4/17/2022 - Rote Kappelle wrote:

Apologies to Anthony Burgess. The Bishop having been rather pre-occupied this Easter week, I found myself languidly pleasuring myself and then thoughts turned to more substantial needs - Barolo was the answer.

On day 1 this rather jaunty fellow was showing ripe fruit, almost porty, but held in check by some refreshing acid bodice and the usual rather plentiful tannins. Like another reviewer I have often felt sure that there are oak elements at play in both the nose and texture, but read anything about this maker and it will say that is one thing you won't find them engaging in. I think what you have is some very sophisticated and detailed wine making that produces ripe and very textured wine without needing to revert to oak for cheap tricks.

I have a difficult relationship with these wines. I find that I love them one moment then I long for a slightly hard edged Neb experience.

On day 2 I think this shows much more pure Neb character. There's a little more Thyme, a hint of tar but still the very pure fruit. the tannins are fine and don't kick in until after you swallow and they are wonderful with food. The length and intensity are exemplary. You could score this higher but I am tight with my 'Outstanding' ratings.

I think this is a good intro to Barolo for the neophyte and perhaps it is also a good wine for the more travelled palate. For those in between, like me it might be more tricky. The fault is in the drinker not the wine. I am put in mind of Gordon Lightfoot's wonderful 'The Watcher' - interesting that Bob Dylan rates Gordon so highly he travelled to Canada to induct him into their heroes of Canadian something or other. Maybe the same applies to Aldo Conterno's wines. And at the end of it all, Barolo remains the answer to my introduction.

1/20/2022 - Whitman wrote:

Maybe not the most expressive nose but very well balanced with licorice, roses, orange peel, eucalyptus and tobacco. Palate with a fine attack ending in a medium dry finish. With food there's hint of more fruit in the mid palate and finish, but given the producer and vintage i had higher expectations.

11/13/2021 - acyso wrote:

Nebbiolos, white truffles, Volume VI (Chicago, IL): One of the better champagnes tonight. This is very clearly chardonnay with plenty of white fruit on the nose and palate. The fruit on the nose seems more acidic and less ripe; the fruit expression on the palate is riper and sweeter. A nice vein of acidity provides structure here. Compared to that other great 2007 champagne, the Comtes de Champagne, this is a little more rounded and sweeter. Both are outstanding and probably among the wines of the champagne vintage.

11/14/2021 - Andyrodriguez87 Likes this wine:

Wow… this caught me off guard. Struggling to find something interesting (and not over priced) on the wine list tonight, this seemed like a good option. Given the vintage, didn’t have crazy high hopes but given the producer, knew this should be enjoyable. Maybe my expectations were far too low - this was absolutely delicious and in such a great place! Tannins well resolved, deep, juicy, fresh, lush, impressive purity and a killer nose… this was drinking really, really well with 30min in a decanter. This was a well timed reminder that great wine isn’t just made in the blockbuster vintages everyone talks about… great producers almost always find a way to make something interesting and well worth seeking out, regardless of the vintage!

9/10/2021 - Papies wrote:

2021 Athens Wine Event , An event to make up for the last 2 years (Spondi , Athens): Corked and drove a spike through our heart.

8/5/2021 - oldwines wrote:

Double decanted at home in NJ then brought to The Inn at Little Washington for our 20th anniversary getaway. When poured the wine seemed more advanced and bricked than expected but I took only a very small hurried taste. It seemed a bit off but I have had old Baroli that were like this but with some air in the decanter have blossomed. After dropping off to the Somm in the afternoon, I asked to have it decanted before our dinner reservation time and to call our room if it seemed “off”. Sadly I got the call and the wine was quite clearly “corked”…I also tasted it when we sat down….Dominant TCA…URGH! Very Sad….Curiously, as I looked at the wine it has gotten more garnet and brighter than the earlier bricked color, much as I had hoped….Oh, well. I had searched the wine list for another 2001 vintage and found a 2001 Lignier Gevrey-Chambertin which was decanted before our dinner arrival…more on that in its tasting note.

2/22/2017 - il_diavolo wrote:

violet color but quite translucent, looks delicate. Great perfume which is really a hallmark of the 2012s. Elegant, pure, fresh, clean (you get the picture...) - spices, white pepper, cherry, tar. Love these 2012s - I am told nobody is buying them....send them to me, I'll drink them while waiting for the others. Superb. 95pts

1/13/2020 - il_diavolo wrote:

This is OK to drink now as a semi-experiment (and may be helped by some rich food) but really should be left to rest in the cellar for a while. Great potential here I think, cant be too far below the FG in this vintage - dark colour and black leaning fruit on the nose - black cherry and cedar on palate - very classy, needs 10+ years for peak I think. 94+

5/4/2018 - avp wrote:

Huge rust and blood character on the nose upon opening. As well as a load of leather and brooding black tobacco. With time these go down and other things emerge. After a couple of hours the nose is clean with cherry to raspberry fruit with only minor peachy nuances suggesting age. Refined tobacco character, tea leaves, wood oil. Classy.
On the palate the wine doesn't change that much. Of course the more refined aroma profile changes the palate as well. But otherwise the palate is all about intense mouthwatering acidity, balanced (even if somewhat aged) fruit, dense tannins and saline overall feel. Long dusty earth finish with almost citrusy brightness carrying all through to the end. Rather vivacious, racy and lovely!

1/12/2020 - GNBB wrote:

Decanted 4 hours. Showing a little paling to rim. Intense nose full of rich black cherries, truffle & forest floor with cloves and a little fennel - has a real depth and intensity of flavours with acidity & funkiness. Palate is very full, ripe and intense - lots of deep black bramble, spice (cinnamon, clove), plenty of fine tannins with clear grip & lots of acidity lifting this wine. A very full and ripe wine but, after a long decant, certainly in its drinking zone now. This is an excellent Barolo which will age and develop further from here. Drinking now - 2030.

9/13/2019 - il_diavolo wrote:

Excellent normale level Barolo. Strawberry, spices, minerals - very trademark Burlotto, nearly transceding the vintage.

7/19/2019 - BSA Likes this wine:

Saw CT notes suggesting peak or past peak. It is clearly not. Needed 2 1/2 h to even open up. Dark cherries, ripe plums, Leather, nail polish remover, warm earth, card board. Slight bit of warmth in the finish. Medium finish. A bit dusty. Still some unresolved tannins. Suggest 3-4 years more cellaring. 92-93p.

7/24/2019 - UTPK wrote:

Needed one hour to open up. Not a very elegant nose but fully open and mature now. A blt heat and VA, also oak and wet iron. Not the elegant rose and tar of some more traditional producers. When I first blindtasted this among other modernists 10-12 years ago, this was one of the better ones. In the meantime, we have all rediscovered the traditional producers and unfortunately Scavino was very modern at this time. He has changed a few times. In 1990 this wine was amazing and I bet it will be good again in recent vintages, the terroir should warrant this.

5/12/2019 - NDLanoue Likes this wine:

12MAY19 at Enoteca Achilli: Wonderful deep ruby almost inky color; noses of dark fruit, black currant, and earthy undertones; strong dark red fruit, earth notes, and hints of leather and clove on the palate; still very young, but should age well; rating on both current profile and expected aging; highly recommend

4/20/2019 - ceadsearc Likes this wine:

Massolino parafada barolo 2004
The nose is a rather classic nose of almonds, truffles, and some banana.
On the palate, you get the usual sour cherries, nuts, but this one is a bit more full bodied and structured, offering some rounded sweetness, caramel, licorice, candy, orange peel, and almonds. It’s quite full bodied, structured and tannic. Relatively delicious. 93 points.

6/30/2019 - darrenv Likes this wine:

It's difficult to reconcile the recent notes here to what I experienced tonight. A friend brought this, (double decanted) to a restaurant and had it up against a BC Cab Sav of all things, with prime rib.
The nose was quite muted, at least for some time and the mouthfeel was good with juicy acidity and bright red fruit, like barely ripe cherry. I was thinking it would be something quite different and although it was actually getting better, which makes me think it either wasn't ready to drink, or didn't have nearly enough air, it didn't measure up to the cab sav. I'm tempted to say this probably wasn't fair and that had we tried this again tomorrow or the next day, it may have been a beauty. I've had sublime Super Tuscans and I can't help but think something's amiss here. When I see a date like 2033, I think this might have been in a dumb phase.

