Crumbly cork. No sediment. Decanted for about a half hour and then consumed over the next couple of hours. Smells nice, with tobacco, leather and sometimes light mint. Soft on the palate with minimal tannin. Lots of acidity, fairly lean, and less fruit than I might expect for 2000. Overall, pretty solid and a good pairing with assorted “gourmet” pizzas from The Hearth Kitchen. I don’t see this improving from here.
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Records not handy. Bought two 6b-packs for about $150/pack about 15 years ago from a local independent vendor; this is bottle #8. Decanted but not needed: this has never shown more than than the slightest sediment. Rinsed the bottle and refilled with the wine, then plugged it. Left a swallow in the decanter and learned that air is not its friend: notable loss after 2 hours, but plugged bottle was fine. Medium ruby; fragrant, mature red tree fruit, some rosewater that followed on the palate, very good mouthfeel; some persistence. Delicious. Went well with bison and elk filets; glad I have more, but won't improve. This wine puzzled me early on, but I've come come to enjoy its elegance. Stored horizontally, first, in a cool, dark basement and then in a basement locker in a condo since purchase. My evaluation: For me, scores on a "100-point scale" are misleading. I use a 4-category scale (perhaps with +/-)--not including flawed--which runs outstanding/notable/drinkable/poor. This has become outstanding- when considering quality, age, and price.
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Beatiful notes of kirsch, chinotto, earth and leather on the nose. Dark berries and sweet cherry tha is soft in the mouth as acidity and tanins are perfectly integrated.Very easy drinking. Probably slightly too powerful for the tenderloin served but nonetheless very einjoyable. The tannins noted suggest this has a few more years left.
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Opened with friends having a chef prepared 10 course meal. This bottle paired with grilled rib eye with wild mushroom ravioli and truffle peppercorn Demi glaze and arugula was declared the best pairing of the night by the host. Beautiful classic nose of dark cherry and black raspberry with some wood and leather give way to a very warm fruit filled mouth with soft tannins and balanced acidity. The lingering finish made the steak that much better.
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This bottle was very good. We could not decant and it took a little while to open up. Once it blossomed it had great dried cherry and other fruit flavors along with some leather and a hint of earthiness. t was well balanced.
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Okay, total bottle variations! This was my fourth and last bottle and luckily after 2 bad ones, this one was singing. After one hour, great balance and acidity, cherry, violet, earth, and tar. Good luck to everyone!!
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Although this is a very good wine, I was expecting a lot more based on previous experiences. It seems I have had a similar experience to J2K. This particular bottle is definitely past its prime. The wine seemed oxidized and quite extracted. Although there was fruit, it was not sustained on either the nose or palate.
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Well, there must be some bottle variation going on. I just drank my second bottle and it was dissapointing. Tannins were very low this time and had more of a watery mouthfeel without the strong fruit and other flavors. It wasn't terrible and wasn't corked but nothing like the first bottle or wht you would expect from a Pio Barbaresco. Have 2 bottles left and hoping they'll be better.
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A little heat on the nose which was my biggest disappointment. Tannins becoming more smooth but still present. Recommend leaving in the cellar for another 3-5 years. Still a good bottle on Christmas Eve but wish I had more patience.
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Beautiful red color, nose of roses, strawberry and graham cracker..slight medicial herb tones. Within pop & pour, the mouthfeel was silky, red fruit with moderate tannins. Over time the nose and palate opened into a beautifully structured wine..more cherry/raspberry notes with some briary tones. Good acidity, mid- palate balance with earthy-spice on the finish.
Drank with CinderellaWine friends in Philly.
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Far and away the best of the five bottles I've drunk so far: nose of asphalt and earth, a little red berry and perhaps a hint of roses (or maybe I'm looking too hard). Palate was medium-weight, with dark cherry, violets, earth and a little cola. Velvety mouth feel, and long finish.
Mostly, though, this wine was exquisitely harmonious. Everything spoke to everything else, nothing was out of place or awkward. Nebbiolo, to my mind, is the ultimate grown-up wine - this one was especially wise.
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Popped and poured. Dark garnet. Nose of black cherry, vanilla, and earth. Medium weight palate of ripe cherry, strawberry, minerals, and cream soda. Excellent length. Refreshing acidity. Supple tannins that are losing their vise grip. Velvety texture. Drinking well now but has the stuffing to last a decade or more.
