Domenico Clerico
Ciabot Mentin is Domenico Clerico's Barolo from the Ginestra cru above Monforte d'Alba, the single vineyard that first made his name. Pure Nebbiolo off vines planted in 1978 on Sant'Agata marl, aged in French oak barriques, it pours tar, dried rose a
Tar, dried rose and dark cherry over the firm tannins of Monforte d'Alba, built on Sant'Agata marl and aged in French oak barriques.
The Ginestra cru shows itself first: tar and dried rose lift over dark cherry and plum, with the savoury earthiness Vivino drinkers flag most often across leather and tobacco. Time in French oak barriques layers in tobacco and a sweet spice of liquorice and menthol. Violet and a faint truffle note mark this as Monforte Nebbiolo rather than a softer La Morra style.
Rose petal
Violet
Black cherry
Plum
Tobacco
Tar
Leather
LiquoriceFull-bodied and built on the firm, fine-grained tannins Monforte d'Alba is known for, with 14.5% alcohol carried by Nebbiolo's bright acid spine. Fruit runs to dark cherry and plum, framed by the oak-derived tobacco and chocolate the crowd consistently names. The Sant'Agata marl and high active limestone of the 1978-planted vineyard give a taut, mineral cut beneath the structure.
Long and gripping, closing on tar, liquorice and a mineral, almost iron-like savour that the producer calls the cru's point of reference for the denomination. The oak imprint lingers without burying the fruit.
Clerico's Ciabot Mentin is a single-vineyard Barolo from the Ginestra cru, the wine that first made the estate's name, and it sits at the collector end of the range. Critics back the crowd: Wine Advocate gave the 2020 vintage 97 points and the 2019 earned dual 97s. Vivino drinkers rate it 4.3 from over 4,300 reviews, praising the depth and structure while noting it needs cellar time. Buy it for the table in a decade, not for tonight.
Recent releases from 2018 to 2022 trade around GBP 95 to 100, with strong vintages such as the 97-point 2019 and 2020 worth securing for the cellar.
A food and occasion heavyweight built to cellar, this collector-tier Barolo scores low for everyday drinking and outright value.
Prestige Ginestra cru, Barolo DOCG and 97-point critic scores make this a special-occasion and gifting bottle.
Barolo DOCG mandates 38 months ageing; with firm Monforte tannin and 14.5% ABV this Ginestra cru holds 15 to 25 years.
Medium-high tannin and Nebbiolo's bright acidity make this a classic table Barolo for braised beef, game and Alba truffle.
At roughly GBP 97 the lowest live price sits well above the Barolo category midpoint, so value scores low despite high quality.
Scoring is rule-based and deterministic. The model and weightings are documented in our editorial methodology.
A compact view of what the Barolo denomination actually requires, and how this bottle sits inside it. Pulled from the official Italian disciplinare.
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Each Ginestra harvest reads differently: the elegant 2018, the benchmark 2019, the generous 2020 and the concentrated, frost-cut 2022.
Spring frost and June hail cut Ginestra yields hard, while a hot, dry summer concentrated the surviving Nebbiolo. Expect a deeper, slightly higher-alcohol Ciabot Mentin built for the long haul; best given several years in the cellar before opening.
A generous, balanced season without heat spikes gave supple tannins and a more approachable, classically styled Barolo than 2019. Monica Larner scored Clerico's 2020 Ciabot Mentin 97 points; structured for 15 to 20 years, it rewards a few years in bottle.
2019 is a benchmark Barolo vintage, set alongside 2016, 2013 and 2010, with firm but polished tannins and pure, bright fruit. Clerico's Ginestra bottling earned dual 97-point scores; give it cellar time, with a drinking window running well into the 2040s.
A cooler, more challenging Piedmont growing season gave perfumed, mid-weight Nebbiolo. In Ciabot Mentin's Ginestra fruit this reads as a fine, elegant Barolo to enjoy earlier than the powerhouse years, drinking well now and holding into the early 2030s.
Drink-now / hold guidance reflects general style cues for this wine, not a forecast for a specific bottle. Where vintage-level editorial notes exist, they appear above.
A single-vineyard Barolo from the Ginestra cru with 1978-planted vines, low yields and barrique ageing carries the costs of one of Monforte's reference sites.
Italian wine law sorts bottles into a pyramid. DOCG sits at the top: tightly drawn boundaries, prescribed grapes, mandatory ageing, government tasting before release. DOC is the same idea with looser thresholds. IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) is broader still, requiring only that 85% of the grapes come from the named territory.
Barolo is in the DOCG tier. That is not a quality verdict, it is a description of how much freedom the producer has at vinification and ageing.
Barolo falls within Piedmont , covering Cuneo, Langhe: Barolo, Castiglione Falletto, Serralunga d'Alba, La Morra, Monforte d'Alba, Novello, Verduno, Grinzane Cavour, Diano d'Alba, Cherasco, Roddi. The denomination is further divided into 11 sub-zones.
Fruit comes from one of Monforte d'Alba's reference plots on Sant'Agata marl, with old vines planted in 1978; low-yielding cru sites like this command a steep premium over blended commune Barolo.
Barolo DOCG mandates 38 months of ageing; Clerico extends this with barrique maturation and bottle rest, tying up capital and cellar space for years before the wine can be sold at around GBP 97.
