A stunning bottle, fresh and seamless. I was worried when first opened because the nose was completely muted. The wine quickly blossomed when poured, however. This was much lighter than I expected, in a very good way, floral and elegant. Notes of dried cherry, fennel, tar, rose petals and a touch of menthol. Maybe the best Nebbiolo I have had all year.
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Decanted over 2.5 hours, had only a slight bricking to its dark red color. On the nose was quite floral with a hint of tar emerging, more red fruited and a bit of earthiness. Enveloping mouthfeel, not tannic, but quite acidic. Long finish, overall was still quite primary for being just passed its drinking window. I found this very enjoyable, one of the best Barolos I've ever had.
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Popped and poured, although I have had the bottle standing up in my cellar for a few weeks. I have never been a fan of the 2000 vintage, but this is nicely balanced and expansive on the palate. More red fruited, with good acidity and focus. A little muddled on the nose, but all in a good showing.
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Really stunning perfectly made traditional Barolo. About as good as it gets. At first sip seemed slightly pungent/lean, but after 3 hours opened and then decanted, it was perfect. Dried cherries, tobacco, tar, rose petals, some orange peel. All the good stuff you would expect from a baroli of this caliber. It was aged flawlessly. I don't see this getting any better, but hopefully will remain in the zone while I get to another bottle or two I am still holding. Made a very fun pairing (traditional vs modern) with an 00 Scavino Carbobric and grilled hanger steak.
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At Tom’s side by side with 2000 pontet canet. Lots of bricking on the color. At first the nose was super concentrated reminiscent of a port or mevushal wine. It eased off after a while in the glass and showed some nice tertiary flavors and scents.
Pontet was my favorite of the two.
I think I might like my barolos a bit younger or just with a lot of air.
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Had several hours of air and was rocking and rolling. Soaring aromas of at peak cherry, balsam, florals, new leather and spice. Palate is rich with the structure seamlessly integrated. Awesome.
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Side by side with the '00 Vignolo - both wines decanted for ~6 hours. This was the more concentrated and texturally imposing of the two wines with significant concentration to the still-ripe fruit. Showing some balsamico and floral nuances. Gritty tannins are cloaked with fruit, so this is entirely drinkable, but still needs another 5 years in the cellar. Upside from here.
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HDH auction at Spiaggia; 12/13/2019-12/14/2019 (Chicago, IL): Opened the night before to aerate this properly. This is the promise of the 2000 vintage delivered. A beautiful balance of perfume, earth, and fruit. This is clearly a ripe wine, but it has held together very well, without the fruit turning brown or getting muddied (a problem in a lot of aging ripe-vintage nebbiolo). Silky and resolved, for my palate, this is at a peak drinking window right now.
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A nice bottle, I can feel the hand of Cavallotto that I like, very traditional, opens up lovely over 1-2 hours with an underlying sweetness, mid weight, nose slightly oversells the palate, a bit of acidity initially on the palate I think due to the vintage 2000, overall not like 2001-2004-2010 but enjoyable with a nice structure that comes out at each swirl of the glass. possibly in the 93-95 range, not sure this can improve much from here, feeling like a good drink now
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This is a deep, dark, masculine Barolo. Needed hours of air and still never really unfolded. There is a pool of dark fruits, with notes of melted liquorice and coffee grounds. Both Dave and Lindsey find it to be tannic and under-fruited. To me, the fruit is there, but it's still very primary. I believe this needs another five or so years to relax and show its charms. With D+L in Mamaroneck.
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Drank at Divina with the Taraks. Tasted after the 2008 Conterno Fantino Mosconi which had significant more tannin punch. That made it harder to evaluate. This was much more subdued but delicious.
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Very enjoyable and drinking well. Tannins are supportive, but the tannin-fruit combination is still primary indicating patience. I wish I had more, as this wine clearly has the structure and power to deliver 2, 4 or 8 years down the road. The 2000 Cavallotto with strong fruit and flavor is definitely a class above the 2000 Monprivato, which is softer and more subtle.
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Rich and vibrant with plenty of supporting tannins. Dark cherry and vanilla style, rather than tar and roses. Drinking well, but the fruit & tannin balance indicates this wine has much more time available, and I think waiting would be rewarded with either more delicacy or more depth. QPR is superb... you can't go wrong under $60 barolo of this age and quality.
