Community Tasting Note

VTCellarDweller Likes this wine:

Thursday, October 13, 2011 - Decanted and allowed to breathe for 1.5 hours, leaving a moderate amount of fine sediment. This was a little lighter in color and very tight on the nose when first decanted. Half the bottle was reserved to a 375 ml after decanting, pumped and refrigerated to try again the next day.
This really started to open up and blossom at the 2 hr mark. It is an extraordinarily elegant (rather than dramatic) expression of Nebbiolo. Not an overwhelmingly powerful wine either on the nose or palette, but totally beguiling, generous, and charming. The wine is approaching its peak drinking window now but is in no danger of going over the edge anytime soon and should hold up well for a decade or more. The smooth tannins are mostly resolved and the acidity is perfectly in balance. The play of ripe plums, dried cherries, roses, orange peel, leather, a faint suggestion of creosote, truffle oil, and earthiness against a silky smooth mouth feel is sublime. Moderate length with a very clean finish that trails off softly. The wine was still gaining in depth and intensity when we finished it. 92 points tonight.

Day 2- From the half bottle reserved out the night before. Removed from the refrigerator 4 hours before serving.
This picked up right where we left it the night before without missing a beat. In fact, it seemed even more open and inviting. The sensual aromas and flavors do not leap out at you, but approach quietly and wrap themselves around your senses. The only thing that keeps me from rating it even higher now is the length of the finish which is easily remedied by just taking another sip of this seductive wine. An amazing QPR at under $25. 93 points and the clear potential to move up with a few more years.

UPDATE: 11/02/2012
After 10 lovely bottles, this one had a bit of oxidation. Bummer. Not rated.

UPDATE: 04/18/2013
Bottle #15, really a beautiful wine. It is going to be tough to hold back on the remaining 11 bottles but I would like to follow this over the next 8-10 years.

UPDATE: 02/12/2014
Slo-ox for 5 hours and decanted just before serving. This was just stunning in its elegance and sophistication. Served with pasta and a wild mushroom sauce, it was Alpine Nebbiolo at its very best. Truly one of those magical bottles that would be diminished by any attempt to describe or score.

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