nose if everything you could ask for, dense roses and dusty red cherries. on the palate lots of red fruit, raspberry, red cherry, dry, crushed roses, hints of vanilla in the back. plenty of tannins, slightly alcoholic on the finish.
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This wine needs another 3+ years IMO. Aerated and decanted for 2 hours and you still feel the grippy tannins that shorten the finish. If you are going to drink now do so with food. Nose is perfumed with dried cherry, iron notes and leather. Delicate color but has an irony backbone that should be fascinated in a few years.
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Decanted for three hours prior to tasting. Dark garnet color, cured meat nose. Lush black fruit, balanced by mouthwatering acidity. Grippy tannins, indicating that this is at the very front end of its maturity. I suggest holding off until 2028 or so before drinking another bottle.
That said, it is a lovely wine, full of deep dark fruit notes. It is an excellent Nebbiolo that harkens to future greatness.
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First go w PdB’s Montefico Riserva (v16, 15% ABV, 16,666 bottles made), impressive wine shaping up to be the star PdB Riserva of the vintage! Gorgeous dark ruby, fully translucent in the glass. The wine exhales a magnetic, lively & completely open bouquet w aromas of rose petals, mix of fresh & ripe cherries, spices, tar & leather followed by a taut & energetic, juicy & fresh m+-bodied palate. Sleek (despite ABV) & supple, tangy, forward, elegant & pure, fine concentration, closing zesty, grippy-drying & powerful. Not a single thing out of place - just young with potential upscore w further time in bottle.
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Excellent Barbaresco from a great vintage. This is really young and even with air needs more time. It’s red fruited and spiced but with a strong tannic back bone that leads to a long structured finish. Really good wine.
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Paired with a rack of delicately spiced lamb, this Barbaresco showed beautifully with dark cherry, earthy notes and subtle balsamic and nutmeg coming through. The palate is vibrant with raspberry, cinnamon and tobacco leaf. I found a nice salinity to the body which is finished with a nice tannic punch. High acidity. I expect this could go many more years..
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What an intoxicating nose! Red fruited and bright, yet also with a lot of spice. I was near blown away. Palate is of course still way too young but I’m sure it will come around. Very very satisfying
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Klar lilla farge med brunlig skjær. Duft av lær og modne jordbær. Fin frukt, tydelig tanniner, fin syre, kirsebær, eik, noe vanilje. Sitter lenge. Kan nok med hell ligge noen år, fremtredende tanniner, men deilig vin, super til rødt kjøtt gjerne med en del fett. Har potensiale så vent 5-10 år.
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wow, big and bold and full of life but simply WAY TOO YOUNG... nose on the pnp was great, enjoyed drinking this but I truly hope I can be disciplined and wait ten years before my next test bottle, I have six left at this point, feels like 93-95 pt potential
Great wine. Huge body and extremely young. The wine is full of tannis and has great acidity. You definitely get berry flavors. Overall great wine and hope to have more.
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Meget høy kvalitet hele veien her. Storkoser meg med flasken, men liten tvil om at den bør få ligge lenger i kjelleren. Prøver neste flaske om en 3-4 års tid.
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2016 Produttori del Barbaresco Crus Plus a Few Older Produttori Wines (San Francisco): Light ruby. Menthol scent. Not fruit forward, but blackberry is there. Lean, lots of soil, and highly structured with serious drying tannins. I think it will be excellent in the (far) future, but honestly, I found this the most difficult of the 2016 crus to read and assess.
Tasted next to the Rabaja over the course of 3 days and shortly after the Montestefano. Probably the most backward of this Trio (did not have the chance to try the Ovello yet). It’s more on the red fruit spectrum with cherries and raspberries and an intense, iron like minerality, violets are more detectable than roses. On day 2 it closed down considerably but on day 3 it was back with still commanding tannins. I would not open any of the top 2016 Produttori Riservas before the age of 10. Patience will be rewarded.
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Drank over two days, which were the second and third days that I drank the same vintage PdB Asili. This bottle helped confirm my impressions of the Asili.
Marginally more open bouquet than the Asili, although disappointingly short of what one might expect for a highly praised Montefico, with a listed abv of 15 (big alcohol enhancing a bouquet's loudness). Also, more expansive and gritty than the Asili. However, the back and finish revealed a green bite, similar to the Asili, which was partially masked by Montefico's more overt tannic presence. Recorked about 15 oz and hoped for a fuller bouquet and less bitterness.
