Barolos ( and few more)

Chris's
Tasted Wednesday, January 29, 2014 by Loren Sonkin with 625 views

Introduction

Last night my tasting group braved some sub-zero temps to drink some Barolo's. It was also an occasion to celebrate two members turning 50 on that date, and two more birthdays within the week. For whatever reason, we had a large crowd and lots of wine. The wines were opened one hour before we started and allowed to breathe. Bread and cheeses were served. The wines were consumed blind until revealing a then we had more time to watch them evolve.

Flight 1 - A stater white (no one guessed it blind ;-) ) (1 Note)

  • 2010 Heinrich Mayr (Nusserhof) Blaterle Bianco 89 Points

    Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Vino da Tavola

    Interesting wine. The grape, from Trentino, Italy, was brought back from the edge of extinction by Mayr. Pale gold in color. The nose is slightly dusty, a bit of decayed vegetation, lime peel and minerals on the nose. Oily texture. Tart on the attack quickly turning to bitter almonds, somewhat like a pinot gris on steroids but without fruit. I think I liked this more than most. I found it very interesting and I think it would be food friendly. Quite a geeky start.

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Flight 2 - The Barolo Flight (12 Notes)

  • 2009 Damilano Barolo Lecinquevigne 91 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Ruby/purple in color. The nose starts with sour cherries and then tightens up. With air, some tar comes out and the sour cherries return. Tannic with dark cherries. This is a big wine. Slight heat. Very nice complexity on the finish.

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  • 2004 Giovanni Corino Barolo Vigna Giachini Flawed

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    TCA

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  • 2004 Renato Corino Barolo Giachini Vecchia Vigna 93 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Purple/ruby in color. Tight on opening, then showing roses and cherries. Thin and tart at first. With air, it puts on weight. Turning nicer with cherries and firm tannins. Got better all night, especially with some food. Add a level of complexity after a bit more time. Long finish with a slight menthol note.

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  • 2009 Vietti Barolo Castiglione 88 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Perhaps a disappointing showing for this. Light ruby in color with some purple swirls. The nose has cherries and some slight cough drop qualities. Very tannic and one dimensional at this point. Lots of cherry fruit. Clipped finish.

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  • 2008 Livia Fontana Barolo 90 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Ruby with purple swirls. The nose is dusty with spice and slight cherry notes. Very soft, sweet cherries on the palate, Tannic. With air, the layered complexity is more obvious. Nice cherries and earthy qualities. Some heat on the finish.

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  • 2009 Fratelli Brovia Barolo Rocche 93 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Ruby in color, clear and bright. The nose is dusty, tar, roses and cherries. Complex and layered with firm tannins. Solid finish. Very complex wine even at this stage. Will it continue to develop?

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  • 2006 Poderi Luigi Einaudi Barolo Cannubi 94 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    My WOTN and the groups runaway winner. Purple in color. The nose is tight, with air it opens and is beautiful showing cherries, dark cherries, tar and an herbal note. Great texture. Black cherries on the palate and firm tannins. Long finish. Improves all night.

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  • 2005 Fontanafredda Barolo Riserva 150 Anni 92 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Purple/ruby in color. Spice, tar and black cherries on the nos. Great textures. Cherries. Tannic. Long finish. Showed some complexity with air as it kept improving.

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  • 2008 Marcarini Barolo La Serra 89 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Flat, ruby and purple in color. The nose is dusty and tight. With air, some cherries come out. Very thin. Cherries. Lots of tannins. Turning bitter on the finish. Nice wine. I am curious how this develops.

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  • 1964 Giacomo Borgogno & Figli Barolo Riserva 92 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    While this stood out as the 64, it was mostly because it was so different from the other wines. This was a recent purchase from Chambers. I assume it is a recent release and probably topped off at some point just based on the color. Purple/ruby in color. The nose has barnyard, dark cherries, macerated cherries and spice. Nice texture. Lush cherries. Firm tannins. Long finish. A nice treat. Thanks Chris.

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  • 2009 Marcarini Barolo Brunate 92 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Light ruby, clear and bright. The nose has spice and light cherries. Very soft but full bodied. Slightly complex. Nice cherries. Long finish. Very pretty wine.

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  • 2009 Cordero di Montezemolo Barolo Monfalletto 91 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Ruby/purple color. The nose has dark cherries and a hint of rosemary. The palate has firm tannins and cherry fruit. Nice finish.

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Flight 3 - Robert brought a special bottle in honor of the Birthdays (1 Note)

  • 1999 Penfolds Grange 94 Points

    Australia, South Australia

    This got about an hour of breathing. Inky purple in color. The nose has graphite, black raspberries and a diesel-type quality. Very nice. Nice acidity and lots of fruit; black raspberries. Light tannins with a slight minty note. Long finish.

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Flight 4 - Chris added one more for the road! (1 Note)

  • NV Cappellano Barolo Chinato 90 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo Chinato

    Brown/ruby in color. The nose is interesting with a crushed rose, orange peel, liqueur, and spice quality. Also, this weird "making sauerkraut" note. On the palate, spice and some wood, also dried citrus. Some tobacco and heat on the finish. Fascinating wine. I liked it, but a little goes a long way.

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Closing

This was probably the best and geekiest tasting this group has done. Its kind of cool watching the group evolve. When we started it maybe 8 years ago, most of the people were not geeks at all. only a few of us had cellar, but we all wanted to know more. Early topics included Merlot or Rhone. The original objective was to find wines priced $20 to $40 available locally that we could cellar for a while and improve. While we still do many on this price range, we now waive those requirements from time to time to explore further. We also often fine tune prior tastings (we have done nebbiolo before) to keep on learning. Most of these wines were purchased with David's help at Chambers Street or Wine Library though some were purchased locally.

Special thanks to Chris for the 64 and Chinato, Robert for the Grange, and happy birthday to Chris and Todd.

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