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A full, rich nose. The first night drank we didn't have time to decant, so drank right from the bottle. Thin mouthfeel, rich taste, with a magical finish, but the tannins were very tight. Things had mellowed out a bit after vacu-vinning overnight; a nice elegant supplement to pasta at that time. My first Barbaresco: a pleasant introduction.
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Still very dry with strong tannins. The cherry fruit is hidden in the background but needs more time to evolve. This is and will be an outstanding wine but either decant for many hours or hold for another year,two, or three.
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This wine needs a lot more time. The nose and body were great but not fully integrated. The tannins were abrasive. Unfortunately, I only had the time to decant for 1 hr.
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COLOR - light, light, red color - Nebbiolo yields a color like a pinot. NOSE - I love this nose! It is as different as a pinot nose, too; it has sweet, earthy accents. TASTE - a little thinner than I would have thought, but this has a great Nebbiolo profile, with plenty of acid and a nice lingering finish.
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his was one of four wines we poured for our wine/dinner group. It was tasted against an '99 Gaja Sito Moresco, a '02 Sanford Pinot Noir, and a '99 Josephine De Boyd Grand Vin Bordeaux. This wine was a bit tight to start, opening up nicely after our blind tasting during dinner. This bottle of juice had some delicious fruit and a great nose. Decanted for about an hour and a quarter and was the first tasted amongst the quartet. The order was: 1. Sanford, 2. Pio Cesare, 3. Gaja, 4. Josephine De Boyd
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1/11/2020 - Outplaying wrote:
Crumbly cork. No sediment. Decanted for about a half hour and then consumed over the next couple of hours. Smells nice, with tobacco, leather and sometimes light mint. Soft on the palate with minimal tannin. Lots of acidity, fairly lean, and less fruit than I might expect for 2000. Overall, pretty solid and a good pairing with assorted “gourmet” pizzas from The Hearth Kitchen. I don’t see this improving from here.
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12/24/2019 - Oenecnist wrote:
Records not handy. Bought two 6b-packs for about $150/pack about 15 years ago from a local independent vendor; this is bottle #8. Decanted but not needed: this has never shown more than than the slightest sediment. Rinsed the bottle and refilled with the wine, then plugged it. Left a swallow in the decanter and learned that air is not its friend: notable loss after 2 hours, but plugged bottle was fine. Medium ruby; fragrant, mature red tree fruit, some rosewater that followed on the palate, very good mouthfeel; some persistence. Delicious. Went well with bison and elk filets; glad I have more, but won't improve. This wine puzzled me early on, but I've come come to enjoy its elegance. Stored horizontally, first, in a cool, dark basement and then in a basement locker in a condo since purchase. My evaluation: For me, scores on a "100-point scale" are misleading. I use a 4-category scale (perhaps with +/-)--not including flawed--which runs outstanding/notable/drinkable/poor. This has become outstanding- when considering quality, age, and price.
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7/8/2018 - VinVet Likes this wine: 92 Points
Awesome dark fruits, leather and earth nose that carries through to a smooth superbly integrated palate. Yum.
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12/31/2014 - VinVet Likes this wine: 92 Points
Beatiful notes of kirsch, chinotto, earth and leather on the nose. Dark berries and sweet cherry tha is soft in the mouth as acidity and tanins are perfectly integrated.Very easy drinking. Probably slightly too powerful for the tenderloin served but nonetheless very einjoyable. The tannins noted suggest this has a few more years left.
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4/26/2013 - VinVet wrote: 92 Points
Opened with friends having a chef prepared 10 course meal. This bottle paired with grilled rib eye with wild mushroom ravioli and truffle peppercorn Demi glaze and arugula was declared the best pairing of the night by the host. Beautiful classic nose of dark cherry and black raspberry with some wood and leather give way to a very warm fruit filled mouth with soft tannins and balanced acidity. The lingering finish made the steak that much better.
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4/18/2013 - Redteeth wrote:
This bottle wasn't too bad but it seemed as if was very slightly corked.
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7/31/2012 - Redteeth wrote:
This bottle was very good. We could not decant and it took a little while to open up. Once it blossomed it had great dried cherry and other fruit flavors along with some leather and a hint of earthiness. t was well balanced.
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9/6/2011 - J2K wrote:
Okay, total bottle variations! This was my fourth and last bottle and luckily after 2 bad ones, this one was singing. After one hour, great balance and acidity, cherry, violet, earth, and tar. Good luck to everyone!!
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9/6/2011 - J2K wrote: flawed
Corked! Ugh!
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7/25/2011 - up4wine wrote: 88 Points
Although this is a very good wine, I was expecting a lot more based on previous experiences. It seems I have had a similar experience to J2K. This particular bottle is definitely past its prime. The wine seemed oxidized and quite extracted. Although there was fruit, it was not sustained on either the nose or palate.
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1/2/2011 - J2K wrote:
Well, there must be some bottle variation going on. I just drank my second bottle and it was dissapointing. Tannins were very low this time and had more of a watery mouthfeel without the strong fruit and other flavors. It wasn't terrible and wasn't corked but nothing like the first bottle or wht you would expect from a Pio Barbaresco. Have 2 bottles left and hoping they'll be better.
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12/24/2010 - firenzecole wrote:
A little heat on the nose which was my biggest disappointment. Tannins becoming more smooth but still present. Recommend leaving in the cellar for another 3-5 years. Still a good bottle on Christmas Eve but wish I had more patience.
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10/17/2010 - Nursing a Hangover wrote: 92 Points
Beautiful red color, nose of roses, strawberry and graham cracker..slight medicial herb tones. Within pop & pour, the mouthfeel was silky, red fruit with moderate tannins. Over time the nose and palate opened into a beautifully structured wine..more cherry/raspberry notes with some briary tones. Good acidity, mid- palate balance with earthy-spice on the finish.
Drank with CinderellaWine friends in Philly.
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7/23/2010 - PMDias wrote: 93 Points
Far and away the best of the five bottles I've drunk so far: nose of asphalt and earth, a little red berry and perhaps a hint of roses (or maybe I'm looking too hard). Palate was medium-weight, with dark cherry, violets, earth and a little cola. Velvety mouth feel, and long finish.
Mostly, though, this wine was exquisitely harmonious. Everything spoke to everything else, nothing was out of place or awkward. Nebbiolo, to my mind, is the ultimate grown-up wine - this one was especially wise.
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6/12/2010 - Wink wrote: 92 Points
Popped and poured. Dark garnet. Nose of black cherry, vanilla, and earth. Medium weight palate of ripe cherry, strawberry, minerals, and cream soda. Excellent length. Refreshing acidity. Supple tannins that are losing their vise grip. Velvety texture. Drinking well now but has the stuffing to last a decade or more.
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7/20/2008 - dougdell wrote: 91 Points
A full, rich nose. The first night drank we didn't have time to decant, so drank right from the bottle. Thin mouthfeel, rich taste, with a magical finish, but the tannins were very tight. Things had mellowed out a bit after vacu-vinning overnight; a nice elegant supplement to pasta at that time. My first Barbaresco: a pleasant introduction.
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2/5/2008 - J2K wrote: 93 Points
Still very dry with strong tannins. The cherry fruit is hidden in the background but needs more time to evolve. This is and will be an outstanding wine but either decant for many hours or hold for another year,two, or three.
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9/7/2007 - Pablo T wrote: 89 Points
This wine needs a lot more time. The nose and body were great but not fully integrated. The tannins were abrasive. Unfortunately, I only had the time to decant for 1 hr.
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4/19/2007 - aveeck wrote: 91 Points
COLOR - light, light, red color - Nebbiolo yields a color like a pinot. NOSE - I love this nose! It is as different as a pinot nose, too; it has sweet, earthy accents. TASTE - a little thinner than I would have thought, but this has a great Nebbiolo profile, with plenty of acid and a nice lingering finish.
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4/22/2006 - jrglm wrote: 88 Points
his was one of four wines we poured for our wine/dinner group. It was tasted against an '99 Gaja Sito Moresco, a '02 Sanford Pinot Noir, and a '99 Josephine De Boyd Grand Vin Bordeaux.
This wine was a bit tight to start, opening up nicely after our blind tasting during dinner. This bottle of juice had some delicious fruit and a great nose. Decanted for about an hour and a quarter and was the first tasted amongst the quartet.
The order was: 1. Sanford, 2. Pio Cesare, 3. Gaja, 4. Josephine De Boyd
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