We had the fortunate pleasure of
tasting this new to Hong Kong Barolo Cannubi from E. Pira & Figli last week and are very
excited about its pending emergence on the Hong Kong market in early 2013. The
wine itself comes from producer E. Pira & Figli, based in the town of
Barolo.
The Pira family are an old family
of viticulturists that, between the end of the 1800’s and the beginning of 1900’s,
became wine-producers. This prosperous patriarchal family unit declined as all its
male components started to die young one after another, until the tragic end of
Luigi Pira, a noble man who believed in the importance of traditions: the last
one to tread the grapes and to make wine without mechanical devices.
About a year after his death, his
sisters, who couldn't manage the family business but were willing to carry on
the tradition, sold the farm to their old friend’s family Boschis. Now Chiara
Boschis, after a degree in Economics, manages and follows her passion for wine,
believing in this "great small farm".
The output is still very small – about
12,000 bottles each year – and the wine is exclusively made from grapes grown
in their own vineyards, of which about two and a half hectares are located in
Cannubi, arguably one of the best vineyards in Barolo.
As one of few women winemakers in
the Langhe, Chiara is necessarily of unquestionable confidence, determination,
patience and charm.
She took over the reins at E.
Pira e Figli in 1990 with a clear idea of what she wanted to accomplish: to
marry the extraordinary power of Barolo with approachability, enticing
elegance, and lush, intense aromas.
We tried both the Cannubi and Via
Nuova from this small producer and were amazed by the quality of the wine, not just
in their flavours and aromas but in their complexity, their seeming ability to
age gracefully and their ability to drink well and pair nicely with food.
The Barolo Cannubi 2008 is still
a little young but shows all the hallmarks of great vintages gone before. It is
pleasingly elegant with a good tannin structure and has a long pleasing finish.
Personally, I can drink this right now although it could do with a couple of
years lying down – but it’s not mandatory as it is a very approachable wine
right now.
The Via Nuova we tried was the
2001 (although we are not certain which vintage is coming to Hong Kong at the
time of writing) and it was a great reflection of an 11 year old Barolo. It
took a bit of time for it to warm to its audience but once it opened up there were
incredible flavours and nuances springing from the glass.
Again, characteristic of Chiara’s
wines there is a long intense finish on the wine and another great match for
food, the Via Nuova more so needing food than the Cannubi in my impression.
Either way, these wines and maybe
more will be arriving from E. Pira & Figli in early 2013 so look out for
them as they hit the market. Once the importer is trading as of January 2013 we
will let you know exactly where and how to get these wines, because, assure me,
these are ones that I think anyone who’s a fan of Barolo will immediately fall
in love with.
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