The 2012 Francia is a textbook Barolo and an incredible wine, especially for the vintage.
On the nose, I found a stereotypical Barolo expression of sweet red cherry and plum fruit, fresh red roses, tar, tea, orange peel, and menthol. On the palate, the wine is medium to full in body, quite concentrated, and again the flavor profile is super classic with red cherry and red roses at the front, with tar, tea, and a touch of a balsamic note joining on the finish. This is a powerful, tannic wine, but the tannins are pretty refined, albeit not as much as the best vintages of Conterno where Monfortino is made like the 2010 or 2014.
This is a wine that should ideally be aged for another 10+ years, a rare 2012 that is still not in its drinking window. That said, the wine is beautiful right now. I found the wine to be most consistently expressive when first opened, with the wine at times clenching and shutting down with air.
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Good lord. A nose from heaven. Dominated by young crushed berries and fresh flowers. Shockingly approachable on the palate. Still some tannins that need to resolve but just a beautiful juice bomb of cherry and raspberry with some cocoa and tobacco notes lingering in the background. This is a wine you sniff for minutes on end. Epic.
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Giacomo Conterno Barolo Francia 2012. Denne er "in the zone" nå. Svært tiltalende med begynnende modningstoner. Klokkerent og meget sexy miks av frukt og spice. Slank men dyp munnfølelse. Teksturen er helt sublim. Høy konsentrasjon og pen friskhet. Nydelig balanse. Drikker supert nå og vil nok fortsatt ha en lang positiv utvikling. Meget lang fast finish med markante modne tanniner. Topp topp. 95p
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125ml coravin from magnum at 67PM. Pre-masterclass quickie drink. Drank in Zalto Burg glass. Appearance is clear, pale intensity, ruby colour with garnet rim. Legs. Nose is clean, tight and needed 20mins to get going, medium intensity, with aromas of earth, iron, blood meat, dark rose petal, dark red plum fruit, ripe red cherry. Developing. On the palate, dry, solid high acidity, medium+ alcohol (14.5%), grippy powerfully structured high tannins, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with mouth-coating flavours of dark red plums, ripe red cherries, dark meatiness, ferrous iron earth. Long big power finish that lingers with a silken quality and classic sour red cherry. Very very good quality. Power with poise. Tannic but still manages to coat the mouth in a silken rather than brutal fashion. Years ahead.
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Tasting portion at 67PM. Still very tight, the tannic spine is what dominates at the moment with only a hint of the silky, elegant red fruit. Needs a lot more time as this is all structure now.
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Immediately expressive but calm and even. Rose petals, earth and smoked meats pay with red fruits. It is silky of texture, voluminous and expansive through the palate. Everything is in check and whilst it is a joy to drink now there is plenty left in the tank.
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Fabulous bottle. It’s surprisingly accessible but it’s 4 hour decant was key. Red fruit, rose petals and Christmas spice waft from the glass. It shows incredible detail, vibrancy and intensity in these early stages of its life and its finish is incredibly persistent, with lift, elegance and grace. No Monfortino in this vintage, so it’s all here. And it shows. Fantastic already, but a long terrific future ahead.
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How much 2012 Barolo is too much 2012 Barolo (Noize): Very good, suffered a bit by being next to Cappellano and is a much darker, more virile Barolo so maybe a bit of an unfair comparison despite being so close geographically. Certainly up on a level with the G Rinaldi wines and Bartolo Mascarello this vintage (perhaps the lack of Monfortino helpfed?)
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The aroma reminds me of a Châteauneuf-du-Pape — dark berries, blackberries, graphite, earth, and just a hint of barnyard. Dark black berry flavors, notes of black currant and fresh ripe blackberry with a green edge (like you just picked a not-quite-ripe blackberry off the vine). Very nice minerality. Complex and well structured, very smooth but also tannic. Delicious and intriguing.
This will improve, hold. Decanted two hours, drank over the subsequent hour, and the last sip was the best.
I wanted to check in on this because I've had a lot of good luck recently with young Barolo. This was less open and generous than recent 2013s from Roagna and Cappellano but it was well fruited and not searingly tannic; however, the structure was a big part of the experience. Has the signature I find in Francia Barolo of iron and minerals underneath the fruit which are a mix of cherry and berries. Fortunately, this should be really excellent with just a few more years instead of decades.
