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Elvio Cogno

Elvio Cogno may claim to be just one more generation in a Piedmontese winemaking dynasty, but if truth be told Elvio only purchased his estate in 1990, taking on the Poggio Petorchino property in Novello, between Castiglione and Monforte. Prior to this he had not, however, been kicking his heels down at the job centre; Elvio Cogno was for years the driving force at Marcarini at La Morra. But now he has his own estate, and with the help of his son-in-law Walter Fissore, he has established an enviable reputation to go along with it.

The estate comprises 10 ha in all, of which nine are dedicated to viticulture. They are based in the 17th Century farmstead on the estate, suitably refurbished following their purchase, and augmented by the estate's winery thereafter. Here Elvio and Walter bring up a range of wines, from Dolcetto and Barbera, up to Barolo which tends towards the traditional.

The range of wines is headed up by a distinctive bottling of the aromatic Nas-Cetta variety, a white grape seemingly unique to the commune of Novello. The Nas-Cetta is fermented in stainless steel (70%) and barrique (30%), before ageing in steel then oak for six months each, prior to six months in bottle and then release. It's an almost unique wine. The Langhe DOCs (rosso and bianco) were each created in the 1990s, with the intention of including the myriad of different blends that were already in production in the region. Elvio Cogno's bottling is a good example, it being a blend of 50% Nebbiolo and 50% Barbera, eschewing international varieties (which are permitted). It is fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel before a year in oak, 40% new each year, and then six months in bottle before release. Then comes the Dolcetto d'Alba Vigna del Mandorlo, fermented in stainless steel as above, then spending eight months half in oak and half in steel. The Barbera d'Alba Bricco dei Merli 2001 is handled in much the same fashion, but sees a year in a mix of new and second-year oak, much as for the Langhe Rosso.

The core of the Elvio Cogno portfolio is Barolo, with just two cuvées; Ravera and Vigna Elena. The former is no surprise, the Ravera vineyard being located in Novello; incidentally, it is also cultivated by Vietti. The vines here are all Nebbiolo, particularly the Lampia and Michet clones; once harvested, the must is fermented in stainless steel and then goes into barriques, of which 40% are new, for one year, then Slavonian oak for a further year. Meanwhile, the Barolo Vigna Elena is a more traditional style; based solely on the Nebbiolo Rosé clone, generally less well regarded compared with Michet and Lampia, once fermented this wine goes into 40 hl Slavonian oak barrels for up to three years.

The great dichotomy in Barolo is traditional versus modern, an argument which can be grossly over-simplified as French barriques versus large oak casks, very often of ancient Slavonian oak. The philosophy at Elvio Cogno purports to be traditional, although examination of the winemaking techniques employed quickly reveals that small oak barriques do play a part in the maturation of a number of the wines produced here, including the cru Barolo Ravera. On tasting, I did not feel the wines fell firmly into one camp or the other; they are good examples of the type, certainly when considering the Dolcetto-Barbera-Barolo quartet that heads up the portfolio, but I thought them an attractive halfway house between the two camps; tending towards the traditional style, but appealingly approachable. Although they don't have the gravitas of Vietti in my opinion, these are very good wines indeed. (20/4/06)

Contact details:
Address: Località Ravera, 2, 12060 Novello (Cuneo)
Telephone: +39 0173 744066
Fax: +39 0173 744921
Internet: www.elviocogno.com

Elvio Cogno - Tasting Notes

The following were tasted in November 2005. Click to locate stockists.

Elvio Cogno Langhe Bianco Nas-Cetta 2004: A rather shy nose; nevertheless, a rich and expressive palate, showing lots of body and texture. A slightly oily grip, and fresh citrus flavour with a somewhat distracting sherbetty character. This is good at best. 15/20

Elvio Cogno Dolcetto d'Alba Vigna del Mandorlo 2004: This has a lovely vibrant hue, and has a great nose, simply packed with creamy fruit. Rich and well rounded on the palate, again full of fruit, but showing structure and a good grip. Decent acidity, although not playing as big a role as I would have liked, and there is an air of softness to the wine. Nevertheless, good Dolcetto, especially with that grippy finish. 16/20

Elvio Cogno Barbera d'Alba Bricco dei Merli 2001: This has quite a meaty, animalistic nose, and again has a very full, ripe, characterful palate, displaying a very masculine structure, with a grippy background to the supple texture. A very impressive, imposing style, but well poised as well. Plenty of tannin on the finish here; this is a serious Barbera which will age nicely. 16.5+/20

Elvio Cogno Langhe Rosso Montegrilli 2002: A lovely colour here, showing surprising maturity despite this wine's youth. Plenty of appeal on the nose, which has an animalistic character with vibrant red fruit alongside. The palate is rich, soft, rather friendly, perhaps just a little showy, with a wealth of plush fruit. Rather svelte tannins and low acidity make this very approachable, and giving immediate pleasure. Drink soon. 16.5/20

Elvio Cogno Barolo Ravera 2000: A lovely colour. Maturing, meaty, animalistic nose, and on the palate a fresh, grippy structure. Rather smooth in style, but full bodied and still assaulting the palate with a huge core of tannins. Despite this it is ripe and fleshy. Clearly still very youthful, with great potential for development over 4-8 years. Very good indeed. 17+/20

Elvio Cogno Barolo Vigna Elena 2000: A slightly more focussed style apparent on the nose here. The palate has a creamy, succulent style, with plenty of fleshy texture and primary flavours, all surrounding a core of tannin. Firm, tannic finish. This has plenty of potential also, but needs 5-10 years before it shows all it has to offer. 17+20