A Summer Giacosa Dinner (Spinasse, Seattle): Double decanted 6 hours earlier. Light red with browning, watery rim. As with some other older Giacosa’s, a burnt rubber aromatic component that was offputting and never went away. Underneath, an excellent wine with piquant acidity, dark red fruit, and some tar that is largely resolved. I have had 2 better bottles of this.
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Tasted blind, this wine had a deep red center with redish rims. The medium intensity nose of cherries, roses, tar, and soil was still a little tight.
In the mouth, this wine was medium+ bodied with substantial tannin, firm acidity, and excellent length.
This wine scored in the 93 pt range when first poured (after 3+ hours of air) and it slowly improved over the course of several hours. This is a classic example of Giacosa being best if tasted immediately after opening OR after sitting in a decanter for 12 hours. Thus, I don't think I saw this one at its best.
I personally favor the later approach. This is likely to improve by a couple of points after a decade in the cellar and will last many decades after that.
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Beautiful focused nose, balsamic, floral, some walnut. Ripe sweet and very pure on the palate. Intense and long, absolutely a point. Fantastic. When served alongside the Santo Stefano the village characteristics came to the fore, the Barolo with more zing (albeit the Barbaresco was a little muted by sediment at this point).
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Mostly Giacosa dinner (RPM Italian, Washington D.C.): Complex nose displaying elegant bright dry red fruit with a hint of black, dry cherry, cherry juice, blackberry, fruitcake, licorice, leather, truffle, tar, light caramel, cumin and iron. Perfectly harmonious palate, very finely layered elegant red fruit, very fluid and elegant, perfect amount of acidity and mineral, and a long clean red fruit driven finish with iron and cumin at the end. Clearly the WOTF. This is drinking beautifully.
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Purchased at Bern's Steak House. Decanted only about an hour. A truly excellent wine, beautifully aged. Mesmerizing nose of leather, black licorice, rose petals. Perfectly balanced tannins. Amazing.
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This is an astonishingly impressive wine. It's so concentrated and so deep -- but also still so young! -- that it seems downright eternal. This shows dark and red fruits interleaved with earth, herbs, and some tar in layers upon layers of flavor. Still, the density gives the impression of extreme youth, and I think this will take another decade (at least) to hit apogee. Note that this bottle was stored since release in a super-cold cellar, so it's probably behind the aging curve of many examples. There are a couple of points of future upside when this unfurls.
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Menthol tar, dried rose petal. Big structure still. Absolutely magic and profound, real depth and complexity. Drink now and over the next 10 to 15 years.
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Pop and pour. A perfectly stored example but the color is a bit pale. Medium expressive nose displaying concentrated red and black fruit, cherry, dry cherry, blackberry, fruitcake, licorice, sap, rose, sweet spices and strong mineral. Perfectly integrated youthful palate, layers upon layers of sweet red fruit, dense and rich, bright acidity and iron mineral, still showing a hint of tannins, and a long ripe red and black fruit driven finish with caramel and licorice at the end. At least six hours of decanting is recommended.
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Pruney and stewy. Not corked, but probably not well-stored somewhere along the line, and just not enjoyable at all. I once opened a 2000 bottle of this same wine that is probably the best Italian wine I've had. That was unfortunate, as it got me hooked chasing the same experience again, or even better experiences based on (allegedly) better vintages. But since then my bottles of Giacosa have ranged from meh to just bad. Maybe it's bad luck, but I think my days of paying premium $ for back vintage Giacosa are done.
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Big Guns Dinner - Preceded by a 2007 Roumier Bonnes Mares and CLB La Romanee and paired with a delicious 1967 Petrus.
Decanted at 1:00 after an hour showing dense dark fruit, spice, leather, rose petals, palate was still quite tight but showed lots of promise, back in the bottle at 5:00, served at 7:00. By now this opened up to show deep layers of plummy/dark fruit, tar, leather and earth notes. Relatively fine tannins, bright acidity, excellent balance, rich seamless texture with a persistent finish.
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White Truffle Dinner: 86/89/96. Showing mature with lots of balsamico and red cherry. Layered and decadent. I think more air would have let this shine at another level.
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Darker on the nose than the SSR. It's meaty, ferrous, and more savory with darker profiled Nebbiolo fruit. On the palate, it's dense yet extremely well balanced with a sappiness and breadth in a more directly powerful mode than the SSR. A serious, regal wine that demands your attention whereas the SSR draws you to it. Fantastic, but lacking some of the mystery and grace of the SSR. Wonderful.
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Decanted at 3 hours ahead. Great nose of tart red fruit, some spice, leather, rose petals. Initially still a bit tight on the palate, but with time in glass it opened up to show deep layers of plummy/dark fruit, tar, leather and earth notes. Relatively fine tannins, bright acidity, balance, rich texture with a long finish. Still quite young but a bright future for sure
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Neb Vinous Blind 1989 Barolo & Barbaresco Dinner (Buona Notte, NYC): [Double decanted around 10am.] Stunning, ethereal nose. Jammy, tight, still a bit backward. I guess I should have decanted this longer. A great wine with a long life ahead. The finish is amazing. 97-99
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1989 Barolo Retrospective - Single Blind (Buona Notte, NYC): The nose was gorgeous from the moment I tipped the glass, displaying citrus-tinged black cherry, sweet florals, dusty earth, dried roses and a hint of mint leaf. On the palate, I found silky, almost creamy textures giving way to ripe red fruits and spice with offsetting savory herbal tones and a coating of minerality. The finish was long with hints of balsamic spice, black cherry and hints of round tannin. What an elegant beauty of a wine.
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A hugely perfumed nose Intoxicating. I could smell this all night (and did). Balsam, tar, roses, and dark fruited Nebbiolo. Wonderful, archetypal Serralunga perfume. On the palate, it is bottomless with lung and palate filling perfume. In spite of the power, there is a sweetness to its fruit and elegance. Power delivered with grace. Like tidal surge pushing everything in its way. Rich, concentrated, and broad yet perfectly detailed. Fresher than a bottle a few months back. It's impossibly well balanced. This was the more obviously incredible of the two red labels tonight. An incredible showing for this wine. Damn near perfect, and was poured right next to perfection. Wow. Thank you KV
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Iconic bottles: Barolo & Barbaresco Tasting (Maialino, NYC Lexington and 21st): The nose showed dusty spice with hints of dried orange, tart cherry, it was almost musty with a hint of earthy undergrowth, and slight oxidation. On the palate, I found soft textures, giving way to fleshy cherry and hints of balsamic spice as tart acidity tugged at the senses, leaving grippy tannin and a bitter note of amaro. The finish was long yet dominated by acid and tannin with only hints of dried red fruits. My suspicion was that this bottle was flawed, and so I decided not to score it.