12/23/2018 - il_diavolo wrote:

Still very intensely coloured and penetrating black fruit nose. On the palate, smoke, ash, dust with black cherry and plums - but still a bit unevolved. Appears to need more timeto show complexity, but I have pulled down prior score a few points due to lack of development that I had predicted.

4/5/2019 - Callum's Corkers Likes this wine:

brief notes from a London tasting

Interesting wine with plenty of personality, but just an absolute raving bonkers RRPrice of £90. To me on the day £90 seems 50% over-priced. (Not all Fattoria Le Pupille wine's are this silly: their Poggio Argentato Toscana Bianco IGT is genuine value for money, £18 for an outstanding white wine.)

C.....dense red, light body.

N....great fruit, intense.

T....floury soft tannins, good length, lovely ripe fruit balanced with acidity, genuine quality, fins' off-dry. A Foodie style. Drink young, drink now.

VFM.....contemptuous, the £90 RRP a hilarious joke (if it was funny). Lovely wine but drinks like a £40 one.

2/15/2019 - acyso wrote:

Piedmont; 2/11/2019-2/15/2019 (Alba, Italy): At Barolofriends. Slightly worrying and advanced brownish colour, but the staff said that it was consistent with a bottle two days prior (consistently flawed?). At a higher-end restaurant, and if this bottle had cost more, I think I may have raised a bit more of a fuss, but in any case, we accepted it. Certainly a bit advanced, with some balsamic and very mild soy notes. Doesn't show much of the stern, black-fruited character of the vintage at all, and if I had had this blind, I probably would have gone to something like 1989 or 1985. The fruit did seem to pick up with more air, and as this got more air, it did seem to improve nicely. However, this isn't up to my expectations, but I'm not sure if it was due to this being an off bottle. It seems strange, seeing as how this bottle has (hopefully) travelled only 6 km or so.

1/18/2019 - SARED wrote:

Decant for 8 hours. Great aromatics when I decanted but venue consumed was not conducive to aromatics or the nose was more reticent. But I picked up smooth notes of rose, sweet rosewood, berries, a little mint. On the palate wow this was pure berries and cherries. Not overly tart and just a little sweet - so balanced red spectrum fruit. And so pure and light in the mouth, with very lively acidity and with enough fruit extract despite the lightness. A little green note makes it more interesting. Minor grip on the finish. A little austere and too fresh today, but this is going to be spectacular in 10 years. 92+ today. 93-95 with time, depending on how the acidity softens and integrates.

10/11/2018 - BrunelloBob wrote:

By the glass at Bin 228. Unknown how long this was open. Nice wine, much better than expected given the vintage.

9/7/2018 - acyso wrote:

Dinner at Pizzeria Bebu (Chicago, IL): This is a very fleshy and filled out bottle of chianti -- quite nice, really. Tons of earthy and herbal tones that are correct for the wine. There's a hint of brown spice that might indicate some oak to me (looking at my last note on this wine, it seems like I never figured out whether or not this bottling sees any oak). In any case, the palate is quite fleshed out and full, but with the necessary counterbalancing structure as well. Showing brilliantly.

3/15/2017 - forceberry wrote:

14% alcohol.

Very translucent, luminous and noticeably pale raspberry red color. Although Nebbiolo is often very pale in color, this wine is still surprisingly light in color for a Barolo. The nose is very expressive and sweet, but also somewhat odd and atypical for a Nebbiolo: in addition to this very sweet cherry aroma, there are very tropical aromas of exotic yellow fruits like apricots and pineapples, fruit candies, strawberry jam, some sweet fruit gummi candies, a little bit of marshmallows and a hint of brambly blackberry. The nose really feels surprisingly similar to a hot-climate new world Chardonnay or Sémillon with some jammy red fruits in the mix. There is definitely something enchanting and even somewhat attractive to this nose, but basically everyone in the tasting was very confused by the super-aromatic nose. The wine is rich, juicy and very ripe on the palate with supple, full body and almost sweet, fruit-forward flavors of sweet cocktail cherries, jammy red berries, some overripe strawberry, a little bit of sour cherry bitterness and a hint of cooked rose hips. The structure is pretty round and mellow with very round, modest-to-medium acidity and rather ripe and gentle medium tannins. The finish is very ripe and fruit-forward with sweet flavors of exotic spices, black cherries, some strawberry jam and a hint of blackberry marmalade. However, the tannins lend a moderately grippy, astringent touch to the aftertaste.

