We experienced a very pronounced bitterness on the palette towards the end - something we liked - we good sour cherries, cranberries, rose petals and camphor - we are also getting some forrest floor - the wine has a great balance everything is well integrated but both tannins and acidity are still medium +. The wine is in its drinking window but will still develop further - we like the wine and are increasing our rating to 92.
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I served it as a blind tasting rather late - it is a well balanced barolo with a good balance - for me the wine is still young I do like it but will start with 91 more to come no doubt about that.
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From magnum. Mosconi not present here (vineyard was bought in 2014). What is immediate here is how harmonious the nose is between fruit, spice/pepper (and all those magnificent tertiaries such as truffles, leather, sandalwood), and lactic sensations/cream. This one is truly phenomenal. It is at the apex of its expression and Barolo-ness. Irresistible - you just want to die in this.
Cherries, dark berries and toast. Medium body. Balanced, leaning acidic. Smooth, with soft tannins and a long finish. Paired well with spaghetti and ground pork meatballs. Many years left.
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Slightly acidic; tastes like a mix of cherry and cranberry juices so it's noticeably tart. Quite light and lacking depth of flavor; it has very little sense of terroir nor the classic Nebbiolo flavors of black tea, spices, road tar and red roses. Decanted over 3 hours with minor improvement.
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Decanted for over an hour, drank over a few hours.
Nose: All spice, cinnamon, mushroom, forest floor, raspberry, orange zest, river rock, very subtle leather, cherry, lilac. The nose really leaves an impression.
Taste: Strawberry, cherry, high-ish acidity but very balanced, leather, and a follow through on the notes indicated in the nose section. Still tannins but I think this is terrific right now. It feels like a great expression of the terroir. Only oak presence is the resulting well-integrated flavors above.
It will probably reward for a few more years, but it can go longer if you are willing to lose some of the primary characteristics. I've little experience with older Barolo, so take that for what it's worth.
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Garnet to Ruby rim hue that opens with hibiscus and black tea aromas. Raspberry and fig flavors are prominent up front while leather, clove and sweet tobacco lingers on a lasting finish. Tannins are integrated nicely and balance against the acidity and fruit.
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2012 was a tough weather year but this younger Barolo is full of acidity, accessible tannins, balance and freshness. Dusty red cherries, supple leather (the kind that hugs and gently caresses the body), an earthiness and forest floor supporting a new growth of fragrant rose . This wine demanded my attention and I was more than willing to obey.
Sitting at my kitchen table ready to see how my pairing of this evenings wine and food prevails, I’m struck by the notion of “how am I going to write about this!” A glance at the bottle of wine and I see a notation at the bottom of the label, it reads: “e non chiametelo ‘base.’” Now the bottle interprets that as: “don’t call it regular.” Google agrees, mostly, as they translate it as: “and don't call it basic.” The only difference being the words base and regular.
The point they are trying to make, at least as I’ve conjured up, is they don’t want people referring to this wine as they’re regular bottling as distinguished from their single-vineyard wines. Maybe that’s why so many wineries strive to make “single-vineyard” wines or wines with unique names, to prevent folks from using names like regular or base or entry-level (I personally use that one a lot). We all like to keep up with proper facades.
So you know, I prepared a wonderful meal of Pork Tenderloin with Sage Sweet Potatoes and Broccoli. Yum. At first glance, maybe the Barolo would overpower the meal, not to be, it was a great fit. While I remember (thankfully at my age) at one time Barolo’s were a powerhouse type of wine, more recently they show a more refined and subtle side (at least in the more moderate price ranges). The Pio Cesare Barolo 2012 was wonderful with the Pork. Aromas of dried dark fruit that draw you to the wine where those same qualities coat your palate. The moderate tannins leading you down the path towards discerning acidity and a long spice-driven finish.
Being a challenging vintage, and having looked over some reviews from when the wine was released, I tend to believe that while the wine still has some time remaining, the fruit has taken on slightly less bright fruit in lieu of those earthy notes, leading me to think there may be only a few good years remaining.
For now, I’m content with my wine, my dinner, and this post, so to all I will say “addio!”
Light color intensity with a clear edge and garnet core. Nose of all things you want in approachable Barolo like this. Floral, tart cherry, and a bit of herbaciousness. Medium body, palate coating tannin with tender grip, bright acidity and just a bit of heat. This is a great wine for not being too serious. Has tons of time ahead of it but it’s deliciously bright at the moment. Side note: cork game is strong here. Always nice when a winery doesn’t cheap out on a very important component for aging.
