“As I taste through these wines, it gives me enormous pleasure to reflect on the fact that 2017 was the last vintage touched by the hands of Domenico Clerico.” – Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

It’s what the contemporaries of Da Vinci must have thought having met him.

Antonio Galloni sums it up. “Clerico will always be a Giant among Men.” Giant man, towering wines. Amongst a handful who helped elevate Barolo to new heights, “one of the elder statesmen of Barolo” as Decanter puts it.

And Wine Spies is proud to present a couple of his masterpieces of art, and history today. These single vineyards of his are never seen under $100 and often go for over $200 in great vintages.

Why? Because just like a Grand Cru Burgundy red, these are wines of the moment. They are like Polaroid photos, ones you look at and say those were the days. They are not photoshop or AI enhanced images of virtual perfection, but like life, and the people you value, are monuments to the implausible pursuit of flawlessness celebrating our mere existence in the universe through senses of smell, taste, and beyond.

Per Wine Spectator “Clerico, who considered himself more a grapegrower than a winemaker, made rich, dense Barolos from his 52 acres of vines in Monforte. His Barolos from Ciabot Mentin and Pajana in the Cru Ginestra vineyard expressed their sites, showing purity of fruit, minerality and the structure for aging. In 2011, Clerico’s Barolo Ciabot Mentin Ginestra 2006 was Wine Spectator’s No. 8 wine of Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of the Year. Clerico took over the winery from his father in 1976. In 1977, he purchased his first vineyard parcel in Bussia, called Bricotto. Ciabot Mentin, Pajana and Mosconi followed… He had very little money in the early days. To age his wines, he bought dismantled casks from Germany, cleaned them and put them back together. But Clerico’s focus was always his vineyards, where he was often found and where he employed organic viticulture. ‘In the last years Domenico was mainly working in the vineyard, because it was the job he loved the most, leaving the management of the cellar to his collaborators,’ said a statement released by the winery.”

We did not open any, yet, stashing away a few for special occasions. In the meantime, please enjoy the glowing reviews for a glimpse at what to expect from a Barolo like these Clerico Crus.

This is not a wine pitch, it’s an offer in memoriam. Whether you chose to add some of these timeless pieces to your collection, or maybe shave some Alba truffles over a simple yet scrumptious Piemontese recipe such as a Sfoglia with 40 egg yolks to pair, and toast to Domenico’s life, or simply ignore them?

The choice is yours…

95 Points – Jeb Dunnuck *“The 2017 Barolo Pajana Ginestra has complex aromas of dried cranberry, cinnamon, anise, and fresh flowers. The palate has a seamless structure that is long and inviting, with cherry pit, tea leaf and dried apricot. The arch of the palate is elegant and rounded, approachable now with a decant or to drink 2022-2042.

95 Points – James Suckling “Fresh and ripe strawberries with cedar and dried flowers. Aromatic. Medium-bodied with tight, fine tannins and a long, linear finish. Fresh and fine. Drink in 2024 and onwards.”

94 Points – Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate “The 2017 Barolo Pajana shows harmony and a long, polished texture that builds pretty momentum on the palate and to the finish. The wine is seamless in a manner that Nebbiolo cannot achieve until it has had much more time to evolve and age in the bottle. However, this hot-vintage expression appears wiser than its years, showing a more accessible style that won’t require years of cellaring. Only 5,500 bottles were produced. Drink 2024-2040.”

94 Points – Decanter “Pajana lies at medium altitude in the Ginestra MGA on loamy soil with around 23% each of sand and clay, plus a lot of active chalk. Reductive and precise on the nose with notes of pomegranate and rosebud, light tea leaf also emerges after some time. The attack is relaxing, with supple red cherry fruit sustained by polished tannins and brilliant acidity. The rhubarb finish is not without an austere bite, and there’s also some tar and liquorice on the aftertaste. Drink 2021-2040.”