My final bottle, and it is luscious. I'm in Piemonte heaven, given its classic nose of roses and some tarry notes along with a bit of expensive cigar, with a still quite fresh tone to it. The palate is elegant and rich, with big nebbiolo fruit, some good astringent notes, leather. Tannins are there toward the end and add a tingle that is delicious.
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Sipped with cheese at Stratton condo with blanco and hymo over a period of hours. Pale red core, plenty of bricking—the wine very much looks its age. Nose of tar, leather, feint roses. Light bodied, plenty of acidity and still-good fruit level. The wine still shows red fruit, but with lots of mushrooms and earth. Tannins mostly resolved, with good length. Much more enjoyable than I expected. No reason to wait on this. Decant not necessary.
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Colour looking about right for it's age, with some mahogany/tan showing clearly at the rim, and a red-claret core of moderate depth.
Some balsamic complexity on the nose, but there is some mushroom coming through as well.
Light-bodied on the palate, with some orange/fig fruit and background mocha, though the acidity is now sticking out somewhat. This really needs some fatty meat to eat with it, so that acidity is put to good use.
Overall it shows some elements that point to a wine a decade or more older, but the acidity seems to be holding it together. Drink now with the right food, rather than expecting a later renaissance.
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Slow o'd for 4 hrs then double decanted, ruby with some brick on the rim, roses & tar on the nose, lovely cherries on the palate, med. long finish; ready to drink but no rush.
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Even better than last bottle of a couple of years ago, so definitely moving in a good direction. Big nose of cigar box and tar. Palate has dark nebbiolo fruit with a smoky leathery aspect with nice acidity. Moderate tannins extend to a mellow finish.
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Intens Barolo aromas with notes of furniture polish and wet wool. Some chocolatae and caramel. Light and elegant style. Fine tannins. Drinking well now.
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A good wine, integrated, well made and drinking well. However nothing really special. It is lighter than a benchmark Barolo. But it is a good wine; clearly identifiable as a more traditional Barolo.
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8 years on from the previous bottle, where the astringency made me concerned whether the fruit would hold out. Well it has, and the tannins are relatively soft now. The nose is true to the grape with the commonly used 'tar and roses' however there is also a savoury element (mushroom/coffee) that would worry me for the future. At the moment the fruit/fragrance supports it, but assuming it comes to the fore, would detract from the wine. Good complexity on the palate (with coffee joining the more usual profile) and still with firm, slightly tart acidity. Tannins have indeed softened to the point that they almost soften the texture. Good length to the finish. Overall, good but not great, and it feels like a difficult wine to judge when to open. At the current prices, I can't see me buying again.
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Dekantert i 5-6 timer. Tobakk, lakris og bringebær på nesen. 2-3 timer tidligere ville jeg tatt denne for å være ødelagt med snev av eddik og dårlig lagring. Nå bra med syre og tanniner. Kirsebær, bringebær, lakris. Begynnende sekundæraromaer av skogbunn og løv. Mangler litt i kompleksitet. Alt i alt en god Barolo, men denne flaska krevde lang lufting.
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Big nose of cigar box and tar. Palate has leather and smoke and dark nebbiolo fruit prominent with a good hit of acidity that balances the caramely quality of the fruit. Definite tannins that come calling at the mid-palate and extend on out along with the lingering fruit. Drinking really well. No sign of flab.
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Mature but very pleasant, this bottle is showing some brown hues against a generally ruby backdrop. On the nose floral aromas, leather, cherries. Tastes very good at this stage, but the drying tannins in the background seem like a warning to me: drink up during the next 12 months. Nice minearality on the finish, with study supporting acids. But all in balance... I'll give it 91, but I really mean "91 right now." If you hold this long I think it would decline, at least during the next decade. Might revive beyond that.
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(at The Modern – NYC) Fun to have this next to the pinot. The color was very mature with orange pink edge and a cherry center. The nose was all over the place and seemed to change every five minutes – an interesting contrast to the laser focus of the Leroy. What was constant was a strong mushroom element. Then there was cherry, rose, meat/blood. I thought the wine showed best upon opening and became more fragile with air. I am probably being a little picky as this was a lovely wine. (90)
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Locked up very tight, even after a vigorous decant.
Following night significantly more open, but still pretty structured. Despite this I think there's a good wine behind the wall of tannin/acidity
More and more this vintage seems to be one of the tightest I've encountered and I think they're ones to take a gamble on and put down for a long time. I'm not sure the fruit will ever be that strong and it may well fade before the wine softens, but for me they're just too astringent at the moment.
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12/25/2018 - Montecalvo wrote: 95 Points
drinking incredibly well. Wonderful sweetness and freshness and yet also developing some aged notes. great concentration.
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9/24/2018 - JWG wrote: 94 Points
My final bottle, and it is luscious. I'm in Piemonte heaven, given its classic nose of roses and some tarry notes along with a bit of expensive cigar, with a still quite fresh tone to it. The palate is elegant and rich, with big nebbiolo fruit, some good astringent notes, leather. Tannins are there toward the end and add a tingle that is delicious.
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1/17/2018 - cephomer Likes this wine: 90 Points
Sipped with cheese at Stratton condo with blanco and hymo over a period of hours. Pale red core, plenty of bricking—the wine very much looks its age. Nose of tar, leather, feint roses. Light bodied, plenty of acidity and still-good fruit level. The wine still shows red fruit, but with lots of mushrooms and earth. Tannins mostly resolved, with good length. Much more enjoyable than I expected. No reason to wait on this. Decant not necessary.
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4/29/2017 - JWG wrote:
Excellent bottle, but don't have any notes, so not rating this one. But clearly not at the end of life, so I'm moving drink date a year, to 2018.
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5/28/2016 - Ian S wrote:
Colour looking about right for it's age, with some mahogany/tan showing clearly at the rim, and a red-claret core of moderate depth.
Some balsamic complexity on the nose, but there is some mushroom coming through as well.
Light-bodied on the palate, with some orange/fig fruit and background mocha, though the acidity is now sticking out somewhat. This really needs some fatty meat to eat with it, so that acidity is put to good use.
Overall it shows some elements that point to a wine a decade or more older, but the acidity seems to be holding it together. Drink now with the right food, rather than expecting a later renaissance.
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1/24/2016 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Slow o'd for 4 hrs then double decanted, ruby with some brick on the rim, roses & tar on the nose, lovely cherries on the palate, med. long finish; ready to drink but no rush.
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8/3/2015 - JWG wrote: 94 Points
Even better than last bottle of a couple of years ago, so definitely moving in a good direction. Big nose of cigar box and tar. Palate has dark nebbiolo fruit with a smoky leathery aspect with nice acidity. Moderate tannins extend to a mellow finish.
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2/15/2015 - AudunG wrote: 91 Points
Intens Barolo aromas with notes of furniture polish and wet wool. Some chocolatae and caramel. Light and elegant style. Fine tannins. Drinking well now.
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3/1/2014 - Winevestor wrote: 90 Points
A good wine, integrated, well made and drinking well. However nothing really special. It is lighter than a benchmark Barolo. But it is a good wine; clearly identifiable as a more traditional Barolo.
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2/2/2014 - Ian S wrote:
8 years on from the previous bottle, where the astringency made me concerned whether the fruit would hold out. Well it has, and the tannins are relatively soft now.
The nose is true to the grape with the commonly used 'tar and roses' however there is also a savoury element (mushroom/coffee) that would worry me for the future. At the moment the fruit/fragrance supports it, but assuming it comes to the fore, would detract from the wine.
Good complexity on the palate (with coffee joining the more usual profile) and still with firm, slightly tart acidity. Tannins have indeed softened to the point that they almost soften the texture. Good length to the finish.
Overall, good but not great, and it feels like a difficult wine to judge when to open. At the current prices, I can't see me buying again.
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3/16/2013 - laralh wrote: 90 Points
Dekantert i 5-6 timer. Tobakk, lakris og bringebær på nesen. 2-3 timer tidligere ville jeg tatt denne for å være ødelagt med snev av eddik og dårlig lagring. Nå bra med syre og tanniner. Kirsebær, bringebær, lakris. Begynnende sekundæraromaer av skogbunn og løv. Mangler litt i kompleksitet. Alt i alt en god Barolo, men denne flaska krevde lang lufting.
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8/3/2012 - Montecalvo Likes this wine: 91 Points
Light red to red. More developed than anticipated. Well into secondary notes but good acid, tannin balance
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1/22/2012 - JWG wrote: 92 Points
Big nose of cigar box and tar. Palate has leather and smoke and dark nebbiolo fruit prominent with a good hit of acidity that balances the caramely quality of the fruit. Definite tannins that come calling at the mid-palate and extend on out along with the lingering fruit. Drinking really well. No sign of flab.
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8/27/2011 - KPB wrote: 91 Points
Mature but very pleasant, this bottle is showing some brown hues against a generally ruby backdrop. On the nose floral aromas, leather, cherries. Tastes very good at this stage, but the drying tannins in the background seem like a warning to me: drink up during the next 12 months. Nice minearality on the finish, with study supporting acids. But all in balance... I'll give it 91, but I really mean "91 right now." If you hold this long I think it would decline, at least during the next decade. Might revive beyond that.
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8/14/2007 - dbkitc wrote: 90 Points
(at The Modern – NYC) Fun to have this next to the pinot. The color was very mature with orange pink edge and a cherry center. The nose was all over the place and seemed to change every five minutes – an interesting contrast to the laser focus of the Leroy. What was constant was a strong mushroom element. Then there was cherry, rose, meat/blood. I thought the wine showed best upon opening and became more fragile with air. I am probably being a little picky as this was a lovely wine. (90)
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10/25/2006 - Ian S wrote:
Locked up very tight, even after a vigorous decant.
Following night significantly more open, but still pretty structured. Despite this I think there's a good wine behind the wall of tannin/acidity
More and more this vintage seems to be one of the tightest I've encountered and I think they're ones to take a gamble on and put down for a long time. I'm not sure the fruit will ever be that strong and it may well fade before the wine softens, but for me they're just too astringent at the moment.
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10/6/2006 - SimonG wrote:
Keith's Auction Blind Challenge Offline (Alba Restaurant, London): Mid to deep garnet. Slightly artificial taste initially, then improved. Again, notes failing by this stage so didn't do it justice.
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7/24/2005 - JJA wrote:
This Barolo was just ok. It is way overpriced for what you get. Aldo needs to re-think his pricing. Don't repurchase.
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