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The most savory of the flight. Bouillon, tar, iron, some olive, and darker nebbiolo fruit. Wonderful texture and sap. It's denser and more structured than the other three wines in the flight, but also and I am picking nits and all in relative note to the wine drunk alongside it, it was the broadest and most direct of the 4 wines. Great balance, and with a great mix of savory and soil over fruit. Finishes long with balsamic notes. Terrific wine.
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1989 Piedmont Retrospective (Cinghiale, Baltimore): Explosive nose displaying concentrated very ripe black fruit, black cherry, dry cherry, blackberry jam, fruitcake, licorice, caramel, rust, soy, dark spices and iron mineral. Incredible concentration, layers upon layers of deeply toned concentrated black fruit, dense and chewy, bright acidity, strong iron mineral, still noticeable medium coarse tannins and a long dense black fruit driven finish with caramel and dark spices at the end. It is the most powerful, ripe and concentrated wine of the evening along with the Rinaldi Brunate. It also transforms with air, showing better precision and detail.
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G. Conterno v. B. Giacosa (Maialino): This smells like the lobby of the Cosmopolitan in Vegas: a little floral and a little smoky, quite nice but could be the context. Moderately expressive and probably the best ‘89 of the program.
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Tampa Spring Break III; 2/16/2018-2/18/2018 (Tampa FL): From the wine list at Bern's. 1st bottle opened seemed a bit off, as the nose was totally shut down, so the somm replaced the bottle with a fresh one. This was decanted for about one hour prior to serving. I suspect a longer decant would have really helped the wine, as it opened up quite nicely in the glass. Quite a transition from the older Bordeaux wines as this was still very much alive and kicking. Great Barolo nose of leather, old library and rose petals. Initially a bit reticent on the palate, but with time in glass, plummy fruit, tar, black tea leave, leather and bright acidity with a long finish. A really beautiful glass of wine.
Old Friends, Old Wine Weekend-Red Burgundy, Rioja, Barolo, and a Few Germans; 1/12/2018-1/14/2018 (Various Venues): Medium ruby with early fading. Wow, what aromatic intensity and penetration! I could smell this wine across the table. All tar and tobacco to begin, then slowly revealed some spice and ripe fruit all encased by furry tannins. A shame we could not give it more time in the decanter, as it got better and better with more air. Iconic, great, and very, very young. I'll end where I started-magnificent, totally wow wine.
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With Jim, Mannie, Rob, Bill and friends at Charlie Bird. Part of a flight of 9 1989s. My favorite tonight of the 89s. incredibly rich and ready although still primary and just kept getting better as the night passed.
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Old Wine Weekend with Friends-German, Burgundy, Bonus Wines; 1/14/2017-1/15/2017: Light ruby-the least saturated of the 3 reds tonight. A little reduction to start, but mostly assertive tobacco and anise when first uncorked. This opened beautifully over 2 hours in the decanter, showing secondary perfume and herbs. Tight, medium weight, great intensity, savory, mineral, and still quite tannic with dark red fruit in the background. Interesting late note of orange peel, which I sometimes get from old Burgundy but not generally from Nebbiolo. It continued to unfold, and the grip relaxed to reveal a more sappy, harmonious feel as it sat in the decanter. Outstanding and beginning to become more inviting, but I really think this will benefit from another decade before it really turns heads.
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The ‘89 Falletto didn’t perform as well as past bottles I’ve experienced, as it seems it may have been poorly stored at one point in its life. The nose showed minerals up front, along with dried berries, spiced orange and notes of undergrowth. On the palate, I found dark, almost murky, red fruits with notes of coffee grinds, sweet spice and moderate tannins. A roasted sensation lingered, as it finished on briny minerality.
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This definitely took a back seat to the 1989 Villero we drank alongside it. The wine exhibited an old and earthy bouquet and aged palate marked by hints of chocolate.
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A bit of VA on the nose. When it blows off this is amazing. Masculine. Earthy. Molasses, Dried rose petals. A touch of menthol. Spice. A bit of black tea. Definitely darker and more weight on the palate than the 90 Santo Stefano Riserva. Very complex with wonderful weight and texture.
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When you pull bottles like these out of your cellar and open them, there's always so much built-up expectation for greatness. And sometimes you're let down relative to these expectations. It's really great when a bottle lives up to your internal hype, and even outperforms!
Purchased in the mid-late 90s (who knows before CellarTracker) for I'd guess less than $100 (anyone know what year these would have been sold retail in the US? And a guess for the price?)
Bottle was upright for weeks. I decanted at 5am, left in the decanter for 3 hours and then back into the bottle at 8am. Consumed maybe 10 hours later. So is that 3 hours of decanting or also some 'credit' for the next 10 hours, who knows?
Color translucent ruby. When the wine hit the glass you could smell it across the table. More 'rose petal' and 'cherry' vs 'forest floor' and 'tar'. Sweeter than I would have guessed. Initially a tannin attack on the back end but this vanished after 30 minutes or so (does this mean I should have decanted longer initially? Who knows..). Long finish. Great bottle. I'd guess zero worries about drinking up, you can drink today with a good decanting process or wait for many many years (gonna wait until 2019 for my next one, or maybe 2024 and see if the points can get up to 100!)
Weekend with Eddie - Part 1 (Marea, New York City): Incredibly expressive, unbelievably complex without compromising the balance and harmony. Beautiful harmonious nose displaying dry cherry, cherry liqueur, fruitcake, iron, anise, light caramel and mineral. Beautifully layered and polished palate, all components are in expressed in unison, still a hint of tannins but not as noticeable as in the 89 CRR and seamless long finish that resonates and doesn’t want to end. Certainly not as youthful and concentrated as the CRR but as pleasurable for current drinking.
