2006 Barolo (Trattoria One Fifth, NYC.): [Double decanted around 11am.] Smoky black fruit nose. In the mouth, elegant red fruit. Long, complex finish of graphite and red fruit. A terrific wine, but I think it will be even better in 5 years.
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Herbal, medicinal and soy sauce which is nothing like a Bartolo at the beginning. Needed airtime and then flourished with fine posh leather and that candied sweet strawberries notes, which finally drew some parallel to the maker. The body was rather dark and rustic. Conterno Sensory really helped to push this wine up a notch, where the aromatics were struggling to unfurl. I can't help feeling that this is a little heat damaged? Can't shake off that soy sauce, pruney note, maybe provenance.
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Piedmont theme: Impressively, someone managed to nail this as a Bartolo since this was very different from the post-2010 wines that I have tried. Thought this was rather extracted with stewed pruney fruit. Some Vosne-like five spice notes. Read some wines from this era have been prematurely oxidised so maybe this was another example?
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This was a very elegant expression of ripe, dark fruit that exceeded my expectations. The perfume unfurls from the glass with swirling, as vibrant fruits emerge with undertones of rose petal and lavender.
A raw intensity strikes your palate on the attack, but a cohesive structure allows the dark acidity and floral characteristics to shine on the finish.
According to the in-house Barolo expert, this didn't even show at the peak that it could've. I am quite curious how high Bartolo Mascarello can go - definitely warrants another bottle.
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The ‘06 Bartolo is a very enjoyable wine, but is slightly more advanced than I’d hope at this stage. It’s hard to say if it’s this bottle or the wine itself, but this bottle seems similar to the ex-cellar magnum at the Vinous Mascarello dinner in February, so I believe this was correct.
The nose was nicely perfumed, with dark red to black plum fruit, licorice, sweet spices, dark violet floral tones, balsamic, and a touch of baker’s chocolate. On the palate, the wine is medium to full in body, with medium plus acidity, still quite intense and tannic. I found rich, black plum fruit tones, balsamic, sweet baking spices, and a bit of cocoa powder, with the wine emphasizing baking spice and balsamic tones more than primary fruit.
My concern is that it appears that the Bartolo wines from this era are aging faster than expected. The ‘04 has consistently seemed advanced over my last few tastings, and this ‘06 and some bottles of the ‘07 have also seemed less fresh than you’d hope.
Opened in HK. Slow-oxed for 2 hours before slowly enjoying from glass.
This was disappointing, unfortunately - I was hoping for more roses and fruit, but it was more tertiary than I expected and the nose was quite subdued. Tannins were quite firm and slightly bitter at the start, but these did round out a little with more air. Was this a bad bottle, or is it just in an awkward place? I'm not sure - but I know that I definitely enjoyed the 2011 I had recently much more in every aspect.
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Sample few hours later from bottle opened at a Barolo dinner. Drank in Conterno Sensory. Appearance pale intensity, garnet colour. Some very fine sediment. Legs. Nose is clean, pronounced intensity, with aromas of fragrant earth, balsamic, leather, boiled meat, classic ripe red cherries, brambly herbs. Developed. On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium+ alcohol (14%), resolving high tannins, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of dark red cherries, black cherries, lovely earth, brambly herbs + spice, old leather + boiled meat. Very long finish. Excellent quality. Surpasses my previous experience on account of the pronounced fragrant nose. I would put it as developed as I think that although it is not going downhill anytime soon, it is probably drinking as good as it gets already.
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Very disappointing. Dominated by over-mature notes of prune and cooked black fruit. Of course it is drinkable, but very disappointing. I’m wondering if I should start drinking my Bartolo Mascarello’s at the 10 year mark. What are your experiences??
2022 New Year's Day Tasting (Atlanta, GA): Pretty maroon core with some sediment, slight rim variation; dusty ripe cherries, cedar, power, crushed roses; powerful, a slight bitterness to the tannin, balsamic, tanned leather, young and somewhat closed, hinting at burnt orange; a bit fierce and needs at least 5+ years; '06 Gaja Costa Russi?
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New Year's Day Double Blind Tasting (Atlanta, GA): Tasted double blind. This is a big boy Barolo with fierce tannin that sucks the moisture out of your mouth. Expressive nose of high toned red fruits and high acidity. Needs more time to mellow out.
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Opened after the wonderful Rinaldi the other day and my word this is even better. Gorgeous nose of classic Barolo character but with wonderful lifted aromatics. More on the flowers where the Rinaldi was more on the balsamic, although with air the balsamic comes out along with an extraordinarily complex array of black fruit, camphor, minerals and boot polish. The nose on this wine is absolutely stunning. Mid-weight on the palate, supremely elegant with wonderful tension. Dry and persistent on the finish with very present but super-fine tannins. Absolutely magnificent.
Loved this! So elegant and complex. By far the most expensive wine I’ve ever bought so I had high expectations serving this to my parents at Christmas and it didn’t disappoint. Mum loved it, I loved it, Dad preferred the more robust vibe of a Cavallotto we had later but for me this was sublime in its elegance! Opened at 8.50am Tight, muted nose, massive tannins and long finish of tar and a touch of liquorice. 14.15- decanted- on the nose gentle sweet tobacco leaf palate of cherries, pomegranate, tar long finish, ultra silky mouth feel once drunk alongside food (meatballs and pate crackers). Still mighty toothsome tannins keep you sipping.
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90 minute slo-o at home. Gorgeous deep translucent red hue with an intoxicating bouquet of earth and dark cherries. Each sip is marked by wonderful complexity, balance, energy and elegance. This should continue to drink well for another 3 or 4 decades at least, imo.
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On the nose, the wine showed soaring, dark aromatics, with dark red cherry, licorice, tar, pine, black tea, and balsamic. On the palate, the wine was rich and powerful, with a wave of dark red fruit, spices, balsamic, and a touch of a rustic, wild animal / leather note at the back end.
The wine retains a firm structure and noticeable tannin from the midpalate to the back end, which are relatively fine in texture, although not to the degree of some of the more recent vintages. Brisk acidity and a bit of salty minerality maintain a sense of freshness. While this bottle was more open than I may have expected given the other notes on the wine, it will benefit from aging a while longer such that the tannins better integrate.
The '06 is a really nice bottle of Bartolo and it's fascinating to taste it soon after having some more recent vintages, because these wines very much show the vintage character. While both powerful, structured vintages that produced wines deemed classic in style, the '06 is completely different in profile than the 2010, for example. The fruit profile here is darker, there are more savory elements including a prominent balsamic note at a young age, and the tannins are a bit more rustic (hard to know if that's the vintage or the winemaking improving further over time). The '06 Bartolo actually reminds me a bit of the profile I associate with G. Rinaldi Brunate, in the dark fruit, balsamic, and more savory profile.
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Thanksgiving week in Piemonte; 11/22/2019-11/30/2019 (Milan, Barolo, Alba, Barbaresco): From the wine list at Dulcis Vitis. A lovely wine to have with our Italian Thanksgiving dinner - I gave thanks for how nice this was to share with friends as we reflected on our trip! Love the elegance of this classic Barolo - still quite youthful at 13 years - this can cellar for decades. Red fruits, earth and minerals - perfect balance.
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Piedmont II - better and learnings; 11/23/2019-11/29/2019 (Barolo, Alba, others): Had not had much from this producer before this week, but I've been really impressed with everything I've had. Most of the wine producers have gotten very caught up in the MGAs but here it's the standard blend from across vineyards. There's always a certain elegance to the wine. Some red fruits. Some minerals. Very clean in structure. I enjoyed this quite a bit. It was opened and decanted and I think got better and better with every sip.
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Beautiful nose of dark fruits, truffles and iodine. After an hour open, it began to drink quite well with delicious black cherry fruit and crunchy acidity. Still quite tannic on the finish but already showing great red spice notes. I like where this wine is heading. 94+
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Tasted blind. Aired in bottle for about 3+ hours and then in decanter for the rest of the night. Appearance is clear, pale intensity, garnet colour. Legs. Nose medium+ intensity, with aromas of earth, brambles, dark red cherries, melted chocolate, wild animal, leather, hints of barnyard. Developing. On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium+ alcohol (14%), grippy high tannins, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of dark red cherries, black cherries, speciale earth, brambles, leathery wild animals. Very long finish. Reverberating flavours on the palate. Outstanding quality. Finally a wow Barolo in the tasting. Approachable now with air, though it could well improve over the next few years. Blend of 4 Crus: Cannubi, San Lorenzo, Rué in the Barolo commune, and Rocche in the La Morra commune.
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Drank this with BurgNick at Robuchon HK. Agree with BurgNick's comments below, the bottle was advanced, which was probably off. That was no way close to the performance of 2008 vintage.
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Decanted for 3 hours before serving. Lots of sediment even after decanting. Nose and palate were plummy with iron and earth. This was nowhere close to the gorgeous 08 barolo. This could just be an off/advanced bottle from robuchon?! 89pt
This wasn't the most convincing bottle I've had. Dark, with some VA showing itself over time. More black cherry and brambly fruit notes, combined with a hard, tannic palate that didn't yield much with time. There are attractive elements, to be sure, but at this stage you have to look a bit to find them.
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Wines with the HDH Auction: This is more stern and less open than the '11 tasted right before tonight. Big nose of red cherry with notions of earth and herb. Huge tannic bite right on entry and firms up even more towards the finish. Lay this puppy down for 20 years. Upside, but needs time.
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HDH auction tasting at Spiaggia; 12/14/2017-12/16/2017 (Chicago, IL): A very dark and correct rendition of the vintage, this has a really deep and dark profile. The nose has lots of earth and doesn't show the bright fruit profile of the 2011; this is a much more brooding Barolo. The palate, too, is much darker in profile and more closed. There seems to be a lot of coiled power here; while the 2011 is more delicious and approachable now, I think this will end up being the better wine.
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Day 2 in Piedmont (Giacosa, Conterno, & Cavallotto) (Piedmont, Italy): From magnum. After decanting this showed a lot of rich cherry, plum, rose, & earth tones on the nose. The palate was just awesome. Incredibly elegant and silky. The tannins were kicking in, but they were (mostly) silky and gave the wine extra elegance. The finish was length and acidic. Thought this showed incredibly well...despite its youth. I expect great things from this wine in its future.
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Decanted over 5 hours. In all honesty almost no amount of decanting is going to do it - the wine is just too young at this stage. There was a nice, typical Bartolo perfume - classic Bartolo but after an hour or so I felt it started to shut down on the nose and go to a strange place. The wine was good but the constant thought of lost potential kept entering my mind. Not ready to drink and I have no way of rating what I think this might be. I honestly believe this will be a great wine, and for the record Bartolo is my favorite Piedmonte producer, but today I would advise holding these for another 20 years.
