Italian Night in Jax (La Cena): Wine pulled from storage and I’m not entirely sure that this wasn’t the wrong bottle because it was meant to be an Asili but that was not on the label. The great thing is Giacosa wines from this time period are always awesome and so even if not the single vineyard this was still for some one of the WOTN contenders and certainly drinking very well. I think in the perfect window in age and just that lift that he manages to accomplish with the grape is special. Quite tasty.
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Nose: tar, hoisin sauce, prune, cherry, dark chocolate Notes: Drank together with a Bruno Giacosa Asili Di Barbaresco 2001. Had the first glass after 45 minutes and the wine started off with the relatively stiff aroma of tar and hoisin sauce. A bit of dark fruit started to appear as time went by. Tannins are quite soft for this wine so definitely cellaring further will not bring much benefit to the wine's development anymore. I believe this upcoming 5-8 years will be the final drinking timeframe for this wine. Bruno Giacosa being one of my favorite makers from the region without a doubt makes wonderfully elegant wines , both the wines tonight were estate bottled and the 2001 seems like a fresher, fruitier and long lasting version of the 1997 but fundamentally they are quite similar in nature. Drink: now-2031 Rating: 87
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Red brick with pale meniscus, lovely nose of tar, black plum, licorice and dark cherry. Soft, mostly resolved tannins, medium acidity and the only real issue was an initially slightly thin mid palate. However, after an hour or so that filled out quite nicely. Wonderful smooth long finish and excellent length. Still has life ahead of it but perhaps best in next 3-5 years.
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Vibrant red cherry fruit trimmed in pleasing oak. Violets, rose petals with hints of tar, rosemary, oolong tea and gamey aromatics. Vivacious ruby color with only hints of orange edging. Lovely medium weight, bright acidity and incisive mineral drive with gripping yet fine tannins. Entering maturity apogee. A somewhat Burgundian wine without turbidity or stewed notes. Most pleasant.
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A little browning round the edges. Cherries, anise, rose petals. Clean with good length. Seemed best afer an hour or so in the glass. Getting near the end of its drinkable life.
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Out of magnum this was still fresh with dark cherry fruit and a wonderful wintergreen note. Soft and flowing with the texture of an aged Burgundy and while it lacked real complexity on the finish, it was a wonderful drink. Very ready to drink.
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Second Sunday Group: 1975 Bordeaux (Augie's): Dusty ruby color. Rose petals, red berry fruit, licorice and potpourri aromas. Flavors of red berries, rose water and anise. Balanced; finishes well.
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don't know how i feel about this wine. It showed kinda faded the first hour. Threw it into a decanter. It woke up roaring back to life with a huge nose and concentration on the palate, then another hour later it just tasted thin.
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PNP. Earth, tar and cherry on nose and palete. The earthy flavors faded a bit several hours after opening and I thought the wine was more enjoyable immediately after opening.
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On the nose there is that unmistakable earthy Nebbiolo bouquet. It entices your palate, which is let down by the waning fruit in the wine. Still very much a drinkable wine, but a mere shadow of what it was 6 or 7 years ago. The ‘97 Barolos and Barbarescos have moved past their prime. Drink up now.
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I was concerned this wine might have faded & that I'd waited to long to open it. Well, I was mistaken: the wine had lush fruit--cherries and other reds--a delightful floral bouquet and very silky soft tannins. A delightful wine that still, much to my surprise, is drinking splendidly, and has some time to go. I'm no longer in any particular rush to finish off the rest of these lovelies in my cellar, but I wouldn't delay more than a few more years. If I had one complaint: on the first pour, the wine was a very light, almost pinkish color. But no matter, the wine still shined!
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Thursday night dinner; 4/21/2011-4/22/2011 (Seattle, WA): Brick red. A hint of Brett on the nose with mostly tar and a bit of cherry. This tasted quite advanced and the fruit was mostly dried out. Something was up with this bottle as the vintage and obviously producer should be showing much better. I can't really say much more than it showed trademark Nebbiolo characteristics, but everything was muted.
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Piedmonte Dinner at EMP (Eleven Madison Park, New York, NY): This was excellent. A little funk on the 2nd our, but lovely. Dark fruit. It was smooth, but not simple, and elegant, but not in a strand of pearls kind of way - something much more exciting than that. My WOTN.
