A Taste of Serralunga Dinner-La Festa del Barolo 2024 (Locanda Verde, New York): Dark ruby. Rich but not lush deep black and some blue fruit as well. Piquant and alive in the mouth, fantastic drive and penetration. Classic, stately, full of soil and stone dust. Magnificent wine that manages to be accessible now due to its incredible material that stands up to the structure. Wow.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted and followed over a couple of hours. Very concentrated cherry with tar, leather. Quite a bit of structure that shows up on the finish. Great material, but needs some time.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
PnP. Ready to go right out of the gate with lots of beauty framed by some soft but present structure. Bright red fruit with tar and leather. Continued to develop over lunch. Naturally very young, but supremely enjoyable at this stage.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Aromas of leather, crushed dried roses, macerated red cherries, and alcohol peek through an otherwise muted nose, signaling a reticent Barolo that is wondering who in God’s name set the alarm clock ten years too early?! Tight on the palate, with some sleep inertia reluctantly keeping the flavors from expanding. Sandalwood, plum, tobacco, leather, and bitter spice hop-scotch across the palate, skipping most of the mid-palate, and clenching up on a tart and slightly warm finish.
Oxygen is the hot cup of coffee this wine needs to rouse its spirits. Initially with a cantankerous 4-year-old “I don’t wannnnnnaaa get up for breakfast” protest, depth and complexity slowly, begrudgingly, make their appearances from under the covers. Fuzzy cedar-inflected tannins become more refined with air. Sherry-drenched cherries and unsmoked cigar make for an old-world charm, coupled with leather and river rock notes.
And just when you think it is about to give up the goods and unfold into a wave of flavor-generosity, it… doesn’t. So, that’s about as far as it gets, which is perhaps further than I had anticipated. Sure, it needs a decade or two to get to work and promote to VP of grandeur, but it’s a prodigy primed for splendor down the road. A very eligible bachelor type of wine that checks the boxes. Mom would be proud.
Hold until 2035. Or, just pony-up son and open it now with a super fat decant and enjoy it for some of its already-supercool suave James Bond posing (think Sean Connery in Dr. No, with his signature Walther PPK in one hand and a martini in the other… and Sylvia Trench in the other)…. Will he be able to stop the radio beam weapon from destroying mankind…?!
Beautiful dark brooding belly in the glass. Bright minerally and floral notes initially, but one can already note the coming cigar box and ceder flavours. Red and black bon bons on the palate with an appealing tannic grip that hints towards an amazing integration of constituents. Still obviously young but set up to be a future knock out that we have come to expect.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Giacomo Conterno Barolo Francia 2015. Nydelig på duft med super intensitet. Roser, kirsebær, krydder og asfalt. Meget bra! Over i munn er den noe mer brutal. Her er det mett med dybde og vekt. Pen friskhet og flott frukt. Rå konsentrasjon, men den er litt for ung nå. Kjenner kantene greit - den gjør seg best med et stykke kjøtt til. Meget lang finish med røffe tanniner. Ørlite varme her. Den bør helt klart ligge rolig i kjelleren noen år til. 94p
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The ‘15 Francia was once again a very impressive young wine, and this bottle was more expressive than the one I had earlier in the year. The nose was surprisingly intensely perfumed, with dark red to black fruit, sweet spices, fresh roses, tar, fresh herbs, and mint. It reminded me of the standard core of dark red fruit, tar, and roses I find in the Conterno Francia in other vintages, with an additional black fruit, sweet spice layer on top of that. On the palate, the wine was less open, but impressed for the sheer density of the wine, with very concentrated fruit that buried the tannins. I found dark fruit, tar, and dark floral tones on the palate, with sweet spices emerging and lingering on the very long finish.
At this stage, the density and some of the aromatics of the ‘15 Francia almost suggest a modern wine, but I imagine the expression will become a bit more classic with age. Either way, it’s superb and this bottle was surprisingly open aromatically.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Casual BBQ Wines: Next to the same wine from 2008. Raspberry, roses, licorice and orange rind. Strongly intense flavours on the palate, this is super youthful (as would be expected). 15+ years no problem here.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Amazing wine; served from a bottle opened for an hour or so, this was really singin, surprisingly so, dry, but juicy, ekstremely balance with an abundance of fruit, that just goes on. Everything to like here. #Enomania
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
The nose is a bit shy at this stage, but with a bit of coaxing shows beautiful aromas of ripe dark red to black fruit, licorice, menthol, and a touch each of tobacco, spices, orange peel, and balsamic. It is deep and cool in tone, with sweet, ripe fruit but in general no signs of a warm vintage. On the palate, there is a wave of dark red fruit and tar with incredible richness and intensity, building into a long finish of more black-toned fruit, cooling menthol and a touch of balsamic. The palate is incredibly rich for a Barolo yet the wine shows great finesse in the tannins and a silkiness that allows it to have this great intensity without weight. This one really does appear to be strong in every key element.