Wine Advocate's 97 points for 2020 and dual 97s for 2019, plus a 4.3 Vivino average from 4,300-plus ratings, pull secondary-market and release pricing upward for a sought-after name.
Estate bottling and manual work on the 390 to 420 metre east-facing Ginestra slope add labour cost that large-volume negociant Barolo avoids.
At the 2026 HMRC rate of GBP 2.67 duty per still-wine bottle under 15% ABV, plus 20% VAT, roughly GBP 19 of the GBP 97 shelf price is UK tax before any retailer margin.
Five UK-facing listings from 8wines, Decantalo, Millesima and Vinatis keep the 2018 to 2022 vintages competitively priced, with the 2018 recently discounted to GBP 86.
Dishes that complement this wine
Firm Nebbiolo tannins call for braised beef, white truffle pasta, game and hard aged cheese; chilli heat and sweet glazes clash.
The firm, fine-grained tannins of this Monforte Ciabot Mentin need protein and collagen to soften against. Brasato al Barolo, braised in the same wine, is the textbook match: melting connective tissue coats the palate and the tannin scrubs it clean.
Try with: Brasato al Barolo · Ossobuco alla Milanese · Bollito misto · Beef short rib · More pairings →
The earthy, truffle-edged side of Ginestra Nebbiolo mirrors Alba white truffle directly. Tajarin al tartufo and butter-rich egg pasta give a savoury, umami bridge that the wine's tar and dried-rose aromatics extend rather than fight.
Try with: Tajarin al Tartufo · Agnolotti del Plin · Egg pasta with butter and sage · More pairings →
A full-bodied Barolo at 14.5% needs a dish of equal weight. Venison, hare and roast lamb have the savoury intensity to stand up to the structure, while the wine's acid spine keeps rich, fatty game from feeling heavy.
Try with: Venison stew · Roast lamb · Wild hare ragu · Roast beef · More pairings →
Nebbiolo's bright acidity and savoury earthiness cut through the buttery richness of a porcini risotto while echoing its woodland character. The mineral cut from the vineyard's Sant'Agata marl keeps each spoonful fresh.
Try with: Porcini mushroom risotto · Truffle risotto · Mushroom tagliatelle · More pairings →
Aged, salty hard cheeses meet the tannin head-on: the fat and salt soften the grip while the wine's dark cherry and liquorice answer the cheese's nuttiness. Best with a mature, firm-textured cheese rather than anything soft or fresh.
Try with: Pecorino sardo e pan carasau · Aged Castelmagno · Mature Parmigiano Reggiano · More pairings →
This Barolo's high tannin and oak amplify capsaicin heat and turn bitter against sugar, so spicy and sweet-glazed dishes clash badly. Delicate white fish is steamrolled by the structure, and the tar and leather notes overwhelm light, fresh flavours.
Skip with: Vindaloo · Sweet-and-sour pork · Steamed sea bass · Sushi · Honey-glazed ham · Pairing guide →
With 38 months of mandated ageing, firm Monforte structure and 14.5% alcohol, the best vintages reward 15 to 25 years in the cellar.
Peak around 2035. Best in the years above; holds without falling over either side.
A short splash decant softens the first-pour edge and opens the aromatics.
Barolo DOCG mandates 38 months ageing; with firm Monforte tannin and 14.5% ABV this Ginestra cru holds 15 to 25 years.
£86.12 is the lowest tracked offer for the current vintage and we have no signal of further discounting.
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Confidence · HighDrawn from what drinkers consistently report on Vivino and Wine-Searcher, summarised in our own words. A crowd read across many tasters, not a single critic.
Confidence · MediumFrom the official Italian disciplinare for this denomination, cross-checked against the Ministry of Agriculture register.
Confidence · HighOur reading of the price, drawn from the disciplinare, public UK duty rates, and typical landed-cost benchmarks. Not a quote from the producer or a retailer.
Confidence · MediumStyle guidance for this kind of wine at this price point. Treat it as advice, not a forecast for the bottle in your hand.
Confidence · MediumIt is a single-vineyard Barolo DOCG made from 100% Nebbiolo grown in the Ciabot Mentin plot within the Ginestra cru, above Monforte d'Alba in Piedmont. First produced in 1982, it is the wine that first made Domenico Clerico's name and sits at the top of the estate's range.
Reach for rich, savoury Piedmontese dishes: brasato al Barolo, tajarin al tartufo with Alba white truffle, agnolotti del plin, ossobuco and game such as venison or hare. Its firm tannins also handle hard aged cheeses like Castelmagno. Avoid chilli heat, sweet glazes and delicate fish.
This is a wine to cellar. With Barolo's mandated 38 months of ageing, firm Monforte tannins and 14.5% alcohol, strong vintages drink well for 15 to 25 years. The 2019 will reward patience into the 2040s, while the 2018 is approachable earlier.
It is pure Nebbiolo from vines planted in 1978 on Sant'Agata marl with a high content of active limestone, at 390 to 420 metres facing east. After fermentation the wine ages in French oak barriques followed by a period in bottle before release.
It is highly regarded. Wine Advocate scored the 2020 vintage 97 points and the 2019 earned dual 97-point scores. On Vivino the wine averages 4.3 stars from more than 4,300 ratings, with drinkers praising its depth, structure and ageing potential.
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