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Superb Barbaresco. Dark red from core to rim which seemed unusual. Incredible aromatics that are at once lush with primary fruit but also have a great backing of cinnamon and spices. No leathery component at all. The flavors are of a jumble of red fruits including currant, cherries, loganberry and likely more. Fantastic depth of flavor making the wine both incrediby broad across the palate and massively long on the back end. Texturally, one of the most amazing Barbarescos I have had as it is as fine as rich silk but with a web of dense, fine, ripe, sweet tannins filling up the back of the wine. Incredibly nuanced and complex stuff. This is obviously drinking great at this point but given the color, aromatics and structure it would seem that there is no need to empty the cellar of these any time soon.
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Sorry, no formal notes, but this was an excellent, albeit still too young, barbaresco. All of the great things you want -- tar, rose petal, bright cherry/red fruits, etc., etc., but still quite tannic with years yet to reach its peak. I would say hold off on drinking these for a few more years, but rest assured that the wait will be rewarded.
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Opened and allowed to breathe, but not decanted, for about two hours. Pale ruby in color with minimal bricking, moderate aroma of cherry/rose petals/underbrush. Flavors are smooth and moderately concentrated, cherry predominating. Sweet but not unctuous, horizontal but not filling, solid tannic kick on the finish. I liked it, but the lack of a more pronounced aroma didn't wow me. Very nice with food. Try again in a year or two. This wine is in no danger of drying out-still young.
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5/11/2023 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Italian Night in Jax (La Cena): Wine pulled from storage and I’m not entirely sure that this wasn’t the wrong bottle because it was meant to be an Asili but that was not on the label. The great thing is Giacosa wines from this time period are always awesome and so even if not the single vineyard this was still for some one of the WOTN contenders and certainly drinking very well. I think in the perfect window in age and just that lift that he manages to accomplish with the grape is special. Quite tasty.
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2/21/2023 - MC2 Wines wrote:
Knights of Alba (KOA) BYO Barbaresco Dinner (Legacy Records): Out of magnum and unfortunately all sediment so didn’t get to really taste. Pity.
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1/22/2023 - TWSA wrote: 87 Points
Nose: tar, hoisin sauce, prune, cherry, dark chocolate
Notes: Drank together with a Bruno Giacosa Asili Di Barbaresco 2001. Had the first glass after 45 minutes and the wine started off with the relatively stiff aroma of tar and hoisin sauce. A bit of dark fruit started to appear as time went by. Tannins are quite soft for this wine so definitely cellaring further will not bring much benefit to the wine's development anymore. I believe this upcoming 5-8 years will be the final drinking timeframe for this wine. Bruno Giacosa being one of my favorite makers from the region without a doubt makes wonderfully elegant wines , both the wines tonight were estate bottled and the 2001 seems like a fresher, fruitier and long lasting version of the 1997 but fundamentally they are quite similar in nature.
Drink: now-2031
Rating: 87
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5/13/2021 - DemonC2H5OH Likes this wine: 93 Points
Red brick with pale meniscus, lovely nose of tar, black plum, licorice and dark cherry. Soft, mostly resolved tannins, medium acidity and the only real issue was an initially slightly thin mid palate. However, after an hour or so that filled out quite nicely. Wonderful smooth long finish and excellent length. Still has life ahead of it but perhaps best in next 3-5 years.
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12/17/2020 - ChambertinMan wrote: 93 Points
Vibrant red cherry fruit trimmed in pleasing oak. Violets, rose petals with hints of tar, rosemary, oolong tea and gamey aromatics. Vivacious ruby color with only hints of orange edging. Lovely medium weight, bright acidity and incisive mineral drive with gripping yet fine tannins. Entering maturity apogee. A somewhat Burgundian wine without turbidity or stewed notes. Most pleasant.
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3/4/2020 - Taronti wrote: 90 Points
A little browning round the edges. Cherries, anise, rose petals. Clean with good length. Seemed best afer an hour or so in the glass. Getting near the end of its drinkable life.
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12/7/2018 - dream Likes this wine: 92 Points
Out of magnum this was still fresh with dark cherry fruit and a wonderful wintergreen note. Soft and flowing with the texture of an aged Burgundy and while it lacked real complexity on the finish, it was a wonderful drink. Very ready to drink.
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9/13/2015 - AllRed wrote:
Second Sunday Group: 1975 Bordeaux (Augie's): Dusty ruby color. Rose petals, red berry fruit, licorice and potpourri aromas. Flavors of red berries, rose water and anise. Balanced; finishes well.
