Not much on the nose but the flavors were still ok. Well liked by everyone. Definitely on the downside of the hill. Did not decant. Probably should be consumed sooner rather than later. No noticable tannins.
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Brick red fading to orange with a watery rim. Nose of Faint cherry, old leather, dust, and a little "tar and roses". On the palate fine tannins, strong acidity and a medium body lead to a medium-long finish. Drink now - this wine faded after an hour. Don't get me wrong - I enjoyed this wine. Aged Borolo is always worth trying. I was just hoping for more after 23 years. I do not have enough experience with aged Borolo to be an accurate arbiter.
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Recent one off purchase ($60) from online wine clearinghouse #1, which it said it just acquired from the producer. Open with a 1 oz taste. On the nose and palate, vibrant cran-cherry, blood orange, rose petals, iron/rust, balsamic and tar, with powerful tannins and acidity. I had the '98 of this bottling about 9 months ago, and it was excellent. The friend who poured it for me didn't decant, and the wine got better as we drained the bottle. With this in mind, I gave it about an hour of air, which was a big mistake, since it was pretty much done for my purposes when I came back to it. Very faded fruit, with only slightly less faded acidity and tannins. Just enough acidity to work fairly well with burritos the first night and rack of lamb the second, although a '10 Laurel Glen cab smoked it tonight. Really disappointing, and with 3 consecutive bad experiences with mid to high end 1990's wines (this, the Ducru and the Montebello) and a screamingly good one with a baby (the '16 Spottswoode), I may be coming to an inflection point in how I think about aging wine. I've had significant bottle variation from this clearinghouse, especially on older vintages, and while I've refrained from complaining, this may be the straw which breaks the camel's back. That said, if you have this 1) drink it now, 2) don't decant, and 3) keep it corked while you're drinking it, and you MAY be ok. Hard to score, since it was very good-excellent out of the bottle and pretty good with food but barely tolerable otherwise. Call it a gentleman's 88. Follow up: the seller graciously refunded my purchase price on this.
Decanted for three hours. Some slight bricking but really looking very good. A bit austere at first but then raspberries and black tea came through. Feminine. Elegant. Still pretty tannic despite it's age. Delicious with pan-seared duck on mushroom risotto. Kinda wish I had another bottle so I could try it again in 5 years. Drink or hold.
This bottle took a pretty long time to open up, and felt a bit chemical in the first 30-45 minutes of being awakened. That said, it complemented a meal of kohlrabi and radish salad and a tajarin ragu beautifully. Fairly dark, long finish. Will give the second bottle we have a good hour or two open, if not more.
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Tasted blind. Dusty, notes of fennel and blackberry. Very tannic and rustic, but meaty with lots of complexity. Would benefit from 3-4 years in the cellar.
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9/13/2020 - americanstorm Likes this wine: 90 Points
Not much on the nose but the flavors were still ok. Well liked by everyone. Definitely on the downside of the hill. Did not decant. Probably should be consumed sooner rather than later. No noticable tannins.
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6/9/2020 - eyewino wrote: 88 Points
Brick red fading to orange with a watery rim. Nose of Faint cherry, old leather, dust, and a little "tar and roses". On the palate fine tannins, strong acidity and a medium body lead to a medium-long finish. Drink now - this wine faded after an hour. Don't get me wrong - I enjoyed this wine. Aged Borolo is always worth trying. I was just hoping for more after 23 years. I do not have enough experience with aged Borolo to be an accurate arbiter.
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6/6/2020 - sfwinelover1 wrote: 88 Points
Recent one off purchase ($60) from online wine clearinghouse #1, which it said it just acquired from the producer. Open with a 1 oz taste. On the nose and palate, vibrant cran-cherry, blood orange, rose petals, iron/rust, balsamic and tar, with powerful tannins and acidity. I had the '98 of this bottling about 9 months ago, and it was excellent. The friend who poured it for me didn't decant, and the wine got better as we drained the bottle. With this in mind, I gave it about an hour of air, which was a big mistake, since it was pretty much done for my purposes when I came back to it. Very faded fruit, with only slightly less faded acidity and tannins. Just enough acidity to work fairly well with burritos the first night and rack of lamb the second, although a '10 Laurel Glen cab smoked it tonight. Really disappointing, and with 3 consecutive bad experiences with mid to high end 1990's wines (this, the Ducru and the Montebello) and a screamingly good one with a baby (the '16 Spottswoode), I may be coming to an inflection point in how I think about aging wine. I've had significant bottle variation from this clearinghouse, especially on older vintages, and while I've refrained from complaining, this may be the straw which breaks the camel's back. That said, if you have this 1) drink it now, 2) don't decant, and 3) keep it corked while you're drinking it, and you MAY be ok. Hard to score, since it was very good-excellent out of the bottle and pretty good with food but barely tolerable otherwise. Call it a gentleman's 88. Follow up: the seller graciously refunded my purchase price on this.
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11/15/2019 - Martysfo Likes this wine: 96 Points
Great wine. Tobacco, cherry, sage and cedar. Wonderful acidity with a long finish.
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5/14/2017 - treidling Likes this wine: 90 Points
Solid Barolo and definitely well-integrated at this point. I had hoped for more given the price point but certainly enjoyable.
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11/4/2016 - bobvictor Likes this wine: 90 Points
Drinking nicely with many years ahead.
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3/8/2015 - thesternowl Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted for three hours. Some slight bricking but really looking very good. A bit austere at first but then raspberries and black tea came through. Feminine. Elegant. Still pretty tannic despite it's age. Delicious with pan-seared duck on mushroom risotto. Kinda wish I had another bottle so I could try it again in 5 years. Drink or hold.
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6/21/2014 - round1 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Decanted over a lazy afternoon doing chores, opened up wonderfully. Pepper on the nose, lovely cherry at the end, long finish.
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11/15/2013 - tombiro Likes this wine: 89 Points
This bottle took a pretty long time to open up, and felt a bit chemical in the first 30-45 minutes of being awakened. That said, it complemented a meal of kohlrabi and radish salad and a tajarin ragu beautifully. Fairly dark, long finish. Will give the second bottle we have a good hour or two open, if not more.
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11/22/2011 - Rani Likes this wine: 91 Points
Tasted blind.
Dusty, notes of fennel and blackberry. Very tannic and rustic, but meaty with lots of complexity. Would benefit from 3-4 years in the cellar.
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4/18/2010 - Valery P wrote: 85 Points
As fresh and vigorous as if it were 2005. Prime time for drinking. Dried cherries with a memory of green apples. Silky touch and lingering finish
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