Decanted 6-8 hours. Big, tannic, monster of a young wine. Clean, attractive black cherry notes and menthol tones. Really stern, raw frame; more than I remember from when I last had this a couple of years ago. Very little development, but lots of promise.
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The ‘06 was an iron vault of a Barolo, but behind its imposing structure, there was so much potential. The nose displayed deep, dark, spicy red fruit, with dried florals, spice cookie and mint. On the palate, dark, mineral-infused red fruits and rich spices saturated the senses, yet stayed fresh through brisk acidity and refined tannin. It finished long on palate-coating tannin, dried cherry and balsamic tones. This was just a baby, but with 30-40 years of potential.
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Cantina Bartolo Mascarello Vertical (Hearth Restaurant, NYC): [Double-decanted at about noon.] Smoky black fruit nose. Tart, tannic, backward, but with those characteristic sweet black cherries. Very long and delicious. The vintage gives the kind of structure that yields a great wine in the hands of the Mascarello family and their vineyards. This was the vintage after Bartolo passed away. It will be a great homage for at least 30 more years to the legacy he left behind in his daughter, Maria-Teresa. 95-?
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A prodigious that underscores the amazing wine making talent of Maria Teresa. Many believe, myself included, that she has taken the estate to a new level of excellence in the world of traditionally made Barolo. This is a big, powerful wine with fantastic potential. The wine has all the makings of a great Barolo; depth, complexity, balance, energy and elegance. My favorite of the flight. Give this another 4 to 5 years of cellar time and then enjoy it over the ensuing 3 or 4 decades.
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Birthday flight 2 (red) B.Mascarello only produces 1 Barolo, blended from 4sides (cannubi,San Lorenzo,Rue in Barolo village & Rocche in La Morra)
14% Wow! What a nose! Seductive, perfume, full of roses, warm sweet herbs, molasses, brown sugar and much more complexity. Excellent precision and focus, with incredible delineation that boosted with great inner perfume of floral. Very long and dry, not sweet at all (suggested from the sweet nose) Will evolve effortlessly in the bottle for decades. Impressive!
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Barolo Boys Tasting- Traditional vs Modern (Roswell, GA): Classic nose cranked up a few notches in the luxury dept, lots of mahogany, plum, mint; holy crap the tannin, a bit brutal even with 2 hours of air, structure is a bit much at this current phase, gorgeous wine underneath, just don't know why I opened this so young; give it a couple decades.
Drank side by side blind, along the 2004, 06, 08, 10. The 2006 is shut down and the tannins need time to be tamed. Wild and burly, but very monolithic. This wine needs a lot more time in the bottle to flesh out.
Should definitely improve over time, but this one is not ready for prime time just yet. (93-96). Drink 2025++
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Agree with the other notes comparing this to Burgundy. After 4 hours of air, the nose had loads of little red and black fruits. Rousseau Clos St Jacques comes to mind. Palate is more barolo, with black fruits and silky tannins which are strong but in great balance. Better in 5-10 years.
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Opened to have with Gianluca's excellent tonnarelli w porcetta. Unfortunately, this bottle had noticeable cork taint, which inhibited enjoyment/focus. But I nonetheless had a clear vision of a very young wine with decades of life in front of it. I probably won't open the next bottle for 5-ish years.
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All you ever wanted, all you ever needed in a young barolo. Great purity AND density with lots of ethereal flowers, red fruits and tobacco. The tannins are already nicely integrated and the wine is surprisingly inviting and open. I still think, that its true greatness lies ahead and I will not open another of my remaining bottles before 2020.
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Light clear ruby color. Gorgeous nose of tar and roses with dank cherries and ether. Silky and beautiful on the palate with delicate flavors of rose petals, iodine and black cherry along with good, ultra-fine intensity. This is lovely and elegant with a tannic finish that needs time to resolve itself. The only knock is one I always have with Mascarello which is the note of ether which can often give these wines an off-flavor as they age, at least to my palate.
Ok, so I'm gonna come out and say it. Bartolo Mascarello's wines are revered in the wine world and while I've tasted at least one great bottle of 1990, most of the other wines I've tasted from this address fall short for me. This bottle is typical and while very young and from a structured vintage that requires age, there simply does not seem to be enough material here to ever produce a great wine. I do understand the point of the wines; they're made in a Burgundian style but they simply rarely reveal the requisite complexity and authentic deep flavors that I look for in great Barolo. There, I've said it...so shoot me. Or better yet, someone prove me wrong.
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Make sure to air this wine for at least three-four hours in a decanter, but follow the wine if you can. The immediate nose puts me in a very fresh and balsamic herbs garden. The typical seductive fragrant roses follows, but here they are very seductive and intense, and of course tar. Moreover, the base offers saline mushrooms, some glue, licorice, leather jacket, very intense, vibrant minerals, distinct conserved raspberry and complex, fresh fruit of which blackberry is the most prominent. The nose is so complex, seductively fresh and deep that you just want to sit and discover it further for a while. After hours of airing in a decanter, the today somewhat gnarly and energetic acidity calms down tremendously and then you can enjoy really pure and deep layers of fruit. Furthermore, the mid palate offers grape-peel, shale, dry licorice root, fennel and very balsamic herbs. Texture is fine sandy, unexpectedly almost velvety, and the quality of the tannins is impressively ripe and chewy. Concentration is impressive, structure is weightlessly of medium power, body is on the slim side and it is very persistent. The only tiny remark is the little austere tone in the end, but I think this is will go away with time. And again, Mascarello makes it clear that harsh, hard tannins should never be associated with traditionally made barolos. In fact, they are very approachable already at this stage. I am pretty sure that they harvested relatively early this year and still rendered ripe tannins, which could explain the approachability somewhat.
