Beautiful barbera. High acidity but balanced well with the dark fruits. Hints of vanilla, marzipan, oak and forest on the nose. 14,5% is on the high note for me, but the wine matched Beef Ragu and pasta very well.
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I drank a 2010, followed by a 2011 a week later. I'll put the same review on both as they were very similar. The '11 may be a bit more muscular but I don't really recall significant differences. Anyway...
After enjoying Barbera at a Mendocino winery a few years ago, I stocked my cellar with an assortment- mostly from California. But this ended up a disappointment- none of those Barbera's lived up to my recollection of what I enjoyed, so I lost interest in the variety. The other night I selected a random bottle out of my cellar- almost put it back when I picked a Barbera. I'm glad I didn't. This was fantastic.
First thing I noticed on opening is that the cork was darkly stained black ('11 was a bit lighter). To me this is a good sign, as I do like deep dark reds. The nose was fruity- perhaps jammy. The palette is highly concentrated red fruits- cherries and cranberry. I tend to prefer wines that go toward dark fruit, but the red fruit here was so concentrated and savory it was quite an experience. I think the thing that delivers the punch is an intense acidity. But it was so balanced with the fruit, tannins and alcohol that the acidity was never off-putting (certainly not sour). The result is a "lip smacking" wine that coats your palette and makes you forget everything else. Long, long finish.
This was quite good out of the bottle, and slightly chilled. But it really shined after about an hour in air- softening and getting more depth. But after an hour it went down hill- feeling thin and lacking character.
This paired well with lamb. But the intensity also makes this an enjoyable wine to drink by itself. I'll probably grab a few more bottles of this vintage while I can still find them.
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Berry compote, graphite, slight hint of menthol, VA, gravel.
Quite restrained and mineral-y on the palate but has a deep underlying unripe version of the nose. Subdued, earthy, light pepper. Tight structure; firm acid and quite firm drying tannins.
Opinion: a tad simple, even after day three. Good to drink now with plenty of air, with pasta dishes.
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Thought this was fantastic. Nice dark fruits/cherries mixed with some spice and earthy flavors. Medium to full body with excellent structure. Medium to long finish. Better with a few hours of air. Good amount of acid which suggests a long life ahead. May improve with more age. Wish we had another bottle!
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Vibrant cherries that flow to an industrial..though fleeting element. Very Italian in character w the high pitched acid that one might expect. Chalk and rock on finish. Managed the 14.5 alc quite well.
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Plenty of inky black fruit, cherries, plums and wolf berries, but also a fresh streak of strawberries. A bit funky at opening, with some sticky notes of nail polish, buttered oak and a bit of fudge.
Medium+ acidity, medium tannins, dry but with lots of dark red fruit and butter. Medium body, with a slightly warm finish. Medium+ intensity and a good, long finish.
Not a fan.
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Tasted @ big Italy tasting. Tasted next to the Scarrone 2011 VV. Less opulent but still very nice nose of dark cherries, graphite and some sweet oak. It's medium-full bodied with medium-high acidity providing freshness and medium-high tannin. Great finish.
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Five days in Barolo: A visit at Vietti with Elena Currado (Castiglione Falletto): This vineyard was planted in 1932 and 1935. The wine is kept one more year in bottle before release to let it soften, so it's always a year older than the Scarrone on release. It's also one of the only wines that almost always sees only 100% French Barrique. Rich, more wood notes, quite hefty nose. Large fruit, rich thick creamy cherries; quite luscious. Large scaled palate entry, thick and creamy. Luscious again, but it still dials up with puckering acid on the palate. That vibrant acidity carries into the finish as well... has the most acid of the Barberas thus far. Quite heavy.
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2/9/2018 - janstrom Likes this wine: 92 Points
Beautiful barbera. High acidity but balanced well with the dark fruits. Hints of vanilla, marzipan, oak and forest on the nose. 14,5% is on the high note for me, but the wine matched Beef Ragu and pasta very well.
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11/15/2017 - vinhslee wrote: 92 Points
When PnP, intense and complex layers of dark cherries, cranberries, earthy notes keep leaping out of the glass. Rather high octane and energetic.
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9/10/2017 - ElSol Likes this wine: 93 Points
I drank a 2010, followed by a 2011 a week later. I'll put the same review on both as they were very similar. The '11 may be a bit more muscular but I don't really recall significant differences. Anyway...
