1978 Marchesi di Barolo Barolo Sarmassa

Community Tasting Notes (1) Avg Score: 89 points

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  5/31/2017 - forceberry wrote: 89 Points

  Translucent, medium-deep bronze; obviously very developed appearance. Very developed and rather atypical nose for a Barolo; aromas of pungent oxidative smoke, some roasted mocha notes and a little bit of sweet nuttiness; overall the nose reminds me more of old Champagne than anything red wine related. The wine is full-bodied, round and ripe on the palate with a bit odd yet not unpleasant greasy feel. There are flavors of sour cherries, chokeberries, some sweet mocha, a little bit of old Champagne-like nougat, a hint of espresso and a touch of ripe raspberry. The wine is remarkably structured and dead-serious with moderately high acidity and very pronounced, grippy and angular tannins that show no signs of resolve. The finish is very grippy, tightly-knit and astringent with tannins. There are persistent, savory flavors of mocha, blood and iron, some dried dark fruits, a little bit of redcurrants and a hint of sour cherries.
  
  A very odd and atypical example of odd Barolo. There are definitely some signs of mature Nebbiolo, but there are also some other characteristics that remind me of mature Champagne - or then they are just downright weird. But despite this atypicity, this is a thoroughly enjoyable and impressively tightly wound Barolo with structure that is still holding on with a very serious grip. Most likely the structure will need a lot more years to resolve and even then the wine would be best if paired with some food hearty enough. I have no idea whether the fruit department needs any more age or if it is still going up, but it is obvious that the wine hasn't started to go downhill yet. Perhaps the wine might actually benefit from further cellaring, even if it is close to 40 years old now! Not the most striking old Barolo out there, but definitely a memorable one. Very good, but not excellent.

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