March 8, 2024 - Lunch at Noizé: Mid ruby tending to full garnet. A lot more youthful with good fruit in a mildly structural frame. Another gorgeous wine with such a strong familial resemblance to the 04 and 01. *****
February 19, 2024 - (Tasted unblind) black cherry, tar, rose comes out more with a bit of air. Really classic Barolo, with a bit more density of fruit. High acid but not the searing high that you sometimes get in Barolo. A bitter herbal edge to the finish. Still feels very fresh and youthful, likely has many more good years ahead. Paired well with a lamb neck ragu.
February 8, 2024 - decanted for 4 hours. dark garnet in color. a fairly muted nose of cherry and rose. on the palate, the wine shows sweet cherry, raspberry and strawberry. the tannins are somewhat resolved and the acidity is still quite high. linear across the palate with a long finish. wonderful mouthfeel and phenolic ripeness. drinking beautifully but surprisingly still primary. not a lot of secondary characteristics at this point which was somewhat disappointing. if you have any of this, give it another 5 to 10 years before you open the bottle.
January 26, 2024 - Decanted for half an hour. Really opened in the glass to a powerful yet elegant and intense wall of sweet cherry, strawberry, leather, menthol. Near-monolithic and intensely long finish. After another hour some hints of age emerge but this remained bright and youthful but still drinkable. Beautiful pairing to homemade mushroom and truffle risotto. Drink now with air or hold. 94+/100
November 6, 2023 - Tasted from magnum a few weeks after I tasted a great bottle from 750ml, this bottle of '07 was difficult to understand. At times, it appeared glorious with classic Monprivato aromatics of sweet red berry fruit, mint, and red florals, while the palate was full of sweet red fruit and very finessed with fine grained tannins, and the wine appeared a bit more primary than the 750ml from a few weeks ago. At other times, the wine basically disappeared in the glass, clenched and unexpressive. The bottle was decanted for sediment in the late afternoon and we drank it over a few hours at dinner. A bit of wine left in the bottle two days later was again fantastic, with really sweet red fruit and floral notes.
November 4, 2023 - 2023 Barolothon; 11/3/2023-11/10/2023: This was a strong showing from a producer I don't have a lot of experience with. This had more depth compared to the other wines served this evening, but there was so much going on that it made the wine confusing and didn't allow some of the elements to shine through. There were interesting layers of purple Crayola marker in the aroma with hints of powdered dark cocoa on the palate. This was attempting to go deep while staying light on its feet at the same time. A very, very interesting wine that has all the pieces to be a showstopper, but it also has too many pieces, which make it somewhat confusing. Nonetheless, it was very enjoyable and one of the better performing wines of the weekend! 95-96
October 17, 2023 - Vinous Piedmont Icons Dinner @ Legacy Records (Legacy Records, NYC): The '07 Monprivato was stunning and a reminder of how seductive the best '07s are. The nose was so sweet and perfumed, with dark red berry fruit, red and violet floral tones, licorice, menthol, and orange peel. On the palate, the wine has a bit of the richness and sweetness of the vintage, but it's still balanced. I found hard-candy like, very sweet red fruits, licorice, roasted meats, and orange peel. It is very smooth with fine grained tannins, while acidity is medium to high, contributing freshness despite the richness / concentration.
The '07 Monprivato can likely age well for a decade or more, but I see no reason to wait. While the '07 Francia may still be on the ascent, the Monprivato seems to me to be at about peak.
August 13, 2023 - Pre ordered at a restaurant and they opened the bottle 12 hours in advance. Right out of the gate this wine is in a great spot. Translucent color and the nose was screaming roses, strawberries, bits of tar and baking spices. In such great balance and was just a joy to drink. I don’t know how but it just kept getting better and better as it sat in the glass. A real silky drink in a great spot. I passed buying the ‘07’s and maybe with this wine it was a mistake but don’t think this will have a really long life, but a real joy to drink for the next 10 years.
June 13, 2023 - Consistent with previous tasting note. This is much more forward and ready than any other '07 Barolo I've had to date. Still significant tannins on the finish, but more of the "bracing" variety than the "wall of pain" variety. The soft texture and ample fruit on the attack and midpalate are likely contributing to that impression. In any case, if you have a bottle to spare, might be worth popping one with 2-3 hours of airtime.
May 6, 2023 - Flannery and a trio of 2007 Barolos (My place, Portland OR): The nose is nuanced and perfumed with strawberries, red cherries, licorice, violets, herbs, raspberries, wild flowers, sweet tobacco, tar, and juniper berries. The nose is so deep and heady as it leans deep into the red spectrum for the tones. The Full bodied feel is elegant and long with crisp, high acidity and silky, high tannins. This needed about 7 hours to fully open up. It’s still clearly primary and a bit shy, but very drinkable if proper air is given. This was a real pretty and refined Monprivato that has plenty of life ahead.