The bouquet changed little on the second day. Montefico's strong tannic structure, however, came forward in a big way on this day. The green bitterness, somewhat typical of excessive pressing (not extraction), but more commonly, phenolic ripeness issues, with stems and pips less ripe than the fruit, was more pronounced.
Overall, this is bigger and bolder than the Asili, typical of terroir differences between the two crus. Both wines offered light to moderate bouquets, particularly underwhelming for such a highly touted vintage. This wine, while bracing on the second day, still showed greenness at the back and throughout the finish.
Was this Montefico locked down? Absolutely! Do locked down and green share any direct correlation in Piedmont Nebbiolo? Nope!
Ripe Nebbiolo tannins are bracing, gritty, some might argue, soul-destroying, but they are not green. This wine, and the Asili more so, show intense greenness at the back and throughout the finish. One of my favorite domestic producers, Bill Steele, owner of Cowhorn, who chewed stems around harvest time to verify full phenolic ripeness, once told me as we discussed greenness wrongly interpreted as locked down tannins in young, bold reds: 'Green is green, and green never integrates.' I agree!
I do not expect the greenness in this wine, nor the more overt greenness in the Asili, to fade.
Also noteworthy: I am currently tasting a still completely locked down 2010 Damilano Cannubi. It features a massive tannin wall, but not the slightest hint of greenness.
Oh my. After PnP this was brutally closed, but with an hour or two, the nose opened up well - dark blue-black fruits with blackberry, some blueberry, plum, hints of sour or black cherry. There is a lot going on in the nose and it's dark and dense - with a great perfume. Earth, licorice, dark spice and sweet dark florals - grape soda? Later getting hints of more red fruits- cherry and raspberry. The palate is similar but more closed and compact - dark fruits, with a sweetness and complexity hiding right beneath the surface. Spices, hints of floral, licorice - tons of tannins and structure so that it's almost humming with energy - nearly painful to drink at this point. The finish is packed to the gills with goodness - dark fruits and spices all wound up in the tannins and acid. I agree with the chorus - this will be great but will need about 15 years at least to come around. Nose - 5.5/6, Palate - 5+/6, Finish - 5+/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1.5+?/2 = 17+/20 (with 17.7-18.5/20 potential.)
Day 2: this is wound up tight. There is such a huge quantity and quality of material that it almost pushes through showing a dark sweetness.
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Another lost Friday afternoon gathering – Mostly Burgundies with a few from Piedmonte (Jailbreak Brewery, Laurel, MD): Expressive nose displaying perfectly ripe black fruit, blackberry, black cherry, a hint of dry cherry, rose, tar, dry herbs, caramel, balsamico, charred steak, and iron. Excellent concentration, layers upon layers of sweet slightly dry black fruit, very focused and masculine, bright acidity, strong iron mineral, and a long pure black fruit driven finish with tar and dry herbs at the end. This is a serious masculine wine, no make up and very naked and honest, for the true Barolo/Barbaresco purists. I slightly prefer the Rabaja which is more expressive/open and generous. This will easily improve for the next three decades or more. I believe it will always remain very masculine and structured. This is a mid 90pts wine and although I like it, I personally would not chase.
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Holy smokes. This is going to be one great bottle of wine in time. Rich purple color. The nose is rocking - bursting with red fruits. Pure and loaded with typicity. There is terrific initial flavor penetration and then a wall of tannin almost kmocks you over. I can see greatness - maybe upper 90’s - but this baby needs to sleep. (94++)
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Less effusive nose than the Montestefano, but with some of the same black walnut note and dark cherry fruit. Some orange peel and white pepper. Understated but very complex. Lacks the heat and volatility of the Ovello. Mouth-coating tannins are more present here. The fruit is really crunchy. Good beginning, middle, and end. Really impressive. I like it about the same as the Montestefano and more than the Ovello. Very much worth seeking out.
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3/17/2024 - Bigdong wrote: 94 Points
nose if everything you could ask for, dense roses and dusty red cherries. on the palate lots of red fruit, raspberry, red cherry, dry, crushed roses, hints of vanilla in the back. plenty of tannins, slightly alcoholic on the finish.
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10/26/2023 - GlenviewGSW Likes this wine: 93 Points
This wine needs another 3+ years IMO. Aerated and decanted for 2 hours and you still feel the grippy tannins that shorten the finish. If you are going to drink now do so with food. Nose is perfumed with dried cherry, iron notes and leather. Delicate color but has an irony backbone that should be fascinated in a few years.
