12/8/2023 - JLeader wrote:

More an exploration of history than anything else. Still a little fruit and some structure and viscosity. Very light, almost Provencal rose colored. Greg says smells like old books, and he's right. Musty, old paper, leather, some citrus rind, and black tea. Somewhat better on the palate, but this is now just an echo of what the wine probably once was. Interesting to try.

12/8/2023 - JLeader wrote:

Amazingly, still a beast. Double decanted at noon and still needed more time by the time we got to it at dinner. Great depth and structure. Loads of sweet Giacosa fruit, but still does not seem anywhere near fully mature. Score more on promise than pure enjoyment tonight (though it was excellent). I won't try another for a number of years.

3/8/2022 - JLeader wrote:

Super fresh and on point. Bright acidity and great depth. Still very youthful but showing lots of minerality and cut. In a great spot right now. Wish I had more.

1/22/2022 - JLeader Likes this wine:

Beginning of the Year Dinner at Craft. Fantastic bottle. Still fruit present but loads of spice box, pipe tobacco, pencil shavings. Held up in the glass. Remarkable for its age.

12/1/2021 - JLeader wrote:

What a great surprise. This was pretty stunning. Great color, core of sweet fruit, and still well-formed and powerful within its frame. A great bottle of ancient wine.

8/9/2021 - JLeader wrote:

Beautiful bottle. Fully mature. Sweet core of dark cherry/strawberry fruit surrounded by layers of spices and balsamico. Silky, long, and lifted.

7/14/2020 - JLeader Likes this wine:

Quite aromatic. Iron, cinnamon, dried cherries. High acid. Still structured. Very long finish with a lingering mintiness. Very nice showing.

1/19/2019 - JLeader wrote:

A good bottle. Not the best example I have had. Some initially guessed old white burg. Definitely had the telltale oxidation and oak (not obtrusive here) along with a minty and heavily mineral character. Always a fascinating wine.

1/19/2019 - JLeader wrote:

Very much alive. Pretty bretty at first, hiding red berries, tobacco, and herbal notes; lush and rich on the palate, with plenty of power. Should get extra points for longevity. Would never guess the age blind.

12/26/2018 - JLeader Likes this wine:

Nose full of roses and pomegranate; super intense fruit; crunchy berries, with a long saline finish. Terrific.

12/26/2018 - JLeader Likes this wine:

Fascinating to drink a Champagne that is almost 100 years old. No apparent bubbles left, but very expressive. Floral and particularly wild flower honey aromas; starts out with lots of fruit (apple/pear) in the palate, then turns honeyed there too, and finishes with a very nutty, long, dry sherry/madeira quality.

7/18/2016 - JLeader wrote:

Great showing for the 71. Fleshes out with air and really evolves into something very pretty. Dessicated red flowers, balsamic notes, earthy spices. Very interesting.

1/9/2016 - JLeader wrote:

Would definitely give it a higher score adjusted for the age of the wine, which showed remarkably youthful. Never would have thought it was a 90 year old wine. Very interesting, funky literally old school Rioja. Still a very ripe core of red fruit, held together by a strong but clearly weathered structure. I think the cabernet in this (I think there has always been some amount of cab in this wine) probably really helped keep the structure intact, but it has been polished by the age and is very rounded and softened in the palate. A little brett that blew off with some air, this held up for more than an hour after being poured. Impressive stuff!

6/27/2015 - JLeader wrote:

Still primary and young. Not sure if this is just too young or is just monolithic in structure. Either way, this is pretty ungiving right now, although there is a richness to the fruit and a velvety texture.

2/20/2015 - JLeader wrote:

Really interesting wine. Showed its age on the nose - slightly oxidized but deeply fruited. On the palate, great texture, density, and richness. Aged tobacco, espresso and very rich, layered fruit.

1/25/2015 - JLeader wrote:

Quite interesting. Lots of VA and pine resin at first. With several hours open, the VA dissipated and some fruit and structure emerged, but this is well past it prime. Dark cherry, pine, blood/iron, and leathery notes emerge and ultimately, the leathery quality starts to dominate. More for historical interest at this point than pure pleasure, but pleased to have had a chance to try this.

