Decanted for three hours, and drunk over five. Good to very good, but never moved into the great zone. A friend, asked for decanting advice, advised me to “open the 1993 and save the 1999 for another decade”. That was good advice.
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Drank over two days. Quite dense and somewhat closed. But budged a little bit on day 2. Loads of dark fruit and asphalt. Great depth and symmetry. I expect this needs many more years to open.
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Conterno vs Rinaldi; 11/4/2023-11/5/2023: The ‘99 Monfortino is a wine for the ages. It remains very youthful, and kept getting better throughout the evening with air. The best days are ahead, but I found this bottle more expressive than my last in 2020.
While initially reserved, with air, the nose was explosive with dark red to black cherry and plum fruits, dark red floral tones, roasted meats, tar, and sweet spices. On the palate, the wine is massively concentrated and high in acidity, while the tannins are quite finessed and integrated. I found dark red and black fruit, tar, dark red florals, tobacco, roasted meat and sweet spices, so dense but super expressive later in the evening.
This seems like a wine that could go for several decades if well stored, but with air, it was beautiful right now. This is an old school wine with a bit less finesse and precision than the ‘08 Monfortino served alongside it, but if you like classic Barolo this is about as good as it gets.
This bottle was opened at 2PM and quickly double decanted, served around 8 PM, and continued to improve throughout the night.
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E&R's Prequal to 25: Nebbiolo: The only one of the older bottles I have that I was looking to checkin with that was actually in tact... thank god! The aromas here are super elegant and massive, showing so many layers of beauty... the expression is full, rich and round, and very typically Monfortino. The palate texture was soft, round, and very elegant, showing beautiful composure and richness. On the nose and palate, this wine is pure bliss, and shows the kind of elegance, fruit and earth balance, and weight that top Barolo can achieve. Not to be missed, though, is the tannin profile which remains very strong on the palate. Similar on the finish, we still have a massive wall of tannins and much tighter here than the nose or palate offered. For me, the finish is where the wine still shows you its on its climb up its evolution, not yet at the plateau. Wonderful to check in with, but I'll hold mine for at least another decade. 95+
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Prelude 25-an E&R Nebbiolo joint (E&R Wines, Portland OR): Yes Yes Yes. Oh glory be. This is a Monfortino in full flight showing off why it has the pedigree it does. The nose is so layered and complex that it is the nasal version of Alice in Wonderland as it fills the painfully small glass with beautiful tones of cinnamon, sour red cherries, raspberries, some balsamico notes, violets, spices, roasted herbs, licorice, crushed rocks, earth notes, sweet tobacco, tar, and a touch of juniper berries. The Full bodied feel is seamless and layered with tart, high acidity and silky, high tannins that have begun to really integrate. I only wish I had a full bottle in front of me and my own little private space to just let this be. Can it age longer? Of course it can. Does it need to? Honestly, not really. It will need some air, but this is what I came for and it's firing on every cylinder I can ask for.
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E&R Prequel 25 - Mostly older nebbiolo (Portland, OR): This had a very pretty balsamic fruit nose that became moderately kaleidoscopic with air. The palate was fairly closed and moderately astringent, but it was clearly a beauty. The wine became less approachable with air and needs another 10 to 15 years for my preferences. Strong hold
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This was the one wine in the triumvirate 99-01 that was a bit shy while the other two were bursting with flavor and complexity. More streamlined with great depth and incredible mouthfeel, the '99 is very structured and youthful without any tertiary development despite an 8-hour double-decant! It's so fine and deep that I can't help but think it may surpass the other two vintages in time. More on the black fruit side with layers of charcoal minerals, licorice, dark cherry-wood and deep spice-box notes. At Lucciola, NYC. 95+
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From magnum, double decanted 8 hours before drinking. Definitely the right choice. Rich brooding dark-fruited nose, lots of herbal menthol licqorice complexity. Gorgeous soft rich fresh integrated palate. Massive acidity and tannin but the latter are so fine. This is magnificent, superbly integrated, great power but the balance is absolutely seamless. Just at the very beginning of its drinking window.
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Dark red with no signs of aging. Incredibly perfumed with classic aromas of black cherries, plums, dried rose petals, tar and just a hint of anise. Huge, structured and completely coating the mouth with waves of sweet black fruits, present tannins, medium acidity and a very long floral and smoky finish. Monumental.
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1999 Barolo Dinner (Chez Goldberg, Greenwich Village, NYC): [Double-decanted around 2:30pm for 3 hours.] Muted black fruit nose. Huge in the mouth. Long and juicy, but still so backward. Will this ever be ready in my lifetime? 96-???
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Kleur: Fluwelig licht oranjerood. Aroma / bouquet: Niet uitbundig expressief, verfijnde tonen van teer, leer en een hint van stalgeur en zoetige kruiderij. Smaak / Afdronk: Zachte zuurgraad. Zelfs na 22 jaar zijn de tannines nog vitaal, krachtig en stoer. Lange afdronk met een bittertje in de finale. Algemeen / potentieel: Barolo blijft voor mij een 'eetwijn' die zelden of nooit een 'open haard wijn' wordt… 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 11 + Smaak / Afdronk: 17 + Algemeen / potentieel: 8 = 91/100
Colour: Velvety light orange-red. Aroma / bouquet: Not overly expressive, refined notes of tar, leather and a hint of stable scent and sweet spice. Taste / Aftertaste: Soft acidity. Even after 22 years, the tannins are still vital, powerful and tough. Long finish with a bit of bitterness in the final. General / potential: Barolo remains for me a 'food wine' that rarely if ever becomes a 'fireplace wine'… 50 + Colour: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 11 + Taste / Aftertaste: 17 + General / potential: 8 = 91/100
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Opened 6 hrs in bottle (no decanting) in advance, drank over the course of 8 hours. about 1-2 hours into the drinking, the wine starts to soften up on the palate however still backwards. On the nose, it is restrained with red fruit, spice and hints of mint and minerality.
Unquestionably a wine of huge potential however it is broodingly backwards at this stage. It was shadowed by the 97 Mascarello Ca D Morissio on the same night (see my notes there). I would wait on opening my other bottles for at least another 5 years if not more.
It is
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Initially tight and ungiving as if I was anosmic. Ten minutes in the glass with lots of coaxing I got a little reassurance this was opening a bit. This was paired with a dry aged filet in a reduction of a barolo (Vietti) that I consider one of the best normales in my house. Good to live well once in a while. The reputation of this wine was evident in it's class, body, texture and presence. "Awesome" escaped my lips. Among the accompaniment of really decent wines, everything else in the room paled, and bowed down to the wine in my glass. The mouthfeel was regal, with layers of silky classic fruit and mineral elements. The flavors hung forever, the duration was an amazing experience. Still a baby I would surmise as the wine stayed a bit tight throughout the 2 hours. By far the best wine I've had in 2020 and a nice way to celebrate the holiday season. Got to love your friends and value the time spent with them.
