1978 Oddero Barbaresco

Community Tasting Notes (1) Avg Score: 90 points

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  2/16/2017 - forceberry wrote: 90 Points

  Moderately translucent dark cherry color with somewhat developed brick-red rim. Quite savory and dark-toned nose with more tertiary elements than obvious fruit tones: licorice, some savory smoky tones, a little bit of tar, light gamey meaty tones and a hint of loamy earth. The wine is dry, medium-bodied and somewhat angular on the palate with remarkably bright and crunchy but also rather lean flavors of sour cherry bitterness, tart lingonberries, some tarry tones, a little bit of stony minerality and a dark-toned hint of tangy crowberry-driven dark fruit. Overall the wine feels noticeably more youthful on the palate than in the nose. The acidity feels very high - almost racy - and although the medium tannins feels quite resolved at first, the slowly pile on the gums, growing in grip. The finish is dry, tannic and quite noticeably grippy with lean, savory flavors of sour cherries, some crunchy crowberries, a little bit of stony minerality, light meaty tones and tart hints of cranberries and sour cherries.
  
  A developed yet still very fresh and intense Barbaresco that shows its age in the nose but feels still very youthful on the palate. However, the wine hasn't softened up much nor has the fruit mellowed down or developed any sweeter edge with age - this wine is very lean and sinewy with very dry, bitter and acid-driven fruit and no sense of excess weight. If one is expecting a bigger and richer Barbaresco, they should be warned: this ain't one. Due to its relatively fresh and still very vibrant fruit, it's easy to predict the wine is going to keep for many years more, but seeing how little the tannins have softened up over the past 28½ years, I really doubt this wine is going to soften much in the near future either. Most likely the wine is now as good as it gets, so there is definitely no need to age it any further. An enjoyable - although not that nuanced or complex - effort.

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