2012 Giacomo Borgogno e Figli No Name 750 ml

If Only More Protests Were This Delicious

Giacomo Borgogno & Figli has a proud history bottling exceptional Barolo, with a legacy tracing back to 1761. A century later, Borgogno Barolo was flowing at the official dinner celebrating the Italian Risorgimento (Unification). When the last Russian czar, Nicholas II Romanov, came to the Castle of Racconigi in 1886, he drank Borgogno Barolo. The winery’s exquisitely preserved library is the kind serious collectors speak about with reverence.

In 2005, Borgogno added a modern legend — “No Name.” This annual production is comprised of purposefully declassified grapes from estate vineyards within three Cru Barolo DOCGs: Cannubi, Fossati, and San Pietro. Here’s why.

In 2005, Borgogno was denied DOCG status for a cask of their Barolo — there was nothing wrong with the wine at all, but it was considered “stylistically irregular” for Barolo. Really? For a 250-year-old estate? The owners had a good laugh, but decided to get even. They didn’t go as far as Mouton-Rothschild in France, which lobbied and sued for decades until the winery was elevated from a Second Growth to a First Growth. Instead, every year, in quiet, hushed-laughter protest, they went rogue — purposefully declassifying some of their best estate fruit from three Cru Barolo DOCGs to make “No Name” — a stunningly complex would-be Barolo.

“No Name” has a made quite a name for itself, especially impressing Vinous founder Antonio Galloni, the most respected Barolo expert in the world. Galloni has called it “one of the best wines in the market in its price range” and “one of the best values in the world of wine.”

Galloni’s 2012 vintage report — “2012 Barolo: Grace Under Pressure” — praised the 2012s for their “bright acidities” and “forward fruit” qualities, most importantly noting that they are “lower in alcohol than the 2011s, a combination that gives the wines considerable early appeal.” This is a drink now vintage, with exceptional deals to be found.

The best such value is the 2012 Giacomo Borgogno & Figli “No Name,” a “Langhe Nebbiolo” drawn off three estate Cru Barolo sites but with “Barolo” and any of the Cru names stripped from its label as a show of protest against all the red tape of Italy’s wine laws.  

Deep brick-red to the rim with aromas of dried red cherries, oak spice, and heady tobacco and crushed rose petal notes. Generous on entry, wavering between red cherry and black raspberry fruits, with darker berry undertones. Gentle but firm tannins are buttressed by good acidity. A textbook Nebbiolo from top-notch sites with superb concentration and an engaging lengthy finish of deep earth notes and just a hint of almonds.

From a quiet, self-imposed protest against Italian wine law bureaucracy comes a one-of-a-kind textbook Nebbiolo from one of the region’s oldest producers. Declassified Barolo for you and your guests at $33.99, the best price in America? Think of the “No Name” story you’ll share. Toast this quiet insurrection against bureaucracy. Shipping included on 4. Salute!