1971 Giacomo Borgogno & Figli Barbaresco Riserva

Community Tasting Notes (15) Avg Score: 95 points

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  4/24/2023 - bugdoced Likes this wine: 94 Points

  ok
  I really liked this at the old nebbiolo tasting
  but it was in the first flight and was dwarfed by the gems in the 2nd flight including an old giacosa
  this had persistent elegance with soft integrated tannins and cherry with some cassis
  some thought it started to fade but I did not
  we were all lucky boys on this night

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  2/18/2023 - aagrawal wrote: 96 Points

  Stood up for months and decanted ~2oz of fine sediment. Pale ruby-garnet, remarkably light color; aromatic, tamari, strawberry, a bit of mulch; palate is light bodied, high acidity, medium alcohol (13.5%), fully mature with plenty of tertiary soy and tamari, fully mature fruit; finish is medium-long, excellent persistence of flavors. Similar to my last bottle, this is a Barbaresco at full maturity, showing excellent balance and length though perhaps not as much complexity as my first bottle. Drink now. 95-96

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  11/15/2022 - forceberry wrote: 95 Points

  13,5% alcohol.
  
  Luminous, evolved and moderately deep pomegranate color. Fragrant, quite ripe and rather evolved nose with attractive, layered aromas of smoke and tar-flavored candies, some wizened black cherries, a little bit of sweet strawberry-driven red fruit, light leathery notes, a hint of meat stew and a touch of beef jerky. The wine feels developed and quite intense on the palate with a rather full body and intense flavors of cranberries, meaty notes of savory umami, some gravelly mineral tones, a little bit of tar and smoke, light balsamic nuances of VA, sweet hints of strawberry and ripe dark fruits and a touch of dried flowers. The structure relies both on the high acidity and the ample, firm yet silky and quite friendly tannins. The finish is silky, complex and gently grippy with a long, quite acid-driven aftertaste of strawberries, tar, some wizened cranberry tones, a little bit of crunchy sour cherry, light tertiary notes of beef jerky and meat consommé, a hint of dried-fruit sweetness and a touch of dried roses.
  
  An excellent, vibrant and wonderfully balanced Barbaresco where all the pieces seem to be in the right places and even if the wine feels quite evolved and tertiary in nature, the wine is yet to go downhill. It feels as though the wine has entered its plateau of maturity many years - perhaps even decades - ago, yet it just sits there, unmoved and unchanging. Although this vintage wasn't at the same level of quality as the extraordinary 1970 and 1964 vintages, this was still easily among the best vintages we tasted in the Borgogno 1988-1947 vertical. A fantastic example of fully mature Nebbiolo by any standards. It feels the wine won't benefit from any additional aging, but I don't see it falling apart anytime soon, either. However, I was really surprised how Borgogno's Barolo Riserva 1971 was way past its peak when this Barbaresco Riserva was just singin'.

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  10/2/2021 - Amberissey Likes this wine: 95 Points

  Woodsmoke, flowers (rose), cranberry, charred meat, cured meat, truffle. What a complex nose. Raspberry and cranberry on the attack. Flowers on the mid palate. Maybe I’m an idiot, but I get some crisp Braeburn apple on the finish. Also like chewing on a Christmas tree twig with the pine needles, sap oozing out. Also balsamic. This is so complex, I’m not experienced enough for it. Tingly acidity. Massively long. Still a little tannin. Absolutely magnificent.

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  10/1/2021 - paintinginacave Likes this wine: 96 Points

  Stood up for seven days. One hour slow oxidation followed by a three hour decant. 4cm ullage with a perfect cork extracted in one piece. A medium garnet core fading to a pale garnet outer edge. Kaleidoscopically complex and layered aromas of black truffle, hung game, charcuterie, charred red meat, damp hedgerow, aged balsamic, light caramel, tar, white campfire smoke, dried red flowers, cranberry, boysenberry, and black cherries explode from the glass. The palate delivers the same stunning levels of complexity as the nose and exhibits an intensely deep, savoury character of grilled red meat - not at all unlike great northern Rhône - that’s superbly carpeted by sweet red fruits and wild red berries, floral notes of dried roses, and a deep, elemental, granitic tar minerality. Texturally silken and velveteen with incredible persistence on the finish. It’s no exaggeration at all to say that this is a wine not only of profound layers and remarkable complexity but of true dimensions.

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