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On the nose, the wine is deep and cool in tone, and nicely expressive with red cherry and plum fruit, tar, roses, iron, and spices. There is a rare level of complexity to the nose at such an early stage, immediately upon PnP. On the palate, it is rich and concentrated yet beautifully refined, with little perception of tannin, with waves of sweet strawberry and red cherry fruit, complemented towards the finish with minerals and spices. The '12 Conterno Francia may be the wine of the vintage based on what I've tasted to-date - it's a complex, powerful, refined wine that is surprisingly expressive at this stage yet seems to have the depth and concentration to age well.
Stupendous wine. Just pure class. Old school refinement. Cherries and plums with violets and mushrooms. Noticeable tannins. Needs time. You really want to drink this. I am on my own with Pizza and this beautiful bottle of wine after a long day at work. My meal is elevated.
Lær dominerer på duft, over røde bær og noe fatkrydder. Utrolig ren rødbærfrukt fulgt av litt skogbunn. Frisk syre, flott eleganse samtidig som det er kraft. Syrestrukturen dominerer, men det er flotte tanniner i finish, som varer svært lenge. Deilig vin som vil holde lenge.
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Here we go atruffling... (aka Piedmont... and Veneto); 11/16/2018-11/30/2018 (Alba, Guarene, Modena, Barolo, La Morra, Lake Garda .....): Off the wine list at Vicoletta in Alba. We shared this with a few friends who also happened to be in town. Picked the wine as Roberto had told us there was no Montfortino in this year so all of the fruit went into this wine. Decanted and then drank prob over the course of two hours. It was a wine that needed some time and air. Very much in the old school barolo tradition. A touch less fruit. A touch more almost earth style. It started to brighten with some time. Is clearly a wine made for the long haul. Very enjoyable.
Tasted vis-a-vis the Mascarello, this is darker, richer, more manly. Notes of cocoa, tobacco, licorice and intense fruit. Much, much too young. 93++ #Montforte d'Alba
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Not nearly as open as the last bottle that I had. Here a darker fruited wine with big perfume on the nose and lots of structure on the palate. Terrific juice.
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Wines at Thierry's place with Helen and Ben: As Thierry had recently opened one of his 2012 Bartolo Mascarello Barolos, I thought I'd open this wine, again one Thierry, Helen, Andrew and I had had from botte at the winery in 2015. After a six hour decant (it could have used more time open), scents of cherry compote, cinnamon and other spices, earth, minerals, road tar and dark florals. On palate, pure class, in one sense approachable, yet tightly bound. Dark cherries, ferric minerals, tar and spices. It's precise and presently a little too linear, but I'm convinced that the high quality of the underlying material is there for this to be a truly great wine in ten or so years. I wouldn't be surprised if it shut down further in the next few years.
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Very typical barolo characteristics. Quite open after 30-60 minutes of decanting. The problem is that this wine does not stand out, which makes it difficult to justify the pricetag.
The nose was hauntingly dark and floral with notes of minty herbs, soil and minerals up front, then roses, savory spice, and dried orange peel. On the palate, I found silky, lifted textures with floral-infused black cherry fruit, savory minerals and earth tones. It was impeccably balanced and refined with a web of fine tannin which coated the senses. The finish was long with dried fruits and rosy florals, as structural components dried the palate.
2012 Vinous Master Class in Barolo (Del Posto, New York): Hard to score as this was stubborn and unyieldingly tight during the tasting, with teethstaining tannins and too little fruit to rate fairly at this stage, at least not without 24 hour+ aeration.
Young Bartolo and Giuseppe Mascarello Reds with a Special Treat (Dig Wines, San Francisco): Deeper than the 2012 Monprivato. Whoa, an object lesson in what people really mean by "tar" in Barolo. Present in spades on the nose and palate with a dollop of tobacco as well. Much rounder and sappier, this is all about complexity; you feel rather than taste the black fruit. Good acidity and major tannic clout. Excellent but a brute that needs a goodly amount of time.
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Just superb! Serious structure with a gorgeous mix of crushed red berries and roses. Really open right now for a peak before it goes to sleep. Outstanding potential.
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When I tasted the wine with Roberto last month, I was so darn impressed that I bought a several cases. Pop and pour after settling for a few days, rather warm and subtle nose displaying soft and round red fruit, strawberry dominates with a hint of cherry, a lot of mineral/iron and a hint of sweet spices. Deceptively light and airy, quite Burgundian (I know some folks don’t like my Burgundian reference), soft and warm, the tannins are so fine that is only noticeable at the end, a perfect amount of acidity and a long subtle red fruit and mineral drive finish.
The next night, much tighter nose, a classic example of shutdown wine, displaying a hint of strawberry, cinnamon, a hint of iron and mineral. What a transformation! lean and extremely tight, a formidable structure with mouth puckering tannins. The finish is all iron/mineral.
The third night, it opens up beautifully. It is similar to how I remember the bottle tasted with Roberto but slightly denser. Expressive nose displaying decadent red fruit, more cherry now than strawberry, dry cherry, an incredible amount of iron, anise, rose, a hint of balsamico and sweet spices. Showing impressive concentration, exceptionally layered, silky and polished, very fine tannins, a perfect amount of acidity and a seamless deeply toned finish that resonates.
I actually enjoy the airy Chambolle like expression plus much strong mineral expression of young Barolo, e.g. Rinaldi and G. Conterno. This reminds me the 08 G. Rinaldi Barolo Brunate Le Coste magnum that Antonio kindly shared last year at Villa D’Este. If you decide to open and find the wine either too soft or too tight, just give a couple days in bottle or decant for minimum six hours.
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2016 Villa d’Este Wine Symposium - Kelly, Alan and Kevin's excellent adventure; 11/3/2016-11/12/2016 (Villa D’este, Lake Como, Piedmont, Milan and Frankfurt): I seem to love the Francia vintages where no Monfortino was made. Absolutely captivating sophisticated nose displaying delicate cherry and strawberry, iron, anise, rose, mineral and delicate sweet spices. Incredibly polished suave palate, deceptively airy yet beautifully layered, beautiful balance and incredibly harmony, perfect amount of acidity and mineral, unbelievably silky tannins and a seamless long finish that resonates. This feels very Monfortino. I highly highly recommend.
Very powerful perfume. Layered and complex. Elegant and not in your face. Not overdone. Pure and refreshing on the palate. The wine is automatically racked three times because of the production but there is no pre-determined method (this was said in Italian and I am not sure I got it all). Roberto notes Francia is more floral and minerals because of the soil. '12 is a very powerful vintage he continues but very elegant. Tasted from cask, to be bottled this June. A very, very long finish.
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Visit to Giacomo Conterno: For G Conterno's Baroli, Roberto said that 2012 is 'a good vintage, more tannic'. A more expressive, aromatic bouquet than for the Barberas, all perfumes and spices. Violets and aromas of tartufi neri dominate. In the mouth, more supple and softer seeming than the Barberas. Elegant, satiny and refined. Minuscule, suave tannins. Luscious but quite precise. Chalky, mineral finish. Very good. Someone asked about drinking windows and Roberto said '40-50+ years' for this wine.
11/8/2023 - Robmcl920 Likes this wine: 96 Points
The 2012 Francia is a textbook Barolo and an incredible wine, especially for the vintage.
On the nose, I found a stereotypical Barolo expression of sweet red cherry and plum fruit, fresh red roses, tar, tea, orange peel, and menthol. On the palate, the wine is medium to full in body, quite concentrated, and again the flavor profile is super classic with red cherry and red roses at the front, with tar, tea, and a touch of a balsamic note joining on the finish. This is a powerful, tannic wine, but the tannins are pretty refined, albeit not as much as the best vintages of Conterno where Monfortino is made like the 2010 or 2014.
This is a wine that should ideally be aged for another 10+ years, a rare 2012 that is still not in its drinking window. That said, the wine is beautiful right now. I found the wine to be most consistently expressive when first opened, with the wine at times clenching and shutting down with air.
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10/19/2023 - stanqwash Likes this wine: 95 Points
Good lord. A nose from heaven. Dominated by young crushed berries and fresh flowers. Shockingly approachable on the palate. Still some tannins that need to resolve but just a beautiful juice bomb of cherry and raspberry with some cocoa and tobacco notes lingering in the background. This is a wine you sniff for minutes on end. Epic.
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7/24/2023 - hajoha wrote: 95 Points
Giacomo Conterno Barolo Francia 2012.
Denne er "in the zone" nå.
Svært tiltalende med begynnende modningstoner.
Klokkerent og meget sexy miks av frukt og spice.
Slank men dyp munnfølelse.
Teksturen er helt sublim.
Høy konsentrasjon og pen friskhet.
Nydelig balanse.
Drikker supert nå og vil nok fortsatt ha en lang positiv utvikling.
Meget lang fast finish med markante modne tanniner.
Topp topp. 95p
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5/7/2023 - Momberto wrote: 97 Points
Excellent
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4/21/2023 - Derek Darth Taster wrote: 94 Points
125ml coravin from magnum at 67PM. Pre-masterclass quickie drink. Drank in Zalto Burg glass.
Appearance is clear, pale intensity, ruby colour with garnet rim. Legs.
Nose is clean, tight and needed 20mins to get going, medium intensity, with aromas of earth, iron, blood meat, dark rose petal, dark red plum fruit, ripe red cherry. Developing.
On the palate, dry, solid high acidity, medium+ alcohol (14.5%), grippy powerfully structured high tannins, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with mouth-coating flavours of dark red plums, ripe red cherries, dark meatiness, ferrous iron earth. Long big power finish that lingers with a silken quality and classic sour red cherry.
Very very good quality. Power with poise. Tannic but still manages to coat the mouth in a silken rather than brutal fashion. Years ahead.
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11/17/2022 - melvinyeowq wrote:
Tasting portion at 67PM. Still very tight, the tannic spine is what dominates at the moment with only a hint of the silky, elegant red fruit. Needs a lot more time as this is all structure now.
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10/3/2022 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
Immediately expressive but calm and even. Rose petals, earth and smoked meats pay with red fruits. It is silky of texture, voluminous and expansive through the palate. Everything is in check and whilst it is a joy to drink now there is plenty left in the tank.
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7/4/2022 - ubercuvee wrote:
Not quite hitting the heights of the previous bottle of this - I think these really need 10 more years. They have plenty of stuffing
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4/20/2022 - finediningnyc Likes this wine: 94 Points
Fabulous bottle. It’s surprisingly accessible but it’s 4 hour decant was key. Red fruit, rose petals and Christmas spice waft from the glass. It shows incredible detail, vibrancy and intensity in these early stages of its life and its finish is incredibly persistent, with lift, elegance and grace. No Monfortino in this vintage, so it’s all here. And it shows. Fantastic already, but a long terrific future ahead.
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10/7/2021 - ubercuvee wrote: 95 Points
How much 2012 Barolo is too much 2012 Barolo (Noize): Very good, suffered a bit by being next to Cappellano and is a much darker, more virile Barolo so maybe a bit of an unfair comparison despite being so close geographically. Certainly up on a level with the G Rinaldi wines and Bartolo Mascarello this vintage (perhaps the lack of Monfortino helpfed?)
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8/7/2021 - Wine_Poobah Likes this wine: 97 Points
The aroma reminds me of a Châteauneuf-du-Pape — dark berries, blackberries, graphite, earth, and just a hint of barnyard. Dark black berry flavors, notes of black currant and fresh ripe blackberry with a green edge (like you just picked a not-quite-ripe blackberry off the vine). Very nice minerality. Complex and well structured, very smooth but also tannic. Delicious and intriguing.
This will improve, hold. Decanted two hours, drank over the subsequent hour, and the last sip was the best.
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11/3/2020 - vulgar little monkey wrote: 92 Points
I wanted to check in on this because I've had a lot of good luck recently with young Barolo. This was less open and generous than recent 2013s from Roagna and Cappellano but it was well fruited and not searingly tannic; however, the structure was a big part of the experience. Has the signature I find in Francia Barolo of iron and minerals underneath the fruit which are a mix of cherry and berries. Fortunately, this should be really excellent with just a few more years instead of decades.
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6/23/2020 - Robmcl920 Likes this wine: 96 Points
On the nose, the wine is deep and cool in tone, and nicely expressive with red cherry and plum fruit, tar, roses, iron, and spices. There is a rare level of complexity to the nose at such an early stage, immediately upon PnP. On the palate, it is rich and concentrated yet beautifully refined, with little perception of tannin, with waves of sweet strawberry and red cherry fruit, complemented towards the finish with minerals and spices. The '12 Conterno Francia may be the wine of the vintage based on what I've tasted to-date - it's a complex, powerful, refined wine that is surprisingly expressive at this stage yet seems to have the depth and concentration to age well.
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2/14/2020 - Brian of Mull Likes this wine: 97 Points
Stupendous wine. Just pure class. Old school refinement. Cherries and plums with violets and mushrooms. Noticeable tannins. Needs time. You really want to drink this. I am on my own with Pizza and this beautiful bottle of wine after a long day at work. My meal is elevated.
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1/11/2020 - AWBryce wrote:
vanilla, red liquorice, herbal. very well structured, this is delicious now but huge potential. rest in bottle for 5-10 years
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10/22/2019 - Marcyrillo Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very very fresh and elegant. Long and profound. Beautiful wine!! Needs time
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7/24/2019 - daghaug Likes this wine:
Lær dominerer på duft, over røde bær og noe fatkrydder. Utrolig ren rødbærfrukt fulgt av litt skogbunn. Frisk syre, flott eleganse samtidig som det er kraft. Syrestrukturen dominerer, men det er flotte tanniner i finish, som varer svært lenge. Deilig vin som vil holde lenge.
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6/9/2019 - Sepsis wrote: 96 Points
Elegant, smooth and weightless with loads of power. The fruit is so expressive at this point.
A long life ahead, but drinks so great now.
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5/20/2019 - hajoha wrote: 93 Points
I det yngste laget, men dette er solide saker.
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11/25/2018 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Here we go atruffling... (aka Piedmont... and Veneto); 11/16/2018-11/30/2018 (Alba, Guarene, Modena, Barolo, La Morra, Lake Garda .....): Off the wine list at Vicoletta in Alba. We shared this with a few friends who also happened to be in town. Picked the wine as Roberto had told us there was no Montfortino in this year so all of the fruit went into this wine. Decanted and then drank prob over the course of two hours. It was a wine that needed some time and air. Very much in the old school barolo tradition. A touch less fruit. A touch more almost earth style. It started to brighten with some time. Is clearly a wine made for the long haul. Very enjoyable.
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10/7/2018 - beatles wrote: 93 Points
Tasted vis-a-vis the Mascarello, this is darker, richer, more manly. Notes of cocoa, tobacco, licorice and intense fruit. Much, much too young. 93++
#Montforte d'Alba
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11/4/2017 - JOsgood wrote: 95 Points
Not nearly as open as the last bottle that I had. Here a darker fruited wine with big perfume on the nose and lots of structure on the palate. Terrific juice.
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10/23/2017 - HowardNZ Likes this wine:
Wines at Thierry's place with Helen and Ben: As Thierry had recently opened one of his 2012 Bartolo Mascarello Barolos, I thought I'd open this wine, again one Thierry, Helen, Andrew and I had had from botte at the winery in 2015. After a six hour decant (it could have used more time open), scents of cherry compote, cinnamon and other spices, earth, minerals, road tar and dark florals. On palate, pure class, in one sense approachable, yet tightly bound. Dark cherries, ferric minerals, tar and spices. It's precise and presently a little too linear, but I'm convinced that the high quality of the underlying material is there for this to be a truly great wine in ten or so years. I wouldn't be surprised if it shut down further in the next few years.
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8/30/2017 - Sundbyberg wrote: 92 Points
Very typical barolo characteristics. Quite open after 30-60 minutes of decanting. The problem is that this wine does not stand out, which makes it difficult to justify the pricetag.
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2/4/2017 - Eric Guido Likes this wine: 95 Points
The nose was hauntingly dark and floral with notes of minty herbs, soil and minerals up front, then roses, savory spice, and dried orange peel. On the palate, I found silky, lifted textures with floral-infused black cherry fruit, savory minerals and earth tones. It was impeccably balanced and refined with a web of fine tannin which coated the senses. The finish was long with dried fruits and rosy florals, as structural components dried the palate.
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2/4/2017 - kenv Likes this wine: 95 Points
2012 Barolo: Grace Under Pressure Masterclass (Del Posto Restaurant, NYC): Intense black fruit and licorice nose. Intensely rich and expansive in the mouth. Sweet, ripe, and rich. Impressive, as always.
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2/4/2017 - JonnyG Likes this wine:
2012 Vinous Master Class in Barolo (Del Posto, New York): Hard to score as this was stubborn and unyieldingly tight during the tasting, with teethstaining tannins and too little fruit to rate fairly at this stage, at least not without 24 hour+ aeration.
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1/27/2017 - drwine2001 wrote:
Young Bartolo and Giuseppe Mascarello Reds with a Special Treat (Dig Wines, San Francisco): Deeper than the 2012 Monprivato. Whoa, an object lesson in what people really mean by "tar" in Barolo. Present in spades on the nose and palate with a dollop of tobacco as well. Much rounder and sappier, this is all about complexity; you feel rather than taste the black fruit. Good acidity and major tannic clout. Excellent but a brute that needs a goodly amount of time.
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12/22/2016 - JOsgood wrote: 96 Points
Just superb! Serious structure with a gorgeous mix of crushed red berries and roses. Really open right now for a peak before it goes to sleep. Outstanding potential.
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12/19/2016 - dcwino wrote: 97 Points
When I tasted the wine with Roberto last month, I was so darn impressed that I bought a several cases. Pop and pour after settling for a few days, rather warm and subtle nose displaying soft and round red fruit, strawberry dominates with a hint of cherry, a lot of mineral/iron and a hint of sweet spices. Deceptively light and airy, quite Burgundian (I know some folks don’t like my Burgundian reference), soft and warm, the tannins are so fine that is only noticeable at the end, a perfect amount of acidity and a long subtle red fruit and mineral drive finish.
The next night, much tighter nose, a classic example of shutdown wine, displaying a hint of strawberry, cinnamon, a hint of iron and mineral. What a transformation! lean and extremely tight, a formidable structure with mouth puckering tannins. The finish is all iron/mineral.
The third night, it opens up beautifully. It is similar to how I remember the bottle tasted with Roberto but slightly denser. Expressive nose displaying decadent red fruit, more cherry now than strawberry, dry cherry, an incredible amount of iron, anise, rose, a hint of balsamico and sweet spices. Showing impressive concentration, exceptionally layered, silky and polished, very fine tannins, a perfect amount of acidity and a seamless deeply toned finish that resonates.
I actually enjoy the airy Chambolle like expression plus much strong mineral expression of young Barolo, e.g. Rinaldi and G. Conterno. This reminds me the 08 G. Rinaldi Barolo Brunate Le Coste magnum that Antonio kindly shared last year at Villa D’Este. If you decide to open and find the wine either too soft or too tight, just give a couple days in bottle or decant for minimum six hours.
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11/8/2016 - dcwino wrote: 98 Points
2016 Villa d’Este Wine Symposium - Kelly, Alan and Kevin's excellent adventure; 11/3/2016-11/12/2016 (Villa D’este, Lake Como, Piedmont, Milan and Frankfurt): I seem to love the Francia vintages where no Monfortino was made. Absolutely captivating sophisticated nose displaying delicate cherry and strawberry, iron, anise, rose, mineral and delicate sweet spices. Incredibly polished suave palate, deceptively airy yet beautifully layered, beautiful balance and incredibly harmony, perfect amount of acidity and mineral, unbelievably silky tannins and a seamless long finish that resonates. This feels very Monfortino. I highly highly recommend.
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4/21/2016 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Very powerful perfume. Layered and complex. Elegant and not in your face. Not overdone. Pure and refreshing on the palate. The wine is automatically racked three times because of the production but there is no pre-determined method (this was said in Italian and I am not sure I got it all). Roberto notes Francia is more floral and minerals because of the soil. '12 is a very powerful vintage he continues but very elegant. Tasted from cask, to be bottled this June. A very, very long finish.
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7/15/2015 - HowardNZ Likes this wine:
Visit to Giacomo Conterno: For G Conterno's Baroli, Roberto said that 2012 is 'a good vintage, more tannic'. A more expressive, aromatic bouquet than for the Barberas, all perfumes and spices. Violets and aromas of tartufi neri dominate. In the mouth, more supple and softer seeming than the Barberas. Elegant, satiny and refined. Minuscule, suave tannins. Luscious but quite precise. Chalky, mineral finish. Very good. Someone asked about drinking windows and Roberto said '40-50+ years' for this wine.
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