Paired with a boar bolognese ala Park Place along with a 2004 Gaja Langhe Nebbiolo Sperss. Match made in heaven and the best of the night. No Monfortino this year, it all went into this bottling so I was told. It appeared evident by how much was not reveasled. Although this was opened several hours prior, it was not decanted and I feel it suffered as a result. So much time left to blossom and develop in well cellared bottles. Who knows when that peak will be. All class in my glass, opening and growing, revealing more classic with time yet never giving very much.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark garnet, initial aromas of air-dried sheets and leather that lead to rose petals, cinnamon syrup, dried cherries, marked by increasing spiciness. Palate on the hot and astrigent side offering flavors of cola, coffee, and ripe dark plum. Brief finish. Not much upside from additional maturation.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Restaurant note. Short decant - could have used substantially more. Typical flavors but young, dried mint, flowers, and dark red fruit. Will the balance be there when it reaches maturity? Not sure. Still a nice wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
beautiful and elegant nose, not specifically revealing a hot vintage. tannins are present but integrated, good length. seems to lack depth and was a bit flat. caveat: the wine was tasted at the end of a long diner so that it may have altered my perception.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This last bottle (a magnum) matches the 750ml we opened in 2018. Those notes from 5 yrs ago remarkably apply quite closely. One of the great instances of mature traditional Barolo that I've ever had. Decanted an hour before dinner. Upon opening it was already huge and intense on the nose and the palate. After an hour it had mellowed a little and was full of the nose of roses and dark fruit. The palate is dark and unctuous with leather and earth and more dark berries. The tannins are soft, as before. Had the remainder the next day and still wonderful.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted 4 hours. It’s my 3rd. and last bottle and they should have drunk by now. Just very weak by now and the chemicals/medicine cabinet dominating. The fruit is overmature plums and cherries. Still drinkable but don’t wait. Still recommend a decant though.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A bit wound up, energetic and loaded with latent power, especially in the context of being served after champagne and Burgundy, but the big takeaway was that it was clearly balanced, with requisite freshness, and little to no sign of the overheated vintage.
Luckily was able to take about half the bottle home for day 2, and that’s where it was able to more fully express itself. Lots of saddle leather, dark fruit, light cinnamon on the nose. Flavors repeat on the palate, though with a stronger vanilla note than I’d prefer, but the freshness/balance more clearly reveals itself, and bodes well for decades of cellar life to come. Makes me think I’ll hold my 2007 for 10 more years at minimum.
This wasn’t my bottle but I don’t think it received much of a decant prior to serving.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Quite impressive and no sign of the hot vintage that I’d worried about (not cooked or candied). Rose, dark fruit, herbs, tar, dark brick rim, chewy, medium finish. Could still be evolving.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This was quite good, especially for the vintage, much better than a 1996 Scavino that it shared the table with. Easily identifiable as nebbiolo blind - and most pegged it as a 2004, which is a compliment. On the more masculine side of barolo - more tar, less violets - but everything has softened a bit and its ready to be drunk. Perhaps a touch anonymous but for a 2003 it's a towering achievement.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
At Carne Mare NYC. Despite the hot vintage Roberto does it again with a beautifully crafted presentation. The tannins are quite integrated and less grippy than others I’ve had. Tons of smoke and tar on the nose, a palate of currants and berry preserves, and a 30-45 second long lasting finish that isn’t overly strong but very introspective. Incredible.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Double decanted, followed by 4 hours of slo-o. The past 6 years in my cellar have been magic for this beauty. The wine, imo, is definitely in the peak of its drinking window. It is a classic Conterno CF. Gorgeous translucent red color, enticing Nebbiolo bouquet, fantastic balance with great mid-palate depth and a long, elegant finish. A wine with soul.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Seemed like a perfectly stored bottle, sourced from a reputable local shop for $120. Nose with a 3 hour decant showing some florals, red cherry, leather and black licorice. Very similar on the palate and man is this still grippy AF for an 18 year old Barolo. Medium bodied and in a great spot. I would definitely decant this for a few hours with sound bottles. Not a barolo expert but I found nothing raisiny about the fruit character.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Translucent and limpid brick red colour very enticing to the eye. Nose perfumed as one should expect from a fine wine, dried flowers, herbs, fine leather. On the palate though is where the surprise came, unbelievably supple and rounded, velvety caressing the mouth. From the colour one would have expected something leaner, but this was a full bodied, smooth wine full of delectable aromas. Old school wine, which is somewhat of a rarity, maybe not at peak of maturity but surely drinking perfectly right now. A truly fine wine and one of the best Barolos I've had the pleasure of tasting.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A Thank-You Cellar Raid to Help Nudge 2020 Out of Here (Los Olivos, CA): A meaty Nebbiolo, with leather and blood notes rather than a floral or fruit-driven profile. A bit raisiny too, presumably reflecting the vintage. Firm tannins. I found this wine to be a bit clumsy, lacking in refinement or elegance. Despite a 6-hour decant, it showed best after a few additional hours in the glass. Served blind to my colleagues, a few mistook it for Burgundy (I know my notes don't make it sound that way, I just think it was hard to peg as Barolo).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Developed, somewhat translucent reddish-maroon color with a very deep core and quite pale brick-red rim. Developed, savory and meaty nose with evolved aromas of raisins and dried dates, some leather, light cigar tones, a little bit of meat stew, light volatile notes of balsamico and minty lift and a touch of licorice. The wine is rather big yet surprisingly sinewy and only medium-bodied, both at the same time, with intense and quite developed flavors of wizened black cherries, some balsamic notes of VA, a little bit of sweet raisiny fruit, light leathery tones, a hint of sour cherry bitterness and a rusty touch of ferrous blood. The overall feel is very firm and muscular, thanks to the high acidity and still very assertive and grippy tannins. The finish is long, very tannic and rather warm with intense flavors of leather, sour cherry bitterness, some tart lingonberries, a little bit of sweet raisiny fruit, light leathery tones, evolved notes of dried fruits and a sweet, volatile touch of balsamico.
A Barolo that is both surprisingly stern and sophisticated yet rather heavy and robust, both at the same time. In one hand, the wine doesn't feel overripe despite the hot 2003 vintage, mostly thanks to the impressive structure and more savory flavors. However, the vintage still shows, as the wine is conspicuously raisiny in fruit and a tad sweeter than how a 15-20 Nebbiolo normally would be. All in all, this is a surprisingly impressive for a 2003 Barolo and it still shows quite a bit of potential for future development, as there is quite a bit of fruit still left here and the structure feels rather tightly-knit even after +15 years. However, there's no denying that the fruit is quite raisiny here, which lends the wine a somewhat more evolved note - my guess was a Nebbiolo, but one 10-15 older than this. A great effort for a 2003 Barolo, but only good for a Barolo.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted ~4 hours. Quite the wine from the uber hot 2003 vintage. Darker fruit but other than that nothing is out of balance. A fresh even breezy nature to the cherry fruit with plenty of florals and spice - very good now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasted beside G. Conterno Barolo Francia of the same vintage with a group of 7. More open, more elegant, nicer color than the other, the clear favorite of this group on this night. Has entered its drinking window but NR until next bottle. Very good wine from a very difficult vintage.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasted beside Bartolo Mascarello Barolo of the same vintage with a group of 7. Still tannic and may improve. Will wait 5 years before rating. Suffered in comparison with the more open, more refined, more brilliantly colored Mascarello.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Enjoyed this wine with our leftover Passover food, night two. Had a killer bottle of 93 Sandrone on the first night and was interesting in exploring another controversial vintage. And I had read many notes about the 03 Francia, so my expectations were appropriately tempered, and this proved to be a bottle that outperformed and exhibited considerable change over the course of two nights. Poured off half the bottle or so for the first night and gave it about an hour's air time in my Erlenmeyer flask, this being a science experiment. The wine developed a classic Cascina Francia bouquet of baking spice, iron shavings, and a concentration of those special aromas that is uniquely Conterno. On the palate, however, the wine lacked precision, and seemed almost watery, surprisingly unstructured given the promising olefactory notes. I'd have given the bouquet 92+ points but struggled to give the palate experience much more than 86. On the second night, the palate had come together and the wine picked up considerable structure and almost a bit of tannic grip, but at the expense of the bouquet, which seemed muted and lacking in the typicity so richly present in the first night, as if the palate had given something up to benefit the structure. I think this was probably an above par bottle and perhaps the moral of the story is to give this wine some more air time. But all in all, I'd say this bottle outperformed expectations and I'm giving it a generous 91 points
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Not the best year for G.Conterno. Decanted about 8 hours. Heat and funk dominating. Still a good drink but nowhere near the expectation I have for this producer.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
It was immediately apparent that despite the quality of producer, 2003 was a very bad year. There are some interesting aromatics here with floral, cedar and forest floor notes. Unfortunately, the palate seems to be lacking in complexity. The tannic qualities are clearly still evident, but there is little otherwise. The finish also seems quite short.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opened for one hour but no decant, Bricked in color. Floral nose. Tar and flowers on palate. Still a bit of a tannic bite. A very good mature traditionally made Barolo. May not get better. Will drink my last one within a year or so
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very similar to the last bottle I opened on 12/24/18. Popped and poured at a restaurant and it really opened up over 2.5 hours. One left to enjoy in the next year or two.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Fairly open straight from bottle. Light colour. Complex nose, clearly mature. Sweet attack, but not folding out completely. Perhaps a bit arrested due to the heat of 2003, in which case it wont change with further ageing. In any case it was slightly oxidised day 2, so drink up?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Even though an off year, this still has plenty left to it. I noted ripe dark berries, a hint of earth and licorice. A bit of bite on the finish that worked tis way through by the end of the bottle. A wonderful journey.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
After a 11 Jamet this was noticeably riper and higher in alcohol. Very weighty in the glass. On the nose deep ripe berries. The wine seems like a thick unctuous juice on the palate. Very intense. Very good wine but something I could be drinking a few glasses of rather than a few bottles. Sort of like a right bank 09. The fruit from Monfortino went into this also as no Monfortino produced.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The big 4-0 (Ristorante Morini): Well done. Tasting a bit more aged than I would have expected for 16 years. This actually was in a nice window. There's this balance with these Barolos where they have a certain lightness in the front palate but then you get the power coming later in the form of darker fruits and more spices. Very good.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Balsamico, black cherry, plum, earthy, dusty soil, herbs, tobacco. Don't think you have to run to drink these up, but not sure if it will improve a lot.
