2 hour decant. Medium ruby color with brown trim. Vibrant aromas of black fruit, leather and tobacco. Tannin and acidity still present. In a really nice spot today but seems likely to continue to age well for the next few years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This was younger and fresher than expected and drinking really well (so much for the CT window!). For sure some brown on the rim, but this did not translate into a weak nose or palate, rather more complex and rounded than I expected with a lot of power. Maybe more fragrance on the nose for a higher score, but for me, this was a lovely expression of Nebbiolo with lots of power balanced with some fragrance. PS Drink within a couple of years though!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Medium red with signs of age, seems quite evolved. A dark fruit profile on the nose: plums and black cherries. Not especially forthcoming but not too reticent either. A nice spicy pine and sandalwood component. Mouthfilling and flavoursome without being full-bodied. A medium weight wine with a lot of flavour. The fruit takes on a not unpleasantly sour aspect, with a hint of bitterness a nice underpinning. Savoury. Very adult flavours. Still quite tannic but nicely balanced and with a very long finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Ether and strawberry on the nose. On the palate, black cherry and notes of leather and roses, with moderate tannins, a medium finish, and good acidity. Although this was good, it seemed slightly closed, and not at the level other people have described here - perhaps an off bottle?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drinking lovely now - deep, slightly-rusty crimson; black fruit still bright amid a dusty, earthy, dried herbs backbone. tannins are still firm and well balanced, fairly long finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Ruby red with no indication of bricking. After three hours of decanting, the initial whiff still is of the acetone aroma characteristic of a young Nebbiolo. Afterwards, a wonderfully complex nose emerges with tobacco, earth and cherry notes. Palate is cherry with a moderate length finish showing considerable acidity and tinge of oak. Although I generally prefer more traditional Barbarescos, this is pretty attractive. Will try to wait a few years before I try this again.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This wine was terrific, with notes of leather, tobacco, and fennel on a base of earthy red fruits, the structure in the background but certainly able to age for several more years from here. A good Garagiste buy. Taken to Campo185 in Palo Alto, which turned out to have a nicely priced if somewhat youngish wine list of its own. The restaurant aspires to be high-quality casual Italian ($10 antipasti/$15 pasta/small pizza/and a few $20+ entrees) and the wine worked well in that setting, and it would in a more white tablecloth environment as well. Although our server didn't know what decanting was, she was smart enough to get help with the crumbling cork and decanting and all turned out well. Drink or hold.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This was really rocking yesterday. Decanted for about 30 mins. Great nose of rose petal, floral perfume, bright red cherries, baking spice and a touch of chocolate. Similar flavors on the palate with dried cherry and cranberry notes along with some more sweet baking spice flavors and a touch of oak and cigar box. Medium+ acid, medium tannins with a juicy mouthfeel and dry finish. This was hitting on all cylinders for me.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasted blind, my #1 in flight. Took a lonnnnnnnnng time to open in the glass despite being uncorked in the morning. When it did, it was delightful. Based on this bottle, absolutely no rush.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I was a little concerned upon opening, as the cork almost disintegrated when I tried to open it. But when I poured it, all was good. Gorgeous flavors and aromas, still slightly tannic but very balanced. Long, long finish. Delicious.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nose: Leather, earth. Spicy? Taste: Was still very tannic and closed at first. Decanted. Got some dark fruit, earth and maybe even tobacco. Some chocolate? Long finish. I think this could even use another year in the bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nice full nose, long on roses, cherries, very fresh floral notes and vanilla. In the mouth, good balance between the sweet fruit and the freshness of the acidity and the ripeness of the tannins. Really easy to drink at this point, but will continue to improve for a few years and should drink well for another decade. Modern, but not obnoxiously so ... this seems more in the vein of the balance Sandrone achieves rather than the full-on modernism of Altare or R Voerzio. Nice long finish, very ripe.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Excellent barbaresco. Approaching it's prime, but with a lot of life left. Nose of leather, cigar, cassis, pencil lead. Taste similar to nose, but with long, smooth finish. Went superbly with spaghetti a la marinara and meatballs. 93+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
High toned with tar notes and licorice and spice. More structure and long finish with dark red cherries and spicy at the end with nutmeg and cardamoms. Nice.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This was a $28 Cindy purchase, and what a winner; v. sound structure, rich, deep flavors. Drinking beautifully now. Held its own alongside a '99 Pio Cesare -- 'nuff said.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
About 30 min after opening: Dusty nose with clean medium red fruit. Very bright acidity yet still a richness to the red fruit. A touch of earthiness and a medium finish with firm but not overpowering tannins.
