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A bunch of Barolos
Tasted April 27, 2011 by Loren Sonkin with 717 views
Introduction
Last night my value group met to try Barolos. Since many of them had not had much experience with these wines, we ordered a group of them from MacArthrus to get some wines with a bit of age. I love Barolo and liked all of these wines. Some general notes (fwiw), the 03's are really ageing fast, a trait I find in CdP and Bordeaux as well and probably most of Europe. The 97's showed quite well and for the basic bottlings may be at peak right now.
Wines were served blind over the course of 2.5 hours. Breads and cheese were served. The cheeses really enhanced the wines.
Flight 1 (1 note)
White
2009 Ca' Ronesca Collio Pinot Grigio
87 points
Light golden in color. Very mineral driven. A nose of grapefruit, some tropical fruit, copper and other minerals. Oily texture. decent acidity. Some oranges on the finish. Nice enough wine although some found it lacking fruit.
Flight 2 (10 notes)
Red
2003 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia
88 points
This was the only vintage that would fit into our budget of this wine. It was very good but finished middle of the pack for the group. My last place wine. Ruby/brown in color. T he nose shows some dusty cherries. It tastes mature and has some complexity. Also some heat and syrup like qualities. I wouldn't want to hold these too much longer, but who knows. Long finish but with some heat. Certainly a good wine with a nice winter's dinner, but I hoped for more.
Red
1997 Fratelli Revello Barolo
93 points
Very nice showing for this regular Barolo. My WOTN and the groups #2. To be fair, there was some disagreement as three 1st place votes helped its high ranking despite some not liking it as much. Ruby/purple in color. The nose is dusty cherries with some tar and dried floral notes. Complex and smooth with good fruit. Long finish. Nice balance. This seems at peak now and really very good. Add to it an under $40 price tag and you can't beat it.
Red
1999 Poderi Luigi Einaudi Barolo
92 points
My second place wine and the groups #3. Purple/ruby in color. The nose is dusty with cherries and tar. On the palate, more sour cherries and lots of tannins. This took some time to open in the glass. Still young and showing very tight fruit. It does seem balanced though. I would hold these for a couple of more years (or decant).
Red
1996 Giacomo Borgogno & Figli Barolo Riserva
92 points
A tough wine to describe as it it still very tight and not giving much up. Ruby in color, clear and bright. The nose is big at times, then shuts down. Dusty, cherries and an interesting tinny quality. Very tannic with tart cherries on the palate. Nice acidity. Long finish. It kept opening up, but just the same, I will plan on holding my lone bottle for a while before opening.
Red
2000 Giovanni Corino Barolo Vigneto Arborina
89 points
Purple/ruby in color. The nose is complex with dusty cherries and some tar. Light tannins. Dried cherries on the palate. Tastes mature and ready to go.
Red
1998 Luigi Pira Barolo
90 points
There was a lot of sediment in this bottle and despite our best efforts to pour carefully, the last couple of pours were quite filled with it. Ruby/brown in color. The nose is dusty without a lot of fruit. On the palate, this is very interesting. Fully mature. Dried cherries, a fig quality (Ben pointed that out), and crunchy leaves. Still some tannins. If this bottle is representative, this is past prime, but I didn't mind that as much as most of the group which voted it last.
Red
2000 Poderi Aldo Conterno Barolo Bussia Soprana
91 points
Ruby in color, slight browning. The nose is dusty with cherries, iodine, and showing some age. On the palate, complex with cherries, sour cherries and some forest floor. Medium tannins. Long finish. Delicious wine, but for the money I would want more. surprised at how it seems to be ageing.
Red
1997 Mauro Veglio Barolo Castelletto
91 points
This was the groups WOTN (not mine). Very nice showing, again for an under $40 Barolo. Purple/ruby in color, shimmering and looking young. Great nose. Dusty cherries, tar, roses, the best nose of the night. On the palate, cherries and sour cherries but lacking the complexity that a couple of others have. Still drinking youthfully. Firm tannins. Long finish. Great mouthfeel.
Red
1997 Azelia Barolo
90 points
Ruby/brown in color. The nose has some VA but also some roses, hot asphalt and cherries. Nice mouthfeel. This tastes fully mature and won't get much better. Slightly less acidity than I like. Some heat. Still, very tasty wine that would work well at dinner.
Red
2003 Fratelli Seghesio Barolo Vigneto la Villa
88 points
Shocked that this was so young. On my first taste, this was much better, but it fell apart quickly in the glass. red/brown in color. The nose is big at first with VA, but also dried cherries, rosewater and tar. I assumed it was older. With air, it showed some oxidized notes and also some nutty qualities. Medium bodied. Still tannic. On the palate, more youthful than the nose with cherries and sour cherries. Decent acidity. Long finish. These need to be drunk up.