After a really impressive and complex nose, the overall impression is that this is a fantastically detailed and balanced wine even though it is still a baby, offering depth and purity of fruit with a rare concentration and elegance. Open 2017.
http://www.ultimatewinekick.com
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Layer upon layer of seductive fruit with high toned floral notes are on the nose along with a touch of tar. Rich, deep and expansive on the palate with pure strawberry and cherry fruits melding with spice, zingy acidity and a long, plush finish where some serious tannins check in. Pure & deep, this is in need of time but has loads of pontential and tremendous, sculpted structure. Try again in 7 years.
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Barolo big guns (Wine bar): Although they are starting to rise in price this is consistently the best value top shelf Barolo for me. Bartolo Mascarello Barolo's are legendary, even more so than the legend Giacosa's (there I said it!). Everything I am after from this region is almost always present here and I love this style. A solid core of sweet fruit wrapped by wrasping tannins and savoury sour cherry type notes which all compliment each other. It was mentioned by one person that despite the complimentary aforementioned notes there was a level of Brett which did not go unnoticed........ Everyone has their views on this subject I'm sure but if there was Brett here it didn't bother me in the slightest. Still quite raw but starting to emerge from its shell and not a waste to open now.
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Really good Barolo sure to get better with age. Color is rich dark and shimmering. Nose is too light and disappointing for a big wine. Palate is soft and smooth, meaty and great. Lavishly oaked.
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Meraviglioso. Rubino limpido e trasparente, naso floreale, tutti i fiori possibili quasi "eccessivo" , leggero fruttino rosso, forse appena versato aveva una leggera nota alcolica che sporcava l'olfatto poi si è disteso in maniera meravigliosa, bocca fresca, tannino sottile e presente, bella sapidita non un mostro per lunghezza sotto il palato, ma si beve in maniera "disastrosa" per il fegato
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Tasted this wine with Maria Teresa Mascarello at the Domaine. A complex but still shy nose, hinting blackberries, some red fruit and plum. The palate showed excellent structure with firm tannins, nice minerality and acidity balance. Flavors of dark barries, some hints of dark chocolate and multiple layers of fruits embraced by perfect structure. This wine will need more time than the 2005- the complexity and austerity reminds in part 2004. Excellent!
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Tasted at the winery. Magnificent wine. Gorgeous translucent red hue with an enticing aroma. Pure and elegant on the palate. Layers of complexity. Very similar to the 2004. This wine will need a 5 or 6 years of cellar age
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3/13/2024 - kenv Likes this wine: 94 Points
2006 Barolo (Trattoria One Fifth, NYC.): [Double decanted around 11am.] Smoky black fruit nose. In the mouth, elegant red fruit. Long, complex finish of graphite and red fruit. A terrific wine, but I think it will be even better in 5 years.
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2/29/2024 - hprphf wrote: flawed
Magnum. TCA.
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12/22/2023 - wineton.mee wrote: flawed
Herbal, medicinal and soy sauce which is nothing like a Bartolo at the beginning. Needed airtime and then flourished with fine posh leather and that candied sweet strawberries notes, which finally drew some parallel to the maker. The body was rather dark and rustic. Conterno Sensory really helped to push this wine up a notch, where the aromatics were struggling to unfurl. I can't help feeling that this is a little heat damaged? Can't shake off that soy sauce, pruney note, maybe provenance.
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12/21/2023 - melvinyeowq wrote: 90 Points
Piedmont theme: Impressively, someone managed to nail this as a Bartolo since this was very different from the post-2010 wines that I have tried. Thought this was rather extracted with stewed pruney fruit. Some Vosne-like five spice notes. Read some wines from this era have been prematurely oxidised so maybe this was another example?
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11/10/2023 - David Paris (dbp) wrote: flawed
First bottle of a case purchased on release and it was corked! Totally lame...
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10/28/2023 - SH Wu Likes this wine: 94 Points
This was a very elegant expression of ripe, dark fruit that exceeded my expectations. The perfume unfurls from the glass with swirling, as vibrant fruits emerge with undertones of rose petal and lavender.
A raw intensity strikes your palate on the attack, but a cohesive structure allows the dark acidity and floral characteristics to shine on the finish.
According to the in-house Barolo expert, this didn't even show at the peak that it could've. I am quite curious how high Bartolo Mascarello can go - definitely warrants another bottle.
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9/30/2023 - Robmcl920 Likes this wine: 94 Points
The ‘06 Bartolo is a very enjoyable wine, but is slightly more advanced than I’d hope at this stage. It’s hard to say if it’s this bottle or the wine itself, but this bottle seems similar to the ex-cellar magnum at the Vinous Mascarello dinner in February, so I believe this was correct.
The nose was nicely perfumed, with dark red to black plum fruit, licorice, sweet spices, dark violet floral tones, balsamic, and a touch of baker’s chocolate. On the palate, the wine is medium to full in body, with medium plus acidity, still quite intense and tannic. I found rich, black plum fruit tones, balsamic, sweet baking spices, and a bit of cocoa powder, with the wine emphasizing baking spice and balsamic tones more than primary fruit.