Even three days on the counter does nothing to dissipate the power.
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Italians from Spring/Summer 2012 Parties: Dripping with quality from the first drop - everyone knew it was serious stuff - still showing good tannins, but integrated into a flavorful and balanced wine. Aromas of dried cherry, rose water, and tar, with a dry but flavorful and somewhat confected palate of ripe cherry and cocoa dusted belgian truffles.
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The aroma was red fruits, black tea, mushroom/truffle, licorice and vanilla. Very nice floral element as well. This wine improved as the evening wore on as it opened up. Chewy yet smooth tannins. Nice red fruits, plums, black tea, tar. Nice earthiness/truffles element. Decent acidity. Medium bodied. Decent length to the finish. All in all a very nice wine. Still a muscular element... not a shrinking violet.
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Bold and still tannic. Bursting with cherry and vanilla. Compared with 2000 Mascarello Monprivato this is more bold and fruity than elegant and subtle, but I give the extra point to the Cavallotto. Monprivato is drinking very well with probably improvement. The Cavallotto is amazingly pleasurable, but could use another couple years or so to improve and become richer.
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This is really shut down right now - opened in the morning and at dinner 12 hours later this was giving absolutely nothing. Later that night, around hour 14-15, the wine loosened up enough to drink, showing deep flavors of red and black licorice, plum and a bit of spice. The wine stayed in a nice window of drinkability for about 2 hours before the formidable tannins clamped down. Very concentrated and with plenty of structure, this baby needs to sleep for a good long while.
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Open 24 hours showing aromatic dark cherry with a bit of creamy vanilla and spice, and just a touch of tar. Sweet-tart rather than acidic-tart. Fruit is strong enough to mostly hide any harshness in the tannins, but they're there. Others rate it higher than I do; Although it is quite tasty now, the freshness leads me think this may gain fruit, earthiness or complexity with a few more years.
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The nose was big and brooding with dark red licorice, rose petals, orange marmalade and a combination of things that I can best describe as sauerbraten sauce. On the palate, it was full bodied with vibrant acidity, showing sour raspberry fruit, rosemary, tar and clove. The finish was long with cranberry fruit and silky tannin. Gorgeous.
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Tasted side by side with the 2000 Cavalotto Barolo Riserva Vignolo. Similar characteristics on the nose with floral aromas, bright cherries and some baking spice notes. Much more approachable on the palate with refined, silky tannins and mouthwatering acid. Not as dry as the Vignolo. Clean, long finish and overall balance are the highlights of this wine. Really well made barolo.
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Tasted alongside the 2000 vignolo of the same producer which made for a very interesting horizontal tasting. In comparison, this was the more approachable wine - softer tannins for sure. Clean fruit, typical nebbiolo characteristics with great concentration and depth. Really top notch barolo in my book.
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Not as elegant as I had expected, but perhaps understandable given the vintage. Very perfumy, with stewed fruits and tar leading from nose to palate. A twinge of crowbar would keep the blind taster in Piedmont, as would the tannins, which are still choppy and aggressive. Needs time.
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This is big and bold for a Barolo. Started out with a Caramel nose that turned more classic and subtle with some time in the decanter and glass. The palate is ripe and full with some strawberry nuance complimenting a relatively jammy profile (for a Barolo) This is definitely a New World interpretation but very enjoyable.
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Elegant, perfumed nose of mushroonms, horhound/liquorice, strawberries, tart cherry, dried flowers, oolong tea, and smoky notes in the background. Medium bodied palate, moderate acidity, with fairly drying tannins on the finish.
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I'm enjoying this wine a great deal over a several night period, and it's on the shelves now in the mid $40s at a very good value. This wine certainly has a lot going on, it is ripe, red, and traditional. To my palate, I have some of the concerns about the ripeness of the fruit, and I'm not sure I'd add to my cellar given my commitments to 96s, 99s, 01s and 04s but it surely is a great traditonal bottle at a good price. I don't find the complexity and the balance of some other 00s I've tasted, say the Massolino Vigna Rionda or the G. Mascarello Monprivato. I am probably underrating this wine and may be pleasantly suprised if not a tad remorseful a number of years out.