1/25/2015 - JLeader wrote:

Terrific! Purchased in Alba. This was in great shape. Still firing on all cylinders but definitely past peak at this point. Earthy, iron, desiccated flowers, truffles. Loads of character and nuance going on here. Great balance of acidity, structure and fruit. Walks the tightrope and performs admirably. Great length but it is starting to show its age. A real treat and one of the truly great bottles of Barolo.

1/25/2015 - JLeader wrote:

In great condition. Showing its age, but still fresh from the acidity. Loads of tertiary character. Nutty, oxidative, smoky and complex. Very long, but certainly on the downside of the curve. Fascinating stuff.

12/20/2014 - JLeader Likes this wine:

Quite nice in a remembrance of things past, echo of Nebbiolo kind of way. Really pretty and delicate. Elegance and grace in a glass.

11/8/2014 - JLeader wrote:

Wow. This is in a great place. Still terrific fruit and structure. Charcoal, creosote, blue fruit, great concentration and length. Purchased at the winery years ago.

10/30/2014 - JLeader wrote:

Ancient Wine Dinner (Nice Matin). Mid-shoulder fill but the wine was in excellent condition. Still dark, rich, almost ripe fruit at the core; plush and velvety. Long. Notes of damp earth and iron but shows much younger than expected. Great bottle.

5/23/2013 - JLeader wrote:

Fully mature with a leathery, dried red fruit nose; still some tannic structure; very earthy, porcini characteristics; a little bretty but in a pleasant, complex way. Very good.

5/23/2013 - JLeader wrote:

Smokey nose; a little match stick/sulfur quality; still quite tannic on the palate; chewy texture; fruit has progressed well into secondary and tertiary characteristics; lots of black tea and earthy overtones covering what is left of the red and black fruit.

5/23/2013 - JLeader wrote:

Complex nose of coffee, spices, and leather; deep and plush palate; richly fruited; long finish.

5/23/2013 - JLeader wrote:

Similar nose to the 82; hints of cola; palate a little better than the 82 as well; a bit more complexity and structure here.

5/22/2013 - JLeader wrote:

Classic Rioja nose, coffee, spices; a little fleshy on the palate; not bad, but not that interesting.

3/24/2014 - JLeader wrote:

Great, powerfully fruited nose; a little bretty but not in a bad way; very expressive; licorice and wood spice; intense and very long; powerful stuff and still quite alive.

3/24/2014 - JLeader wrote:

Lovely nose; beautiful fruit; complex, textured, silky; still some serious structure; intense but with an almost weightless quality; really elegant and amazingly persistent.

3/24/2014 - JLeader wrote:

More textured; another smokey, sulfury nose; nice body and texture; darker fruits with a bit of an herbal, grassy tone.

3/24/2014 - JLeader wrote:

Smokey; chocolate and toasted wheat aromas give way to a creamy, full palate; nice complexity here if a little hint of roasted fruits.

3/24/2014 - JLeader wrote:

Out of magnum - remarkably fresh red fruit; balanced and focused; a ripe core but surrounded by dense dark fruit. Never would guess this was 65 years old.

3/24/2014 - JLeader wrote:

A bit madeirized on the nose; fruit less oxidized on the palate with much more persistence; mineral core with dark fruit and still some tannin; licorice notes start to dominate with air.

3/24/2014 - JLeader wrote:

Some VA and shoe polish notes; still quite a bit of stuffing with some ripe fruit present but well on the decline; flavors are a bit simple here with a ripe red apple/apple juice quality.

3/24/2014 - JLeader wrote:

Dark fruited and earthy nose; a little dirty and rustic; not much of a finish, but some interesting minerality in the palate.

3/24/2014 - JLeader wrote:

Smoky, dried fruit, and spicy nose; densely fruited palate; dried cherries; sweet and spicy; intense and rich; a very layered palate presence; really quite pretty.

3/24/2014 - JLeader wrote:

Somewhat madeirized nose; high acid on palate; not a lot of fruit left here, with a nutty finish; well past prime.