This was a very weird and unique Barolo. Not particularly in a bad way, although for my palate the wine was a bit too sweet and soft for comfort. What really surprised me and all the other people tasting the wine was its exuberant sweetness and very atypical aromatics: many people were wondering whether this was Barolo or some weird blend with some tropical white wine blended in. Once you got used to the atypical expression of the wine, it turned out pretty pleasant, but the relatively low, soft acidity made the wine feel a bit clumsy and cumbersome and exacerbating the overt sweetness of the very ripe fruit. As a unique, outside-the-box Barolo, this would've been very lovely, but it really would've called for bright, tangy acidity and more structured and grippier tannins. Now the softness made the wine come across as somewhat overripe, and although incredibly expressive and aromatically unique, unfortunately structurally rather blowzy. I guess macerating the grapes with the stems doesn't really benefit the wine, as usually the stems lower the acidity of the wine. I really love Burlotto's style with the other varieties, but if this is how the Barolos are, I think I will stick with the Freisa and Pelaverga wines which suited my palate much better.

6/6/2017 - Papies wrote:

Mature Premier & Grand Cru Chablis with Richard Brazier (Handford Wines, London): The nose points to its age but still the wine has an energy and vibrancy to it. Honey notes, light citrus, some evolution of the fruit of course and generally felt like a well aged well matured wine with energy to make it enjoyable. We would advice one drinks sooner than later. 91-92

4/23/2017 - bevetroppo Likes this wine:

Thoroughly modern Millie, but that's no reason not to like it. Nose full of cocoa, coffee, and ripe plummy fruit: almost like a Piedmontese merlot. Licorice, dark red fruits, tar, and good grippy tannins in the mouth. Very forward and inviting. If you enjoy this style of Barolo it's a great example. For me, I appreciate it but it's a little too eager to please, like an overanxious puppy. Good news is you can call it a puppy at age 7. There are plenty of dog years ahead.

Edit: please see the comment submitted by dbp. I am apparently dead wrong about this being a modern Barolo-the family follows very traditional practices. It clearly hit my palate in an intensely sweet and oak-inflected way that isn't explainable through what is said publicly about the way the wines are made, so I recommend you read other reviews for a more "balanced" perspective.

10/22/2016 - Papies wrote:

Annual Pilgrimage to Piedmont - 2016 Edition; 10/21/2016-10/23/2016 (Piedmont, Italy): From a beautiful magnum (Only bottled in magnums in great years) and was decanted for a good half hour.
Among our favorites of the trip and a great find as we never really look to Spinetta for Barolos. A real eyeopener and a great recommendation from the sommelier of Ciau del Tornavento.
The big vintage here helps, good layered fruit , lots of depth and vibrant. Rich yet balanced core wit dark fruits, cherries, light tar. Still a bit of puppy fat from the oak but compliments the wine well and gives it a nice depth and roundness. Very solid wine and with good life ahead of it. 95

11/13/2015 - JulianSkeels Likes this wine:

Decanted for 2hrs and drank over the following 2hrs. This already drinks wonderfully. I can't relate to many of the CT notes below (e.g. soaring aroma), but this has a lovely combination of density, mouthfeel and acidity to make it a pleasure to drink - but it needs food at the moment. There are tannins, but the sweetness and acidity counters them. Really opened up in the glass, then became somewhat dumb after 2hrs. I'm struggling for any specific taste/smell descriptors, but still enjoyed this enough to give it 93pts based on current drinking - mostly for the mouthfeel/balance. It will improve for sure, but it is not in the same league as the 2010 (I have not tried my 2004 or 2006s yet) and since it's great value this will continue to be one of my go-to pizza wines for the next year. I doubt I will cellar my cases for more than another 3-4yrs.

