ROBERT PARKER Wine Advocate (Antonio Galloni)

Roddolo - Dolcetto Riserva 2007   89 pts   It’s tough to know what exactly to make of Flavio Roddolo’s 2007 Dolcetto d’Alba Riserva. This massive, dense Dolcetto emerges from the glass with tons of dark fruit in a powerful style that is quite unique. In fact, I don’t think I have ever tasted a Dolcetto Riserva before. This full-throttle yet beautifully balanced Dolcetto needs some air to come together, but it will offer highly rewarding drinking for readers who are willing to take the time to listen to the wine. It is another compelling bottle from Flavio Roddolo, one of Piedmont’s true artisan growers. 

Roddolo - Barolo 2005   91 pts   Roddolo’s 2005 Barolo is soft and perfumed in its floral red fruits and spices. Medium in body, this delicate Barolo is an excellent choice for near-term enjoyment. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2017.
Flavio Roddolo is one of Piedmont’s most genuine artisan growers. Roddolo is typically late to bottle, so these are his current releases. The 2005s are pretty, slender wines that capture the smaller scale of the vintage relative to top years.

Roddolo Barolo 2003   90 pts    Unfortunately I was only able to taste one wine from this small producer in Monforte. Flavio Roddolo’s 2003 Barolo is an intense, weighty wine but one that offers lovely balance and depth. The fruit is opulent and ripe, yet this Barolo retains a very classic sense of structure and proportion, with the firm tannins that are the hallmark of the wines of Monforte. Notes of worn- in leather, spices and tobacco add a degree of complexity to this wine, which impresses for its terrific overall balance, particularly considering the vintage.

Roddolo – Barolo 2004   92 pts   The 2004 Barolo Ravera is a gorgeous, layered wine bursting with dark cherries in liqueur, spices, menthol and sweet medicinal herbs. The wine reveals the telltale high-toned balsamic nuances that are typical of the Barolos of Monforte, showing plenty of intensity, drive and sheer personality. The Barolo was aged in neutral French oak barrels. This is a gorgeous effort from Flavio Roddolo, but there are only 3,000 bottles to go around. This is a gorgeous effort from Flavio Roddolo. For some reason Flavio Roddolo is a producer whom I had never had the pleasure of meeting until a few months ago. I visited the winery, which is more accurately described as a farmhouse high up in the hills of Monforte, during a massive snowstorm which essentially shut the area down. The views and overall ambience on this day were among the most tranquil I have encountered in over a decade of visiting Piedmont. Roddolo is as down-home and unassuming a grower as readers are likely to encounter. He is man of few words and reserved expression, but that is fine, as the wines speak for themselves with grand eloquence. Readers should do whatever they can to taste the wines of Flavio Roddolo, one of Piedmont’s most genuine artisan producers. Roddolo releases his wines later than most producers and 2004 is the current vintage.

Roddolo – Langhe Rosso “Bricco Appiani” 2004   93 pts    The 2004 Langhe Rosso Bricco Appiani is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Roddolo planted these vines in 1992, when the craze for blending international varieties was all the rage. Initially he planned to make a Cabernet/ Nebbiolo blend, but once he tasted the fruit from the vineyard he decided to go with a pure Cabernet. I am not a huge fan of Piedmont Cabernet’s but Bricco Appiani is a compelling wine that deserves careful consideration. The 2004 Bricco Appiani is an awesome, vibrant wine loaded with black cherries, violets, cassis, graphite, minerals, herbs and sweet spices in a rich, textured style. The wine reveals an intriguing mix of intense varietal character wedded to an unmistakable sense of Piedmontese structure. Bricco Appiani’s sheer beauty and superb pedigree are impossible to ignore. Simply put, this is a winner. In 2004 Roddolo picked his Cabernet 15-20 days after the Nebbiolo for his Barolo and aged the wine in neutral French oak barrels. Total production was just 1,900 bottles.

Roddolo - Langhe Rosso Bricco Appiani 2005   92 pts   The 2005 Bricco Appiani (Cabernet Sauvignon) possesses a surprising level of concentration for the vintage. The fruit is varietally expressive, round and powerful, while the finish is harmonious. Everything is in the right place in this beautiful Bricco Appiani

I VINI D'ITALIA– L'ESPRESSO 2009
Roddolo is a solitary and withdrawn vigneron… and his wine are always natural, full of character and intense. The Barolo ’03 has notable personality, beautiful depth and broad flavor. (17.50/20)

GAMBERO ROSSO 2008
Roddolo is a very unusual producer. In a few, well chosen words he shrewdly sums up the methods he employs in the vineyard and the pledge he has made to create completely authentic wines. Flavio is a genuine Langhe wine man and his estate is well worth a visit for anyone wanting to know and appreciate his work. His wines are unique as they are extraordinary. The Barolo Ravera 2003 is outstanding, elegant and harmoniously expressive with an austere profile and lingering aromas…” “…he is one of the last remaining genuine growers” (2007)

ANDREA SCANZI - In Praise of Aging, Mondadori 2007
“…you are never going to see Flavio Roddolo on TV, or in the cover of magazines, he eschews Vinitaly, he is a man of few words and often doesn’t even bother accepting in person the awards that he receives.
He lives like a hermit amongst his vineyards, he is reserved, shy and unable to be artificially friendly.
He knows his land and respects it, his winemaking could be classified as biodynamic, but he doesn’t want to belong to any groups or movements. He doesn’t use any chemicals, only indigenous yeasts, his wines are without any disguise: powerful, vigorous,