2001 Stefano Farina Barolo
Community Tasting Note
Pknut wrote:
Tuesday, April 16, 2013 - I recall buying this cheap (~$25) from Zachys around ten years ago, and going through many bottles, including with C. Dodd on Shelter Island. I recall a light bodied, floral, pink strawberry-fruited Barolo, young and tasty and well-received by Chris. I knew back then that this was not a powerhouse Barolo, but I decided to age a bottle to see what would happen.
The result is evidence as to why not all wine should be aged. The first thing I noted was that the formerly light bodied, pink hued, strawberry fruited wine is now considerably darker in color and profile. The palate is now darker, shows earthy tones and some oak, as well as an impression of coffee grounds. It also shows just a hint of heat damage. But more generally, the wine is soupy, muddled and lacks precision. I actually found little reason to drink this wine.
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Comment posted by vanpe003:
6/7/2013 10:33:00 PM - After drinking a bottle of this tonight, I think that yours might have been flawed. Your notes, which I generally align with, suggested "cooked" to me, or perhaps corked. The bottle I had more closely resembled your thoughts about your earlier experience with this one.
Comment posted by Pknut:
6/8/2013 9:03:00 AM - Vanpe, you may be right. I bought the 01 Farina at around the same time as other Italians like 96 and 97 Marcarini La Serra Barolo, all from the same source (Zachys) and many of those Marcarini bottles have shown signs of heat damage. On the other hand, when the Farina was a young wine, it was terrific. Perhaps the evidence of heat damage is more pronounced with age.