Wine Advisor
Domenico Clerico, Barolo Aeroplan Servaj 2007
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2007 Barolo Aeroplan Servaj is much improved in this, its second vintage. Ripe dark fruit, espresso, licorice and mint are some of the notes that emerge from this rich, powerful Barolo. All of the elements are in place for this to be a splendid Barolo once it goes into bottle later in 2011. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2027. It’s great to see Domenico Clerico pretty much back to his normal self after a bout with illness over the last few years. Despite having made so many dazzling wines in the past, I can’t help thinking Clerico’s best Baroli may still lie ahead. Maceration times have been gradually lengthened, the use of new French oak has come down in most of the wines and there are rumblings that larger casks are on the way. As always, I tasted a large selection of wines during my recent visit to the estate, including 4-5 vintages of each of the Baroli. Clerico’s 2006s are emotional, moving wines that are living up to the praise I bestowed upon them last year. The 2007s are stratospheric, while the 2008s are developing very well, albeit in a more classic style than the decidedly exuberant 2007s. In 2008 Clerico has a Barolo from his vineyard in Bussia that is still being raised separately and may be bottled on its own. Based on multiple tastings, it is a special Barolo. It’s still early for the 2009s, but today they are less viscerally thrilling, pretty much in line with the way most wines of that year are showing right now. A Marc de Grazia Selection, various American importers, including: de Grazia Imports; tel. (417) 732-4200; Michael Skurnik, Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300, Estate Wines Ltd., San Rafael CA; tel. (415) 492-9411, Robert Houde Wines, Bensenville IL; tel. (630) 422-1119
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2007 Barolo Aeroplan Servaj is plush, rich and voluminous, all qualities that are typical of the year. Dark red cherries, mocha, flowers and spices are woven together beautifully in this soft (for Barolo), sensual wine. Silky tannins frame the rich, seamless finish. The 2007 probably won’t be a long-term ager, but my guess is most bottles will have long been enjoyed before that is an issue. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2025. It was served after the 1982 Conterno Monfortino and 1982 Giacosa Collina Rionda. A wine very few of us had ever seen, much less tasted. I thought I might have tasted this vintage once before, but it wasn’t a great bottle. This one was. No, it was monumental. The wine? Domenico Clerico’s 1982 Barolo Ciabot Mentin Ginestra. Talk about stunning. Clerico’s 1982 had no problem hanging out with the big guns. It is amazing to think how the 1982 was made. The 1982 Ciabot was fermented in an outdoor shack. For the malos, Clerico used three used 14-hectoliter casks he bought from Aldo Conterno. The wine was subsequently aged in used 30-hectoliter barrels that were reconditioned from their first life, when they had been used to make beer. Fast forward to today. It was a bit of a shock this year to see Domenico Clerico in his huge new winery, which is still under construction. I have so many fond memories of tasting in the old cellar. No one is as passionate or generous as Clerico in showing his wines. And that’s the way it has always been. Even when I was just a young consumer visiting Piemonte on the weekends, the door was always open. Any day, any time. Back to the present. The massive steel and concrete building not only seems out of place in the landscape, it is also far removed from traditional Piedmontese values. The scale alone is just bizarre, making it difficult to find someone, much less communicate. As for the wines, 2008 was clearly a difficult vintage here. Some of that is probably because of Clerico’s health struggles over the last few years, but the new cellar has also been a massive undertaking made all the more difficult by the poor timing of the project. The 2008s are underwhelming wines that fall short of the standard Clerico has established over the last three decades. The day to day is clearly much more difficult for Clerico now, so it is up to his team to step up and prove they are up to the challenge. Importers: Michael Skurnik, Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300; Classic Wine Imports, Norwood, MA; tel. (800) 862-4585, Cutting Edge Selections, Mariemont, OH; tel. (513) 561-8555, Robert Houde Wines, Elk Grove Village, IL; tel. (847) 430-3887, Robert Panzer Selections, Wilmington, DL; robertpanzer@hotmail.com, Bacchus Importers, Baltimore, MD; tel. (410) 633-0400; Selected Brands, FL; tel. (954) 428-0019; Giuliana Imports, Boulder, CO; tel. (303) 547-6343; Estate Wines, tel. (415) 706-7975; Vinum Wine Importing & Distributing, Seattle, WA; tel. (206) 621-8843; Bommarito Wines, Saint Louis, MO; tel. (314) 961-8996
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2007 Barolo Aeroplan Servaj is much improved in this, its second vintage. Ripe dark fruit, espresso, licorice and mint are some of the notes that emerge from this rich, powerful Barolo. All of the elements are in place for this to be a splendid Barolo once it goes into bottle in 2011.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2007 Barolo Aeroplan Servaj is much improved in this, its second vintage. Ripe dark fruit, espresso, licorice and mint are some of the notes that emerge from this rich, powerful Barolo. All of the elements are in place for this to be a splendid Barolo once it goes into bottle in 2011.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
Blackberries and flowers on the nose follow through to a full body, with chewy tannins and a mouth-puckering finish. Needs a number of years to soften. This is a new wine from the super winemaker Dominico Clerico. It comes from rented vineyards of Serralunga and means “wild airplane?” Cool labels -- six in total. Try in 2015.
About the Producer
Clerico Barolo is one of the pioneers of the emerging movement to improve the winemaking of modern Barolo. His wines are round and concentrated, with more fruity aromas, bright ruby red wine with a mulberry taste, reminiscent of burgundy. The Estherso Grand Cru in the Roots, and it is unexpected that these wines are Barolo wines made from Nebbiolo grapes. Clerico was the first state-of-the-art winery in the Barolo region to use the single-campus concept, bottling the wines separately from the different pockets. Let the wine tell the characteristics of the land, so that the wine produced has a unique personality. Clerico believes that the timing of the grape harvest is a very important factor, picking it earlier than other wineries, because he believes that the ripening of tannins is more important than the ripening of grape sweetness. High sweetness only produces wine with a strong alcohol taste. High-quality tannin is the quality guarantee of high-level wine. He especially emphasizes acidity, because acidity will make the wine have a perfect and strong skeleton. Clerico's flagship wine, Cristina, is stored in large oak barrels for 3 years, small oak barrels for 2 years, and 5 years in the bottle for a total of 10 years. Fascinating, is a rare good wine, its wine is to commemorate the unfortunate death of the owner's daughter Cristina when she was 7 years old, and the best grapes are specially selected to make this Percristina wine to commemorate the beloved daughter. Clerico Barolo has been praised as the most representative heavyweight winery in Barolo by virtue of its continuous introduction of amazing wines over the years, and it is also highly praised by wine critics. winery.