1/10/2014 - JLeader Likes this wine:

Huge, dense, and loaded with minerals, ash, and resinous, chewy fruit. Incredibly youthful, powerful, and relatively unevolved. A bit on the rustic side. Not monolithic, but still quite primary, which at 45 is pretty remarkable. In 68, Mastroberardino seemed to have found the fountain of youth. This is really good stuff, but not sure what to make of the glacial pace at which this has developed.

1/4/2014 - JLeader Likes this wine:

Both super-rich and fresh at the same time. Tremendously complex and layered. In a blind tasting, most found this hard to believe this is a Blanc de Blancs, though that must be due to the wealth of vintages blended here. Really excellent stuff.

1/4/2014 - JLeader Likes this wine:

Slightly disjointed, with the nose showing more age than the palate, but still quite nice, resting more on its depth and complexity of flavor at this stage. Lush and long.

1/4/2014 - JLeader wrote:

Terrific! Was really singing. Classic Bordeaux in perfect shape and seemingly at peak. Loads of dark fruit with many layers of mineral, lead pencil, violets. Both silky and structured but in beautiful balance. Wish I had more...

1/4/2014 - JLeader Likes this wine:

Some debate about whether there may have been some slight heat damage here, but I thought it showed pretty classic old Nebbiolo character. I don't think I've ever had a Nebbiolo from 1969 before and never a Barbaresco from Cantina Mascarello. Lots of iron, blood, and truffle on the nose, more mineral driven than fruit driven in the palate. Still nicely structured and knit together.

1/4/2014 - JLeader wrote:

More interesting as a glimpse of history than anything else. The wine changed tremendously in the glass over the course of 5 hours. It started out very dark, looking shockingly youthful, with a wet basement (some thought corked) note, but pretty closed down and unyielding. After about an hour, it had taken on a very sweet fruit character with some VA, something of a cross between amarone and madeira. With more air, the color lightened and started to show more of its age, while the palate evened out into a more stable place. Although still alive, it certainly was showing its age, with nearly all secondary and tertiary characteristics. Soft but rustic, the fruit now really only a remembrance. Not really sure what to make of this other than an interesting old wine. Fun to try as an archaeological experiment, but only of limited enjoyment.

11/9/2013 - JLeader Likes this wine:

Still quite power. Solid complexity, but showing a slightly roasted quality. Packed with dark cherries, and a tarry mineral-driven chewy density. Very good, but perhaps lacking just a little acidity to provide some brightness.

11/9/2013 - JLeader Likes this wine:

Beautiful, lacy, traditional Barolo. All secondary characteristics now, but so weightless and yet powerful at the same time. Very minty on top of the floral nose. Red cherries along with iron and vitamins in the palate, which is completely resolved today.

11/9/2013 - JLeader Likes this wine:

Very good. Required a fair amount of air to flesh out and come around but proved to be pretty classic old school Barolo. Loads of tar and iron, even a little cool menthol and herbal notes. A little on the rustic side and showing oxidation at this point, but still very enjoyable.

4/11/2013 - JLeader wrote:

Remarkably fresh and seamless; great clarity, precise, focused; cherries, leather, dill, exotic spice; loads of character; seems as though there is plenty of life here with the impeccable balance this has. More on the high acid end of the spectrum but I think that's what really imparts the vitality.

2/2/2013 - JLeader wrote:

Earth, tar, menthol, and a bit of smoke. Still quite chewy and tannic but has a lush mouthfeel and a fairly complex finish. Excellent quality at this level.

2/2/2013 - JLeader wrote:

Not all that interesting. Fair amount of mineral there but the fruit is a bit underwhelming and the texture a bit thin and watery.

1/26/2013 - JLeader wrote:

Really pretty stunning considering the age of this wine. The bottle was in excellent condition and the wine was still rich and chewy, seemingly having reached a level of maturity and then placed in suspended animation. A real piece of history.

1/12/2013 - JLeader wrote:

Dr. Pepper and lots of VA on the nose; plenty of viscosity and acidity in palate but pretty simple; definite notes of molasses and roasted coffee beans but there's a strange buttered rum quality that isn't too appealing.