Annual Piemonte Trip - 2018 Edition; 10/12/2018-10/14/2018 (Piemonte, Italy): A great surprise. Sourced from the cellar of Ciau del Tornavento where it was kept immaculately. And for such a delicate wine the cellar source is as important as anything. This was soft, light fruit, almost Burgundian in style. Very much actually a burgundy made in Piedmont. Good structure and the tannin is very much there as is the acidity but all in a nice tune with the fruit. We are convinced that given how delicate this wine felt, have we had this anywhere else the wine would be but a shadow to what we had. 94
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Not yet in its drinking zone, but it feels like it's on the cusp of it, at least in that very 1996 sense where in another 5 years it will probably still feel on the cusp. It's still very tannic as you'd expect from the vintage but given enough decanting time the structure turns refined (at least by Barolo standards), still thick and heavy but a finely combed wool. The structure is fortunately not so drying as to obscure the fruit, which is red-toned and would probably feel fresher if it weren't for a surface nick of that old-style Barolo oxidative thing. Still very drinkable.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Out of the bottle, beautiful perfume of rich fruit. Initially on the palate, alcohol predominates, detracting from overall enjoyment. After 8 hours in the carafe, things settle down and more tertiary elements of earth and herbal tones emerge. Well resolved tannins. Seems to be in a nice drinking window at the moment.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drank this at the end of a dinner. The wine seemed in a good spot - still quite fresh and juicy but with developed notes also. I would say it has many years Ahead. Not outstanding in any way, but rather pleasant - not least after a long dinner with nothing but burgs.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Professional reviews have copyrights and you can view them here for your personal use only as private content. To view pro reviews you must either subscribe to a pre-integrated publication or manually enter reviews below. Learn more.
10/13/2018 - Papies wrote: 94 Points
Annual Piemonte Trip - 2018 Edition; 10/12/2018-10/14/2018 (Piemonte, Italy): A great surprise. Sourced from the cellar of Ciau del Tornavento where it was kept immaculately. And for such a delicate wine the cellar source is as important as anything.
This was soft, light fruit, almost Burgundian in style. Very much actually a burgundy made in Piedmont. Good structure and the tannin is very much there as is the acidity but all in a nice tune with the fruit. We are convinced that given how delicate this wine felt, have we had this anywhere else the wine would be but a shadow to what we had. 94
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/7/2018 - Keith Levenberg wrote: 87 Points
Not yet in its drinking zone, but it feels like it's on the cusp of it, at least in that very 1996 sense where in another 5 years it will probably still feel on the cusp. It's still very tannic as you'd expect from the vintage but given enough decanting time the structure turns refined (at least by Barolo standards), still thick and heavy but a finely combed wool. The structure is fortunately not so drying as to obscure the fruit, which is red-toned and would probably feel fresher if it weren't for a surface nick of that old-style Barolo oxidative thing. Still very drinkable.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/13/2018 - Ultimatewinekick_Andreas wrote: 89 Points
Nice complexity and depth but it lacked balance and also some energy.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/4/2017 - Chaz Bham wrote: 88 Points
Out of the bottle, beautiful perfume of rich fruit. Initially on the palate, alcohol predominates, detracting from overall enjoyment.
After 8 hours in the carafe, things settle down and more tertiary elements of earth and herbal tones emerge. Well resolved tannins. Seems to be in a nice drinking window at the moment.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/15/2015 - BSA Likes this wine: 90 Points
Drank this at the end of a dinner. The wine seemed in a good spot - still quite fresh and juicy but with developed notes also. I would say it has many years Ahead. Not outstanding in any way, but rather pleasant - not least after a long dinner with nothing but burgs.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment