February 16, 2024 - JKoenen nailed it in his 18/9/2023 note. Cork came out as if it had been bottled a year ago. Just wonderful with lots of stuffing and cherryfruit. Will go on for a few more years. Great without being too heavy.
September 18, 2023 - This is a wonderful Barbaresco, in its prime!
There's good stuffing, lovely acidity, restrained power and ripe tannines. All about balance.
CHerryfruit, dusty spices and herbs, flowers and sandalwood, hints of ink/tar.
August 19, 2023 - 100% Nebbiolo from the Bric Balin cru, located immediately south from the village of Barbaresco, planted in 1971 and 1985. Aged for at least 18 months in French oak barriques (70% new). 14,5% alcohol. Tasted blind.
Somewhat translucent and moderately evolved pomegranate color with a slightly syrupy-brown hue. The nose feels sweet, dark-toned and slightly oaky with aromas of licorice and ripe black cherries, some evolved gamey tones, a little bit of toasty mocha oak, light plummy notes of dark fruits, a woody hint of savory oak spice, a touch of tar and a boozy whiff of alcohol. The wine feels evolved and velvety yet pretty firm and structured on the palate with a rather full body and lush, moderately oak flavors of licorice and toasty mocha oak, some ripe black cherry tones, a little bit of juicy dark plum, light evolved nuances of gamey meat, a hint of tar and a touch of woody oak spice. The high acidity and ample, grippy tannins lend a rather stern and muscular overall feel to the wine. The finish is long, grippy and quite dark-toned with a brooding, somewhat sweet-toned aftertaste of toasty mocha oak and milk chocolate, some woody notes of savory oak spice, a little bit of tar, light sweetly-fruited nuances of juicy black cherries and dark plums, a hint of licorice root and an evolved touch of meaty umami.
An impressively structured and tightly-knit but still noticeably toasty and modern Barbaresco where the oak is still very much to the fore, even after almost 20 years. The wine is evolving in the right direction, but I feel it's quite hard to identify any varietal characteristics from this wine, as most of them are quite overwhelmed by the woody notes. I could identify the wine as a Nebbiolo, but it was mainly due to its rather translucent appearance, high acidity and ample tannins; not because of the aromatics. This is a pretty serious and structure-driven effort for a modernist Barbaresco, but stylistically not really my cuppa.
February 28, 2022 - Stewed, again. Bought at auction 4 years ago. Must have been stored badly or transported at some point poorly.
March 22, 2021 - Clear light red with definite browning. Medium intense tar, violet, shiitake and black cherry nose. Dry herbal plum flavours and a dry still a bit tannic finish.
Not showing as a modern Barbaresco at this point. Even though the acid hasn’t taken over the finish yet, it is probably time to drink these up.
February 15, 2021 - Stewed. Cooked? Bad storage?
April 16, 2020 - Nice wine. Smooth and balanced. Nice acidity. Drank these two years ago and forgot to remove.
November 18, 2019 - Did not decant. Aired in glass for about 60 minutes before starting on it. No sediment to speak of, lots of bricking. Then enjoyed over the next couple of hours. Pretty and robust at the same time - the nose is really tarry, but on the palate there is lots of red fruit, slightly tart, to go along with it and a bit of floral hints. There is something about the texture that makes me want to call it oily - not sure what - texture but not flavor. Kind of spicy on the finish.
July 5, 2019 - Abbreviated notes - Medium ruby with mahogany notes, gorgeous nose, palate is a point - still a bit of friendly grip - juicy, lovely. In a great spot but no big rush.
March 7, 2019 - Rose petal and strawberry on the nose. On the palate, dried cherry, strawberry, and roses with notes of blueberry and leather, with light tannins and good acidity on the medium finish. This bottle had significant sediment and needed decanting for that, but it didn't need air; it's in its drinking window, and it's likely to stay there for some years. This is a classic mid-weight Barbaresco, and it was an excellent value at about $40. More recent vintages are only slightly more expensive.