[Tasted Double Blind] This pours light ruby in the glass with light bricking. The nose shows glimpses of something nice, but ultimately it’s held back in intensity showing soy sauce, dried orange peel, woodsy mulch, raisins, and a vague touch of rose petals. With time the nose only grows more tired. The palate enters on dried cherry with medium minus tannin and medium plus acid. The finish turns heavily to leather and raisins. In the end guesses veered toward 1980s Barolo that was showing a tad tired.
[Tasted Double Blind] This wine pours light ruby in the glass. The nose is lifted and highly aromatic. Very reminiscent of a young 1er burgundy from a similar vintage. Aromas are of rosewater, red cherry, orange peel, cinnamon stick, tree bark, a light whiff of sawdust, earth, and ginger. Very fresh, bright, and lifted. The palate enters on bright red cherry with medium tannin and medium plus acid. The finish is long and complex. All in all, this is clearly beautiful and a very high quality wine. I was thinking this married the elegance of Barbaresco from a great vintage like 2010. While not correct about either, I think that guess is a testament to the incredible quality on display here. Almost 95.
[Tasted Double Blind] This pours light garnet in the glass with light bricking. The nose is amazing from first pour, showing a classical profile and tremendous lift and complexity. While with air some of the maturity starts to creep in, it remains intact and stable. Aromas are of cinnamon, cured meat, rose petals, leather, dried orange peel, star anise, and cherry. The palate enters on cherry with medium tannin and medium plus acid. The finish goes a tad leathery, and ultimately it's the finish that holds this back from a higher score. Both myself and the group had this pegged as a ~1997 Barolo, showing a wonderful balance of youth to maturity. I loved this bottle, which as it turns out had a fantastically high fill level and great provenance.
This pours very light garnet in the glass. The nose is super earthy, arguably perhaps a touch of Brett here showing sweet cedar mulch, dried rose petals, potpourri, salami, dried lemon peel, dried red currant, and animal fur. The palate is light, airy, and elegant with medium minus tannin and high acid. The finish is lemony and quite racy. While some found the acid a tad high here, I liked this a fair bit stylistically even if it didn't hit a high watermark. This is certainly a polarizing wine.
[Tasted Double Blind] This pours medium ruby in the glass, nearly opaque at the core. The nose is dominated by very ripe dark sweet cherries, Kirsch, fruit cake, prune, port, and just a faint touch of perfume. The palate enters on the very ripe cherry with tannin that is medium minus with medium acid. The finish again veers toward prunes augmented with elevated, protruding alcohol. In the end this is not my style. I figured it was a modern leaning interpretation of Barolo from the 2000s which turned out to be correct. I was a little surprised this was from Renato Ratti given I think of them as just a little more traditional than this. Looking back at my 2012 tasting note, it's not surprising the wheels fell off on this one as it aged. While it could be a sub-optimal bottle, I also wonder if the warm vintage got the better of them here.
[Tasted Double Blind] This pours light ruby in the glass. The nose is lifted and beautiful showing almond, hazelnut, rose petals, red cherry, new leather, perhaps just a little cough syrup, and a pleasant touch of VA. The palate enters on the bright and juicy red fruit with high youthful tannin and high acid. The finish is just a little clipped by the structure, showing rose petals and almonds. All in all, this came across as a lovely, youthful bottle of traditionally made Nebbiolo. I guessed 2013 vintage which turned out to be correct, yet I felt it was from Barolo, La Morra because of the combination of power with elegance. Great wine that I think will be even better in 5-10 years.
1982 Cordero di Montezemolo Barolo Monfalletto Flawed
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Tasted Double Blind] This pours light ruby in the glass with light bricking. The nose shows glimpses of something nice, but ultimately it’s held back in intensity showing soy sauce, dried orange peel, woodsy mulch, raisins, and a vague touch of rose petals. With time the nose only grows more tired. The palate enters on dried cherry with medium minus tannin and medium plus acid. The finish turns heavily to leather and raisins. In the end guesses veered toward 1980s Barolo that was showing a tad tired.
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2015 Cavallotto Barolo Riserva Vignolo 94 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Tasted Double Blind] This wine pours light ruby in the glass. The nose is lifted and highly aromatic. Very reminiscent of a young 1er burgundy from a similar vintage. Aromas are of rosewater, red cherry, orange peel, cinnamon stick, tree bark, a light whiff of sawdust, earth, and ginger. Very fresh, bright, and lifted. The palate enters on bright red cherry with medium tannin and medium plus acid. The finish is long and complex. All in all, this is clearly beautiful and a very high quality wine. I was thinking this married the elegance of Barbaresco from a great vintage like 2010. While not correct about either, I think that guess is a testament to the incredible quality on display here. Almost 95.
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1985 Castello di Neive Barbaresco Riserva Santo Stefano 93 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
[Tasted Double Blind] This pours light garnet in the glass with light bricking. The nose is amazing from first pour, showing a classical profile and tremendous lift and complexity. While with air some of the maturity starts to creep in, it remains intact and stable. Aromas are of cinnamon, cured meat, rose petals, leather, dried orange peel, star anise, and cherry. The palate enters on cherry with medium tannin and medium plus acid. The finish goes a tad leathery, and ultimately it's the finish that holds this back from a higher score. Both myself and the group had this pegged as a ~1997 Barolo, showing a wonderful balance of youth to maturity. I loved this bottle, which as it turns out had a fantastically high fill level and great provenance.
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2006 Giacomo Brezza e Figli Barolo Flawed
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Totally dead, all prunes. Undrinkable.
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1970 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco 92 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
This pours very light garnet in the glass. The nose is super earthy, arguably perhaps a touch of Brett here showing sweet cedar mulch, dried rose petals, potpourri, salami, dried lemon peel, dried red currant, and animal fur. The palate is light, airy, and elegant with medium minus tannin and high acid. The finish is lemony and quite racy. While some found the acid a tad high here, I liked this a fair bit stylistically even if it didn't hit a high watermark. This is certainly a polarizing wine.
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2007 Renato Ratti Barolo Marcenasco
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Tasted Double Blind] This pours medium ruby in the glass, nearly opaque at the core. The nose is dominated by very ripe dark sweet cherries, Kirsch, fruit cake, prune, port, and just a faint touch of perfume. The palate enters on the very ripe cherry with tannin that is medium minus with medium acid. The finish again veers toward prunes augmented with elevated, protruding alcohol. In the end this is not my style. I figured it was a modern leaning interpretation of Barolo from the 2000s which turned out to be correct. I was a little surprised this was from Renato Ratti given I think of them as just a little more traditional than this. Looking back at my 2012 tasting note, it's not surprising the wheels fell off on this one as it aged. While it could be a sub-optimal bottle, I also wonder if the warm vintage got the better of them here.
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2013 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Asili 93 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
[Tasted Double Blind] This pours light ruby in the glass. The nose is lifted and beautiful showing almond, hazelnut, rose petals, red cherry, new leather, perhaps just a little cough syrup, and a pleasant touch of VA. The palate enters on the bright and juicy red fruit with high youthful tannin and high acid. The finish is just a little clipped by the structure, showing rose petals and almonds. All in all, this came across as a lovely, youthful bottle of traditionally made Nebbiolo. I guessed 2013 vintage which turned out to be correct, yet I felt it was from Barolo, La Morra because of the combination of power with elegance. Great wine that I think will be even better in 5-10 years.
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