooding silky mouthfeel with flavors ranging from toasty bread notes, pretzels, pancetta, porcini mushroom, and Bergamot tea (that came from the tea heads in the crowd, which turns out to be Earl Grey tea, thank you, Captain Picard), with a long dark, lush finish. It has balanced moderate tannins and acid. The wine opened up even more after 30 minutes. The group concluded that this wine hit it out of the park for a drinkable Barolo now, and I am going to buy some of this wine to see how it progresses in a couple of years. If you are a Barolo lover but don't have the patience to wait thirty years for those top growths to come around, this wine is for you. For under $40, it is a must-buy.

Regular Price: $44.99

*Sale price is on 3 or more bottles.

Wine is packed in a 12 bottle box

*Wine pricing for these wine promotions are held for two weeks after the email offer.

We can hold wines in unpaid reserves for two weeks to allow you time to pick up your wine. If it takes you longer than that to pick up your wines, give us a call, and we can process your wine and move it to paid reserves.

Orders must be done by replying to this email. The reason is that I need to keep control of the inventory in one central spot. Emailing or calling your favorite wine geek at one of our four stores may not get your orders in on time to be counted or processed and this creates a helter-skelter for us to get you the wine. For the same reason, ordering on our online Web Store is linked to our regular price, and this sale price is only offered on the email platform. It is also why it takes me some time to respond due to the deluge of orders that I sometimes get. We haven't reached the efficiency or volume of Amazon yet, and in this post-pandemic environment, simple operations sometimes prove difficult. Thank you in advance for your patience.

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