NK Monprivato Vertical (Chez Goldberg, Greenwich Village, NYC): [Double-decanted about 1pm for 4 hours.] Lovely nose of red fruit, menthol and spice. Lots of sweet fruit and tannin in the mouth. Stunningly long finish. Very impressive for what I've found to be a hit and miss vintage for Barolo.
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Rich red fruited and ripe. Cherry fruit, balsam, and roses. A forward, supple wine. Round and fleshy on the palate, soft around the edges, but still with a little stony background and reasonable structure. A solid '97. 90
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Dark fruited nose that was somewhat closed for most of the night. Improved with air and showed some rose petals and a bit of ripe fruit characters on the nose. Good acidity with tar, iron, red berries, and dark cherries on the palate. Still quite tannic and not showing everything. Good finish. 93ish
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MvM theme lunch at Bar Cicheti. Tasted semi-blind. Drank in Grassl Cru. Bottle popped about 4 hours in advance. Appearance cloudy fine sediment, medium intensity, garnet colour. Legs. Nose medium+ intensity, with aromas of salami, bacon meat, mushrooms, tertiary earth. Developed. On the palate, dry, medium+ acidity, medium+ alcohol (14.5%), resolved structured high tannins, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of sweet tar, mushroom earth, sweet ripe dark red plums, licorice, dark spice. Long finish. Very very good quality. Drinking at peak now, possible imminent cliff edge to downhill as the acidity sensation is dipping. Good to drink up and enjoy if you have it. Ripe vintage.
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Comparative test of Monprivato 1997 in a regular bottle versus the same wine in a Magnum.
Surprisingly enough, it feels young - well, definitely younger than 1.5L. Thin, with dark berries, ripe cherries, underbrush, and forest floor - and red plum resonating on the palate. Light and weightless.
Needs more cellar time if you ask me.
Piedmont evening at Winil, 16 March 2018
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Sadly, this is my last bottle. Fortunately, it is very consistent with my last note. Simply stated, this is a wonderful Monprivato: medium to full-bodied, still somewhat tannic, but the tannins are very soft and do not detract at all from the enjoyment of the wine. The fruit is ripe -- borderline sweet for Barolo, though the sweetness is most welcome, and far from over-the-top. Mature notes abound: Ancho chile, tobacco, beef broth -- and the combination with the generous, ripe fruit is just brilliant. I like this much better than the '96, and wish I had more of it.
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Medium brick/garnet core. Cola, brick dust, bacon and roses on the nose. Medium-bodied, beautifully balanced acidity, with a surprising dash of sweetness on the attack. The remaining tannins are modest and very soft. Roses, earth, dried leaves and tea mingle with an understated yet strong backbone of ripe cherry fruit. The length is very long.Yes, this is unusually ripe and inviting for a Barolo, but for my tastes this is a plus. The class, elegance and complexity of Monprivato are all there, and the approachability of the wine is as welcome as a cherry on a sundae. This seems in such a good place right now that I don't see much reason to wait. Outstanding.
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Agree with pretty much everything Guy Des Rosiers noted below, except I did not find it as "ripe" as he apparently did (perhaps we have different meanings for "ripe"), and I think, while delicious now, it has room to improve with additional age. A really nice bottle!
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perfect cork, great fill, lots of bricking... but wine was cooked or otherwise damaged or defective. Bought from HDH Auction, they claim came for a cellar with perfect provenance, and that it was purchased on release.
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these two bottles were fanastic, this was (as expected for a '97 barolo) full bodied and packed with material, fruit was on the red side but serious and not light, great acid and loads of spice, tannins were pleasant but very present... just great fruit, great structure and felt like it could go another 15 - 20 years... bought this for $130, loved it so went to look for more and of course the cheapest bottle at this point was over $200... oh well
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Gentle notes of dried herb and mushroom on the nose. On the palate, delicate elements again dominated by mushroom and all sorts of earth tones. A graceful wine that manages to strike a fine balance between masculinity and femininity. Drinking well presently, but seems to have significant life ahead of it. Based on prior notes from other tasters, there seems to be some significant bottle variation. This particular example displayed an overall impression of balance and airy nuance. Paired beautifully with pasta and white truffles from Alba, Piemonte brought back by Chef Lockwood. Altura Restaurant, Seattle.
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Enjoyable, but showing a mild case of cork taint. There has been some bottle variation. I've had two stellar bottles, one clearly flawed and this, which was just slightly flawed and the flaw became apparent only after being exposed to a lot of air.
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Showing age. Quite a lot of browning. Fruit on the wane. Acidity coming through quite a lot. Very tarry in its aroma profile. On the decline, but a lovely, complex wine.
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Sept. 9 League of Gentlemen Tasting chez moi: I purchased this on release and have cellared it immaculately. It is an old-style Barolo, from a non-classic vintage that should drink early. The style of wine will not appeal to everyone; it certainly does appeal to me. The appearance is clean and bright; the wine is showing age, as the colour is a dark garnet. The note is redolent with tar, roses, undergrowth, truffles, bing cherries. On the palate, the wine is multi-dimensional and complex, with a very long finish, good fruit and balance. If you are looking for a bright, fruity style of Barolo, without the complexity and scents of age, this wine is not for you. One word of advice--don't decant the wine for long; the fruit is most vibrant shortly after opening. If you give it a lot of air, be sure to consume it with food. I will be drinking this within the next year.
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Having read all the notes, this wine appears to be showing some significant bottle variation. I purchased this on release and have cellared it immaculately. It is an old-style Barolo, from a non-classic vintage that should drink early. The style of wine will not appeal to everyone; it certainly does appeal to me. The appearance is clean and bright; the wine is showing age, as the colour is a dark garnet. The note is redolent with tar, roses, undergrowth, truffles, bing cherries. On the palate, the wine is multi-dimensional and complex, with a very long finish, good fruit and balance. If you are looking for a bright, fruity style of Barolo, without the complexity and scents of age, this wine is not for you. One word of advice--don't decant the wine for long; the fruit is most vibrant shortly after opening. If you give it a lot of air, be sure to consume it with food. A lovely wine, and I'm glad I have another several bottles. I will be drinking this within the next year.
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PNP and drank about 90 minutes or so later. This was pretty disappointing. Mostly though, disappointed in myself for paying $150 for it recently. Why did I go all in a '97 Barolo from anyone??? This is in fairly decent shape but, it has that prototypical overripe 97 profile. Many people will love it, I don't. It's like looking at a low res out of focus photo. At times it was borderline jammy. This desperately needs more acid to freshen things up. Not for me. Only upside, I don't own more from this vintage!
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PNP Sadly, this btl completely stunk. Litterally! Brad thought it had major reduction. Stewed and wierd flavors. Undrinkable! Hopefully, I can get a N/C replacement btl in exchange since the retailer just restocked with a new batch.
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Just looking at this wine in my glass, I was amazed by how young it looked - 16 years on and it wasn't even bricking, just a slight clearing at the meniscus. The nose was pretty shy and showed a little rose and some menthol/mint which seems consistent for Monprivato. Palate didn't share much: the fruit was tight and the tannins and acidity were prominent. Rob felt it wasn't showing as well as previous bottles. Having never had this one before hard for me to say. Seemed like it needed more time and was still young though there may not be the fruit to carry it.
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Italian wines (mostly) in Sonoma (Della Santina's Tratorria): Seemed to be the consensus WOTN. Great nose with roses, tar, cherries and dried cherries. Layered, ripe fruit on the palate. Seemed to be at a great place, at or near peak, but no hurry. Just delicious. Improved until the bottle was drained. Awesome wine.
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Popped, decanted for one hour, returned through an aerating funnel to a clean bottle, breathed in bottle another hour, poured, consumed over two hours. Took a little more air to get the same performance as previously noted, but in the final hour, this was singing. Still, I sense this could reveal even more nuance with time in cellar.
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Bottle was over the hill. Very disappointing. Started to come back to life with a couple hours of air, but never fully revived. I know this wine should have had a lot of life left in it. Bad bottle.
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Dinner at Nia (Nia - West Loop, Chicago): This had been slow ox'd for a couple of hours. Even with time, the nose was reductive to me - with lots of plum, tar, and floral notes. The palate was medium-bodied and the tannins have softened up nicely. The flavors were vibrant with dark fruit, more tar, and a truffle note to it. Wasn't blown away by this, but I think it'll gain complexity with some additional years and/or air.
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A welcome dinner (Nia, Chicago IL): nose: this took a little bit to get going, but it then opened up in a big way in the glass. Enveloping with beautiful tones of roasted herbs, tar, roses, wild flowers, strawberries, and loads of cherries.
taste: medium/full bodied with medium+ acidity and some chewy tannins. Very well balanced with a real elegance and tones of wild flowers, roses, roasted herbs, lots of cherries and tar tones. There is a real sense of refinement on the palate with this right now too.
overall: This was slow ox'd for several hours before hand. Certainly shows off what a traditional barolo can do in a warm vintage like 97. This was lovely and was hitting all the right points for me.
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I had given an hour in decanter before returning to bottle that AM. Powerful, nice tar and floral notes, but the fruit approaches roasted/jammy without going over (my) limit. Fun, tasty, but I'm not sure I'd want to age this further, and I'm glad it my next to last '97 Piedmont. B/B+
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Garnet color with brick nuance in the glass. Dercanted one hour. Nose of dark fruit, tobacco, hint of spice. Enjoyed wine with home made pizza over the next hour or so. Initial taste was delicate: casis, some wood, truffle, terroir. The wine developed additional layers over the 60+ minutes we drank it. Relaxed tannins gave it a beautiful mouthfeel. Nice finish that, by itself had great characteristics. Started the new year right!
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Color: Brick garnet Smell: Earth, campfire char, tar, roses, and dried cherries Taste: potpouri, cherries, strawberries, tobacco, cedar, and hints of graphite Overall: Complex and thought provoking....a wine that can still improve with time sideways.
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Popped, breathed in bottle one hour, poured, consumed over next two. Dark ruby colored, beautifully balanced, well structured and really starting to show its stuff. Gorgeous nose and palate of tar/truffle/forest floor funk with layers of dark fruit, cedar, tobacco, black licorice and flowers with a finish that lingers and finds a cubby hole in your memory. I'm still tasting it a week later. Wonderful. A '97 Barolo that should continue to age and develop for years.
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A solid wine. Decanted for 2 hours. The wine has an incredible old style Barolo nose, with a colour that would suggest a lot more age. In the mouth, the wine is vibrant, long and delicious, with impeccable fruit / tannin / acid balance. This will drink beautifully for another 10 years.
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Delicious! Jammy scents of red and black fruits, an enchanting silky mouthfeel, with soft tannins and balanced acidity. Drinking now. A great, deep, lovely wine.
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Medium-bodied with intense dark cherry fruit with note of forest floor. Quite structured considering the vintage with a lovely, finely concentrated and complex finish. Delicious stuff in a fairly traditional Barolo style.
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Decanted 2 hours. Light red bordering on dark orange. Stunning, complex perfume-like nose of roses and violets, bright red fruit, earth, truffle and tar. Silky and light as it glides across the palate. Delivers beautiful precise red fruit and truffle flavors with that floral perfume filling my nose as it goes down. Finished with soft tannins. I would have rated it much higher had it had a bit more weight and presence. But a beautiful wine nonetheless!
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Delicious! Jammy scents of red and black fruits, an enchanting silky mouthfeel, with soft tannins and balanced acidity. Decanted for 2 hours. Drinking now. A great wine.
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3/9/2023 - gzim wrote: flawed
Another bad bottle
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2/4/2023 - kenv Likes this wine: 94 Points
NK Monprivato Vertical (Chez Goldberg, Greenwich Village, NYC): [Double-decanted about 1pm for 4 hours.] Lovely nose of red fruit, menthol and spice. Lots of sweet fruit and tannin in the mouth. Stunningly long finish. Very impressive for what I've found to be a hit and miss vintage for Barolo.
