Vikas Sharma

All right – we’ve pulled out all the stops when we chose this wine – as it’s been cellared for the past couple of years.

I picked it up at the SAQ in Gatineau during the pandemic … and now that the vintage is 10 years old, I figured that it’s a nice time to tuck into it (according to The Wine Enthusiast Vintage Chart, they recommend to hold it a bit longer).

The renovations are complete in our new home and we had a couple of guests this past weekend. Our buddy Julie (and my Deadbeats Superheroes bandmate) was over – but our kitchen still wasn’t 100% ready to go, so we ordered in (Greek from Anatoli Souvlaki, which is our favourite Greek joint in YVR, thus far) … and then our friends from Montreal, Darrin and Julie visited last Sunday, and the kitchen was raring and ready to go!

We had a bit of a mix of dishes – a bit of Italian, Spanish, BBQ, and some cheeses!

I was interested in this wine for one specific reason, and that’s the story of Borgongno’s No Name, one of my all-time favourite wines; and happens to be Borgogno’s protest wine. And … you can get it for about $40, when it’s available (which isn’t the case with their regular wines).

The story about No Name is that Borgogno sent three bottles of their Barolo to be designated as Barolo DOCG (one during each stage of maturation). Two of the bottles were approved, the third was rejected – however, all three bottles contained the same wine. So, in order to protest the inadequacy and bureaucracy of the process, they labelled the wine “No Name” and offered it at a very affordable price.

You might notice that the wine is labelled under the main region, which is Piemonte, but isn’t identified as Barolo (even though it is).

One of the “crus” (or vineyards) in No Name is Fossati, which is the cru of this Barolo we tasted.

A little bit more about this vineyard:

1761 – Bartolomeo Borgogno establishes the winery in Barolo (Piemonte)

1920 -Cesare Borgogno takes over management of the winery, changing its fortunes. He begins exporting the wines abroad, to Argentina, Europe and the United States. He has the great intuition to forget half of the production of Barolo Riserva in the cellar, selling it only twenty years later.

1955 – The French Institute des Appellations d’Origines takes Borgogno to court, with the accusation of having copied the name of the Burgundy region (by the looks of it, nothing happened there).

1972 – A bottle of 1886 vintage Borgogno Barolo goes under the hammer at the historical wine auction held in Turin for the sum of 530,000 lira. An absolute record for the time and the highest figure ever reached by any Italian wine.

2008 – The Farinetti family acquires the winery, firmly committed to strictly following traditions.

2016 – Borgogno begin an important renovation of the historical cellars in Barolo, restoring old concrete fermenters and refurbishing other production facilities. Furthermore, 11 ha of vineyards in one of the best locations near Alba, Madonna di Como, are added to the existing 20 ha owned by Borgogno.

On with the show:

Wine: Giacomo Borgogno & Figli

Region/Appellation: Barolo (Fossati)

Grape(s): 100% Nebbiolo

Vintage: 2012

Style: Red

Price: $91

The Visual: Oily viscosity in the glass – light intensity in colour, which was garnet with a clear rim.

The Aroma: We discovered notes of Cranberry, Pepper, Eucalyptus, and Dark Berries – and then it hit Darrin – and when he said it, I couldn’t not smell it … Cherry Coke and Dr. Pepper!

The Flavour: Light-plus in intensity, and medium-minus in body, with supple-plus tannins, and flavours of Field Berries, Olives, Cassis, Mushroom, Vegetal, and it was Herbaceous.

Alcohol: Medium-plus at 14.5%.

Balance: The flavours were lightly balanced and had a nice, but medium, finish.

Other notes: It was a very delicious wine that we enjoyed over a communal meal and great conversation – not sure it can get any better than that!

Food pairing: The food choices were Tortilla Española, Gambas al Ajillo, Assorted Cheeses, Sautéed Mushrooms in Sherry, Tomato and Mozzarella Salad, Sausages, Steak, and Chicken.

Final Comments: This wine was a homerun. Make sure you share it and enjoy it with friends!

Cheers – Salud – Salute – Živeli – Prost – Na Zdrowie – Skål – Santé