Served to me blind. Relatively bright red colour (apparently it was browner when it was decanted four hours earlier). Red berry fruit and red cherries on the bouquet, with some tarry, earthy development. Classic Barolo on palate, earthy, with creosote, cigar, underbrush and lots of savoury nuance. Also, slightly pruney, suggesting a fully ripe vintage (I guessed 1998, not 1999). Reserved and restrained with well integrated spherical tannins. It seemed to be in its drinking window now but not falling over yet. Enjoyable. For me, third among the three Piemontese.
Decanted six hours earlier, it threw tons of sediment. Served non-blind to me but blind to other tasters. A browner, autumn leaves colour. A beautiful, evolved nose of tobacco leaves, tar, dusty clay, dry brushwood, with strawberries and old English roses. A lovely mature, traditional Barolo on palate. Savoury and earthy with mushrooms, old leather saddle, dry bracken and old red plums. Showing a little, appropriate, oxidation but clean and pure. Tannins and acidity well integrated and resolved. Not marked by the warm vintage, like some 1990 Baroli, with no real pruniness I could detect. Some however thought it was further advanced than I did. Not quite as enjoyable as the recent 1990 Sperss but pretty damn good. My favourite of the three wines. Beginning to move into a mellow, secondary stage. Drink soon, but no hurry.
My wine was very dark and bright, with touches of primary purple. It threw far less sediment than the Bartolo Mascarello on the decant six hours earlier. Delicious and very dark fruited. Blackberry, cloves and blackcurrant. Quite svelte and polished, seeming quite modernist, although not with excessive oak. Energetic and precise. The majority around the table preferred this sleek wine to the Mascarello. Years to go.
1999 Oddero Barolo Mondoca di Bussia Soprana
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Served to me blind. Relatively bright red colour (apparently it was browner when it was decanted four hours earlier). Red berry fruit and red cherries on the bouquet, with some tarry, earthy development. Classic Barolo on palate, earthy, with creosote, cigar, underbrush and lots of savoury nuance. Also, slightly pruney, suggesting a fully ripe vintage (I guessed 1998, not 1999). Reserved and restrained with well integrated spherical tannins. It seemed to be in its drinking window now but not falling over yet. Enjoyable. For me, third among the three Piemontese.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
1990 Bartolo Mascarello Barolo
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Decanted six hours earlier, it threw tons of sediment. Served non-blind to me but blind to other tasters. A browner, autumn leaves colour. A beautiful, evolved nose of tobacco leaves, tar, dusty clay, dry brushwood, with strawberries and old English roses. A lovely mature, traditional Barolo on palate. Savoury and earthy with mushrooms, old leather saddle, dry bracken and old red plums. Showing a little, appropriate, oxidation but clean and pure. Tannins and acidity well integrated and resolved. Not marked by the warm vintage, like some 1990 Baroli, with no real pruniness I could detect. Some however thought it was further advanced than I did. Not quite as enjoyable as the recent 1990 Sperss but pretty damn good. My favourite of the three wines. Beginning to move into a mellow, secondary stage. Drink soon, but no hurry.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1998 Albino Rocca Barbaresco Vigneto Brich Ronchi
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
My wine was very dark and bright, with touches of primary purple. It threw far less sediment than the Bartolo Mascarello on the decant six hours earlier. Delicious and very dark fruited. Blackberry, cloves and blackcurrant. Quite svelte and polished, seeming quite modernist, although not with excessive oak. Energetic and precise. The majority around the table preferred this sleek wine to the Mascarello. Years to go.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue