This might be drying out a bit, so I'm inclined to drink up the rest of the bottles that I have. It still has a lot of life though. I let it breathe for about two hours before dinner, but to be honest the best sips came after dinner, so maybe an hour or 90 minutes later. Will keep that in mind.
This may not be the absolute best Barolo I've ever had, but for the price, it is quite good. It has an earthy, pure, unadulterated taste that is satisfying. It tastes like "the real thing," if that means anything.
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This is what aged Barolo should be. DerekDarth’s immediately prior note is spot on. Great pairing with take out osso buco from Stella Alpina. Stored in temp and humidity controlled cellar but cork was dry and crumbled. Nervous moment. Thankfully not corked. Probably had many years of life left if not for the weak cork. Long finish with bright acidity, even better after 2 hours of air. Delicious.
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AWE Piedmont tasting. Single blind. Drank in Grassl Cru. 2 pours 4 hours apart. Appearance is clear, very pale intensity, garnet colour. Legs. Nose is NOT clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of barnyard chicken coop, good stinky earth, rose + tar, menthol mint, red cherries, redcurrant, underlying licorice. Developed. On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium+ alcohol (14.5%), soft integrated high tannins, medium+ body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of elegant red cherries, redcurrant, red licorice, menthol mint, light tar earth, chalkiness, darker red cherries with more air. Ethereal long finish. Initially this seemed to be either dilute or lacking complex layers. But with some air time in glass and over the night, it did show up better. Lovely elegant expression in Serralunga. Mix of old barriques, tonneaux, botti used. From the Lazzairasco plot in the Lazzarito cru in the commune of Serralunga d'Alba.
Decanted for 3 hours. Pale tawny color. Notes of stewed black cherries, cola, dried orange peel, spice, damp earth, dark soy sauce. Medium body with juicy acidity. Firm, grippy tannins upon uncorking that softened considerably over time, but still very apparent on the medium length finish.
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Really delicious. I was worried because the cork fell apart upon trying to open it and then the wine looked fairly bricked as I poured it into a decanter. However, this wine could not have tasted more lively and fresh! For a 19-year-old wine, it still had some delicious fruit, the tannins were calm (but not too calm), and it kept getting better with air. I suppose there might be more noble and serious Barolos, but this hit all the marks for sheer deliciousness. Great with grilled lamb chops.
Taste: The feel is Medium/full bodied with well-integrated, high acidity and silky, high tannins. The structure has mostly pulled back and is now in a mature phase with raspberries, dark red cherries, licorice, earth, tobacco, tar, spice notes, and roasted herbs.
Overall: This is drinking beautifully right now. It shows off a real savory quality with good depth and balance.
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Tonight this bottle was somewhere between brick and rust colored, with very little fruit left. I generally enjoy that stage in a wine’s life but this one has gone too far for me. If you are holding these, I’d say check in soon.
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Delightful. I hadn't had a Barolo for a while, and this one was a good reminder of why Barolo can be such a treat. It opened with a great blast of fruit, with also a strange metallic flavor that might have just been this bottle. However, the metallic flavor went away fairly quickly. Then it dropped into a deep, Mariana Trench phase that was hard to grasp. After a while it pulled out of that and became a very balanced, rich wine - I guess it's sweet spot. Now, about four hours after opening and pouring, it is getting a little bitter, but still has a rich core. It's a wild ride, in other words. I would say it could benefit from decanting (I did not) and letting stand for at least an hour, maybe two. The wine seems to have plenty of stuff to age further. We paired it with roasted lamb - great combo.
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Nose: From the get go, the nose is open with a quasi-rustic side to it with leather, earth tones, dark red cherries, tar, herbs, and some raspberries.
Taste: Medium/full bodied with medium/high acidity and taught tannins. While the structure doesn't overwhelm, it is certainly there along with dark red cherries, earth notes, tar, herbs, some peppery tones, violets, and raspberries.
Overall: This is gorgeous right now, but I wouldn't hesitate to wait further. It is still on the primary side, but with an introspective quality.
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4.5 hour decant. Some funk initially but goes away st 1 hr. Classic nose of Rose and tar. Some age characteristics but not dominant. Great nose and solid mineral mid-palate but a bit light at the end. Otherwise a great bottle. Bright fruit style to me.
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This wine is in its absolute total 100% sweet spot now. I enjoyed this on a snowy New England night with a beef stew. Just sensational. Aromatically expressive, lots of structure, dark fruits and almost a Bordeaux-type tarriness. I did not get the sour cherry notes that I associate with Barolo -- definitely more on the drk fruit side.
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Yuck. This is not for me. This wine begins with a blast of cherry cough syrup, not completely medicinal but heading there. On the palate, this is dark and thick and clearly modern and masculine, showing no elegance whatsoever. Moreover, it is noticeably angular, rather than round, and it feels like someone's elbow jabbing you in the torso. The tannins are still severe (unresolved wood tannins?). The 14.5% alcohol is not especially noticeable, maybe because of all the other negative things I notice.
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This is finally starting to come together. The oak is less prominent. This is very much a serralunga barolo. This is about the future. I will wait another 5 years a least before i open another. Very good barolo.
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This was terrific - very much in balance with lively fruit to go with the structure and tannin. A nice match for the grilled sirloin & sauteed mushrooms we served.
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lots going on here, definitely fruit but it was overwhelmed by the tannins, and the wine was big strong and a bit hot (and the heat made the spiciness even more overwhelming), maybe this wine would have been better in 15 years
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update re my note of two nights ago, on night two and three the oak had become more prominent... not sure - hope that's not a bad sign for further aging
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big nose with lots of florals and cherry, roses maybe?... also smell the caramel oak but not intrusive... really lovely nose for sure... palate is tannic but not overly so for a young barolo, fruit - mainly cherries, bitter tart cherries - is in the front, relatively straight forward and nice, some caramel oak again here on the palate, imagine this would be pleasing to the crowd (other than the tannin which might turn some off)... nice wine and worth the price ($45)... fruit is strong and therefor might outlast the tannin if i wait 5-10 years for my remaining three bottles
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limited notes - complex cherry with other secondary flavors coming through. good complexity with solid remaining structural tannins. still very much alive.
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While I think this will be better in a couple of years, it's very approachable today. Pop/pour. Aromatic nose with nebbiolo fruit, wood and a hint of florals. On the palate, relatively "fruit forward", seems like a modern style. The fruit in general is richer and more approachable than I was expecting. Still relatively primary, the improvement in this wine (if there is one) would be to see what evolves in terms of secondary character. Manageable tannins and some acidity. Long finish. At $40 via auction for an aged Barolo, this is a very good QPR. I wonder about bottle variation given some of the earlier reviews.
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Very young, very strong. very cheap. was preferred to some 80 dollar nebs. lost notes, but recall clearly that she needs some five years. very dense. a true sleeper.
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3/18/2021 - Tranquility Base Likes this wine: 88 Points
This might be drying out a bit, so I'm inclined to drink up the rest of the bottles that I have. It still has a lot of life though. I let it breathe for about two hours before dinner, but to be honest the best sips came after dinner, so maybe an hour or 90 minutes later. Will keep that in mind.
This may not be the absolute best Barolo I've ever had, but for the price, it is quite good. It has an earthy, pure, unadulterated taste that is satisfying. It tastes like "the real thing," if that means anything.
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5/19/2020 - BillyRayValentine wrote: 94 Points
This is what aged Barolo should be. DerekDarth’s immediately prior note is spot on. Great pairing with take out osso buco from Stella Alpina. Stored in temp and humidity controlled cellar but cork was dry and crumbled. Nervous moment. Thankfully not corked. Probably had many years of life left if not for the weak cork. Long finish with bright acidity, even better after 2 hours of air. Delicious.
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5/16/2020 - Derek Darth Taster wrote: 94 Points
AWE Piedmont tasting. Single blind. Drank in Grassl Cru. 2 pours 4 hours apart.
Appearance is clear, very pale intensity, garnet colour. Legs.
Nose is NOT clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of barnyard chicken coop, good stinky earth, rose + tar, menthol mint, red cherries, redcurrant, underlying licorice. Developed.
