2008 Montaribaldi Barbaresco Palazzina

Community Tasting Notes (3) Avg Score: 87.8 points

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  8/13/2021 - forceberry wrote: 90 Points

  The fruit is sourced from the Palazzina cru located in Neive. Fermented and macerated for at least a week in stainless steel tanks. After the wine has finished the MLF, it is aged for approximately 20 months in new and used barriques. After a minimum of 2 years of aging the wine is bottled. 14% alcohol. Served from a magnum.
  
  Somewhat evolved, luminous and quite translucent pomegranate color. Quite rich nose full of Nebbiolo aromatics: wizened black cherries, some tar, a little bit of sour cherry, light evolved notes of dried figs and raisins, a hint of toasty wood spice and a touch of smoke. The wine feels dry, silky and moderately firm on the palate with a medium body and quite savory flavors of wizened black cherries, some dark forest fruits, light meaty notes of umami, a little bit of sour cherry bitterness, oaky hints of extracted woody spice and bittersweet dark chocolate and a tarry touch of smoke. The overall feel is still enjoyably structured and quite tightly-knit, thanks to the high acidity and quite ample and grippy tannins. The finish is dry, savory and quite grippy with long flavors of wizened red cherries, some bittersweet dark chocolate character, light tarry notes, a little bit of sour cherry bitterness, a hint of peppery spice and a touch of dried figs.
  
  A quite tasty Barbaresco that has improved rather noticeably since my last taste (which was 9 years ago). Back then the wine was quite heavily on the modern side with lots of emphasis on the oaky vanilla and chocolate notes. However, 9 years later, the wine is still recognizable as a modernist Barbaresco with somewhat noticeable oak tones, but the most obvious oaky nuances have receded nicely into the background and the emphasis has shifted onto classic Nebbiolo aromatics. Although this still isn't my preferred style of Barbaresco, the wine is remarkably better and so much more enjoyable at 13 years of age compared to how it drank at 4 years of age. Although the wine is starting to show the first signs on age, this magnum would've had still many, many more years to go. Perhaps in a 0,75-liter bottle the wine might be peaking now or soon-ish. A harmonious effort for a modern Barbaresco that has aged quite nicely.

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  10/18/2012 - forceberry wrote: 85 Points

  Translucent garnet red that is quite deep for a Nebbiolo. Rich and somewhat sweet nose with aromas of cherry, smoke, some loamy earth, a little violet florality and a touch of vanilla aromatics. Quite rich, full-bodied and firm palate with rather dry flavors of red and sour cherry, wood, some smoke and hints of dried herbs. High acidity and quite firm and rather grippy tannins give the wine nice structure. However, the palate is dominated by oak characteristics and especially after some air the wine loses much of its fruity and smoky characteristics under the spicy, woody and vanilla notes of oak. The finish is medium-long with quite dry flavors of smoke, ripe cherry, sweet red fruits and some bitter wood notes.
  
  A well-made, balanced and quite youthful modernist Nebbiolo that lacks both character and intensity. Most of the personality seems to get drowned by the oak characteristics and the structure lacks the bite one would expect from a Nebbiolo this young. Probably the oak would integrate better with short-to-medium term cellaring, but structure-wise the wine is in no need of further aging. A good and safe basic-level Barbaresco, but not a wine that would win my heart over. Priced according to its quality at 27,85€.

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  9/19/2011 - KeithAkers wrote: 89 Points

  Fine Vines Fall Grand Tasting (OneSixtyBlue, Chicago IL): nose: hi-toned and aromatic nose of roasted herbs, red fruits, tar, cherries and spice tones. Good complexity, but lacking some depth.
  
  taste: medium bodied with medium/high acidity. Very young with the tannins being coarse as well. Still, there are fresh tones of roasted herbs, red fruits, tar, and spice tones.
  
  overall: It has a nice and pretty quality to it. Certainly needs some time and it would be nice if some depth could be added. Still, a pretty nice value barbaresco with a higher toned style to it.

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