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I decanted this for 20+ hours; still a young wine, but with the extended decant, this drinks well. Complex nose - hold if you only have one or two, but this is worth taking a look at now if you have more than a couple.
The Last Dance Magnum Dinner (The Krengels - Bannockburn IL): Magnum. Opened hours earlier and decanted, but still somewhat shy and reticent. Yet clearly also so much here- red and black cherry, licorice, roses, black pepper, and thyme. This kept unfolding in new and enticing ways, with charming balance and grace. This will keep getting better and drink well for decades to come.
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Deep, dark, and cool in tone on the nose, with black cherry and blueberry fruit, roses, menthol, baking spices, and anise. The aromatics are attractive but remain largely primary and the nose was a bit muted at first, but opened up later in the evening with air. On the palate, the wine is very primary with mostly a mass of dark red and black fruit, licorice, menthol, and some balsamic at the back end. While the aromatics and flavor profile of the wine remains very youthful, the tannins are beginning to resolve and the texture showcases both significant concentration and also great elegance, making it surprisingly easy to drink at this stage. Compared to an '02 Monfortino tasted a month ago, I found this bottle of the '99 to be less expressive aromatically and a bit less evolved, but smoother and more resolved on the palate, despite possessing a similar level of power/concentration.
The '99 Monfortino is a beautifully balanced wine but remains very young, and for this bottle at least, a bit austere, but has a great combination of power and elegance that suggests once the aromatics and flavor profile becomes a bit more expressive, this may be a profound wine.
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Holiday Dinner - Champ, Keller, Hermitage Blanc, Barolo and Bordeaux (Bourbon Steak, Washington D.C.): En magnum. Surprisingly expressive nose displaying perfectly ripe black fruit, black cherry, blackberry, licorice, dark caramel, balsamico, lavender, tar, baking spices and earth. The palate to die for, layers upon layers of intense pure black fruit, silky and sensual, perfect amount of acidity and mineral, nicely integrated tannins and a seamless long black fruit driven finish with baking spices and licorice at the end. Despite being incredibly youthful, this is open for business.
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PR 1969 Extravaganza: Liquorice, red currant, blood, iron and spice on the nose. Palate is extremely tightly coiled, this is power incarnate just waiting to be unleashed. Primary, with depth and savoury spice throughout. Give it time!
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Decanted for 6 hours which really helped. Such a deeply concentrated and complex wine with still searing tannins. Delicious flavors of black fruits and spices with great intensity and verve. Thickly-textured yet so fine and lithe with great purity underneath the power. The finish is so complex already with notes of minerals and dark chocolate evident before the wall of tannins crushes the tongue. Still primary but drinkable with a very long decant. In ten years, this will approach perfection. 97+
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Having the opportunity to taste the ‘99 Monfortino twice in the same week was an honor. This night I found a dark, floral expression, rich in its showing of brown spices, as zesty black fruits, wild herbs, exotic spice and minerals emerged. On the palate, I found a rich, almost pliant expression, as ripe dark fruits seemed to soak the senses in a combination of minerals, acid and fine tannin, yet through it all a mix of wild mountain herbs and earth tones resonated. The finish was long with notes of balsamic spice, herbal tones and a twang of spice, acid and tannin. This was a different expression from the last bottle I tasted, yet equally appealing.
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deep dark almost black in color, showed a lot of fruit on the nose and although having a lot of tanin too it , this mag drank very nicely , dark fruits and a bit meaty, it was very long and very well balanced. it has a lot of developing to do but was a good young drink and a good bridge between old style barolo and slightly more modern
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The nose on the ‘99 Monfortino was gorgeous, displaying a mix of black earth, crushed strawberry, savory cherry sauce, dried roses, sweet herbal tea leaves and lifting minerality. On the palate, I found unbelievably soft textures for a young Monfortino, with zesty notes of cherry, spiced orange, and minerals, before its acids and tannin began to set in, slowly clenching the senses. The finish seemed to bring the wine back to life, as its acids made the mouth water, giving vibrancy to the wine’s spicy cherry, strawberry and citrus components, along with lingering inner-rose florals. It was so beautiful, but also still so young.
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G. Conterno v. B. Giacosa (Maialino): This Monfortino flight is stylistically very different from any of the Giacosas. Dark and intense but nicely perfumed. The ‘99 to ‘90 all smell remarkably similar with a polished black cherry. Overall I find this young and not particularly intriguing.
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Naso bomba, ma bocca ancora troppo cazzuta e immatura. Concentrato, balsamico e acidulo. Il tannino è di ottima fattura, ma ancora troppo presente. Per me ancora un pò sprecato oggi. Attendere con fiducia, perchè tra 10 anni sarà una meraviglia
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Kellys 61st - Champ, Monfortino, Burgundy and a ringer ('14 Summum) (The Grill Room at the Rosewood DC): Very energetic black fruit driven nose, black cherry, blackberry concentrate, licorice, dark spices, tar, dark caramel and a hint of balsamico. Excellent concentration, beautifully layered, very polished and silky, sweet tannins and a long dark fruit and licorice driven finish. Incredibly young but perfectly balanced. A bit overshadowed by the 82 Monfortino. Incredible intense yet very precise and detailed. Excellent showing.
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From memory. Pristine cork. Still young out of the gate. I do not think it got to really open up. Fine nose, quite expressive. Dark fruit, tar, graphite, earth notes. Nice balance. Tannins still around on the finish. I am sure there is more to this wine than we got to experience. 93-95+p.
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Barolo Riserva Monfortino vertical 1995-2006: Medium-light garnet with brick rim. Expressive and complex nose of tar, tobacco, spices, clay. Elegant palate with very good balance between all components. It did however develop and oxidative notes around lovage after 2h in the glass.
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SO'd for 12 hours. An absolutely spectacular bottle... Dark, imposing notes of black fruit, tobacco, tar, licorice, crushed rose petals and graphite. It's full-bodied, dense and powerful with super high acidity and tannin that is softening a little but still very present. Fantastic length. Incredible depth of flavor and it feels like it's just at the beginning of opening up a little... Structured, dark, deep and memorable.
