Well the rating is not fair , because i think the bottle was flawed. On opening the wine and taking the first sniff there was a very pronounced note of either lacquer or raw meet...it didn't really go away and stayed in that stage forat least 4 hours , the day after it was like the bottle was trying to come around and deliver more without ever giving anything. And went back to the stage with that very stange odor and taste as well. Maybe someone here with more knowledge can come with a word to the bottle either flawed or being in a really strange stage. Had the wine in Both Zalto Burgundy as well as Riedel Sommelier Burgundy glasses.
Looks older than 11 years, pronounced complex heady aroma, slightly solventy in a good way. Good depth of flavour, which is tarry smoky rose petals, some hints of liquorice. Finish medium, rather than lingering, with a savoury tarry treacle toffee note. VG wine given the vintage.
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Opened poured off a small amount and checked a few times. Much more cohesive after an hour. Double decanted prior to serving and left out the last 50 ml with the murky sediment.
This is in a great spot. Aged notes are lingering in the background, but plenty primary fruit too. Would happily buy again.
The nose is very expressive and classic: cherries, licorice, and pronounced note of roses.
Similar notes while tasting, but more earthy notes and a hint of warm spice in the mid palette. While it's medium bodied, it has the resonance that where the flavors seems to keep coming like waves. Plenty of structure - above average acidity. Nothing is over extracted, very elegant. Tannins present, but not at all distracting. Finish is full, long, and lingering.
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Opened and poured. Red with fading. Enticing nose of tobacco and mulled spices. Utterly elegant medium weight with natural sweetness of fruit, great fluidity, faded tannins, and a long soil finish. I called it seductive in 2016 and it is still so now. At the plateau of maturity and quite delightful. The 2012's are so inviting now.
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How much 2012 Barolo is too much 2012 Barolo (Noize): I didn't take super detailed notes of the Brovia crus but I thought they all had a slightly green streak running through them, perhaps from the hail? Not their best moment.
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Deep ruby color, a touch of lightening up towards the rim. Pretty open for business, with notes of plum, dark berries, tar, some cedar, also some tobacco leaf. It’s medium-full bodied, lacks the mid-palate persistence of the very best vintages (but this is complaining on a very high level here). Medium-high tannin with excellent quality, some pretty high acidity. Long finish with plenty of tension. An excellent Ca’Mia, especially in the context of the vintage. Probably one of the top wines of the vintage.
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I admit that I am often confused by Barolo drinking windows. At times, I've been harsh on a Nebiolo only to be reminded by my fellow Cellar Tracker users that I am drinking these wines too young. I appreciate this input (wink) but I know a thing or two about aging wines, regularly keeping a bottle in my cellar for 3-4 decades. Where was I?
This Fratelli Brea just seems to be about perfect at the moment. We decanted this bottle with just a tad of sediment towards the final pour. A beautiful, richly expensive looking, burled cherry color in the glass. A heady nose of esters, alcohol and leather. The mouth is quite full and round and forward with tannins. The finish last as long as it takes to pen this tasting note.
I'm searching for something deeper but that may be just a recollection of the very best of Barolo's I have ever tasted. I suppose that this could go another 7-10 years in the bottle but I would be disappointed to find myself on the outside of the window, looking in. With this wine, I would take one's chances and drink on the younger side of that window.
We really didn't linger over this wine. Decanted, poured and enjoyed over dinner. My family certainly enjoyed this as much as I did but a second thought wasn't given, other than to ask, what do we open next?
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The colour is medium ruby. Right after opening, the wine offers a wonderful, pronounced aroma of red roses; with some air followed by licorice and mint. Light and elegant on the palate, but still with great concentration and intensity. Fresh red fruit and good acidity. Great mouthfeel! It's a young nebbiolo so the tannins are there, but they are well balanced against the fruit and the acidity, so the wine does not require food to be enjoyed. Oh yes, this was a really good wine!
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The nose is pure cherry. On the palate, there is cherry liqueur with the telltale roses and tar with some iron towards the end. The diffuse tannins are relatively soft and the finish is long.
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Nose: dense dark red and black cherry , rose, tar. You can smell cinnamon heat from the 14.5% but it’s not off putting.
Palate: Sweet candied rose, bright red cherry, black cherry, and alcohol.
Elegant balance despite the big alcohol here. Tannin is there but fine and diffuse and takes a back seat to the alcohol here.
This is a big dark cherry finessed powerful wine. The prevalence of alcohol here keeps me from scoring higher.
I’m giving this a 91-92. Nose is a 93 but the palate with that alcohol is a 91. Key question is how the wine will evolve with time, and this wine needs more like ten years than five years. The aroma unfurl more for sure with balancing acidity and finesse. I am not sure how the alcohol and heat will present itself in the future.
In retrospect not a surprise so many of these bottles available at retail at attractive pricing.
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Et fint tydelig rosepreg på nese med litt lysere syrlige røde bær og lett lakris. Heller ikke så konsentrert her, bare en elegant frukt som en bare har lyst til å nyte lenge.
Vinen mangler også litt kompleksitet, men dette er en raffinert og elegant vin. Tanninene vises først på den lange utgangen og er vel faste, men det trenges for at denne skal lagres i noen år. Noe brente fat på utgangen her, men dette er absolutt en flott vin! Til rødt kjøtt og lam.
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Cherry, wild strawberry, iron, flowers and some balsamico. Gentle tannins (for a barolo). Have had a few 12 Barolos where I think the alcohol has been a bit too noticable, but not here. Perfectly balanced and highly drinkable.
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PnPed. This is really young. More shy than the Rocche, but that might be because of the different treatments I gave them (Had the Roche weeks ago - not side by side with this.) The nose on this seems both darker and more red than the Rocche - not sure how that is possible. This shows red and dark fruits (tart cherry, dark cherry, and plum), dried roses, red sand, red spices and a spicy sandalwood or balsam kind of thing. The palate on this shows similar flavors, but it's very shy and wound - lots and lots of structure here - moderate and drying tannins and puckery acid lead into a finish that is very old school and pretty tough. I give the Rocche the advantage with its perfume, but I could be surprised - there is excellent material here and if things develop and fall into place, this could be something. Possible, when I look at the notes from other esteemed tasters on CT, that this could be shutting down after its primary youth window. Nose - 5+/6, Palate - 5+/6, Finish - 4.5+/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1.5/2 = 16+/20 (with 16.5-17.5/20 potential). Some of the other tasters on CT wrote about a bit of mint, some meat and iron/ferrous notes - I think those are all good descriptors for the wine as well.
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Tasted during visit. Fascinating notes of blood, meat, dark fruit, tar, some ferrous notes too, mint, cedar wood and cigar. It's full-bodied, dense, but still elegant with high acidity and high but excellent tannin. Very good length. A powerful but elegant Ca`Mia that represents Serralunga but like all Brovia wines with an extra level of finesse.
Tasted alongside the Villero. An exercise in the existence of terroir, although not as extreme in its Serralunga character as in most vintages. Black fruits, almost jammy, leap out of the glass. This is earthy, meaty, and mineral, with a huge amount of structure. And yet, the tannins are sweet and well integrated. Despite the imposing density, the wine is accessible now and yields plenty of enjoyment, although I’d give it a few hours of air. Rated 2 on a scale of -1 to 3.
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Grand Slam Home Run. FWIW, today is my first day back from a 3-month long wine trip to Italy. During this time, I spent 7 weeks in Langhe, tasting pretty much every day, sometimes several times a day. In addition, I spent 2 days in Padiglione 10 at this year's Vin Italy. So I guess I tasted a lot of new release Barolo wines. That said, buy all you can find of this. And don't be afraid to open one right away (mine was a PnP, when tasted at the cantina), as it's quite open just now. Sappy, deep, elegant, soil, balance, LONG, sweet tannins, delicious - these are the notes I managed to scribble down, as I was really just focused on the wine, not so much on taking notes. highly recommended
PnP, served non-blind; tasted several times with consistent results.
4/22/2024 - 560 B&W Likes this wine: 92 Points
Tasted over three nights. Quite lovely. Throwing a ton of sediment. 14.5% Not declining.
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4/1/2024 - FDP wrote:
Well the rating is not fair , because i think the bottle was flawed. On opening the wine and taking the first sniff there was a very pronounced note of either lacquer or raw meet...it didn't really go away and stayed in that stage forat least 4 hours , the day after it was like the bottle was trying to come around and deliver more without ever giving anything. And went back to the stage with that very stange odor and taste as well.
Maybe someone here with more knowledge can come with a word to the bottle either flawed or being in a really strange stage.
Had the wine in Both Zalto Burgundy as well as Riedel Sommelier Burgundy glasses.
