November 18, 2023 - Much more harmonious and pristine than the more ripe 1997s (Falletto and Santo Stefano) from Giacosa in the same flight. This felt quite classic and just hitting a peak stride.
November 18, 2023 - Nebbiolos, white truffles, Volume VIII (Chicago, IL): Double decanted at 11am. From this era, I've always been a little wary of the Conterno wines, because they can often be a bit dried out or weird, but this bottle was none of that. Very chewy and backwards, with a riper (and far blacker) profile than the Giacosa on the palate. Dense and stern with plenty of tannins still, even if this is already reasonably approachable.
December 24, 2017 - Decanted for 3 hours. A lovely, mature wine on a wonderful Christmas Eve. Nuanced, long finish - and, most importantly, the embodiment of what these occasions really mean.
November 20, 2017 - A bit muted at first, something synthetic to it as well, but blossoms with air; nice grip, surprisingly structured for the vintage.
October 25, 2017 - Lots of soy and soy sauce. A cedar closet with plenty of wood spices. Rich and good depth of flavor. Still young and will be better with age. Enjoyable today but tons of upside. 93 today and higher scores to come.
October 1, 2017 - Even better than the 2016 tasting. Huge, dark wine. Nose is Earth and roses and juicy dark nebbiolo fruit. Palate is mushroomy, juicy, chewy, with big acidity on the back end playing off the deep fruit. Moderate tannins. This is BAROLO in the classic mode.
July 27, 2017 - Even ruby color. Some volatile acidity, fennel, and with time, more haunting secondary perfume. Light to medium weight, lean fruit, earth, a touch of cocoa, and prominent green elements. It certainly does not come across as a hot vintage wine. Excellent now but probably already on the downward slope.
May 10, 2017 - Casual (Mostly) Italian Wine Dinner with Friends (Ballaro - Highwood IL): In 95/96/97/98 vertical. Also lots of black and red cherry. Seemed firm to start, but this certainly loosened up with time in glass. Very good length with emerging balance. Almost ready! My favorite of the flight, which was admittedly disappointing.
November 6, 2016 - This has grown a bit richer since our 2013 tasting. Nose of earth and roses and rich nebbiolo fruit. Palate is earthy, mushroomy, juicy. Great acid balancing all the fruit, and a shorter tannic note this time.
November 11, 2015 - Excellent