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This bottle from Ralph's cellar clearly did not have enough time to breathe as it was decanted about 2 hours before consumed and this wine is drinkable now but only with a serious 5+ hour decant. Backwards but also incredibly concentrated and refined with great depth of dark cherry and some black fruits. There are lovely hints of licorice and eucalyptus and the finish is so powerful and complex. Needs more time but this wine is a legend in the making. Tasted alongside the '99 Granbussia from Aldo, that wine was ready and lovely but seemed simple compared to this monument. 97+
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(Monfortino mag vertical 1970-2008) The most persistent and long of 19 Monfortino vintages enjoyed from magnum. Although not as broad as the 1990 Monfortino this is more defined and vibrant, and has a much better back-end. I initially preferred the similarly-styled 1998 Monfortino, this eventually shaded it with a touch more of everything and further ageing potential. Became a touch medicinal on the nose with extended air, but it just added to the interest for me and didn't impact the palate. WOTN for me, and for the majority of others too. 97+pts
Giacomo Conterno Montfortino, Barolo Reserva Magnum Dinner (67 Pall Mall): What is not to like about this wine. Incredible nose with more fruits and balsamic notes than normal. The silky palate just keeps going and going with an amazing long length. And then the palate changes again. Wow, wow, wow and wow. My WOTN
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G. Conterno Barolo vs. L. Sandrone Barolo (Morrell Wine Bar and Café, NYC): [Opened at 1pm. Double decanted at 5pm.] Powerful nose of intense ripe fruit. Incredibly rich in the mouth with great tannic structure but loads of balancing intense fruit. Clearly the WOTN for me, and I think everyone else. Stunning. I was sure this was the Monfortino, until I tasting the CF which was so backward, I thought maybe it was the Monfortino, but surprisingly, the Monfortino is just more forward and open at this time. Worth all its accolades, and maybe even its price! 99-100 points.
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The Icon Vs. The Iconoclast: Giacomo Conterno & Luciano Sandrone (Morrell Wine Bar): This was a thrilling wine to be sure, as a bouquet of intense rich fruits, masses of rose and tar, leather and earth came forward along with hints of mushroom and balsamic tones. On the palate, a dark mix of fruits washed across the senses, turning to cranberry and spice with deep, silky textures over a spine of fine tannin. The finish showed palate-saturating cherry with contrasting hints of dried citrus and inner floral tones. This was amazingly drinkable on this night, and some tasters wondered if it was the Cascina Francia, yet the bouquet alone gave it away.
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Vinous group dinner at Morrell. 4 hour slo-o (3 hours in cellar). The wine showed extremely well. Earthy bouquet, full-bodied, balanced and complex with impeccable purity and a very lengthy, elegant finish. One of the best Barolos I have ever tasted. This has the stuff to last for decades. Truly a wine with soul!
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Decanted for 5 hours and it needed every minute. What a fantastic wine with great class and breed. There is incredibly deep, dark fruits with a wonderful licorice note that is utterly gorgeous! So perfectly balanced with a traditional taste profile and an unbelievably sleek, silky texture. Just showing the beginnings of maturity with an incredibly long, fine, complex finish with notes of smoke, minerals, forest floor, tar, roses, red silk...whatever. This is a spectacular, seamless wine that blew away every other Barolo at the table tonight and the only reason I don't give it 100 points is because it is so young and really going to improve! 98+
BYOB dinner with Jamie Pollack (Bourbon Steak): Clearly a step up, just simply more of everything. Ripe black fruits, mineral, sweet dark spices and a slightly hint of balsamico. Incredible concentration and layered, intense sweet black fruit driven palate impression and seamless long finish. It is incredibly youthful yet seamless and perfectly balanced. While incredibly impressive and enjoyable, so much more potential ahead. For my palate, this is very similar to the 02 in concentration, intensity and sweetness.
MASH,Copenhagen. Decanted an hour before, where it should have been a day before! Never the less it was evident this was a great wine with a super potential. We only had a glimpse of it unfortunately. Super concentrated and smooth, fat and velvety. Should have brought it home and stored for another 20 years...
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Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino 1970-2006 (Magnum) (maze by Gordon Ramsey, London): Though understandably restrained at this relatively young age, this was a profound wine, and the one I found myself returning to time and again. Rich, complex layers of dark, ripe fruit interlaced with muted spice and cut flowers. Tremendous purity and depth. Humbling in its grace. Future Me deems this my WOTN, though the older vintages claimed the prize in the present day.
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Barolo: austero, compatto, chiuso, subito si percepisce il frutto scuro, la terra, monolitico e incazzato. Poi liquirizia, spezie, profuma proprio poco. Giovanissimo, appena iniziata la maturazione risulta essere il più equilibrato anche se nettamente il meno espressivo.
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Gorgeous nose of plush dark cherries, red spices and incredible minerals. Needed a good 3-hour decant - then a deep wine with layers of dark cherry fruits and forest floor flavors. There is a grippy intensity to this wine that tastes like cut steel and iron-ore minerals. Still quite young and well short of its peak drinking but this is a classic, ripe, deep vintage for Monfortino. 96+
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A big Barolo, but with a quite soft texture now. That said the tannins are firm. It still seem to be on the way up, no signs of retreat. Roses and leather - and a very aromatic profile, just a little darker than a vosne Grand Cru I tasted the same night. Extremely good effort and stood up to Voerzios Annunziata 2008. Long finish ending on the floral note.
The Conterno Monfortino 2002 has redeemed itself with stripes. Unbelievable difference versus previous bottle. This wine is a baby, and although my preference still goes for the 1999, the 2002 highlights the talents and efforts of the winemaker to make a truly remarkable wine in a difficult vintage. Very youthful deep ruby color, hardly any signs of aging on the rims, viscous quality, excellent Barolo nose after 3 hours+ in decanter, tar, dark red fruits, petals. Cashmere attack on the palate, great complexity, structure, and tactile wine mid palate with red fruits and tars dominating, and a glorious finish. Medium to full bodied (versus power of 1999 MF which I prefer), one cannot be but full of respect for brilliant wine making for the 2002. I will stock up on this vintage but won't touch another bottle till the end of the decade.
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Kleur: Helder robijnrood, Aroma / bouquet: Gesloten, jeugdig, veel fruitaroma maar ook wat stalgeuren. Smaak / Afdronk: Vol, indrukwekkend maar te jong. Groots potentieel. Algemeen / potentieel: Te jong om nu te drinken…Mooie wijn, vereist geduld! 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 12 + Smaak / Afdronk: 17 + Algemeen / potentieel: 9 = 93/100
Color: Bright ruby red, Aroma / Bouquet: Closed, youthful, lots of fruit aromas but also stable aromas. Taste / Finish: Full, impressive but to young. Grand potential. General / potential: Too young to drink now ... Beautiful wine, will require patience! 50 + Colour: 5 + Aroma / Bouquet: 12 + Taste / Finish: 17 + General / potential: 9 = 93/100
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(Etter 14 timer i vid karaffel) Dyp rubinrød. Nydelig, sensuell og sødmefull parfyme av roser, røde bær, lyse kirsebær, rørsukker, mandel og lakris. Avdempet og subtil. Masser av frukt i munnen, men utrolig elegant. Fremdeles veldig ung. Frisk syre. Tørr og stram avslutning med knuste tørre bær. Utrolig lang ettersmak. 95+ P
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Serious power, serious wine, serious structure, an outstanding finish, coats the mid palate with multiple layers of dark red fruit, earth, tar, leather, truffles. Serious decanting needed this was WOTN. Some signs of ageing color wise but not a lot; this wine is a baby and needs years to reach its full potential which I could easily award 100 points based on what I've tasted. Velevety entry, great backbone and acidity, excellent finish yet with solid tannnins which took 3 - 4 hours of aeration in the decanter to soften and resolve. Wow!
