Monprivato and Friends

Noize
Tasted Wednesday, June 12, 2024 by NickA with 172 views

Introduction

We gathered a flight of Monprivato, found some other Barolos, and topped and tailed with Champagne and Sauternes...

Flight 1 - Fizz (1 Note)

Cheddar gougeres

  • 2012 R. & L. Legras Champagne Grand Cru Saint-Vincent 92 Points

    France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

    A snazzily fun bottle. Warm and generous on the nose, with some Marmite and nuts too - seemed to elicit instant appreciation around the table. Big and full of flavour, yet easy to drink, with a lovely green tang on the finish. Unfortunately this is priced around the same as Bollinger GA - i.e., expensively.

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Flight 2 - Monprivato (4 Notes)

Rabbit and Ham Hock Terrine, Baby Gem Lettuce, Pickles

  • 2012 Giuseppe E Figlio Mascarello Barolo Monprivato 92 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Fairly (but not overly) plush on the nose, which was dominated by warm red fruit and had touches of anise and pot pourri; the overall effect was pleasant, but also reminiscent of sore throat medicine! Intensely flavoured on the palate, and again quite medicinal: herbs, menthol, bitter amaro. Subtle structure and good length. I enjoyed this wine, and it was better than I expected from a 2012, but I didn't love it. Voted joint group runner up.

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  • 2009 Giuseppe E Figlio Mascarello Barolo Monprivato 92 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    A sweeter, less medicinal nose than the '12, and some aromas of tar and undergrowth. Like the '12 though there was a cherry menthol character on the palate, albeit here grippier and more austere. The relatively hard-bitten character was softened by an attractive strawberries-and-cream note towards the finish.

    After 20-30 minutes there was a slight mustiness which I think was ever-so-mild cork taint, but it didn't really detract (it may have truncated the finish slightly). Score of 92 reflects the experience before I noticed that. Voted joint group WOTN.

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  • 2006 Giuseppe E Figlio Mascarello Barolo Monprivato 93 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Really good. The most classical of the flight, with some interesting incense and Vetiver notes that gave the nose a suave character. A nice mixture of attributes made up the palate: fresh red fruit, bitter dark meat, peppery spice, an attractive and refreshing degree of acidity. Still actually fairly tannic, but the tannins were clean and powdery and, whilst cheek-coating, added to my enjoyment. Joint group WOTN - and clearly mine.

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  • 2004 Giuseppe E Figlio Mascarello Barolo Monprivato 90 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Unfortunately this bottle wasn't quite right, especially on the nose, which started out like furniture polish sprayed at a swimming pool, then became quite toasty, and (30-40 minutes later) calmed down, but still wasn't particularly expressive. That said, none of us thought it was corked.

    Much leaner and crisper than the first three Monprivatos, with brambly, stemmy red fruit and a tasty finish that kept getting tastier with more air. Pleasant, but completely outclassed. Score for the end of the glass.

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Flight 3 - Friends (4 Notes)

Pigeon and Foie Gras Pithivier, Pigeon Leg, Mashed Potato, Charred Cabbage, Red Wine Sauce

  • 2009 Luciano Sandrone Barolo Le Vigne 92 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Sensual, and just on the right side of being too big and obvious, or too oaky. Lots of plummy fruit and a note of Jamaica ginger cake made for tasty stuff, and there was sufficient acidity, but ultimately the wine needed more energy to be great rather than very good. This was my fourth (and now final) bottle in the past four years, and the first was the best.

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  • 2008 E. Pira & Figli (Chiara Boschis) Barolo Cannubi 90 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    A bottle of this about six months ago was absolutely superb, the wood having melded into an aromatically complex wine, but sadly that hadn't yet happened with this one. Rioja-esque on the nose. Appealing structure and acidity (I do enjoy 2008s) made the wine great to drink with the food, but the oak was really obtrusive on the finish - a shame.

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  • 2007 Cavallotto Barolo Bricco Boschis 92 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    A really glorious nose: a touch volatile, lots of tart red fruit and a touch of smoked meat. Succulent and energetic on the palate, with plenty of charisma and drinkability. Seemed to thin out and become less impressive with air, though. My favourite from this flight, and the group's joint-runner up

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  • 2012 Cavallotto Barolo Bricco Boschis 91 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Red fruit and underbrush on the nose: seemed less juvenile than the Monprivato '12 we'd had earlier. Deeper and darker on the palate, with lots of (relatively approachable) structure and a piquant, slightly drying finish. A good wine that has upside.

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Flight 4 - Dessert (1 Note)

Ile Flottante

  • 2010 Château Rieussec 91 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

    Super nose, which stood comparison with the wonderful 2009 I tried recently: golden syrup, orange barley, a touch of cream. Lacked commensurate richness on the palate, though, and felt a tad disjointed, with perhaps a little too much Botrytis spice. I still enjoyed my glass quite a bit!

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Closing

Whilst I did enjoy most of the wines tonight, my overall sensation with hindsight is of mild disappointment with them: despite being mostly in good condition, and all fairly expensive, none of them thrilled (although the 2006 was pretty damn good). I wonder whether we caught them in an awkward middle age - Mathieu the somm said he had tried a fanstaic 1997 Monprivato recently. Or maybe the vintages from the first decade of this century just lack flair and seem a bit stolid when compared to newer wines?

On the plus side, the wines from '12, '09 and '07 showed nicely despite their modest reputations - and the Champagne, company and food were super.

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