My concern is that it appears that the Bartolo wines from this era are aging faster than expected. The ‘04 has consistently seemed advanced over my last few tastings, and this ‘06 and some bottles of the ‘07 have also seemed less fresh than you’d hope.
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8/24/2023 - oxwombat wrote: 90 Points
Opened in HK. Slow-oxed for 2 hours before slowly enjoying from glass.
This was disappointing, unfortunately - I was hoping for more roses and fruit, but it was more tertiary than I expected and the nose was quite subdued. Tannins were quite firm and slightly bitter at the start, but these did round out a little with more air. Was this a bad bottle, or is it just in an awkward place? I'm not sure - but I know that I definitely enjoyed the 2011 I had recently much more in every aspect.
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2/22/2023 - Derek Darth Taster Likes this wine: 96 Points
Sample few hours later from bottle opened at a Barolo dinner. Drank in Conterno Sensory.
Appearance pale intensity, garnet colour. Some very fine sediment. Legs.
Nose is clean, pronounced intensity, with aromas of fragrant earth, balsamic, leather, boiled meat, classic ripe red cherries, brambly herbs. Developed.
On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium+ alcohol (14%), resolving high tannins, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of dark red cherries, black cherries, lovely earth, brambly herbs + spice, old leather + boiled meat. Very long finish.
Excellent quality. Surpasses my previous experience on account of the pronounced fragrant nose. I would put it as developed as I think that although it is not going downhill anytime soon, it is probably drinking as good as it gets already.
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2/2/2023 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
La Festa del Barolo: Rare Wine Dinner - Bartolo Mascarello (Legacy Records): From a magnum. Again very classic in style. Fresh. Bright. Darker fruits. It’s a lovely wine who’s only transgression is it fell right after the ‘08 which was a truly stunning wine.
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12/10/2022 - Thomas123 wrote: 90 Points
Very disappointing. Dominated by over-mature notes of prune and cooked black fruit. Of course it is drinkable, but very disappointing. I’m wondering if I should start drinking my Bartolo Mascarello’s at the 10 year mark. What are your experiences??
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2/17/2022 - PSC wrote: 92 Points
Agree with others, prune/raisin dominate. Had two recent bottles, both similar. Don’t remember the dominant raisiny nose from bottle before that.
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1/8/2022 - rlove wrote:
Plum, almost prune, ripe and advanced. Not scoring as maybe it's the bottle but if not these haven't aged well. 88
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1/1/2022 - Rezy13 wrote: 92 Points
2022 New Year's Day Tasting (Atlanta, GA): Pretty maroon core with some sediment, slight rim variation; dusty ripe cherries, cedar, power, crushed roses; powerful, a slight bitterness to the tannin, balsamic, tanned leather, young and somewhat closed, hinting at burnt orange; a bit fierce and needs at least 5+ years; '06 Gaja Costa Russi?
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1/1/2022 - Francophile1 Likes this wine: 90 Points
New Year's Day Double Blind Tasting (Atlanta, GA): Tasted double blind. This is a big boy Barolo with fierce tannin that sucks the moisture out of your mouth. Expressive nose of high toned red fruits and high acidity. Needs more time to mellow out.
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11/21/2021 - LWI wrote: flawed
Cola, prunes, tanic. d
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11/13/2021 - Dionysos 1920 wrote: 98 Points
Bartolo Mascarello e Bruno Giacosa (Restaurant du Théâtre, Monthey): Nez encore fermé, complexe, épicé, équilibré, bouche fruitée et ample, magnifique tannins, longueur impressionnante, le vin de la soirée ?
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9/12/2021 - jamesabdavis wrote:
Opened after the wonderful Rinaldi the other day and my word this is even better. Gorgeous nose of classic Barolo character but with wonderful lifted aromatics. More on the flowers where the Rinaldi was more on the balsamic, although with air the balsamic comes out along with an extraordinarily complex array of black fruit, camphor, minerals and boot polish. The nose on this wine is absolutely stunning.
Mid-weight on the palate, supremely elegant with wonderful tension. Dry and persistent on the finish with very present but super-fine tannins.
Absolutely magnificent.
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12/25/2020 - ShakinSwedens Likes this wine:
Loved this! So elegant and complex. By far the most expensive wine I’ve ever bought so I had high expectations serving this to my parents at Christmas and it didn’t disappoint. Mum loved it, I loved it, Dad preferred the more robust vibe of a Cavallotto we had later but for me this was sublime in its elegance!
Opened at 8.50am Tight, muted nose, massive tannins and long finish of tar and a touch of liquorice.
14.15- decanted- on the nose gentle sweet tobacco leaf palate of cherries, pomegranate, tar long finish, ultra silky mouth feel once drunk alongside food (meatballs and pate crackers). Still mighty toothsome tannins keep you sipping.
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10/9/2020 - cardsandwine Likes this wine:
90 minute slo-o at home. Gorgeous deep translucent red hue with an intoxicating bouquet of earth and dark cherries. Each sip is marked by wonderful complexity, balance, energy and elegance. This should continue to drink well for another 3 or 4 decades at least, imo.
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5/16/2020 - Robmcl920 Likes this wine: 96 Points
On the nose, the wine showed soaring, dark aromatics, with dark red cherry, licorice, tar, pine, black tea, and balsamic. On the palate, the wine was rich and powerful, with a wave of dark red fruit, spices, balsamic, and a touch of a rustic, wild animal / leather note at the back end.
The wine retains a firm structure and noticeable tannin from the midpalate to the back end, which are relatively fine in texture, although not to the degree of some of the more recent vintages. Brisk acidity and a bit of salty minerality maintain a sense of freshness. While this bottle was more open than I may have expected given the other notes on the wine, it will benefit from aging a while longer such that the tannins better integrate.
The '06 is a really nice bottle of Bartolo and it's fascinating to taste it soon after having some more recent vintages, because these wines very much show the vintage character. While both powerful, structured vintages that produced wines deemed classic in style, the '06 is completely different in profile than the 2010, for example. The fruit profile here is darker, there are more savory elements including a prominent balsamic note at a young age, and the tannins are a bit more rustic (hard to know if that's the vintage or the winemaking improving further over time). The '06 Bartolo actually reminds me a bit of the profile I associate with G. Rinaldi Brunate, in the dark fruit, balsamic, and more savory profile.
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5/12/2020 - blank blank wrote: flawed
Corked, horribly, soul crushingly, corked.
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2/25/2020 - popopdrops wrote: 90 Points
Dekantert. Pen, men tror det har godt av noen år til. La oss si fra 2025. Gjelder også dag 2.
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11/28/2019 - retired_and_roving wrote:
Thanksgiving week in Piemonte; 11/22/2019-11/30/2019 (Milan, Barolo, Alba, Barbaresco): From the wine list at Dulcis Vitis. A lovely wine to have with our Italian Thanksgiving dinner - I gave thanks for how nice this was to share with friends as we reflected on our trip! Love the elegance of this classic Barolo - still quite youthful at 13 years - this can cellar for decades. Red fruits, earth and minerals - perfect balance.
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11/28/2019 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Piedmont II - better and learnings; 11/23/2019-11/29/2019 (Barolo, Alba, others): Had not had much from this producer before this week, but I've been really impressed with everything I've had. Most of the wine producers have gotten very caught up in the MGAs but here it's the standard blend from across vineyards. There's always a certain elegance to the wine. Some red fruits. Some minerals. Very clean in structure. I enjoyed this quite a bit. It was opened and decanted and I think got better and better with every sip.
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8/3/2019 - dream Likes this wine: 94 Points
Beautiful nose of dark fruits, truffles and iodine. After an hour open, it began to drink quite well with delicious black cherry fruit and crunchy acidity. Still quite tannic on the finish but already showing great red spice notes. I like where this wine is heading. 94+
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2/19/2019 - rieslingchristoph wrote: 95 Points
Needs more time... 95+
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11/30/2018 - Derek Darth Taster Likes this wine: 95 Points
Tasted blind. Aired in bottle for about 3+ hours and then in decanter for the rest of the night.
Appearance is clear, pale intensity, garnet colour. Legs.
Nose medium+ intensity, with aromas of earth, brambles, dark red cherries, melted chocolate, wild animal, leather, hints of barnyard. Developing.
On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium+ alcohol (14%), grippy high tannins, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of dark red cherries, black cherries, speciale earth, brambles, leathery wild animals. Very long finish. Reverberating flavours on the palate.
Outstanding quality. Finally a wow Barolo in the tasting. Approachable now with air, though it could well improve over the next few years.
Blend of 4 Crus: Cannubi, San Lorenzo, Rué in the Barolo commune, and Rocche in the La Morra commune.
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8/26/2018 - Ms. Bubblehead wrote:
Drank this with BurgNick at Robuchon HK. Agree with BurgNick's comments below, the bottle was advanced, which was probably off. That was no way close to the performance of 2008 vintage.
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8/24/2018 - Burgnick wrote:
Decanted for 3 hours before serving. Lots of sediment even after decanting. Nose and palate were plummy with iron and earth. This was nowhere close to the gorgeous 08 barolo. This could just be an off/advanced bottle from robuchon?! 89pt
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7/7/2018 - the godfather wrote:
Good wine but not at the heights this wine can see
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7/6/2018 - JOsgood wrote: 90 Points
Good but well short of greatness. An austere wine in an austere vintage.
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12/15/2017 - psmith wrote:
This wasn't the most convincing bottle I've had. Dark, with some VA showing itself over time. More black cherry and brambly fruit notes, combined with a hard, tannic palate that didn't yield much with time. There are attractive elements, to be sure, but at this stage you have to look a bit to find them.
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12/15/2017 - Nanda wrote: 91 Points
Wines with the HDH Auction: This is more stern and less open than the '11 tasted right before tonight. Big nose of red cherry with notions of earth and herb. Huge tannic bite right on entry and firms up even more towards the finish. Lay this puppy down for 20 years. Upside, but needs time.
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12/15/2017 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
HDH auction tasting at Spiaggia; 12/14/2017-12/16/2017 (Chicago, IL): A very dark and correct rendition of the vintage, this has a really deep and dark profile. The nose has lots of earth and doesn't show the bright fruit profile of the 2011; this is a much more brooding Barolo. The palate, too, is much darker in profile and more closed. There seems to be a lot of coiled power here; while the 2011 is more delicious and approachable now, I think this will end up being the better wine.
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5/23/2017 - tooch wrote: 95 Points
Day 2 in Piedmont (Giacosa, Conterno, & Cavallotto) (Piedmont, Italy): From magnum.
After decanting this showed a lot of rich cherry, plum, rose, & earth tones on the nose. The palate was just awesome. Incredibly elegant and silky. The tannins were kicking in, but they were (mostly) silky and gave the wine extra elegance. The finish was length and acidic. Thought this showed incredibly well...despite its youth. I expect great things from this wine in its future.