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What a monster! So much potential here. Very well could be a perfect wine given time to develop in bottle. Beautiful dark sweet cherries, menthol & truffles. Such delicious fruit! The balance, length & acidity is sick! Huge tannins. Just an outstanding wine, very complex. Don't touch it for 10 years.
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Questa è buonissima, favolosi toni iodati/marini al naso ma fini e di grande eleganza. Poi escono note di arancia sanguinella, floreali e infine la classica anguria rossa. La bocca è grande e larga senza essere eccessiva, lunghissima e presente dappertutto.
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Beautiful light red colour; complex aromas of tar, licorice, mint, leather - on the palate surprisingly elegant and really well balanced; very fruity and concentrated flavours with superlong aftertaste. I was surprised of both the elegance, that I would not have guessed from such a barolo, and also by the fact that it drinks quite well now; although of course this wine has years to go. In short: great !
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Loads of tar and licorice on the nose and palate. If you were to smell this blind, you would have guessed Sambuca. This bottle was very linear even after a two hour decant. Really no fruit at this time and a long acidic finish. Understandably, this is a great wine to have with Italian food. I think this wine is drinking very young and needs much more time to develop more secondary flavors.
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Opened with three 2000s and one 1998. This was the star of the group. Took a little time to open up, but had much more of the complexity I expect from this wine. Still drinking young, but might eventually rival the 1990 vintage.
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Opened to celebrate the birth of our son and my 40th birthday with Jim & Maggie. Decanted for 10 hours. Very dark red with purple hints exhibiting signs of youth and concentration. Nose not giving up too much at this stage, mainly primary nebbiolo fruit. Wonderful bracing acidity, structure and balance with mouth puckering complexity. The tannins were firm but not unpleasant. I wouldn't even think about drinking another one of these for at least 10-15 years if you can wait and by then would expect it to be spectacular. The score is for current drinking. Best Barolo I've had to date.
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Uncorked DK BYO to NOMA: La Tāche 96 and fried eggs (NOMA): Very dark red. Mature red-brown berries, brown sugar, nail polish remover, toasted oak-like aromas. A bit closed, but cannot hide its greatness. In the mouth this just blows you away with its immense structure, fine tannins and mature fruit as well as minerality. It needs time, but with effort - swirling, gurgling etc... some of its stunning features can be forced out into the open. Best Barolo I've ever had.
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19 bottles of barolo or how I drank my Monfortini; 3/10/2007-3/11/2007 (6h): This was opened aroun 5 pm but it was about 9 pm by the time we got to it. At first the nose is balsam tinged strawberry fruit before exploding with hints of menthol, tar, boysenberry, muskmelon, so perfumed and intense but it fails to prepare one for the intensity in the mouth, outrageous concentration of intensely sweet and sapid fruit, after the subtlties of the older wines this is overstimulation. It's like getting a hand job without lubricant from, as Ken adds, an old farmer, if you like that sort of thing of course. Like I said overstimulation. This is just a monster, It'll probably shut down soon but is worth trying if you've got enough as it is like Barolo concentrate. Bravo!
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Tasted just after the 2001 Monprivato. This burrowed into areas of the palate that the Monprivato just couldn't reach -- the scale of it was enormous, an expansive "atmosphere" of tarry blackness. But of course it was ferociously tannic and showed nothing whatsoever on the nose.
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From barrel - to be bottled in July 2006. Dark ruby/garnet colour with orange on the rim. Huge, powerful nose of tar, roses, cherry, blackberry, minerals, and raspberry. Full-bodied, with layer after layer of complexity and notes of tar, cherry, roses, and currant peeking out. Very fine-grained tannins. Long, long finish, more than a minute in length, with replays through from the nose and palate. Only a baby. I can only imagine how good this will be in 20+ years. Outstanding. 97+ points.
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Great balance and length. The best barolo I've ever tasted, not that I've tasted that many prior to this week. The wife immediately cornered Roberto to purchase 2 cases. Two cases promised on release in 06 or 07.
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3/24/2024 - BradE wrote:
Decanted for three hours, and drunk over five. Good to very good, but never moved into the great zone. A friend, asked for decanting advice, advised me to “open the 1993 and save the 1999 for another decade”. That was good advice.
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12/24/2023 - johnh1001 wrote: 95 Points
Drank over two days. Quite dense and somewhat closed. But budged a little bit on day 2. Loads of dark fruit and asphalt. Great depth and symmetry. I expect this needs many more years to open.
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11/4/2023 - Robmcl920 Likes this wine: 98 Points
Conterno vs Rinaldi; 11/4/2023-11/5/2023: The ‘99 Monfortino is a wine for the ages. It remains very youthful, and kept getting better throughout the evening with air. The best days are ahead, but I found this bottle more expressive than my last in 2020.
While initially reserved, with air, the nose was explosive with dark red to black cherry and plum fruits, dark red floral tones, roasted meats, tar, and sweet spices. On the palate, the wine is massively concentrated and high in acidity, while the tannins are quite finessed and integrated. I found dark red and black fruit, tar, dark red florals, tobacco, roasted meat and sweet spices, so dense but super expressive later in the evening.
This seems like a wine that could go for several decades if well stored, but with air, it was beautiful right now. This is an old school wine with a bit less finesse and precision than the ‘08 Monfortino served alongside it, but if you like classic Barolo this is about as good as it gets.
This bottle was opened at 2PM and quickly double decanted, served around 8 PM, and continued to improve throughout the night.
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11/1/2023 - David Paris (dbp) wrote: 95 Points
E&R's Prequal to 25: Nebbiolo: The only one of the older bottles I have that I was looking to checkin with that was actually in tact... thank god! The aromas here are super elegant and massive, showing so many layers of beauty... the expression is full, rich and round, and very typically Monfortino. The palate texture was soft, round, and very elegant, showing beautiful composure and richness. On the nose and palate, this wine is pure bliss, and shows the kind of elegance, fruit and earth balance, and weight that top Barolo can achieve. Not to be missed, though, is the tannin profile which remains very strong on the palate. Similar on the finish, we still have a massive wall of tannins and much tighter here than the nose or palate offered. For me, the finish is where the wine still shows you its on its climb up its evolution, not yet at the plateau. Wonderful to check in with, but I'll hold mine for at least another decade. 95+
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11/1/2023 - KeithAkers wrote: 97 Points
Prelude 25-an E&R Nebbiolo joint (E&R Wines, Portland OR): Yes Yes Yes. Oh glory be. This is a Monfortino in full flight showing off why it has the pedigree it does. The nose is so layered and complex that it is the nasal version of Alice in Wonderland as it fills the painfully small glass with beautiful tones of cinnamon, sour red cherries, raspberries, some balsamico notes, violets, spices, roasted herbs, licorice, crushed rocks, earth notes, sweet tobacco, tar, and a touch of juniper berries. The Full bodied feel is seamless and layered with tart, high acidity and silky, high tannins that have begun to really integrate. I only wish I had a full bottle in front of me and my own little private space to just let this be. Can it age longer? Of course it can. Does it need to? Honestly, not really. It will need some air, but this is what I came for and it's firing on every cylinder I can ask for.