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Notes of celery root, soil, cherry and light black tea on the nose. Dried dark cherries, dry rose petals, metallic notes on the multi-faceted palate. Very soft tannins on the finish. Palate quite seamless, and gaining in complexity over the last several years. Double decanted five hours prior to consuming. Could benefit from another 10-15 years of bottle time. 96-97+
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Piedmont and Champagne - Round 2 (MG): Lots of soy and a little leather/coffee but not a lot of flavor. Pretty dry. After the bottle was revealed it was clear that this bottle must have been defective!!
Utterly gorgeous starting with how it looks - just a beautiful, shimmering translucent ruby. Ethereal aromatics of roses, dried cherry, tea and hints of iron. Everything is in the right place here - pure, seamless and such a joy to drink. Still quite structured with ultrafine tannins so no doubt this has a long life ahead but such a wonderful wine to drink now.
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Private Barolo Tasting (Manuels Home): Colour: Dark, ocherous colour with just a little brightening on the rims. Nose: What a complex, funky and challenging nose this is! Nearly no fruit instead aromas of lovage, sea salt, walnut shell, iodine, sherry, nuts, licorice, meat, tar and ash waft from the glass. Very divisive, not everyone on the table loved the nose as much as I did. Palate: Super lively acidity, tannins are still left. By far the most powerful wine of the night. Incredible tension & pressure on the mid-palate. Cold smoke, leather and again an "animal" component. Extremely long finish, last for minutes. And still so unbelievable young, you could cellar this wine for more than 10 years.
At this stage, this is a perfect wine for me. No more words to add.
Naso inizialmente timido che poi si apre su note di fiori essiccati e camino spento. La bocca è saturante, lunga, complessa, potente. Nel mio bicchiere il vino tende a sedersi un po' troppo presto
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Decanted an hour earlier. Deep ruby without fading. After going back and forth following the wine over several hours, I am going to check it off as flawed due to its funky nose. It started out with an off, burnt rubber scent and finished less so but still with an odd, chemical note. As much as I tried to think that it was just exaggerated Nebbiolo tar, it was just not right, although it had some lovely floral perfume as well. What a pity since it was much better on the palate. Very densely packed dark red fruit, some pine needles, immense tannins. Only at the very end did a subtle sweetness blossom. From this glimpse, I'd imagine that it still has a good 20 years to go until full maturity.
Light color, roses and dark cherries. Still feeling the tannins but the wine was in a great place. Well balance showing the light touch but firm feel. Really enjoyed this bottle
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1989 Barolo (NoMad Restaurant, NYC): [Double-decanted mid-afternoon. Tasted about 10pm.] Tight black fruit and mineral nose. Structured, backward, and tannic, but still stunning. A very masculine wine. My WOTN.
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Brilliant nose of camphor, ash, tar and viloets. On the palate remarkebale complex flavors of chewy leather, blackand red fruits with hints of licorice. Fully mature and really singing tonight.
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[Decanted at 4pm. Put back in the bottle for dinner at 7. Tasted with notes at 9pm.] Dark garnet color with onion skin edge. Fairly translucent. Gorgeous, complex nose of mountain woods pine mulch with hints of white truffles and sweet cherries. Tart cherry fruit up front, followed by waves of licorice, tar, black fruit, and tannin. The tannins are soft and chewy in that classic Barolo way that is so characteristic of 1989 Barolo. Still not at its peak, but with air, so pleasurable to drink on my birthday.
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Friends house with full truffle dinner- wine had a medium deep reddish color, lightening a bit. opened 6 hours early but did not decant til approx 45min before dinner. wine was youthful, deep red cherry and flower nose. bright in mouth still showing primary fruits and med high acidity. fills the mouth and goes for a long time. terrific bottle
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As is the case with so many Giacosa Riservas, the nose so beautiful... dried rose petals, earth and great complexity and depth. On the palate this was lush and rich, very big but also a touch cumbersome, asw if it was falling over itself – or had had some iffy storage at some point which made it a bit fragile. Overall, a delicious wine just not quite as brilliant as I had hoped.
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giacose dinner- wine decanted for approx 3 hours and it needed it as it gave little when opened. if anything it smelled a bit overly earthy. as it aired out it showed the rose/cherry earth nose and kept filling out. the best glass was the last one as it showed the tail end of red fruit and a lovely secondary development. this wine has time on its side
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Pull out the stops 50th bday party at Troquet: This may deserve extra points for the nose alone. Full blown barolo nose that you could smell all night,; flowers and earth and funghi and more. Layers and layers of aroma. Served with bluefin tuna sashimi! Who knew that barolo goes with raw tuna; certainly not me but they were deliciousl together. Of course, I kept some of the wine for the next course of rabbit with mushrooms (sorry Bugs) and it was even better with that dish. Give me mushtrooms with my barolo any day. Unclear to me if the wine is going to improve or just hold as the palate wasn't as rich as some of the best older barolo that I've had. But oh boy what a nose.
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Gala Dinner of La Festa del Barolo (Del Posto Restaurant, NYC): A great Barolo. Even if it falls a little short of of the Rionda, it is still a great wine in its own right. Great body and complex flavors of minerals and flowers with a hint of truffle.
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More pungent celery salt and veal stock aroma. A great wine on its own, but does not have the waves of intensity that I found in the Rionda. Edgier and maybe showing a bit more sweetness. Amazing juice. (98)
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(at Cinghiale – Baltimore) Ruby/garnet with a hint of amber. OMFG what a nose – so complex – gun flint element perfectly balances the lush fruit. Godly intensity yet caressing, dusty fruit and pinpoint power. Rich and lush – an iron fist in a velvet glove. WOTN. Best Piedmont wine I think I have ever had. (100)
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This bottle was not singing tonight. The aromatics never really opened up the way I expected it to especially after a wonderful 1990 Villero opened a few weeks ago. There's no denying the pedigree butd maybe we should let this sleep for now.
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Dinner at L'Unita (L'Unita, Toronto, Canada): Medium garnet colour. Majestic nose of sandalwood, spice, leather, tar, raisins, dried cherry, black truffle, and caramel. Medium-full bodied, gorgeous texture, showing nicely integrated tannins. Black truffles, tar, spice, prune, fig, licorice, and more on the palate. Long finish, 60+s. This wine is completely seamless, and more complex layers develop with time in the glass. I don't know what more one could ask for in a Barolo, because this is utterly fantastic. I do, however, think that with additional cellaring it could get even better, even hitting a magical 100. For now, 98+. Bravo! Drink now-2020.