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3/3/2017 - Kemo Sabe wrote:
Decanted over 5 hours. In all honesty almost no amount of decanting is going to do it - the wine is just too young at this stage. There was a nice, typical Bartolo perfume - classic Bartolo but after an hour or so I felt it started to shut down on the nose and go to a strange place. The wine was good but the constant thought of lost potential kept entering my mind. Not ready to drink and I have no way of rating what I think this might be. I honestly believe this will be a great wine, and for the record Bartolo is my favorite Piedmonte producer, but today I would advise holding these for another 20 years.
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10/8/2016 - Dave Canada wrote: 95 Points
Young....give this time
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9/30/2016 - psmith wrote: 94 Points
Decanted 6-8 hours. Big, tannic, monster of a young wine. Clean, attractive black cherry notes and menthol tones. Really stern, raw frame; more than I remember from when I last had this a couple of years ago. Very little development, but lots of promise.
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8/24/2016 - Eric Guido Likes this wine: 96 Points
The ‘06 was an iron vault of a Barolo, but behind its imposing structure, there was so much potential. The nose displayed deep, dark, spicy red fruit, with dried florals, spice cookie and mint. On the palate, dark, mineral-infused red fruits and rich spices saturated the senses, yet stayed fresh through brisk acidity and refined tannin. It finished long on palate-coating tannin, dried cherry and balsamic tones. This was just a baby, but with 30-40 years of potential.
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8/22/2016 - kenv Likes this wine: 95 Points
Cantina Bartolo Mascarello Vertical (Hearth Restaurant, NYC): [Double-decanted at about noon.] Smoky black fruit nose. Tart, tannic, backward, but with those characteristic sweet black cherries. Very long and delicious. The vintage gives the kind of structure that yields a great wine in the hands of the Mascarello family and their vineyards. This was the vintage after Bartolo passed away. It will be a great homage for at least 30 more years to the legacy he left behind in his daughter, Maria-Teresa. 95-?
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8/22/2016 - cardsandwine Likes this wine:
A prodigious that underscores the amazing wine making talent of Maria Teresa. Many believe, myself included, that she has taken the estate to a new level of excellence in the world of traditionally made Barolo. This is a big, powerful wine with fantastic potential. The wine has all the makings of a great Barolo; depth, complexity, balance, energy and elegance. My favorite of the flight. Give this another 4 to 5 years of cellar time and then enjoy it over the ensuing 3 or 4 decades.
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7/1/2016 - Sleepy Dave wrote:
Birthday flight 2 (red)
B.Mascarello only produces 1 Barolo, blended from 4sides (cannubi,San Lorenzo,Rue in Barolo village & Rocche in La Morra)
14%
Wow! What a nose! Seductive, perfume, full of roses, warm sweet herbs, molasses, brown sugar and much more complexity. Excellent precision and focus, with incredible delineation that boosted with great inner perfume of floral. Very long and dry, not sweet at all (suggested from the sweet nose) Will evolve effortlessly in the bottle for decades. Impressive!
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6/11/2016 - MarcoNahuel Likes this wine: 91 Points
Extremely delightful & light Barolo. It was a joy drinking this bottle. Opened & decanted one hour before drinking - no sediment.
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4/23/2016 - Rezy13 Likes this wine:
Barolo Boys Tasting- Traditional vs Modern (Roswell, GA): Classic nose cranked up a few notches in the luxury dept, lots of mahogany, plum, mint; holy crap the tannin, a bit brutal even with 2 hours of air, structure is a bit much at this current phase, gorgeous wine underneath, just don't know why I opened this so young; give it a couple decades.
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2/20/2016 - BordeauxBuff Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drank side by side blind, along the 2004, 06, 08, 10. The 2006 is shut down and the tannins need time to be tamed. Wild and burly, but very monolithic. This wine needs a lot more time in the bottle to flesh out.
Should definitely improve over time, but this one is not ready for prime time just yet. (93-96). Drink 2025++
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11/7/2015 - P257pax wrote: 93 Points
Very nice with long life ahead. Well integrated tannins, dark fruit on the palate, leaves on the nose.
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10/1/2015 - Tavastgatan wrote: 93 Points
@Fred_Lund: Like a diamond - hard and brilliant. Already very good but will be great. 93+
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8/30/2015 - Sixchips600 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Agree with the other notes comparing this to Burgundy. After 4 hours of air, the nose had loads of little red and black fruits. Rousseau Clos St Jacques comes to mind. Palate is more barolo, with black fruits and silky tannins which are strong but in great balance. Better in 5-10 years.
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5/13/2015 - GPW wrote: flawed
Opened to have with Gianluca's excellent tonnarelli w porcetta. Unfortunately, this bottle had noticeable cork taint, which inhibited enjoyment/focus. But I nonetheless had a clear vision of a very young wine with decades of life in front of it. I probably won't open the next bottle for 5-ish years.
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4/12/2015 - Klugi Wine Likes this wine: 96 Points
All you ever wanted, all you ever needed in a young barolo. Great purity AND density with lots of ethereal flowers, red fruits and tobacco. The tannins are already nicely integrated and the wine is surprisingly inviting and open. I still think, that its true greatness lies ahead and I will not open another of my remaining bottles before 2020.