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11/1/2023 - 5laton wrote:
E&R Prequel 25 - Mostly older nebbiolo (Portland, OR): This had a very pretty balsamic fruit nose that became moderately kaleidoscopic with air. The palate was fairly closed and moderately astringent, but it was clearly a beauty. The wine became less approachable with air and needs another 10 to 15 years for my preferences. Strong hold
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10/6/2023 - dream Likes this wine: 95 Points
This was the one wine in the triumvirate 99-01 that was a bit shy while the other two were bursting with flavor and complexity. More streamlined with great depth and incredible mouthfeel, the '99 is very structured and youthful without any tertiary development despite an 8-hour double-decant! It's so fine and deep that I can't help but think it may surpass the other two vintages in time. More on the black fruit side with layers of charcoal minerals, licorice, dark cherry-wood and deep spice-box notes. At Lucciola, NYC. 95+
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9/6/2023 - jamesabdavis wrote:
From magnum, double decanted 8 hours before drinking. Definitely the right choice.
Rich brooding dark-fruited nose, lots of herbal menthol licqorice complexity.
Gorgeous soft rich fresh integrated palate.
Massive acidity and tannin but the latter are so fine.
This is magnificent, superbly integrated, great power but the balance is absolutely seamless. Just at the very beginning of its drinking window.
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5/22/2023 - devraj Likes this wine: 98 Points
Dark red with no signs of aging. Incredibly perfumed with classic aromas of black cherries, plums, dried rose petals, tar and just a hint of anise. Huge, structured and completely coating the mouth with waves of sweet black fruits, present tannins, medium acidity and a very long floral and smoky finish. Monumental.
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4/2/2022 - kenv Likes this wine: 96 Points
1999 Barolo Dinner (Chez Goldberg, Greenwich Village, NYC): [Double-decanted around 2:30pm for 3 hours.] Muted black fruit nose. Huge in the mouth. Long and juicy, but still so backward. Will this ever be ready in my lifetime? 96-???
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12/26/2021 - WildeMeeuw Likes this wine: 91 Points
Kleur: Fluwelig licht oranjerood. Aroma / bouquet: Niet uitbundig expressief, verfijnde tonen van teer, leer en een hint van stalgeur en zoetige kruiderij. Smaak / Afdronk: Zachte zuurgraad. Zelfs na 22 jaar zijn de tannines nog vitaal, krachtig en stoer. Lange afdronk met een bittertje in de finale. Algemeen / potentieel: Barolo blijft voor mij een 'eetwijn' die zelden of nooit een 'open haard wijn' wordt… 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 11 + Smaak / Afdronk: 17 + Algemeen / potentieel: 8 = 91/100
Colour: Velvety light orange-red. Aroma / bouquet: Not overly expressive, refined notes of tar, leather and a hint of stable scent and sweet spice. Taste / Aftertaste: Soft acidity. Even after 22 years, the tannins are still vital, powerful and tough. Long finish with a bit of bitterness in the final. General / potential: Barolo remains for me a 'food wine' that rarely if ever becomes a 'fireplace wine'… 50 + Colour: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 11 + Taste / Aftertaste: 17 + General / potential: 8 = 91/100
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11/8/2021 - joshabramson Likes this wine: 98 Points
My favorite wine next to 90' Giacosa riserva and 96' Bartalo Mascarello. The 99' Monfortino was drinking so well!
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3/28/2021 - overkloud wrote: 94 Points
Opened 6 hrs in bottle (no decanting) in advance, drank over the course of 8 hours. about 1-2 hours into the drinking, the wine starts to soften up on the palate however still backwards. On the nose, it is restrained with red fruit, spice and hints of mint and minerality.
Unquestionably a wine of huge potential however it is broodingly backwards at this stage. It was shadowed by the 97 Mascarello Ca D Morissio on the same night (see my notes there). I would wait on opening my other bottles for at least another 5 years if not more.
It is
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12/13/2020 - Outplaying Likes this wine:
Thanks Bob H for sharing this. Elegant, complex and a nice pairing with a piece of filet in a Vietti Barolo reduction sauce and shaved white truffles.
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12/12/2020 - Dave Mosko Likes this wine:
Initially tight and ungiving as if I was anosmic. Ten minutes in the glass with lots of coaxing I got a little reassurance this was opening a bit. This was paired with a dry aged filet in a reduction of a barolo (Vietti) that I consider one of the best normales in my house. Good to live well once in a while.
The reputation of this wine was evident in it's class, body, texture and presence. "Awesome" escaped my lips. Among the accompaniment of really decent wines, everything else in the room paled, and bowed down to the wine in my glass. The mouthfeel was regal, with layers of silky classic fruit and mineral elements. The flavors hung forever, the duration was an amazing experience. Still a baby I would surmise as the wine stayed a bit tight throughout the 2 hours. By far the best wine I've had in 2020 and a nice way to celebrate the holiday season.
Got to love your friends and value the time spent with them.
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12/12/2020 - Bob H wrote:
I decanted this for 20+ hours; still a young wine, but with the extended decant, this drinks well. Complex nose - hold if you only have one or two, but this is worth taking a look at now if you have more than a couple.
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10/10/2020 - Burgundy Al wrote: 95 Points
The Last Dance Magnum Dinner (The Krengels - Bannockburn IL): Magnum. Opened hours earlier and decanted, but still somewhat shy and reticent. Yet clearly also so much here- red and black cherry, licorice, roses, black pepper, and thyme. This kept unfolding in new and enticing ways, with charming balance and grace. This will keep getting better and drink well for decades to come.
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6/6/2020 - Robmcl920 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Deep, dark, and cool in tone on the nose, with black cherry and blueberry fruit, roses, menthol, baking spices, and anise. The aromatics are attractive but remain largely primary and the nose was a bit muted at first, but opened up later in the evening with air. On the palate, the wine is very primary with mostly a mass of dark red and black fruit, licorice, menthol, and some balsamic at the back end. While the aromatics and flavor profile of the wine remains very youthful, the tannins are beginning to resolve and the texture showcases both significant concentration and also great elegance, making it surprisingly easy to drink at this stage. Compared to an '02 Monfortino tasted a month ago, I found this bottle of the '99 to be less expressive aromatically and a bit less evolved, but smoother and more resolved on the palate, despite possessing a similar level of power/concentration.
The '99 Monfortino is a beautifully balanced wine but remains very young, and for this bottle at least, a bit austere, but has a great combination of power and elegance that suggests once the aromatics and flavor profile becomes a bit more expressive, this may be a profound wine.
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12/4/2019 - dcwino wrote: 99 Points
Holiday Dinner - Champ, Keller, Hermitage Blanc, Barolo and Bordeaux (Bourbon Steak, Washington D.C.): En magnum. Surprisingly expressive nose displaying perfectly ripe black fruit, black cherry, blackberry, licorice, dark caramel, balsamico, lavender, tar, baking spices and earth. The palate to die for, layers upon layers of intense pure black fruit, silky and sensual, perfect amount of acidity and mineral, nicely integrated tannins and a seamless long black fruit driven finish with baking spices and licorice at the end. Despite being incredibly youthful, this is open for business.
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11/30/2019 - CamWheeler wrote: 95 Points
PR 1969 Extravaganza: Liquorice, red currant, blood, iron and spice on the nose. Palate is extremely tightly coiled, this is power incarnate just waiting to be unleashed. Primary, with depth and savoury spice throughout. Give it time!
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10/11/2019 - dream Likes this wine: 97 Points
Decanted for 6 hours which really helped. Such a deeply concentrated and complex wine with still searing tannins. Delicious flavors of black fruits and spices with great intensity and verve. Thickly-textured yet so fine and lithe with great purity underneath the power. The finish is so complex already with notes of minerals and dark chocolate evident before the wall of tannins crushes the tongue. Still primary but drinkable with a very long decant. In ten years, this will approach perfection. 97+
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9/11/2019 - Bob H wrote:
Young, young, young.
I decanted this about 3 1/2 hours ago, but this is still a baby.
Great, but at least IMO, better in 10-20-30 years (assuming I am still around to know)!
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2/15/2019 - Eric Guido Likes this wine: 96 Points
Having the opportunity to taste the ‘99 Monfortino twice in the same week was an honor. This night I found a dark, floral expression, rich in its showing of brown spices, as zesty black fruits, wild herbs, exotic spice and minerals emerged. On the palate, I found a rich, almost pliant expression, as ripe dark fruits seemed to soak the senses in a combination of minerals, acid and fine tannin, yet through it all a mix of wild mountain herbs and earth tones resonated. The finish was long with notes of balsamic spice, herbal tones and a twang of spice, acid and tannin. This was a different expression from the last bottle I tasted, yet equally appealing.
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2/3/2019 - reichken wrote: 96 Points
deep dark almost black in color, showed a lot of fruit on the nose and although having a lot of tanin too it , this mag drank very nicely , dark fruits and a bit meaty, it was very long and very well balanced. it has a lot of developing to do but was a good young drink and a good bridge between old style barolo and slightly more modern
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1/22/2019 - Eric Guido Likes this wine: 96 Points
The nose on the ‘99 Monfortino was gorgeous, displaying a mix of black earth, crushed strawberry, savory cherry sauce, dried roses, sweet herbal tea leaves and lifting minerality. On the palate, I found unbelievably soft textures for a young Monfortino, with zesty notes of cherry, spiced orange, and minerals, before its acids and tannin began to set in, slowly clenching the senses. The finish seemed to bring the wine back to life, as its acids made the mouth water, giving vibrancy to the wine’s spicy cherry, strawberry and citrus components, along with lingering inner-rose florals. It was so beautiful, but also still so young.
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5/23/2018 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 90 Points
G. Conterno v. B. Giacosa (Maialino): This Monfortino flight is stylistically very different from any of the Giacosas. Dark and intense but nicely perfumed. The ‘99 to ‘90 all smell remarkably similar with a polished black cherry. Overall I find this young and not particularly intriguing.
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4/28/2018 - miadelt Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted 2 hours. For my personal preference, I would have liked this younger. Great wine.
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11/10/2017 - galenico wrote: 95 Points
Naso bomba, ma bocca ancora troppo cazzuta e immatura. Concentrato, balsamico e acidulo. Il tannino è di ottima fattura, ma ancora troppo presente. Per me ancora un pò sprecato oggi. Attendere con fiducia, perchè tra 10 anni sarà una meraviglia
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7/30/2017 - dcwino wrote: 97 Points
Kellys 61st - Champ, Monfortino, Burgundy and a ringer ('14 Summum) (The Grill Room at the Rosewood DC): Very energetic black fruit driven nose, black cherry, blackberry concentrate, licorice, dark spices, tar, dark caramel and a hint of balsamico. Excellent concentration, beautifully layered, very polished and silky, sweet tannins and a long dark fruit and licorice driven finish. Incredibly young but perfectly balanced. A bit overshadowed by the 82 Monfortino. Incredible intense yet very precise and detailed. Excellent showing.
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3/13/2017 - cardsandwine Likes this wine:
NY Vinous group 1999 Barololo dinner. 5 hour slo-o. Sensational wine that fires on all cylinders.
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10/21/2016 - BSA Likes this wine: 93 Points
From memory. Pristine cork. Still young out of the gate. I do not think it got to really open up. Fine nose, quite expressive. Dark fruit, tar, graphite, earth notes. Nice balance. Tannins still around on the finish. I am sure there is more to this wine than we got to experience. 93-95+p.
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9/20/2016 - Collector1855 wrote: 97 Points
Barolo Riserva Monfortino vertical 1995-2006: Medium-light garnet with brick rim. Expressive and complex nose of tar, tobacco, spices, clay. Elegant palate with very good balance between all components. It did however develop and oxidative notes around lovage after 2h in the glass.
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9/7/2016 - NostraBacchus Likes this wine: 99 Points
11.5 vintages of Monfortino-vertical:
SO'd for 12 hours. An absolutely spectacular bottle... Dark, imposing notes of black fruit, tobacco, tar, licorice, crushed rose petals and graphite. It's full-bodied, dense and powerful with super high acidity and tannin that is softening a little but still very present. Fantastic length. Incredible depth of flavor and it feels like it's just at the beginning of opening up a little... Structured, dark, deep and memorable.
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7/16/2016 - dream Likes this wine: 97 Points
This bottle from Ralph's cellar clearly did not have enough time to breathe as it was decanted about 2 hours before consumed and this wine is drinkable now but only with a serious 5+ hour decant. Backwards but also incredibly concentrated and refined with great depth of dark cherry and some black fruits. There are lovely hints of licorice and eucalyptus and the finish is so powerful and complex. Needs more time but this wine is a legend in the making. Tasted alongside the '99 Granbussia from Aldo, that wine was ready and lovely but seemed simple compared to this monument. 97+
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5/27/2016 - JulianSkeels Likes this wine: 97 Points
(Monfortino mag vertical 1970-2008)
The most persistent and long of 19 Monfortino vintages enjoyed from magnum. Although not as broad as the 1990 Monfortino this is more defined and vibrant, and has a much better back-end. I initially preferred the similarly-styled 1998 Monfortino, this eventually shaded it with a touch more of everything and further ageing potential. Became a touch medicinal on the nose with extended air, but it just added to the interest for me and didn't impact the palate. WOTN for me, and for the majority of others too.