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2/17/2024 - JPT5 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Looks older than 11 years, pronounced complex heady aroma, slightly solventy in a good way. Good depth of flavour, which is tarry smoky rose petals, some hints of liquorice. Finish medium, rather than lingering, with a savoury tarry treacle toffee note. VG wine given the vintage.
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2/6/2023 - Lfholland Likes this wine: 95 Points
Opened poured off a small amount and checked a few times. Much more cohesive after an hour. Double decanted prior to serving and left out the last 50 ml with the murky sediment.
This is in a great spot. Aged notes are lingering in the background, but plenty primary fruit too. Would happily buy again.
The nose is very expressive and classic: cherries, licorice, and pronounced note of roses.
Similar notes while tasting, but more earthy notes and a hint of warm spice in the mid palette. While it's medium bodied, it has the resonance that where the flavors seems to keep coming like waves. Plenty of structure - above average acidity. Nothing is over extracted, very elegant. Tannins present, but not at all distracting. Finish is full, long, and lingering.
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1/29/2023 - drwine2001 wrote:
Opened and poured. Red with fading. Enticing nose of tobacco and mulled spices. Utterly elegant medium weight with natural sweetness of fruit, great fluidity, faded tannins, and a long soil finish. I called it seductive in 2016 and it is still so now. At the plateau of maturity and quite delightful. The 2012's are so inviting now.
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10/7/2021 - ubercuvee wrote:
How much 2012 Barolo is too much 2012 Barolo (Noize): I didn't take super detailed notes of the Brovia crus but I thought they all had a slightly green streak running through them, perhaps from the hail? Not their best moment.
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5/8/2021 - NostraBacchus Likes this wine: 95 Points
Deep ruby color, a touch of lightening up towards the rim. Pretty open for business, with notes of plum, dark berries, tar, some cedar, also some tobacco leaf. It’s medium-full bodied, lacks the mid-palate persistence of the very best vintages (but this is complaining on a very high level here). Medium-high tannin with excellent quality, some pretty high acidity. Long finish with plenty of tension. An excellent Ca’Mia, especially in the context of the vintage. Probably one of the top wines of the vintage.
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12/19/2020 - pepmi wrote: 92 Points
I admit that I am often confused by Barolo drinking windows. At times, I've been harsh on a Nebiolo only to be reminded by my fellow Cellar Tracker users that I am drinking these wines too young. I appreciate this input (wink) but I know a thing or two about aging wines, regularly keeping a bottle in my cellar for 3-4 decades. Where was I?
This Fratelli Brea just seems to be about perfect at the moment. We decanted this bottle with just a tad of sediment towards the final pour.
A beautiful, richly expensive looking, burled cherry color in the glass. A heady nose of esters, alcohol and leather. The mouth is quite full and round and forward with tannins. The finish last as long as it takes to pen this tasting note.
I'm searching for something deeper but that may be just a recollection of the very best of Barolo's I have ever tasted. I suppose that this could go another 7-10 years in the bottle but I would be disappointed to find myself on the outside of the window, looking in. With this wine, I would take one's chances and drink on the younger side of that window.
We really didn't linger over this wine. Decanted, poured and enjoyed over dinner. My family certainly enjoyed this as much as I did but a second thought wasn't given, other than to ask, what do we open next?
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10/12/2020 - Fuel55 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still very young and unevolved. More Barbaresco than Barolo. Very fine. Hopeful for the future - try again in 2025.
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12/20/2019 - Jozefs Likes this wine: 92 Points
Needs a bit more time
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8/17/2019 - RuneW Likes this wine: 93 Points
The colour is medium ruby. Right after opening, the wine offers a wonderful, pronounced aroma of red roses; with some air followed by licorice and mint. Light and elegant on the palate, but still with great concentration and intensity. Fresh red fruit and good acidity. Great mouthfeel! It's a young nebbiolo so the tannins are there, but they are well balanced against the fruit and the acidity, so the wine does not require food to be enjoyed. Oh yes, this was a really good wine!
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3/3/2019 - Diane (LI) wrote:
The nose is pure cherry. On the palate, there is cherry liqueur with the telltale roses and tar with some iron towards the end. The diffuse tannins are relatively soft and the finish is long.
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2/19/2019 - SARED Does not like this wine: 91 Points
Nose: dense dark red and black cherry , rose, tar. You can smell cinnamon heat from the 14.5% but it’s not off putting.
Palate: Sweet candied rose, bright red cherry, black cherry, and alcohol.
