Really great example of Barolo! I opened and decanted. I decided to try a bit of the wine immediately after decantation (sounds like I'm reverse summoning a wine spirit), I was greeted with a bouquet of cherries, raspberries, wet clay, and a hint of smoke. It was delicious, if a little tight--but what can you expect with a Barolo at the young age of 9 years??
We let it decant for about an hour and a half and went back to it. We were blown away with the added depth. All the above were still present (maybe the cherry smell was a dark cherry now?) with strawberries and menthol coming through. The longer we waited, the more we got: plums, cherry medicine (in a good way I swear), wet soil, even some peppery notes--and the we even smelled and tasted some honey notes! I was surprised at that!
Vietti stuns again. No wonder they are a benchmark Nebbiolo producer. The tannins were strong but somehow smooth, expertly integrated. I felt like I was transported to Piedmont, sitting in my Chateau admiring an Italian sunset. I imagined cobblestone streets, Mediterranean air, and felt fully jealous of my half-brother's Italian lineage. (And also that he is taller than me but I'll leave that part short).
Excellent wine, but could still do with 10 years in the bottle if you wanted.
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WOW! So much more than I expected from a lesser known Rhone producer. I didn't realize how much I would like Crozes-Hermitages. We poured this into the decanter, immediately had a glass, then had another glass about an hour later.
On the nose, we were immediately greeted with wet clay, truffles, cherries, leather, and tobacco, maybe even rust (but it was pleasant I swear). The more we smelled the wine, the more the wine gave us! As the wine evolved, it opened up to show thyme and rosemary, then chocolate, then roses. There was forever an almost barnyard-y funkiness to it that was so interesting to smell alongside those crushed rose notes.
Upon tasting the wine, my palate was filled with plums and cherries, with a hint of vanilla, as well as some cured meat notes. The distinct flavor of the nose showed up here too, with notes of truffles and old leather. After some time in the decanter, the wine expressed all the above, but the cherry notes became darker, the wine seemed all at once historic, reminding me of a dusty old library filled with old hardback copies of greek mythology...I was sure the Hobbit would be there somewhere as well...
This wine was excellent, it really brought up old memories, with a nose that almost smelled like my grandpa's old tractor that we used to work around his property with. IT smelled wise, like it had already lived more lives than I have.
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Love this producer, and was excited to try his Rose. We popped and poured this after chilling, thinking it would be a great pairing with the American Independence Day.
It did not disappoint. Fresh, bright, and lively. There was strawberry and herbs on the nose with mineral underpinnings. On the palate we found those wild strawberries to be irresistible, almost like a Jolly Rancher that was made by Willy Wonka rather than Hershey's, along with some notes of graphite and sea salt that kept us thirsty for more.
Good, refreshing summer rose.
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2014 Vietti Barolo Castiglione
9/1/2023 - billy_bricks Likes this wine: 92 Points
Really great example of Barolo! I opened and decanted. I decided to try a bit of the wine immediately after decantation (sounds like I'm reverse summoning a wine spirit), I was greeted with a bouquet of cherries, raspberries, wet clay, and a hint of smoke. It was delicious, if a little tight--but what can you expect with a Barolo at the young age of 9 years??
We let it decant for about an hour and a half and went back to it. We were blown away with the added depth. All the above were still present (maybe the cherry smell was a dark cherry now?) with strawberries and menthol coming through. The longer we waited, the more we got: plums, cherry medicine (in a good way I swear), wet soil, even some peppery notes--and the we even smelled and tasted some honey notes! I was surprised at that!
Vietti stuns again. No wonder they are a benchmark Nebbiolo producer. The tannins were strong but somehow smooth, expertly integrated. I felt like I was transported to Piedmont, sitting in my Chateau admiring an Italian sunset. I imagined cobblestone streets, Mediterranean air, and felt fully jealous of my half-brother's Italian lineage. (And also that he is taller than me but I'll leave that part short).
Excellent wine, but could still do with 10 years in the bottle if you wanted.
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2020 Emmanuel Darnaud Crozes-Hermitage Les Trois Chênes
7/22/2023 - billy_bricks Likes this wine: 93 Points
WOW! So much more than I expected from a lesser known Rhone producer. I didn't realize how much I would like Crozes-Hermitages. We poured this into the decanter, immediately had a glass, then had another glass about an hour later.
On the nose, we were immediately greeted with wet clay, truffles, cherries, leather, and tobacco, maybe even rust (but it was pleasant I swear). The more we smelled the wine, the more the wine gave us! As the wine evolved, it opened up to show thyme and rosemary, then chocolate, then roses. There was forever an almost barnyard-y funkiness to it that was so interesting to smell alongside those crushed rose notes.
Upon tasting the wine, my palate was filled with plums and cherries, with a hint of vanilla, as well as some cured meat notes. The distinct flavor of the nose showed up here too, with notes of truffles and old leather. After some time in the decanter, the wine expressed all the above, but the cherry notes became darker, the wine seemed all at once historic, reminding me of a dusty old library filled with old hardback copies of greek mythology...I was sure the Hobbit would be there somewhere as well...
This wine was excellent, it really brought up old memories, with a nose that almost smelled like my grandpa's old tractor that we used to work around his property with. IT smelled wise, like it had already lived more lives than I have.
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2021 Domaine Guiberteau Saumur Rosé
7/4/2023 - billy_bricks Likes this wine: 88 Points
Love this producer, and was excited to try his Rose. We popped and poured this after chilling, thinking it would be a great pairing with the American Independence Day.
It did not disappoint. Fresh, bright, and lively. There was strawberry and herbs on the nose with mineral underpinnings. On the palate we found those wild strawberries to be irresistible, almost like a Jolly Rancher that was made by Willy Wonka rather than Hershey's, along with some notes of graphite and sea salt that kept us thirsty for more.
Good, refreshing summer rose.
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