Unabashedly massive; no hint of the lighter, friendlier side of Barbera. A smoky, bloody side to it akin to a Hermitage in a showy red Zinfandel dress. Purple color. Pronounced nose of red and black fruit, forest, meat juices, herbs. Attack of big, ripe plum and cherry fruit, meat, herbs, spice. Mild tannin, plenty of acidity. There's a lot going on here, but seems somewhat disjointed.
Quite open and ready; not profound, but a very nice, old-school slender low-alcohol bordeaux. Blackberry, cassis, some savory notes, and a surprising lack of smoke on the nose. Light-medium body, ripe tannin, medium+ acidity. Medium finish that is slightly vegetal/bitter. Drinking well now.
This was not a great vintage anywhere. This was not one of the lauded Monte Bello vintages. This should not have been any more than good, perhaps very good. But this bottle was exceptional! Incredibly pure nose of red fruit, a bouquet of flowers, hint of cedar and cigar. A "wow" perfume on the nose that alone was worth the price of admission. Palate: wow again. Silky, framed by incredibly supple tannin, a burst of sour cherry acidity, and strawberry sweetness. Long strawberry and cedar finish. A sip the next day lingered for minutes.
Green apple, tangerine, lime. Nice richness to the palate, and lots of material, but nothing much to excite. Rich, dense, chalky, mostly fruity, and quite sweet. The acidity is fairly high, but creamy rather than zippy. Finish is an oily sweetness.
Medium garnet with some browning. Fairly intense nose; red fruit, earth, dried flowers. Beautiful texture, medium-low but quite grippy and slightly chalky tannin, prominent acidity; cherry cola, orange zest, bit of meaty smokiness and Worcestershire sauce showing its age. Impressive length sour cherry finish. Beautiful, elegant wine that held up and improved with air.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru
Dark, brooding fruit, tar, pronounced stemmy greenness, floral. On the palate, cherry, more stemminess. Medium-bodied. Medium finish, but again with the green! Very well-balanced structurally. Perhaps it will all integrate with age, or perhaps this is exactly what people like here, but I found the green/earthy out of harmony with the cherry/floral.
Perfectly sabred [:)] and poured. Rich, pronounced biscuit, orange, almond, lemon, poached pear. Excellent acidity. Long finish of bitter orange and pie crust.
2008 Giacomo Conterno Barbera d'Alba Cascina Francia 88 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Barbera d'Alba
Unabashedly massive; no hint of the lighter, friendlier side of Barbera. A smoky, bloody side to it akin to a Hermitage in a showy red Zinfandel dress. Purple color. Pronounced nose of red and black fruit, forest, meat juices, herbs. Attack of big, ripe plum and cherry fruit, meat, herbs, spice. Mild tannin, plenty of acidity. There's a lot going on here, but seems somewhat disjointed.
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2000 Château Haut-Bailly 90 Points
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Quite open and ready; not profound, but a very nice, old-school slender low-alcohol bordeaux. Blackberry, cassis, some savory notes, and a surprising lack of smoke on the nose. Light-medium body, ripe tannin, medium+ acidity. Medium finish that is slightly vegetal/bitter. Drinking well now.
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1989 Ridge Monte Bello 95 Points
USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
This was not a great vintage anywhere. This was not one of the lauded Monte Bello vintages. This should not have been any more than good, perhaps very good. But this bottle was exceptional! Incredibly pure nose of red fruit, a bouquet of flowers, hint of cedar and cigar. A "wow" perfume on the nose that alone was worth the price of admission. Palate: wow again. Silky, framed by incredibly supple tannin, a burst of sour cherry acidity, and strawberry sweetness. Long strawberry and cedar finish. A sip the next day lingered for minutes.
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