Cappellano - Barolo Chinato NV (1.5L)
Price: $259.99
| Producer | Cappellano |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Piedmont |
| Subregion | Barolo |
| Varietal | Nebbiolo |
| Size | 1.5L |
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The tiny Cappellano estate in Serralunga d’Alba is beloved worldwide for its steadfastly traditional, charming, and profound Barolo, Barbera, and Dolcetto. But did you know the family invented the sublime elixir known as Barolo Chinato? That’s right: Dr. Giuseppe Cappellano, a pharmacist by trade, developed this uncanny mixture of vintage Barolo with herbs and spices steeped in alcohol back in the late 1800s—literally as a digestive aid and stomach-settling concoction.
And the recipe has remained unchanged since the earliest days, transferred ceremoniously via handwritten letter during each generational shift. Augusto still crushes the herbs and spices by hand with the family’s ancient cast-iron mortar and pestle, and the steps to creating the perfect mixture are complex and difficult (as well as being equally secretive)—Augusto told us it took him years, beginning as a young child, to master the technique.
On the palate, the Chinato’s marked sweetness is buffered by its sheer depth and complexity—after all, 50% of the stuff is traditionally vinified and aged single-vintage Barolo from a great vineyard in Serralunga d’Alba. A heady melange of herbs and spices, coupled with the elixir’s rich, chocolatey depths, pull both mouth and mind in infinite directions, but the whole experience is still balanced, composed, and just flat-out absurdly delicious.
