Community Tasting Notes 61

• olemski wrote: 89 points

  April 6, 2024 - Dark colour for a Barbaresco this age. The wine is an ostensive definition of harmony in a Nebbiolo. There is nothing that sticks out, even though the structure is unmistakably Nebbiolo. Harmony throughout, and a truly excellent wine. Now I regret not having bought newer vintages, but let's not forget that not all of the wines - even bottles - turn out as well as this. I had a bottle of this earlier in the year (not mine), and that was in no way as harmonious as this.

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• Kemo Sabe Likes this wine: 91 points

  March 31, 2024 - Solid Barby. Give it some air if possible. Still young and could use some more bottle time. Fairly primary still but with some air starting to get those notes of red and dark fruit, spice, soil and some anise. Tannins are softerning there is good acidity here. Doesnt have the depth of other producer nor does it come with the price.

  Comment

• forceberry wrote: 90 points

  April 25, 2023 - The fruit is sourced from the Asili vineyard. Released only after a minimum of four years of aging. Bottle #4,911 of total 10,000 bottles. Lot number L8.158. 14% alcohol.
  
  Deep, luminous and moderately translucent cherry-red color. The nose feels open, fragrant and very slightly funky with aromas of ripe cherries and pipe tobacco, some wizened dark berries, a little bit of strawberry, light fragrant aromas of orange rind, somewhat evolved hints of raisiny fruit and balsamic VA, a touch of licorice and a faint bretty whiff of bretty leather and phenolic spice. The wine feels ripe and concentrated yet dry on the palate with a rather full body and intense flavors of black cherries, some stony mineral notes, a little bit of crunchy red plum, light metallic notes of rusty iron, a hint of leathery funk and a slightly bitter touch of phenolic spice. The wine feels quite tightly-knit with its medium-to-moderately high in acidity with assertive, grippy tannins. The finish is juicy. dark-toned and grippy with an intense, lengthy aftertaste of ripe black raspberries, some stony minerality, a little bit of tart red plum, light metallic notes of rusty iron, a hint of sour cherry bitterness and a touch of leathery funk.
  
  After 2004 PdB Montestefano and Rabajà, this Asili feels slightly different in nature: it feels slightly more ripe and darker-toned in nature, showing lower acidity and more pronounced tannins than the other two wines (the contrast is especially stark after the supple, approachable tannins of Rabajà). Although I like my Nebbiolo with high acidity, this still could've been a very lovely and impressive Barbaresco - if it weren't for the slightly metallic taste that peeks through the fruit every once in a while, distracting from pleasure. I suspect it has something to do with the faint touch of brett that lends a slightly leathery and subtly bitter phenolic feel to the wine (something that Montestefano or Rabajà didn't show). This is still a terrific and enjoyable wine that is still very youthful, showing good potential for further aging - but it feels that in 2004 Asili wasn't a complete success; although I'm sure there must be some bottle variation going on, since you really can't trust a wine showing a little bit of brett to be identical to another bottle of the same wine...

  Comments (2)

• chitowncdpguy wrote:

  April 3, 2023 - What a tremendous bottle of wine! All about the minerals now. Some tar flavors, perhaps some floral, but that might just be the power of suggestion in looking at the label. Very crisp with a long finish. It took about 3 hours to open up.

  Comment

• aajder wrote: 93 points

  March 21, 2023 - Great color, substantial fading. The nose shows aromas of dark cherry, pipe tobacco, flowers, leather, and minerals. This is almost full bodied on the palate with excellent concentration and excellent class. The fairly long finish features a saline note. Delicious.

  1 person found this helpful Comment

Pro Reviews 4

Wine Definition

• Vintage 2004
• Type Red
• Producer Produttori del Barbaresco
• Varietal Nebbiolo
• Designation Riserva
• Vineyard Asili
• Country Italy
• Region Piedmont
• SubRegion Langhe
• Appellation Barbaresco
• UPC Code 665529001541

Community Holdings

• Pending Delivery 2 (0%)
• In Cellars 666 (65%)
• Consumed 350 (34%)

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