Vinous Monfortino Dinner with Roberto Conterno; 2/1/2024-2/2/2024 (Legacy Records, NYC): I was very impressed by the '67 Monfortino, a vintage I haven't heard much about. The wine showed beautiful aromatics of sweet, earthy red berry fruit, red florals, smoke, and roast meats, with a surprisingly fresh core of fruit. On the palate, it is fully resolved with beautiful inner sweetness and high acidity. A super enjoyable glass of wine.
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Tasted blind, this wine had a deep red center with light orange rims. It high- intensity nose blasted figs, violets, smoked meat, and minerals from the glass.
In the mouth, this wine was fully ripe with firm rounded tannin, solid acidity, and great length. yet at the same time it was not heavy in any way.
This wine clearly benefited (like so many nebbiolo wines do) from a 7 hour decant. An impressive showing for a wine that can be variable.
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Opened and decanted 3 hours prior to decanting back into the bottle for transport to La Festa 2019. Winner in the Monfortino flight of 61/64/67. Great development, full resolved but still so much pleasure and not in decline at all. Leather, saddle, umami, sweetness. Good perfume on the nose. Great length and finish.
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This is a grand wine. Full bodied, some volatile acidity, utterly elegant and balanced, amazingly log on the palate. Forest floor, mushrooms, earth, mineral, raspberry, cherry, and blackberry. Just a great wine.
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Big 50 lunch (Mi Casa): Pop and pour in the morning. Tired and maderized. Chestnut, roasted fruit, remnants of dry cherry, strong va and madeira. Six hours later, not much improvement.
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Tasted blind, this wine had a medium red center with orange/tan rims. The high intensity nose showed roses, brown spices, burnt oranges. After a few hours I noticed a touch of ethyl acetate.
In the mouth, this wine was medium bodied with great ripe fruit and excellent length.
While this bottle may not quite have been up to par, it was still quite good. I would look for an excuse to pop any remaining bottles.
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Tasted blind, Murray pulled out another big gun for his B-day. It had a red center an tawny red rims. The high- intensity nose was classic tar & roses with some cherries and soil.
In the mouth, this wine was ripe and rich with great rounded tannin, solid acidity, and great length. I loved the balance of this wine as it displayed the classic "iron fist in a velvet glove" characteristics.
While I don't think this is getting any better, it doesn't need to! Enjoy!
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I had been looking for an older Monfortino for a long time to give me a sense of what an old version of this icon was like. I got this at auction and it had clearly been well looked after - cork in good shape (hard to get out), zero ullage and and a good bouquet. Stewed plum, earth and tea on the nose. In the mouth a surprisinly sweet taste, surprisingly full and chewy. Prunes and a brighter cherry taste with the savory tea and tar. This is certainly drinking wll now - it is not over for this wine; however it is at the end of its long life. With the chewiness, this must have been a monster for in its youth and middle age. A lovely, long, long finish.
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Very full floral and grassy nose evoking rose petals and notes of maderia. Higher in alcohol and a bit thinner than the younger Burgundies had earlier in the evening, but with great intensity. Gycerol on the palate, fennel, anise, bitter cherry and a dry finish. A very nice wine but not a rave, nor even close to worth the tariff.
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Barolo 1958, 1967, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1987 (Chez Dal Piaz): This was my final Bottle of the 67 Monfortino and with the marketplace the way it is today it may very well be my last. That is of course a shame. I had expected this bottle to at peak if not on the downslope based on prior bottles but this turned out to be the best bottle yet. The nose was tight and reticent apon opening with sandy mineral notes and hints of beef blood, bookbinders glue, sweet fennel, and dark slightly confected fruits. In the mouth this remained very linear, tight and quite tannic with amarena cherry, a touch of mushroom, sandlewood, and hints of juniper, violet, and camphor all blossoming on the finish. By the time this was served the nose had blossomed revealing a rich sweet nose packed with moist earth tones, mint, dried spices, dried cherry fruit, truffle, floral tones, in short complete and vibrantly intact. In the mouth this starts very matte and muscular with a lovely sweetness to the layers of dried fruit in the mouth. This remains tannic and very youthful with excellent acidity, all the components are in place for 10-20 years of continued positive development for this bottle but still it offered so much pleasure this evening with it's long, spicy, brooding finish reminiscent of roast peaches and cherries. Lovely and my WOTF
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2/2/2024 - Robmcl920 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Vinous Monfortino Dinner with Roberto Conterno; 2/1/2024-2/2/2024 (Legacy Records, NYC): I was very impressed by the '67 Monfortino, a vintage I haven't heard much about. The wine showed beautiful aromatics of sweet, earthy red berry fruit, red florals, smoke, and roast meats, with a surprisingly fresh core of fruit. On the palate, it is fully resolved with beautiful inner sweetness and high acidity. A super enjoyable glass of wine.
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8/1/2021 - fclarity wrote: 96 Points
Tasted blind, this wine had a deep red center with light orange rims. It high- intensity nose blasted figs, violets, smoked meat, and minerals from the glass.
In the mouth, this wine was fully ripe with firm rounded tannin, solid acidity, and great length. yet at the same time it was not heavy in any way.
This wine clearly benefited (like so many nebbiolo wines do) from a 7 hour decant. An impressive showing for a wine that can be variable.
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10/28/2019 - englishman's claret wrote: 92 Points
Mellow allspice, red fruited, very effusive, warm, and lively. Scotch-like peat notes.
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2/2/2019 - Kemo Sabe Likes this wine: 96 Points
Opened and decanted 3 hours prior to decanting back into the bottle for transport to La Festa 2019. Winner in the Monfortino flight of 61/64/67. Great development, full resolved but still so much pleasure and not in decline at all. Leather, saddle, umami, sweetness. Good perfume on the nose. Great length and finish.
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12/10/2017 - Boone's Farm Likes this wine: 95 Points
This is a grand wine. Full bodied, some volatile acidity, utterly elegant and balanced, amazingly log on the palate. Forest floor, mushrooms, earth, mineral, raspberry, cherry, and blackberry. Just a great wine.
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10/22/2017 - dcwino wrote: flawed
Big 50 lunch (Mi Casa): Pop and pour in the morning. Tired and maderized. Chestnut, roasted fruit, remnants of dry cherry, strong va and madeira. Six hours later, not much improvement.
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5/23/2017 - tooch wrote: flawed
Day 2 in Piedmont (Giacosa, Conterno, & Cavallotto) (Piedmont, Italy): Carried over from the United States to open with Roberto Conterno. Unfortunately, this was an off bottle...I think Roberto commented that based on the taste it must have been heat damaged at some point.
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1/31/2017 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 97 Points
Sweet dried red fruit, sweet spice, light teriyaki.
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5/31/2015 - fclarity wrote: 94 Points
Tasted blind, this wine had a medium red center with orange/tan rims. The high intensity nose showed roses, brown spices, burnt oranges. After a few hours I noticed a touch of ethyl acetate.
In the mouth, this wine was medium bodied with great ripe fruit and excellent length.
While this bottle may not quite have been up to par, it was still quite good. I would look for an excuse to pop any remaining bottles.
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11/6/2013 - dcwino wrote: flawed
World Wine Symposium 2013 - Kevin and Kelly's excellent adventure; 11/6/2013-11/14/2013 (Villa D’este, Lake Como): My birth year wine that Kelly generously brought. Unfortunately there was a strong pine resin smell as well as VA that masked the beautiful sweet red fruits. The palate was sweet yet the pine resin note continued. I can definitely see this wine being great if correct.