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appearance: pale garnet nose: med intense aromas of: tar, leather, earth. dried herbs, cedar, nutty, smoke, red cherry, rapsberry, roses, lavander. developing palate: dry high acidity high alcohol high tannins med + body med + finish med + intense flavors of tar, leather, earth. dried herbs, cedar, nutty, smoke, red cherry, rapsberry, roses, lavander. quality: outstanding readiness for drinking: can drink now, but has potential for further aging
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Clean, med intensity of red fruity aromas Developing Primary strawberries cherries Secondary earthy, dusty, Tertiary
Off-Dry, high acidity, med+ tannins, med alc., med+ body, med+ intensity Primary strawberries Secondary smoked meat, oak Tertiary leather, tar, earth Med+ finish B v L v I v C v Outstaning Can drink now - suitable for ageing
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Decanted for over a hour and really a wonderful wine! Licorice up front with a leather finish. Nice rounded flavors and integrated tannin. No sediment. Served at 65F with a rich, cheesy, Italian-style dish. No where near a downhill slide but it's so good, why not drink up?
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For a young Barolo, this one was showing well at dinner. Quite honestly, this one is too young. I was not all that sure that this was the right decision here to go with this one, but after about 30 minutes of air, it went very well with a rare rib-eye steak with Marsala and angel-hair pasta. Classic Barolo with good, medium+ mouthfeel from the start, good candied red cherry. The middle turned a little darker, showing a gravelly black cherry and black tea. The finish was a little more spicy, and was quite restricted for the first 30-40 minutes. This wine disappeared very quickly over dinner!
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Soft, elegant, light to medium bodied- not as powerful as I expected from a Barolo, but pleasant nonetheless. Rustic earth with dried cherries and strawberries. Paired well with seafood pasta. Drinking well now.
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An elegant Barolo made in the traditional style, with no new oak, and a blend of different sites rather than a single vineyard. This is Pio Cesare's entry level Barolo, very classic. Delicate aromas, with medium plus tannins and a long finish. I really enjoyed it as it shows the typicity of Barolo.
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During a walkabout tasting, so only brief impressions. Light brick garnet. Lovley nose of cherry, tobacco, good Nebbiolo typicity. Elegant and light palate, not your blockbuster kind but well balanced. The tannins need another 5 years though. Drink after 2022.
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A wine which I have had and consistently believe in. This wine was no different. Fruit forward with unfortunate and yet present tannin. This wine wine needs time. Hard to note fruit but they are in there. Wait 3-5 years
Quite consistent with previous note. Very polished and balanced, quite forward and ripe. Round tannins, nice finish. A bit straightforward at this stage. 90-91+
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Medium ruby color, clear and translucent. Nose of bright cherry, red berries. Red fruits, licorice and balsamic note on the plate. Much more accessible than I thought it would be, my personal experience/rule of thumb is Barolos tend to be hard as nails before 10 years. This will evolve nicely and would cellar for a while. As tannins soften and fruits mature this should be really nice. Actually drinks OK right now
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Pio Cesare Tasting with Pio Boffa (Atlanta, GA): Sexy color and aromatics, palate is silky, floral, strawberry, fresh roses, soft cherry, elegant, refined tannins compared to many '12s I've tasted; very good.
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A classic Barolo nose. Young, complex wine, persistent and packed with sweet red fruit driven flavors, with a hint of tar and mint in the finish. Slowly unfolds the flavors and stays on for a long time. A warmer year showcases the ripe fruit here, but a very good balance overall. Might be more accessible than some of the '10 wines.
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Quite ripe fruit on the nose - floral, silky, soft. Nicely balanced on the palate, round and rather soft tannins, bright acidity towards the finish. 90-91+
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(Decanter Italy Tasting 2016) :: Fantastic balance, perfume and lift. A floral nose full of petals sit atop a fruit / tar core. Nothing out of place or overstated. Real elegance and class here. Strong but fine tannins.
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3/6/2024 - ILarsen wrote: 92 Points
We experienced a very pronounced bitterness on the palette towards the end - something we liked - we good sour cherries, cranberries, rose petals and camphor - we are also getting some forrest floor - the wine has a great balance everything is well integrated but both tannins and acidity are still medium +. The wine is in its drinking window but will still develop further - we like the wine and are increasing our rating to 92.
