Quite sharp on opening. Hints of warm spice way underneath the heat and burn. Short, harsh, clipped finish. Hope this opens up and let’s down its wall of shards.
Sadly quite one dimensional and muddy with air. Really not good. Perhaps a bad bottle or in a bad spot. None of the good qualities of other’s notes.
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Medium bodies, big, strong Balance of strong tannic/acid with fruit Light, consistent, long finish Rose hope, new leather, slightly earthy, raspberries
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Subtle nose of dark cherry, and some asphalt and floral notes. Medium weight, medium acidity, high- tannin. This is grippy and tightly wound at the moment. Some air would do it well. All in all its a good wine but not outstanding. Better in 3-5 years.
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Delicious... A little austere on opening (no decant) but after some air it became silky smooth and well rounded. Excellent with fresh white truffle linguini...
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House Barolo. Well, if yours is the type of household that would have a house Barolo, that is. This wine always drinks great upon release. One year on and it's showing even more beautifully.
Ripe strawberries, ripe red cherries, new leather, dirt, anise, cedar and tar on the nose. Palate adds bitter herbs, like those in amaro, and overall is less primary than the nose. It starts oaky and finishes herbal.
Medium body, zippy medium + acid, only medium tannin, though they do linger. Drink or hold.
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Barolo 2018 (Bottega Coco): Perfumed red cherry, a little sour underpin, slightly green perhaps. Medium plus intensity acidity, drying, raspy, talc textured tannins, cherry fruit, slight alcohol prickle. Medium plus length. Okay.
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This saw a few hours of air before drinking. This clearly shows off the warmth of the vintage as the nose is rich and with ripe fruited tones of sour cranberries, red cherries, licorice, spice notes, fresh herbs, raspberries, juniper berries, rose petals, and some cherry liqueur notes. The Full bodied feel is plush and silky with crisp, high acidity and silky, high tannins. The structure is sneaky as it hides behind a good amount of ripe fruit. This really needed about 8 hours of air to show off more classic Nebbiolo notes. I would like to see what this becomes with a bit of age, but it will always be a Vajra that shows a riper side.
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side by side of 2, 2018 Nebbiolos. One Barbaresco and one Barolo. This Barolo opened up more austere and with less fruits than the Barbaresco. Very hi acidity and grippy tannins. A darker color than the Barbaresco. After a couple hours open the fruit showed up. Similar palate of red cherry, red raspberry, rose, tar. The Barolo showed more structure and more aging potential so it wins for me by a nose.
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A pure nose of rose petal, red fruits, menthol and mint. The palate is silky, mid-weight and impeccably balanced. There's earthy nuance and perfumed fruits. It is a delightful Barolo, full of character and drinking beautifully as a youngster.
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Maybe there is bottle variation but I got a good one. This wine has wonderful fruit balanced by great Earth and ample acid. . It’s drinking beautifully six years in and I think it will continue to age very nicely. Great with scallop pasta.
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2018 may have mixed success for Barolo as a whole but shows well well here, this is one of my favorite recent vintages for Albe. So young but already relatively accessible, makes me more excited for the rest of Vajra’s 2018 Baroli than I was based on primary reports. Such a good qpr and especially good in this warmer vintage.
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Reading the notes below, this wine is obviously polarizing. Or there's serious bottle variation; a batch with ultra-light TCA perhaps? As someone who has taken decades to come around and appreciate Italian wines and their ACIDITY, I'm still surprised when I enjoy one like this. I've also learned to never taste these next to a big fruity New World wine. Splash decanted 1/2 hr before dinner and served in Riedel Pinot glasses. With time and coaxing, there's bright red cherry, spice, leather and floral notes that carry to the palate. Really lovely with prosciutto and cheese ravioli. Backbone of acidity and tannins asks for food, it's not a sipper. Really good QPR. Longer decant or wait: 2024-2028.
Quite thin in terms of mouthfeel and flavor. This wine was surprisingly disappointing: just not much there. It compared very unfavorably to a Ridge Zinfandel on the night with dinner. Would not repeat this vintage.
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Bu en succ. A 54$ on pousse un peu fort, il est victime de son grand succès. Tout de même rudement bon, il est rendu dans la norme pour le prix d'un Barolo. Excellent.
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No sediment. Medium red. Reserved on opening, breathes up to wonderful floral and fruit characters. Rose petal, mandarin, red cherry. Shows the openness and approachability of 2018 but this doesn’t mean it needs to be drunk tomorrow. I suspect these will be around for a decade. A beautiful entree to Barolo.
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Punches way above the price point. At Nonna, dinner with Patty. Beautiful nose of fresh flowers and forest floor. Silky mouthfeel, well rounded tannins, gorgeous acidic backbone. Drinking very well (the bottle was gone quite quickly). A beautiful Barolo.
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This is much more expressive than a bottle opened at a wine tasting 2 months ago. Beautiful nose of flowers and fresh pine needles. Medium-bodied, this is taut, tannic and crisp at the moment. Blood orange, spicy and chewy, this should be fantastic with braised beef. Could really use another 2-3 years to soften. Drink 2025-2030 92
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Consumed in two days. First day, it needed about an hour decant to smooth out the tannins. The floral nose was the highlight. It had a good structure, cherry, tart, star anise, and on the fruity side for a Barolo. As a sub-$40 Barolo, I think this provides solid QPR. On second day, I didn't see further improvement. That's probably what you expect from its level.
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Opulent nose of roses, strawberry and mint, with ripe red fruit on the palate, a long finish and chalky tannins. Drinking very nicely now. Impressive given the tricky 2018 vintage.
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Such a beautiful wine that really shined bright after 2.5 hours of air time. Elegant and open with flavor characteristics of rose, orange peel, sour cherry, and earth. This is a fantastic value in Barolo and the perfect wine to open with a nice Italian meal.
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Had at Casa D’Angelo in Boca, The Som recommended. Not great at all, was lacking depth and very tannic on the finish. Needs plenty of air or time in the bottle, although I’m not sure it’ll get better. Will definitely not try again.
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[0.7] Blinds at Angler (Angler, SF): (Blind) Medium ruby, hint of garnet. Volatile acidity (perfumed). Hint of star anise. Red cherry fruit. Possible herbal notes (pyrazines?). Menthol. Dry. Medium body. 14% alcohol (actually 14.5%). High acid. High tannins (papery and drying).
Elevated structure and light color with a puzzling herbal note and some new oak.
Laterals: - Chianti, Brunello, Barolo/Barbaresco - the herbal notes are puzzling but this would fit for brunello/Barbaresco. - Loire cab franc - would be greener. - Bordeaux: young bordeaux. The VA is a bit much and the tannin texture seems too coarse / unrefined. But the nose fits. - Coonawarra cab: tannins and acid are way too high. - Etana Rosso - this kinda fits. Not really confident on the style. I think it would be darker in color.
I’m picking between Barbaresco and etna rosso.
Final call: 2018 Barbaresco Actually: 2018 Barolo Analysis - pretty close! Maybe I underestimated the alcohol a bit. This wine is promising, if fairly young.
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medium light color, nose of strawberry, plum and some tar. palate is very smooth, lots of bright red fruit flavors, some earthy floral notes, some orange juice at the finish. medium + acidity, medium tannins, can drink now after 1hr.
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Deliciously pure cherry fruit aromas and flavours. Accessible and showing plenty as a youngster. Some mint and menthol and a touch of earth. Good flesh and moderate chew. Lovely balance and perfume.
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Tried this at the winery, thin, disjointed, and tart, with little fruit to balance out the tannins. Hard pass. I had a much better experience in Neive tasting the ‘19 barbarescos.
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Having recently tried the spectacularly good Coste di Rose and Ravera 2018 at the Vajra estate, I was curious about this. Through Coravin.
The accusation made against 2018 vintage that they are thin is not true for every wine as I have tasted a few, but it is sort of true for this. This is thin compared to the norm but it is still really fine, it has a very expressive and immediately accessible profile. Red berries, raspberry, cherry and rosehip, mint, dried violets, roses and old wood, a bit of rusty nail. Flirts a little bit with an Alto Piemonte profile perhaps. Very enjoyable with just a tiny bit of air. Recommended to try but perhaps not stock for the long term. 5-8 years from now at the most, probably.
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3/8/2024 - axelllund Likes this wine: 93 Points
Good as always
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3/6/2024 - Neumann U47 wrote:
Quite sharp on opening. Hints of warm spice way underneath the heat and burn. Short, harsh, clipped finish. Hope this opens up and let’s down its wall of shards.
Sadly quite one dimensional and muddy with air. Really not good. Perhaps a bad bottle or in a bad spot. None of the good qualities of other’s notes.
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1/16/2024 - Crisas Likes this wine: 92 Points
Medium bodies, big, strong
Balance of strong tannic/acid with fruit
Light, consistent, long finish
Rose hope, new leather, slightly earthy, raspberries
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12/8/2023 - essitam Likes this wine: 93 Points
Beautiful, orange, würze, floral, tief, elegant, kräftig
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11/18/2023 - ONEFIVE Likes this wine:
Subtle nose of dark cherry, and some asphalt and floral notes.
Medium weight, medium acidity, high- tannin.
This is grippy and tightly wound at the moment. Some air would do it well.
All in all its a good wine but not outstanding. Better in 3-5 years.
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10/14/2023 - Richard123 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Delicious... A little austere on opening (no decant) but after some air it became silky smooth and well rounded. Excellent with fresh white truffle linguini...
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8/19/2023 - AlphaMikeFoxtrot Likes this wine: 90 Points
House Barolo. Well, if yours is the type of household that would have a house Barolo, that is. This wine always drinks great upon release. One year on and it's showing even more beautifully.
Ripe strawberries, ripe red cherries, new leather, dirt, anise, cedar and tar on the nose. Palate adds bitter herbs, like those in amaro, and overall is less primary than the nose. It starts oaky and finishes herbal.
Medium body, zippy medium + acid, only medium tannin, though they do linger. Drink or hold.
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8/16/2023 - chatters wrote:
Barolo 2018 (Bottega Coco): Perfumed red cherry, a little sour underpin, slightly green perhaps. Medium plus intensity acidity, drying, raspy, talc textured tannins, cherry fruit, slight alcohol prickle. Medium plus length. Okay.
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7/28/2023 - remyworldpeace wrote: 92 Points
Cherry, strawberry, rose petals, violet flowers and herbs. Acidic balance.
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6/18/2023 - KeithAkers wrote: 89 Points
This saw a few hours of air before drinking. This clearly shows off the warmth of the vintage as the nose is rich and with ripe fruited tones of sour cranberries, red cherries, licorice, spice notes, fresh herbs, raspberries, juniper berries, rose petals, and some cherry liqueur notes. The Full bodied feel is plush and silky with crisp, high acidity and silky, high tannins. The structure is sneaky as it hides behind a good amount of ripe fruit. This really needed about 8 hours of air to show off more classic Nebbiolo notes. I would like to see what this becomes with a bit of age, but it will always be a Vajra that shows a riper side.
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6/18/2023 - Vargasjavi Likes this wine: 92 Points
Amongst the best values out there
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6/18/2023 - DGArmstrong wrote:
Note real heavy; drink it with food!
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5/31/2023 - tedcholl Likes this wine: 93 Points
side by side of 2, 2018 Nebbiolos. One Barbaresco and one Barolo. This Barolo opened up more austere and with less fruits than the Barbaresco. Very hi acidity and grippy tannins. A darker color than the Barbaresco. After a couple hours open the fruit showed up. Similar palate of red cherry, red raspberry, rose, tar. The Barolo showed more structure and more aging potential so it wins for me by a nose.
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5/29/2023 - Rune Schwartz Likes this wine: 91 Points
Reference Barolo. Lively, needs some more years on the side to unfold it’s potential. But already good.
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5/26/2023 - Jason Wu Likes this wine: 92 Points
Orange peel, herbal, red cherry, ferrous, closed on the palate. Great with truffle salami.
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5/21/2023 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
A pure nose of rose petal, red fruits, menthol and mint. The palate is silky, mid-weight and impeccably balanced. There's earthy nuance and perfumed fruits. It is a delightful Barolo, full of character and drinking beautifully as a youngster.