Probably the best 2015 Barolo I've tasted to-date, and an excellent wine in the making, although based on this tasting it will not be at its best for a long time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decided to pop a btl to see what's up. Did take a few hours to really open up. Some young barolos are more floral and light and develop weight over time, but this one was solid and structured from the start. On the nose, dark fruits and density, you can tell it needs to shed a lot. The floral aspects are currently fairly buried. On the palate, lots of acidity/tannins like you'd expect, but still balanced that it's fairly drinkable at this stage. Kind of intense on the palate that I think new world cab drinkers would really enjoy. The nose is fairly complex and dense, keeps you coming back for another sniff. Finish goes on for what feels like forever. Ripe vintage but they did a good job and it's not in the "over the top" territory.
I'll probably try my next btl in a decade or so, and more than likely bump my score then.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasted at the Barolo and Barbaresco World Opening Tasting Event in NYC. From one of the most traditional Barolo producers. I had one of the last tastes from the bottle being poured, so it had gotten some aeration along the way...which it desperately needs. The nose was marvelous and wafted from the glass, rich powerful but elegant, minerally and perfumed. I could just smell this for hours. Big structure here both tannin and acidity. Layers of varied cherry, pomegranate and plum fruit. Long, long finish. Excellent! Needs cellaring but will be magnificent with time and aeration.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Appealing and at times expressive aromas, but is more harmonized and well-behaved vs Cerretta with fruit-driven style of red berries, inviting roses and light herbal tones.
Pretty full-bodied wine that feels leaner and with good character throughout the mouthfeel. Tighter red berries, fruit peel, deep salt minerals and clear exotic spice. Very good tannins with perfect maturity. Good acidity. Good finish. This is an excellent Francia that will need time in the cellar. 94 points. For now. (94-96p)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A deeper nose with tar, darker nebbiolo fruit, spice. balsam. A deep, lung filling nose. On the palate it's expansive with loads of balsam, roses, tar. This is a wine that has it all. It's large scaled, yet elegant, with nothing really standing out, but with everything coming together into a greater whole. A cohesive, complicated, structured, profound Barolo. Fantastic
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Fatprøve. Barolo Cascina Francia 2015. Helt fantastisk frukt! Klokkeren med rik kraftfull frukt. Mye power og fylde her, uten å miste elegansen på veien. Særdeles lang. 95-96p
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Piedmont; 2/11/2019-2/15/2019 (Alba, Italy): Botti sample, to be bottled in June. Roberto's current favourite, and mine as well. This had a darker complexion, with the fruit not as bright and elevated as either the Arione or Cerretta, but it still maintained its lift and elegance. The most complete wine, with the most flesh on its bones, this was plush and velvety, but with the requisite acidic balance. Again in this ripe year, there is a brilliant coolness to this wine that makes it all the more compelling.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
2018 Visit to Giacomo Conterno with Roberto Conterno (Monforte d'Alba): From 1974 planted vines, said Roberto. Again, to be bottled in June 2019. Another classy Barolo Cru expression. Redolent on the nose with spices - I thought cinnamon, cumin and a pinch of black pepper - dark florals, red cherries and some kirsch. On palate, very rich and powerful. Mainly red fruit - cherries, currants and a touch of cranberries - with spices, earth, brushwood and slatey minerals. Satiny tannins. Well balanced and quite long.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasting with Roberto Conterno (Giocomo Conterno Winery, Monforte): (Barrel Sample) Here I found a dark, inward expression with floral infused fruit, orange peel, sweet spice, minerals and dusty earth. On the palate, tension ruled the day, with sour red fruits, dark inner florals and minerals, as a coating of fine tannin settled on the senses. It finished structured yet refined as dark red fruits and inner floral tones lasted long. (94 - 96 points)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
1/31/2024 - drwine2001 wrote:
A Taste of Serralunga Dinner-La Festa del Barolo 2024 (Locanda Verde, New York): Dark ruby. Rich but not lush deep black and some blue fruit as well. Piquant and alive in the mouth, fantastic drive and penetration. Classic, stately, full of soil and stone dust. Magnificent wine that manages to be accessible now due to its incredible material that stands up to the structure. Wow.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/24/2023 - B Paul wrote:
Decanted and followed over a couple of hours. Very concentrated cherry with tar, leather. Quite a bit of structure that shows up on the finish. Great material, but needs some time.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/1/2023 - shifter Likes this wine: 95 Points
PnP. Ready to go right out of the gate with lots of beauty framed by some soft but present structure. Bright red fruit with tar and leather. Continued to develop over lunch. Naturally very young, but supremely enjoyable at this stage.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/5/2023 - csimm wrote: 96 Points
Aromas of leather, crushed dried roses, macerated red cherries, and alcohol peek through an otherwise muted nose, signaling a reticent Barolo that is wondering who in God’s name set the alarm clock ten years too early?! Tight on the palate, with some sleep inertia reluctantly keeping the flavors from expanding. Sandalwood, plum, tobacco, leather, and bitter spice hop-scotch across the palate, skipping most of the mid-palate, and clenching up on a tart and slightly warm finish.
Oxygen is the hot cup of coffee this wine needs to rouse its spirits. Initially with a cantankerous 4-year-old “I don’t wannnnnnaaa get up for breakfast” protest, depth and complexity slowly, begrudgingly, make their appearances from under the covers. Fuzzy cedar-inflected tannins become more refined with air. Sherry-drenched cherries and unsmoked cigar make for an old-world charm, coupled with leather and river rock notes.
And just when you think it is about to give up the goods and unfold into a wave of flavor-generosity, it… doesn’t. So, that’s about as far as it gets, which is perhaps further than I had anticipated. Sure, it needs a decade or two to get to work and promote to VP of grandeur, but it’s a prodigy primed for splendor down the road. A very eligible bachelor type of wine that checks the boxes. Mom would be proud.
Hold until 2035. Or, just pony-up son and open it now with a super fat decant and enjoy it for some of its already-supercool suave James Bond posing (think Sean Connery in Dr. No, with his signature Walther PPK in one hand and a martini in the other… and Sylvia Trench in the other)…. Will he be able to stop the radio beam weapon from destroying mankind…?!
96+ points.
5 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (10)
12/11/2022 - Bosbevok Likes this wine: 95 Points
Beautiful dark brooding belly in the glass. Bright minerally and floral notes initially, but one can already note the coming cigar box and ceder flavours. Red and black bon bons on the palate with an appealing tannic grip that hints towards an amazing integration of constituents. Still obviously young but set up to be a future knock out that we have come to expect.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/4/2022 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Just by the very nose alone unmistakle who makes this wine. Just opened, we shall see where it goes!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/14/2021 - hajoha wrote: 94 Points
Giacomo Conterno Barolo Francia 2015.
Nydelig på duft med super intensitet.
Roser, kirsebær, krydder og asfalt.
Meget bra!
Over i munn er den noe mer brutal.
Her er det mett med dybde og vekt.
Pen friskhet og flott frukt.
Rå konsentrasjon, men den er litt for ung nå.
Kjenner kantene greit - den gjør seg best med et stykke kjøtt til.
Meget lang finish med røffe tanniner.
Ørlite varme her.
Den bør helt klart ligge rolig i kjelleren noen år til. 94p
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/25/2020 - Robmcl920 Likes this wine: 96 Points
The ‘15 Francia was once again a very impressive young wine, and this bottle was more expressive than the one I had earlier in the year. The nose was surprisingly intensely perfumed, with dark red to black fruit, sweet spices, fresh roses, tar, fresh herbs, and mint. It reminded me of the standard core of dark red fruit, tar, and roses I find in the Conterno Francia in other vintages, with an additional black fruit, sweet spice layer on top of that. On the palate, the wine was less open, but impressed for the sheer density of the wine, with very concentrated fruit that buried the tannins. I found dark fruit, tar, and dark floral tones on the palate, with sweet spices emerging and lingering on the very long finish.
At this stage, the density and some of the aromatics of the ‘15 Francia almost suggest a modern wine, but I imagine the expression will become a bit more classic with age. Either way, it’s superb and this bottle was surprisingly open aromatically.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/14/2020 - CamWheeler wrote: 93 Points
Casual BBQ Wines: Next to the same wine from 2008. Raspberry, roses, licorice and orange rind. Strongly intense flavours on the palate, this is super youthful (as would be expected). 15+ years no problem here.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/23/2020 - beatles wrote: 95 Points
Amazing wine; served from a bottle opened for an hour or so, this was really singin, surprisingly so, dry, but juicy, ekstremely balance with an abundance of fruit, that just goes on. Everything to like here.