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8/2/2015 - clayfu wrote:
don't know how i feel about this wine. It showed kinda faded the first hour. Threw it into a decanter. It woke up roaring back to life with a huge nose and concentration on the palate, then another hour later it just tasted thin.
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4/15/2015 - willthethrill wrote: 90 Points
Disappointing. Lovely clean light red color and body, but now too tight ... I guess it is past its glory days
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3/30/2015 - shutto1992@gmail.com Likes this wine: 93 Points
PNP. Earth, tar and cherry on nose and palete. The earthy flavors faded a bit several hours after opening and I thought the wine was more enjoyable immediately after opening.
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3/30/2014 - RJ&JJ wrote: 87 Points
Past its prime - IF you still have any, drink it up!
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2/1/2013 - cardsandwine wrote:
On the nose there is that unmistakable earthy Nebbiolo bouquet. It entices your palate, which is let down by the waning fruit in the wine. Still very much a drinkable wine, but a mere shadow of what it was 6 or 7 years ago. The ‘97 Barolos and Barbarescos have moved past their prime. Drink up now.
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2/27/2012 - cephomer wrote: 92 Points
I was concerned this wine might have faded & that I'd waited to long to open it. Well, I was mistaken: the wine had lush fruit--cherries and other reds--a delightful floral bouquet and very silky soft tannins. A delightful wine that still, much to my surprise, is drinking splendidly, and has some time to go. I'm no longer in any particular rush to finish off the rest of these lovelies in my cellar, but I wouldn't delay more than a few more years. If I had one complaint: on the first pour, the wine was a very light, almost pinkish color. But no matter, the wine still shined!
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4/22/2011 - Anthony Lombardi wrote:
Thursday night dinner; 4/21/2011-4/22/2011 (Seattle, WA): Brick red. A hint of Brett on the nose with mostly tar and a bit of cherry. This tasted quite advanced and the fruit was mostly dried out. Something was up with this bottle as the vintage and obviously producer should be showing much better. I can't really say much more than it showed trademark Nebbiolo characteristics, but everything was muted.
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3/25/2009 - Cheryl wrote:
Piedmonte Dinner at EMP (Eleven Madison Park, New York, NY): This was excellent. A little funk on the 2nd our, but lovely. Dark fruit. It was smooth, but not simple, and elegant, but not in a strand of pearls kind of way - something much more exciting than that. My WOTN.
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3/5/2008 - goofy Yno wrote: 91 Points
rose petals, raspberry nose. cherry, good complexity with an anise finish.
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3/5/2008 - kstoddard wrote: 90 Points
eRobert Parker Offline - Giacosa and other Italian Wine (Backstreet Wine Salon, Phoenix): Cherry, caramel, kirsch and earth. Dry tannins. Soft finish.
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2/25/2008 - jimbomatic wrote: 94 Points
Superb Barbaresco. Dark red from core to rim which seemed unusual. Incredible aromatics that are at once lush with primary fruit but also have a great backing of cinnamon and spices. No leathery component at all. The flavors are of a jumble of red fruits including currant, cherries, loganberry and likely more. Fantastic depth of flavor making the wine both incrediby broad across the palate and massively long on the back end. Texturally, one of the most amazing Barbarescos I have had as it is as fine as rich silk but with a web of dense, fine, ripe, sweet tannins filling up the back of the wine. Incredibly nuanced and complex stuff. This is obviously drinking great at this point but given the color, aromatics and structure it would seem that there is no need to empty the cellar of these any time soon.
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11/16/2007 - Greg Pierce wrote:
Sorry, no formal notes, but this was an excellent, albeit still too young, barbaresco. All of the great things you want -- tar, rose petal, bright cherry/red fruits, etc., etc., but still quite tannic with years yet to reach its peak. I would say hold off on drinking these for a few more years, but rest assured that the wait will be rewarded.
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6/2/2005 - aerlith wrote: 91 Points
Opened and allowed to breathe, but not decanted, for about two hours. Pale ruby in color with minimal bricking, moderate aroma of cherry/rose petals/underbrush. Flavors are smooth and moderately concentrated, cherry predominating. Sweet but not unctuous, horizontal but not filling, solid tannic kick on the finish. I liked it, but the lack of a more pronounced aroma didn't wow me. Very nice with food. Try again in a year or two. This wine is in no danger of drying out-still young.
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