You can sense the heat of the vintage in comparisons to cooler vintages, but this is still a very enjoyable bottle. As the old story goes, great winemakers and great vineyards produce excellent wines in mediocre vintages. I bought quite a bit at $49 ten years ago, enjoyed many bottles and unfortunately only two left.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The points are more for the sweet, full mushroomy nose which developed gradually over the course of dinner, and not for the palate which was thinner and more tart than expected. I don"t expect this to improve and must count it as a relative disappointnent for Conterno.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
SO'd overnight then decanted for an hour, med. ruby with the beginning of brick on the rim, roses on the nose, tart cherry on the palate, med. tannins, med/long finish; very nice & ready to drink, but no rush
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Quite tasty. Lightly smoky, earthy nose. Cherries on the palate, mushroom plus leathery-oaky notes. Tannic grip was good, as was its acidity. 2003 was the hot year in Europe, I wouldn't call this cooked or stewed. Glad I drank it now. Day 2&3 a bit more compact, but the tannins and lip-smacking cherry palate were still good.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted 6 hours and a must for this wine. Opened up nicely in the glass and had a good mature nose and taste. Still rather tight and only giving you its secrets reluctantly. Mature fruit, good tannic grip and long aftertaste. Ready to drink but will last.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Barolo & Barbaresco $50 Double Blind (Bin 75 Alpharetta, GA): Dark crimson core showing sediment and orange in the rim; soy, aged, fennel, almost charcoal, celery seed, tanned leather; aged and mature on the palate, this bottle has lost majority of its fruit, drying out, soy; a shame this showed so poorly as I felt it could have been the top wine before the cork was pulled.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Again another example of what superb winemakers can do in "off" vintages; this is stellar; this bottle was still quite young with loads of dark berry fruit, tar, floral notes, leather, dusty earth, and tobacco. The palate is still dense with formidable, but ripe tannins, good energy, and no hints of excess ripeness or roasted flavors. Just powerful, delicious Barolo that was excellent with truffle stuffed pork loin.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This bottle is wonderful. Like the other bottles I've had but just more intense and full. Started to show its great beauty within a half hour, but evolved over the next hours even better. Classic tar and roses on the nose. Palate is intense dark berry and chewy, with a tight mineral background with leather and earth. Tannins have toned down, but are still a titillating finish. This wine is in the category of the *ideal* Barolo.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
I pulled the cork at around 7:00 am but only decanted it at 7:00 pm when I arrived at the restaurant. The wine color still looked as fresh as the day it was born, and there was precious little sediment in the bottle. After about 90 minutes decanter time, we started to consume this at a birthday party, so I didn't take any notes. What I can remember is that it started off seeming a little closed for business, but after another hour it started to come into its own. The body was quite full with medium acidity and dark fruits, and it still packed quite a tannic clout (but a really enjoyable clout). This is wine to savor and make last a whole evening (if on your own). It just got better and better with air time. I would expect that if there had been any left the next day it would have been better still. Forget that this says 2003 on the label: it's pure enjoyment in a bottle! This will easily last another 10 years. Outstanding effort.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Pizza Night @ R&Rler / Kevin's. Definitely, not the vintage I would have bought but, call me wrong! The region and the producer have once again yielded an excellent result! While balanced and even a little intellectually intriguing it needs more time to expand on the already promising presentation it made tonight. Tobacco, roses, and fresh ripe berries on the nose. Gentle, almost sweet, red fruit along with herbal/tobacco and minerally notes on the palate. The balance and purity of fruit here are amazing! The tannins are fairly well resolved with enough acid to keep this energetic and fresh. In some ways the outstanding vineyard fresh fruit sort of reminds me the recent '06 Roumier Bon Mare's fruit purity. Such classy material! I'm hoping like hell that Dave D has more of these to share in 3-5 years. This should do nothing but blossom in a major way over time.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Needed more time to breath. Nose: leather, hints of red fruit, tar and hints of flowers. Medium finish, not super long. Easy tannins and super bright acidity.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
On the nose I found balsamic and dark wood tones up front, which gave way to dried cherry, dusty soil, sweet tobacco, hints of baked plum, clove and spiced apple. On the palate, I found a fleshy expression of Nebbiolo fruit, with sweet and sour cherry, mulled apple, high toned acidity and hints of tough tannin. The fruit was slightly roasted rom the heat, but nowhere as badly as you would expect from the vintage as the lang and dark finish displayed hints of cedar and savory herbs.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Heavy cedar / tobacco on the nose. Very tight, almost comical at pop "it's like you being woken up from a nap". An hour later it was in a much better mood... minimal fruit, very much earth / minerality / tannin. Complex, brooding, dark, very together though also seems to be missing something... not really sure what to make of this in the end, not enough experience with aged nebbiolo. Enjoyed but can't help thinking I'd have more joy from a 15-20 year old Bordeaux or Burgundy. Fun as an experience though.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Lean to start on first night but improved some over the evening so I held it overnight. Much improved on 2nd night (especially with dinner). Medium-bodied with good mouthfeel. Really tart cherry and tobacco with fine but prominent tannins. I think it needs a long time for the acidity/tannins to mellow out, but I'm not sure if the fruit will hold out in such a hot vintage. Obviously well made, but the vintage does impact how it comes across.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
gillar mogen Barolo och har alltid gjorde. Detta vin kanske har mognat lite väl tidigt men för att vara 2003 imponerar det stort. massa härlig tobak, tjära, mörk frukt och lite konserverad tryffel som flyter ihop till en härlig massa! GOTT!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The immediate impression was disappointing. Not a lot of focus which is due to the vintage. After some time in the glass it became more focused and much nicer. I do not think it will ever be a great wine but give it some more time. Others said that it did not perform as well as just some weeks ago.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
rosebuds and strawberries on the nose. hints of tobacco and earth at first taste. very smooth finish.
The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are slow. There is light sediment in the bottle. It smells like strawberry, black currant (cassis), mineral and tobacco.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Annual Tasting Group Holiday Party (I Nonni, St. Paul, MN): Light medium red color. PNP, drank 1 glass over 90 minutes. Very nice, a classic Barolo, very well made with nice spice and anise on top of the pretty red fruits, elegant and lighter medium body. Tannins are still showing some firmness, but not obtrusive. 92+pts and maybe better yet.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Barolo Riserva Monfortino vertical 1995-2006: Since Monfortino was not produced in 2003 we decided to include this bottle in our vertical. A pleasant surprise. Nose of red fruit, earth, tar and spices. On the palate there is no sign of the 2003 heat wave. The wine remains fresh and drinkable. The tannins are a bit rustic and the aromatic length not at the level of the better Monfortinos. All in all a very nice wine and this could even pass as a lesser vintage Monfortino in my opinion. One can on only commend the winery's high bar of quality not having done so.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
SO'd for 12 hours. This was the 0.5 Monfortino, as there was no Monfortino produced in the freakishly hot 2003 vintage. So we had the 2003 Cascina Francia (from the same Cru). It was also a bottle that was in fact pretty different from the others in the vertical (more red fruited and a touch lighter in body). Very pretty notes of tobacco, a ittle tar, sweet red berries (strawberries and raspberries) and some flowers. Medium-full-bodied, with excellent freshness for the vintage with medium-high acidity and still medium-high tannin that is a little rough around the edges but good quality. Very good length. Very impressive, especially in this line-up.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Takes a good hour to start opening. Classic tar and roses on the nose. Chewy, dense fruit but with a tight mineral background leading to leather and earth. Big tannins start extending the finish after an hour. Very lively.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
A swathe of European 2003s (Chicago, IL): This is a brutally monolithic expression of Barolo, far more pleasing to me by virtue of its taciturn nature than the extremely giving Altare Arborina. There's hardly any fruit here. It's all dirt, minerals, and tannin. And somehow at the same time, it's so very clear there's something really good going on here. It's a wine that requires time to explore, even though it's so brutally big. One to cellar -- this is as serious a Barolo as they come.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Double decanted then SO'd for a few hrs, med. ruby with some bricking, classic roses & tar nose with cherry on the palate, mod/firm tannins, med. finish; delicious (esp. with an excellent bucatini all'amatriciana at Bice), still young, despite the color
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
- 1 Std. vorher belüftet und am 2. Tag ausgetrunken - Farbe schon leicht bräunlich - Bouquet auch schon mit einem Hauch nasses Leder - Noch starke Säure für das Alter. Schöne Tannine, die aber erst am 2. Tag richtig deutlich werden. Es fehlt etwas die integrierte Seidigkeit eines gereiften Spitzen-Barolos - Insgesamt schöner Wein aber den Preis nicht wirklich wert
Meh. Its ok, and given the vintage, still in a younger place. I don't see this improving though. Ruby in color. The nose is very nice with dried black cherries and cherries, some smoke/tar and some forest floor. On the palate, more monolithic. Nice cherry fruit. No complexity. Some tannins. Nice acidity. Its a nice wine and worth drinking, but it is what it is.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wine With the Neighbors: Popped and poured. Very pale red in color. Enticing nose, but this bottle seemed a bit more advanced than my last bottle. Nice core of fruit on the palate with good purity, nice balance and a great, lingering finish. Still showing some tannins, but not enough to be detract.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Christmas-dinner with friends. This was SO'd for 24 hours. First slightly reticent, but opening up quickly in the glass. Very pretty notes of dried fruits, tobacco, tar, red berries and some flowers. Also some truffle notes are kicking in. It's full-bodied and dense, but has an amazing freshness for the vintage with medium+ acidity and still medium-high tannin that is very silky. Very good length. A stunningly beautiful Cascina Francia without any heat from this freakish vintage. Very impressive.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Weihnachtsfeier mit den Keller Dreck-ern (Zurich): Eher junge Farbe aber deutlich Nebbiolo. Rosenblätter auf der Nase. Tänzelnd, aber auch unaufgeregt aufregend. Am Gaumen tolle Balance (beeindruckend für 2003!), trüffelig, Himbeer/Weichsel. Ein grosser Wein!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
When I first opened the bottle (and for the first hour), I kept wondering if the wine was every so slightly corked. It took at least two hours to begin to open up and develop although nose was never very expressive. It was much, much better the next day with a vibrant mix of earth, cherries, woodsmoke, with a hint of cola and balsamic as well. Next time, I'll aim to decant an hour or so.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Great wine from a difficult vintage. Not dried out or overly tannic, just a lovely Barolo. Classic nose of cherry, raspberry, red currant, floral with lots of tar and tobacco emerging with air. The palate is very well balanced which is a testament to the estate in this year. Delicious.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Totally different from past bottles. This is hot. Raisin fruit and oyster shells on the nose. Extremely ripe fruit with strong tannin. Awkward. Other bottles much better. (85)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
PNP. Very tight and green upon opening. Started to come around after 30 minutes in the glass, but clearly would have benefitted from a few hours of slo-o or decanting.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Same bottle as Chablis28, and this showed pretty well. Nice core of fruit on the palate with good purity, nice balance and a great, lingering finish. Still pretty tannic but drinking surprisingly well. It will be fun to track these over a few more years and see what develops.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opened table side at 6PM. This came later in the evening and I was again pleasantly surprised how good this was for an 03. A so so overripe vintage offset by an outstanding producer with decent btl age yielding an excellent result. I should have expected it to wow me like it did. 93+ Thanks Dave
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Out of magnum, after a 2hr decant, very fruit forward for a barolo with 10+ yrs of age, probably due to ripe vintage, had some hints of rose and spice, pairs well with a heavy protein.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very satisfying barolo. Nose was tight at first -- needed a min of 45 min to start to show, but evolved over next 1.5 hours even more. Classic tar and roses started to show, with chewy, dense fruit but with a tight mineral background. Leather and earth started showing up late. After 1.5 hrs a growing back end of big tannins started extending the finish for a long time. Still seems young (at least not near it peak).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Raspberries, sour cherries, spice, licorice. Very nice, but not dramatic. Pleasantly surprised by its approachable; presume drinking earlier than other Barolos due to hot year?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
VERTICALE CASCINA FRANCIA (WINETIP): Da Magnum. Al naso non si avverte eccessivamente l' ananta torrida, anche se è molto più "baroleggiante" rispetto all' affilato 2008. Spezie dolci, goudron, asfalto. Anche la bocca è più calda e mno austera, più materia e meno finezza, sopulesse dai toni amari, quasi una composta al tamarindo. Anche nel finale, rispetto al 2008, il tannino è più grossolano e di grana più grossa, i toni sono dolciastri e meno sapidi. Bevuta di qualità, ma lontana dalle vette di precisione chirurgica del 2008.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Return to San Antonio II (Barbaro): This was also my bottle and I got to spend more time with it later in the evening. Despite the slow-ox 18hrs prior, needed another 3-4hrs of air to show well. I was surprised how clean the fruit was despite the hot year, with nuance and balance being apt descriptors. Still tannic but not harsh. From what I understand, classic barolo flavor profile. Very long finish. 94-95
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Grannies dried closet rosebuds accidentaly dropped in a tarpool by the docks. Suddenly emerging on a mossy hill covered with ripe sourcherries at daybreak. A sniffin' sensation!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
3 hour slo-o. The wine is beginning to enter its drinking window. Soft tannins, pure fruit and wonderful balance. The continued to evolve during the course of the meal, with each sip taking on more and more finesse.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A real hit this evening. A bit surprising for the vintage, the nose was very classic showing tar and celery salt along with gorgeous red fruit. The palate was not heavy but did coat the mouth. Where the vintage did show itself was the fact that the wine was ready to go – in a great place actually. There was some tanning on the back end yet it was ripe and round. I liked this a lot and I think it will drink well over the next ten years or so. (93)
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
A surprise given the vintage and low critical reviews. Wine was stored in a temp controlled room since release. Not overripe or heavy, but still with broad shoulders and structure. Somewhat Burgundian with a medium color density and luminous color. Bright cherry aromatics with hints of mushroom, tar, earth, licorice, and cherry. Sometimes the fruit was very bright, focused and pronounced, and other times the earthiness seemed to stand out. This wine evolved aromatically a lot over the course of 1 hour. An excellent wine for the money (much cheaper than better vintages). The wine seemed like it could age longer, but is in a great place now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Chocolate, raspberry, primary, and stewy palate. Monstrously tannic but already quite rich and deep in flavor. Some brown sugar, metals, and VA emerge with air. Really tasty, but the trajectory is unclear.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Medium ruby red done in a classic and more traditional style with stewed fruits, spices, menthol and dusty oak. Wine gains sweetness on the palate as it opens, a tinge over sharp acidity and lacking some balance at this point. Expected a bit more from the Conterno house however 2003 appears to have been a very challenging vintage in many places, and this wine appear to be tiring on its track. Drink up.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Some Barolos and others at St. Jack (Portland, OR): This is definitely a big boy Barolo, but not totally out of bounds as some 2003s got. This offers sweet fruit on the nose, herbs, spice, and definitely a slight alcohol tinge is noted. Spicy and large, with a slight acidic aroma. Nice smells, overall. Surprisingly soft texture on the palate, with fairly dark flavors. Pretty mild overall, actually, without much intensity. The finish offered sweet fruit and really grippy tart tannins and sweet acid. Really makes you pucker. The finish definitely shows the wine's youth, but elsewhere it's also not inherently unready to drink. It's not showing too much depth today, but it's also not necessarily feeling tightly wound. It may just be the vintage at play.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nice Barolo, and I am a huge fan of GC, but this may be the weakest vintage I have had to date. I still have another half case. With grilled Poeta's hot sausage (not really hot) and grilled vegetables.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Conternos 2003 Barolo Cascina Francia is an awesome wine. In 2003 there is no Monfortino, and the Cascina Francia surely benefits from the addition of that juice. Roberto Conterno waited until October 8 to start picking in his Cascina Francia vineyard, long after most producers had already brought the fruit in.
Deep garnet colour turning into light brick-red at the rim of the glass.
The nose is just great, changing all the time. Liquory red fruit (cherries, strawberry, red-currant), mint, earth, tabacco and crashed rocks. With more time in the glass floral notes like rose petal and a smoked meat component. The wine is super fresh, silky and elegant on the palate. Medium-light bodied this grape juice shows the perfect interaction between the acid, fruit and the well integrated tannins. I would cellar my bottles for some more years, think the wine will be even better then.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Fine effort for the vintage. Initially some stewed fruit on the nose, but with air lovely nots emerge. Roses, minerals and some menthol. Very good but still miles apart from the magical 2004.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This was surprisingly good. Decanted for four hours. Beautiful aromas of licorice and strawberry. Medium-to-light bodied and really well-balanced. Everything I look for in Barolo. Never would have guessed this was an '03 if tasted blind. This was only half a step below a 1999 Monprivato.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This was really something special. A bit closed on the nose and with a palate which tastes liquorice and is lasersharp, quite elegant and feminine, with a wonderful lightness, yet very tasty. Still rather tannic and closed. Next bottle will be opened 2015. This is a barolo that stands out.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bright garnet in colour with some ruby highlights. Very attractive nose. You will not be able to stop sniffing it if you are a old world lover. Earth, tobacco, smoke-tar truffles smells are being accompanied by some red fruit aromas such as cherries, strawberries. Limy, stoney mineral notes are making the nose more complex. The suppleness, freshness and elegance are directly noticeable at the first sip and it is just so magnifique that you do not want to swallow it. Middle to high bodied. Due to its outstanding freshness, the wine feels refreshing and lively in the glass. The purity on the palate is just perfectly reflecting the "naked" character of Nebbiolo. The tannins appearing at the finish are strong but yet refined and integrated. Vivid acidity, fruit and alcohol are almost perfectly balanced. Very pleasant long finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Surprisingly went right after the '03 Sandrone Cannubi Boschis. Both noses were phenominal, but I prefered the Conterno due to the sheer complexity and class it exuded. The nose spoke of Burgundy, but everything else, especially the grippy tannins, screamed Barolo. A wonderful wine for the vintage from a producer that cannot be duplicated. I need a few cases to follow its evolution over the next 20 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Had the Pira Margheria, Giacosa Falletto and Conterno Cascina Francia, all in 2003. Same light colour in all three wine, all the producers are traditionalist with no new wood. The Pira managed quite well in this elevated company, and showed really cool fruit despite the vintage. More tar on the nose than the other two. Lighter fruit, but very good balance. The Giacosa had the most interesting nose, with black ink (Spanish!) and chorizo. Elegant mouthfeel with strong tannins. The Conterno had a very meaty nose and was the most full bodied (and less elegant). All three wine would be great with food. Decanted 3 hours. Today I would drink Giacosa, but I think Conterno will be as good with time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Let's start with the facts. 2003 was not a great vintage by most accounts. Giacomo Conterno is a fantastic vintner. Great vintners produce high quality wines even in less than perfect growing seasons, and this is one such wine. I tasted this over two days, and it was very good on both days, although it seemingly closed down a little from the time I uncorked it until when I finished it.
Color is deep garnet with slight bricking. Slow moving legs and better than average clarity in the glass. I am drinking from a Riedel Nebbiolo glass. Nose is very provocative, with scents of tar, tobacco, cedar and roses. It also has some "green" to it suggesting this wine is still young, which it is for a cascina francia. Not really any tertiary scents at this point, no menthol, etc.
The fruit is very fresh and well integrated with the tannins. The palate is evocotive of cranberries, orange zest and wild strawberries. Overall this is a fantastic wine, if a bit young for a conterno. I would likely give this a higher score if it had a few more years to develop.
I will cellar my remaining bottles for 3 to 10 years...But if you were tempted to try a young conterno, this would be as approachable as they come in my opinion. And the qpr is very good.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Awesome wine. Clearly better than any Barolo I've recently tried, so I have to rate this very high. Cherry, orange peel, a little tar and cinnamon. Tannins, acid and bitterness are slightly bristly, which speaks to a certain youthfulness. Very rich in an oily or syrupy way. I've never had a comparable experience in Barolo. I'm so thrilled I took a chance on an off year at a great price. I can only echo and quote Barolo Raymond: "Extremely long, refreshing focussed, well-defined super finish (cannot attempt to describe that perfect sensation). Forceful, austere and restrained, lasting forever, and ever so drinkable."
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Medium garnet-ruby, very very slow moving legs, regularly spaced @ 14.5% abv. Massive developing nose of roses cherries, leaves, tar, cedar, some herbal quality, complex and evolving throughout the consumption of the bottle. Dry, high acidity, medium(+) ripe and fully integrated tannins. Loads of (dried) cherries, strawberries, bitter chocolate, raisins, kirsch, soft spice, oak and mineral flavours. Evolving complex flavour palate. Excellent balance between fruit-acidity-tannins-alcohol. Firmly structured and framed by integrated ripe tannins. Extremely long refreshing focussed well-defined super finish (cannot attempt to describe that perfect sensation). Forceful, austere and restrained, lasting forever, and ever so drinkable. One of the best wines I enjoyed this year. And that produced in one of the hottest summers on record.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
WOTN. Decanted for 3 hours. Light light ruby burgundy red color. Nose is wonderful, pure, clean and gentle. On the palate it seems to be a masterpiece sown together by a dedicated winelover. Perfectly integrated tannins together with tremendous strength and a concentration but still lightness which seems otherworldly. Lingers on the palate longer than any of the other wines tried tonight. Would have loved to have 6 of these in the cellar, opening one every 5 years from now... 50+5+12+18+8
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Had this after some very old Madeira (1840, 1864 and 1870). It was impossible to judge any wine after these complex oldies. We sensed some form of concentration and lots of tannins in the Conterno though. Correct colour for the age, but really, the nose and body was impossible to sense.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
(Bottle opened for 1 hour, decanted for another.) A smooth but stalwart Barolo that wants to be consumed with food. The dark cassis fruit is demure with a prominent mid-plate of pencil lead and tobacco that meld into a grippy and dusty tannic finish. While quite enjoyable now, this wine has not peaked yet and has many fine drinking years ahead of it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted for 3 - 4 hours. Light ruby / tawny color, initial nose very dusty, cigar box, lots of tobacco and red currant. Medium bodied palate, rich in red currants and berries, slight heat mid-palate but a good structure to the wine and a decent finish. Struck me as still a bit young but nonetheless enjoyable.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This was nice and provided 2 important confirmations from this bottle: 1) if you have to buy a 2003 barolo, make it a traditionally styled one, as the winemaking style seems to have handled the heat better. 2) "the Brussels rule" : if you want an ageworthy italian or french wine avoid summers when it is hot in Brussels. Brussels is not famed for its good weather and when it is hot there (as in 2003) it must have been balmy lower south so don't buy or drink early if you buy. but the wine...colour is light, already bricking slightly, violet fruit and slight plum/raisin taste. it's a very nice and not overly tannic barolo that I expect should be drunk in the next 5-10 years (i.e. someting like 10 years ahead of schedule).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A bunch of Barolos: This was the only vintage that would fit into our budget of this wine. It was very good but finished middle of the pack for the group. My last place wine. Ruby/brown in color. T he nose shows some dusty cherries. It tastes mature and has some complexity. Also some heat and syrup like qualities. I wouldn't want to hold these too much longer, but who knows. Long finish but with some heat. Certainly a good wine with a nice winter's dinner, but I hoped for more.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
colore molto chiaro, note fruttate al naso di anguria, poi rosa e leggero goudron e carne. Bocca leggera, non traspare nessuna nota di cottura. Uno dei migliori barolo 2003 che ho bevuto
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Slow-o'ed for 10 hours and served with a classic Brasato this wine showed fine balance with resolved tannins. On the nose, tar and rose petals in abundance, typical of the grape. So easy to drink that 2 bottles disappeared at a moments notice. Very nice, especially given the 2003 vintage.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Zachys Robin Hood 2010 Wine Tasting (La venue, NYC): overwhelming root beer notes on the attack, followed by bright red raspberry fruit. this was pleasant to drink, but did not remind me of barolo. lovely medium finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nose of warm, ripe fruit, charcuteries, cinnamon, cocoa and oak. On the palate initially smooth but with dark fruit grumbling underneath the surface. Well integrated, quite intense tannins. Lovely with lots of potential.
While it is perhaps a bit too early to drink this wine and while it was opened right out of the cellar with no decanting time this has the potential to be a stunning classic Barolo. After an hour the wine began to evolve and open. Excellent body and balance. with an enticing aroma. Tannins are soft tannins and the finish is long and soft. No Monfortino was made in 2003, so it would seem reasonable to think that that fruit is in this wine. I would open and decant this wine 4-5 hours before drinking.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very light burgundy-like colour. Extremely closed down, compared to the copious amounts of fragrance and fruit it had when it was bottled. The fruit and berries in the restrained bouquet does still show the 2003 vintage however, with quite warm, ripe almost overseas notes. The attack is lean, and the first impression is a light palate, but you can clearly sense the depth and hidden power when you're circling the wine in your mouth. The finish is one of promises and potential. Clearly much too early, but fun to taste now, just to see how increadibly closed it is. Next bottle in 5 years to test!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Giacomo Conterno, Cascina Francia Barolo tasting 2010 (Maialino, NYC Lexington and 21st): The 2003 showed big briary red fruit, cinnamon, herbs and dark chocolate on the nose with a little heat. The palate showed sweet, spiced red fruit and raisin but was chewy with cloying tannins. It was textbook to 2003 and left me wondering if I was drinking Barolo.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Ruby red in color. Light and smooth on the palate with good red fruits. Didn't pick up any tar or roses that I enjoy so much on a great Barolo. Well balanced. Elegant but lacking the wow factor.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Recommended by the Godfather, the Giacomo Conterno 2003 is nicely balanced wine with notes of fresh ripe berries and medium tannins. While the wine delivers, I do agree that it lacks the "wow" factor I was expeccting when I opened this bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very big, tannic and ripe on opening. But it improved and improved all the way into the third day when it drank as a well integrated, classic Barolo. Decant, decant, decant.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Medium deep. Nose: autumnal leaf and crushed sour berries, then some mushrooms and sour cherries. Very full-bodied, very dense and tannic, inky and sweet at the same time, somewhat balanced by spiciness. Peppery and mushroomy notes. Long and spicy. Very macho Barolo, disappointing among others.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This wine was definitely disappointing. Maybe my hopes were too high. When I first opened this, it was unusually thick and dark for a Barolo. With air, it drifted into red fruit territory and the acid came out better. However, through the course of the first evening, the wine kept changing constantly. At times it seemed very simple and flat, at other times it seemed tannic and mute, and at times it seemed to be very good. After another 2 days in the cellar, the wine had stabilized somewhat. It turned out more typical of Barolo in the sense that the color was carmine red with some orange highlights. Nose was fairly typical with some leafiness, and the palate was nicely balanced with good, silky texture. It wasn't very complex however, and I still consider this wine a disappointment. Lacks excitement and the wow factor.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
young but very approachable and enjoyable. still plenty of tannins but this is full on barolo with no 2003 heat obvious. wonderful tar, mushrooms, black licorice and a whack of menthol. perhaps not built for the ages, but who cares, since this is so drinkable now?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A thoroughly enjoyable bottle. The nose was graced with a complex mix of cedar, berries and wooded fruit. Beautiful deep dark ruby hue for the eye. The tongue found soft tannins, another complex mix of berries, wooded fruit, dried mushrooms, green pepper and earth accompanied by a nice level of acidity that made for an excellent food match. Given all of this, the finish was a bit of a letdown - it was short and straightforward. Overall, this is drinking quite nicely.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark brick in color. Decanted a little over an hour. Maybe not enough. Nose very subdued and closed. Starts very appealing with red fruit and berries along with cinammon. Finishes a bit harsh with tannins on the rough side.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
tasting italiano: nose: very beautiful and elegant nose of cinammon, tar, herbs, spice tones, and a almost dirty floral type of tone that is hard to describe
taste: pretty feel with nice suppleness to it with cinammon, tar, herbs, and spice tones in sweet balance with each other
overall: an extremely pretty wine with good acidity and supple tannins. Nice aromatic nose with well toned flavors on the palate that gives off a tart cinammon attack and soft spice finish
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Barolis lunch at Della Notte (Della Notte - Baltimore): Another Burgundian nose. More red fruits, cherry and strawberry. Also, fruit cake, very ripe fruit as you can imagine. Almost new world style of forthcoming fruit. A wine that will please both traditional and new world palates
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
5/18/2024 - Dave Mosko Likes this wine:
Paired with a boar bolognese ala Park Place along with a 2004 Gaja Langhe Nebbiolo Sperss. Match made in heaven and the best of the night. No Monfortino this year, it all went into this bottling so I was told. It appeared evident by how much was not reveasled. Although this was opened several hours prior, it was not decanted and I feel it suffered as a result. So much time left to blossom and develop in well cellared bottles. Who knows when that peak will be. All class in my glass, opening and growing, revealing more classic with time yet never giving very much.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/14/2024 - KenK Likes this wine: 91 Points
Big burly and ripe flavors. Good, but clearly outclassed by the 2018 version. Tons of fruit here, but at 20’years old, still little nuance.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/21/2023 - Musinus wrote: 89 Points
Dark garnet, initial aromas of air-dried sheets and leather that lead to rose petals, cinnamon syrup, dried cherries, marked by increasing spiciness. Palate on the hot and astrigent side offering flavors of cola, coffee, and ripe dark plum. Brief finish. Not much upside from additional maturation.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/18/2023 - Venice Al Likes this wine:
Restaurant note. Short decant - could have used substantially more. Typical flavors but young, dried mint, flowers, and dark red fruit. Will the balance be there when it reaches maturity? Not sure. Still a nice wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/21/2023 - NickNYC wrote:
beautiful and elegant nose, not specifically revealing a hot vintage. tannins are present but integrated, good length. seems to lack depth and was a bit flat. caveat: the wine was tasted at the end of a long diner so that it may have altered my perception.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/18/2023 - JWG wrote: 97 Points
This last bottle (a magnum) matches the 750ml we opened in 2018. Those notes from 5 yrs ago remarkably apply quite closely. One of the great instances of mature traditional Barolo that I've ever had. Decanted an hour before dinner. Upon opening it was already huge and intense on the nose and the palate. After an hour it had mellowed a little and was full of the nose of roses and dark fruit. The palate is dark and unctuous with leather and earth and more dark berries. The tannins are soft, as before. Had the remainder the next day and still wonderful.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/10/2023 - Tartiflette wrote: 89 Points
Decanted 4 hours. It’s my 3rd. and last bottle and they should have drunk by now. Just very weak by now and the chemicals/medicine cabinet dominating. The fruit is overmature plums and cherries. Still drinkable but don’t wait. Still recommend a decant though.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/5/2022 - Robert Pavlovich Likes this wine:
A bit wound up, energetic and loaded with latent power, especially in the context of being served after champagne and Burgundy, but the big takeaway was that it was clearly balanced, with requisite freshness, and little to no sign of the overheated vintage.
Luckily was able to take about half the bottle home for day 2, and that’s where it was able to more fully express itself. Lots of saddle leather, dark fruit, light cinnamon on the nose. Flavors repeat on the palate, though with a stronger vanilla note than I’d prefer, but the freshness/balance more clearly reveals itself, and bodes well for decades of cellar life to come. Makes me think I’ll hold my 2007 for 10 more years at minimum.
This wasn’t my bottle but I don’t think it received much of a decant prior to serving.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/28/2022 - Sperls Likes this wine: 93 Points
Quite impressive and no sign of the hot vintage that I’d worried about (not cooked or candied). Rose, dark fruit, herbs, tar, dark brick rim, chewy, medium finish. Could still be evolving.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/21/2022 - blank blank wrote:
This was quite good, especially for the vintage, much better than a 1996 Scavino that it shared the table with. Easily identifiable as nebbiolo blind - and most pegged it as a 2004, which is a compliment. On the more masculine side of barolo - more tar, less violets - but everything has softened a bit and its ready to be drunk. Perhaps a touch anonymous but for a 2003 it's a towering achievement.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/23/2022 - wxs2102 Likes this wine: 95 Points
At Carne Mare NYC. Despite the hot vintage Roberto does it again with a beautifully crafted presentation. The tannins are quite integrated and less grippy than others I’ve had. Tons of smoke and tar on the nose, a palate of currants and berry preserves, and a 30-45 second long lasting finish that isn’t overly strong but very introspective. Incredible.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/26/2021 - the godfather wrote:
Massively disappointing , nothing going on, no fruit. Perhaps off
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/15/2021 - cardsandwine Likes this wine:
Double decanted, followed by 4 hours of slo-o. The past 6 years in my cellar have been magic for this beauty. The wine, imo, is definitely in the peak of its drinking window. It is a classic Conterno CF. Gorgeous translucent red color, enticing Nebbiolo bouquet, fantastic balance with great mid-palate depth and a long, elegant finish. A wine with soul.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/29/2021 - spacewrangler wrote: 92 Points
Seemed like a perfectly stored bottle, sourced from a reputable local shop for $120. Nose with a 3 hour decant showing some florals, red cherry, leather and black licorice. Very similar on the palate and man is this still grippy AF for an 18 year old Barolo. Medium bodied and in a great spot. I would definitely decant this for a few hours with sound bottles. Not a barolo expert but I found nothing raisiny about the fruit character.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/15/2021 - Cmainardi wrote: 93 Points
Once again, excellent wine producer trumps questionable vintage. 2003 is not a weak or early drinking vintage. This was an outstanding wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/25/2020 - Stefanos T. Likes this wine: 96 Points
Translucent and limpid brick red colour very enticing to the eye. Nose perfumed as one should expect from a fine wine, dried flowers, herbs, fine leather. On the palate though is where the surprise came, unbelievably supple and rounded, velvety caressing the mouth. From the colour one would have expected something leaner, but this was a full bodied, smooth wine full of delectable aromas. Old school wine, which is somewhat of a rarity, maybe not at peak of maturity but surely drinking perfectly right now. A truly fine wine and one of the best Barolos I've had the pleasure of tasting.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/23/2020 - JonnyG Likes this wine: 91 Points
A Thank-You Cellar Raid to Help Nudge 2020 Out of Here (Los Olivos, CA): A meaty Nebbiolo, with leather and blood notes rather than a floral or fruit-driven profile. A bit raisiny too, presumably reflecting the vintage. Firm tannins. I found this wine to be a bit clumsy, lacking in refinement or elegance. Despite a 6-hour decant, it showed best after a few additional hours in the glass. Served blind to my colleagues, a few mistook it for Burgundy (I know my notes don't make it sound that way, I just think it was hard to peg as Barolo).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/20/2020 - joshabramson Likes this wine: 94 Points
Lighter color than I was expecting. Firm acidity and tannin, elegant and slightly austere but drinking well.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/24/2020 - forceberry wrote: 89 Points
14,5% alcohol. Tasted blind.
