2024 Barolothon

2010 Barolos
Bartolo Mascarello Vertical
Some Other Barolo Stars

• NV Alexandre Filaine Champagne Cuvée DMY 94 Points

  France, Champagne

  (11/2/2024)

  PnP to open the weekend. Didn't take any detailed notes. Super crisp and refined levels of acidity. This was top notch! I hope to try this again in the future! 94-95

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• 2010 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cerretta 96 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  (11/2/2024)

  Drank from a Magnum. The 2010 Giacomo Conterno Cerretta was super enjoyable this evening. The palate unfolds with a parade of purple and brighter red fruits with a texture that feels like pure velvet. Bright fruit notes dance on the surface while deeper, more complex flavors lurk below, creating an entrancing tension, while notes of fresh-cracked white pepper leaps from the glass, setting the stage for this masterful Nebbiolo. This is Barolo in its prime, showing both power and grace in perfect measure. 96

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• 2010 Elio Grasso Barolo Gavarini Chiniera 95 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  (11/1/2024)

  DD for ~2 hours before tasting. The 2010 Elio Grasso Gavarini Chiniera opens with an electric display of bright red fruits, crackling with the kind of refined acidity that makes your mouth water. There's something almost candied in its texture – not sweet, but glossy and polished, like perfectly ripe cherries caught in amber. The wine glides across the palate with remarkable grace, each sip revealing new layers of complexity. The finish stretches out endlessly, diving deep into notes of fine tobacco and dried herbs, a reminder of Barolo's serious side beneath all that charm. 95-96

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• 2010 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Tre Tine 95 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  (11/1/2024)

  DD for ~2 hours before tasting. The 2010 Giuseppe Rinaldi Tre Tine opens with that unmistakable Rinaldi perfume – bright red fruits mingled with fresh tea leaves and delicate rose petals, creating an aromatic profile that's both ethereal and precise. The palate mirrors this brightness, leading with tart red cherries and wild strawberries that dance across the tongue with remarkable energy and poise. There's a wonderful freshness here that's become a hallmark of Rinaldi's wines, a kind of vibrant tension that keeps you coming back for another sip. Similar to other notes, this bottle still seemed very youthful and should age beautifully for years to come. 95

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• 2010 Vietti Barolo Ravera 94 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  (11/1/2024)

  DD for ~2 hours before tasting. The 2010 Vietti Ravera opens with a nice bouquet where rose petals and fresh mint dance together, creating that classic Barolo perfume that makes you want to just keep sniffing the glass. On the palate, the wine reveals a complex tapestry of purple and black fruits, with that signature Ravera power and precision. My last few experiences with Vietti Barolos have shown curious signs of green fruit notes with heavier levels of green tea leaves than would be expected - not sure if this is just a palate preference of mine. 94

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• 2010 Luciano Sandrone Barolo Le Vigne 94 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  (11/1/2024)

  DD for ~2 hours before tasting. The 2010 Luciano Sandrone Le Vigne
  seems to be in a particularly stubborn phase right now, keeping its cards close to the vest despite extended time in the glass. While fleeting glimpses of layered fruits, tobacco leaves, and exotic spices occasionally emerge, the wine remains largely closed and introspective, suggesting this needs another 5-10 years in the cellar before it truly begins to sing. 94

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• 2008 Bartolo Mascarello Barolo 96 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  (11/2/2024)

  DD for ~2 hours before tasting. The 2008 Bartolo Mascarello opens with a sweet, perfumed bouquet that soars from the glass, showcasing fresh red berries intertwined with hints of ground cinnamon and rose petals.
  On the palate, the wine displays all about detail and understated finesse, with silky smooth tannins carrying waves of red and blue fruits that dance alongside notes of wet tobacco leaves and subtle spices. The wine reveals itself as dazzlingly great, bright and spicy, layered and complex, building to a finish that seems to echo endlessly, each sip revealing new dimensions of flavor. The remarkable interplay between power and elegance creates a mellifluous experience that continues to evolve in the glass, with the finish persisting with extraordinary length and grace. 96-97

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• 2010 Bartolo Mascarello Barolo 95 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  (11/2/2024)

  DD for ~2 hours before tasting. The 2010 Bartolo Mascarello opens with an intoxicating bouquet of fresh flowers and pure red berries that float from the glass with ethereal elegance. The wine's refined acidity dances perfectly with its striking fruit and classic structure. Typical with other Bartolo's, the velvety texture carries pure floral red berry notes with exceptional balance. This should continue improving for decades. 95

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• 2014 Bartolo Mascarello Barolo 93 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  (11/2/2024)

  DD for ~2 hours before tasting. Didn't take any detailed notes on this. The 2014 Bartolo Mascarello was very smooth on the palate, but overall, the fruits were pretty muted on the day. The 2014 vintage was definitely overshadowed by the other vintages. 93-94

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• 2006 Roagna Barolo Riserva Pira 97 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  (11/2/2024)

  DD for ~2 hours before tasting. Tasted from a Magnum. In a weekend filled with legendary Barolos, the 2006 Roagna Pira Riserva emerged as an absolute showstopper – and a strong contender for my wine of the year. The aromatics are nothing short of mesmerizing. On the palate there are bright red and purple fruits that dance between fresh-picked berries and an almost Jolly Rancher-like intensity, while deeper notes of white pepper, fresh mint leaves, classic tar, and sweet anise create layer upon layer of complexity. Despite the stellar competition that evening, I found myself gravitating back to this glass again and again, each sip revealing new facets of its remarkable character. The wine perfectly balances its vibrant fruit core with that ethereal depth that only comes from great Barolo, creating something that's both intellectually compelling and purely, simply delicious. 97-98

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• 2015 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino 97 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  (11/2/2024)

  PnP at the end of the night. The 2015 Conterno Monfortino is simply magical, presenting a complex and captivating bouquet that unfolds with vibrant layers of dark red to black fruit, sweet spices, red floral tones, and orange peel. On the palate, this monumental wine reveals itself slowly, combining wild strawberry, orange, leather, and mushroom with an almost endless array of noble spices, each sip unveiling new dimensions of flavor. Though intense in concentration, the wine maintains an ethereal elegance that speaks to its impeccable breeding and legendary status. This wine strikes a perfect balance between power and elegance with precision. It's unbelievable now, but it's just a baby! I can't even begin to imagine how good this will be in 10-20 years. 97

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• 2015 Comm. G.B. Burlotto Barolo Cannubi 96 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  (11/2/2024)

  PnP for 1 hour to end the night. The 2015 Burlotto Cannubi captivates with aromas of dried strawberries, orange peel and rose petals. The palate unfolds in magnificent layers, showcasing waves of flavor that unfurl one after the other - from succulent red berried fruits to white pepper and an array of dark cherry, plum, and sweet spices. While the wine is already displaying amazing balance with nice acidity offsetting the primary fruit notes, it should continue to age well, developing even more complexity as it matures in bottle. 95-96

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• 2016 Luciano Sandrone Barolo Aleste 95 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  (11/2/2024)

  PnP for three hours. The 2016 Luciano Sandrone Aleste opens with an intoxicating aromatic display of dark spices, black cherries, and that classic Barolo tar and roses signature, showing more immediate generosity than its Le Vigne sibling from the same vintage. The palate unfolds with waves of dark fruit – blackberries and plums – intertwined with notes of star anise, clove, and fresh tobacco, all carried on Sandrone's signature silky texture. Despite its relative approachability, there's serious structure beneath the seductive fruit, suggesting this will evolve beautifully over the next two decades. 95

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• 2020 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Francia 95 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  (11/2/2024)

  PnP for three hours. The 2020 Giacomo Conterno Francia announces itself with textbook Barolo aromatics – soaring notes of fresh roses, tar, and wild cherries that capture the essence of great Nebbiolo. On the palate, this young Barolo shows remarkable poise for its age, with a core of bright red fruits and that unmistakable Francia energy and precision. The structure is formidable yet refined, with silky tannins that suggest this will age gracefully for decades to come. There's an almost electric tension between power and elegance here, a hallmark of both the vineyard and Conterno's masterful touch. 95

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• 2016 Luciano Sandrone Barolo Le Vigne 94 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  (11/1/2024)

  PnP over three hours. The 2016 Luciano Sandrone Le Vigne had a very similar showing as the 2010 Le Vigne.The tannins dominate the palate with an iron grip, muscular and assertive, while the fruit notes – when they do appear – emerge as mere flashes of dark cherries and wild berries before retreating back into the wine's tightly wound core. This is clearly built for the long haul, displaying that classic Sandrone structure that demands significant cellar time before revealing its full potential. 94

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• 1996 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà 93 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

  (11/2/2024)

  PnP at the end of the night. The 1996 PdB Rabaja embodies the iron fist in a velvet glove paradox, displaying outstanding focus and balance while maintaining its muscular core. The wine showcases its magnificent age with a complex array of deep cherry, caramel, tar, and sandalwood, standing as a masterful counterpoint to its younger peers in the lineup. Spicy, high-pitched aromas weave through waves of white pepper and tar, intertwined with red fruits and an array of exotic spices. 93-94

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