G. Conterno v. B. Giacosa (Maialino): Similar to the ‘90 at first: dark, vegetal, unpleasant. Coming back there is some freshness over dark black and red fruit. Still difficult to get a good read on.
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Dark ruby. Big, brooding nose of sappy balsamic, iron, and cherry brandy. Big and brooding on the palate too, but balanced, because try as it might, the 1989 Cascina Francia's better angels overcome its darkness. Finishes long and broad with flavors of cherry and iron. Should drink well for another 8-10 years.
(Hail was problematic in 1989 and Conterno did not make a Monfortino.)
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Double decanted in the AM. Drunk over a few hours slowly.
Deep pitched and brooding with dark Serralunga fruit. this is large framed and imposing but terribly well balanced. A towering wine. meaty and balsamic, with some black licorice/ iodine dark undertones, and dark nebbiolo fruit, all delivered with a sense of deft power. This is youthful still, with great promise. I would love to drink this again in 10-15 years. when I suspect will be monumental. Tom and I finished off the bottle as we tried to solve the world's problems until after midnight. Majestic and impressive now and destined for greatness I suspect. 96+
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With Jim, Mannie, Rob, Bill and friends at Charlie Bird. Part of a flight of 9 1989s. they bottled no Monfortino this year and this is a special wine. Very bright and fruit forward like a cross between the two wines so was more ready than some of the others
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A lost Friday afternoon gathering – 96 Oeno, 99 Roumier BM, 13 Ente VV, 95 Rayas, 90 Chap (BlackSalt, Washington DC): Very iron driven nose displaying yellow cherry, cherry brandy, a hint of rust, balsamico, leather, licorice, tar, roasted chestnut, and steely mineral. Fully integrated harmonious palate, lean/steely, slightly rustic, good concentration and a long cherry and iron driven finish. The wine clearly displays the cantina style yet it seems a bit too straightforward.
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A dense wine but certainly open and accessible at this point. Great soil tones, dry cherry and coal dust. Attractively dirty and barnyardy in the background. Needed one hour after opening to fully emerge. 94+
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Wine of the flight. This is a very big wine. rich, deep and massively dense and totally drinkable right now. This was a year they made no Monfortino but this bottle lives up to the highest standard
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The nose was deep, rooted in the earth with iron and minerals, yet dark and imposing as rich black cherry, licorice and dried roses gave contrast to rock dust and black soil tones. You could sense that as much as this wine was willing to give, there was still so much more being held in reserve. On the palate, balsamic notes gave way to dark fruit and inner floral perfumes, yet the wine’s muscle and girth seemed to be working hard (yet in a futile manner) to try and keep it all concealed. The finish was filled with strawberry, tar and tobacco notes in a long, youthful expression. This is a wine that anyone who considers themselves a fan of Barolo must taste at one point in their lives.
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1989 Barolo and Barbaresco Single Blind (I Trulli Restaurant, NYC): [Double-decanted around 11am.] Big black fruit licorice nose. A big sweet wine in the mouth, with loads of chocolaty tannins, licorice and violets. Quite young, but clearly great. Probably WOTN and with another 2 decades of life ahead.
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NK Arrivederla Liz Nicholson (Maialino Restaurant, NYC): [Decanted at 8pm.] Nose is earthy and mature but the palate is youthful. This is a brilliant young wine. A bottle like this might be 100 points in 10 more years, it is that good. Staggering. 97-?? points.
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Dinner at Yann's (Flatiron, NYC): Shockingly deep blood, a touch of brick but I suspect that's just Nebbiolo, not age. A rather snarly nose, grippy, somewhat volatile, and very very very unready; meat and iron. The palate is a little more forgiving than the nose, but not much. Extremely tannic, a ferocious beast 20 years from ready. Savage and massive; colossally structured. Not a thing wrong here, just hold it. This would have benefited from 12-24 hours double-decanting. Spectacular like K2 -- discrete and deadly.
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1989 Barolo (NoMad Restaurant, NYC): [Double-decanted mid-afternoon. Tasted about 10pm.] Meaty iron ore and cherry nose. Big and quite structured in the mouth. Still lots of tannin, but great red fruit on the finish. One of my top 3 tonight.
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This was the 3. bottle of this afternoon, in the glass the most mature nose, may be a little bit to mature in the first moment, after 20 minutes the nose became better and better, sweet cherries and only few floral old notes, in the mouth more power than Mascarrello Monprivato 90, many different tastes in the mouth, perfekt Barolo, very nice afternoon, perfekt bottles, Barolo pure!
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Colore più scuro ma trasparente, inizialmente chiuso, naso di fragola tenue, radici, tartufo, molto indietro, giovanissimo. Nel tempo poi erbe con rosmarino. Bocca ampia, piena, ricca con tannino fitto e dolce, soprattutto nella chiusura
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Giacomo Conterno, Cascina Francia Barolo tasting 2010 (Maialino, NYC Lexington and 21st): The nose showed dried red fruits, tar, mushroom broth, a bit of black strap molasses and a hint of barnyard. Showed a gorgeous structure on the palate that gives the impression that this wine will last the ages. Still a little tight with a tannic grip but giving none the less with dark red fruit and a mineral core. Finish was long and fine, showing sour cranberry. This was the wine of the night for me.
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Showed bright sour cherry, sage and florist shop on the nose. The palate was full and soft with cherries, cedar and tobacco with a long finish. Just coming to age.
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Lunch at Gramercy Tavery - Bruce's bottle. Cedar, salt, mushroom and straw on nose. Tannins were smooth and acidity made for a bright finish. Palate took about an hour to come around, but had nice red fruit of strawberries and raspberries and long tea-like finish. Paired very well with roasted chicken.
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When poured into the glass this wine had a very mature nose but with time this disappeared and the wine just got better and better. I drank this from a Riedel Sommelier Grand Cru Burgundy glass as I had anticipated that it would benefit from a lot of air. Despite being 20 years old it was tight and seemed to be saying “leave me alone” from the glass. But as expected it started to open up with air. It revealed tar, liquorice and cherries in the nose. Underneath this initial layer you felt the dark red fruit which seemed to be covering a core of rusty iron. Tannins are powerful and there was a whipping acidity. The finish seemed to last forever. This is a true powerful and awesome Barolo, but it also has an elegant touch. It really requires patience, which is best illustrated by the fact that it was much better when I had the last half glass tonight. A fantastic wine, which I think is one of the best if not the best Cascina Francia ever made. 97+ points.
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while this was a great wine it was marginally disappointing as it was non blind so expectations were high. floral and fruity on the nose but not as explosive as the monprivatos on the palate. some thought it could still improve but its already 20....
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Uncorked DK does Piemonte Greatest (Peter Gade): Dark and dense red, a bit foggy. Nose of menthol, tobacco and some herbs, appears very secondary. In this mouth this is very tight and structured with loads of acid and some tannins. A dissapointing performance.
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8/20/2018 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 95 Points
Started tannic and tight, but became great once it opened with air time. Still very young. 95+
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5/23/2018 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 90 Points
G. Conterno v. B. Giacosa (Maialino): Similar to the ‘90 at first: dark, vegetal, unpleasant. Coming back there is some freshness over dark black and red fruit. Still difficult to get a good read on.
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4/15/2018 - rlove wrote: 94 Points
Dark ruby. Big, brooding nose of sappy balsamic, iron, and cherry brandy. Big and brooding on the palate too, but balanced, because try as it might, the 1989 Cascina Francia's better angels overcome its darkness. Finishes long and broad with flavors of cherry and iron. Should drink well for another 8-10 years.
(Hail was problematic in 1989 and Conterno did not make a Monfortino.)
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6/11/2017 - plitton wrote: 95 Points
Spectacular. Masculine, rich, brooding. Easily has another 10 years of bottle aging.
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2/24/2017 - tinybubbles wrote:
Deep and dark but not particularly expressive. Not the best bottle
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2/24/2017 - cct wrote: 96 Points
Tucson Nebbiolo Winter Escape 2017
Double decanted in the AM. Drunk over a few hours slowly.
Deep pitched and brooding with dark Serralunga fruit. this is large framed and imposing but terribly well balanced. A towering wine. meaty and balsamic, with some black licorice/ iodine dark undertones, and dark nebbiolo fruit, all delivered with a sense of deft power. This is youthful still, with great promise. I would love to drink this again in 10-15 years. when I suspect will be monumental. Tom and I finished off the bottle as we tried to solve the world's problems until after midnight. Majestic and impressive now and destined for greatness I suspect. 96+
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2/24/2017 - ricknat1 wrote: 96 Points
With Jim, Mannie, Rob, Bill and friends at Charlie Bird. Part of a flight of 9 1989s. they bottled no Monfortino this year and this is a special wine. Very bright and fruit forward like a cross between the two wines so was more ready than some of the others
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12/22/2016 - dcwino wrote: 94 Points
A lost Friday afternoon gathering – 96 Oeno, 99 Roumier BM, 13 Ente VV, 95 Rayas, 90 Chap (BlackSalt, Washington DC): Very iron driven nose displaying yellow cherry, cherry brandy, a hint of rust, balsamico, leather, licorice, tar, roasted chestnut, and steely mineral. Fully integrated harmonious palate, lean/steely, slightly rustic, good concentration and a long cherry and iron driven finish. The wine clearly displays the cantina style yet it seems a bit too straightforward.
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9/28/2016 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 94 Points
A dense wine but certainly open and accessible at this point. Great soil tones, dry cherry and coal dust. Attractively dirty and barnyardy in the background. Needed one hour after opening to fully emerge. 94+
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6/3/2016 - plitton wrote: flawed
Baked. Sherry.
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6/10/2015 - ricknat1 wrote: 96 Points
Wine of the flight. This is a very big wine. rich, deep and massively dense and totally drinkable right now. This was a year they made no Monfortino but this bottle lives up to the highest standard
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6/9/2015 - bill00 wrote: 94 Points
BYO Barolo Dinner (Campagna at the Bedford Post Inn): Black-fruited and loaded with tar. A very dark and dense Barolo. I thought this was excellent though others liked this even more.
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10/29/2014 - SteveHyde Likes this wine: 98 Points
Stunning Barolo. Near perfect.
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1/18/2014 - Eric Guido Likes this wine: 97 Points
The nose was deep, rooted in the earth with iron and minerals, yet dark and imposing as rich black cherry, licorice and dried roses gave contrast to rock dust and black soil tones. You could sense that as much as this wine was willing to give, there was still so much more being held in reserve. On the palate, balsamic notes gave way to dark fruit and inner floral perfumes, yet the wine’s muscle and girth seemed to be working hard (yet in a futile manner) to try and keep it all concealed. The finish was filled with strawberry, tar and tobacco notes in a long, youthful expression. This is a wine that anyone who considers themselves a fan of Barolo must taste at one point in their lives.
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1/15/2014 - kenv Likes this wine: 96 Points
1989 Barolo and Barbaresco Single Blind (I Trulli Restaurant, NYC): [Double-decanted around 11am.] Big black fruit licorice nose. A big sweet wine in the mouth, with loads of chocolaty tannins, licorice and violets. Quite young, but clearly great. Probably WOTN and with another 2 decades of life ahead.
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6/28/2013 - kenv Likes this wine: 97 Points
NK Arrivederla Liz Nicholson (Maialino Restaurant, NYC): [Decanted at 8pm.] Nose is earthy and mature but the palate is youthful. This is a brilliant young wine. A bottle like this might be 100 points in 10 more years, it is that good. Staggering. 97-?? points.
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3/20/2013 - Matt Neel Likes this wine:
Dinner at Yann's (Flatiron, NYC): Shockingly deep blood, a touch of brick but I suspect that's just Nebbiolo, not age. A rather snarly nose, grippy, somewhat volatile, and very very very unready; meat and iron. The palate is a little more forgiving than the nose, but not much. Extremely tannic, a ferocious beast 20 years from ready. Savage and massive; colossally structured. Not a thing wrong here, just hold it. This would have benefited from 12-24 hours double-decanting. Spectacular like K2 -- discrete and deadly.
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3/8/2013 - kenv Likes this wine: 96 Points
1989 Barolo (NoMad Restaurant, NYC): [Double-decanted mid-afternoon. Tasted about 10pm.] Meaty iron ore and cherry nose. Big and quite structured in the mouth. Still lots of tannin, but great red fruit on the finish. One of my top 3 tonight.
