The Italian writer Paolo Rosso famously quotes the late* Teobaldo Cappellano as saying, “If there is one thing that makes me crazy, it’s spitters of wine…the ones who taste a wine by rolling it around in their mouths and then they spit it out. I worked my butt off to make wine to drink, not to spit!”
Many of you may not have heard of Cappellano’s wines, mostly because only a tiny amount are produced from his 3 hectares of vines within the Cru of Gabutti in Saralunga, in Barolo, but also because since the 1980’s he has respectfully asked critics not to score or rate his wines. His Barolo’s, for which he is best known, bear the following quote on their back label:
To wine “Guides” – humbly speaking:
In 1983 I asked the journalist Sheldon Wasserman not to publish scores for my wines. Not only did he not publish the scores: he also wrote that I had asked not to be included in “classifications” in which a comparison becomes a divisive numerical term rather than expressiing human toil. I have not changed my mind: my tiny farm producing 20,000 bottles of wine a year interests only a small number of customer/friends. I believe in freedom of information, even if the judgement is negative. I think of my hills as an anarchical arena, with no inquisitors or opposing factions, whose inner richness is stimulated by severe, thoughtful critics. I strive for community that can still express solidarity with whoever has not been so well rewarded by Mother Nature.Wishful thinking? Allow me to dream… Teobaldo
The truth is, these are stunning, old-school wines (no new oak here, no filtering, and lots of time in old barrels). Though the little press he gets is for the Barolos, one of my all time favorite wines is the result of beauraucratic silliness with the DOC tasting panel. When he submitted his 2003 Barbera for tasting, hoping to recieve the deserved Barbera d’Alba DOC that his vineyard is over-qualified for, his wine was rejected for having too intense an aroma and flavor, and it was suggested that he filter or do something else to tame the “abnormal” qualities. Instead, he made a new label, and bottled the 2800 bottles (yes, bottles, not cases) as Vini di Tavola and sold out in 6 weeks. This wine has been gone for all intents and purposes for a couple of years, so I was pleasantly suprised to find more to send to you this month.
Try this with braised meat like osso bucco, charcuterie, or hard, salty cheese, but make sure to taste and smell the wine first, it’s haunting. This is what Barbera can be, but so often isn’t. Drink now – 2015+
*In the greatest loss so far this year to the world of wine, Teobaldo Cappellano passed away due to surgical complications on February 20, 2009. His contribution to honest and true wine, and to wine drinker’s pleasure should be measured alongside that of the late Didier Dageneau.
The region for Nebbiolo d’Alba DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata, Italy’s most common controlled appellation) is contiguous to the much more prestigious Barolo DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Gaurantita, Italy’s nod to the most famous, and tightly regulated, appellations). The soil and aspect are similar, but perhaps the wines are not quite as fine. Yet in the hands of an outstanding producer, a Nebbiolo d’Alba can often rival most Barolos: this is just such a case. The grapes 
come from the villages of Monforte d’Alba and Diano d’Alba at elevations of about 1200 ft above sea level. The vineyards have a near-perfect south-southwest exposure, and the soil is made of calcareous clay, similar to that of most of Barolo.