On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium+ alcohol (14.5%), soft integrated high tannins, medium+ body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of elegant red cherries, redcurrant, red licorice, menthol mint, light tar earth, chalkiness, darker red cherries with more air. Ethereal long finish. Initially this seemed to be either dilute or lacking complex layers. But with some air time in glass and over the night, it did show up better. Lovely elegant expression in Serralunga.
Mix of old barriques, tonneaux, botti used.
From the Lazzairasco plot in the Lazzarito cru in the commune of Serralunga d'Alba.
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4/17/2020 - eudora Likes this wine: 94 Points
Spectacular. Blackberries, blueberries, structured but velvetty tannins, 45-second finish. This is what aged Barolo should be.
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4/16/2020 - boredo Likes this wine:
Decanted for 3 hours. Pale tawny color. Notes of stewed black cherries, cola, dried orange peel, spice, damp earth, dark soy sauce. Medium body with juicy acidity. Firm, grippy tannins upon uncorking that softened considerably over time, but still very apparent on the medium length finish.
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3/22/2020 - Tranquility Base Likes this wine: 94 Points
Really delicious. I was worried because the cork fell apart upon trying to open it and then the wine looked fairly bricked as I poured it into a decanter. However, this wine could not have tasted more lively and fresh! For a 19-year-old wine, it still had some delicious fruit, the tannins were calm (but not too calm), and it kept getting better with air. I suppose there might be more noble and serious Barolos, but this hit all the marks for sheer deliciousness. Great with grilled lamb chops.
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1/13/2020 - KeithAkers wrote: 92 Points
(mostly) Castiglione Falletto vs Serralunga, 2005-earlier (Osteria Langhe, Chicago IL): Nose: The nose is wide open and savory with raspberries, dark red cherries, cranberries, licorice, spice notes, earth, tar, tobacco, roasted herbs, and violets. There is excellent depth with an understated power behind it all.
Taste: The feel is Medium/full bodied with well-integrated, high acidity and silky, high tannins. The structure has mostly pulled back and is now in a mature phase with raspberries, dark red cherries, licorice, earth, tobacco, tar, spice notes, and roasted herbs.
Overall: This is drinking beautifully right now. It shows off a real savory quality with good depth and balance.
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12/17/2019 - spv Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is wonderful. Evolved and complex. Very smooth and well integrated.
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9/8/2019 - grayfont wrote:
Tonight this bottle was somewhere between brick and rust colored, with very little fruit left. I generally enjoy that stage in a wine’s life but this one has gone too far for me. If you are holding these, I’d say check in soon.
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1/27/2017 - Tranquility Base Likes this wine: 93 Points
Delightful. I hadn't had a Barolo for a while, and this one was a good reminder of why Barolo can be such a treat. It opened with a great blast of fruit, with also a strange metallic flavor that might have just been this bottle. However, the metallic flavor went away fairly quickly. Then it dropped into a deep, Mariana Trench phase that was hard to grasp. After a while it pulled out of that and became a very balanced, rich wine - I guess it's sweet spot. Now, about four hours after opening and pouring, it is getting a little bitter, but still has a rich core. It's a wild ride, in other words. I would say it could benefit from decanting (I did not) and letting stand for at least an hour, maybe two. The wine seems to have plenty of stuff to age further. We paired it with roasted lamb - great combo.
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11/3/2015 - KeithAkers wrote: 92 Points
Nose: From the get go, the nose is open with a quasi-rustic side to it with leather, earth tones, dark red cherries, tar, herbs, and some raspberries.
Taste: Medium/full bodied with medium/high acidity and taught tannins. While the structure doesn't overwhelm, it is certainly there along with dark red cherries, earth notes, tar, herbs, some peppery tones, violets, and raspberries.
Overall: This is gorgeous right now, but I wouldn't hesitate to wait further. It is still on the primary side, but with an introspective quality.
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10/25/2015 - Chiantihound wrote: 92 Points
4.5 hour decant. Some funk initially but goes away st 1 hr. Classic nose of Rose and tar. Some age characteristics but not dominant. Great nose and solid mineral mid-palate but a bit light at the end. Otherwise a great bottle. Bright fruit style to me.
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1/12/2015 - eudora Likes this wine: 92 Points
This wine is in its absolute total 100% sweet spot now. I enjoyed this on a snowy New England night with a beef stew. Just sensational. Aromatically expressive, lots of structure, dark fruits and almost a Bordeaux-type tarriness. I did not get the sour cherry notes that I associate with Barolo -- definitely more on the drk fruit side.
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11/4/2014 - Pknut wrote:
Yuck. This is not for me. This wine begins with a blast of cherry cough syrup, not completely medicinal but heading there. On the palate, this is dark and thick and clearly modern and masculine, showing no elegance whatsoever. Moreover, it is noticeably angular, rather than round, and it feels like someone's elbow jabbing you in the torso. The tannins are still severe (unresolved wood tannins?). The 14.5% alcohol is not especially noticeable, maybe because of all the other negative things I notice.
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10/10/2014 - Sheila62 wrote:
This is finally starting to come together. The oak is less prominent. This is very much a serralunga barolo. This is about the future. I will wait another 5 years a least before i open another. Very good barolo.
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3/8/2014 - grayfont Likes this wine: 91 Points
This was terrific - very much in balance with lively fruit to go with the structure and tannin. A nice match for the grilled sirloin & sauteed mushrooms we served.
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11/8/2012 - WoodieBayArea wrote: 89 Points
lots going on here, definitely fruit but it was overwhelmed by the tannins, and the wine was big strong and a bit hot (and the heat made the spiciness even more overwhelming), maybe this wine would have been better in 15 years
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7/11/2012 - WoodieBayArea wrote:
update re my note of two nights ago, on night two and three the oak had become more prominent... not sure - hope that's not a bad sign for further aging
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7/8/2012 - WoodieBayArea wrote: 91 Points
big nose with lots of florals and cherry, roses maybe?... also smell the caramel oak but not intrusive... really lovely nose for sure... palate is tannic but not overly so for a young barolo, fruit - mainly cherries, bitter tart cherries - is in the front, relatively straight forward and nice, some caramel oak again here on the palate, imagine this would be pleasing to the crowd (other than the tannin which might turn some off)... nice wine and worth the price ($45)... fruit is strong and therefor might outlast the tannin if i wait 5-10 years for my remaining three bottles
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11/12/2011 - soyhead wrote: 92 Points
limited notes - complex cherry with other secondary flavors coming through. good complexity with solid remaining structural tannins. still very much alive.
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6/1/2011 - vanpe003 wrote: 93 Points
While I think this will be better in a couple of years, it's very approachable today. Pop/pour. Aromatic nose with nebbiolo fruit, wood and a hint of florals. On the palate, relatively "fruit forward", seems like a modern style. The fruit in general is richer and more approachable than I was expecting. Still relatively primary, the improvement in this wine (if there is one) would be to see what evolves in terms of secondary character. Manageable tannins and some acidity. Long finish. At $40 via auction for an aged Barolo, this is a very good QPR. I wonder about bottle variation given some of the earlier reviews.
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4/11/2011 - Invinoverytas wrote: 91 Points
Drank with spaghetti and meatballs. Pleasing, but lacking depth and sophistication. Might be better in a few years.
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10/25/2010 - jtinto Likes this wine: 92 Points
Same as last bottle. Wish I had more.
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5/17/2010 - jtinto Likes this wine: 92 Points
Surprised how good this is. Dark fruits, nice tannins, and great finish. Drinking very well now.
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12/24/2009 - Casa Coosa wrote: 91 Points
Dark cherry color, nose of spice, berries, long finish
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1/27/2009 - brooklynguy wrote:
Piedmont Night at Asher's Place (The Netherworld of the Upper East Side of Manhattan): lots of wood again, drying tannins and without well developed flavors. nothing to sink your teeth into - completely unsatisfying.
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10/30/2006 - MTC wrote: 92 Points
I would let this age a while longer. Excellenent with the cheese and meats.
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9/28/2006 - Mlermontov wrote: 90 Points
DAvid Bowler Tasting (the rest of the notes) (NYC): very good stuff, QPR too, old style? sour cherry dominates, tannic but the structure and fruit are there.
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7/31/2006 - jdtonic wrote: 92 Points
Very young, very strong. very cheap. was preferred to some 80 dollar nebs. lost notes, but recall clearly that she needs some five years. very dense. a true sleeper.
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