1982 Cordero di Montezemolo Barolo Monfalletto

Community Tasting Notes (13) Avg Score: 90.4 points

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View NoahCap's profile
  • Report Issue

  1/22/2021 - NoahCap wrote:

  Just lovely...my God, I love aged Nebbiolo. This is exactly what I look for in an aged wine. It has preserved youthful and lively red fruit and floral flavors balanced with subtle but deep delicious tertiary notes. Age has smoothed out the tannins to the point that they are like lace: undeniably present but transparent and beautiful. The acid is present, but mellowed to the point of providing a solid lip puckering through-line without any of the harshness that can be found in younger wines. The red fruit and flowers (rose especially) dominate, subtler earth, all integrated and smoothed out over the decades into a wonderful contiguous whole.
  
  Many people describe Nebbiolo generally, and Barolo in particular, as a big muscular wine, probably because of the aggressive tannins and harsh acidity in youth. I never found that to be the case; to me, these wines ride the line between big/beefy and pretty/refined. Now that this wine has age on it, the experience it provides is one of subtle transparency; I couldn't help but think of Vermeer. This was a perfect pairing with wild mushroom risotto finished with a shower of Pecorino on the plate. If Napa Cabs are Kate Upton, this aged Barolo is Audrey Hepburn: both spectacular but in very different ways.
  
  Finally, I think this wine is drinking at absolute peak, at least for my tastes. I've had 50+ year old Barolo that are fantastic; not sure this will be as good in another 15-20 years.

  1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View srh's profile
  • Report Issue

  12/14/2019 - srh Likes this wine:

  Winebar [4 Whites, 8 Reds, & 6 *shared* bottles] from 12/13/19 (Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA): José & Oscar, THANK you for sharing this GEM! :)
  
  Likely a “blend of the Monfalletto Estate vyds with SE & SW exposures in the town of La Morra, 250-300m elev, planted in clayey & calcareous soils (with significant magnesium oxide & manganese);”
  
  N: *Fragrant* ROSES, cherries, smoke, poss a bit of leather, & definitely some unparsables
  
  P: Med body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by an astringent pucker which QUITE stays in contact with the init frt as it fairly seamlessly transitions into a very LONG, *beautifully* BALANCED, very, VERY slightly puckerish finish with its swtness extending all the way through the few, firming, dusty tannins. Not even REMOTELY "tired", this marathon runner should still work with food approaching its 45th, & may WELL still be lively @ age 50! Quite an IMPRESSIVE wine! 11% ABV™; My EXC+/Exceptional-, trending towards the higher. 93 pts Huon Hooke (5/16/12) & 17/20 Jancis Robinson (Speller, 6/6/12).
  
  ™Wines like this should be REQUIRED tasting for those CONVINCED that wines of SUCH low ABV couldn't **possibly** be flavorful! ;)

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View VenturePlanet's profile
  • Report Issue

  7/30/2018 - VenturePlanet Likes this wine: 95 Points

  Phenomenal! Cork broke, but I was able to fish it out....gave it 20 min to breath and a deep brilliant ruby color settled. Nose of fresh blood, roses, hints of dried tobacco. Wonderfully structured.

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View murkybird's profile
  • Report Issue

  4/2/2017 - murkybird Likes this wine: 91 Points

  Fully mature with no tannic bite. Rose water and dried strawberry with a slight earthiness. Paired beautifully with a meat agnolotti in broth. Not a blockbuster--quite subtle but better for it.

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View cct's profile
  • Report Issue

  2/4/2017 - cct wrote: 91 Points

  Post Festa Dinner at Hearth
  
  ripe and dense compared with the older wines tonight. Tar and roses with a savory mushroomy background. Drinking well tonight. 91

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

View all 13 Community Tasting Notes

Professional reviews have copyrights and you can view them here for your personal use only as private content. To view pro reviews you must either subscribe to a pre-integrated publication or manually enter reviews below. Learn more.