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2/24/2024 - maxima wrote: 89 Points
Simple et assez fermé, restreint et peu bavard.
Sans défaut mais sans émotion aussi.
Bien, tout simplement.
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2/23/2024 - ILarsen wrote: 91 Points
I served it as a blind tasting rather late - it is a well balanced barolo with a good balance - for me the wine is still young I do like it but will start with 91 more to come no doubt about that.
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2/2/2024 - jocelyng wrote: 91 Points
90-91. Excellent with osso bucco a la Milanaise with gremolata. Not a great wine for the price but interesting nonetheless.
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10/5/2023 - mimik Likes this wine: 90 Points
This was simple nice well balanced but rathe lacklustre. I find it didn’t say much. Good but not great
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10/3/2023 - ricard Likes this wine: 96 Points
From magnum. Mosconi not present here (vineyard was bought in 2014). What is immediate here is how harmonious the nose is between fruit, spice/pepper (and all those magnificent tertiaries such as truffles, leather, sandalwood), and lactic sensations/cream. This one is truly phenomenal. It is at the apex of its expression and Barolo-ness. Irresistible - you just want to die in this.
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3/5/2023 - LEEJV123 wrote: 92 Points
Medium full body, dusty, round, long.
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3/3/2023 - Tony T Likes this wine: 91 Points
Needs time to open. Almost requires food.
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2/14/2023 - mvande21 wrote: 93 Points
Cherries, dark berries and toast. Medium body. Balanced, leaning acidic. Smooth, with soft tannins and a long finish. Paired well with spaghetti and ground pork meatballs. Many years left.
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2/12/2023 - wineshaman wrote: 92 Points
This was quite good with a PNP, plum, cassis, cranberry, was hoping for more earthy, mineral nuances, but fun to drink nevertheless.
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10/26/2022 - up4wine wrote: 94 Points
Give it time to open up and you will be rewarded.
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6/19/2022 - Sanlucar wrote: 89 Points
Slightly acidic; tastes like a mix of cherry and cranberry juices so it's noticeably tart. Quite light and lacking depth of flavor; it has very little sense of terroir nor the classic Nebbiolo flavors of black tea, spices, road tar and red roses. Decanted over 3 hours with minor improvement.
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4/22/2022 - bobbyhawks Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted for over an hour, drank over a few hours.
Nose: All spice, cinnamon, mushroom, forest floor, raspberry, orange zest, river rock, very subtle leather, cherry, lilac. The nose really leaves an impression.
Taste: Strawberry, cherry, high-ish acidity but very balanced, leather, and a follow through on the notes indicated in the nose section. Still tannins but I think this is terrific right now. It feels like a great expression of the terroir. Only oak presence is the resulting well-integrated flavors above.
It will probably reward for a few more years, but it can go longer if you are willing to lose some of the primary characteristics. I've little experience with older Barolo, so take that for what it's worth.
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4/13/2022 - iDrum4Wine Likes this wine: 92 Points
Garnet to Ruby rim hue that opens with hibiscus and black tea aromas. Raspberry and fig flavors are prominent up front while leather, clove and sweet tobacco lingers on a lasting finish. Tannins are integrated nicely and balance against the acidity and fruit.
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2/21/2021 - NCWW Likes this wine:
Surprisingly good for the vintage. Decant for an hour and you're good with this one
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9/28/2020 - dfusina wrote: 92 Points
Decant for 1 hour.
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7/14/2020 - tedcholl Likes this wine: 92 Points
2012 was a tough weather year but this younger Barolo is full of acidity, accessible tannins, balance and freshness. Dusty red cherries, supple leather (the kind that hugs and gently caresses the body), an earthiness and forest floor supporting a new growth of fragrant rose . This wine demanded my attention and I was more than willing to obey.
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1/22/2020 - winedr Likes this wine: 94 Points
Loved it. Beautiful wine with wonderful fruit and silky tannins.
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12/13/2019 - Hi.its.Don.4.Wine Likes this wine: 92 Points
Sitting at my kitchen table ready to see how my pairing of this evenings wine and food prevails, I’m struck by the notion of “how am I going to write about this!” A glance at the bottle of wine and I see a notation at the bottom of the label, it reads: “e non chiametelo ‘base.’” Now the bottle interprets that as: “don’t call it regular.” Google agrees, mostly, as they translate it as: “and don't call it basic.” The only difference being the words base and regular.
The point they are trying to make, at least as I’ve conjured up, is they don’t want people referring to this wine as they’re regular bottling as distinguished from their single-vineyard wines. Maybe that’s why so many wineries strive to make “single-vineyard” wines or wines with unique names, to prevent folks from using names like regular or base or entry-level (I personally use that one a lot). We all like to keep up with proper facades.
So you know, I prepared a wonderful meal of Pork Tenderloin with Sage Sweet Potatoes and Broccoli. Yum. At first glance, maybe the Barolo would overpower the meal, not to be, it was a great fit. While I remember (thankfully at my age) at one time Barolo’s were a powerhouse type of wine, more recently they show a more refined and subtle side (at least in the more moderate price ranges). The Pio Cesare Barolo 2012 was wonderful with the Pork. Aromas of dried dark fruit that draw you to the wine where those same qualities coat your palate. The moderate tannins leading you down the path towards discerning acidity and a long spice-driven finish.
Being a challenging vintage, and having looked over some reviews from when the wine was released, I tend to believe that while the wine still has some time remaining, the fruit has taken on slightly less bright fruit in lieu of those earthy notes, leading me to think there may be only a few good years remaining.
For now, I’m content with my wine, my dinner, and this post, so to all I will say “addio!”
Cheers
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3/26/2019 - Otaku Oenophile Likes this wine: 92 Points
I think this is my first Barolo proper.
Wow, pretty much roses, a hint of petrol, pepper and cherry reduction and hints of leather. Both smooth and heavily tannic.
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12/1/2018 - ONEFIVE Likes this wine:
Light color intensity with a clear edge and garnet core.
Nose of all things you want in approachable Barolo like this. Floral, tart cherry, and a bit of herbaciousness.
Medium body, palate coating tannin with tender grip, bright acidity and just a bit of heat.
This is a great wine for not being too serious. Has tons of time ahead of it but it’s deliciously bright at the moment.
Side note: cork game is strong here. Always nice when a winery doesn’t cheap out on a very important component for aging.
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11/25/2018 - sshayfin Likes this wine: 91 Points
appearance: pale garnet
nose: med intense aromas of: tar, leather, earth. dried herbs, cedar, nutty, smoke, red cherry, rapsberry, roses, lavander.
developing
palate:
dry
high acidity
high alcohol
high tannins
med + body
med + finish
med + intense flavors of tar, leather, earth. dried herbs, cedar, nutty, smoke, red cherry, rapsberry, roses, lavander.
quality: outstanding
readiness for drinking: can drink now, but has potential for further aging
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11/25/2018 - Yagil wrote: 91 Points
WSET course Level 3, 7th session: Clear, med garnet
Clean, med intensity of red fruity aromas
Developing
Primary strawberries cherries
Secondary earthy, dusty,
Tertiary
Off-Dry, high acidity, med+ tannins, med alc., med+ body, med+ intensity
Primary strawberries
Secondary smoked meat, oak
Tertiary leather, tar, earth
Med+ finish
B v
L v
I v
C v
Outstaning
Can drink now - suitable for ageing
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10/22/2018 - JPPeterson Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted for over a hour and really a wonderful wine! Licorice up front with a leather finish. Nice rounded flavors and integrated tannin. No sediment. Served at 65F with a rich, cheesy, Italian-style dish. No where near a downhill slide but it's so good, why not drink up?
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10/14/2017 - mflesh wrote:
For a young Barolo, this one was showing well at dinner. Quite honestly, this one is too young. I was not all that sure that this was the right decision here to go with this one, but after about 30 minutes of air, it went very well with a rare rib-eye steak with Marsala and angel-hair pasta. Classic Barolo with good, medium+ mouthfeel from the start, good candied red cherry. The middle turned a little darker, showing a gravelly black cherry and black tea. The finish was a little more spicy, and was quite restricted for the first 30-40 minutes. This wine disappeared very quickly over dinner!
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10/1/2017 - Dom K Likes this wine: 93 Points
Soft, elegant, light to medium bodied- not as powerful as I expected from a Barolo, but pleasant nonetheless. Rustic earth with dried cherries and strawberries. Paired well with seafood pasta. Drinking well now.
