Opened for mushroom risotto. This btl seems better than the last one. Bricked margin showing its age. Subdued nose of black cherry and mushrooms. Tar, figs, decaying leaves, tea. Very nice acid balance. Love the finish. Nicely made and evocative of place.
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My first of these after 10+ years in the box. Alas, my first impression is I waited a bit too long here. Very mature color with substantial bricking. Muted nose of dark cherry and rosewater. In the mouth, there is an immediate hit of dark fruit but it fades quickly to be overtaken by the drying sensation of EtOH. This may have been made in a very rustic/traditional/masculine style (I dont know the history of this house, which seems to now have disappeared) but I think there is a lack of fruit and freshness here that was likely present a few years ago. More overall impression is one of astringency, something I don't love in my Piemonte reds. Drink up...
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Four years since my last tasting of this bottle/vintage. WOW. Frankly, did not really improve. Found it to be basic with limited floral. Dark luscious cherry but more tannic than I prefer. Kept it in the fridge for a week to see if it might improve and it did. Became more smooth. Suggest a very long decant, like days. Great table vino.
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No formal notes, dried cherries, flower petals, nice acids up front, characteristic Neb tannins on rear. Needs food but considering I paid low $20s back in the day, this was a steal.
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Dried cherries and a secondary floral note on the nose; terrific acidity, firm tannic structure that's well-integrated into the bottle. One of the best barbarescos I've had in awhile - aging nicely.
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PnP, then drunk over three days. No formal notes. Lovely on day one, then even better on day three. Really remarkable, how little this shows the warm vintage. It was rather powerful on day one, but on day three was really wonderfully balanced and classic, with beautiful freshness and a good but not overpowering tannic grip.
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No formal notes. Nice pretty floral nose. Good balance of riper (not stewed) red fruits, acids and just enough tannins. Not a wow wine but an absolute steal I paid back in the day at $22.
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A delightful fresh young Barbaresco with a beautiful floral aroma immediately upon opening. But has a slight bite from the tanins that have not yet integrated. Plenty of great aging potential here, but could take a few years.
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I loved the freshness in this barbaresco. This was quite good. Fruit was ripe but cooked or stewed. Acidity was very good. This was elegant and balanced. Good mouthfeel..good barbaresco.
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Another terrific Barbaresco from Ca' du Rabaja. I'm not sure there's a huge difference between this and the Barbaresco normale; this one needed a longer time to compose itself in the decanter but once it did it ended up in a similar place - just with a slightly grittier structure and darker undertones to the fruit. These are the only '09s I've had so far and I have heard all the scare stories about what a hot vintage it was, but neither of these wines suggest that at all to me (no roastedness or pruniness wahtsoever), other than that they are very supple and easy to drink. (I could easily see this being confused for a Burgundy, albeit a structured one.)
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9/30/2023 - Neurowine1 wrote:
Opened for mushroom risotto. This btl seems better than the last one. Bricked margin showing its age. Subdued nose of black cherry and mushrooms. Tar, figs, decaying leaves, tea. Very nice acid balance. Love the finish. Nicely made and evocative of place.
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7/7/2023 - Neurowine1 wrote:
My first of these after 10+ years in the box. Alas, my first impression is I waited a bit too long here. Very mature color with substantial bricking. Muted nose of dark cherry and rosewater. In the mouth, there is an immediate hit of dark fruit but it fades quickly to be overtaken by the drying sensation of EtOH. This may have been made in a very rustic/traditional/masculine style (I dont know the history of this house, which seems to now have disappeared) but I think there is a lack of fruit and freshness here that was likely present a few years ago. More overall impression is one of astringency, something I don't love in my Piemonte reds. Drink up...
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7/18/2020 - Krister westport wrote: 90 Points
Smoky, mushroom on the nose. Wonderful acidity, still got tannins. Some spice and dark cherries. Good to drink now, quite brown color.
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9/30/2019 - Nerdy Earth Boy Likes this wine: 90 Points
Four years since my last tasting of this bottle/vintage. WOW. Frankly, did not really improve. Found it to be basic with limited floral. Dark luscious cherry but more tannic than I prefer. Kept it in the fridge for a week to see if it might improve and it did. Became more smooth. Suggest a very long decant, like days. Great table vino.
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7/15/2018 - Bellissimo wrote:
No formal notes, dried cherries, flower petals, nice acids up front, characteristic Neb tannins on rear. Needs food but considering I paid low $20s back in the day, this was a steal.
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2/22/2018 - Phillybadger Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dried cherries and a secondary floral note on the nose; terrific acidity, firm tannic structure that's well-integrated into the bottle. One of the best barbarescos I've had in awhile - aging nicely.
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4/11/2017 - gilrbo Likes this wine:
PnP, then drunk over three days. No formal notes.
Lovely on day one, then even better on day three. Really remarkable, how little this shows the warm vintage. It was rather powerful on day one, but on day three was really wonderfully balanced and classic, with beautiful freshness and a good but not overpowering tannic grip.
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3/19/2016 - Bellissimo wrote:
No formal notes. Nice pretty floral nose. Good balance of riper (not stewed) red fruits, acids and just enough tannins. Not a wow wine but an absolute steal I paid back in the day at $22.
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9/8/2015 - Nerdy Earth Boy Likes this wine: 90 Points
A delightful fresh young Barbaresco with a beautiful floral aroma immediately upon opening. But has a slight bite from the tanins that have not yet integrated. Plenty of great aging potential here, but could take a few years.
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4/18/2015 - Col.Harding wrote: 92 Points
still young, strong tannins but not closed off, fresh and bright.
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3/27/2014 - Sheila62 wrote:
I loved the freshness in this barbaresco. This was quite good. Fruit was ripe but cooked or stewed. Acidity was very good. This was elegant and balanced. Good mouthfeel..good barbaresco.
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12/30/2013 - Keith Levenberg wrote: 93 Points
Another terrific Barbaresco from Ca' du Rabaja. I'm not sure there's a huge difference between this and the Barbaresco normale; this one needed a longer time to compose itself in the decanter but once it did it ended up in a similar place - just with a slightly grittier structure and darker undertones to the fruit. These are the only '09s I've had so far and I have heard all the scare stories about what a hot vintage it was, but neither of these wines suggest that at all to me (no roastedness or pruniness wahtsoever), other than that they are very supple and easy to drink. (I could easily see this being confused for a Burgundy, albeit a structured one.)
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3/5/2013 - yofog wrote: 92 Points
I like the rustiness but it's a bit light.
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