#Enomania
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/26/2020 - Robmcl920 Likes this wine: 96 Points
The nose is a bit shy at this stage, but with a bit of coaxing shows beautiful aromas of ripe dark red to black fruit, licorice, menthol, and a touch each of tobacco, spices, orange peel, and balsamic. It is deep and cool in tone, with sweet, ripe fruit but in general no signs of a warm vintage. On the palate, there is a wave of dark red fruit and tar with incredible richness and intensity, building into a long finish of more black-toned fruit, cooling menthol and a touch of balsamic. The palate is incredibly rich for a Barolo yet the wine shows great finesse in the tannins and a silkiness that allows it to have this great intensity without weight. This one really does appear to be strong in every key element.
Probably the best 2015 Barolo I've tasted to-date, and an excellent wine in the making, although based on this tasting it will not be at its best for a long time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/8/2020 - mrbry83 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decided to pop a btl to see what's up. Did take a few hours to really open up. Some young barolos are more floral and light and develop weight over time, but this one was solid and structured from the start. On the nose, dark fruits and density, you can tell it needs to shed a lot. The floral aspects are currently fairly buried. On the palate, lots of acidity/tannins like you'd expect, but still balanced that it's fairly drinkable at this stage. Kind of intense on the palate that I think new world cab drinkers would really enjoy. The nose is fairly complex and dense, keeps you coming back for another sniff. Finish goes on for what feels like forever. Ripe vintage but they did a good job and it's not in the "over the top" territory.
I'll probably try my next btl in a decade or so, and more than likely bump my score then.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/4/2020 - oldwines Likes this wine: 95 Points
Tasted at the Barolo and Barbaresco World Opening Tasting Event in NYC. From one of the most traditional Barolo producers. I had one of the last tastes from the bottle being poured, so it had gotten some aeration along the way...which it desperately needs. The nose was marvelous and wafted from the glass, rich powerful but elegant, minerally and perfumed. I could just smell this for hours. Big structure here both tannin and acidity. Layers of varied cherry, pomegranate and plum fruit. Long, long finish. Excellent! Needs cellaring but will be magnificent with time and aeration.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/7/2019 - Andre Brattland wrote: 94 Points
Appealing and at times expressive aromas, but is more harmonized and well-behaved vs Cerretta with fruit-driven style of red berries, inviting roses and light herbal tones.
Pretty full-bodied wine that feels leaner and with good character throughout the mouthfeel. Tighter red berries, fruit peel, deep salt minerals and clear exotic spice. Very good tannins with perfect maturity. Good acidity. Good finish. This is an excellent Francia that will need time in the cellar. 94 points. For now. (94-96p)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/21/2019 - cct wrote: 98 Points
With Roberto and Stephanie
A deeper nose with tar, darker nebbiolo fruit, spice. balsam. A deep, lung filling nose. On the palate it's expansive with loads of balsam, roses, tar. This is a wine that has it all. It's large scaled, yet elegant, with nothing really standing out, but with everything coming together into a greater whole. A cohesive, complicated, structured, profound Barolo. Fantastic
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/23/2019 - hajoha wrote: 95 Points
Fatprøve.
Barolo Cascina Francia 2015.
Helt fantastisk frukt!
Klokkeren med rik kraftfull frukt.
Mye power og fylde her, uten å miste elegansen på veien.
Særdeles lang. 95-96p
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/13/2019 - acyso wrote: 95 Points
Piedmont; 2/11/2019-2/15/2019 (Alba, Italy): Botti sample, to be bottled in June. Roberto's current favourite, and mine as well. This had a darker complexion, with the fruit not as bright and elevated as either the Arione or Cerretta, but it still maintained its lift and elegance. The most complete wine, with the most flesh on its bones, this was plush and velvety, but with the requisite acidic balance. Again in this ripe year, there is a brilliant coolness to this wine that makes it all the more compelling.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/8/2018 - HowardNZ Likes this wine:
2018 Visit to Giacomo Conterno with Roberto Conterno (Monforte d'Alba): From 1974 planted vines, said Roberto. Again, to be bottled in June 2019. Another classy Barolo Cru expression. Redolent on the nose with spices - I thought cinnamon, cumin and a pinch of black pepper - dark florals, red cherries and some kirsch. On palate, very rich and powerful. Mainly red fruit - cherries, currants and a touch of cranberries - with spices, earth, brushwood and slatey minerals. Satiny tannins. Well balanced and quite long.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/26/2018 - Eric Guido Likes this wine:
Tasting with Roberto Conterno (Giocomo Conterno Winery, Monforte): (Barrel Sample) Here I found a dark, inward expression with floral infused fruit, orange peel, sweet spice, minerals and dusty earth. On the palate, tension ruled the day, with sour red fruits, dark inner florals and minerals, as a coating of fine tannin settled on the senses. It finished structured yet refined as dark red fruits and inner floral tones lasted long. (94 - 96 points)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment