Terroir-istes International - Italy, Piedmonte

An overview of Piedmont's wines

• 2007 Tenuta La Giustiniana Cortese Gavi Rovereto Lugarara 90 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Gavi

  Pale lemon in colour, the nose explodes with sherbet, elderflower, floral, blossom, orange zest and grapefruit.
  A delicate, light-bodied entry with a beautifully weighted mid-palate, elegant with a touch of richer ripe fruit (yellow apple, Meyer lemon) but underpinned by a crisp mineral-edged acidity. Fairly medium to low alcohol with a long, persistent length. Fresh cotton, clean and ethereal!

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• 2006 Damilano Barbera d'Alba 86 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Barbera d'Alba

  Med- ruby colour going to a brown rim.
  The aromas are black cherry, dark chocolate and quite a dollop of oak.
  Sour cherry on the entry with a high acid thrust with a furry texture. The mid-palate is all about dark bitter chocolate and oak spice. It appears as a mid-weighted easy-going Barbera but lacks a bit of depth. The shrill acidity keeps it fresh and upright as the tannins feel shapeless and lacking. Oak still troubles me, though.

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• 2005 Giovanni Corino Barbera d'Alba 85 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Barbera d'Alba

  This wine is somewhat deeper than the other Barbera with intense aromas of rose petal, tar, black & red plum and leather. Medium-weight, the wine has a perfume that lingers throughout the mid-palate whilst chocolate, and gentle spices add complexity. Wonderful integration, this is a more basic offering with approachable tannins that still supply some grip and dryness to the back palate but with enough fruit and classic zesty, fresh Barbera acidity.
  Medium finish and already showing some age. Fairly basic.

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• 2005 Domenico Clerico Langhe Arte 89 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC

  An intense, scented nose that gentle drifts over the palate. Crayon, wax, rind cheese and red fruits.
  The entry is grippy and complex but sated with plenty of sweet red cherry, black cherry and dark chocolate.
  Firm tannins on the finish; there is good length, some richness and a lingering finish. There is plenty of baking spice and oak influence, and the fruit is quite ripe, yet the lively acidity seems to keep an element of freshness. A warming 14% alcohol.

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• 1999 Azelia Barolo San Rocco 93 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  A distinct brown colour that graduates to the rim.
  An intense nose that shows volatile acidity, melted tar, dried rose petals, Assam tea and dark fruits. There is a surprisingly amount of spicy new oak with toast and coffee grinds.
  Full-bodied, the initial intro is soft with ripe fleshy plums and sweet black cherries. The tannins then rise to deliver some austerity, mineral quality that provides a structure for the fruits to hang on to. Generous alcohol, the wine has incredible intensity and length with a depth of flavour and more. A lively acidity sweeps through, along with this interesting (for Barolo) mocha coffee oak vanilla-edged spice. Outstanding wine! The group wondered whether the Botti that is used to age this wine had been recently replaced, hence the newer oak nuances?

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• 2004 Giovanni Corino Barolo 86 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  Light ruby colour quickly fades to an orange rim.
  Youthful, the wine seems restrained, closed and lacking with little fruit. As the wine is swirled, there is some light perfume and tertiary notes of worn leather and tar.
  A gritty yet elegant wine that has a mineral-freshness - perhaps more muscular - there is a sense of athleticism here - male ballerina! The dry finish gives angular feel to the tannin structure.
  Savoury. Restrained. Pressed flowers. Slightly rustic, metallic. It sort of works...? lacks a bit of mid-palate weight.

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• 2004 M. Marengo Barolo 90 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  Light to medium garnet, there is an intense fragrance of red flowers and warm red fruits.
  Crisp yet refreshing acidity on entry is offset with expressive red fruits of wild strawberry, rose and clotted cream. A very inviting yet fairly powerful style of Barolo, the fruit sits on austere mouthcoating tannin yet the wine retains a poise or elegance that I love.
  An excellently put-together Barolo, perhaps lacking some complexity at the moment, it is still youthful and no doubt will blossom in the future. Some warm alcohol on the long winding length.

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• 2006 Gaja Langhe Sito Moresco 86 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC

  Light to medium Garnet with a wide orange rim.
  Perfumed rather than rose petals with leather, tobacco and blackcurrant fruit.
  the entry shows a rather obvious ripe fruit veering towards blackcurrant juice/Ribena; richly textured there is a firm slightly chewy tannins and a brash hot alcohol spike. Not a very elegant wine, it lacks a bit of polish and the length is medium-long.

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