1996 Cascina Luisin Barbaresco Rabajà

Community Tasting Notes (12) Avg Score: 89.5 points

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  10/8/2023 - acidqueen wrote: 94 Points

  Wow. What a difference 9 years makes. Haha. I decanted this for an hour and it still started at dinner firm and tannic. But with the food and a little more time this blossomed beautifully. The color was a consistent red-orange, typical old Nebbiolo. No particular color change at the edges. It smelled and tasted of dark cherry Luden’s cough drops, blackberry, iron, earth and fennel. Dusty tannins still linger but now you can really enjoy the wine. I expect this will improve for many years, but you can drink this now without wishing you had waited. A firm and structured vintage.
  
  Note: although it is finally good now, I will wait 5-10 years on my last few bottles because it will get better, and I would prefer less tannin.

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  2/16/2018 - Costa Gavaris Likes this wine: 94 Points

  No systematic note taken at tasting. Consumed during at home dinner with guests (an MW and a WSET educator). Paired with agnolotti dal plin and bistecca. Wine was outstanding. Had softened considerably since last tasting about three years ago. At that point it had been so hard and closed I worried the fruit may disappear before the structure came around. Luckily not so, as this wine provided all tasters with the magical intellectual/ emotional connection that great old wine can give. Wish I had a few more to see where it goes over the next 5-10. Purchased from RWC, for what now seems to be a steal of a price. Epic vintage!

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  5/20/2015 - chablis28 wrote: 85 Points

  Not anything like the more feminine Barbaresco I love. Showing all the structure of the 96 vintage and then some. Old school rustic, chewy and downright unfriendly at this point. A mistake buy thinking this might be ready to go at almost 20yrs old as a Barbaresco. What an unreasonable assumption:)! If it had been a Barolo I could see why it needs 3-10yrs more. I really don't think this will ever be more than what it is today. Disappointing and glad this was my last of 2 btls.

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  1/18/2015 - chablis28 wrote: flawed

  Ha, I just noticed that I never recorded the purchase of the 2nd btl of this. Not like me. Anyway, I was really looking forward to drinking a nearly 20yr old barbaresco sourced from RWC recently but this baby was a disgusting mess of stewed fruit and nasty aromas. We even decanted it into a magnum to be sure and...it got ....worse. Fortunately I had a backup along. I'm worried about the other btl now. Cork was dried out & crumbly and needed to removed via Ah So.

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  11/15/2014 - MRichman wrote:

  Petaluma wine group - Piedmonte at Franks: Dark fruit with fine tannins. Tar, herbal. Young. A bit of strawberry, dried fruit.

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