September 18, 2022 - The '05 Gavarini is a dark, spicy wine, similar to the '06 I tasted last week. Compared to that '06, this '05 appears to have a bit more acidity, less tannin, and a slightly redder fruit tone.
On the nose, I found dark red cherry fruit, menthol, licorice, smoke, and sweet spices. On the palate, the wine was medium bodied with high acidity and a bit of a savory, earthy expression with sweet spices, mint, dark red cherry, earth, and a touch of iron. The acid is very high, standing out as a bit much in my opinion, while the tannins are present with a slightly grainy, drying mouth feel towards the back end, but definitely more subdued than the very tannic 2006.
This is a good wine, albeit like the 2006, comes across as a bit rustic in terms of the flavor profile and the tannin profile compared to the more recent vintages of Grasso.
July 17, 2022 - Brought to a restaurant, pnp. Lovely, complete wine, excellent with food (artisanal pizzas). Crunchy earth red fruited nose and palate, earthy and mineral long finish. Good balance. I was quite impressed with this wine, very good quality for the vintage and in a good place. Still showed a bit of tannin that was fine with the meal, will be good for a decade or more.
March 10, 2022 - Opened and decanted for about 2 hours, but definitely needed a whole day. Pale garnet in the glass. Aromatic, very soft - aromas of dried strawberries (those little forest ones), rhubarb, twigs, shiitake mushrooms & violets. Palate is smooth with just a slight grip of tannins and a blasting high acidity. Doesn’t change much in the glass throughout the night, but nonetheless still offers great value. Just a charcuterie plate is enough here, let the wine do the talking.
November 27, 2021 - Not quite sure what to make of this wine. On the nose, ridiculously phenolic with notes of chocolate and iodine. On the palate, very tannic - completely coats the mouth. Needs a lot of time to open. Inaccessible on first pour.
September 17, 2021 - Significant fine sediment in last 3oz despite standing up for months. Medium ruby with age-appropriate bricking for nebbiolo; aromatic, red and black cherry, slight spice and floral; palate is light-medium bodied, medium-plus acidity, medium alcohol (14%), red cherry, medium-plus tannins; finish is medium length. At least when initially opened, this is a balanced wine with all the pieces in place, perhaps a bit of a darker styled Barolo with slightly more mouthfeel though not at all heavy and not showing any extra alcohol. Seems consistent with the style of Monforte (quite high end), at early maturity. One of the better 2005s I've had. 90-91.
4 hours decanted: Aromatics more prominent with a clear spice component, excellent black and red cherry throughout; still smooth and elegant but the tannins show a bit more especially towards the finish; medium length finish. Improving, lovely balance, and will age for at least another 5-10 years. 91
7 hours after opening: unchanged from 4 hours. Balance is very good, complexity is good but not spectacular. Excellent value at $65 (bought at auction).
Day 2: tannins still a force in this wine but overall well balanced and still with good fruit. Early maturity is probably right, not likely to develop substantial additional complexity. 91
January 2, 2019 - Enjoyable. I feel like I should have decanted it for an hour or two - still pretty tight after an hour.
October 15, 2017 - Still so young, hallmark barolo
October 8, 2016 - Nose has floral notes.
Bright red cherry with strong acidity and chewy tannins. Good long finish.
May 26, 2016 - From magnum. Brilliant color, bright and clear. The nose was tight (as expected) upon opening, but after 2 hours of aeration in decanter, gentle red fruit, soil and mixed dark floral notes emerged. The palate is tight, but the flavors and textures are aligning nicely with the fresh vein of acids; this just needs more time in bottle, at least in this format. I've not had all that many Barolo wines from this vintage...maybe I need to pick some more up as the well-grown ones are showing some good structure.
Served non-blind; enjoyed in Monchiero
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April 17, 2016 - From memory: Lovely nose with hints of cherries, roses, marzipan, liquorish and subtle oak. Medium bodied and elegant – opens up somewhat after a few swirls of the glass, but is still less expressive than hoped for. Might be too early – I’ll let my last bottle sleep another three to four years (89-91 points).