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Uncorked DK does Piemonte Greatest (Peter Gade): Red brown with an orange rim, a good deal of sediment. Sweet nose of tobacco, cheese and decaying vegetables, when those notes subdues a bit light cherries, brown sugar and some sweet oak shows itself in its place. In the mouth this is very dry and dominated by a bitter taste of tobacco, tannins and too little fruit. Seems like the 89's are in a bit of a rough spot.
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LdC does Mecca - Saturday (Tampa): Full deep red core. Lovely forward nose of black licorice, tar, roses, and black fruit. Absolutely killer black fruit, licorice and spice on the palate. Stunning. A striking balance between masculine structure and fruit along with lithe femine characteristics that are probably just not emerging. 95+ pts.
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Dinner with Manlin at Lampreia (Seattle, WA): Brawny, masculine, and powerful. Smokey notes of tar along with some raisin. Heavy palate. It improved with aeration but never really set my world on fire. Perhaps it was not an ideal bottle, although the cork looked impeccable.
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Dinner at Steve & Barb's house. Due to good fortune, our 2nd bottle of this in 2007, and both were outstanding. Ruby in color, this wine has very big tannins but it also has lots of fruit. Full bodied with same tar and roses and a great depth to the fruit. Long finish. This has great raw materials but is probably 20 years from peak. Hopefully I'll have the opportunity to try this again at that time. 50+13+13+8.5+8.5 = 93+
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When I saw this for$350 on the list at Cuvee in New Orleans on my birthday it only took me a few minutes to decide what I was drinking. This wine really needed more time than it was afforded but the bottle was pristine, much to my relief. Tight and round with an abundance of sweet tannin from the get go the nose here rolled through a procession of pure scents at turns revealing a depth of rose that was profound, tar, spice, and red fruits each took their turns teasing me. With time the palate became more expressive with a tenderness that I have found to be typical of this bottling yet atypical of the vintage and Giacosa in general. This really drinks like Burgundy with a mouthful of griottes red berries over a delicate, layered core of earth and subtle spice. The final few sips, after about 3 hours, really showed the wine at it's best with more depth and weight but still far from revealing the power i hope this wine is hiding. It was an excellent match for my smoked duck breast/ duck confit entree. I will try this again in about 5 years and am hopeful that the additional time will pull back the curtain!
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Dinner at Alinea with Chris & Jeff Moyers. Dark ruby in color, this wine drinks very young and really could have used some serious time in a decanter. Still big tannins in here. Beautiful floral nose. Glyceral in the mouth. Long finish where the tannins really make themselves known. A really great wine that will be stunning in another 10-15 years. 50+14+13+8.5+8.5 = 94+
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Seattle Aged Nebbiolo Dinner (Cafe Juanita): Holy sh**t. This wine showed its class and pedigree and is going to get nothing but better. It was a beautiful medium bodied wine with stong yet subtle aromas of asphalt, graphite, dried roses, cranberries and cherries. On the mouth it was the proverbial iron fist in the velvet glove due to its great mouthfeel and tannic zing. I would say this is 5-10 years from maturity. A++ and my co-WOTN.
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2/28/2024 - Burgundy Al wrote: 93 Points
Acker "Paulee" Burgundy Dinner (Capital Seafood - Beverly Hills CA): Paulée style dinner. Decanted for several hours. Mostly mature red fruits, very perfumed and well spiced. Perfectly balanced, nicely combining maturity and freshness, good weight.
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12/15/2023 - lgkurta Likes this wine: 95 Points
Beautiful wine. Has a couple of decades left.
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10/20/2023 - aquacongas wrote: 93 Points
blind
A bit over his top but still enjoyable. Tar, violet and black cherries. 93
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7/16/2023 - drwine2001 wrote:
A Summer Giacosa Dinner (Spinasse, Seattle): Double decanted 6 hours earlier. Light red with browning, watery rim. As with some other older Giacosa’s, a burnt rubber aromatic component that was offputting and never went away. Underneath, an excellent wine with piquant acidity, dark red fruit, and some tar that is largely resolved. I have had 2 better bottles of this.
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2/20/2023 - fclarity wrote: 95 Points
Tasted blind, this wine had a deep red center with redish rims. The medium intensity nose of cherries, roses, tar, and soil was still a little tight.
In the mouth, this wine was medium+ bodied with substantial tannin, firm acidity, and excellent length.
This wine scored in the 93 pt range when first poured (after 3+ hours of air) and it slowly improved over the course of several hours. This is a classic example of Giacosa being best if tasted immediately after opening OR after sitting in a decanter for 12 hours. Thus, I don't think I saw this one at its best.
I personally favor the later approach. This is likely to improve by a couple of points after a decade in the cellar and will last many decades after that.
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1/20/2023 - kr522 wrote: 97 Points
Beautiful wine, and right in the zone of peak drinking imo. Roses, leather, tar, very autumnal and with great verve. Structure is mostly resolved
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10/13/2022 - jamesabdavis wrote:
Beautiful focused nose, balsamic, floral, some walnut.
Ripe sweet and very pure on the palate. Intense and long, absolutely a point. Fantastic.
When served alongside the Santo Stefano the village characteristics came to the fore, the Barolo with more zing (albeit the Barbaresco was a little muted by sediment at this point).
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7/28/2022 - dcwino wrote: 97 Points
Mostly Giacosa dinner (RPM Italian, Washington D.C.): Complex nose displaying elegant bright dry red fruit with a hint of black, dry cherry, cherry juice, blackberry, fruitcake, licorice, leather, truffle, tar, light caramel, cumin and iron. Perfectly harmonious palate, very finely layered elegant red fruit, very fluid and elegant, perfect amount of acidity and mineral, and a long clean red fruit driven finish with iron and cumin at the end. Clearly the WOTF. This is drinking beautifully.
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6/9/2022 - Mattmifron Likes this wine: 98 Points
Purchased at Bern's Steak House. Decanted only about an hour. A truly excellent wine, beautifully aged. Mesmerizing nose of leather, black licorice, rose petals. Perfectly balanced tannins. Amazing.
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4/13/2022 - rc@ughey wrote: 95 Points
This is an astonishingly impressive wine. It's so concentrated and so deep -- but also still so young! -- that it seems downright eternal. This shows dark and red fruits interleaved with earth, herbs, and some tar in layers upon layers of flavor. Still, the density gives the impression of extreme youth, and I think this will take another decade (at least) to hit apogee. Note that this bottle was stored since release in a super-cold cellar, so it's probably behind the aging curve of many examples. There are a couple of points of future upside when this unfurls.