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2/4/2023 - cct wrote: 90 Points
Dinner at the Goldberg's
Double decanted in the AM
Rich red fruited and ripe. Cherry fruit, balsam, and roses. A forward, supple wine. Round and fleshy on the palate, soft around the edges, but still with a little stony background and reasonable structure. A solid '97. 90
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4/1/2022 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Festa del Piemonte: Gala Dinner (The Pool in NYC): Good structure and fruit and drinking just fine. Getting to the end of the evening but seems like a good wine.
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1/22/2022 - Seth Rosenberg wrote: flawed
This bottle was totally shot - sour with rotten leaves. I tried to inquire about the provenance but didn't get any answers.
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11/28/2020 - glou.sf Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark fruited nose that was somewhat closed for most of the night. Improved with air and showed some rose petals and a bit of ripe fruit characters on the nose. Good acidity with tar, iron, red berries, and dark cherries on the palate. Still quite tannic and not showing everything. Good finish. 93ish
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10/28/2020 - Derek Darth Taster Likes this wine: 95 Points
MvM theme lunch at Bar Cicheti. Tasted semi-blind. Drank in Grassl Cru.
Bottle popped about 4 hours in advance.
Appearance cloudy fine sediment, medium intensity, garnet colour. Legs.
Nose medium+ intensity, with aromas of salami, bacon meat, mushrooms, tertiary earth. Developed.
On the palate, dry, medium+ acidity, medium+ alcohol (14.5%), resolved structured high tannins, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of sweet tar, mushroom earth, sweet ripe dark red plums, licorice, dark spice. Long finish.
Very very good quality. Drinking at peak now, possible imminent cliff edge to downhill as the acidity sensation is dipping. Good to drink up and enjoy if you have it. Ripe vintage.
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1/4/2020 - Warren23 wrote:
Corked - total bummer!
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5/17/2018 - ve23 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Nebbiolo night on 17 May 2018 (Winil, Moscow): 96/100
A top Barolo. Вышак.
Thin, very fine and elegant, weightless, with a myriad of flowers and berries. Still very young, with little tertiary aromas.
Multidimensional. Less ethereal, than previous magnum I tried a few months back, but no less enjoyable.
Again, this venerable Mascarello Monprivato 1997 totally drinks better from a magnum than from a regular bottle.
Nebbiolo night at Winil / 17 May 2018
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3/16/2018 - ve23 Likes this wine: 98 Points
Piedmont Night at Winil on March 16, 2018 (Winil, Moscow): 98/100
Comparative test of Monprivato 1997 in a regular bottle versus the same wine in a Magnum.
Absolute winner of the night, this complex and multifaceted beauty easily swamps all suitors away.
Juicy, textured, complex, slowly evolving in the glass and showing all shades of a truly great Barolo.
Bouquet of smoke, tar, cloudy cranberry juice and other red berries, still quite young but already entering its peak and thus very harmonious.
Benchmark Barolo.
Piedmont evening at Winil, 16 March 2018
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3/16/2018 - ve23 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Piedmont Night at Winil on March 16, 2018 (Winil, Moscow): 95/100
Comparative test of Monprivato 1997 in a regular bottle versus the same wine in a Magnum.
Surprisingly enough, it feels young - well, definitely younger than 1.5L. Thin, with dark berries, ripe cherries, underbrush, and forest floor - and red plum resonating on the palate. Light and weightless.
Needs more cellar time if you ask me.
Piedmont evening at Winil, 16 March 2018
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3/11/2018 - Guy Des Rosiers Likes this wine: 93 Points
Sadly, this is my last bottle. Fortunately, it is very consistent with my last note. Simply stated, this is a wonderful Monprivato: medium to full-bodied, still somewhat tannic, but the tannins are very soft and do not detract at all from the enjoyment of the wine. The fruit is ripe -- borderline sweet for Barolo, though the sweetness is most welcome, and far from over-the-top. Mature notes abound: Ancho chile, tobacco, beef broth -- and the combination with the generous, ripe fruit is just brilliant. I like this much better than the '96, and wish I had more of it.
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11/7/2017 - europat55 wrote: 90 Points
Some heat. Nose: B+/B++ Palate: B++/A-
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10/4/2017 - Guy Des Rosiers Likes this wine: 93 Points
Medium brick/garnet core. Cola, brick dust, bacon and roses on the nose. Medium-bodied, beautifully balanced acidity, with a surprising dash of sweetness on the attack. The remaining tannins are modest and very soft. Roses, earth, dried leaves and tea mingle with an understated yet strong backbone of ripe cherry fruit. The length is very long.Yes, this is unusually ripe and inviting for a Barolo, but for my tastes this is a plus. The class, elegance and complexity of Monprivato are all there, and the approachability of the wine is as welcome as a cherry on a sundae. This seems in such a good place right now that I don't see much reason to wait. Outstanding.
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10/2/2017 - ASG24 wrote:
Agree with pretty much everything Guy Des Rosiers noted below, except I did not find it as "ripe" as he apparently did (perhaps we have different meanings for "ripe"), and I think, while delicious now, it has room to improve with additional age. A really nice bottle!
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8/10/2017 - UPL Likes this wine: 98 Points
fantastic bottle - what a nose - very youthful - 3 hours decant - best vintage for barolo - full bodied - next bottle in 10 years - WOTN
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6/5/2017 - gzim wrote: flawed
perfect cork, great fill, lots of bricking... but wine was cooked or otherwise damaged or defective.
Bought from HDH Auction, they claim came for a cellar with perfect provenance, and that it was purchased on release.
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8/6/2016 - WoodieBayArea wrote: 93 Points
these two bottles were fanastic, this was (as expected for a '97 barolo) full bodied and packed with material, fruit was on the red side but serious and not light, great acid and loads of spice, tannins were pleasant but very present... just great fruit, great structure and felt like it could go another 15 - 20 years... bought this for $130, loved it so went to look for more and of course the cheapest bottle at this point was over $200... oh well
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4/22/2016 - fatfishzsy Likes this wine: 94 Points
提前半天开瓶,到了餐厅进醒酒器两个钟头,传统派,floatingcap发酵,Sla桶陈年,优雅,好喝
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12/12/2014 - Chaz Bham wrote: 95 Points
Gentle notes of dried herb and mushroom on the nose. On the palate, delicate elements again dominated by mushroom and all sorts of earth tones. A graceful wine that manages to strike a fine balance between masculinity and femininity. Drinking well presently, but seems to have significant life ahead of it. Based on prior notes from other tasters, there seems to be some significant bottle variation. This particular example displayed an overall impression of balance and airy nuance. Paired beautifully with pasta and white truffles from Alba, Piemonte brought back by Chef Lockwood. Altura Restaurant, Seattle.
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11/23/2014 - rsbeck wrote: flawed
Enjoyable, but showing a mild case of cork taint. There has been some bottle variation. I've had two stellar bottles, one clearly flawed and this, which was just slightly flawed and the flaw became apparent only after being exposed to a lot of air.
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11/14/2014 - JoeDwine wrote:
Truffle Dinner....Corked
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11/7/2014 - la turque wrote: 93 Points
Showing age. Quite a lot of browning. Fruit on the wane. Acidity coming through quite a lot. Very tarry in its aroma profile. On the decline, but a lovely, complex wine.
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9/9/2014 - la turque wrote: 92 Points
Sept. 9 League of Gentlemen Tasting chez moi: I purchased this on release and have cellared it immaculately. It is an old-style Barolo, from a non-classic vintage that should drink early. The style of wine will not appeal to everyone; it certainly does appeal to me. The appearance is clean and bright; the wine is showing age, as the colour is a dark garnet. The note is redolent with tar, roses, undergrowth, truffles, bing cherries. On the palate, the wine is multi-dimensional and complex, with a very long finish, good fruit and balance. If you are looking for a bright, fruity style of Barolo, without the complexity and scents of age, this wine is not for you. One word of advice--don't decant the wine for long; the fruit is most vibrant shortly after opening. If you give it a lot of air, be sure to consume it with food. I will be drinking this within the next year.
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8/3/2014 - la turque wrote: 95 Points
Having read all the notes, this wine appears to be showing some significant bottle variation. I purchased this on release and have cellared it immaculately. It is an old-style Barolo, from a non-classic vintage that should drink early. The style of wine will not appeal to everyone; it certainly does appeal to me. The appearance is clean and bright; the wine is showing age, as the colour is a dark garnet. The note is redolent with tar, roses, undergrowth, truffles, bing cherries. On the palate, the wine is multi-dimensional and complex, with a very long finish, good fruit and balance. If you are looking for a bright, fruity style of Barolo, without the complexity and scents of age, this wine is not for you. One word of advice--don't decant the wine for long; the fruit is most vibrant shortly after opening. If you give it a lot of air, be sure to consume it with food. A lovely wine, and I'm glad I have another several bottles. I will be drinking this within the next year.
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7/23/2014 - chablis28 wrote: 89 Points
PNP and drank about 90 minutes or so later. This was pretty disappointing. Mostly though, disappointed in myself for paying $150 for it recently. Why did I go all in a '97 Barolo from anyone??? This is in fairly decent shape but, it has that prototypical overripe 97 profile. Many people will love it, I don't. It's like looking at a low res out of focus photo. At times it was borderline jammy. This desperately needs more acid to freshen things up. Not for me. Only upside, I don't own more from this vintage!
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1/16/2014 - chablis28 wrote: flawed
PNP Sadly, this btl completely stunk. Litterally! Brad thought it had major reduction. Stewed and wierd flavors. Undrinkable! Hopefully, I can get a N/C replacement btl in exchange since the retailer just restocked with a new batch.
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10/17/2013 - kultcha wrote:
Just looking at this wine in my glass, I was amazed by how young it looked - 16 years on and it wasn't even bricking, just a slight clearing at the meniscus. The nose was pretty shy and showed a little rose and some menthol/mint which seems consistent for Monprivato. Palate didn't share much: the fruit was tight and the tannins and acidity were prominent. Rob felt it wasn't showing as well as previous bottles. Having never had this one before hard for me to say. Seemed like it needed more time and was still young though there may not be the fruit to carry it.
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10/17/2013 - rsbeck wrote: flawed
Nothing like the previous two experiences. This bottle seemed tired, fruit muted, prominent tannin.
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3/8/2013 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 95 Points
Italian wines (mostly) in Sonoma (Della Santina's Tratorria): Seemed to be the consensus WOTN. Great nose with roses, tar, cherries and dried cherries. Layered, ripe fruit on the palate. Seemed to be at a great place, at or near peak, but no hurry. Just delicious. Improved until the bottle was drained. Awesome wine.
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3/6/2013 - rsbeck wrote: 95 Points
Popped, decanted for one hour, returned through an aerating funnel to a clean bottle, breathed in bottle another hour, poured, consumed over two hours. Took a little more air to get the same performance as previously noted, but in the final hour, this was singing. Still, I sense this could reveal even more nuance with time in cellar.
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3/4/2013 - CADomer wrote: flawed
Bottle was over the hill. Very disappointing. Started to come back to life with a couple hours of air, but never fully revived. I know this wine should have had a lot of life left in it. Bad bottle.
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8/6/2012 - Serge Birbrair wrote:
gorgeous now and will only get better with age.
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4/16/2012 - tooch wrote: 89 Points
Dinner at Nia (Nia - West Loop, Chicago): This had been slow ox'd for a couple of hours. Even with time, the nose was reductive to me - with lots of plum, tar, and floral notes. The palate was medium-bodied and the tannins have softened up nicely. The flavors were vibrant with dark fruit, more tar, and a truffle note to it. Wasn't blown away by this, but I think it'll gain complexity with some additional years and/or air.
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4/14/2012 - KeithAkers wrote: 94 Points
A welcome dinner (Nia, Chicago IL): nose: this took a little bit to get going, but it then opened up in a big way in the glass. Enveloping with beautiful tones of roasted herbs, tar, roses, wild flowers, strawberries, and loads of cherries.
taste: medium/full bodied with medium+ acidity and some chewy tannins. Very well balanced with a real elegance and tones of wild flowers, roses, roasted herbs, lots of cherries and tar tones. There is a real sense of refinement on the palate with this right now too.
overall: This was slow ox'd for several hours before hand. Certainly shows off what a traditional barolo can do in a warm vintage like 97. This was lovely and was hitting all the right points for me.
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4/12/2012 - DaleW wrote:
I had given an hour in decanter before returning to bottle that AM. Powerful, nice tar and floral notes, but the fruit approaches roasted/jammy without going over (my) limit. Fun, tasty, but I'm not sure I'd want to age this further, and I'm glad it my next to last '97 Piedmont. B/B+
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1/1/2012 - DonWinspear wrote: 93 Points
Garnet color with brick nuance in the glass. Dercanted one hour. Nose of dark fruit, tobacco, hint of spice. Enjoyed wine with home made pizza over the next hour or so. Initial taste was delicate: casis, some wood, truffle, terroir. The wine developed additional layers over the 60+ minutes we drank it. Relaxed tannins gave it a beautiful mouthfeel. Nice finish that, by itself had great characteristics. Started the new year right!
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6/25/2011 - Kirk Grant wrote: 92 Points
Color: Brick garnet
Smell: Earth, campfire char, tar, roses, and dried cherries
Taste: potpouri, cherries, strawberries, tobacco, cedar, and hints of graphite
Overall: Complex and thought provoking....a wine that can still improve with time sideways.
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4/4/2011 - rsbeck wrote: 95 Points
Popped, breathed in bottle one hour, poured, consumed over next two. Dark ruby colored, beautifully balanced, well structured and really starting to show its stuff. Gorgeous nose and palate of tar/truffle/forest floor funk with layers of dark fruit, cedar, tobacco, black licorice and flowers with a finish that lingers and finds a cubby hole in your memory. I'm still tasting it a week later. Wonderful. A '97 Barolo that should continue to age and develop for years.
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9/12/2009 - la turque wrote: 95 Points
A solid wine. Decanted for 2 hours. The wine has an incredible old style Barolo nose, with a colour that would suggest a lot more age. In the mouth, the wine is vibrant, long and delicious, with impeccable fruit / tannin / acid balance. This will drink beautifully for another 10 years.
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8/26/2009 - la turque wrote: 94 Points
At its peak.
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6/28/2009 - la turque wrote: 94 Points
Delicious! Jammy scents of red and black fruits, an enchanting silky mouthfeel, with soft tannins and balanced acidity. Drinking now. A great, deep, lovely wine.
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1/6/2008 - dream wrote: 93 Points
Medium-bodied with intense dark cherry fruit with note of forest floor. Quite structured considering the vintage with a lovely, finely concentrated and complex finish. Delicious stuff in a fairly traditional Barolo style.
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12/23/2007 - rsepulve wrote: 93 Points
Decanted 2 hours. Light red bordering on dark orange. Stunning, complex perfume-like nose of roses and violets, bright red fruit, earth, truffle and tar. Silky and light as it glides across the palate. Delivers beautiful precise red fruit and truffle flavors with that floral perfume filling my nose as it goes down. Finished with soft tannins. I would have rated it much higher had it had a bit more weight and presence. But a beautiful wine nonetheless!
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6/7/2007 - Rubinstein wrote: 94 Points
Very nice. Ripe and juicy fruit. Mature.
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2/26/2006 - la turque wrote: 94 Points
Delicious! Jammy scents of red and black fruits, an enchanting silky mouthfeel, with soft tannins and balanced acidity. Decanted for 2 hours. Drinking now. A great wine.
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