After enjoying Barbera at a Mendocino winery a few years ago, I stocked my cellar with an assortment- mostly from California. But this ended up a disappointment- none of those Barbera's lived up to my recollection of what I enjoyed, so I lost interest in the variety. The other night I selected a random bottle out of my cellar- almost put it back when I picked a Barbera. I'm glad I didn't. This was fantastic.
First thing I noticed on opening is that the cork was darkly stained black ('11 was a bit lighter). To me this is a good sign, as I do like deep dark reds. The nose was fruity- perhaps jammy. The palette is highly concentrated red fruits- cherries and cranberry. I tend to prefer wines that go toward dark fruit, but the red fruit here was so concentrated and savory it was quite an experience. I think the thing that delivers the punch is an intense acidity. But it was so balanced with the fruit, tannins and alcohol that the acidity was never off-putting (certainly not sour). The result is a "lip smacking" wine that coats your palette and makes you forget everything else. Long, long finish.
This was quite good out of the bottle, and slightly chilled. But it really shined after about an hour in air- softening and getting more depth. But after an hour it went down hill- feeling thin and lacking character.
This paired well with lamb. But the intensity also makes this an enjoyable wine to drink by itself. I'll probably grab a few more bottles of this vintage while I can still find them.
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4/12/2017 - 560 B&W Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted at Bearfoot Bistro. Mature, but still quite nice. Balanced at this point and handles its alcohol quite well. 14.5%
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5/4/2016 - SlimShaney wrote: 90 Points
Nose of mushroom risotto. Elegant palate of restrained and finely balanced vegetatian fruit.
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4/17/2016 - mphatic wrote:
Cork, 14.5% alc. Rich, deep black–red.
Berry compote, graphite, slight hint of menthol, VA, gravel.
Quite restrained and mineral-y on the palate but has a deep underlying unripe version of the nose. Subdued, earthy, light pepper. Tight structure; firm acid and quite firm drying tannins.
Opinion: a tad simple, even after day three. Good to drink now with plenty of air, with pasta dishes.
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12/30/2015 - horse Likes this wine: 93 Points
Thought this was fantastic. Nice dark fruits/cherries mixed with some spice and earthy flavors. Medium to full body with excellent structure. Medium to long finish. Better with a few hours of air. Good amount of acid which suggests a long life ahead. May improve with more age. Wish we had another bottle!
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8/14/2015 - olddominion wrote: 91 Points
Vibrant cherries that flow to an industrial..though fleeting element. Very Italian in character w the high pitched acid that one might expect. Chalk and rock on finish. Managed the 14.5 alc quite well.
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4/25/2015 - Lilja wrote: 90 Points
Plenty of inky black fruit, cherries, plums and wolf berries, but also a fresh streak of strawberries. A bit funky at opening, with some sticky notes of nail polish, buttered oak and a bit of fudge.
Medium+ acidity, medium tannins, dry but with lots of dark red fruit and butter. Medium body, with a slightly warm finish. Medium+ intensity and a good, long finish.
Not a fan.
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11/8/2014 - Eric Likes this wine:
A fabulous birthday in Piemonte (Piedmont, Italy): Leather and shoe polish. Red fruit. More traditional than the Vigna Vecchia Scarrone. Clean and powerful.
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9/7/2014 - NostraBacchus Likes this wine: 91 Points
Tasted @ big Italy tasting. Tasted next to the Scarrone 2011 VV. Less opulent but still very nice nose of dark cherries, graphite and some sweet oak. It's medium-full bodied with medium-high acidity providing freshness and medium-high tannin. Great finish.
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7/4/2014 - David Paris (dbp) wrote: 89 Points
Five days in Barolo: A visit at Vietti with Elena Currado (Castiglione Falletto): This vineyard was planted in 1932 and 1935. The wine is kept one more year in bottle before release to let it soften, so it's always a year older than the Scarrone on release. It's also one of the only wines that almost always sees only 100% French Barrique. Rich, more wood notes, quite hefty nose. Large fruit, rich thick creamy cherries; quite luscious. Large scaled palate entry, thick and creamy. Luscious again, but it still dials up with puckering acid on the palate. That vibrant acidity carries into the finish as well... has the most acid of the Barberas thus far. Quite heavy.
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