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4/1/2022 - Philip67 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Menthol tar, dried rose petal. Big structure still. Absolutely magic and profound, real depth and complexity. Drink now and over the next 10 to 15 years.
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11/6/2021 - dcwino wrote: 95 Points
Pop and pour. A perfectly stored example but the color is a bit pale. Medium expressive nose displaying concentrated red and black fruit, cherry, dry cherry, blackberry, fruitcake, licorice, sap, rose, sweet spices and strong mineral. Perfectly integrated youthful palate, layers upon layers of sweet red fruit, dense and rich, bright acidity and iron mineral, still showing a hint of tannins, and a long ripe red and black fruit driven finish with caramel and licorice at the end. At least six hours of decanting is recommended.
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8/27/2021 - Neddington Does not like this wine:
Pruney and stewy. Not corked, but probably not well-stored somewhere along the line, and just not enjoyable at all. I once opened a 2000 bottle of this same wine that is probably the best Italian wine I've had. That was unfortunate, as it got me hooked chasing the same experience again, or even better experiences based on (allegedly) better vintages. But since then my bottles of Giacosa have ranged from meh to just bad. Maybe it's bad luck, but I think my days of paying premium $ for back vintage Giacosa are done.
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4/27/2021 - The Vines That Bind wrote: flawed
Corked.
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3/14/2021 - paul195 wrote: 95 Points
Big Guns Dinner - Preceded by a 2007 Roumier Bonnes Mares and CLB La Romanee and paired with a delicious 1967 Petrus.
Decanted at 1:00 after an hour showing dense dark fruit, spice, leather, rose petals, palate was still quite tight but showed lots of promise, back in the bottle at 5:00, served at 7:00. By now this opened up to show deep layers of plummy/dark fruit, tar, leather and earth notes. Relatively fine tannins, bright acidity, excellent balance, rich seamless texture with a persistent finish.
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12/9/2019 - kenv wrote:
Double-decanted for 3 hours at 10:30am. Ben said it smelled and tasted great.
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12/7/2019 - Nanda wrote: 92 Points
White Truffle Dinner: 86/89/96. Showing mature with lots of balsamico and red cherry. Layered and decadent. I think more air would have let this shine at another level.
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12/7/2019 - Burgundy Al wrote: flawed
Fifteenth Annual White Truffle Dinner (Lake Bluff, IL): Good but slightly dirty, so nit up to this wine's standard.
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10/25/2019 - cct wrote: 98 Points
1989 Retrospective at Leonti
Darker on the nose than the SSR. It's meaty, ferrous, and more savory with darker profiled Nebbiolo fruit. On the palate, it's dense yet extremely well balanced with a sappiness and breadth in a more directly powerful mode than the SSR. A serious, regal wine that demands your attention whereas the SSR draws you to it. Fantastic, but lacking some of the mystery and grace of the SSR. Wonderful.
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9/7/2019 - paul195 wrote: 94 Points
Decanted at 3 hours ahead. Great nose of tart red fruit, some spice, leather, rose petals. Initially still a bit tight on the palate, but with time in glass it opened up to show deep layers of plummy/dark fruit, tar, leather and earth notes. Relatively fine tannins, bright acidity, balance, rich texture with a long finish. Still quite young but a bright future for sure
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4/18/2019 - kenv Likes this wine: 97 Points
Neb Vinous Blind 1989 Barolo & Barbaresco Dinner (Buona Notte, NYC): [Double decanted around 10am.] Stunning, ethereal nose. Jammy, tight, still a bit backward. I guess I should have decanted this longer. A great wine with a long life ahead. The finish is amazing. 97-99
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4/18/2019 - Eric Guido Likes this wine: 95 Points
1989 Barolo Retrospective - Single Blind (Buona Notte, NYC): The nose was gorgeous from the moment I tipped the glass, displaying citrus-tinged black cherry, sweet florals, dusty earth, dried roses and a hint of mint leaf. On the palate, I found silky, almost creamy textures giving way to ripe red fruits and spice with offsetting savory herbal tones and a coating of minerality. The finish was long with hints of balsamic spice, black cherry and hints of round tannin. What an elegant beauty of a wine.
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2/2/2019 - cct wrote: 99 Points
1989 Piedmont Retrospective (New York): 2019 Alt Festa night 2
'89 Barolo and Barbaresco
A hugely perfumed nose Intoxicating. I could smell this all night (and did). Balsam, tar, roses, and dark fruited Nebbiolo. Wonderful, archetypal Serralunga perfume. On the palate, it is bottomless with lung and palate filling perfume. In spite of the power, there is a sweetness to its fruit and elegance. Power delivered with grace. Like tidal surge pushing everything in its way. Rich, concentrated, and broad yet perfectly detailed. Fresher than a bottle a few months back. It's impossibly well balanced. This was the more obviously incredible of the two red labels tonight. An incredible showing for this wine. Damn near perfect, and was poured right next to perfection. Wow. Thank you KV
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10/21/2018 - Eric Guido wrote:
Iconic bottles: Barolo & Barbaresco Tasting (Maialino, NYC Lexington and 21st): The nose showed dusty spice with hints of dried orange, tart cherry, it was almost musty with a hint of earthy undergrowth, and slight oxidation. On the palate, I found soft textures, giving way to fleshy cherry and hints of balsamic spice as tart acidity tugged at the senses, leaving grippy tannin and a bitter note of amaro. The finish was long yet dominated by acid and tannin with only hints of dried red fruits. My suspicion was that this bottle was flawed, and so I decided not to score it.
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9/14/2018 - cct wrote: 97 Points
1989 Nebbiolo at Cinghiale (Cinghiale, Baltimore): '89 Nebbiolo at Cinghiale
The most savory of the flight. Bouillon, tar, iron, some olive, and darker nebbiolo fruit. Wonderful texture and sap. It's denser and more structured than the other three wines in the flight, but also and I am picking nits and all in relative note to the wine drunk alongside it, it was the broadest and most direct of the 4 wines. Great balance, and with a great mix of savory and soil over fruit. Finishes long with balsamic notes. Terrific wine.