Developed, somewhat translucent reddish-maroon color with a very deep core and quite pale brick-red rim. Developed, savory and meaty nose with evolved aromas of raisins and dried dates, some leather, light cigar tones, a little bit of meat stew, light volatile notes of balsamico and minty lift and a touch of licorice. The wine is rather big yet surprisingly sinewy and only medium-bodied, both at the same time, with intense and quite developed flavors of wizened black cherries, some balsamic notes of VA, a little bit of sweet raisiny fruit, light leathery tones, a hint of sour cherry bitterness and a rusty touch of ferrous blood. The overall feel is very firm and muscular, thanks to the high acidity and still very assertive and grippy tannins. The finish is long, very tannic and rather warm with intense flavors of leather, sour cherry bitterness, some tart lingonberries, a little bit of sweet raisiny fruit, light leathery tones, evolved notes of dried fruits and a sweet, volatile touch of balsamico.
A Barolo that is both surprisingly stern and sophisticated yet rather heavy and robust, both at the same time. In one hand, the wine doesn't feel overripe despite the hot 2003 vintage, mostly thanks to the impressive structure and more savory flavors. However, the vintage still shows, as the wine is conspicuously raisiny in fruit and a tad sweeter than how a 15-20 Nebbiolo normally would be. All in all, this is a surprisingly impressive for a 2003 Barolo and it still shows quite a bit of potential for future development, as there is quite a bit of fruit still left here and the structure feels rather tightly-knit even after +15 years. However, there's no denying that the fruit is quite raisiny here, which lends the wine a somewhat more evolved note - my guess was a Nebbiolo, but one 10-15 older than this. A great effort for a 2003 Barolo, but only good for a Barolo.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/26/2020 - Nanda wrote:
Decanted ~4 hours. Quite the wine from the uber hot 2003 vintage. Darker fruit but other than that nothing is out of balance. A fresh even breezy nature to the cherry fruit with plenty of florals and spice - very good now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/25/2020 - Vinomane wrote:
Tasted beside G. Conterno Barolo Francia of the same vintage with a group of 7. More open, more elegant, nicer color than the other, the clear favorite of this group on this night. Has entered its drinking window but NR until next bottle. Very good wine from a very difficult vintage.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/25/2020 - Vinomane wrote:
Tasted beside Bartolo Mascarello Barolo of the same vintage with a group of 7. Still tannic and may improve. Will wait 5 years before rating. Suffered in comparison with the more open, more refined, more brilliantly colored Mascarello.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/17/2020 - the godfather wrote: 94 Points
Wow wine, this was a stunning beauty totally in the zone
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/16/2020 - JOsgood wrote: 94 Points
The converter. Sick wine. Gorgeous texture and nose. Nothing over ripe here.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/9/2020 - baroloboy55-2.0 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Enjoyed this wine with our leftover Passover food, night two. Had a killer bottle of 93 Sandrone on the first night and was interesting in exploring another controversial vintage. And I had read many notes about the 03 Francia, so my expectations were appropriately tempered, and this proved to be a bottle that outperformed and exhibited considerable change over the course of two nights. Poured off half the bottle or so for the first night and gave it about an hour's air time in my Erlenmeyer flask, this being a science experiment. The wine developed a classic Cascina Francia bouquet of baking spice, iron shavings, and a concentration of those special aromas that is uniquely Conterno. On the palate, however, the wine lacked precision, and seemed almost watery, surprisingly unstructured given the promising olefactory notes. I'd have given the bouquet 92+ points but struggled to give the palate experience much more than 86. On the second night, the palate had come together and the wine picked up considerable structure and almost a bit of tannic grip, but at the expense of the bouquet, which seemed muted and lacking in the typicity so richly present in the first night, as if the palate had given something up to benefit the structure. I think this was probably an above par bottle and perhaps the moral of the story is to give this wine some more air time. But all in all, I'd say this bottle outperformed expectations and I'm giving it a generous 91 points
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/7/2020 - rgawlowski Likes this wine: 92 Points
A nose a bit understated ; nice balance and finish; still, a valiant result.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/31/2019 - Tartiflette wrote: 90 Points
Not the best year for G.Conterno. Decanted about 8 hours. Heat and funk dominating. Still a good drink but nowhere near the expectation I have for this producer.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/6/2019 - KRKacs wrote: 87 Points
It was immediately apparent that despite the quality of producer, 2003 was a very bad year. There are some interesting aromatics here with floral, cedar and forest floor notes. Unfortunately, the palate seems to be lacking in complexity. The tannic qualities are clearly still evident, but there is little otherwise. The finish also seems quite short.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/2/2019 - Cmainardi wrote: 92 Points
Opened for one hour but no decant, Bricked in color. Floral nose. Tar and flowers on palate. Still a bit of a tannic bite. A very good mature traditionally made Barolo. May not get better. Will drink my last one within a year or so
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/29/2019 - Al Ehrhardt wrote:
Very similar to the last bottle I opened on 12/24/18. Popped and poured at a restaurant and it really opened up over 2.5 hours. One left to enjoy in the next year or two.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/23/2019 - UTPK wrote:
Fairly open straight from bottle. Light colour. Complex nose, clearly mature. Sweet attack, but not folding out completely. Perhaps a bit arrested due to the heat of 2003, in which case it wont change with further ageing. In any case it was slightly oxidised day 2, so drink up?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/2/2019 - Brian of Mull Likes this wine: 91 Points
Good but I expected more. Sour cherries, mushroom , funk and spice. I think it could stand a few more years in the bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/2/2019 - pdicorpo Likes this wine: 92 Points
Even though an off year, this still has plenty left to it. I noted ripe dark berries, a hint of earth and licorice. A bit of bite on the finish that worked tis way through by the end of the bottle. A wonderful journey.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/9/2019 - BenBlu Likes this wine: 94 Points
After a 11 Jamet this was noticeably riper and higher in alcohol. Very weighty in the glass. On the nose deep ripe berries. The wine seems like a thick unctuous juice on the palate. Very intense. Very good wine but something I could be drinking a few glasses of rather than a few bottles. Sort of like a right bank 09. The fruit from Monfortino went into this also as no Monfortino produced.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/15/2019 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
The big 4-0 (Ristorante Morini): Well done. Tasting a bit more aged than I would have expected for 16 years. This actually was in a nice window. There's this balance with these Barolos where they have a certain lightness in the front palate but then you get the power coming later in the form of darker fruits and more spices. Very good.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/24/2018 - Al Ehrhardt wrote:
Balsamico, black cherry, plum, earthy, dusty soil, herbs, tobacco. Don't think you have to run to drink these up, but not sure if it will improve a lot.
You can sense the heat of the vintage in comparisons to cooler vintages, but this is still a very enjoyable bottle. As the old story goes, great winemakers and great vineyards produce excellent wines in mediocre vintages. I bought quite a bit at $49 ten years ago, enjoyed many bottles and unfortunately only two left.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/22/2018 - Topper wrote: 91 Points
The points are more for the sweet, full mushroomy nose which developed gradually over the course of dinner, and not for the palate which was thinner and more tart than expected. I don"t expect this to improve and must count it as a relative disappointnent for Conterno.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/29/2018 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 93 Points
SO'd overnight then decanted for an hour, med. ruby with the beginning of brick on the rim, roses on the nose, tart cherry on the palate, med. tannins, med/long finish; very nice & ready to drink, but no rush
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/21/2018 - Chefofthewoods Likes this wine: 92 Points
Quite tasty. Lightly smoky, earthy nose. Cherries on the palate, mushroom plus leathery-oaky notes. Tannic grip was good, as was its acidity. 2003 was the hot year in Europe, I wouldn't call this cooked or stewed. Glad I drank it now.
