Mark De Grazia selections: 05 Barolos, 04 Brunellos, 06 Barbarescos
MK, Chicago IL
Tasted Thursday, January 22, 2009 by KeithAkers with 1,507 views
Introduction
I took the opportunity to go to this tasting after my classes were done. I was a lot more limited on time then I normally would be, so a lot of short hand was used for these notes and it was a matter of me translating my notes and trying to make sense of them. Some notes were unreadable, and it's been too long and too many wines since this tasting to remember those wines
I was really looking forward to this and hoping that the quality would be high considering the vintages that were being poured, I wouldn't be let down in any way, shape, or form
Flight 1 - (mostly) 05 Barolos (24 Notes)
There were a few 03s sprinkled in, but the vast majority was 05s. I wasn't at this tasting last year to taste through the 04s, so I can't compare on that end. However, from what I tasted here, 05 is looking to be a very long lived vintage and a very pretty vintage. There won't be that many mind blowing wines, but instead there will be a lot of lovely and feminine wines that will bring a lot of joy when they are ready(that is the key word). They will take a while to come around, but patience should be rewarded in spades with the vintage
Flight 2 - Tuscans (14 Notes)
The theme of this was 04 brunellos with some rossos and a IGT thrown in for good measure
There weren't enough 04 brunellos to really get a full handle on the vintage like one could with the barolos. But, there is definitely some variation in the wines here as one one hand there are some real budding gems. Inversely there were some pedestrian brunellos that were very international in style and didn't really carry all that much sangiovese characteristics.
From what was offered up, I wasn't really blown away like I expected to be. A lot of the 04 CCRs that I've had have been tremendous, so I was really hoping that the brunellos would take it to the next level, well, they didn't fully do that. Maybe its a case of high expectation. From what was offered, 04 is a really good vintage, but not as good as 01, 97, or 90. It seems more on par with 93
Flight 3 - 06 Barbarescos (8 Notes)
There selection here wasn't as deep as either the brunellos or barolos. What this was good for was checking out the terroir range in barbaresco and house styles. Since there wasn't a whole lot of 06s up for offering, I'm reserving judgement on the vintage in barbaresco.
Overall the wines were good, but just lacked in depth or complexity. What was being offered up just didn't have the vigor that the 05s have
Flight 4 - Other Piedmont wines (5 Notes)
since I don't want to make a whole slew of flights based around producers, I just threw the other wines being offered up in this flight. The dolcettos were nice and the barberas disapointing. The real winner overall was the 05 Valmaggiore which has a lot more promise then the 05 M Marengo Barolo and is a better wine overall.
Closing
The quality was very high for this. I wish there had been more brunellos and tuscan wines to taste through, but it wasn't to be. Its not really that much of a sore spot when there was all of that great barolo to go through. It was also nice to check out some of the other offerings that were there and very educational to have some of the 03s there sitting next to the 05s to witness the vintage variation.
This was a very strong tasting and I'm very glad that I went
2003 Fratelli Revello Barolo Vigna Giachini 91 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
nose: very rich nose filled with herbs, florals, tar, perfumes, and various spice tones. Lovely and pretty elegant nose for such a hot vintage. Good depth too and very perfumed
taste: nice and smooth feel with medium/high acidity and tannins providing tones of bing cherries, loads of herbs, spices, tar, and various floral tones. Good depth and not overbearing on the tannins too much as they are more silky tannins as opposed to big structured tannins
overall: a really nice barolo that is pretty ready to go. A little more time may add some more depth and polish, but the nose was wide open and the acidity wasn't over bearing at all. Good smooth feel and has a nice elegance to it and isn't overtly ripe or stewed
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2005 Fratelli Revello Barolo 90 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
nose: nice rich and spice based nose with loads of cherries, tar, bits of anise, and good undertones of herbs. well styled and balanced that was fairly open for business
taste: great feel with high acidity and tannins that do hamper the palate a bit, but good, rich tones of red cherries, tar, herbs, and good tones of spices. Good balance at this young stage
overall: This has really good potential. The acidity and tannins need to calm down a bit right now, but this has the ability to turn into a real beauty with time
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2005 Fratelli Revello Barolo Vigna Gattera 90 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
nose: nice feminine and hi-pitched nose of various florals, cherries, red fruits, and good subtle hints of spice. Not neccessarily delicate per se, but has a nice feminine touch to it
taste: nice feminine feel with subtle tones of hi-toned florals, cherries, spice tones, and herbs. Very high acidity and tannins, but they don't seem to completely interfere with the tones
overall: this needs some time to coax itself into maturity. Very pretty and has the ability to be a wonderful barolo with time
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2005 Fratelli Revello Barolo Vigna Giachini 89 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
nose: nice nose that has a good helping of tar and black cherries with bits of oak, mint, and spice tones. While it has nice complexity, there isn't the depth of the Barolo and Gattera. This will probably add with age
taste: very high acid, but it doesn't detract from teh great feel that this wine posseses with good tones of tar, black cherries, and lots of spices
overall: this is another budding beauty. The acidity doesn't provide much enjoyment right now, but when it calms down a bit and the oak integrates, this should turn out great and bea a good robust barolo
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2005 Fratelli Revello Barolo Vigna Conca 88 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
nose: fairly modern nose with a good dose of oak, herbs, lots of spices, and bright tones of red cherries. The oak is a bit much right now, hopefully it'll integrate with time
taste: oak starts off with tones of herbs, wood spices, red and black cherries. Good light feel with medium/high tannins and medium/high acidity
overall: A very good barolo right now, but the oak is a bit too much front and center. Hopefully the oak integrates better with age. That said, there is a very nice wine here that needs some time to emerge
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2005 Elio Altare Barolo 91 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
nose: very lovely and perfumed nose of spices, tar, and rich red cherries. Lush nose and very elegant with good depth at this point already
taste: nice and lush with medium/high tannins and medium/high acidity with perfumes, spices, purple florals, bits of roses, herbs, and tar. Good light feel that moves across the palate well
overall: a nice feminine barolo that should be approachable sooner then some of the other 05s. Lovely and perfumed it has a nice delicate edge to it
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2005 Elio Altare Barolo Vigneto Arborina 92 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
nose: very delicate and feminine nose with hi-toned florals, loads of roses and violets, cinammon, dark cherries, and spice tones. Great depth that makes this just a real gorgeous nose
taste: beautiful feminine feel that glides well with very big acidity providing tones of violets, roses, herbs, cinammon, and dark cherries. Very plush and delicate that intrigues
overall: this has amazing potential. It just works so well and has great spices to add to the wonderful aromas and flavors. This just needs some good down time to let it fully come out
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2005 Mauro Molino Barolo 87 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
nose: light and a bit reticent nose with light tones of tar, florals, and bits of red cherries. fairly straightforward nose with decent depth, but not much more
taste: nice medium/light feel with medium+ acidity providing tones of tar, red florals, and red cherries. Well defined and good tannins, but very standard on everything
overall: a very straightforward barolo. Not much exciting here and quite frankly, one can do better with some langhe nebbiolos or gattinaras then spending on this. Its nice, and it has classic nebb flavors, but just doesn't bring the depth or elegance of barolo that one would want
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2005 Mauro Molino Barolo Vigna Gallinotto 90 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
nose: nice depth on the nose(and much deeper than the regular barolo) with rich tones of tar, red cherries, roses, and loads of herbs. Very nice and well balanced
taste: very elegant feel with plush tones of tar, red cherries, and dried herbs. THe acidity is biting, but its not as searing as some of the other barolos that were tasted
overall: a very nice and feminine styled barolo. Lush and elegant with a touch of class, this will be a fun one when its ready a few years down the road
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2005 Mauro Molino Barolo Vigna Gancia 91 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
nose: nice lush and balanced nose of tar, red cherries, cinammon, with a nice dollop of herbs and spices
taste: very high acidity with a good plush feel providing tones of tar, red cherries, herbs, spices, and bits of roses to add a nice touch to it
overall: the feel makes the wine. Obviously will need some time to let the acidity calm down a bit, but a more robust styled barolo with good balance
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2005 Paolo Scavino Barolo Bric dël Fiasc 92 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
nose: beautifully rich and perfumed nose filled with red cherries, spices, herbs, mint, cinammon, and slight hints of oak. Very expressive at this stage with great depth and layering
taste: Very well layered with a lovely medium/light feel backed up by medium/high tannins and high acidity with rich tones of red cherries, spices, mint, and cinammon. Great depth and showing very well at this young stage
overall: while its showing well now, it certainly has the stuffing to get better and blossom. Very well balanced and layered making this a very attractive Barolo and one that would be fun to have in the cellar
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2005 Paolo Scavino Barolo Carobric 93 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
nose: gorgeous and perfumed nose filled with sweet tones of herbs, roses, red cherries, purple florals, and hints of spices. Very lovely and loads of depth with a great feminine touch to it
taste: great dancing feel with sweet and rich tones of roses, red cherries, purple florals and perfumes. Big tannins as one would expect with high acidity to accompany it
overall: give this time and it will reward you. An absolute beauty in waiting that will show lots of wonderful nuance with age. It was really working some magic right now, but the acidity and tannins thrashed the palate a bit, so when they calm down just a bit and let the aromas and flavors to fully unlock, this has the ability to be a real stunner
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2003 Paolo Scavino Barolo Bricco Ambrogio 89 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
nose: a lot of oak and extracted tones of black cherries, herbs, and some dark spices. The oak influence is just too overbearing at this time and is such that it's hard to figure out if it will ever integrate
taste: very rich and bold with lots of extraction with tones of oak, cinammon, spices, and black cherries. Medium/high tannins and medium acidity give this some backbone
overall: a bit overdone for my personal taste. It just didn't seem like a barolo and was just too much of everything. A solid barolo that can turn real good if the heavy oak integrates, but judgement will have to be fully reserved until then
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2005 Paolo Scavino Barolo Bricco Ambrogio 91 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
nose: very modern and filling nose with dark red cherries, dark florals, black spices, and a good helping of dark berries. While there is definitely some oak present on the nose, its nowhere near as dominant as it was on the 03, almost a stark difference
taste: Fuller feel on the palate then normal barolos with rich tones of dark red cherries, dark florals, dark berries, and some bits of herbs. Well defined tannins and acidity, but aren't as overbearing as on some other 05s
overall: Very good feel and flavors, this isn't as obtrusive as the 03 was. Definitely a modern barolo, and if one is a fan of that style of barolo, this will be right up your alley and should age well
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2005 Paolo Scavino Barolo 90 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
nose: very aromatic nose filled with red cherries, herbs, lush florals, and slight hints of tar. Lovely nose that is a bit reticent at this time
taste: massive tannins and acidity that are mouth inverting with tones of red cherries, herbs, florals, and various spices
overall: The nose is really good right now, but the tannins and acidity are too much at this point. Will need a good amount of time to start to come around
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2003 Paolo Scavino Barolo 91 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
nose: very lovely and perfumed nose filled with all sorts of red cherries, herbs, and roses. Great depth and not overdone from the heat of the vintage. Very good balance to go with the freshness of it
taste: excellent feel with medium tannins that give way to rich tones of tar, red cherries, roses, herbs, and bits of perfumes. Good depth and layering
overall: this is essentially ready to go. Great feel and aromatics with solid tannins and medium acidity. This isn't a long term ager by any means, but a lovely barolo
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2005 Domenico Clerico Barolo Ciabot Mentin Ginestra 94 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
nose: massively deep and loaded nose filled with red cherries, herbs, roses, spices, cinammon, and tar. extremely balanced with layer upon layer revealing itself
taste: Very young, but at the same time very lush with rich and deep tones of roses, all sorts of red cherries, cinammon, and tar. Very big acidity and tannins that are almost overwhelming
overall: this has the ability to be a very special wine. Will need some good down time before it unleashes its full potential, but it has rock star qualitites to it
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2005 Domenico Clerico Barolo Pajana 90 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
nose: very modern with tones of vanilla, dark red cherries, spices, herbs, and bits of tar. While not super extracted, there is an extracted element to it and a bit of oak influences
taste: lacking some weight and mid palate with tones of vanilla, dark red cherries, spices, and bits of tar. Good feel, but a bit lacking
overall: not as expressive as the Ginestra. This was a let down and was a bit hollow, but still had good tannins and acidity. Hopefully it'll come together better with some age
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2005 Silvio Grasso Barolo Ciabot Manzoni 93 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
nose: succulent and very deep nose just filled with pure tones of mint, spices, herbs, tar, and all sorts of various red cherries. This is a nose that lets you get lost in already at this young stage and this really stood out from the large crowd at the tasting
taste: Very pure and lovely with high acidity to let you know how young it is. Deftly balanced tones of berries, spices, tar, herbs, and a wide range of cherries. While the acidity is bordering on the searing edge, it holds back a bit to at least let you taste teh wine
overall: needs a good amount of downtime to get the acidity to calm down a bit. An absolutely lovely barolo that is very expressive already and just permeates in teh glass very well. Beautiful and delicate at the same time, this should be a real stunner when it hits maturity
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2005 Silvio Grasso Barolo Bricco Luciani 91 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
nose: very delicate and fine nose filled with violets, roses, tar, herbs, and all sorts of cherries. Very feminine in a southern belle type style
taste: wonderful feminine feel with demure tones of tar, roses, lots of herbs and a nice big basket of cherries to compliment it all. Medium/high acidity give this a nice spine, and its nowhere near as acidic as the Manzoni
overall: this will also need time to let the nuances come out. Not a wine that will blow you away, but one to sit with and reflect while it lets all of its nuances emerge once its fully mature. It'll need that time, but there is a beautiful and delicate quality to it that is very attractive
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2001 Silvio Grasso Langhe Nebbiolo Peirass 88 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC
nose: wonderful, rich, and mature nose with hi-toned florals, bits of tea leaves, brown spices, and rich tones of dark red cherries. Very well balanced and very aromatic with a combination of secondary and primary tones
taste: good mature feel with medium acidity that gives into plush hi-toned florals, brown spices, bits of earth, and a good helping of dark red cherries
overall: an excellent and mature langhe nebbiolo. Well balanced that works well in giving you what you'd want from a nebb
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2005 M. Marengo Barolo Brunate 90 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
nose: lovely and well balanced nose filled with spices, herbs, all sorts of red florals, and a good dose of red cherries. Very aromatic already and really brings out the spice aspect of the vintage
taste: great feel with medium/high acidity that slowly gives into tones of spices, red florals, and all sorts of various red cherries
overall: a lovely barolo that doesn't seem like it will need as much time as a lot of other 05s. Well in place with a great feel and acidity
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2005 M. Marengo Barolo Bricco delle Viole 91 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
nose: seductive with all sorts of feminine qualities to it and subtle nuances of perfumes, red florals, cherries, and a nice touch of herbs round it all out in a way that just draws you in
taste: great spice tones lead off with subtle and melded tones of red florals, cherries, and bits of herbs. High acidity and high tannins shield this a bit, but what makes its way through is very seductive and enjoyable
overall: needs a good amount of time to allow all of the nuances to work themselves. Very lovely and hi-toned in the aromatics and flavors, this just hits me in the right spot of what I love about barolo
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2005 M. Marengo Barolo 88 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
nose: nice dark tones with florals, cherries, dark red fruits and various spice tones. Well put together, but lacking in depth where the other mario marengo barolos were thriving
taste: good and easy feel with medium+ acidity and medium/light depth with tones of dark florals, cherries, and various dark red fruits. Good feel, but just seems lacking right ow
overall: a good barolo, but why buy this when there are langhes that will provide everything that is here for a bit less. I don't know how much this will improve as it seems relatively ready right now
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