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9/14/2018 - dcwino wrote: 97 Points
1989 Piedmont Retrospective (Cinghiale, Baltimore): Explosive nose displaying concentrated very ripe black fruit, black cherry, dry cherry, blackberry jam, fruitcake, licorice, caramel, rust, soy, dark spices and iron mineral. Incredible concentration, layers upon layers of deeply toned concentrated black fruit, dense and chewy, bright acidity, strong iron mineral, still noticeable medium coarse tannins and a long dense black fruit driven finish with caramel and dark spices at the end. It is the most powerful, ripe and concentrated wine of the evening along with the Rinaldi Brunate. It also transforms with air, showing better precision and detail.
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5/23/2018 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 92 Points
G. Conterno v. B. Giacosa (Maialino): This smells like the lobby of the Cosmopolitan in Vegas: a little floral and a little smoky, quite nice but could be the context. Moderately expressive and probably the best ‘89 of the program.
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2/18/2018 - retired_and_roving Likes this wine:
Tampa Spring Break III; 2/16/2018-2/18/2018 (Tampa FL): From the wine list at Bern's. 1st bottle opened seemed a bit off, as the nose was totally shut down, so the somm replaced the bottle with a fresh one. This was decanted for about one hour prior to serving. I suspect a longer decant would have really helped the wine, as it opened up quite nicely in the glass. Quite a transition from the older Bordeaux wines as this was still very much alive and kicking. Great Barolo nose of leather, old library and rose petals. Initially a bit reticent on the palate, but with time in glass, plummy fruit, tar, black tea leave, leather and bright acidity with a long finish. A really beautiful glass of wine.
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2/18/2018 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Tampa Spring Break (the third); 2/16/2018-2/18/2018 (Various Tampa locations (Seasons 52, Capital Grille, Berns etc.)): Really great and impressive wine, but overshadowed a bit by some of the other ones we had on the table. I didn't take detailed notes on it, but seemed like it was in a good drinking window. Had opened and decanted a bit before serving. Tasty wine.
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1/14/2018 - drwine2001 wrote:
Old Friends, Old Wine Weekend-Red Burgundy, Rioja, Barolo, and a Few Germans; 1/12/2018-1/14/2018 (Various Venues): Medium ruby with early fading. Wow, what aromatic intensity and penetration! I could smell this wine across the table. All tar and tobacco to begin, then slowly revealed some spice and ripe fruit all encased by furry tannins. A shame we could not give it more time in the decanter, as it got better and better with more air. Iconic, great, and very, very young. I'll end where I started-magnificent, totally wow wine.
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4/12/2017 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 94 Points
Creamy redness with air time, this bottle lacked the definition of some others but rich in flavors. Not as deep on the dark savories as some bottles
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2/24/2017 - ricknat1 wrote: 98 Points
With Jim, Mannie, Rob, Bill and friends at Charlie Bird. Part of a flight of 9 1989s. My favorite tonight of the 89s. incredibly rich and ready although still primary and just kept getting better as the night passed.
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1/15/2017 - drwine2001 wrote:
Old Wine Weekend with Friends-German, Burgundy, Bonus Wines; 1/14/2017-1/15/2017: Light ruby-the least saturated of the 3 reds tonight. A little reduction to start, but mostly assertive tobacco and anise when first uncorked. This opened beautifully over 2 hours in the decanter, showing secondary perfume and herbs. Tight, medium weight, great intensity, savory, mineral, and still quite tannic with dark red fruit in the background. Interesting late note of orange peel, which I sometimes get from old Burgundy but not generally from Nebbiolo. It continued to unfold, and the grip relaxed to reveal a more sappy, harmonious feel as it sat in the decanter. Outstanding and beginning to become more inviting, but I really think this will benefit from another decade before it really turns heads.
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12/19/2016 - Eric Guido wrote:
The ‘89 Falletto didn’t perform as well as past bottles I’ve experienced, as it seems it may have been poorly stored at one point in its life. The nose showed minerals up front, along with dried berries, spiced orange and notes of undergrowth. On the palate, I found dark, almost murky, red fruits with notes of coffee grinds, sweet spice and moderate tannins. A roasted sensation lingered, as it finished on briny minerality.
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12/12/2016 - cardsandwine wrote:
This definitely took a back seat to the 1989 Villero we drank alongside it. The wine exhibited an old and earthy bouquet and aged palate marked by hints of chocolate.
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7/4/2016 - FYC wrote:
A bit of VA on the nose. When it blows off this is amazing. Masculine. Earthy. Molasses,
Dried rose petals. A touch of menthol. Spice. A bit of black tea. Definitely darker and more weight on the palate than the 90 Santo Stefano Riserva. Very complex with wonderful weight and texture.
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5/5/2016 - PeterH Likes this wine: 98 Points
When you pull bottles like these out of your cellar and open them, there's always so much built-up expectation for greatness. And sometimes you're let down relative to these expectations. It's really great when a bottle lives up to your internal hype, and even outperforms!
Purchased in the mid-late 90s (who knows before CellarTracker) for I'd guess less than $100 (anyone know what year these would have been sold retail in the US? And a guess for the price?)
Bottle was upright for weeks. I decanted at 5am, left in the decanter for 3 hours and then back into the bottle at 8am. Consumed maybe 10 hours later. So is that 3 hours of decanting or also some 'credit' for the next 10 hours, who knows?
Color translucent ruby. When the wine hit the glass you could smell it across the table. More 'rose petal' and 'cherry' vs 'forest floor' and 'tar'. Sweeter than I would have guessed. Initially a tannin attack on the back end but this vanished after 30 minutes or so (does this mean I should have decanted longer initially? Who knows..). Long finish. Great bottle. I'd guess zero worries about drinking up, you can drink today with a good decanting process or wait for many many years (gonna wait until 2019 for my next one, or maybe 2024 and see if the points can get up to 100!)
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4/15/2016 - dcwino wrote: 98 Points
Weekend with Eddie - Part 1 (Marea, New York City): Incredibly expressive, unbelievably complex without compromising the balance and harmony. Beautiful harmonious nose displaying dry cherry, cherry liqueur, fruitcake, iron, anise, light caramel and mineral. Beautifully layered and polished palate, all components are in expressed in unison, still a hint of tannins but not as noticeable as in the 89 CRR and seamless long finish that resonates and doesn’t want to end. Certainly not as youthful and concentrated as the CRR but as pleasurable for current drinking.