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1/11/2013 - WildeMeeuw wrote: 95 Points
Kleur: Fluwelig lichtrood Aroma / bouquet: Expressief, heel rijp. Volmaakt Barolo-bouquet. Herfstbos, paddestoelen, stro, wat Maggisaus, ossestaartsoep, Oloroso-sherry, aardbeitjes. Smaak / Afdronk: Fluweelzacht. Zacht frisse zuren, zachte tannines, mooie balans. Indrukwekkend lange afdronk. In de afdronk worden het zuur adstringent. Jammer. Algemeen / potentieel: Prachtige neus, mooie zachte wijn, adstringente finale. 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 15 + Smaak / Afdronk: 16 + Algemeen / potentieel: 8 = 94/100
Color: Velvety light red Aroma / Bouquet: Expressive, very ripe. Perfect Barolo bouquet. Autumn, mushrooms, straw, Maggi sauce, oxtail soup, Oloroso sherry, strawberries. Taste / Finish: Velvet Softness. Softness fresh acidity, soft tannins, nice balance. Impressively long finish. in the aftertaste the acidity becomes a bit adstringent. A pity. General / potential: Nice nose, nice soft wine, adstringent finish. 50 + Colour: 5 + Aroma / Bouquet: 15 + Taste / Finish: 16 + General / potential: 8 = 94/100
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5/20/2012 - fclarity wrote: 95 Points
Tasted blind, Murray pulled out another big gun for his B-day. It had a red center an tawny red rims. The high- intensity nose was classic tar & roses with some cherries and soil.
In the mouth, this wine was ripe and rich with great rounded tannin, solid acidity, and great length. I loved the balance of this wine as it displayed the classic "iron fist in a velvet glove" characteristics.
While I don't think this is getting any better, it doesn't need to! Enjoy!
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1/7/2012 - Winevestor wrote: 95 Points
I had been looking for an older Monfortino for a long time to give me a sense of what an old version of this icon was like. I got this at auction and it had clearly been well looked after - cork in good shape (hard to get out), zero ullage and and a good bouquet. Stewed plum, earth and tea on the nose. In the mouth a surprisinly sweet taste, surprisingly full and chewy. Prunes and a brighter cherry taste with the savory tea and tar. This is certainly drinking wll now - it is not over for this wine; however it is at the end of its long life. With the chewiness, this must have been a monster for in its youth and middle age. A lovely, long, long finish.
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3/26/2011 - lepetitchateau wrote: 93 Points
Very full floral and grassy nose evoking rose petals and notes of maderia. Higher in alcohol and a bit thinner than the younger Burgundies had earlier in the evening, but with great intensity. Gycerol on the palate, fennel, anise, bitter cherry and a dry finish. A very nice wine but not a rave, nor even close to worth the tariff.
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2/13/2011 - jlemerond wrote: 82 Points
Past its prime. acid dominates, and the fruit is gone. Very disappointing.
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2/28/2008 - Gregory Dal Piaz wrote: 97 Points
Barolo 1958, 1967, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1987 (Chez Dal Piaz): This was my final Bottle of the 67 Monfortino and with the marketplace the way it is today it may very well be my last. That is of course a shame. I had expected this bottle to at peak if not on the downslope based on prior bottles but this turned out to be the best bottle yet. The nose was tight and reticent apon opening with sandy mineral notes and hints of beef blood, bookbinders glue, sweet fennel, and dark slightly confected fruits. In the mouth this remained very linear, tight and quite tannic with amarena cherry, a touch of mushroom, sandlewood, and hints of juniper, violet, and camphor all blossoming on the finish. By the time this was served the nose had blossomed revealing a rich sweet nose packed with moist earth tones, mint, dried spices, dried cherry fruit, truffle, floral tones, in short complete and vibrantly intact. In the mouth this starts very matte and muscular with a lovely sweetness to the layers of dried fruit in the mouth. This remains tannic and very youthful with excellent acidity, all the components are in place for 10-20 years of continued positive development for this bottle but still it offered so much pleasure this evening with it's long, spicy, brooding finish reminiscent of roast peaches and cherries. Lovely and my WOTF
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12/28/2007 - winenutnyc wrote: flawed
doa
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