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Rojo

Cuneo

Red · Artisan · Medium-sweet

Bordiga Excelsior Superiore Rosso

Bordiga

Cuneo , Italia

Re-evaluation pending

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Overall impression

Vermutpedia is re-evaluating the Italian catalogue; the Vermutpedia Score for this entry remains pending until the next tasting round. Excelsior Vermouth di Torino Rosso Superiore IGP is the commemorative jewel with which Bordiga celebrated 130 years of history in Cuneo, re-editing an artisan recipe from the premium range that the distillery founded in 1888 had cultivated in the Monregalese. It is not a standard rosso enriched with colourant: it incorporates three-year barrel-aged Nebbiolo da Barolo alongside Piedmont white and noble wines, elevating vinous structure and depth above the rest of the range. Botanicals —including artemisia, gentian, cinchona calisaya, orange peel and exotic spices hand-gathered in the Cuneo Alps— integrate into a process that contemplates forty to fifty days before bottling and subsequent cellar rest at around ten degrees for fifteen or twenty more days. Certified Vermouth di Torino IGP and member of the protection consortium, Excelsior represents the red summit of a house that still filters naturally, by cold and paper filters, without industrial shortcuts. «Excelsior» label included: a reference for those seeking an authorial, historic Torinese vermouth with Barolo soul.

Nose and palate

Intense ruby red colour, almost loaded, with luminosity that anticipates the nobility of the base wine. The nose is intense and spiced: layers of Madagascar Bourbon vanilla, clove, cinnamon, cassia and liquorice intertwine with the herbaceous verticality of gentian, the earthy bitterness of cinchona and the citrus notes of citrus peels. The profile evokes Alpine pharmacy vermouth more than supermarket aperitivo: dense, complex, with marked personality. On the palate it is decisive and very vinous, with a long gustatory arc that starts from initial sweetness —typical of the Torinese style— and evolves towards persistent, slightly tannic bitterness, with spiced nuances that recall the wood of aged Barolo. Texture is broad and enveloping, with bitter tension that cleans the palate and prepares another sip. At eighteen degrees alcohol it has enough body to support classic cocktails without diluting, yet also shines in the glass when exploring the frontier between noble wine and botanical aperitivo. A vermouth for demanding palates accustomed to Piedmont depth.

How to serve it

Bordiga recommends a serving temperature between 10 and 12 °C, slightly higher than commercial bar vermouths, so spices and Nebbiolo unfold their full register. In the glass alone, with large ice and an orange slice or lemon twist, it is a high-level aperitivo experience; the house-suggested pairing includes dark chocolate, whose bitterness dialogues with gentian and cinchona. In cocktails it shines in classic Manhattan —five centilitres bourbon or rye, two Excelsior, angostura and maraschino cherry— and in Negroni or Americano variants where more vinous depth is wanted than in a conventional rosso. Also works in Boulevardier or in combinations with Bordiga bitter and soda for a textbook Torinese aperitivo. Given its complexity and strength, avoid mixing with very sweet tonics that mask the Barolo; neutral soda or direct consumption is better. 75 cl bottle (150 cl format also exists on the official website).

Production context

Distilleria Bordiga, in Cuneo (Piedmont), has been making vermouth, gin and amari with Alpine botanicals still gathered today by local mountaineers and transported to the distillery since 1888. Excelsior Riserva Superiore recovers a historic house line with top-quality raw materials: Piedmont wines —white, noble red and aged Barolo—, sugar, alcohol and infusions of more than twenty-five species among herbs, roots, flowers and peels. Production follows the ancient forty-to-fifty-day procedure, natural filtration and rest in Bordiga cellars before market release. Eighteen degrees alcohol, 75 cl, IGP Vermouth di Torino certification. Part of the Consorzio di Tutela alongside Rosso, Bianco, Extra Dry and Superiore Biologico from the same winery. For Italian vermouth collectors, Excelsior is Bordiga legacy's most ambitious expression: where Barolo meets artemisia and gentian in a vermouth worth cellaring.

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