97+pts
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5/26/2016 - RayOB Likes this wine: 98 Points
Giacomo Conterno Montfortino, Barolo Reserva Magnum Dinner (67 Pall Mall): What is not to like about this wine. Incredible nose with more fruits and balsamic notes than normal. The silky palate just keeps going and going with an amazing long length. And then the palate changes again. Wow, wow, wow and wow. My WOTN
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3/30/2016 - berthe Likes this wine: 96 Points
Magnifique. Encore jeune.
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11/22/2015 - Red1000 Likes this wine: 100 Points
Perfection
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5/14/2015 - kenv Likes this wine: 99 Points
G. Conterno Barolo vs. L. Sandrone Barolo (Morrell Wine Bar and Café, NYC): [Opened at 1pm. Double decanted at 5pm.] Powerful nose of intense ripe fruit. Incredibly rich in the mouth with great tannic structure but loads of balancing intense fruit. Clearly the WOTN for me, and I think everyone else. Stunning. I was sure this was the Monfortino, until I tasting the CF which was so backward, I thought maybe it was the Monfortino, but surprisingly, the Monfortino is just more forward and open at this time. Worth all its accolades, and maybe even its price! 99-100 points.
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5/14/2015 - Eric Guido Likes this wine: 98 Points
The Icon Vs. The Iconoclast: Giacomo Conterno & Luciano Sandrone (Morrell Wine Bar): This was a thrilling wine to be sure, as a bouquet of intense rich fruits, masses of rose and tar, leather and earth came forward along with hints of mushroom and balsamic tones. On the palate, a dark mix of fruits washed across the senses, turning to cranberry and spice with deep, silky textures over a spine of fine tannin. The finish showed palate-saturating cherry with contrasting hints of dried citrus and inner floral tones. This was amazingly drinkable on this night, and some tasters wondered if it was the Cascina Francia, yet the bouquet alone gave it away.
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5/14/2015 - cardsandwine Likes this wine:
Vinous group dinner at Morrell. 4 hour slo-o (3 hours in cellar). The wine showed extremely well. Earthy bouquet, full-bodied, balanced and complex with impeccable purity and a very lengthy, elegant finish. One of the best Barolos I have ever tasted. This has the stuff to last for decades. Truly a wine with soul!
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2/6/2015 - BFG wrote: flawed
Corked.
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11/21/2014 - dream Likes this wine: 98 Points
Decanted for 5 hours and it needed every minute. What a fantastic wine with great class and breed. There is incredibly deep, dark fruits with a wonderful licorice note that is utterly gorgeous! So perfectly balanced with a traditional taste profile and an unbelievably sleek, silky texture. Just showing the beginnings of maturity with an incredibly long, fine, complex finish with notes of smoke, minerals, forest floor, tar, roses, red silk...whatever. This is a spectacular, seamless wine that blew away every other Barolo at the table tonight and the only reason I don't give it 100 points is because it is so young and really going to improve! 98+
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9/6/2014 - AudunG wrote: 94 Points
From a magnum. Typical tar and tobacco aromas. Fruity and well balanced. Tart, intense, massive and concentrated. Great stuff.
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6/24/2014 - dcwino wrote: 99 Points
BYOB dinner with Jamie Pollack (Bourbon Steak): Clearly a step up, just simply more of everything. Ripe black fruits, mineral, sweet dark spices and a slightly hint of balsamico. Incredible concentration and layered, intense sweet black fruit driven palate impression and seamless long finish. It is incredibly youthful yet seamless and perfectly balanced. While incredibly impressive and enjoyable, so much more potential ahead. For my palate, this is very similar to the 02 in concentration, intensity and sweetness.
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5/24/2014 - Tartiflette Likes this wine: 94 Points
MASH,Copenhagen. Decanted an hour before, where it should have been a day before! Never the less it was evident this was a great wine with a super potential. We only had a glimpse of it unfortunately. Super concentrated and smooth, fat and velvety. Should have brought it home and stored for another 20 years...
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5/12/2014 - JonnyG Likes this wine: 99 Points
Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino 1970-2006 (Magnum) (maze by Gordon Ramsey, London): Though understandably restrained at this relatively young age, this was a profound wine, and the one I found myself returning to time and again. Rich, complex layers of dark, ripe fruit interlaced with muted spice and cut flowers. Tremendous purity and depth. Humbling in its grace. Future Me deems this my WOTN, though the older vintages claimed the prize in the present day.
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2/20/2014 - paolonardi wrote:
Barolo: austero, compatto, chiuso, subito si percepisce il frutto scuro, la terra, monolitico e incazzato. Poi liquirizia, spezie, profuma proprio poco. Giovanissimo, appena iniziata la maturazione risulta essere il più equilibrato anche se nettamente il meno espressivo.
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10/18/2013 - BradE wrote:
There's a reason that Monfortino is a reference standard Barolo. This is an outstanding wine.
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6/29/2013 - dream Likes this wine: 96 Points
Gorgeous nose of plush dark cherries, red spices and incredible minerals. Needed a good 3-hour decant - then a deep wine with layers of dark cherry fruits and forest floor flavors. There is a grippy intensity to this wine that tastes like cut steel and iron-ore minerals. Still quite young and well short of its peak drinking but this is a classic, ripe, deep vintage for Monfortino. 96+
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6/22/2013 - Vintjener Likes this wine: 94 Points
A big Barolo, but with a quite soft texture now. That said the tannins are firm. It still seem to be on the way up, no signs of retreat.
Roses and leather - and a very aromatic profile, just a little darker than a vosne Grand Cru I tasted the same night.
Extremely good effort and stood up to Voerzios Annunziata 2008.
Long finish ending on the floral note.
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1/21/2013 - the player wrote: 95 Points
The Conterno Monfortino 2002 has redeemed itself with stripes. Unbelievable difference versus previous bottle. This wine is a baby, and although my preference still goes for the 1999, the 2002 highlights the talents and efforts of the winemaker to make a truly remarkable wine in a difficult vintage. Very youthful deep ruby color, hardly any signs of aging on the rims, viscous quality, excellent Barolo nose after 3 hours+ in decanter, tar, dark red fruits, petals. Cashmere attack on the palate, great complexity, structure, and tactile wine mid palate with red fruits and tars dominating, and a glorious finish. Medium to full bodied (versus power of 1999 MF which I prefer), one cannot be but full of respect for brilliant wine making for the 2002. I will stock up on this vintage but won't touch another bottle till the end of the decade.