7/5/2014 - David Paris (dbp) wrote:

Five days in Barolo: A visit at Bartolo Mascarello (Barolo, Pedimont): This was a warm vintage, not hot, but very similar to 2007. Alan commented it has more acidity than 2007. He thinks this needs 2-3 years in bottle to reach peak, and then will drink well for 10-15 years. "This is a restaurant Barolo... if you see it on the list, decant it and drink it."

Rich, thick and creamy rose hips on the nose. Pretty imposing minerality, but overall the aromas are nice and soft. Nice fruit on the palate attack, offering a soft creamy texture. The wine is primarily expressive of its structure at current. The finish offers very smooth tannins and a very rich expression. I am amazed at how soft this wine is, with none of the gritty young tannins expected of a young Barolo; quite ripe tannins. This is certainly tightly wound, but should probably be a nice earlier maturing Mascarello.

8/21/2014 - il_diavolo wrote:

Possibly the blackest wine i recall having from tuscany. Not a good start. However the nose comes alive - black fruit and distinct wild herbs that transport you to tuscany. No native grapes, but lots of tuscany anyway here. On palate the oak is still present, with blackberry and again that tuscan earth and herbs. A serious wine, not like some flabby vintages of past Orenos. The best Oreno ever (but I have rarely loved it so take that praise with a pinch of salt). 93+

5/25/2014 - David Paris (dbp) wrote:

Five Cappellano Baroli with Piedmont inspired cuisine: Poured alongside the '06 Pie Franco. Initially this was showing some aromas of stinky feet, but luckily this did wind up blowing off. However, nothing aromatically really developed. I was surprised how muted this remained throughout the night no matter how many times I went back to smell it. The palate was more expressive, and enters immediately puckering, with very clean red fruit expressed. Quite tart, with building fruit as its held on the palate. Lovely layers of fruit open up the longer its held. The finish immediately slams you with tannins, but if you can see through that, you then get beautiful fruit. Very lovely, soft fruit, but wow those tannins are massive! Perhaps the "coolest" tasting of the night.

3/19/2014 - hrazdiiv wrote:

I liked this wine but not for the same reason I typically like Barolo - this is by far the oakiest wine I've tasted from Piemonte in quite some time. So it's reminiscent of a lighter California Cabernet and if you're looking for typical Barolo notes of black licorice and earth you will not find it here. Nice structure to it, good finish but agree with the previous post that the wine did not evolve over the course of the evening. Interesting that the winemaker claims it was aged in large casks; I find that hard to believe it did not receive some oak treatment during aging.

11/9/2013 - Dave Canada wrote:

Super Tasting 6 of 6 - Greg's Brunello Dinner (Greg's House - Kitchener, ON): Tasted blind
This is very reduced….tar, rubber and animal dominate the nose. The palate is extracted with so little typicity and way too much oak…this could be any varietal. The finish is simple.
I don't understand this producer. The Brunello scandal has really changed their wines….they have been forced to use 100% sangiovese (as opposed to the pre-2004 vintages where I think they were blending in cab and merlot) and their terroir just cannot support it. They then try to mask the deficiencies with way too much new oak. Ugh….yuck.

11/1/2013 - Giggs wrote:

Breeders' Cup XXX; 11/1/2013-11/2/2013: Decanted 4 hours. Very masculine nose, lots of Merlot character, alluring, deep black cherry, coffee, and clay. Expansive palate has features similar notes, nice texture to the fruit, still youthful but certainly in its window. Excellent.

4/1/2012 - il_diavolo wrote:

Beautiful brunello. Drinking nicely with lots of red fruit, especially cherry and strawberry. Also a touch of french oak on the finish. I would have scored it higher had there been any hint of the non fruit aromas that i appreciate in the more complete brunellos, particularly smoke and smoked meat. Still these could emerge yet and could be even better then. 92+

4/14/2010 - il_diavolo wrote:

slightly disappointing in its closeness. may not have given it enough air but it was just good enough and I was expecting great - restrained would be a good description. leave for 3-5 years or open in the morning would be my guess.

7/19/2013 - JulianSkeels Likes this wine:

Excellent wine. Much more classically styled Graves wine than I expected – lots of tobacco on the nose. The mid-palate still needs to flesh out somewhat, but should come with another 5yrs in bottle. Good balance. Really liked this, but seems fully-valued at the current market price.