February 2, 2024 - Vinous Monfortino Dinner with Roberto Conterno; 2/1/2024-2/2/2024 (Legacy Records, NYC): Tasting the '04 in a flight alongside the 1995, 1997, and 2000, it was clear that there was some evolution in the winery from 1995-2004. The 2004 was more elegant, especially in the tannins, and more pure than the preceding three wines. There's also simply a lot more fruit here despite not that big of a difference in age. I found this closed off, much more so than the last bottle I tasted, but showed beautiful pure red fruit, red roses, iron, and a hint of citrus peel. On the palate, it was medium to full in body with dark red, smoky fruit, iron, and fresh roses, with fantastic sweetness, and lots of tannin, but very fine grained. I was surprised by how reticent this wine was compared to the bottle I had in 2020, but the potential is high, and this bottle seems to mark a turning point in the winery's quality (not that the older bottles aren't great, but starting with the '04, the wines seem more polished).
October 16, 2023 - Rose, tar, violet and rubber.
January 28, 2023 - This was from a tasting pour generously shared from a 750 after a quick decant. After a brief sip I determined to let it breathe in my glass for an hour so, after which the palate began to match the evocative nose; this is a bruising and likely eternal wine, simultaneously perfumed and powerful, just beginning to flash layers of complexity (I would hold for a decade, had I any...)
October 1, 2022 - 50th Birthday Tasting (Vesterbro): Pure elegance and finesse with so much intensity that is completely mind blowing. The elegant red currant and strawberry fruit is laced with a refined tannin structure and an amazing depth while still maintaining its elegance. It is not a powerful wine but instead the intensity clearly dominates the wine and just lifts it to a very special level.
An absolutely stunning wine!
July 27, 2022 - Strong showing with modest but present tar and rose aromatics. Very integrated palate with refined tannins.
November 9, 2021 - Drank side-by-side with the 08' Monfortino, the 04' had a slight edge. Still quite young and fruit is pretty restrained, but more expressive than the 08 at this stage. I didn't give this any time to breathe, I would think that a few hours of air would be helpful next time.
November 22, 2020 - The '04 Monfortino opens with incredibly expressive, cool-toned, and deep aromatics. The nose was dark and showed off both sweet fruit and savory complexity, with a perfume of sweet dark red cherry fruit, tobacco, roses, purple / violet tones, and tar alongside fresh herbal tones and refreshing mint. Whether it's due to age or the vintage, compared to the '10 and '14 Monfortino, the fruit profile in the aromatics is darker and sweeter in the '04, with an exotic, hard candy like profile. On the palate, the wine is incredibly concentrated and dense, yet glides across the tongue like liquid silk, showing incredible finesse, with no perception of tannin. The wine enters with the core of incredibly sweet dark red fruit and some purple fruit tones, with some tobacco and fresh mint, gaining a bit more complexity as it moves towards the finish, adding just a hint of balsamic and smoke. The sweetness of the fruit and the sharp acidity level create an exotic profile that's really thrilling. The '04 Monfortino is the finest vintage of Monfortino I've yet to taste at this stage, slightly edging the '10, although time will tell as both develop secondary characteristics, which has yet to happen even for the '04. The '04 is very enjoyable now after a double decant in the morning, but clearly the best days lie far ahead.
September 17, 2019 - A mind-blowing wine of heroic proportions that is poised to be a legend.
Delicate, sweet perfume of Black Tea Leaves, Rose Petals, Sweet Tobacco, Leather and a Gravelly Minerality.
Effortless Power and Immense Structure. There is a purity of fruit that is elevated by the acid and round chewy tannins which creates an off the charts mouthfeel.
This is sexy and elegant Barolo. 97+
November 15, 2018 - Good wine but tannins still quite hard - needs time
November 17, 2017 - Wine for TJ Martell wine dinner on 11/16/17