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10/15/2023 - BernieMSY Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted for three hours prior to tasting.
Dark garnet color, cured meat nose.
Lush black fruit, balanced by mouthwatering acidity. Grippy tannins, indicating that this is at the very front end of its maturity. I suggest holding off until 2028 or so before drinking another bottle.
That said, it is a lovely wine, full of deep dark fruit notes. It is an excellent Nebbiolo that harkens to future greatness.
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9/3/2023 - hajoha wrote:
Tight om dagen.
La ligge
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8/2/2023 - JensAgo Likes this wine: 95 Points
First go w PdB’s Montefico Riserva (v16, 15% ABV, 16,666 bottles made), impressive wine shaping up to be the star PdB Riserva of the vintage! Gorgeous dark ruby, fully translucent in the glass. The wine exhales a magnetic, lively & completely open bouquet w aromas of rose petals, mix of fresh & ripe cherries, spices, tar & leather followed by a taut & energetic, juicy & fresh m+-bodied palate. Sleek (despite ABV) & supple, tangy, forward, elegant & pure, fine concentration, closing zesty, grippy-drying & powerful. Not a single thing out of place - just young with potential upscore w further time in bottle.
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12/9/2022 - Bryanb2002 wrote: 95 Points
Excellent Barbaresco from a great vintage. This is really young and even with air needs more time. It’s red fruited and spiced but with a strong tannic back bone that leads to a long structured finish. Really good wine.
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8/18/2022 - Rwyatt2649 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Paired with a rack of delicately spiced lamb, this Barbaresco showed beautifully with dark cherry, earthy notes and subtle balsamic and nutmeg coming through. The palate is vibrant with raspberry, cinnamon and tobacco leaf. I found a nice salinity to the body which is finished with a nice tannic punch. High acidity. I expect this could go many more years..
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6/11/2022 - SineQuaNon Likes this wine: 95 Points
What an intoxicating nose! Red fruited and bright, yet also with a lot of spice. I was near blown away. Palate is of course still way too young but I’m sure it will come around. Very very satisfying
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6/5/2022 - Marius W Likes this wine: 92 Points
Klar lilla farge med brunlig skjær. Duft av lær og modne jordbær. Fin frukt, tydelig tanniner, fin syre, kirsebær, eik, noe vanilje. Sitter lenge. Kan nok med hell ligge noen år, fremtredende tanniner, men deilig vin, super til rødt kjøtt gjerne med en del fett. Har potensiale så vent 5-10 år.
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4/14/2022 - WoodieBayArea wrote:
wow, big and bold and full of life but simply WAY TOO YOUNG... nose on the pnp was great, enjoyed drinking this but I truly hope I can be disciplined and wait ten years before my next test bottle, I have six left at this point, feels like 93-95 pt potential
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2/18/2022 - nicholasagonzales Likes this wine: 93 Points
Great wine. Huge body and extremely young. The wine is full of tannis and has great acidity. You definitely get berry flavors. Overall great wine and hope to have more.
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12/25/2021 - hajoha wrote: 93 Points
Meget høy kvalitet hele veien her.
Storkoser meg med flasken, men liten tvil om at den bør få ligge lenger i kjelleren.
Prøver neste flaske om en 3-4 års tid.
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12/5/2021 - drwine2001 wrote:
2016 Produttori del Barbaresco Crus Plus a Few Older Produttori Wines (San Francisco): Light ruby. Menthol scent. Not fruit forward, but blackberry is there. Lean, lots of soil, and highly structured with serious drying tannins. I think it will be excellent in the (far) future, but honestly, I found this the most difficult of the 2016 crus to read and assess.
11 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (3)
11/3/2021 - Klugi Wine wrote: 96 Points
Tasted next to the Rabaja over the course of 3 days and shortly after the Montestefano. Probably the most backward of this Trio (did not have the chance to try the Ovello yet). It’s more on the red fruit spectrum with cherries and raspberries and an intense, iron like minerality, violets are more detectable than roses. On day 2 it closed down considerably but on day 3 it was back with still commanding tannins. I would not open any of the top 2016 Produttori Riservas before the age of 10. Patience will be rewarded.
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11/2/2021 - Motz wrote: 92 Points
Drank over two days, which were the second and third days that I drank the same vintage PdB Asili. This bottle helped confirm my impressions of the Asili.
Marginally more open bouquet than the Asili, although disappointingly short of what one might expect for a highly praised Montefico, with a listed abv of 15 (big alcohol enhancing a bouquet's loudness). Also, more expansive and gritty than the Asili. However, the back and finish revealed a green bite, similar to the Asili, which was partially masked by Montefico's more overt tannic presence. Recorked about 15 oz and hoped for a fuller bouquet and less bitterness.
The bouquet changed little on the second day. Montefico's strong tannic structure, however, came forward in a big way on this day. The green bitterness, somewhat typical of excessive pressing (not extraction), but more commonly, phenolic ripeness issues, with stems and pips less ripe than the fruit, was more pronounced.
Overall, this is bigger and bolder than the Asili, typical of terroir differences between the two crus. Both wines offered light to moderate bouquets, particularly underwhelming for such a highly touted vintage. This wine, while bracing on the second day, still showed greenness at the back and throughout the finish.
Was this Montefico locked down? Absolutely! Do locked down and green share any direct correlation in Piedmont Nebbiolo? Nope!
Ripe Nebbiolo tannins are bracing, gritty, some might argue, soul-destroying, but they are not green. This wine, and the Asili more so, show intense greenness at the back and throughout the finish. One of my favorite domestic producers, Bill Steele, owner of Cowhorn, who chewed stems around harvest time to verify full phenolic ripeness, once told me as we discussed greenness wrongly interpreted as locked down tannins in young, bold reds: 'Green is green, and green never integrates.' I agree!
I do not expect the greenness in this wine, nor the more overt greenness in the Asili, to fade.
Also noteworthy: I am currently tasting a still completely locked down 2010 Damilano Cannubi. It features a massive tannin wall, but not the slightest hint of greenness.
13 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (15)
8/12/2021 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine: 94 Points
Oh my. After PnP this was brutally closed, but with an hour or two, the nose opened up well - dark blue-black fruits with blackberry, some blueberry, plum, hints of sour or black cherry. There is a lot going on in the nose and it's dark and dense - with a great perfume. Earth, licorice, dark spice and sweet dark florals - grape soda? Later getting hints of more red fruits- cherry and raspberry. The palate is similar but more closed and compact - dark fruits, with a sweetness and complexity hiding right beneath the surface. Spices, hints of floral, licorice - tons of tannins and structure so that it's almost humming with energy - nearly painful to drink at this point. The finish is packed to the gills with goodness - dark fruits and spices all wound up in the tannins and acid. I agree with the chorus - this will be great but will need about 15 years at least to come around. Nose - 5.5/6, Palate - 5+/6, Finish - 5+/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1.5+?/2 = 17+/20 (with 17.7-18.5/20 potential.)
Day 2: this is wound up tight. There is such a huge quantity and quality of material that it almost pushes through showing a dark sweetness.
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4/9/2021 - dcwino wrote: 95 Points
Another lost Friday afternoon gathering – Mostly Burgundies with a few from Piedmonte (Jailbreak Brewery, Laurel, MD): Expressive nose displaying perfectly ripe black fruit, blackberry, black cherry, a hint of dry cherry, rose, tar, dry herbs, caramel, balsamico, charred steak, and iron. Excellent concentration, layers upon layers of sweet slightly dry black fruit, very focused and masculine, bright acidity, strong iron mineral, and a long pure black fruit driven finish with tar and dry herbs at the end. This is a serious masculine wine, no make up and very naked and honest, for the true Barolo/Barbaresco purists. I slightly prefer the Rabaja which is more expressive/open and generous. This will easily improve for the next three decades or more. I believe it will always remain very masculine and structured. This is a mid 90pts wine and although I like it, I personally would not chase.
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4/3/2021 - dbkitc wrote: 94 Points
Holy smokes. This is going to be one great bottle of wine in time. Rich purple color. The nose is rocking - bursting with red fruits. Pure and loaded with typicity. There is terrific initial flavor penetration and then a wall of tannin almost kmocks you over. I can see greatness - maybe upper 90’s - but this baby needs to sleep. (94++)
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3/26/2021 - BordeauxNut wrote: 95 Points
Less effusive nose than the Montestefano, but with some of the same black walnut note and dark cherry fruit. Some orange peel and white pepper. Understated but very complex. Lacks the heat and volatility of the Ovello. Mouth-coating tannins are more present here. The fruit is really crunchy. Good beginning, middle, and end. Really impressive. I like it about the same as the Montestefano and more than the Ovello. Very much worth seeking out.
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