January 27, 2024 - Brief note written from memory. Rich and full in 2011 style, but not over-ripe. Plenty of body and sappy concentration. Red and black plums and cherries, tar, char and earth. Spherical tannins and seamless mouthfeel. Sufficient acidity and some secondary nuance. A good, but not a great, Vigna Elena. No hurry to drink but not a long term cellar proposition. Drink by say 2035.
August 9, 2023 - Initially very tarry/burnt rubber. Blew off, still tarry, violet pastilles, some mint, complex and attractive.
Rich black fruit, buffering massive very fine tannins.
Against the voerzio i initally thought this the inferior wine but with air it’s a close call. Voerzio is without doubt more elegant at this stage though.
January 10, 2022 - The dominant expression on the nose here is definitely tar, this is extremely black fruited. The palate is similarly dark, though there's some bitterness on the tannins of what is otherwise a pretty smooth wine - 2011s aren't exactly shut down. On day two this develops a slightly redder fruit profile with a bit more rose petal, but the palate doesn't really come into any more focus - it's smooth and a touch more fruit but not particularly complex. By day 3 we're back into full on tar but the palate is now clearly past its best - this is not a wine for the long haul. The palate does have that touch of mint that verges close to cigarettes. Not the most inspiring effort, but hardly unreasonable for the mediocre vintage. Valter Fissore clearly thought enough of the 2011 vintage to produce the Vigna Elena, so perhaps I'll be proven wrong in the long run.
June 12, 2021 - Orange, cucumber, cured meats. Palate is balanced, sweet fruit, long finish. Nice
April 16, 2021 - The wine is produced only in good enough years with fruit from a subplot in the Ravera Cru planted exclusively to Nebbiolo Rosè - which has turned out to be not a clone of Nebbiolo, but actually an offspring of Nebbiolo, i.e. a distinct variety altogether. This is one of the very few Barolo wines - if not the only one - made exclusively from Nebbiolo Rosè. Fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel, followed by a month of post-fermentative skin maceration using the submerged cap method. Aged for three years in old 5000-liter Slavonian oak botti, then for 2 years in bottles. 15% alcohol. Double decanted, enjoyed over 2.5 hours.
Dark, slightly translucent black cherry color with a deep, subtly evolved brick-red hue. Quite expressive and heady nose with aromas of particularly typical of Nebbiolo: notes of sweet cassis, juicy dark plums and some wizened figs, followed by notes of old leather, light fragrant nuances of exotic spices, a hint of tar and a touch of roasted meat. I had heard Nebbiolo Rosè was supposed to have a very floral nose, but while quite fragrant, the aromas here reminded me more of Bordeaux or Cabernet-driven Bordeaux blends rather than Barolo The wine is ripe, moderately full-bodied and slightly warm on the palate, but not particularly weighty or extracted in any way. Slightly sweet-toned flavors of wizened blackcurrants, licorice and dried figs, some sour cherry bitterness, a little bit of exotic spice, light strawberry tones, a hint of tar and a touch of subtly bitter cacao nibs. Although the wine shows a good deal of ripeness, it also sports terrific freshness with its bright, high acidity - which stands in stark contrast to the description of Nebbiolo Rosè being a variety lower in acidity than Nebbiolo. The tannins feel sparse - less ample and powdery than feels typical for a Barolo - but also somewhat coarse with quite a bit of grip and grit to them. The finish is ripe, quite warm and quite grippy with a long aftertaste of ripe cassis, sour cherries, some meaty umami, a little bit of sweet plummy fruit, light licorice tones, savory hints of old leather, pepper and exotic spices and a sweeter touch of soft strawberry.
A somewhat weird experience for a Barolo. I knew this was going to be Nebbiolo Rosè and not Nebbiolo, but the wine was still quite distinctively unlike what I've grown to associate with a Barolo - the wine seemed to lack many typical qualities of a Nebbiolo, and with its somewhat blackcurrant-ish fruit character it reminded me at times more of a Bordeaux blend than a Barolo. Despite this atypical nature, this was unquestionably a great, balanced wine that was drinking really nicely at the moment and is probably going to improve for another 10 years or so. Nevertheless, this might not really be what I'd expect from a Barolo of this price point; at 71,90€ I feel the wine is simply a bit too pricey for its quality.
April 16, 2021 - Double decanted, enjoyed over 2.5 hours. The nose is surprisingly dark fruited and polished with very distinct cassis (Margaret River Cab, anyone?) at the forefront. Somewhat floral as well, but it is mostly a tarry note that hints at Piemonte. Generous and expressive with an attractive dark chocolate note, not one bit closed at this relatively youthful stage. On the palate fairly full bodied with rich, ripe and chewy dark fruit that is quite unlike that of any other Barolo. Sleek on the entry, midway through the tannins kick in powerfully but in a large-grained way without the typical tight grip. Lots of oomph with some warmth on the finish, although still not exactly screaming hot year. A very confusing wine - it’s not bad in any way but anyone hoping for a typical Barolo experience will be disappointed. However if you said this was from Australia I would probably respond saying it’s the best Aussie I’ve had.
November 19, 2020 - Scotty Shear's Bodacious Barolo's (Basser's): Bright red-ruby color and a beautifully perfumed nose with high toned red fruits and red licorice on the nose. Well integrated on the palate but can go for many more years. Finished 3 of 6 with the group.
February 1, 2019 - Youthful appearance. Light and pale red, but bright and vibrant. Strawberry syrup, sandalwood, menthol and wood smoke on the nose. Wonderful purity and transparency. Lots of complexity over time, subtle rather than in your face, with impressions of fig, christmas pudding, frangipane and sour cherry. Initially tightly coiled but impressively structured and full flavoured. The tannins are very present but finely textured. Extremely long finish, lingering sweetly in the mouth
September 9, 2018 - Dinner at Ristorante Moda, Monforte d’Alba: An elegant, somewhat Pinot-like bouquet of red cherries, raspberries, spices and dry brushwood with a top note of rose perfume. Almost a sweet-seeming entry to the palate. Succulent, crunchy red cherry and berry fruit. The acids provided good focus and balance with the silky smooth tannins. Complexity was provided by just a touch of dried herb, tobacco, rusty development. “For me, this wine has just the secondary development I want, I don’t want more”, said Thierry. Certainly, it was lovely on the night … Finishing appropriately dry, long and mineral. Sensational with both my Tarajin and Guinea Fowl dishes. I preferred it over the very good Massolino. Notwithstanding its early accessibility, I’d imagine it’d cellar for 20+ years, easily.
September 3, 2018 - Really excellent. Had enough stuffing to age 20 more years, yet had the balance and generosity to drink well today...with a steak! There is nice acid and plenty of superfine tannin on the finish. But the fruit right now is round and juicy. This was a birthday gift meant to be consumed the night of...otherwise I would have tucked it away for years! But it was delicious.