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5/19/2023 - nvk Likes this wine: 95 Points
Delightful
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5/19/2023 - nvk Likes this wine: 95 Points
This was really delightful.
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5/2/2023 - AB16 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Maybe there is bottle variation but I got a good one. This wine has wonderful fruit balanced by great Earth and ample acid. . It’s drinking beautifully six years in and I think it will continue to age very nicely. Great with scallop pasta.
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4/28/2023 - ethanwade Likes this wine:
2018 may have mixed success for Barolo as a whole but shows well well here, this is one of my favorite recent vintages for Albe. So young but already relatively accessible, makes me more excited for the rest of Vajra’s 2018 Baroli than I was based on primary reports. Such a good qpr and especially good in this warmer vintage.
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4/21/2023 - Grinner wrote: 91 Points
Reading the notes below, this wine is obviously polarizing. Or there's serious bottle variation; a batch with ultra-light TCA perhaps?
As someone who has taken decades to come around and appreciate Italian wines and their ACIDITY, I'm still surprised when I enjoy one like this. I've also learned to never taste these next to a big fruity New World wine.
Splash decanted 1/2 hr before dinner and served in Riedel Pinot glasses. With time and coaxing, there's bright red cherry, spice, leather and floral notes that carry to the palate. Really lovely with prosciutto and cheese ravioli. Backbone of acidity and tannins asks for food, it's not a sipper. Really good QPR. Longer decant or wait: 2024-2028.
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4/15/2023 - Ridgerunner Likes this wine: 92 Points
intentionally drunk early to see how it would taste as an early drinker.
Great for teaching newbies about Barolo as an introductory wine.
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4/3/2023 - Brendel wrote: 87 Points
Quite thin in terms of mouthfeel and flavor. This wine was surprisingly disappointing: just not much there. It compared very unfavorably to a Ridge Zinfandel on the night with dinner. Would not repeat this vintage.
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4/3/2023 - maxima wrote: 90 Points
Bu en succ.
A 54$ on pousse un peu fort, il est
victime de son grand succès.
Tout de même rudement bon, il est rendu
dans la norme pour le prix d'un Barolo.
Excellent.
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4/1/2023 - richard.presser Likes this wine: 90 Points
No sediment. Medium red.
Reserved on opening, breathes up to wonderful floral and fruit characters. Rose petal, mandarin, red cherry.
Shows the openness and approachability of 2018 but this doesn’t mean it needs to be drunk tomorrow. I suspect these will be around for a decade. A beautiful entree to Barolo.
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3/17/2023 - markydecker Likes this wine: 93 Points
Punches way above the price point. At Nonna, dinner with Patty. Beautiful nose of fresh flowers and forest floor. Silky mouthfeel, well rounded tannins, gorgeous acidic backbone. Drinking very well (the bottle was gone quite quickly). A beautiful Barolo.
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3/12/2023 - Montesquieu wrote: 88 Points
Solid Barolo for the price. Drank well young with a little air.
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3/10/2023 - WineGuyX Likes this wine: 92 Points
This is much more expressive than a bottle opened at a wine tasting 2 months ago. Beautiful nose of flowers and fresh pine needles. Medium-bodied, this is taut, tannic and crisp at the moment. Blood orange, spicy and chewy, this should be fantastic with braised beef. Could really use another 2-3 years to soften. Drink 2025-2030 92
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2/20/2023 - dnlng wrote: 90 Points
Consumed in two days. First day, it needed about an hour decant to smooth out the tannins. The floral nose was the highlight. It had a good structure, cherry, tart, star anise, and on the fruity side for a Barolo. As a sub-$40 Barolo, I think this provides solid QPR. On second day, I didn't see further improvement. That's probably what you expect from its level.
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2/10/2023 - Nanocoin Likes this wine: 91 Points
Opulent nose of roses, strawberry and mint, with ripe red fruit on the palate, a long finish and chalky tannins. Drinking very nicely now. Impressive given the tricky 2018 vintage.
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2/4/2023 - CleverCorkage Likes this wine:
Such a beautiful wine that really shined bright after 2.5 hours of air time. Elegant and open with flavor characteristics of rose, orange peel, sour cherry, and earth. This is a fantastic value in Barolo and the perfect wine to open with a nice Italian meal.