Day 2&3 a bit more compact, but the tannins and lip-smacking cherry palate were still good.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/29/2018 - Tartiflette wrote: 92 Points
Decanted 6 hours and a must for this wine. Opened up nicely in the glass and had a good mature nose and taste. Still rather tight and only giving you its secrets reluctantly. Mature fruit, good tannic grip and long aftertaste. Ready to drink but will last.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/29/2018 - rnellans wrote: 94 Points
Quite nice. Dark fruits, some tar. Ripe, but not over ripe. Good dark fruits coat the palate. Nice balance.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/15/2018 - Rezy13 wrote:
Barolo & Barbaresco $50 Double Blind (Bin 75 Alpharetta, GA): Dark crimson core showing sediment and orange in the rim; soy, aged, fennel, almost charcoal, celery seed, tanned leather; aged and mature on the palate, this bottle has lost majority of its fruit, drying out, soy; a shame this showed so poorly as I felt it could have been the top wine before the cork was pulled.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/13/2018 - jnewman77 Likes this wine:
Again another example of what superb winemakers can do in "off" vintages; this is stellar; this bottle was still quite young with loads of dark berry fruit, tar, floral notes, leather, dusty earth, and tobacco. The palate is still dense with formidable, but ripe tannins, good energy, and no hints of excess ripeness or roasted flavors. Just powerful, delicious Barolo that was excellent with truffle stuffed pork loin.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/28/2018 - JWG wrote: 97 Points
This bottle is wonderful. Like the other bottles I've had but just more intense and full. Started to show its great beauty within a half hour, but evolved over the next hours even better. Classic tar and roses on the nose. Palate is intense dark berry and chewy, with a tight mineral background with leather and earth. Tannins have toned down, but are still a titillating finish. This wine is in the category of the *ideal* Barolo.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/28/2018 - ChristP Likes this wine: 96 Points
I pulled the cork at around 7:00 am but only decanted it at 7:00 pm when I arrived at the restaurant. The wine color still looked as fresh as the day it was born, and there was precious little sediment in the bottle. After about 90 minutes decanter time, we started to consume this at a birthday party, so I didn't take any notes. What I can remember is that it started off seeming a little closed for business, but after another hour it started to come into its own. The body was quite full with medium acidity and dark fruits, and it still packed quite a tannic clout (but a really enjoyable clout). This is wine to savor and make last a whole evening (if on your own). It just got better and better with air time. I would expect that if there had been any left the next day it would have been better still. Forget that this says 2003 on the label: it's pure enjoyment in a bottle! This will easily last another 10 years. Outstanding effort.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/9/2018 - MWiking wrote: 93 Points
beautiful and not a hint of the heat from 2003. Beautiful
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/25/2018 - rocknroller wrote: 92 Points
Pizza Night with Aged Classic Reds Ten Plus Years Old (Rocknroller's (Kevin's)): Medium red color. Drank 1 glass over 75 minutes. This was in a good spot for its relative age, pretty red fruits, cocoa bean, iron, flint, taut acids, dried roses, licorice and firm tannins. Very well balanced and enjoyable.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/25/2018 - chablis28 wrote: 92 Points
Pizza Night @ R&Rler / Kevin's. Definitely, not the vintage I would have bought but, call me wrong! The region and the producer have once again yielded an excellent result! While balanced and even a little intellectually intriguing it needs more time to expand on the already promising presentation it made tonight. Tobacco, roses, and fresh ripe berries on the nose. Gentle, almost sweet, red fruit along with herbal/tobacco and minerally notes on the palate. The balance and purity of fruit here are amazing! The tannins are fairly well resolved with enough acid to keep this energetic and fresh. In some ways the outstanding vineyard fresh fruit sort of reminds me the recent '06 Roumier Bon Mare's fruit purity. Such classy material! I'm hoping like hell that Dave D has more of these to share in 3-5 years. This should do nothing but blossom in a major way over time.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/15/2017 - sbernardelli Likes this wine: 92 Points
Needed more time to breath. Nose: leather, hints of red fruit, tar and hints of flowers. Medium finish, not super long. Easy tannins and super bright acidity.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/3/2017 - Eric Guido Likes this wine: 92 Points
On the nose I found balsamic and dark wood tones up front, which gave way to dried cherry, dusty soil, sweet tobacco, hints of baked plum, clove and spiced apple. On the palate, I found a fleshy expression of Nebbiolo fruit, with sweet and sour cherry, mulled apple, high toned acidity and hints of tough tannin. The fruit was slightly roasted rom the heat, but nowhere as badly as you would expect from the vintage as the lang and dark finish displayed hints of cedar and savory herbs.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/17/2017 - oropeza wrote: 91 Points
Heavy cedar / tobacco on the nose. Very tight, almost comical at pop "it's like you being woken up from a nap". An hour later it was in a much better mood... minimal fruit, very much earth / minerality / tannin. Complex, brooding, dark, very together though also seems to be missing something... not really sure what to make of this in the end, not enough experience with aged nebbiolo. Enjoyed but can't help thinking I'd have more joy from a 15-20 year old Bordeaux or Burgundy. Fun as an experience though.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/17/2017 - portman63 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Lean to start on first night but improved some over the evening so I held it overnight. Much improved on 2nd night (especially with dinner). Medium-bodied with good mouthfeel. Really tart cherry and tobacco with fine but prominent tannins. I think it needs a long time for the acidity/tannins to mellow out, but I'm not sure if the fruit will hold out in such a hot vintage. Obviously well made, but the vintage does impact how it comes across.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/30/2017 - MWiking wrote: 93 Points
gillar mogen Barolo och har alltid gjorde. Detta vin kanske har mognat lite väl tidigt men för att vara 2003 imponerar det stort.
massa härlig tobak, tjära, mörk frukt och lite konserverad tryffel som flyter ihop till en härlig massa! GOTT!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/23/2017 - Bourgognefreak Likes this wine: 90 Points
The immediate impression was disappointing. Not a lot of focus which is due to the vintage. After some time in the glass it became more focused and much nicer. I do not think it will ever be a great wine but give it some more time. Others said that it did not perform as well as just some weeks ago.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/28/2017 - pdicorpo Likes this wine: 92 Points
rosebuds and strawberries on the nose. hints of tobacco and earth at first taste. very smooth finish.
The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are slow. There is light sediment in the bottle. It smells like strawberry, black currant (cassis), mineral and tobacco.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/9/2016 - rocknroller wrote: 92 Points
Annual Tasting Group Holiday Party (I Nonni, St. Paul, MN): Light medium red color. PNP, drank 1 glass over 90 minutes. Very nice, a classic Barolo, very well made with nice spice and anise on top of the pretty red fruits, elegant and lighter medium body. Tannins are still showing some firmness, but not obtrusive. 92+pts and maybe better yet.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/20/2016 - Collector1855 wrote: 94 Points
Barolo Riserva Monfortino vertical 1995-2006: Since Monfortino was not produced in 2003 we decided to include this bottle in our vertical. A pleasant surprise. Nose of red fruit, earth, tar and spices. On the palate there is no sign of the 2003 heat wave. The wine remains fresh and drinkable. The tannins are a bit rustic and the aromatic length not at the level of the better Monfortinos. All in all a very nice wine and this could even pass as a lesser vintage Monfortino in my opinion. One can on only commend the winery's high bar of quality not having done so.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/7/2016 - NostraBacchus Likes this wine: 94 Points
11.5 vintages of Monfortino-vertical:
SO'd for 12 hours. This was the 0.5 Monfortino, as there was no Monfortino produced in the freakishly hot 2003 vintage. So we had the 2003 Cascina Francia (from the same Cru). It was also a bottle that was in fact pretty different from the others in the vertical (more red fruited and a touch lighter in body). Very pretty notes of tobacco, a ittle tar, sweet red berries (strawberries and raspberries) and some flowers. Medium-full-bodied, with excellent freshness for the vintage with medium-high acidity and still medium-high tannin that is a little rough around the edges but good quality. Very good length. Very impressive, especially in this line-up.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/23/2016 - JWG wrote: 94 Points
Takes a good hour to start opening. Classic tar and roses on the nose. Chewy, dense fruit but with a tight mineral background leading to leather and earth. Big tannins start extending the finish after an hour. Very lively.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/28/2016 - acyso wrote: 90 Points
A swathe of European 2003s (Chicago, IL): This is a brutally monolithic expression of Barolo, far more pleasing to me by virtue of its taciturn nature than the extremely giving Altare Arborina. There's hardly any fruit here. It's all dirt, minerals, and tannin. And somehow at the same time, it's so very clear there's something really good going on here. It's a wine that requires time to explore, even though it's so brutally big. One to cellar -- this is as serious a Barolo as they come.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/25/2016 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Double decanted then SO'd for a few hrs, med. ruby with some bricking, classic roses & tar nose with cherry on the palate, mod/firm tannins, med. finish; delicious (esp. with an excellent bucatini all'amatriciana at Bice), still young, despite the color
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/18/2016 - s******n Likes this wine: 91 Points
- 1 Std. vorher belüftet und am 2. Tag ausgetrunken
- Farbe schon leicht bräunlich
- Bouquet auch schon mit einem Hauch nasses Leder
- Noch starke Säure für das Alter. Schöne Tannine, die aber erst am 2. Tag richtig deutlich werden. Es fehlt etwas die integrierte Seidigkeit eines gereiften Spitzen-Barolos
- Insgesamt schöner Wein aber den Preis nicht wirklich wert
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comments (1)
6/4/2016 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 89 Points
Meh. Its ok, and given the vintage, still in a younger place. I don't see this improving though. Ruby in color. The nose is very nice with dried black cherries and cherries, some smoke/tar and some forest floor. On the palate, more monolithic. Nice cherry fruit. No complexity. Some tannins. Nice acidity. Its a nice wine and worth drinking, but it is what it is.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/14/2016 - mkoss Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted 3 hours, now soft as a kitten, great wine! Looong finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/20/2016 - Dave Dalluge wrote: 92 Points
Wine With the Neighbors: Popped and poured. Very pale red in color. Enticing nose, but this bottle seemed a bit more advanced than my last bottle. Nice core of fruit on the palate with good purity, nice balance and a great, lingering finish. Still showing some tannins, but not enough to be detract.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/18/2015 - NostraBacchus Likes this wine: 95 Points
Christmas-dinner with friends. This was SO'd for 24 hours. First slightly reticent, but opening up quickly in the glass. Very pretty notes of dried fruits, tobacco, tar, red berries and some flowers. Also some truffle notes are kicking in. It's full-bodied and dense, but has an amazing freshness for the vintage with medium+ acidity and still medium-high tannin that is very silky. Very good length. A stunningly beautiful Cascina Francia without any heat from this freakish vintage. Very impressive.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/17/2015 - EMAZurich Likes this wine: 94 Points
Weihnachtsfeier mit den Keller Dreck-ern (Zurich): Eher junge Farbe aber deutlich Nebbiolo. Rosenblätter auf der Nase. Tänzelnd, aber auch unaufgeregt aufregend. Am Gaumen tolle Balance (beeindruckend für 2003!), trüffelig, Himbeer/Weichsel. Ein grosser Wein!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/26/2015 - gris Likes this wine: 91 Points
When I first opened the bottle (and for the first hour), I kept wondering if the wine was every so slightly corked. It took at least two hours to begin to open up and develop although nose was never very expressive. It was much, much better the next day with a vibrant mix of earth, cherries, woodsmoke, with a hint of cola and balsamic as well. Next time, I'll aim to decant an hour or so.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/19/2015 - jnewman77 Likes this wine:
Great wine from a difficult vintage. Not dried out or overly tannic, just a lovely Barolo. Classic nose of cherry, raspberry, red currant, floral with lots of tar and tobacco emerging with air. The palate is very well balanced which is a testament to the estate in this year. Delicious.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/8/2015 - dbkitc wrote: 85 Points
Totally different from past bottles. This is hot. Raisin fruit and oyster shells on the nose. Extremely ripe fruit with strong tannin. Awkward. Other bottles much better. (85)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/1/2015 - cardsandwine Likes this wine:
PNP. Very tight and green upon opening. Started to come around after 30 minutes in the glass, but clearly would have benefitted from a few hours of slo-o or decanting.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/3/2015 - Dave Dalluge wrote: 93 Points
Same bottle as Chablis28, and this showed pretty well. Nice core of fruit on the palate with good purity, nice balance and a great, lingering finish. Still pretty tannic but drinking surprisingly well. It will be fun to track these over a few more years and see what develops.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/30/2015 - rocknroller wrote: 91 Points
Big Time Barolo and Barbaresco Fest et al (Il Foro, Mpls, MN): Medium dark red color. Drank 1 glass over an hour. This was very earthy, loamy soil, minerals, balsamic, cherry, prominent tannins. 91+pts.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/30/2015 - chablis28 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Opened table side at 6PM. This came later in the evening and I was again pleasantly surprised how good this was for an 03. A so so overripe vintage offset by an outstanding producer with decent btl age yielding an excellent result. I should have expected it to wow me like it did. 93+ Thanks Dave
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/31/2015 - Vstalam wrote: 91 Points
Out of magnum, after a 2hr decant, very fruit forward for a barolo with 10+ yrs of age, probably due to ripe vintage, had some hints of rose and spice, pairs well with a heavy protein.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/10/2015 - JWG wrote: 94 Points
Very satisfying barolo. Nose was tight at first -- needed a min of 45 min to start to show, but evolved over next 1.5 hours even more. Classic tar and roses started to show, with chewy, dense fruit but with a tight mineral background. Leather and earth started showing up late. After 1.5 hrs a growing back end of big tannins started extending the finish for a long time. Still seems young (at least not near it peak).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/23/2015 - tate491 wrote: flawed
The Underground Blind Tasting Group: Single Vineyard Barolo & Barbaresco (Houston): This wine most likely saw some poor storage at some point along the way. The palate was flat and heavy and any flavors had a very "dried out" taste to them.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/4/2015 - M.Batard wrote: 91 Points
Raspberries, sour cherries, spice, licorice. Very nice, but not dramatic. Pleasantly surprised by its approachable; presume drinking earlier than other Barolos due to hot year?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/4/2015 - Sundbyberg wrote: 92 Points
Not as spectacular as I remember it, drinking this wine 2-3 years ago.
Lots of licorice and quite elegant, but with fruit that is a bit tart.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/22/2015 - galenico wrote: 91 Points
VERTICALE CASCINA FRANCIA (WINETIP): Da Magnum. Al naso non si avverte eccessivamente l' ananta torrida, anche se è molto più "baroleggiante" rispetto all' affilato 2008.
Spezie dolci, goudron, asfalto.
Anche la bocca è più calda e mno austera, più materia e meno finezza, sopulesse dai toni amari, quasi una composta al tamarindo.
Anche nel finale, rispetto al 2008, il tannino è più grossolano e di grana più grossa, i toni sono dolciastri e meno sapidi.
Bevuta di qualità, ma lontana dalle vette di precisione chirurgica del 2008.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/19/2015 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Return to San Antonio II (Barbaro): This was also my bottle and I got to spend more time with it later in the evening. Despite the slow-ox 18hrs prior, needed another 3-4hrs of air to show well. I was surprised how clean the fruit was despite the hot year, with nuance and balance being apt descriptors. Still tannic but not harsh. From what I understand, classic barolo flavor profile. Very long finish. 94-95
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/28/2014 - bradfriedlander Likes this wine: 82 Points
Then longer this was open, the better it got. However, it was a little muddy.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/19/2014 - Marole wrote: 94 Points
Grannies dried closet rosebuds accidentaly dropped in a tarpool by the docks. Suddenly emerging on a mossy hill covered with ripe sourcherries at daybreak. A sniffin' sensation!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/29/2014 - cardsandwine Likes this wine:
3 hour slo-o. The wine is beginning to enter its drinking window. Soft tannins, pure fruit and wonderful balance. The continued to evolve during the course of the meal, with each sip taking on more and more finesse.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/5/2014 - dbkitc wrote: 93 Points
A real hit this evening. A bit surprising for the vintage, the nose was very classic showing tar and celery salt along with gorgeous red fruit. The palate was not heavy but did coat the mouth. Where the vintage did show itself was the fact that the wine was ready to go – in a great place actually. There was some tanning on the back end yet it was ripe and round. I liked this a lot and I think it will drink well over the next ten years or so. (93)
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/7/2014 - vine farmer wrote:
A surprise given the vintage and low critical reviews. Wine was stored in a temp controlled room since release. Not overripe or heavy, but still with broad shoulders and structure. Somewhat Burgundian with a medium color density and luminous color. Bright cherry aromatics with hints of mushroom, tar, earth, licorice, and cherry. Sometimes the fruit was very bright, focused and pronounced, and other times the earthiness seemed to stand out. This wine evolved aromatically a lot over the course of 1 hour. An excellent wine for the money (much cheaper than better vintages). The wine seemed like it could age longer, but is in a great place now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/14/2013 - andtheodor wrote: 91 Points
Chocolate, raspberry, primary, and stewy palate. Monstrously tannic but already quite rich and deep in flavor. Some brown sugar, metals, and VA emerge with air. Really tasty, but the trajectory is unclear.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/3/2013 - farinas wrote: 92 Points
Medium ruby red done in a classic and more traditional style with stewed fruits, spices, menthol and dusty oak. Wine gains sweetness on the palate as it opens, a tinge over sharp acidity and lacking some balance at this point. Expected a bit more from the Conterno house however 2003 appears to have been a very challenging vintage in many places, and this wine appear to be tiring on its track. Drink up.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/17/2013 - David Paris (dbp) wrote: 91 Points
Some Barolos and others at St. Jack (Portland, OR): This is definitely a big boy Barolo, but not totally out of bounds as some 2003s got. This offers sweet fruit on the nose, herbs, spice, and definitely a slight alcohol tinge is noted. Spicy and large, with a slight acidic aroma. Nice smells, overall. Surprisingly soft texture on the palate, with fairly dark flavors. Pretty mild overall, actually, without much intensity. The finish offered sweet fruit and really grippy tart tannins and sweet acid. Really makes you pucker. The finish definitely shows the wine's youth, but elsewhere it's also not inherently unready to drink. It's not showing too much depth today, but it's also not necessarily feeling tightly wound. It may just be the vintage at play.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/14/2013 - Al Ehrhardt wrote:
Nice Barolo, and I am a huge fan of GC, but this may be the weakest vintage I have had to date. I still have another half case. With grilled Poeta's hot sausage (not really hot) and grilled vegetables.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/30/2013 - m_arcon Likes this wine: 93 Points
Conternos 2003 Barolo Cascina Francia is an awesome wine. In 2003 there is no Monfortino, and the Cascina Francia surely benefits from the addition of that juice. Roberto Conterno waited until October 8 to start picking in his Cascina Francia vineyard, long after most producers had already brought the fruit in.
Deep garnet colour turning into light brick-red at the rim of the glass.
The nose is just great, changing all the time. Liquory red fruit (cherries, strawberry, red-currant), mint, earth, tabacco and crashed rocks. With more time in the glass floral notes like rose petal and a smoked meat component.
The wine is super fresh, silky and elegant on the palate. Medium-light bodied this grape juice shows the perfect interaction between the acid, fruit and the well integrated tannins.
I would cellar my bottles for some more years, think the wine will be even better then.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/9/2013 - GaryD1996 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Drinking nicely, but nearing the end of its best days. Enjoy now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/9/2013 - Tavastgatan wrote: 93 Points
Fine effort for the vintage. Initially some stewed fruit on the nose, but with air lovely nots emerge. Roses, minerals and some menthol. Very good but still miles apart from the magical 2004.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/5/2013 - Wiltse Likes this wine: 94 Points
This was surprisingly good. Decanted for four hours. Beautiful aromas of licorice and strawberry. Medium-to-light bodied and really well-balanced. Everything I look for in Barolo. Never would have guessed this was an '03 if tasted blind. This was only half a step below a 1999 Monprivato.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/5/2013 - shaftlet wrote: flawed
corked ... that so sucks.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/7/2012 - vespa110 wrote: flawed
TCA
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/26/2012 - Sundbyberg wrote: 96 Points
This was really something special.
A bit closed on the nose and with a palate which tastes liquorice and is lasersharp, quite elegant and feminine, with a wonderful lightness, yet very tasty. Still rather tannic and closed. Next bottle will be opened 2015.
This is a barolo that stands out.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/12/2012 - Ilker Ozdemir wrote: 95 Points
Bright garnet in colour with some ruby highlights. Very attractive nose. You will not be able to stop sniffing it if you are a old world lover. Earth, tobacco, smoke-tar truffles smells are being accompanied by some red fruit aromas such as cherries, strawberries. Limy, stoney mineral notes are making the nose more complex. The suppleness, freshness and elegance are directly noticeable at the first sip and it is just so magnifique that you do not want to swallow it. Middle to high bodied. Due to its outstanding freshness, the wine feels refreshing and lively in the glass. The purity on the palate is just perfectly reflecting the "naked" character of Nebbiolo. The tannins appearing at the finish are strong but yet refined and integrated. Vivid acidity, fruit and alcohol are almost perfectly balanced. Very pleasant long finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/5/2012 - Rezy13 wrote: 94 Points
Surprisingly went right after the '03 Sandrone Cannubi Boschis. Both noses were phenominal, but I prefered the Conterno due to the sheer complexity and class it exuded. The nose spoke of Burgundy, but everything else, especially the grippy tannins, screamed Barolo. A wonderful wine for the vintage from a producer that cannot be duplicated. I need a few cases to follow its evolution over the next 20 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/19/2012 - UTPK wrote:
Had the Pira Margheria, Giacosa Falletto and Conterno Cascina Francia, all in 2003. Same light colour in all three wine, all the producers are traditionalist with no new wood. The Pira managed quite well in this elevated company, and showed really cool fruit despite the vintage. More tar on the nose than the other two. Lighter fruit, but very good balance. The Giacosa had the most interesting nose, with black ink (Spanish!) and chorizo. Elegant mouthfeel with strong tannins. The Conterno had a very meaty nose and was the most full bodied (and less elegant). All three wine would be great with food. Decanted 3 hours. Today I would drink Giacosa, but I think Conterno will be as good with time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/1/2012 - O'Meara wrote: 93 Points
Let's start with the facts. 2003 was not a great vintage by most accounts. Giacomo Conterno is a fantastic vintner. Great vintners produce high quality wines even in less than perfect growing seasons, and this is one such wine. I tasted this over two days, and it was very good on both days, although it seemingly closed down a little from the time I uncorked it until when I finished it.
Color is deep garnet with slight bricking. Slow moving legs and better than average clarity in the glass. I am drinking from a Riedel Nebbiolo glass. Nose is very provocative, with scents of tar, tobacco, cedar and roses. It also has some "green" to it suggesting this wine is still young, which it is for a cascina francia. Not really any tertiary scents at this point, no menthol, etc.
The fruit is very fresh and well integrated with the tannins. The palate is evocotive of cranberries, orange zest and wild strawberries. Overall this is a fantastic wine, if a bit young for a conterno. I would likely give this a higher score if it had a few more years to develop.
I will cellar my remaining bottles for 3 to 10 years...But if you were tempted to try a young conterno, this would be as approachable as they come in my opinion. And the qpr is very good.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/27/2012 - ParkHill wrote: 96 Points
Awesome wine. Clearly better than any Barolo I've recently tried, so I have to rate this very high. Cherry, orange peel, a little tar and cinnamon. Tannins, acid and bitterness are slightly bristly, which speaks to a certain youthfulness. Very rich in an oily or syrupy way. I've never had a comparable experience in Barolo. I'm so thrilled I took a chance on an off year at a great price. I can only echo and quote Barolo Raymond: "Extremely long, refreshing focussed, well-defined super finish (cannot attempt to describe that perfect sensation). Forceful, austere and restrained, lasting forever, and ever so drinkable."
