1999 Tenuta Molono (Gilodi) Bramaterra
– Perhaps the Most Unique of All the Older Gilodi Bramaterras
– Only 250 Bottles – Order Quickly
– Still Has Primary Fruit
– So Fresh!
– Nose: Crazy Aromatic Layering, So Aromatic
– The Apogee of Old Nebbiolo
– Charcoal, Dried Cherry, Cuban Tobacco, Spices and Florals
– Sea Air
– Very Specific Volcanic Soil Minerality
– Mushroom, Tar, Roses
– Killer Palate
– Concentrated Ripe Cherries
– Insane Balance and Purity
– Awesome Ripeness
– Cherry Flowers and Some Pine
– A Hint of Cherry Liquor
– Easily 25 Years Ahead of It
Umberto Gilodi
– The Father of the Bramaterra DOC
– Never Sold His Wines
– Didn’t Want to Compete with Other Growers
– Organic and Natural Ahead of His Time
These Are Direct from the Cellar and in Pristine Condition
Every Vintage Is Different
Aged Nebbiolo – A Totally Different Wine Drinking Experience
The 1999…
Usually these offers are two wines but today’s wine from 1999 is so special and so profound that it requires its own offer email.
One of the biggest lessons I learned in my early wine career is never, ever dismiss a vintage. I had a 1992 Quintarelli Valpolicella in around 1998 and it blew my mind and that was from a “bad” vintage but I quickly learned that great winemakers make great wines in even so called “bad” vintages. It just takes more work. 1999 is not bad and was considered great after the puzzling but ultimately very good 1998 and before the universally acclaimed 2000. It was relatively warm but not too warm which is something I adore as you get a particular type of fruit expression that is utterly profound.
Why 1999 produced that in Bramaterra? Honestly, I have no idea. It’s one of those proof is in the pudding things.
This 1999 is perhaps the most unique of all the older Gilodi Bramaterras that we have offered.
The Wine
We are able to offer the 1999 Tenuta Monolo (Gilodi) Bramaterra Riserva for the crazy low prices of 4-packs at $26.99 and Cases at $24.99! Yes this is absurd I know.
It is unique because of the most incredible core of fruit I’ve had in an older Gilodi but the aromas are fully secondary. It is also the most elegant Gilodi so far in that this is all class. I debated raising the price of this one as I don’t have much and it’s drinking the best right now.
Nose is smokey with charcoal, dried cherry, cuban tobacco, spices and florals. Very subdued but expressive at the same time. Needs air as these all do. Lovely wet earth and tree bark. Wonderful density on the aromas and so compact. Now with air nose is getting honeyed and has cherries galore. Lovely wood shavings as well. Nose now developing macerated late season cherries. Amazing airy, salty sea air now. Just so complex and has so much aromatic depth. Sappy almost Burgundian nose. It is so, so floral and the fruit is especially pungent in 1999. Mushroom, tar, roses, cherry fruit, mineral and so so aromatic. Really gets in the deep nostril areas. There is also a very specific type of minerality that is due to the volcanic soils but also the uniqueness of Tenuta Monolo. Layered and so aromatic. I kept smelling and smelling which helps as I have a huge nose. It’s so delicate yet nuanced and as I said before, layered. It is stunning and a nose one can delight in all evening. I could smell it all night and almost did. You won’t believe it.
Killer palate. Loads of concentrated ripe cherries and so silky with velvety sweet tannins. This is so good and maybe the juiciest one i’ve had yet. It’s at that stage of youthful and aged and this has just insane balance and purity. Really terrific acids and length here. The finish is super long and just lingers so much. Awesome and will only improve with air and age. A stunner. Wow is this juicy and so high toned. It’s insane how the fruit is still basically primary. Wow what a wine. So good. This has 25 years ahead of it. Easy.. Really elegant and such ripe and juicy tannins. Now many hours into it the elegant is off the charts. A stunning Bramaterra. Really wonderful and expressive fruit. The palate has awesome ripeness and the most elegant and refined tannins. These wines manage to have an amazing balance of ripe fruit and ripe tannins. In all the wines. You can’t believe these tannins. So soft, so juicy, so ripe, so sensual. You swish so hard in your mouth and there are no hard edges. It’s just magic. There is an amazing level of complex fruit that is so dense and so juicy with absolutely no hard edges. Early season but rounded cherry fruit with cherry flowers and some pine. Just a hint of cherry liquor rounds it out. Terrific brightness. Amazingly complex crescendo of a finish that has all the freshness. All of it. So so clean. The refined and elegant tannins just stay with you. Juicy and so so complex with wonderful purity and big tannins.
The Back Story
Today is a very special offer that came about because of happenstance. During the early part of the pandemic in 2020, our friends in Italy were hit very hard. I happened to be scrolling through Instagram and came across a post where a winery in Bramaterra I had never heard of would be selling some of their library wines with the proceeds going to pandemic relief. I was very impressed not only by the act of charity but also the breadth of vintages that were being offered. So of course I wrote the estate and little did I know I had stumbled across some history. The estate of Tenuta Monolo no longer produces wines and never sold wine when they were producing wine.
We have offered these wines before but the owner of the wines does not even live in Bramaterra and the wines are sitting in a cold cellar languishing. The owner of the wines is not that into wine and wants them gone. So we made a deal. The fruits of the that deal are now being realized.
The Fascinating Story of Umberto Gilodi
Umberto Gilodi was an impresario of a man and had many interests. The Tenuta Monolo used to be part of a villa that contained endless volumes of books on philosophy, tons of manuscripts and classical music with an emphasis on Baroque and Renaissance music. The villa was surrounded by a vineyard that was three quarters of a hectare. Umberto Gilodi, the eccentric/impresario lived there with his life long friend, Orlando Cremonini who also was the cellarmaster, painter and an engraver. They lived a simple life similar to Louis Sozet in Cornas.
The farming at the estate was all organic and there are documents that attest to this. No herbicides or pesticides were ever used which is before organic was even a word or a thing. The wines are fermented in large wooden botti and fermented with native yeasts. The vineyards were planted with 60% Nebbiolo, 20% Croatina, 10% Vespolina and 10% Uva Rara. Umberto was so passionate about the wines and the area that he was the driving force behind creating the Bramaterra appellation which was finalized in 1979. He was affectionately referred to as the “Padre Di Bramaterra.”
The reason Umberto decided to not sell the wines was because since he was the driving force behind creating the appellation, he thought it would be a conflict of interest with the other producers in the area.
Finish is a hint of licorice and a swarm of cherries. Lovely poignant and high acidity that makes the finish last for days.
Please call (949) 378-5251 after emailing with your order if you are a first time customer (we prefer not to receive credit card numbers over E-Mail).
OFFICE HOURS 4-7 PM
I love drinking and selecting wines – but my passion for teaching people about wine is almost as big. I’m happy to announce a block of time each day where people can call me just to chat about wine in general. These blocks are NOT intended to sell wine (I do that all day). This is to talk to me about wine pairings or great producers or how long to age wines or styles of wine making or the latest wine controversy. My goal is to help people learn more about wine and enjoy it more. Call me at 917-912-4355 from 4-7EST Monday – Friday.
|
|
A Word about Fass Selections and Social Media
I am big into certain social media and I want people to take pictures of the wines they have received or will receive and tag me in them and share their thoughts. I a am on Instagram. Please tag me there. I also am on Delectable which I love a lot. It is Iphone/Ipad only, but it’s like Instagram meets Facebook for wine. Tag me there and find me there as well. I want to know if you liked the wine, were not moved by the wine, hated the wine or the wine gave you a religious experience. I want to know it all. Feedback is key and I will answer all feedback e-mails as quickly as I can.
For all billing and invoicing inquiries please contact accounts@fassselections.com.