2007 Barbacarlo Barbacarlo

Community Tasting Notes (1) Avg Score: 86.5 points

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  10/14/2020 - forceberry wrote: 81 Points

  A blend of Croatina, Uva Rara, Ughetta (Vespolina) and Barbera sourced from the Barbacarlo Cru, all the fruit harvested simultaneously when Croatina is ready. Made in a very hands-off fashion: made with organically farmed fruit, fermented spontaneously in old oak casks, no temperature control, no additions, bottled unfiltered in the spring following the harvest with a small dose of SO2. 14% alcohol, 56,2 mg/l total SO2. Tasted in a Lino Maga 2015-1979 vertical.
  
  Quite translucent and surprisingly evolved ruby-red color with somewhat syrupy-brown overtones. The nose is surprisingly old and tertiary with slightly understated aromas of dried dates, some roasted meat notes, a little bit of smoke, light pungent notes of soy sauce, a sweet, balsamic hint of VA and a touch of raisins. The wine is staggeringly sweet - basically medium-dry - on the palate with lush, off-dry flavors of cherry marmalade, some strawberry jam, a little bit of sweet balsamic VA and medicinal ether, light fruity notes of wizened black cherries, a hint of beef jerky and a touch of raisins. With its medium acidity and somewhat resolved, medium-grippy tannins the mouthfeel is soft and somewhat dull, lacking the necessary structure to counterpoint such conspicuous sweetness. The medium-long finish is juicy, sweetish and rather warm with soft, round flavors of raisins, cherry marmalade, some plummy fruit, a little bit of strawberry jam, light volatile notes of ethery VA and a hint of soy sauce.
  
  A very weird, rich and atypically sweet vintage of Barbacarlo coming across as very evolved, soft and unbalanced with its lush, jammy flavors and very evolved, tertiary fruit. Although Lino Maga embraces vintage variation with his wines, this bottle seems just way over-the-top and is definitely not representative of the usual, balanced and wonderfully complex house style. Most likely the wine is either at its plateau of maturity or very close to it, and won't benefit from further aging. Not recommended.

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