Found a couple of bottles of this tucked into a corner of the cellar. Great to see Giacosa's magic holding with a 16-year old base Nebbiolo from a so-so vintage. Bought at estate on release. Less structured and layered than a Barolo, but really outperforming. Garnet with ample bricking. Wonderful nose of classic old Nebbiolo profile. Lovely mouthfeel with tobacco, tar, smoke, red berry fruit. Really nice.
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Belle robe claire et un peu orangée. Nez discret de pivoine et de truffe. Tannins encore un peu serrés, acidité bien présente mais beau fruit rouge et belle longueur et complexité. Belle sélection du Courrier Vinicole qui peut tenir encore 3-4 ans. Pour les amateurs qui ont su apprivoiser le Nebbiolo au fil des ans.
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12/20 V: Grenat pâle, reflets orangés O: Boisé, il me rappelle le sirop pour la toux et la menthe. G: Les tanins sont assez marqués. Astringence : l'ensemble manque nettement de chair. C'est squelettique : comme un paquet d'os. Il offre quand même des saveurs tertiaires : tanins de thé. En finale le verdict tombe : il est raide sans aucune rondeur. Rien pour plaire même pas un côté snobinard.... très très décevant....
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16.5/20 V: Rubis pâle aux reflets orangés. O: Nez hyper discret G: Bons tannins et boisé bien intégré. Le fruité reste élégant et intense tout au long de la dégustation. Tout en nuance : voilà un bel exemple de vin bien fait. Le nebbiolo est exquis et donne une belle texture. Finale de Coke flat : ce qui n'est pas déplaisant même si je ne suis pas amateur de CocaCola. E: Ce Nebbiola d'Alba vaut amplement son 29$
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Beautiful right now. Still showing amazingly young--all grip and structure and fabulous mouthfeel. With the fruit giving it great balance. This has years to go. Wonderful.
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First of a 6-pack purchased ex-cellar in March 2005. Decided to open it after reading some tasting notes on the board from Yaacov and Florida Jim. This is the valmaggiore bottling, with gold foil lettering.
Cork showed absolutely no sign of saturation - none. Color is pale but clear ruby. Nose comes across as nebbiolo, the earthy tar notes with cherry and a bit of tobacco/balsamic. But also a bit of heat. The fruit in this wine is very sweet and forward, but what's striking about the wine is how plush it is, how little the tanins show through. It doesn't have the body or grip that I expected. To me, this is a clear marker of the 2003 vintage -- rounder, somewhat flabbier wines that give up tremendous fruit, but don't have a ton of structure. Not angular at all. I loved drinking it because of the purity and intensity of the fruit, but this isn't a wine to leave in the cellar for long.
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8/12/2019 - SteveHyde Likes this wine: 91 Points
Found a couple of bottles of this tucked into a corner of the cellar. Great to see Giacosa's magic holding with a 16-year old base Nebbiolo from a so-so vintage. Bought at estate on release. Less structured and layered than a Barolo, but really outperforming. Garnet with ample bricking. Wonderful nose of classic old Nebbiolo profile. Lovely mouthfeel with tobacco, tar, smoke, red berry fruit. Really nice.
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3/20/2011 - millesime66 wrote: 92 Points
Belle robe claire et un peu orangée. Nez discret de pivoine et de truffe. Tannins encore un peu serrés, acidité bien présente mais beau fruit rouge et belle longueur et complexité. Belle sélection du Courrier Vinicole qui peut tenir encore 3-4 ans. Pour les amateurs qui ont su apprivoiser le Nebbiolo au fil des ans.
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10/13/2010 - SteveHyde wrote:
Purchased in Italy. Perfect provenance and it shows. Still young, but quite expressive. May improve, but drinking wonderfully now.
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3/27/2010 - BoireBio wrote: 72 Points
12/20 V: Grenat pâle, reflets orangés O: Boisé, il me rappelle le sirop pour la toux et la menthe. G: Les tanins sont assez marqués. Astringence : l'ensemble manque nettement de chair. C'est squelettique : comme un paquet d'os. Il offre quand même des saveurs tertiaires : tanins de thé. En finale le verdict tombe : il est raide sans aucune rondeur. Rien pour plaire même pas un côté snobinard.... très très décevant....
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11/28/2009 - BoireBio wrote: 90 Points
16.5/20 V: Rubis pâle aux reflets orangés. O: Nez hyper discret G: Bons tannins et boisé bien intégré. Le fruité reste élégant et intense tout au long de la dégustation. Tout en nuance : voilà un bel exemple de vin bien fait. Le nebbiolo est exquis et donne une belle texture. Finale de Coke flat : ce qui n'est pas déplaisant même si je ne suis pas amateur de CocaCola. E: Ce Nebbiola d'Alba vaut amplement son 29$
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10/12/2006 - SteveHyde wrote:
Beautiful right now. Still showing amazingly young--all grip and structure and fabulous mouthfeel. With the fruit giving it great balance. This has years to go. Wonderful.
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9/24/2005 - SteveHyde wrote:
First of a 6-pack purchased ex-cellar in March 2005. Decided to open it after reading some tasting notes on the board from Yaacov and Florida Jim. This is the valmaggiore bottling, with gold foil lettering.
Cork showed absolutely no sign of saturation - none. Color is pale but clear ruby. Nose comes across as nebbiolo, the earthy tar notes with cherry and a bit of tobacco/balsamic. But also a bit of heat. The fruit in this wine is very sweet and forward, but what's striking about the wine is how plush it is, how little the tanins show through. It doesn't have the body or grip that I expected. To me, this is a clear marker of the 2003 vintage -- rounder, somewhat flabbier wines that give up tremendous fruit, but don't have a ton of structure. Not angular at all. I loved drinking it because of the purity and intensity of the fruit, but this isn't a wine to leave in the cellar for long.
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