1.5 hours after opening: Nose and palate have gotten more complex. I don't usually identify odd flavors, but I could swear I got something like vanilla wafers on the nose (along with some spice and floral notes) and red hot cinnamon candy toward the end of the palate. Still a nice richness together with the acidity. HJ said she got moss and "forest floor" on the palate.
Really enjoyed with spaghetti bolognese and some chunks of parmesan reggiano as dessert.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark ruby color, cloudy in the glass. Really nice nose of bright red fruit, licorice and some floral and tar notes. Juicy red fruit and earthy flavors on the palate with mouth watering acid and medium+ tannin. The wine felt juicy on the mouthfeel yet finished dry which is something I enjoyed quite a lot. Finish was pretty long as well. This wine really showed well with a half hour to hour decant and continued to improve as the night went on. I wish I would have bought more at the sale price!!!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
really enjoyed this bottle as it was my first barbaresco. loads of tobacco, cherry, strawberry on the nose, good mouthfeel with a solid mid-palate and a medium finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
To tell the truth, I wanted to rate this wine lower because I feel like I've been rather liberal with giving 90+ points for barbarescos. In the end, though, the merits of this wine persuaded me. Strawberry, roses, tobacco, and spices on the nose; on the palate, slightly earthier, with good tannic grip and acidity. Is there oak in this? I thought I got some piecrust - but I'm pretty sensitive to the wood. In any case, the wine offers a varietally correct, if modern, interpretation of barbaresco, which is usually enough to please me. Note that the wine did not seem to be all that dark as Galloni suggests.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Quite a bit of sediment. Compelling Barbaresco notes I enjoy (strawberry, rose petal, a hint of menthol) but would have enjoyed it more with more amplitude.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Splash poured, nothing on nose, very tannic on palate, virtually no fruit. Waited a couple of hours for something to show. Didn't help. Aromatics, flavor and character are seriously lacking. Quite light --- actually, quite thin. Aside from the tannins, not much to describe. Will put the remaining bottles sideways for a few years with slight hope that something might develop. My score is generous. Very disappointing.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Full disclosure: Barbaresco is probably my favorite type of wine of all time, so I probably score them a little higher than they might warrant. Anyway, I got strawberry, a little leather, and my favorite thing about Barbaresco, that tar/anise thing on the nose. The palate exhibited more strawberry fruit and anise on the palate along with a few other complexities I couldn't quite identify. I thought it had no mid-palate weaknesses and the finish was 45 seconds +. Really nice.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Note: this wine had detritus. Is it unfiltered? Let sit upright for at least a couple of hours before pouring. Nose: moderate. The big note I pick up is leather. Maybe a secondary note of strawberry. Taste: tannins. I think this wine needs a couple of years... I get berry. Raspberry? Cherry. I almost get a hint of citrus on the tip of my tongue. I think this wine is good now but I would age it, it has potential. My friend, on the other hand, gave the exact same notes as Gob below.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
4/2/2020 - AdamHitchcock Likes this wine: 93 Points
2 hour decant. Medium ruby color with brown trim. Vibrant aromas of black fruit, leather and tobacco. Tannin and acidity still present. In a really nice spot today but seems likely to continue to age well for the next few years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/16/2018 - thebonnydooner wrote: 92 Points
This was younger and fresher than expected and drinking really well (so much for the CT window!). For sure some brown on the rim, but this did not translate into a weak nose or palate, rather more complex and rounded than I expected with a lot of power. Maybe more fragrance on the nose for a higher score, but for me, this was a lovely expression of Nebbiolo with lots of power balanced with some fragrance.
