Teobaldo Cappellano - Barolo

Cappellano: The History

Teobaldo Cappellano is, and was, a legend in Barolo. As one of the regions last great traditionalists he, along with Bartolo Mascerello and Beipi Rinaldi, formed Piedmont’s most important and influential buffer against the ever increasing modernization and homogenization of Barolo. Throughout the decades Cappellano’s Barolos have remained timeless; a glimpse at what Barolo can and should be if left unmarked by the strong hand of modern, manipulative wine making.

From the start Cappellano eschewed new French barriques, cultured yeasts, and enzymes. He was also an original convert to sustainable agriculture - before modern marketing turned it into a cliché. He gave up the use of chemicals completely in the vineyard and winery. The vineyards are now certified organic. But maybe even more interestingly, in 1983, Cappellano refused to deal with wine media who assigned scores to his wines. He claimed scores were a divisive force among wine growers (and led to wines that pandered to critics palates). Surprisingly, his wishes were respected and as such the major wine media has not scored a Cappellano wine for over 30 years. Partly due to this stance, and the minuscule amount of wine produced, these wines remain almost unknown in North America.

Cappellano: The Wine

To the Barolo classicist these wines are a vinous dream. However, they are not traditional for tradition’s sake, rather they seek to express with excruciating clarity Nebbiolo’s true voice; it’s clarion call. These wines are also extremely long lived and vibrant as a recently tasted 1993 Cappellano Barolo Rupestris attested to (1993 was universally maligned in Piedmont).