Ruby red with obvious bricking. When first opened, it displayed strong sherry notes but, eventually, settled into a beautiful nose of dried fruits, leather, cigars and spice cabinet. On the palate, the tannins provided discernible structure while spiced muted fruits provided an elegant compliment to food friendly acidity. Over 90 minutes the fruit became more expressive and fresh on the middle and finish of the profile. This is a well integrated wine that is drinking perfectly now. I should note that we bought this when visiting the winery in 2012 so its provenance is excellent and the aging probably not premature.
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Bought that wine also because of the score here at cellartracker.com, since I had only one barolo (Vietti Castiglione) from the famous vineyards so far which was a bit disappointing to me (2007 - too young?). Also the Mondoca 2000 was not able to meet my expectations. Decanted, than waited for 6-7 hrs then I had the 1st glass. The bouquet is cautious, driven by spices, menthol, herbs, fruit is at the minor side. Maybe the zenith of that wine was 2-4 years before. In the glass ruby red with brown rim (looks a bit like a Muscatel desert wine from Portugal or a little too dark cognac...). On the palate full of acidity, spices, herbs. Also here the fruit is not very present. To be honest, with all that hype on great aged Barolo wines I expected more. As next I will try a 1995 Barolo Cascina Francia (G. Conterno) to see if the overall impression is the same. If yes then I will reduce Barolo wines in my cellar. Or may be I have to drink Barolo with food. Had that Oddero w/o food. But I always have the expectation that if a wine isreally pretty well stuff, it should perform nicely also w/o food.
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Slow-O 2 hours, then aerated to decanter 3 hours, served non-blind. Much fresher, fuller and with noticeably fewer tertiary traits than the previous bottle - heck, the color alone suggested this was far from its grave. Excellent (traditional) typicity, and balance, and in a very good spot right now. Seemed to hit its stride at the 4-hour open mark, and slide, albeit slightly, from that point forward. Quite pretty (and tasty), on its own, stellar with a black truffle risotto, but paled once the '97 Conterno Colonello was opened. My last of 3, direct from the producer's cellar. Drink thru 2016, 14,5% abv, recommended
https://italianwine.blog/
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Shows enticing aromas of cherry, cranberry, and botanical extracts. Very fresh, black tea, diluted cherry, and spice toward the back. Lengthy, grippy finish. Excellent, and will go on.
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PnP, served non-blind, cork in exc cond. Totally on point as a PnP, which I didn't fully expect, offering up a gorgeous, bright nose of black tea, truffles, dried red floral and a pretty vein of balsamic. Medium-bodied, the acids and tannins will clearly outlive the fruit, but on the night, positively singing, with elegance and grace to spare. Really does justice to the grape and Cru. highly recommended, 14,5% abv, thru 2017
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Aereate to decanter, enjoyed over 3 hours. Much different than my previous experience (in Barolo), this bottle shows a lot of advanced ageing. Gone is the youthful exuberance, the bridled power and graceful form. In its place are an abundance of tertiary aromas and flavors, not an altogether bad thing, but the power and form I had fallen so deeply in love with are memories now. As I have two bottles remaining, I am hopeful that this bottle was a victim of some variation. I mention all of this because my prior experience (and score) were both so profound, this, less so, but still very good. Faded ruby core with significant tawny to the rim. Heavy aromas of sweet tea, burnt sugar and sappy cherries, give way to more nuanced aromas of roses, resin, black tea, autumn leaves and red berries. The palate mirrors the nose in that it too changes its posture by the second, and third glasses, gaining significant weight and complexity by the one hour mark and adding to it until the very last glass. Excellent purity of fruit, lovely tannins and balancing acids, just a little farther along than I was expecting. I will revise the drinking window accordingly. 14,5% abv, drink thru 2016+.
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seemed appropriate after a weekend in Alba and visit to Oddero - although this was purchased some time ago. It's in a perfect place now, slightly ruddy/rusty, long finish, a bit of leather, tar and underbrush, and smooth tannins. Pop and pour though, since after one hour or so it starts to fade. A lovely wine.
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A classic Barolo through and through, the wine was drinkable straight from the bottle; no decant necessary. I happened to enjoy this while visiting Piemonte and was overwhelmed with the freshness, elegance and the sheer pleasure of it. I enjoyed the wine with my secondi and also with a local treat of Toma and Cugna (cheese and marmalade, if you will): amazing. There is nothing out of balance with this wine. If you're looking for over-extraction and/or high alcohol, move on, this is not your wine. If you want a truly classic Barolo made with skill and lovely fruit, you've found it. This wine was made in the vineyard...but shows the structure and finesse of very talented winemakers.
The wine exhibited a classic reddish brown rim with a dark ruby core. A significant watery edge is consistent with the vines' average age of about 45 years. The nose was sublime: mushroom pate, a sweet resin, violets, minerals and herbs. At the risk of being redundant, I was not expecting the wine to be THIS drinkable immediately after opening. The elegance was there...immediately. I bonded with this wine. I was moved by its beauty and its purity. A classic Barolo that I look forward to drinking for many, many years. Approximately 62Euro, drink through 2022.
