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Cocchi marks 130 years with resurrected recipe

Italian apéritif producer Cocchi is celebrating its 130th anniversary with the launch of a limited edition Barolo Chinato modelled after a 19th-century recipe.

Cocchi
Barolo Chinato Tipo Esportazione is single cask, single vineyard and single vintage

Guilio Cocchi, a pastry chef, founded his namesake company in Asti in 1891. The business is now owned by the winemaking Bava family, and boasts an extensive portfolio of vermouths, spirits, wines and more.

“What a landmark we’re celebrating this year,” commented Roberto Bava, managing director for Cocchi. “For the last 130 years, Cocchi has been a pioneer in the aromatised wine category, mixing a modern vision with authenticity and tradition.”

To commemorate its 13 decades, the brand has created a single-cask aromatised wine called Barolo Chinato Tipo Esportazione, based on a recipe first developed in the 19th century exclusively for export markets.

“We found in our archives a unique recipe which we brought back to life in a limited edition to mark the anniversary,” Bava explained.

The recipe was originally formulated with a higher ABV and a specific blend of herbs and spices, so it would maintain its quality throughout long journeys by ship.

The new bottling is made from the 2016 Barolo DOCG vintage grown in a single vineyard on the Bava family’s estate in Castiglione Falletto, Piedmont, Italy. The expression’s botanicals include cinchona bark, rhubarb root, gentian flowers, laurel leaves, cardamom, coriander and orange peel.

Sitting at 18% ABV, the Barolo Chinato was created for straight sipping and is said to pair well with dark chocolate.

On the nose, it offers rich, woody notes of cinchona bark, dried tobacco leaves, dried roses and cocoa beans, while the palate brings sweetness, dark berries, violets, velvety tannins along with cardamom, liquorice and bitter orange peel. The finish delivers charred wood, cloves and eucalyptus, plus lingering dark chocolate.

Each bottle is wax-sealed by hand and features a reproduction of the 1900s label. In preparation for the gifting season, it comes in a ‘luxury’ box, along with reprints of vintage Cocchi postcards.

“This highly collectable edition showcases the adventurous spirits and forward thinking of Giulio Cocchi. We hope that fans will accompany us to raise a glass to the next 130 years of Cocchi,” said Bava.

Barolo Chinato Tipo Esportazione is available to purchase via The Whisky Exchange for RRP £115 (US$156.15) per 750ml bottle.

Earlier this year, Cocchi released its first range of miniatures.

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