2011 Barolo Otin Fiorin Pie Franco - Michet
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
The 2011 Barolo Otin Fiorin Piè Franco has handled the rigors of the growing season better than the Rupestris, or stated another way, its personality is less shaped by the style of the year. Although quite expressive when first opened, the 2011 really gains with a few hours of aeration, which seems to bring out a good deal of freshness for the year. What a beautiful wine.
More reviews and scores
The more ethereal side of the vintage comes through in the 2011 Barolo Otin Fiorin Piè Franco. Silky, lifted and gracious, the 2011 Franco is a wine of aromatic intensity and grace. It also appears to have handled the rigors of the dry, early-ripening growing season more successfully than the Rupestris.
The 2011 Barolo Piè Franco brings with it a real sense of power and weight. Almost unnaturally rich and hedonistic - if that can be said about a Cappellano Barolo - the 2011 Franco is a real turn on. Seamless and layered in the glass, the 2011 offers superb depth and fabulous textural richness, all in the restrained, mid-weight style that is the signature of this wine.
The 2011 Barolo Piè Franco-Otin Fiorin brings together the richness and unctuousness of this vintage with expressive upper register and mid-weight feel that is so typical of the Piè Franco. Aromatically lifted and gracious, the 2011 packs a pretty good punch. Hints of sweet tobacco, licorice, mint, spices, orange peel, leather and rosewater add considerable shades of nuance. In 2011, the Piè Franco is perhaps a bit broader than it can be, yet all the elements fall into place effortlessly. As always, Cappellano prefers that scores for his wines not be published. I consider 2011 an intermediary vintage here, as it is pretty much everywhere.
About the producer
Serralunga d’Alba’s Cappellano is one of Barolo’s most legendary producers, producing ultra-traditional styles of Nebbiolo. Made famous by Teobaldo and now in the hands of his son Augusto, the estate is best known for its Barolo Piè Franco, a wine from ungrafted vines in the Gabutti Cru.