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12/26/2014 - Tudz Drkl Likes this wine: 90 Points
Ruby red with obvious bricking. When first opened, it displayed strong sherry notes but, eventually, settled into a beautiful nose of dried fruits, leather, cigars and spice cabinet. On the palate, the tannins provided discernible structure while spiced muted fruits provided an elegant compliment to food friendly acidity. Over 90 minutes the fruit became more expressive and fresh on the middle and finish of the profile. This is a well integrated wine that is drinking perfectly now. I should note that we bought this when visiting the winery in 2012 so its provenance is excellent and the aging probably not premature.
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9/29/2014 - Bradetti wrote: 86 Points
Bought that wine also because of the score here at cellartracker.com, since I had only one barolo (Vietti Castiglione) from the famous vineyards so far which was a bit disappointing to me (2007 - too young?).
Also the Mondoca 2000 was not able to meet my expectations.
Decanted, than waited for 6-7 hrs then I had the 1st glass. The bouquet is cautious, driven by spices, menthol, herbs, fruit is at the minor side. Maybe the zenith of that wine was 2-4 years before.
In the glass ruby red with brown rim (looks a bit like a Muscatel desert wine from Portugal or a little too dark cognac...). On the palate full of acidity, spices, herbs. Also here the fruit is not very present.
To be honest, with all that hype on great aged Barolo wines I expected more. As next I will try a 1995 Barolo Cascina Francia (G. Conterno) to see if the overall impression is the same. If yes then I will reduce Barolo wines in my cellar.
Or may be I have to drink Barolo with food. Had that Oddero w/o food. But I always have the expectation that if a wine isreally pretty well stuff, it should perform nicely also w/o food.
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11/8/2013 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:
Slow-O 2 hours, then aerated to decanter 3 hours, served non-blind. Much fresher, fuller and with noticeably fewer tertiary traits than the previous bottle - heck, the color alone suggested this was far from its grave. Excellent (traditional) typicity, and balance, and in a very good spot right now. Seemed to hit its stride at the 4-hour open mark, and slide, albeit slightly, from that point forward. Quite pretty (and tasty), on its own, stellar with a black truffle risotto, but paled once the '97 Conterno Colonello was opened. My last of 3, direct from the producer's cellar. Drink thru 2016, 14,5% abv, recommended
https://italianwine.blog/
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11/8/2013 - Robert Pavlovich Likes this wine:
Shows enticing aromas of cherry, cranberry, and botanical extracts. Very fresh, black tea, diluted cherry, and spice toward the back. Lengthy, grippy finish. Excellent, and will go on.
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6/15/2013 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:
PnP, served non-blind, cork in exc cond. Totally on point as a PnP, which I didn't fully expect, offering up a gorgeous, bright nose of black tea, truffles, dried red floral and a pretty vein of balsamic. Medium-bodied, the acids and tannins will clearly outlive the fruit, but on the night, positively singing, with elegance and grace to spare. Really does justice to the grape and Cru. highly recommended, 14,5% abv, thru 2017
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3/10/2013 - bacchusnyon wrote:
last bottle - as good as the first. Really exceptional wine, although it aged quickly. Hope my younger ones are as good in a few years!
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7/27/2012 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:
Aereate to decanter, enjoyed over 3 hours. Much different than my previous experience (in Barolo), this bottle shows a lot of advanced ageing. Gone is the youthful exuberance, the bridled power and graceful form. In its place are an abundance of tertiary aromas and flavors, not an altogether bad thing, but the power and form I had fallen so deeply in love with are memories now. As I have two bottles remaining, I am hopeful that this bottle was a victim of some variation. I mention all of this because my prior experience (and score) were both so profound, this, less so, but still very good. Faded ruby core with significant tawny to the rim. Heavy aromas of sweet tea, burnt sugar and sappy cherries, give way to more nuanced aromas of roses, resin, black tea, autumn leaves and red berries. The palate mirrors the nose in that it too changes its posture by the second, and third glasses, gaining significant weight and complexity by the one hour mark and adding to it until the very last glass. Excellent purity of fruit, lovely tannins and balancing acids, just a little farther along than I was expecting. I will revise the drinking window accordingly. 14,5% abv, drink thru 2016+.
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11/3/2011 - bacchusnyon wrote: 92 Points
seemed appropriate after a weekend in Alba and visit to Oddero - although this was purchased some time ago. It's in a perfect place now, slightly ruddy/rusty, long finish, a bit of leather, tar and underbrush, and smooth tannins. Pop and pour though, since after one hour or so it starts to fade. A lovely wine.
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9/27/2008 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:
A classic Barolo through and through, the wine was drinkable straight from the bottle; no decant necessary. I happened to enjoy this while visiting Piemonte and was overwhelmed with the freshness, elegance and the sheer pleasure of it. I enjoyed the wine with my secondi and also with a local treat of Toma and Cugna (cheese and marmalade, if you will): amazing. There is nothing out of balance with this wine. If you're looking for over-extraction and/or high alcohol, move on, this is not your wine. If you want a truly classic Barolo made with skill and lovely fruit, you've found it. This wine was made in the vineyard...but shows the structure and finesse of very talented winemakers.
The wine exhibited a classic reddish brown rim with a dark ruby core. A significant watery edge is consistent with the vines' average age of about 45 years. The nose was sublime: mushroom pate, a sweet resin, violets, minerals and herbs. At the risk of being redundant, I was not expecting the wine to be THIS drinkable immediately after opening. The elegance was there...immediately. I bonded with this wine. I was moved by its beauty and its purity. A classic Barolo that I look forward to drinking for many, many years. Approximately 62Euro, drink through 2022.
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