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1/16/2023 - Gunakadeit Likes this wine: 90 Points
Solid. Open enough without a decant. Manageable tannins.
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1/14/2023 - gnsti wrote: 90 Points
가성비 좋은 입문용 바롤로!
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1/3/2023 - Jhalpern27 Does not like this wine: 87 Points
Had at Casa D’Angelo in Boca, The Som recommended. Not great at all, was lacking depth and very tannic on the finish. Needs plenty of air or time in the bottle, although I’m not sure it’ll get better. Will definitely not try again.
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12/17/2022 - RajivAyyangar wrote: 90 Points
[0.7] Blinds at Angler (Angler, SF): (Blind) Medium ruby, hint of garnet.
Volatile acidity (perfumed). Hint of star anise. Red cherry fruit. Possible herbal notes (pyrazines?). Menthol.
Dry. Medium body. 14% alcohol (actually 14.5%). High acid. High tannins (papery and drying).
Elevated structure and light color with a puzzling herbal note and some new oak.
Laterals:
- Chianti, Brunello, Barolo/Barbaresco - the herbal notes are puzzling but this would fit for brunello/Barbaresco.
- Loire cab franc - would be greener.
- Bordeaux: young bordeaux. The VA is a bit much and the tannin texture seems too coarse / unrefined. But the nose fits.
- Coonawarra cab: tannins and acid are way too high.
- Etana Rosso - this kinda fits. Not really confident on the style. I think it would be darker in color.
I’m picking between Barbaresco and etna rosso.
Final call: 2018 Barbaresco
Actually: 2018 Barolo
Analysis - pretty close! Maybe I underestimated the alcohol a bit. This wine is promising, if fairly young.
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11/17/2022 - NMSteve wrote:
Meh. Slightly interesting without being all that pleasurable. 2 (out of 5).
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11/3/2022 - cork breath wrote: 85 Points
Meh. Far from better barolo’s ive had
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10/29/2022 - Winesnob1973 Likes this wine: 83 Points
Kryddigt, viss nyans av körsbär & hallon
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10/17/2022 - Bigdong Likes this wine: 92 Points
medium light color, nose of strawberry, plum and some tar. palate is very smooth, lots of bright red fruit flavors, some earthy floral notes, some orange juice at the finish. medium + acidity, medium tannins, can drink now after 1hr.
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10/16/2022 - Andybe Likes this wine: 91 Points
A honest wine that gives pleasure with or without food.
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10/1/2022 - Collinsb1 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Really enjoyed this barolo, good value
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9/8/2022 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
Deliciously pure cherry fruit aromas and flavours. Accessible and showing plenty as a youngster. Some mint and menthol and a touch of earth. Good flesh and moderate chew. Lovely balance and perfume.
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7/10/2022 - peternelson Likes this wine: 92 Points
Excellent if not very young Barolo at Spinasse Seattle w/L&K
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6/17/2022 - jhill47@gmail.com wrote:
GD Vajra
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6/1/2022 - GregB57 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Red fruits: rhubarb, tart cherries. Not a big aged barolo, but very good friendly and bright Medium plus acidity.
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5/28/2022 - skurtz Does not like this wine: 86 Points
Tried this at the winery, thin, disjointed, and tart, with little fruit to balance out the tannins. Hard pass. I had a much better experience in Neive tasting the ‘19 barbarescos.
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5/5/2022 - jrick Likes this wine: 91 Points
Having recently tried the spectacularly good Coste di Rose and Ravera 2018 at the Vajra estate, I was curious about this. Through Coravin.
The accusation made against 2018 vintage that they are thin is not true for every wine as I have tasted a few, but it is sort of true for this. This is thin compared to the norm but it is still really fine, it has a very expressive and immediately accessible profile. Red berries, raspberry, cherry and rosehip, mint, dried violets, roses and old wood, a bit of rusty nail. Flirts a little bit with an Alto Piemonte profile perhaps. Very enjoyable with just a tiny bit of air. Recommended to try but perhaps not stock for the long term. 5-8 years from now at the most, probably.
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