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8/6/2017 - JOsgood wrote: 90 Points
Nice basic Barolo that is open for business. Generally, I really like these 2012s from an underrated vintage.
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7/2/2017 - AlexGol wrote: flawed
Very bad bottle
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5/27/2017 - frenchiecagowine Likes this wine: 92 Points
An elegant Barolo made in the traditional style, with no new oak, and a blend of different sites rather than a single vineyard. This is Pio Cesare's entry level Barolo, very classic. Delicate aromas, with medium plus tannins and a long finish. I really enjoyed it as it shows the typicity of Barolo.
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3/21/2017 - SlimShaney wrote: 87 Points
I was looking forward to trying this, but am underwhelmed. Thin with initial liquified sweet and sour sauce leading through to tannic substrate.
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3/11/2017 - RajivAyyangar wrote: 83 Points
James Suckling - Great Wines of Italy II - 2017 (The Presidio, SF): More aggressive structure and fleshier. Green and herbaceous. Slight new oak slight Brett. Interesting combo. Weird herbaceousness but classic structure.
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3/6/2017 - farinas wrote: 92 Points
Great Wines of Italy with James Suckling (Moore Building, Miami, FL): Great entry-level Barolo from Pio Cesare. It's a middle of the road Barolo balancing effusive bouquet with medium body fruit. Excellent stuff and a good value.
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3/5/2017 - Collector1855 wrote: 92 Points
During a walkabout tasting, so only brief impressions. Light brick garnet. Lovley nose of cherry, tobacco, good Nebbiolo typicity. Elegant and light palate, not your blockbuster kind but well balanced. The tannins need another 5 years though. Drink after 2022.
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11/23/2016 - Vino Me wrote: 84 Points
Retailer tasting. No formal notes. 84 points.
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11/11/2016 - tomoem wrote: 90 Points
A wine which I have had and consistently believe in. This wine was no different. Fruit forward with unfortunate and yet present tannin. This wine wine needs time. Hard to note fruit but they are in there. Wait 3-5 years
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11/9/2016 - rossi.wine wrote: 91 Points
Quite consistent with previous note. Very polished and balanced, quite forward and ripe. Round tannins, nice finish. A bit straightforward at this stage. 90-91+
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10/27/2016 - gruenemuetze Likes this wine:
slowly opening up, young, sweet ver present tannins, velvety, rather fruity Barolo for now
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10/20/2016 - walkerjfw wrote: 93 Points
Wine Spectator, NY Wine Experience Grand Tasting...more wines than time...shorter notes (NY City): At NY Wine Experience, fun opportunity to drink this with the vintner.
Medium ruby color, clear and translucent. Nose of bright cherry, red berries. Red fruits, licorice and balsamic note on the plate. Much more accessible than I thought it would be, my personal experience/rule of thumb is Barolos tend to be hard as nails before 10 years. This will evolve nicely and would cellar for a while. As tannins soften and fruits mature this should be really nice. Actually drinks OK right now
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10/18/2016 - Rezy13 Likes this wine:
Pio Cesare Tasting with Pio Boffa (Atlanta, GA): Sexy color and aromatics, palate is silky, floral, strawberry, fresh roses, soft cherry, elegant, refined tannins compared to many '12s I've tasted; very good.
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10/7/2016 - swapdoc Likes this wine:
A classic Barolo nose. Young, complex wine, persistent and packed with sweet red fruit driven flavors, with a hint of tar and mint in the finish. Slowly unfolds the flavors and stays on for a long time. A warmer year showcases the ripe fruit here, but a very good balance overall. Might be more accessible than some of the '10 wines.
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10/1/2016 - gew71walsh wrote: 92 Points
Although this is very young, is balanced. Cherries with some earthiness. Will come together further over next 5 to 10 years. Ordered from restaurant.
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6/4/2016 - rossi.wine wrote: 91 Points
Quite ripe fruit on the nose - floral, silky, soft. Nicely balanced on the palate, round and rather soft tannins, bright acidity towards the finish. 90-91+
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6/4/2016 - Phenol73 Likes this wine: 93 Points
(Decanter Italy Tasting 2016) :: Fantastic balance, perfume and lift. A floral nose full of petals sit atop a fruit / tar core. Nothing out of place or overstated. Real elegance and class here. Strong but fine tannins.
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