Elegant balance despite the big alcohol here. Tannin is there but fine and diffuse and takes a back seat to the alcohol here.
This is a big dark cherry finessed powerful wine. The prevalence of alcohol here keeps me from scoring higher.
I’m giving this a 91-92. Nose is a 93 but the palate with that alcohol is a 91. Key question is how the wine will evolve with time, and this wine needs more like ten years than five years. The aroma unfurl more for sure with balancing acidity and finesse. I am not sure how the alcohol and heat will present itself in the future.
In retrospect not a surprise so many of these bottles available at retail at attractive pricing.
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1/4/2018 - Andre Brattland wrote: 93 Points
Et fint tydelig rosepreg på nese med litt lysere syrlige røde bær og lett lakris. Heller ikke så konsentrert her, bare en elegant frukt som en bare har lyst til å nyte lenge.
Vinen mangler også litt kompleksitet, men dette er en raffinert og elegant vin. Tanninene vises først på den lange utgangen og er vel faste, men det trenges for at denne skal lagres i noen år. Noe brente fat på utgangen her, men dette er absolutt en flott vin! Til rødt kjøtt og lam.
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12/11/2017 - PC73 Likes this wine: 93 Points
very clean and pure
impressive again
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9/30/2017 - aekenback wrote: 94 Points
Cherry, wild strawberry, iron, flowers and some balsamico. Gentle tannins (for a barolo). Have had a few 12 Barolos where I think the alcohol has been a bit too noticable, but not here. Perfectly balanced and highly drinkable.
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7/3/2017 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine: 92 Points
PnPed. This is really young. More shy than the Rocche, but that might be because of the different treatments I gave them (Had the Roche weeks ago - not side by side with this.) The nose on this seems both darker and more red than the Rocche - not sure how that is possible. This shows red and dark fruits (tart cherry, dark cherry, and plum), dried roses, red sand, red spices and a spicy sandalwood or balsam kind of thing. The palate on this shows similar flavors, but it's very shy and wound - lots and lots of structure here - moderate and drying tannins and puckery acid lead into a finish that is very old school and pretty tough. I give the Rocche the advantage with its perfume, but I could be surprised - there is excellent material here and if things develop and fall into place, this could be something. Possible, when I look at the notes from other esteemed tasters on CT, that this could be shutting down after its primary youth window. Nose - 5+/6, Palate - 5+/6, Finish - 4.5+/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1.5/2 = 16+/20 (with 16.5-17.5/20 potential). Some of the other tasters on CT wrote about a bit of mint, some meat and iron/ferrous notes - I think those are all good descriptors for the wine as well.
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12/16/2016 - drwine2001 wrote:
Brovia 2012 Barolos (Dig Wines, San Francisco): Very pale. Like great Burgundy in its enticing aromatics, elegant red fruit, and fine acidity. This is utterly seductive right now.
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9/9/2016 - NostraBacchus Likes this wine: 95 Points
Tasted during visit. Fascinating notes of blood, meat, dark fruit, tar, some ferrous notes too, mint, cedar wood and cigar. It's full-bodied, dense, but still elegant with high acidity and high but excellent tannin. Very good length. A powerful but elegant Ca`Mia that represents Serralunga but like all Brovia wines with an extra level of finesse.
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9/2/2016 - kevinacohn wrote:
Tasted alongside the Villero. An exercise in the existence of terroir, although not as extreme in its Serralunga character as in most vintages. Black fruits, almost jammy, leap out of the glass. This is earthy, meaty, and mineral, with a huge amount of structure. And yet, the tannins are sweet and well integrated. Despite the imposing density, the wine is accessible now and yields plenty of enjoyment, although I’d give it a few hours of air. Rated 2 on a scale of -1 to 3.
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5/18/2016 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:
Grand Slam Home Run. FWIW, today is my first day back from a 3-month long wine trip to Italy. During this time, I spent 7 weeks in Langhe, tasting pretty much every day, sometimes several times a day. In addition, I spent 2 days in Padiglione 10 at this year's Vin Italy. So I guess I tasted a lot of new release Barolo wines. That said, buy all you can find of this. And don't be afraid to open one right away (mine was a PnP, when tasted at the cantina), as it's quite open just now. Sappy, deep, elegant, soil, balance, LONG, sweet tannins, delicious - these are the notes I managed to scribble down, as I was really just focused on the wine, not so much on taking notes. highly recommended
PnP, served non-blind; tasted several times with consistent results.
https://italianwine.blog/
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