Community Tasting Notes 6

• Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine: 96 points

  May 22, 2023 - Still have a bit of a head cold but I was cooking rack of lamb so there you go. PnP - the nose is killer and the palate is good but the finish is showing a bit hot so I cooled it down for like 30 min in the fridge. Now it’s rocking. The nose is perfumed and classic with tons of roses, sweet cherries, orange peel, stones, green herbs, a bit of spices - cinnamon with a touch of leather for texture. The palate is silky and spicy, good acid and grip, a bit big, almost verging on hot (listed at 15%) but cooled down it holds together. Cherries and stones, spices, herbs, leather, a bit meaty. Raw and wild with some sauvage. The finish is burly and spicy with rough tannins and an almost marzipan nutty seeetness - a real mouthful. Lovely and unique. Thanks to Thesternowl for his inspiring review. Cheers! Nose - 5.5/6, Palate - 5.5/6, Finish - 4.5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1.5/2 = 17/20.

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• thesternowl wrote: 95 points

  May 14, 2023 - Oh. My. Goodness. I recently made a comment on another tasting note for a 2018 Barolo; pointing out that great producers made killer, classic wines in 2018. This is an even more remarkable example. Popped and poured; consumed over two days. Day 1 had the most beautiful aromatics; Day 2 brought the power. Both brought illumination. This was my first experience with Olek Bondonio. The wine pours a gorgeous, pale garnet color with a transparent core. No obvious staining of the tears. Medium+ viscosity and no signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is intense. A mix of red and dark fruit: Morello cherry, blackberries and positively redolent of roses. There is more, however. Perfumed scents of cedar, dried green herbs and dry earth can be smelled from across the table as the wine sits in the glass. Seriously, my 16 year-old son asked what smelled so good from across the dinner table. I asked him to smell the glass and he said, “yep…that’s it!”. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes on the nose. On Day 1, the wine came across lighter and more Burgundian. On Day 2 it filled out; becoming darker…and bigger with an almost chewy texture. It finishes with a flourish and in a way that only Piemonte can do. It makes an impression. In this case, I’m now a fiend for it. This is a fabulous expression of the Roncagliette MGA. Drink now with patience or enjoy over the next 20 years.

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• Tubulus wrote:

  April 25, 2022 - Young and inscrutable.

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• MC2 Wines Likes this wine:

  December 1, 2021 - Return to Piemonte!; 11/25/2021-12/4/2021 (Castello di Sinio, Alba, other various locations): From the list at Piazza Duomo. The first bottle was corked and the somm nix’ed it immediately. The second bottle was drinking just fine. It’s a young wine. This producer somewhat reminds me of Luca from a few years ago when he was good and moving towards great which is a compliment because his wine is one of my most favorites. This is early version so the complexity hasn’t completely gotten there. But the wine is pure and clean and bright fruit and very nice. We tried incredibly hard to visit and alas it was not to be, but perhaps we’ll fine our way sometime in the future. (He seems to share with Luca an affinity for the unresponded to e-mail and in that way I’d be happy to have them diverge a bit in approach :-)).

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• skurtz Likes this wine: 90 points

  May 16, 2021 - From the enoteca, my '18 comparison tasting. First time with this producer. Opened to breathe for 2-4h. Pale translucent in the glass. Lively nose of roses, violets, potting soil, baking spices, cinnamon, hints of white pepper. On the palate, after two hours, lots of red fruit, tar, tannins, earth, a bit of a disjointed brute. 88/89 on day 1. On day 2, the nose shut down and the palate was a solid wall of dry tannins (86/87). On day 3, it is at last ready for business, the wine has integrated nicely, the nose has lost some of its beauty on day 1, less floral, more spices and alcohol. The palate has soft red and black fruit, tar, tannins, and nicely balanced acidity. 89/90 on Day 3.
  
  I'm really expecting a lot from a barbaresco at this price point. Blow my socks off like Paitin or dazzle me with your subtle intellectual brilliance like Marchesi di gresy's martinenga. I agree with Forceberry's CT review, needs way more time to show its best. I only purchased this to scope out the '18 barbaresco vintage, and it does not deliver without a lot of coaching. Even after waiting for 3 days, it is a good Barbaresco, but I can't say - one way or another - if it will be great, at least as far as my palate preferences are concerned. Not straightforward. Won't be ordering more.

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Pro Reviews 2

Wine Definition

• Vintage 2018
• Type Red
• Producer Olek Bondonio
• Varietal Nebbiolo
• Designation Roncagliette
• Vineyard n/a
• Country Italy
• Region Piedmont
• SubRegion Langhe
• Appellation Barbaresco

Community Holdings

• Pending Delivery 36 (11%)
• In Cellars 245 (73%)
• Consumed 54 (16%)

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