PS Drink within a couple of years though!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/29/2018 - jhemming Likes this wine:
Still pretty youthful with bright acidity and integrated fine tannins. Floral and dried leaves with red cherry in the background.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/11/2016 - wineamateur wrote: 91 Points
Medium red with signs of age, seems quite evolved. A dark fruit profile on the nose: plums and black cherries. Not especially forthcoming but not too reticent either. A nice spicy pine and sandalwood component. Mouthfilling and flavoursome without being full-bodied. A medium weight wine with a lot of flavour. The fruit takes on a not unpleasantly sour aspect, with a hint of bitterness a nice underpinning. Savoury. Very adult flavours. Still quite tannic but nicely balanced and with a very long finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/8/2016 - RichardP wrote: 90 Points
Ether and strawberry on the nose. On the palate, black cherry and notes of leather and roses, with moderate tannins, a medium finish, and good acidity. Although this was good, it seemed slightly closed, and not at the level other people have described here - perhaps an off bottle?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/8/2016 - Jeffkunins wrote: 92 Points
Drinking lovely now - deep, slightly-rusty crimson; black fruit still bright amid a dusty, earthy, dried herbs backbone. tannins are still firm and well balanced, fairly long finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/26/2015 - Blue Shorts Likes this wine: 91 Points
Similar top previous bottle with more secondary characteristics. Long, tannic finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/9/2014 - KSWinegeek wrote: 92 Points
Ruby red with no indication of bricking. After three hours of decanting, the initial whiff still is of the acetone aroma characteristic of a young Nebbiolo. Afterwards, a wonderfully complex nose emerges with tobacco, earth and cherry notes. Palate is cherry with a moderate length finish showing considerable acidity and tinge of oak. Although I generally prefer more traditional Barbarescos, this is pretty attractive. Will try to wait a few years before I try this again.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/18/2013 - monist wrote: 90 Points
decanting over day improved
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/27/2013 - KSWinegeek wrote: 92 Points
Very nice Barbaresco. Wonderful tobacco and earth nose, with cherry flavors, spice with nice finish Decanted for three hours.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/22/2013 - fournet wrote: 88 Points
Still very young.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/27/2013 - silton Likes this wine: 92 Points
This wine was terrific, with notes of leather, tobacco, and fennel on a base of earthy red fruits, the structure in the background but certainly able to age for several more years from here. A good Garagiste buy. Taken to Campo185 in Palo Alto, which turned out to have a nicely priced if somewhat youngish wine list of its own. The restaurant aspires to be high-quality casual Italian ($10 antipasti/$15 pasta/small pizza/and a few $20+ entrees) and the wine worked well in that setting, and it would in a more white tablecloth environment as well. Although our server didn't know what decanting was, she was smart enough to get help with the crumbling cork and decanting and all turned out well. Drink or hold.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/8/2013 - Rich S Likes this wine: 93 Points
This was really rocking yesterday. Decanted for about 30 mins. Great nose of rose petal, floral perfume, bright red cherries, baking spice and a touch of chocolate. Similar flavors on the palate with dried cherry and cranberry notes along with some more sweet baking spice flavors and a touch of oak and cigar box. Medium+ acid, medium tannins with a juicy mouthfeel and dry finish. This was hitting on all cylinders for me.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/10/2013 - ctbob Likes this wine:
Tasted blind, my #1 in flight. Took a lonnnnnnnnng time to open in the glass despite being uncorked in the morning. When it did, it was delightful. Based on this bottle, absolutely no rush.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/15/2012 - smorris291 wrote: 92 Points
I was a little concerned upon opening, as the cork almost disintegrated when I tried to open it. But when I poured it, all was good. Gorgeous flavors and aromas, still slightly tannic but very balanced. Long, long finish. Delicious.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/30/2012 - gesusser wrote: 90 Points
smooth easy drink after 2 hour decant; good w/ food;
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/26/2012 - oog wrote: 90 Points
Nose: Leather, earth. Spicy? Taste: Was still very tannic and closed at first. Decanted. Got some dark fruit, earth and maybe even tobacco. Some chocolate? Long finish. I think this could even use another year in the bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/15/2012 - deconstructoboy wrote: 93 Points
Nice full nose, long on roses, cherries, very fresh floral notes and vanilla. In the mouth, good balance between the sweet fruit and the freshness of the acidity and the ripeness of the tannins. Really easy to drink at this point, but will continue to improve for a few years and should drink well for another decade. Modern, but not obnoxiously so ... this seems more in the vein of the balance Sandrone achieves rather than the full-on modernism of Altare or R Voerzio. Nice long finish, very ripe.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/26/2012 - Blue Shorts wrote: 93 Points
Excellent barbaresco. Approaching it's prime, but with a lot of life left. Nose of leather, cigar, cassis, pencil lead. Taste similar to nose, but with long, smooth finish. Went superbly with spaghetti a la marinara and meatballs. 93+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/10/2012 - nicefish wrote: 92 Points
Dusty, super tastey. Great texture and finish. More sediment that I would have expected, but this is a superb Barb at a very reasonable cost.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/27/2011 - Alex H wrote: 86 Points
High toned with tar notes and licorice and spice. More structure and long finish with dark red cherries and spicy at the end with nutmeg and cardamoms. Nice.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/17/2011 - ctbob wrote:
This was a $28 Cindy purchase, and what a winner; v. sound structure, rich, deep flavors. Drinking beautifully now. Held its own alongside a '99 Pio Cesare -- 'nuff said.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/30/2011 - wildmad1 wrote: 92 Points
Beautiful barbaresco. Cherry, licorice, and rose petals. Several people detected notes of chocolate. Silken on the palate. Will buy more.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/29/2011 - The Tourist wrote: 93 Points
simply put the only BArbaresco I ever like more was a 1996 Gaja Sperrs -amazing bottle of wine
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/6/2010 - wp888 wrote: 92 Points
About 30 min after opening: Dusty nose with clean medium red fruit. Very bright acidity yet still a richness to the red fruit. A touch of earthiness and a medium finish with firm but not overpowering tannins.