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clean, clear and classic. bright tarry cherry fruit with tannins to last a long time. sweet menthol, clean in the mouth and a good solid finish. nice and would be happy to drink this anytime...especially in another 5 years.
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This is a big and chewy barolo with rather delicious forward-fruit, a hallmark no doubt of the generous '00 vintage. Aromas of mushroom, truffle, tar, anise, leather and dried sweet cherries. It's appealing enough to drink now, though best decanted to give it some time to express itself. A great all-around example that has a long run ahead of it. Would be great with game or any hearty dish, especially with mushrooms.
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11/18/2023 - Nanda wrote: flawed
Bottle seemed off as the fruit was muddled and showing some oxidation.
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11/18/2023 - acyso wrote:
Nebbiolos, white truffles, Volume VIII (Chicago, IL): Opened at 8am, double-decanted at 4pm. Not a great bottle. Just kind of dirty and muddy. Some slight soy notes as well. A shame.
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11/9/2023 - JonnyG Likes this wine: 97 Points
A stunning bottle, fresh and seamless. I was worried when first opened because the nose was completely muted. The wine quickly blossomed when poured, however. This was much lighter than I expected, in a very good way, floral and elegant. Notes of dried cherry, fennel, tar, rose petals and a touch of menthol. Maybe the best Nebbiolo I have had all year.
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10/1/2023 - Teaky Likes this wine:
Decanted over 2.5 hours, had only a slight bricking to its dark red color. On the nose was quite floral with a hint of tar emerging, more red fruited and a bit of earthiness. Enveloping mouthfeel, not tannic, but quite acidic. Long finish, overall was still quite primary for being just passed its drinking window. I found this very enjoyable, one of the best Barolos I've ever had.
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8/27/2023 - Bob H wrote:
Popped and poured, although I have had the bottle standing up in my cellar for a few weeks. I have never been a fan of the 2000 vintage, but this is nicely balanced and expansive on the palate. More red fruited, with good acidity and focus. A little muddled on the nose, but all in a good showing.
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5/15/2022 - Neurowine1 wrote: 95 Points
Really stunning perfectly made traditional Barolo. About as good as it gets. At first sip seemed slightly pungent/lean, but after 3 hours opened and then decanted, it was perfect. Dried cherries, tobacco, tar, rose petals, some orange peel. All the good stuff you would expect from a baroli of this caliber. It was aged flawlessly. I don't see this getting any better, but hopefully will remain in the zone while I get to another bottle or two I am still holding. Made a very fun pairing (traditional vs modern) with an 00 Scavino Carbobric and grilled hanger steak.
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3/6/2022 - Snowey Likes this wine:
At Tom’s side by side with 2000 pontet canet. Lots of bricking on the color.
At first the nose was super concentrated reminiscent of a port or mevushal wine. It eased off after a while in the glass and showed some nice tertiary flavors and scents.
Pontet was my favorite of the two.
I think I might like my barolos a bit younger or just with a lot of air.
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12/19/2021 - Nanda wrote: 94 Points
Had several hours of air and was rocking and rolling. Soaring aromas of at peak cherry, balsam, florals, new leather and spice. Palate is rich with the structure seamlessly integrated. Awesome.
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11/3/2020 - nphase Likes this wine: 93 Points
Showing very well after six hours of decanting. Stunning.
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1/12/2020 - Nanda wrote: 93 Points
Side by side with the '00 Vignolo - both wines decanted for ~6 hours. This was the more concentrated and texturally imposing of the two wines with significant concentration to the still-ripe fruit. Showing some balsamico and floral nuances. Gritty tannins are cloaked with fruit, so this is entirely drinkable, but still needs another 5 years in the cellar. Upside from here.
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12/14/2019 - acyso wrote: 95 Points
HDH auction at Spiaggia; 12/13/2019-12/14/2019 (Chicago, IL): Opened the night before to aerate this properly. This is the promise of the 2000 vintage delivered. A beautiful balance of perfume, earth, and fruit. This is clearly a ripe wine, but it has held together very well, without the fruit turning brown or getting muddied (a problem in a lot of aging ripe-vintage nebbiolo). Silky and resolved, for my palate, this is at a peak drinking window right now.
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12/18/2018 - sburtt Likes this wine: 93 Points
A nice bottle, I can feel the hand of Cavallotto that I like, very traditional, opens up lovely over 1-2 hours with an underlying sweetness, mid weight, nose slightly oversells the palate, a bit of acidity initially on the palate I think due to the vintage 2000, overall not like 2001-2004-2010 but enjoyable with a nice structure that comes out at each swirl of the glass. possibly in the 93-95 range, not sure this can improve much from here, feeling like a good drink now
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12/18/2014 - nschmidt Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drank at Divina with Adrianne and Sarah. Beautifully aged barolo. This really is at the right spot now.
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4/4/2014 - Pknut wrote:
This is a deep, dark, masculine Barolo. Needed hours of air and still never really unfolded. There is a pool of dark fruits, with notes of melted liquorice and coffee grounds. Both Dave and Lindsey find it to be tannic and under-fruited. To me, the fruit is there, but it's still very primary. I believe this needs another five or so years to relax and show its charms. With D+L in Mamaroneck.
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6/12/2013 - nschmidt wrote: 93 Points
Drank at Divina with the Taraks. Tasted after the 2008 Conterno Fantino Mosconi which had significant more tannin punch. That made it harder to evaluate. This was much more subdued but delicious.
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2/27/2013 - ParkHill Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very enjoyable and drinking well. Tannins are supportive, but the tannin-fruit combination is still primary indicating patience. I wish I had more, as this wine clearly has the structure and power to deliver 2, 4 or 8 years down the road. The 2000 Cavallotto with strong fruit and flavor is definitely a class above the 2000 Monprivato, which is softer and more subtle.
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12/15/2012 - ParkHill Likes this wine: 93 Points
Rich and vibrant with plenty of supporting tannins. Dark cherry and vanilla style, rather than tar and roses. Drinking well, but the fruit & tannin balance indicates this wine has much more time available, and I think waiting would be rewarded with either more delicacy or more depth. QPR is superb... you can't go wrong under $60 barolo of this age and quality.
Even three days on the counter does nothing to dissipate the power.
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8/6/2012 - pgb67 wrote: 93 Points
Italians from Spring/Summer 2012 Parties: Dripping with quality from the first drop - everyone knew it was serious stuff - still showing good tannins, but integrated into a flavorful and balanced wine. Aromas of dried cherry, rose water, and tar, with a dry but flavorful and somewhat confected palate of ripe cherry and cocoa dusted belgian truffles.
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10/30/2011 - OttawaB wrote: 92 Points
The aroma was red fruits, black tea, mushroom/truffle, licorice and vanilla. Very nice floral element as well.
This wine improved as the evening wore on as it opened up. Chewy yet smooth tannins. Nice red fruits, plums, black tea, tar. Nice earthiness/truffles element.
Decent acidity. Medium bodied. Decent length to the finish. All in all a very nice wine. Still a muscular element... not a shrinking violet.
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10/27/2011 - ParkHill wrote: 94 Points
Bold and still tannic. Bursting with cherry and vanilla. Compared with 2000 Mascarello Monprivato this is more bold and fruity than elegant and subtle, but I give the extra point to the Cavallotto. Monprivato is drinking very well with probably improvement. The Cavallotto is amazingly pleasurable, but could use another couple years or so to improve and become richer.
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7/27/2011 - ParkHill wrote: 93 Points
Drinking very nicely, now. Lots of sweet cherry-fruit with a good acid-tannin balance. A little tarry under coat. A year has made a big difference.
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12/30/2010 - DHJ1968 wrote:
This is really shut down right now - opened in the morning and at dinner 12 hours later this was giving absolutely nothing. Later that night, around hour 14-15, the wine loosened up enough to drink, showing deep flavors of red and black licorice, plum and a bit of spice. The wine stayed in a nice window of drinkability for about 2 hours before the formidable tannins clamped down. Very concentrated and with plenty of structure, this baby needs to sleep for a good long while.
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11/14/2010 - nschmidt wrote: 92 Points
Drank at 54th birthday party. Delicious but maybe still a little early.
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10/29/2010 - Motormaster wrote: 90 Points
I got a sweetheart deal on these. Nebbiolo magic in effect. Delicious.
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6/12/2010 - ParkHill wrote: 91 Points
Open 24 hours showing aromatic dark cherry with a bit of creamy vanilla and spice, and just a touch of tar. Sweet-tart rather than acidic-tart. Fruit is strong enough to mostly hide any harshness in the tannins, but they're there. Others rate it higher than I do; Although it is quite tasty now, the freshness leads me think this may gain fruit, earthiness or complexity with a few more years.
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6/8/2010 - lumpkins wrote: 91 Points
intense nose with floral, spice and cedar. full bodied, filling the nostrils with dark fruit and tar. finish a good 20 sec +
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2/7/2010 - Al-Vino wrote: 93 Points
Outstanding Barolo! Let this puppy breath for at least two hours and savour its outstanding depth and character. This wine was a real treat.
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2/7/2010 - Eric Guido Likes this wine: 93 Points
The nose was big and brooding with dark red licorice, rose petals, orange marmalade and a combination of things that I can best describe as sauerbraten sauce. On the palate, it was full bodied with vibrant acidity, showing sour raspberry fruit, rosemary, tar and clove. The finish was long with cranberry fruit and silky tannin. Gorgeous.
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1/31/2010 - Rich S wrote: 92 Points
Tasted side by side with the 2000 Cavalotto Barolo Riserva Vignolo. Similar characteristics on the nose with floral aromas, bright cherries and some baking spice notes. Much more approachable on the palate with refined, silky tannins and mouthwatering acid. Not as dry as the Vignolo. Clean, long finish and overall balance are the highlights of this wine. Really well made barolo.
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1/30/2010 - wirelesswine wrote: 93 Points
Tasted alongside the 2000 vignolo of the same producer which made for a very interesting horizontal tasting. In comparison, this was the more approachable wine - softer tannins for sure. Clean fruit, typical nebbiolo characteristics with great concentration and depth. Really top notch barolo in my book.
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1/3/2010 - Evan Dawson wrote: 92 Points
Not as elegant as I had expected, but perhaps understandable given the vintage. Very perfumy, with stewed fruits and tar leading from nose to palate. A twinge of crowbar would keep the blind taster in Piedmont, as would the tannins, which are still choppy and aggressive. Needs time.
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5/8/2009 - bwillia wrote: 92 Points
This is big and bold for a Barolo. Started out with a Caramel nose that turned more classic and subtle with some time in the decanter and glass. The palate is ripe and full with some strawberry nuance complimenting a relatively jammy profile (for a Barolo) This is definitely a New World interpretation but very enjoyable.
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3/13/2009 - Haltermr wrote: 90 Points
Elegant, perfumed nose of mushroonms, horhound/liquorice, strawberries, tart cherry, dried flowers, oolong tea, and smoky notes in the background. Medium bodied palate, moderate acidity, with fairly drying tannins on the finish.
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1/24/2009 - baroloboy55 wrote: 91 Points
I'm enjoying this wine a great deal over a several night period, and it's on the shelves now in the mid $40s at a very good value. This wine certainly has a lot going on, it is ripe, red, and traditional. To my palate, I have some of the concerns about the ripeness of the fruit, and I'm not sure I'd add to my cellar given my commitments to 96s, 99s, 01s and 04s but it surely is a great traditonal bottle at a good price. I don't find the complexity and the balance of some other 00s I've tasted, say the Massolino Vigna Rionda or the G. Mascarello Monprivato. I am probably underrating this wine and may be pleasantly suprised if not a tad remorseful a number of years out.
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2/4/2008 - br wrote:
clean, clear and classic. bright tarry cherry fruit with tannins to last a long time. sweet menthol, clean in the mouth and a good solid finish. nice and would be happy to drink this anytime...especially in another 5 years.
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12/31/2007 - 97mjr wrote:
classic profile mushroom, leather dried cherries, and chocolate. Stiff tannins. Not for drinking now and not on par w the 99, but a nice bottle
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12/4/2007 - Double-A wrote:
Flint, mineral, licorice and black raspberry nose. On the palate, fresh acidity and a very dry, astringent finish. Needs lots of time.
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4/7/2007 - bevetroppo wrote: 92 Points
This is a big and chewy barolo with rather delicious forward-fruit, a hallmark no doubt of the generous '00 vintage. Aromas of mushroom, truffle, tar, anise, leather and dried sweet cherries. It's appealing enough to drink now, though best decanted to give it some time to express itself. A great all-around example that has a long run ahead of it. Would be great with game or any hearty dish, especially with mushrooms.
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