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1/11/2013 - WildeMeeuw Likes this wine: 93 Points
Kleur: Helder robijnrood, Aroma / bouquet: Gesloten, jeugdig, veel fruitaroma maar ook wat stalgeuren. Smaak / Afdronk: Vol, indrukwekkend maar te jong. Groots potentieel. Algemeen / potentieel: Te jong om nu te drinken…Mooie wijn, vereist geduld! 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 12 + Smaak / Afdronk: 17 + Algemeen / potentieel: 9 = 93/100
Color: Bright ruby red, Aroma / Bouquet: Closed, youthful, lots of fruit aromas but also stable aromas. Taste / Finish: Full, impressive but to young. Grand potential. General / potential: Too young to drink now ... Beautiful wine, will require patience! 50 + Colour: 5 + Aroma / Bouquet: 12 + Taste / Finish: 17 + General / potential: 9 = 93/100
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10/23/2012 - -E- wrote: 95 Points
(Etter 14 timer i vid karaffel) Dyp rubinrød. Nydelig, sensuell og sødmefull parfyme av roser, røde bær, lyse kirsebær, rørsukker, mandel og lakris. Avdempet og subtil. Masser av frukt i munnen, men utrolig elegant. Fremdeles veldig ung. Frisk syre. Tørr og stram avslutning med knuste tørre bær. Utrolig lang ettersmak. 95+ P
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11/13/2011 - the player wrote: 96 Points
Serious power, serious wine, serious structure, an outstanding finish, coats the mid palate with multiple layers of dark red fruit, earth, tar, leather, truffles. Serious decanting needed this was WOTN. Some signs of ageing color wise but not a lot; this wine is a baby and needs years to reach its full potential which I could easily award 100 points based on what I've tasted. Velevety entry, great backbone and acidity, excellent finish yet with solid tannnins which took 3 - 4 hours of aeration in the decanter to soften and resolve. Wow!
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4/25/2011 - nebbhead9 wrote: 99 Points
What a monster! So much potential here. Very well could be a perfect wine given time to develop in bottle. Beautiful dark sweet cherries, menthol & truffles. Such delicious fruit! The balance, length & acidity is sick! Huge tannins. Just an outstanding wine, very complex. Don't touch it for 10 years.
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11/2/2010 - Jossik wrote: 95 Points
Questa è buonissima, favolosi toni iodati/marini al naso ma fini e di grande eleganza. Poi escono note di arancia sanguinella, floreali e infine la classica anguria rossa. La bocca è grande e larga senza essere eccessiva, lunghissima e presente dappertutto.
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11/1/2010 - Jossik wrote: flawed
Al naso mostra tutti i difetti pensabili: limone, marciume, brett un po' di tappo...
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1/7/2010 - donStrandini wrote: 94 Points
Beautiful light red colour; complex aromas of tar, licorice, mint, leather - on the palate surprisingly elegant and really well balanced; very fruity and concentrated flavours with superlong aftertaste. I was surprised of both the elegance, that I would not have guessed from such a barolo, and also by the fact that it drinks quite well now; although of course this wine has years to go. In short: great !
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3/19/2009 - JJL wrote: 92 Points
Loads of tar and licorice on the nose and palate. If you were to smell this blind, you would have guessed Sambuca. This bottle was very linear even after a two hour decant. Really no fruit at this time and a long acidic finish. Understandably, this is a great wine to have with Italian food. I think this wine is drinking very young and needs much more time to develop more secondary flavors.
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12/31/2008 - arappaport wrote: 97 Points
Opened with three 2000s and one 1998. This was the star of the group. Took a little time to open up, but had much more of the complexity I expect from this wine. Still drinking young, but might eventually rival the 1990 vintage.
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1/27/2008 - MattJ wrote: 96 Points
Opened to celebrate the birth of our son and my 40th birthday with Jim & Maggie. Decanted for 10 hours. Very dark red with purple hints exhibiting signs of youth and concentration. Nose not giving up too much at this stage, mainly primary nebbiolo fruit. Wonderful bracing acidity, structure and balance with mouth puckering complexity. The tannins were firm but not unpleasant. I wouldn't even think about drinking another one of these for at least 10-15 years if you can wait and by then would expect it to be spectacular. The score is for current drinking. Best Barolo I've had to date.
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12/31/2007 - arappaport wrote: 97 Points
Terrific wine, but not quite as distinct as the 1990. Very good balance and complexity. Probably needs another 10 years to come into its own.
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10/19/2007 - gorm wrote: 97 Points
Uncorked DK BYO to NOMA: La Tāche 96 and fried eggs (NOMA): Very dark red. Mature red-brown berries, brown sugar, nail polish remover, toasted oak-like aromas. A bit closed, but cannot hide its greatness. In the mouth this just blows you away with its immense structure, fine tannins and mature fruit as well as minerality. It needs time, but with effort - swirling, gurgling etc... some of its stunning features can be forced out into the open. Best Barolo I've ever had.
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3/11/2007 - Gregory Dal Piaz wrote: 97 Points
19 bottles of barolo or how I drank my Monfortini; 3/10/2007-3/11/2007 (6h): This was opened aroun 5 pm but it was about 9 pm by the time we got to it. At first the nose is balsam tinged strawberry fruit before exploding with hints of menthol, tar, boysenberry, muskmelon, so perfumed and intense but it fails to prepare one for the intensity in the mouth, outrageous concentration of intensely sweet and sapid fruit, after the subtlties of the older wines this is overstimulation. It's like getting a hand job without lubricant from, as Ken adds, an old farmer, if you like that sort of thing of course. Like I said overstimulation. This is just a monster, It'll probably shut down soon but is worth trying if you've got enough as it is like Barolo concentrate. Bravo!
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11/18/2006 - Keith Levenberg wrote:
Tasted just after the 2001 Monprivato. This burrowed into areas of the palate that the Monprivato just couldn't reach -- the scale of it was enormous, an expansive "atmosphere" of tarry blackness. But of course it was ferociously tannic and showed nothing whatsoever on the nose.
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6/7/2006 - futronic wrote: 97 Points
From barrel - to be bottled in July 2006. Dark ruby/garnet colour with orange on the rim. Huge, powerful nose of tar, roses, cherry, blackberry, minerals, and raspberry. Full-bodied, with layer after layer of complexity and notes of tar, cherry, roses, and currant peeking out. Very fine-grained tannins. Long, long finish, more than a minute in length, with replays through from the nose and palate. Only a baby. I can only imagine how good this will be in 20+ years. Outstanding. 97+ points.
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7/8/2005 - 128 wrote:
Straight from the cask.
Great balance and length. The best barolo I've ever tasted, not that I've tasted that many prior to this week. The wife immediately cornered Roberto to purchase 2 cases. Two cases promised on release in 06 or 07.
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