2014 La Spinetta (Rivetti) Barbera d'Alba Gallina

Community Tasting Notes (4) Avg Score: 90.3 points

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  8/23/2023 - Ivan Strouchki wrote: 90 Points

  Very unusual—but I am not so familiar with the varietal. Medicinal notes complement, if not overwhelm, a sweet dark fruit core. Fresh basil; some fennel seeds. Very low (or at this stage fully integrated) tannins. Not particularly balanced, or subtle for that matter; but I found this quite fascinating nonetheless. Might get better, or at any rate more suggestive than assertive, which it currently is; but this is certainly ready now. 90-91

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  2/18/2022 - Lehto Likes this wine: 91 Points

  This is a real dark beast… 2-3 hours in decanter and then drank over 3-4 hours. Completely dark red color with purple tint.
  
  Nose had oak, tobacco, leather, smoke, mushroom, truffle, licorice with some dark fruit like dark cherry, blackberry, blackcurrant and slight hint of voilet.
  
  Palate was all about the acidic dark/red fruit. Dark cherry, plum, blackberry, blackcurrant and a little raspberry with a backbone of oak, vanilla, tobacco, mushroom, smoke, tar, herbs, licorice and black pepper.
  This really feels like a Bordeaux but with way more acidity and waaay less tannins. Powerful and punchy wine with a wonderful tannin structure and amazing acidity, fruitiness with depth and balance and just perfect with food.

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  9/13/2020 - NX7U Likes this wine: 90 Points

  Tannins overcame acidity. Pleasant to drink but could use more time and perhaps decanting. Cork showed early signs of failure so glad we opened it now.

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  7/16/2019 - apple1813 wrote:

  Tasted at James Suckling Wine Central, Hong Kong
  2014 La Spinetta Barbera d'Alba was clear deep ruby in colour, with simple nose of vanilla, fresh red cherries and a touch of black pepper. The mouthfeel was dry, full-bodied with medium-high tannin and medium-high acidity, leading to a medium finish with red cherries and licorice flavours.
  It lacked the refreshing acidity and complexity of earth and ceder in better examples of Barbera d'Alba. (88)

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