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3/10/2016 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 96 Points
Notes of celery root, soil, cherry and light black tea on the nose. Dried dark cherries, dry rose petals, metallic notes on the multi-faceted palate. Very soft tannins on the finish. Palate quite seamless, and gaining in complexity over the last several years. Double decanted five hours prior to consuming. Could benefit from another 10-15 years of bottle time. 96-97+
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1/29/2016 - dcwino wrote: flawed
Barolo and Burgundy dinner - 79 Cristal, 89 & 93 DRC Ech, 05 RSV, 10 Rousseau CdB and etc. (The Grill Room at Capella Hotel Georgetown): Corked!
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1/22/2016 - canan wrote: flawed
Piedmont and Champagne - Round 2 (MG): Lots of soy and a little leather/coffee but not a lot of flavor. Pretty dry.
After the bottle was revealed it was clear that this bottle must have been defective!!
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5/9/2015 - bill00 wrote: 98 Points
Utterly gorgeous starting with how it looks - just a beautiful, shimmering translucent ruby. Ethereal aromatics of roses, dried cherry, tea and hints of iron. Everything is in the right place here - pure, seamless and such a joy to drink. Still quite structured with ultrafine tannins so no doubt this has a long life ahead but such a wonderful wine to drink now.
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4/12/2015 - FYC wrote:
Saturday with Some Charmers: Salon, Roulot, PYCM, Giacosa Riservas: Darker in profile both on the nose and palate. Fig, brown sugar, licorice. Smooth, rich, and quite long on the palate. This faded just a bit at the end of the night. Probably at peak right now.
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2/15/2014 - m_arcon Likes this wine: 99 Points
Private Barolo Tasting (Manuels Home): Colour: Dark, ocherous colour with just a little brightening on the rims.
Nose: What a complex, funky and challenging nose this is! Nearly no fruit instead aromas of lovage, sea salt, walnut shell, iodine, sherry, nuts, licorice, meat, tar and ash waft from the glass. Very divisive, not everyone on the table loved the nose as much as I did.
Palate: Super lively acidity, tannins are still left. By far the most powerful wine of the night. Incredible tension & pressure on the mid-palate. Cold smoke, leather and again an "animal" component. Extremely long finish, last for minutes. And still so unbelievable young, you could cellar this wine for more than 10 years.
At this stage, this is a perfect wine for me. No more words to add.
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10/27/2013 - kenv Likes this wine: 95 Points
Rare Wine Co's Giacosa Riserva Dinner (Del Posto Restaurant, NYC): More mature in the nose and mouth. Seems much older than it should. Still an impressive wine, but not the best example of this wine I've had.
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10/21/2013 - boston Likes this wine: 94 Points
Naso inizialmente timido che poi si apre su note di fiori essiccati e camino spento. La bocca è saturante, lunga, complessa, potente.
Nel mio bicchiere il vino tende a sedersi un po' troppo presto
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10/16/2013 - godx wrote: flawed
Barolo Cru Dinner (La Pentola): Served blind - this was an off bottle. Very disappointed once this was revealed.
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6/30/2013 - drwine2001 wrote: flawed
Decanted an hour earlier. Deep ruby without fading. After going back and forth following the wine over several hours, I am going to check it off as flawed due to its funky nose. It started out with an off, burnt rubber scent and finished less so but still with an odd, chemical note. As much as I tried to think that it was just exaggerated Nebbiolo tar, it was just not right, although it had some lovely floral perfume as well. What a pity since it was much better on the palate. Very densely packed dark red fruit, some pine needles, immense tannins. Only at the very end did a subtle sweetness blossom. From this glimpse, I'd imagine that it still has a good 20 years to go until full maturity.
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4/25/2013 - reichken wrote: 96 Points
Light color, roses and dark cherries. Still feeling the tannins but the wine was in a great place. Well balance showing the light touch but firm feel. Really enjoyed this bottle
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3/8/2013 - kenv Likes this wine: 97 Points
1989 Barolo (NoMad Restaurant, NYC): [Double-decanted mid-afternoon. Tasted about 10pm.] Tight black fruit and mineral nose. Structured, backward, and tannic, but still stunning. A very masculine wine. My WOTN.
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3/16/2012 - pomerol wrote: 97 Points
Brilliant nose of camphor, ash, tar and viloets. On the palate remarkebale complex flavors of chewy leather, blackand red fruits with hints of licorice. Fully mature and really singing tonight.
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1/21/2012 - kenv wrote: 96 Points
[Decanted at 4pm. Put back in the bottle for dinner at 7. Tasted with notes at 9pm.] Dark garnet color with onion skin edge. Fairly translucent. Gorgeous, complex nose of mountain woods pine mulch with hints of white truffles and sweet cherries. Tart cherry fruit up front, followed by waves of licorice, tar, black fruit, and tannin. The tannins are soft and chewy in that classic Barolo way that is so characteristic of 1989 Barolo. Still not at its peak, but with air, so pleasurable to drink on my birthday.
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1/8/2012 - reichken wrote: 96 Points
Friends house with full truffle dinner- wine had a medium deep reddish color, lightening a bit. opened 6 hours early but did not decant til approx 45min before dinner. wine was youthful, deep red cherry and flower nose. bright in mouth still showing primary fruits and med high acidity. fills the mouth and goes for a long time. terrific bottle
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12/24/2011 - lepetitchateau wrote: 95 Points
As is the case with so many Giacosa Riservas, the nose so beautiful... dried rose petals, earth and great complexity and depth. On the palate this was lush and rich, very big but also a touch cumbersome, asw if it was falling over itself – or had had some iffy storage at some point which made it a bit fragile. Overall, a delicious wine just not quite as brilliant as I had hoped.
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12/10/2011 - Jossik wrote: flawed
Totalmente ossidato
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12/3/2011 - reichken wrote: 96 Points
giacose dinner- wine decanted for approx 3 hours and it needed it as it gave little when opened. if anything it smelled a bit overly earthy. as it aired out it showed the rose/cherry earth nose and kept filling out. the best glass was the last one as it showed the tail end of red fruit and a lovely secondary development. this wine has time on its side
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7/16/2011 - Topper wrote: 96 Points
Pull out the stops 50th bday party at Troquet: This may deserve extra points for the nose alone. Full blown barolo nose that you could smell all night,; flowers and earth and funghi and more. Layers and layers of aroma. Served with bluefin tuna sashimi! Who knew that barolo goes with raw tuna; certainly not me but they were deliciousl together. Of course, I kept some of the wine for the next course of rabbit with mushrooms (sorry Bugs) and it was even better with that dish. Give me mushtrooms with my barolo any day. Unclear to me if the wine is going to improve or just hold as the palate wasn't as rich as some of the best older barolo that I've had. But oh boy what a nose.
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3/26/2011 - kenv Likes this wine: 96 Points
Gala Dinner of La Festa del Barolo (Del Posto Restaurant, NYC): A great Barolo. Even if it falls a little short of of the Rionda, it is still a great wine in its own right. Great body and complex flavors of minerals and flowers with a hint of truffle.
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11/18/2010 - dbkitc wrote: 98 Points
More pungent celery salt and veal stock aroma. A great wine on its own, but does not have the waves of intensity that I found in the Rionda. Edgier and maybe showing a bit more sweetness. Amazing juice. (98)
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6/10/2009 - dbkitc wrote: 100 Points
(at Cinghiale – Baltimore) Ruby/garnet with a hint of amber. OMFG what a nose – so complex – gun flint element perfectly balances the lush fruit. Godly intensity yet caressing, dusty fruit and pinpoint power. Rich and lush – an iron fist in a velvet glove. WOTN. Best Piedmont wine I think I have ever had. (100)
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1/9/2009 - BFG wrote:
Rich nose and palate of sweet stewed fruits. Lovely wine.
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12/20/2008 - cortoncharlie wrote: 93 Points
This bottle was not singing tonight. The aromatics never really opened up the way I expected it to especially after a wonderful 1990 Villero opened a few weeks ago. There's no denying the pedigree butd maybe we should let this sleep for now.
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9/5/2008 - futronic wrote: 98 Points
Dinner at L'Unita (L'Unita, Toronto, Canada): Medium garnet colour. Majestic nose of sandalwood, spice, leather, tar, raisins, dried cherry, black truffle, and caramel. Medium-full bodied, gorgeous texture, showing nicely integrated tannins. Black truffles, tar, spice, prune, fig, licorice, and more on the palate. Long finish, 60+s. This wine is completely seamless, and more complex layers develop with time in the glass. I don't know what more one could ask for in a Barolo, because this is utterly fantastic. I do, however, think that with additional cellaring it could get even better, even hitting a magical 100. For now, 98+. Bravo! Drink now-2020.
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4/4/2008 - gorm wrote: 90 Points
Uncorked DK does Piemonte Greatest (Peter Gade): Red brown with an orange rim, a good deal of sediment. Sweet nose of tobacco, cheese and decaying vegetables, when those notes subdues a bit light cherries, brown sugar and some sweet oak shows itself in its place. In the mouth this is very dry and dominated by a bitter taste of tobacco, tannins and too little fruit. Seems like the 89's are in a bit of a rough spot.
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2/9/2008 - Burgundy Al wrote:
Great Older Wines at the Place to Drink Great Older Wines; 2/8/2008-2/9/2008 (Tampa FL): Should never have been opened. Clearly a great wine, but needing either hours in a decanter (we popped, decanted and poured) or decades more in a cellar. Great dark fruit with anise and spice. But massively backward and tannic on the palate and finish.
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2/9/2008 - winefool wrote: 95 Points
LdC does Mecca - Saturday (Tampa): Full deep red core. Lovely forward nose of black licorice, tar, roses, and black fruit. Absolutely killer black fruit, licorice and spice on the palate. Stunning. A striking balance between masculine structure and fruit along with lithe femine characteristics that are probably just not emerging. 95+ pts.
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10/25/2007 - Eric wrote:
Dinner with Manlin at Lampreia (Seattle, WA): Brawny, masculine, and powerful. Smokey notes of tar along with some raisin. Heavy palate. It improved with aeration but never really set my world on fire. Perhaps it was not an ideal bottle, although the cork looked impeccable.
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6/1/2007 - JeffGMorris wrote: 93 Points
Dinner at Steve & Barb's house. Due to good fortune, our 2nd bottle of this in 2007, and both were outstanding. Ruby in color, this wine has very big tannins but it also has lots of fruit. Full bodied with same tar and roses and a great depth to the fruit. Long finish. This has great raw materials but is probably 20 years from peak. Hopefully I'll have the opportunity to try this again at that time. 50+13+13+8.5+8.5 = 93+
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5/30/2007 - Gregory Dal Piaz wrote: 95 Points
When I saw this for$350 on the list at Cuvee in New Orleans on my birthday it only took me a few minutes to decide what I was drinking. This wine really needed more time than it was afforded but the bottle was pristine, much to my relief. Tight and round with an abundance of sweet tannin from the get go the nose here rolled through a procession of pure scents at turns revealing a depth of rose that was profound, tar, spice, and red fruits each took their turns teasing me. With time the palate became more expressive with a tenderness that I have found to be typical of this bottling yet atypical of the vintage and Giacosa in general. This really drinks like Burgundy with a mouthful of griottes red berries over a delicate, layered core of earth and subtle spice. The final few sips, after about 3 hours, really showed the wine at it's best with more depth and weight but still far from revealing the power i hope this wine is hiding. It was an excellent match for my smoked duck breast/ duck confit entree. I will try this again in about 5 years and am hopeful that the additional time will pull back the curtain!
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2/3/2007 - JeffGMorris wrote: 94 Points
Dinner at Alinea with Chris & Jeff Moyers. Dark ruby in color, this wine drinks very young and really could have used some serious time in a decanter. Still big tannins in here. Beautiful floral nose. Glyceral in the mouth. Long finish where the tannins really make themselves known. A really great wine that will be stunning in another 10-15 years. 50+14+13+8.5+8.5 = 94+
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1/12/2007 - brian a wrote:
Seattle Aged Nebbiolo Dinner (Cafe Juanita): Holy sh**t. This wine showed its class and pedigree and is going to get nothing but better. It was a beautiful medium bodied wine with stong yet subtle aromas of asphalt, graphite, dried roses, cranberries and cherries. On the mouth it was the proverbial iron fist in the velvet glove due to its great mouthfeel and tannic zing. I would say this is 5-10 years from maturity. A++ and my co-WOTN.
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