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/1/2012 - Barolo Raymond wrote: 95 Points
Medium garnet-ruby, very very slow moving legs, regularly spaced @ 14.5% abv. Massive developing nose of roses cherries, leaves, tar, cedar, some herbal quality, complex and evolving throughout the consumption of the bottle. Dry, high acidity, medium(+) ripe and fully integrated tannins. Loads of (dried) cherries, strawberries, bitter chocolate, raisins, kirsch, soft spice, oak and mineral flavours. Evolving complex flavour palate. Excellent balance between fruit-acidity-tannins-alcohol. Firmly structured and framed by integrated ripe tannins. Extremely long refreshing focussed well-defined super finish (cannot attempt to describe that perfect sensation). Forceful, austere and restrained, lasting forever, and ever so drinkable. One of the best wines I enjoyed this year. And that produced in one of the hottest summers on record.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/26/2012 - Shiaxonna wrote: 93 Points
WOTN. Decanted for 3 hours. Light light ruby burgundy red color. Nose is wonderful, pure, clean and gentle. On the palate it seems to be a masterpiece sown together by a dedicated winelover. Perfectly integrated tannins together with tremendous strength and a concentration but still lightness which seems otherworldly. Lingers on the palate longer than any of the other wines tried tonight. Would have loved to have 6 of these in the cellar, opening one every 5 years from now...
50+5+12+18+8
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/11/2012 - UTPK wrote:
Had this after some very old Madeira (1840, 1864 and 1870). It was impossible to judge any wine after these complex oldies. We sensed some form of concentration and lots of tannins in the Conterno though. Correct colour for the age, but really, the nose and body was impossible to sense.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/14/2011 - Bob in NC wrote: 90 Points
(Bottle opened for 1 hour, decanted for another.) A smooth but stalwart Barolo that wants to be consumed with food. The dark cassis fruit is demure with a prominent mid-plate of pencil lead and tobacco that meld into a grippy and dusty tannic finish. While quite enjoyable now, this wine has not peaked yet and has many fine drinking years ahead of it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/25/2011 - the godfather wrote:
WOWZER. Totally open, pop and pur and enjoy the majesty of great barolo.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/17/2011 - the player wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for 3 - 4 hours. Light ruby / tawny color, initial nose very dusty, cigar box, lots of tobacco and red currant. Medium bodied palate, rich in red currants and berries, slight heat mid-palate but a good structure to the wine and a decent finish. Struck me as still a bit young but nonetheless enjoyable.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/13/2011 - il_diavolo wrote: 91 Points
This was nice and provided 2 important confirmations from this bottle:
1) if you have to buy a 2003 barolo, make it a traditionally styled one, as the winemaking style seems to have handled the heat better.
2) "the Brussels rule" : if you want an ageworthy italian or french wine avoid summers when it is hot in Brussels. Brussels is not famed for its good weather and when it is hot there (as in 2003) it must have been balmy lower south so don't buy or drink early if you buy.
but the wine...colour is light, already bricking slightly, violet fruit and slight plum/raisin taste. it's a very nice and not overly tannic barolo that I expect should be drunk in the next 5-10 years (i.e. someting like 10 years ahead of schedule).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/27/2011 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 88 Points
A bunch of Barolos: This was the only vintage that would fit into our budget of this wine. It was very good but finished middle of the pack for the group. My last place wine. Ruby/brown in color. T he nose shows some dusty cherries. It tastes mature and has some complexity. Also some heat and syrup like qualities. I wouldn't want to hold these too much longer, but who knows. Long finish but with some heat. Certainly a good wine with a nice winter's dinner, but I hoped for more.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/3/2011 - Jossik wrote: 92 Points
colore molto chiaro, note fruttate al naso di anguria, poi rosa e leggero goudron e carne. Bocca leggera, non traspare nessuna nota di cottura. Uno dei migliori barolo 2003 che ho bevuto
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/17/2011 - Shapnyc wrote: 90 Points
Medium mouth for a Barolo -still, very nice to drink on a snowy cold NYC night. Wonderful with a classic red sauce meal.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/21/2010 - robw Likes this wine: 93 Points
Slow-o'ed for 10 hours and served with a classic Brasato this wine showed fine balance with resolved tannins. On the nose, tar and rose petals in abundance, typical of the grape. So easy to drink that 2 bottles disappeared at a moments notice. Very nice, especially given the 2003 vintage.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/20/2010 - ews3 wrote: 90 Points
Zachys Robin Hood 2010 Wine Tasting (La venue, NYC): overwhelming root beer notes on the attack, followed by bright red raspberry fruit. this was pleasant to drink, but did not remind me of barolo. lovely medium finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/11/2010 - xtrmjoe wrote: 88 Points
My system (nose mouth finish) ///, showing really well for the age, nice food wine
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/15/2010 - Puteljen! Likes this wine: 95 Points
Nose of warm, ripe fruit, charcuteries, cinnamon, cocoa and oak. On the palate initially smooth but with dark fruit grumbling underneath the surface. Well integrated, quite intense tannins. Lovely with lots of potential.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comments (2)
5/10/2010 - matter_mitch wrote: 91 Points
Classic Barolo, subtle notes of cedar, earth & truffle, dominated by red fruits strawberry and raspberry.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/18/2010 - cardsandwine wrote:
While it is perhaps a bit too early to drink this wine and while it was opened right out of the cellar with no decanting time this has the potential to be a stunning classic Barolo. After an hour the wine began to evolve and open. Excellent body and balance. with an enticing aroma. Tannins are soft tannins and the finish is long and soft. No Monfortino was made in 2003, so it would seem reasonable to think that that fruit is in this wine. I would open and decant this wine 4-5 hours before drinking.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/8/2010 - UTPK wrote:
Very light burgundy-like colour. Extremely closed down, compared to the copious amounts of fragrance and fruit it had when it was bottled. The fruit and berries in the restrained bouquet does still show the 2003 vintage however, with quite warm, ripe almost overseas notes. The attack is lean, and the first impression is a light palate, but you can clearly sense the depth and hidden power when you're circling the wine in your mouth. The finish is one of promises and potential. Clearly much too early, but fun to taste now, just to see how increadibly closed it is. Next bottle in 5 years to test!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/28/2010 - Eric Guido wrote: 88 Points
Giacomo Conterno, Cascina Francia Barolo tasting 2010 (Maialino, NYC Lexington and 21st): The 2003 showed big briary red fruit, cinnamon, herbs and dark chocolate on the nose with a little heat. The palate showed sweet, spiced red fruit and raisin but was chewy with cloying tannins. It was textbook to 2003 and left me wondering if I was drinking Barolo.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/18/2010 - mdodd wrote: 91 Points
disappointing
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/27/2009 - ews3 wrote: 93 Points
Zachys Fall 2009 Food & Wine Extravaganza (The Lighthouse at Pier Sixty (NYC)): really nice nose shows usual barolo characteristics, and also a nice fresh mint. shorter finish than the 04.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/14/2009 - JOsgood wrote: 90 Points
Ruby red in color. Light and smooth on the palate with good red fruits. Didn't pick up any tar or roses that I enjoy so much on a great Barolo. Well balanced. Elegant but lacking the wow factor.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/13/2009 - BYOB wrote: 90 Points
Recommended by the Godfather, the Giacomo Conterno 2003 is nicely balanced wine with notes of fresh ripe berries and medium tannins. While the wine delivers, I do agree that it lacks the "wow" factor I was expeccting when I opened this bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/23/2009 - idrinkvino wrote: 91 Points
Very big, tannic and ripe on opening. But it improved and improved all the way into the third day when it drank as a well integrated, classic Barolo. Decant, decant, decant.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/7/2009 - igaf wrote:
Medium deep. Nose: autumnal leaf and crushed sour berries, then some mushrooms and sour cherries. Very full-bodied, very dense and tannic, inky and sweet at the same time, somewhat balanced by spiciness. Peppery and mushroomy notes. Long and spicy. Very macho Barolo, disappointing among others.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/3/2009 - steffenpelz wrote:
This wine was definitely disappointing. Maybe my hopes were too high. When I first opened this, it was unusually thick and dark for a Barolo. With air, it drifted into red fruit territory and the acid came out better. However, through the course of the first evening, the wine kept changing constantly. At times it seemed very simple and flat, at other times it seemed tannic and mute, and at times it seemed to be very good. After another 2 days in the cellar, the wine had stabilized somewhat. It turned out more typical of Barolo in the sense that the color was carmine red with some orange highlights. Nose was fairly typical with some leafiness, and the palate was nicely balanced with good, silky texture. It wasn't very complex however, and I still consider this wine a disappointment. Lacks excitement and the wow factor.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/29/2009 - br wrote:
young but very approachable and enjoyable. still plenty of tannins but this is full on barolo with no 2003 heat obvious. wonderful tar, mushrooms, black licorice and a whack of menthol. perhaps not built for the ages, but who cares, since this is so drinkable now?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/5/2009 - Gringo wrote: 90 Points
A thoroughly enjoyable bottle. The nose was graced with a complex mix of cedar, berries and wooded fruit. Beautiful deep dark ruby hue for the eye. The tongue found soft tannins, another complex mix of berries, wooded fruit, dried mushrooms, green pepper and earth accompanied by a nice level of acidity that made for an excellent food match. Given all of this, the finish was a bit of a letdown - it was short and straightforward. Overall, this is drinking quite nicely.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/3/2009 - Snookboy wrote: 90 Points
Bright fruity Barolo. Red cherry, tar and cinammon. Tannins quite smooth and elegant for being so young. Much better bottle than the first one.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/15/2008 - Keith Levenberg wrote:
Candied licorice scent prepared me for disappointment, but it tastes fantastic, pure, red-fruited, and laced with gravel.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/9/2008 - Snookboy wrote: 88 Points
Dark brick in color. Decanted a little over an hour. Maybe not enough. Nose very subdued and closed. Starts very appealing with red fruit and berries along with cinammon. Finishes a bit harsh with tannins on the rough side.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/15/2008 - KeithAkers wrote: 91 Points
tasting italiano: nose: very beautiful and elegant nose of cinammon, tar, herbs, spice tones, and a almost dirty floral type of tone that is hard to describe
taste: pretty feel with nice suppleness to it with cinammon, tar, herbs, and spice tones in sweet balance with each other
overall: an extremely pretty wine with good acidity and supple tannins. Nice aromatic nose with well toned flavors on the palate that gives off a tart cinammon attack and soft spice finish
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/28/2008 - dcwino wrote: 91 Points
Barolis lunch at Della Notte (Della Notte - Baltimore): Another Burgundian nose. More red fruits, cherry and strawberry. Also, fruit cake, very ripe fruit as you can imagine. Almost new world style of forthcoming fruit. A wine that will please both traditional and new world palates
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment