An evening of Barolos

This was something that several of us wanted to do for a while, so we were finally able to get a date that worked for 6 of us to go through a mix of barolos from 88-98 and a modern/traditional comparison as well.

We decided on seeing how the face-lift has changed what used to be Think Cafe.

LeatherPalate provided these blind for us to have. A great way to start things off and having them blind always brings a different aspect

• 2003 Aubert Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard 93 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  nose: big and rich nose of lemons, loads of various orchard fruits, buttered toast, bits of grapefruits, citrus tones, and some marmelade and glycerin tones. Great depth and very rich, but isn't overdone at all
  
  taste: Full bodied feel with medium acidity and rich tones of meyer lemons, a good amount of cream tones, buttered toast, bits of glycerin tones and marmelade. Real rich on the palate and excellent depth, this is a heavyweight of a wine on the palate
  
  overall: real delicious and extremely rich. This seems to be in a perfect place right now and should be drunk sooner rather then later.

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• 2002 Jean Boillot & Fils Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos de la Mouchère 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru

  nose: pretty and higher toned nose then the first blind white. Succulent tones of meyer lemons, lemon curd, white fruits, mineral tones, and a touch of tropical citrus'. Real good depth, and comes off as more linear and focused then the first wine
  
  taste: Excellent depth with a real good medium feel and medium acidity with tones of lemon curd, white fruits, mineral tones and some tropical citrus tones. The feel is nice and round right now, and the acidity isn't as big as I would expect such a young puligny to be
  
  overall: Comes off as fully ready to drink. The acidity is in a good place right now, so it may be time to drink up so as not to risk premox. To me this acted more like a california chard that was aiming for a more burgundian style rather then a straight puligny

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We wanted to generally have Barolos that did already have some age on them. This provided a nice cross section of some more recent Barolos that are starting to drink and also shows a nice difference between modern/traditional

• 1988 Giacomo Borgogno & Figli Barolo Riserva 94 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  Nose: Beautifully haunting and captivating nose of wild flowers, all sorts of juniper spices, bits of dried roses, cherries, strawberries, some bits of tobacco and tea leaves with a touch of herbal spices thrown in there too. It took a while for the nose to really get going, but when it did, it was nuanced and very pretty with really good layering
  
  taste: Medium+ acidity still shows itself along with gorgeous and nuanced tones of wild flowers, Juniper, dried roses, soft cherries, mixed berries, strawberries, and some tasty tones of herbal spices and tar. Well layered with a nice and pretty medium feel
  
  overall: A gorgeous wine. It unraveled and revealed itself over the course of the dinner. This bottle had been open for 2 1/2 hours before dinner, and it was at its best after being open for a good 6 hours. It wasn't decanted, just slow-ox'd and it showed itself off extremely well.

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• 1995 Paolo Scavino Barolo Bric dël Fiasc 91 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  nose: a bit reticent at first, but then opened up into soft and balanced tones of wild herbs, rich red cherry tones, some bits of tea leaves, dried roses, berries, cinnamon spices and other various spice tones. Has a real good sense to it
  
  taste: excellent medium feel with medium+ acidity and tones of berries, cinnamon, wild herbs, red cherries and bits of roses. Good depth and has a real good sense to it. Comes off as fairly mature on the palate with the tannins and acidity being well in check
  
  overall: A quality and well drinking barolo. Showed well, but was a bit tight at first since it didn't get a chance to get opened up before the dinner. Shows off its pedigree and is right in its window right now

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• 1997 Poderi Luigi Einaudi Barolo Costa Grimaldi 93 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  nose: gorgeous nose of rich red cherries, wild spices, fresh picked berries, strawberries, wild flowers and cinnamon spices. Good depth and very expressive on the nose with nice layering. Comes off as very open on the nose that really draws you in
  
  taste: Great medium feel that has a real sense of class to it along with medium/high acidity and good tannins. Well balanced and delicious tones of tar, red cherries, spices, fresh picked berries and wild flowers all meld well together
  
  overall: A terrific barolo. Comes off as right in its window and has a real good touch to it. There is both power and elegance to this, but its far from too much, instead it comes off as more confident then over bearing. Great depth to this and well balanced with both the acidity and tannins, but can certainly go a good while longer

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• 1997 Marcarini Barolo Brunate 91 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  nose: tight, but enchanting nose of freshly picked flowers, herbs, soft tones of cherries, wild berries and various spice tones. Good depth and layering on the nose, but it doesn't seem to fully want to come out right now
  
  taste: tasty medium feel with medium+ acidity and good tannins with fresh tones of herbs, wild berries, some tar, red cherries, and spice tones. Good depth, but isn't really singing on the palate either as it seems to be holding back a slight bit
  
  overall: This needs a good amount more time. This received about 4 hours of bottle air before bringing it to the restaurant and having it over the course of dinner. A fantastic wine in waiting, it just comes off as needing a good amount more time. It did show a good contrast in style from the Einuadi right before it

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• 1998 Marcarini Barolo Brunate 92 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  nose: very open nose that is filled with pretty and feminine tones of roses, violets, tar, bits of potting soil, red cherries, and a good helping of fresh picked berries. Very good layering and very attractive that is very seductive
  
  taste: Classy medium feel with tasty medium+ acidity that leads into succulent tones of roses, violets, tar, red cherries, and a lot of fresh picked berries. Excellent depth that is starting to really show itself
  
  overall: A wonderful young barolo. Was more open on both the nose and palate then the 97 and was showing off a real attractive and seductive side to it. Drinking very well right now, but it also very much has the ability to go much further

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A great evening. Lots of laughs with excellent food and great company. The wines showed very well on the whole and helped add to the evening as a whole