February 1, 2024 - We let it open for 30 mins while I made a pasta dish with guanciale and sausage. The wine’s soft tannins, cherry, berry, tar, and leather accents along with a long finish was absolutely delicious. Paired perfectly with the meats and pasta.
December 22, 2023 - The nose was very high pitched and had this stewed pruney/honey notes which reminded me of a CDP from the stables of E. Reynaud. Actually liked the nose quite a bit because of this. The palate though, was mechanical, and lacked the soulfulness/rusticity from the best expressions of Nebbiolo. Really clean, polished and glossy. Bright cherry fruit, powerful, massive tannin and alcohol aplenty.
December 21, 2023 - Piedmont theme: Not quite sure how this made it into the line-up but immediately felt this was outclassed; simple and drank like an entry-level compared to the other wines on the night. Ridiculous mark-up by a Singaporean retailer that I avoid like the plague. Most guessed this to be older, thought it was ‘08 myself. Apparently this is a traditional producer but felt modern with the plummy dried fruit and extracted notes.
July 22, 2023 - 100% Nebbiolo from a 35-yo parcel in the Gramolere cru in Monforte d'Alba. Fermented and macerated with the skins for 30 to 40 days. Aged for approximately 3 years in old botti casks, then blended together and left to marry for a few months in concrete tanks. 14% alcohol.
Quite deep, dark and only slightly translucent blood-red color. The nose feels rather ripe and somewhat dark-toned with bold aromas of sweet black cherries, some licorice root, a little bit of brambly black raspberry, light gamey notes of meat, perfumed hints of dried flowers and potpourri and a touch of fresh red plums. The wine feels ripe yet dry and savory on the palate with a full body and quite bold flavors of sour cherries and tart lingonberries, some gravelly earthy tones, a little bit of tobacco, light oxidative nuances of beef jerky or salt-cured port, a hint of ripe cranberry and a touch of peppery spice. The overall feels is pretty stern and structured, thanks to the high acidity and quite grippy yet not tough or aggressive tannins. The finish is dry and grippy with a long and quite intense aftertaste of sour cherries, some crunchy cranberries, a little bit of gravelly minerality, light tart notes of lingonberries, a hint of tobacco and an oxidative touch of beef jerky.
A classically styled, rather structure-driven and somewhat bold yet still very harmonious single-vineyard Barolo. I felt somewhat surprised how the wine was starting to show some evolved, subtly oxidative tones already now, as most 2013 Barolos I've tasted have still been super youthful and still miles away from their optimal drinking window. I wouldn't say this wine is peaking now - and probably it needs still many more years to reach its apogee - but nevertheless the wine felt somewhat more advanced than what I expected. Although the wine was somewhat dark-toned and more fruit-driven than austere, I really don't understand how multiple tasting notes have described the wine coming across as more modern rather than traditional. To me, this feels pretty much traditional - if only somewhat ripe-fruited. But that should be nothing new in the 2010's and 2020's.
May 27, 2023 - Perfumed nose of rose petals and some tar. On the palate this is subtle and refined. It’s clearly a well made wine. Not a lot of complexity and lacks some of the excitement that I so often associate with the Nebbiolo grape.
February 13, 2023 - Big and expressive nose. Manure and tar really come through. At first it’s almost a bit too much but as the wine gets some air it begins to balance out.
A good wine that should be at its best in 3-5 years.
November 6, 2022 - WA: 93
JS:94
November 2, 2022 - Amazing-
October 4, 2022 - This is a nice fruit forward barolo. Decanted 90 minutes and enjoyed from a Sensory glass over two hours. The perfume is somewhat reticent. The palate shows a good structure of fine, persistent tannins, and the oak is judiciously applied. The fruit is ripe, maybe a little muddled. This bottle may have been slightly too warm at some point during its transportation because I remember this being a fresher wine. If you have some of these in your cellar, there is no harm in opening some today. It will probably develop some more mushroom and forest floor notes, but this seems to have limited upside from my point of view.
September 23, 2022 - Color still deep purple without bricking. Some rose and cedar on nose. Tannins unresolved and lacks tertiary development or complexity. Likely will improve in next few years.