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6/13/2014 - dream Likes this wine: 92 Points
Light clear ruby color. Gorgeous nose of tar and roses with dank cherries and ether. Silky and beautiful on the palate with delicate flavors of rose petals, iodine and black cherry along with good, ultra-fine intensity. This is lovely and elegant with a tannic finish that needs time to resolve itself. The only knock is one I always have with Mascarello which is the note of ether which can often give these wines an off-flavor as they age, at least to my palate.
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5/30/2014 - dream wrote: 87 Points
Ok, so I'm gonna come out and say it. Bartolo Mascarello's wines are revered in the wine world and while I've tasted at least one great bottle of 1990, most of the other wines I've tasted from this address fall short for me. This bottle is typical and while very young and from a structured vintage that requires age, there simply does not seem to be enough material here to ever produce a great wine. I do understand the point of the wines; they're made in a Burgundian style but they simply rarely reveal the requisite complexity and authentic deep flavors that I look for in great Barolo. There, I've said it...so shoot me. Or better yet, someone prove me wrong.
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12/29/2013 - Sir Galahad Likes this wine: 96 Points
Make sure to air this wine for at least three-four hours in a decanter, but follow the wine if you can. The immediate nose puts me in a very fresh and balsamic herbs garden. The typical seductive fragrant roses follows, but here they are very seductive and intense, and of course tar. Moreover, the base offers saline mushrooms, some glue, licorice, leather jacket, very intense, vibrant minerals, distinct conserved raspberry and complex, fresh fruit of which blackberry is the most prominent. The nose is so complex, seductively fresh and deep that you just want to sit and discover it further for a while.
After hours of airing in a decanter, the today somewhat gnarly and energetic acidity calms down tremendously and then you can enjoy really pure and deep layers of fruit. Furthermore, the mid palate offers grape-peel, shale, dry licorice root, fennel and very balsamic herbs. Texture is fine sandy, unexpectedly almost velvety, and the quality of the tannins is impressively ripe and chewy. Concentration is impressive, structure is weightlessly of medium power, body is on the slim side and it is very persistent. The only tiny remark is the little austere tone in the end, but I think this is will go away with time. And again, Mascarello makes it clear that harsh, hard tannins should never be associated with traditionally made barolos. In fact, they are very approachable already at this stage. I am pretty sure that they harvested relatively early this year and still rendered ripe tannins, which could explain the approachability somewhat.
After a really impressive and complex nose, the overall impression is that this is a fantastically detailed and balanced wine even though it is still a baby, offering depth and purity of fruit with a rare concentration and elegance. Open 2017.
http://www.ultimatewinekick.com
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2/7/2013 - bendid wrote: 92 Points
Three Barolo traditionalists: G. Rinaldi, B. Mascarello, Cappellano (Scopri): Incredibly fresh, silky tannins, proves very approachable for such a young wine. Could use a bit more length on the finish which hopefully will build with time.
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7/11/2012 - AY Serb wrote: 95 Points
Layer upon layer of seductive fruit with high toned floral notes are on the nose along with a touch of tar. Rich, deep and expansive on the palate with pure strawberry and cherry fruits melding with spice, zingy acidity and a long, plush finish where some serious tannins check in. Pure & deep, this is in need of time but has loads of pontential and tremendous, sculpted structure. Try again in 7 years.
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5/16/2012 - AJ72 wrote: 96 Points
Barolo big guns (Wine bar): Although they are starting to rise in price this is consistently the best value top shelf Barolo for me. Bartolo Mascarello Barolo's are legendary, even more so than the legend Giacosa's (there I said it!). Everything I am after from this region is almost always present here and I love this style. A solid core of sweet fruit wrapped by wrasping tannins and savoury sour cherry type notes which all compliment each other. It was mentioned by one person that despite the complimentary aforementioned notes there was a level of Brett which did not go unnoticed........ Everyone has their views on this subject I'm sure but if there was Brett here it didn't bother me in the slightest. Still quite raw but starting to emerge from its shell and not a waste to open now.
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12/23/2011 - kapscales wrote:
Sergio - 2020 - 2036
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8/11/2011 - lawgod Likes this wine: 92 Points
Really good Barolo sure to get better with age. Color is rich dark and shimmering. Nose is too light and disappointing for a big wine. Palate is soft and smooth, meaty and great. Lavishly oaked.
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3/2/2011 - vespa110 wrote: 90 Points
Meraviglioso. Rubino limpido e trasparente, naso floreale, tutti i fiori possibili quasi "eccessivo" , leggero fruttino rosso, forse appena versato aveva una leggera nota alcolica che sporcava l'olfatto poi si è disteso in maniera meravigliosa, bocca fresca, tannino sottile e presente, bella sapidita non un mostro per lunghezza sotto il palato, ma si beve in maniera "disastrosa" per il fegato
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10/19/2010 - Lombardi wrote: 94 Points
Tasted this wine with Maria Teresa Mascarello at the Domaine. A complex but still shy nose, hinting blackberries, some red fruit and plum. The palate showed excellent structure with firm tannins, nice minerality and acidity balance. Flavors of dark barries, some hints of dark chocolate and multiple layers of fruits embraced by perfect structure. This wine will need more time than the 2005- the complexity and austerity reminds in part 2004. Excellent!
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9/28/2010 - cardsandwine Likes this wine:
Tasted at the winery. Magnificent wine. Gorgeous translucent red hue with an enticing aroma. Pure and elegant on the palate. Layers of complexity. Very similar to the 2004. This wine will need a 5 or 6 years of cellar age
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2/17/2010 - il_diavolo wrote: 93 Points
sharp contrast to the 2005, clay, tar, more classic and longer life ahead
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