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4/16/2012 - vespa110 wrote: 75 Points
Color mattone , naso terziario con una nota di liquerizia dolce, bocca ormai al capolinea, non era sgraziato ma la sua giovinezza è passata da molto.
Peccato.
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1/3/2012 - taiwanreef wrote: 96 Points
This was the 3. bottle of this afternoon, in the glass the most mature nose, may be a little bit to mature in the first moment, after 20 minutes the nose became better and better, sweet cherries and only few floral old notes, in the mouth more power than Mascarrello Monprivato 90, many different tastes in the mouth, perfekt Barolo, very nice afternoon, perfekt bottles, Barolo pure!
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12/10/2011 - Jossik wrote: 96 Points
Colore più scuro ma trasparente, inizialmente chiuso, naso di fragola tenue, radici, tartufo, molto indietro, giovanissimo. Nel tempo poi erbe con rosmarino. Bocca ampia, piena, ricca con tannino fitto e dolce, soprattutto nella chiusura
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9/21/2011 - Rupert wrote: 90 Points
Mixed Barolo and Barbaresco 1958-1990 (River Café, Hammersmith, London): Oaky, dense, masses of tannin, not really approachable, but quite fine
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4/8/2010 - JJL wrote: 87 Points
Real let-down compared to the last bottle I tried. Tomato, prunes, soy, falls off a cliff and end with a metallic finish
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3/28/2010 - Eric Guido Likes this wine: 98 Points
Giacomo Conterno, Cascina Francia Barolo tasting 2010 (Maialino, NYC Lexington and 21st): The nose showed dried red fruits, tar, mushroom broth, a bit of black strap molasses and a hint of barnyard. Showed a gorgeous structure on the palate that gives the impression that this wine will last the ages. Still a little tight with a tannic grip but giving none the less with dark red fruit and a mineral core. Finish was long and fine, showing sour cranberry. This was the wine of the night for me.
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11/18/2009 - Eric Guido Likes this wine:
Showed bright sour cherry, sage and florist shop on the nose. The palate was full and soft with cherries, cedar and tobacco with a long finish. Just coming to age.
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9/29/2009 - Serge Birbrair wrote:
Long finish, tannis to last another 20 years easily, nose to live for, great bottle and enjoyable tremendously now.
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9/2/2009 - JJL wrote: 94 Points
Lunch at Gramercy Tavery - Bruce's bottle. Cedar, salt, mushroom and straw on nose. Tannins were smooth and acidity made for a bright finish. Palate took about an hour to come around, but had nice red fruit of strawberries and raspberries and long tea-like finish. Paired very well with roasted chicken.
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6/13/2009 - NicolaiS wrote: 97 Points
When poured into the glass this wine had a very mature nose but with time this disappeared and the wine just got better and better. I drank this from a Riedel Sommelier Grand Cru Burgundy glass as I had anticipated that it would benefit from a lot of air. Despite being 20 years old it was tight and seemed to be saying “leave me alone” from the glass. But as expected it started to open up with air. It revealed tar, liquorice and cherries in the nose. Underneath this initial layer you felt the dark red fruit which seemed to be covering a core of rusty iron. Tannins are powerful and there was a whipping acidity. The finish seemed to last forever. This is a true powerful and awesome Barolo, but it also has an elegant touch. It really requires patience, which is best illustrated by the fact that it was much better when I had the last half glass tonight. A fantastic wine, which I think is one of the best if not the best Cascina Francia ever made. 97+ points.
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5/24/2009 - il_diavolo wrote: 92 Points
while this was a great wine it was marginally disappointing as it was non blind so expectations were high. floral and fruity on the nose but not as explosive as the monprivatos on the palate. some thought it could still improve but its already 20....
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10/10/2008 - Serge Birbrair wrote:
The cork was just perfect, but storage was not. Orange peel rim, stewed prunes which blew off somewhat but not entirely. and still somewhat tannic.
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4/4/2008 - gorm wrote: 90 Points
Uncorked DK does Piemonte Greatest (Peter Gade): Dark and dense red, a bit foggy. Nose of menthol, tobacco and some herbs, appears very secondary. In this mouth this is very tight and structured with loads of acid and some tannins. A dissapointing performance.
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