Photo courtesy of Elvio Cogno

Eye Opening Riserva Barolo
More Than Collectible - A Must Have

In January Antonio Galloni and the team at Vinous Media hosted their annual La Festa del Barolo. The focus was on the 2019 Barolo vintage in the Master Class and more aged wines in the smaller dinners and lunches. However, I walked away from that weekend thinking about one wine that I tasted personally with some friends after all the festivities. 

This was the Cogno Barolo Riserva Vigna Elena from the Ravera Vineyard. It is absolutely gorgeous. 

A friend of mine who is a budding collector poured me a glass blind and said that he sought this wine out after reading Jeff Porter’s review for Wine Enthusiast. Jeff, a former sommelier and wine director for numerous wine programs across the country is now an Italian wine educator, wine critic and all around social media and television super-star with one tremendous palate and nose. My friend knew that Jeff and I have more than crossed paths over the years and travel in the same circles, so he was excited to see if I too would be as enthusiastic about the wine.

I am. I’ve always been a fan of Valter Fissore’s wines and find his different expressions of Barolo Ravera to be consistently some of the most well made wines of the vintage. Morrell was already stocking the 2017 Vigna Elena but I honestly have not had the wine since release last year. This past weekend really impressed me for the texture and aromatics of the wine. My recollection of the first time I tasted the wine did not present as much body, texture and depth as this wine is now presenting. I remember wanting to just let the wine sit and have time to develop. This past weekend being able to watch a quarter of the bottle over an hour develop and evolve showed me just how much potential and depth this wine truly does have inside. The nose is explosive as expected from Vigna Elena but right now the texture is something that is alluring and showing just how long this wine will reward.

While preparing this offer for the last few bottles we have in-stock I noticed another former sommelier turned wine critic also was very impressed with this wine. Audrey Frick, who writes for the Jeb Dunnuck website, covers Italy for Jeb. She too found the explosive bouquet in the Vigna Elena and a texture that allows one to really enjoy the wine youthful along with all the grace and refinement the wine possesses to age in the bottle. Furthermore, Audrey has penned a very succinct yet detailed summary of the history of Elvio Cogno and Valter Fissore that I have included just below her review and before Jeff Porter’s review and tasting note.

Lastly, I almost forgot, Jeff and the Wine Enthusiast named 2017 Vigna Elena one of their Top Cellar Selections of the Year for 2023!

Cheers,
Jeremy