1.5 hours after opening: Nose and palate have gotten more complex. I don't usually identify odd flavors, but I could swear I got something like vanilla wafers on the nose (along with some spice and floral notes) and red hot cinnamon candy toward the end of the palate. Still a nice richness together with the acidity. HJ said she got moss and "forest floor" on the palate.
Really enjoyed with spaghetti bolognese and some chunks of parmesan reggiano as dessert.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/1/2010 - Rich S wrote: 92 Points
Dark ruby color, cloudy in the glass. Really nice nose of bright red fruit, licorice and some floral and tar notes. Juicy red fruit and earthy flavors on the palate with mouth watering acid and medium+ tannin. The wine felt juicy on the mouthfeel yet finished dry which is something I enjoyed quite a lot. Finish was pretty long as well. This wine really showed well with a half hour to hour decant and continued to improve as the night went on. I wish I would have bought more at the sale price!!!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/11/2010 - jcha24 wrote: 91 Points
really enjoyed this bottle as it was my first barbaresco. loads of tobacco, cherry, strawberry on the nose, good mouthfeel with a solid mid-palate and a medium finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/7/2010 - heythatslife wrote: 91 Points
To tell the truth, I wanted to rate this wine lower because I feel like I've been rather liberal with giving 90+ points for barbarescos. In the end, though, the merits of this wine persuaded me. Strawberry, roses, tobacco, and spices on the nose; on the palate, slightly earthier, with good tannic grip and acidity. Is there oak in this? I thought I got some piecrust - but I'm pretty sensitive to the wood. In any case, the wine offers a varietally correct, if modern, interpretation of barbaresco, which is usually enough to please me. Note that the wine did not seem to be all that dark as Galloni suggests.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/29/2010 - benny wrote: 92 Points
Gorgeous wine. Soft berry and coffee on the nose. Med full body. Velvet tannins....and long finish with a little rose.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/9/2010 - oog wrote: 89 Points
Nose: Leather, earth. Taste: Some almost raisin notes, earth, a bit of berry, maybe a bit of chocolate. Tasting very good right now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/9/2010 - RobertDwyer wrote: 88 Points
Quite a bit of sediment. Compelling Barbaresco notes I enjoy (strawberry, rose petal, a hint of menthol) but would have enjoyed it more with more amplitude.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/14/2010 - gjport wrote: 75 Points
Splash poured, nothing on nose, very tannic on palate, virtually no fruit. Waited a couple of hours for something to show. Didn't help. Aromatics, flavor and character are seriously lacking. Quite light --- actually, quite thin. Aside from the tannins, not much to describe. Will put the remaining bottles sideways for a few years with slight hope that something might develop. My score is generous. Very disappointing.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/24/2010 - saxwizerd45 wrote: 92 Points
Full disclosure: Barbaresco is probably my favorite type of wine of all time, so I probably score them a little higher than they might warrant. Anyway, I got strawberry, a little leather, and my favorite thing about Barbaresco, that tar/anise thing on the nose. The palate exhibited more strawberry fruit and anise on the palate along with a few other complexities I couldn't quite identify. I thought it had no mid-palate weaknesses and the finish was 45 seconds +. Really nice.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/19/2010 - oog wrote: 90 Points
Note: this wine had detritus. Is it unfiltered? Let sit upright for at least a couple of hours before pouring. Nose: moderate. The big note I pick up is leather. Maybe a secondary note of strawberry. Taste: tannins. I think this wine needs a couple of years... I get berry. Raspberry? Cherry. I almost get a hint of citrus on the tip of my tongue. I think this wine is good now but I would age it, it has potential. My friend, on the other hand, gave the exact same notes as Gob below.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/13/2009 - Gob wrote: 89 Points
Dark garnet colour, Voilet nose, spicy, Anise, tannin quite strong, fruit started to show after some time, definatly needs 3-5yrs more
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment