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
1991 Tenuta Monolo Gilodi Bramaterra Riserva
– Killer Nose: A Nebbiolo Symphony
– Smells like Elite Aged Barolo
– Chestnuts galore.
– Tar, Roses
– Crazy Florals
– Woodshop
– Old Library Books
– Macerated Cherries
– Gorgeous Cherry Spice
– Graphite
– Hint of Lilac, Red Roses
– Truffle and Earth
– Palate: Tastes So Young nd Fresh
– Early to Mid Season Cherries
– Super Juicy and Silky
– Fruit Is So Classic and Beautiful
– Haunting Inner Mouth Aromatics
– Has At Least a Decade Ahead of It
Aged Nebbiolo – A Totally Different Wine Drinking Experience
When we read a book, there are generally many things going on. First, we have a plot. There is an actual story. Then, we have characters. The characters develop over the course of the book.
With poetry, it’s often quite different. Poems are often, less obvious and direct than books. Poems generally give us a sense of the essence of a thing. A scene in nature. A feeling. Loneliness. Sorrow. Happiness. Love.
Generally speaking, most wine experiences are about how the wine tastes. We learn to look for fruit on the palate. For minerality. Acidity. Balance. Yes, of course we do smell the wine but for most wine drinkers, the nose is an entree to the palate.
With aged Nebbiolo, the wine drinking experience is flipped on its head. The powerful fruits that we have become used to with modern Barolos are stripped away with age. Even on the nose. They no longer dominate. The cornucopia of aromatics that exist in well made Nebbiolos are allowed to express themselves and it’s there like a symphony. To be honest, it’s much more complex than a symphony. I can often smell 15-20 distinct aromas in aged Nebbiolos as they aerate.
This is why aged Nebbiolo is so sought after and is normally so expensive.
The Craziest Offer Ever
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. We are able to offer 4-packs at $26.99 and Cases at $24.99! Yes this is absurd I know.
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.
Usually these offers are two wines but today’s wine from 1991 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 Quihtarelli 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. 1991 was not bad nor was it considered great after the trip of 88-89-90. It was relatively cool which is something I adore as you get a particular type of transparency that is utterly profound. This 1991 is perhaps my favorite of all the older Gilodi Bramaterras that we have offered.
The Wine
Killer nose at 33 years young from an OK vintage. Chestnuts galore. Tar, roses, melting road tar and crazy florals. Woodshop. Old Library books. Macerated cherries. Smells like elite aged Barolo. Just gorgeous. As it airs the minerals come through and the nose gets more and more expansive. I could smell this all day. Then gorgeous cherry spice. Graphite as well as a hint of lilac. Red roses galore. The Nebbiolo symphony in full effect. Also faint dried red roses. Savory. The aromas are more towards truffle and earth with some gorgeous dried roses and cherries. Herbs and licorice also develop after some air. Big time saddle leather as well. I find in normal not warm vintages the aromas are even more compelling but take longer to get there. Nose after air now has burnt ember from a fireplace. Nose is a nebbiolo symphony with tar, dried roses, cigar box, dried cherries and huge minerality. So enveloping. Unreal chestnut.
Palate is tasting so young. Tannic and structured but with glorious cherry fruit and a mix of dried and fresh cherries. Very delicate yet big. This is so beautiful. Wow what sweet sweet cherry fruit and glorious freshness and acidity. This is terrific. Needs air as these all do. The palate reflects the nose in that one gets early to mid season cherries and that crazy cherry spice. Laser-like juiciness. So good. This is a shy and ethereal wine that is so beautiful that really will be ever better in a few years. But the palate keeps opening with super juicy and silky cherries. The classic Monolo freshness and energy is incredible in this wine. The spice as well just resonates in the beginning, middle and finish. The fruit is so classic and beautiful. Haunting inner mouth aromatics and stunning freshness. It has the most delicate tannins. My god they are beautiful. The freshness of this wine is beguiling. It is hauntingly elegant, stunningly fresh and super duper aromatic. To have a wine this beautiful and this old is something to behold. Now after air the complexity and finesse come in spades. It’s so elegant. The cherry fruit gets more defined. Now on Day 2 it has gotten better and better. These wines are timeless and ageless. tannins and so silky. Unreal wine. More finesse and better fruit clarity today. The quality of the tannins are so silky, so sweet and so delicate. Palate is juicy and so clear. Amazing these tannins. This has at least a decade ahead of it.
Please call Cheryl at 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.
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For all billing and invoicing inquiries please contact Nick at accounts@fassselections.com or 646-498-6078