Red tree

• November 2009

  A Bootful of Wine – Tasting Notes from Italy A visit to Terrabianca Terrabianca is a medium sized winery in the heart of the Chianti region, in Radda, located just north of Sienna. It is owned by a German, Roberto Guldener, who now lives in Chianti, and who has strong historical... Read moreA Bootful of Wine - Tasting Notes from Italy A visit to Terrabianca Terrabianca is a medium sized winery in the heart of the Chianti region, in Radda, located just north of Sienna. It is owned by a German, Roberto Guldener, who now lives in Chianti, and who has strong historical ties to Italy. He also lists himself as the viticulturalist. The winemaker is Vittorio Fiore, a well-known and highly skilled oenologist from the region. The company produces 350,000 bottles annually. The property consists of over 120 ha of land, comprising about 15 ha under vine and a significant olive tree plantation, at a level over 250m above sea level, in both Chianti, and Maremma, further south in Tuscany and closer to the ocean. Its name (Terrabianca) is derived from the whitish soils of the area in Chianti, due to the combination of sand, clay and chalk. My visit there was organized by a friend who knows the current marketing manager of the establishment. As we drove towards the property, we passed busloads of most likely British, German and American tourists visiting large establishments in the area. Francesco, my friend and point of entrée into the tasting, lamented that many of the larger wineries made lakes, if not oceans, of mediocre wine, assisted by the “Chianti” name, and feeding off the resurgence of interest in Italian wine. Viticulturally, grapes of moderate quality are turned into half decent wine by paid consultants, producing Chianti with an unexciting sameness. Our arrival at Terrabianca coincided with the final stages of a tasting involving a visiting Brazilian importer. After they had left the full range of wines that Terrabianca produce was open and at our disposal. Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot are the major grape varieties grown, with smaller amounts of Canaiolo, Malvasia and Trebbiano. We focused on reds at the tasting. 1      La Fonte 2007 This is a 100% Sangiovese wine with 6 months of oak, from vineyards further south in Tuscany, outside the Chianti region, in Maremma, Grossetto. My notes say “This has cherries and some savoury characters, good length and structure.” I can understand why this is their “house wine” - is a ripper. It has 13.5% alcohol, and I gave it 16.5 pts. 2      Scassino 2007 (Chianti Classico) 97% Sangiovese with 3% Canaiolo, this has spent 8 months in oak, it is the quintessence of Chianti Classico, with cherries and some plum flavours. At 13% alcohol, it seemed a bigger wine than the La Fonte, but still an ideal match for spicy food and even fish. 17 pts 3      Croce 2005 (Chianti Classico) DOCG Riserva With the same grape combination as the Scassino, this has spent 15 months in oak, making it more mellow and softer. It was, however, a darker and denser wine with a greater dose of dark/stewed fruit. 17.5 pts 4      Campaccio 2005 A blend of 70% Sangiovese and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, the Cabernet component was immediately evident, with capsicum and cassis notes, but with a lovely meaty, savoury undertow. It has had 12 months of oak treatment, and needs time to allow the wonderful acid and structure to integrate. I loved this wine, and so did Robert Parker a few years ago. 18 pts 5      Campaccio “Selezione”  Riserva 2004 With a higher Cabernet component (50%) and 24 months of oak treatment, this was a wonderfully deep and unctuous wine with chewy tannins and again that savoury edge. It struck me that Italians do with Sangiovese what we in Australia do with Shiraz - fill the Cabernet ‘doughnut’ with dark fruit while clinging to the structure that Cabernet Sauvignon offers, to create their Supertuscans. This has a long life ahead of it - 18.5 pts. 6      Cipresso 2005 We moved on to an interesting set of wines. The first was another 100% Sangiovese wine but not labeled as Chianti Classico and therefore not a DOCG, but an IGT wine. Savoury notes were evident as were the plum, cherry and berry flavours. This time, some liquorice and fennel added to the spiciness. The mouthfeel was wonderful, and belied the commonly held belief that extraction is difficult with Sangiovese. This too has a long life ahead of it - if waiting is possible. 18.7 pts 7      Il Tesoro (Merlot) 2005 This 100% Merlot was like few Australian Merlots I have tasted (barring perhaps the Three Hills Merlot from Happs). From their southerly and more maritime vineyards, the differences between day and nighttime temperatures have added to the acid and structure. The nougat and almond flavours probably derive from the oak treatment, and though not off putting, will further integrate with time. 18 pts. 8      Ceppate 2005 This is a Cabernet dominant wine (90%) with the rest being Merlot. This wine was closed and fruit flavours had to be coaxed out of it with heavy swirling and time. A classic Bordeaux style, with the addition of more perfume on the nose than I have been used to, this too demands time. 17.5 pts We completed the tasting by sampling the extra virgin olive oil produced by Terrabianca - a classic Tuscan style - strong and peppery, with hints of citrus - to light up any salad or loaf of bread you would choose to have with it. What did I learn from the tasting? Firstly, Sangiovese, with its many (13 clones) is a versatile variety, and in the right hands, extraction to produce complex and powerful red wine is possible. (Sangiovese is known by many names - it is the Morellino from Scansano, the Brunello from Montepulciano, and even the Sagrantino from neighbouring Montefalco in Umbria is thought to be related. Secondly, if I were an importer, this is the kind of producer I would deal with. Expert viticulture, modern winemaking facilities, great quality fruit, and every wine in the stable exceptional at its price point. What is the cost of the wine? Well, in Italy, unlike Australia, wine is cheaper at the cantina or winery. So the wines ranged from 10 Euro for the La Croce, to 36 Euro for the Campaccio Riserva and the Ceppate. What did I buy? A dozen each of the Cipresso and the Campaccio - at 20 Euro a bottle. Until next time, ciao! Brendan Jansen    (hide)

  From the article A Bootful of Wine - A Visit to Terrabianca

  
  

• October 2009

  Poultry and red wine, but which wine? Pinot Noir to the rescue Eric Guido is back this week with a great recipe for Roast Chicken. Long considered the dish to judge a chef by, the simplicity of a Roast Chicken demands attention to detail and a fine... Read more Poultry and red wine, but which wine? Pinot Noir to the rescue Eric Guido is back this week with a great recipe for Roast Chicken. Long considered the dish to judge a chef by, the simplicity of a Roast Chicken demands attention to detail and a fine understanding of technique. Eric lays out each step of the preparation and technique to ensure that your bird is moist, tender and flavorful. Pinot Noir is a classic match for roast poultry. Eric matches his recipe with a terrific example from the Sonoma Coast. Benefitting from the cooling effects of the Pacific Ocean, the Sonoma Coast is home to some of California’s most compelling examples of this fickle grape. His choice of the A. P. Vin Kanzler Vineyard is  wonderful, and works with the dish beautifully, but it is a rare bottle, and not inexpensive. We’ve selected two great examples of Pinot Noir to pair with Eric’s Roast Chicken, one from the Sonoma Coast and another from Northern Italy that should match up perfectly to the flavors and textures of the dish. To read Eric's article and recipe click here. What to expect: Pinot Noir Responsible for some of the greatest wines on earth, the exhaulted red wines of France's Burgundy region, Pinot Noir is a notoriously fickle grape that expresses it's origins like no other. It's a vine that needs to struggle to produce great wines, but when it does the depth of flavors that range from cherry to cola can be explosive. The wine's bright acidity and gentle tannins make it very approachable, giving it broad appeal. Find more affordable Pinot Noir Two Great Examples of Pinot Noir 2005 Macmurray Ranch Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir Priced from $19.29 With light oak and toast notes on the nose this starts off on the dark side but adds nice cherry pie fruit tones on the palate that are soft and supple. With a touch of vanilla and baking spice adding complexity on the backend. 2007 Hofstatter Pinot Noir Meczan Priced from $19.99 This just smells lovely, full of forest floor, tea and earth notes that gently frame the fruit. In the mouth it's bright and linear with a soft, fleshy core of red fruits that gain complexity on the finish with notes of incense, stems and tree bark.    (hide)

  From the article Pairing food and wine: Roast Chicken and Pinot Noir

  
  

• August 2009

  Hugo - I don't know if you're reading this but you can look at the history of biodynamics, and read the work of some practitioners to get your answer. Let's think back a bit. We all know Goethe, the great German poet and contemporary of Beehoven. He actually considered himself a... Read moreHugo - I don't know if you're reading this but you can look at the history of biodynamics, and read the work of some practitioners to get your answer. Let's think back a bit. We all know Goethe, the great German poet and contemporary of Beehoven. He actually considered himself a scientist first and poet second, but of course that's not how we remember him. He was interested in astrology, alchemy, and many other things that today are not considered serious by those in the natural sciences. When he died, there were a few people who put his papers in order and organized his estate. One of them was a man named Rudolf Steiner. He was so impressed by Goethe's mystical musings that he continued pursuing the line of thinking on his own and eventually came up with something he called anthroposophy, which was his "science". He decided he was an expert on many things, including farming, and came up with biodynamic farming. It's essentially some practical ideas mixed up with a load of crap. You can walk across the street for example. You can also walk across the street and claim that the invisible threads from the tree on the other side wrapped around your head and guided you there. Of course, you may want to wear a tin foil hat in some places. Taking care of your soil isn't profound. If you simply add fertilizer year after year, you are doing nothing for the tilth of the soil and it will end up compact and devoid of life. That's not brilliant. I bought a house with such soil in the back. My neighbors suggested paving since nothing would grow. Today I have roses, tomatoes, herbs, etc. Why? I simply added organic matter, composting everything from the kitchen as well as all of the plants that I pulled out or that died every fall. The soil is rich and full of life. Steiner based his teachings on Aristotle. But Aristotle never did an experiment. Experimental science came much later. So Steiner took some of Aristotle filtered thru Goethe and talks about the four realms and associates them with animals and plants and with parts of plants. You have the mineral state - rocks, which the roots live in. You have the liquid state, which the leaves live in. You have the state of light, which is flowers, and you have the state of heat, which is fruit. Even better, you have animals that are identified with the states. For example guess what animal is identified with the liquid state. A cow of course. If your plants need help in the liquid realm, you give them cow manure. Why? Because the quality of the manure is affected by the temperament of the animal. A horse is a nervous and sensitive creature, almost aerial so it is dominated by heat. If you want better leaves, you use cow manure, if you want better fruit, you use horse manure. As far as I'm concerned you can pretty much stop there, because in the end, I think it all comes down to horse manure. When you mix your preparations, why does it have to be done with the hand of a man, at moonlight, in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction, 100 times? Because the forces from the man are being guided by the cosmic rays into the preparation, making is incredibly powerful! Taking care of the land is common sense. Setting up any alternative to biodynamics as industrial farming is a red herring. You can be very organic and very practical at the same time. You don't need to buy into the BS. At the end of the day, I'd like to drink wine that was made organically. But think about it. Think about your biodynamic wine. It's put into glass bottles. How are they made? Sand is mined and so is coal. That coal is burned to heat the sand to make glass. So the biodynamic producer is walking behind his ox and his product gets put into a container that is produced by mountaintop removal. And then the product gets put into trucks, shipped around the world, and it's kept in a refrigerated unit that depends on fossil fuel. How about that? In terms of overall quality, you can't make a statement about the wine based on the philosophy of the producer. You can only taste it and each wine stands on its own. Some biodynamic wine is great; some is undrinkable.    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Biodynamic wines, is there... by GregT

  
  

• July 2009

  In my last post, I wrote about the dilemma I am facing in naming my personal wine project.  I said that I am 99% sure of what that name would be.  And before I unveil it here and my reasons why, let it be said that this is no press release in the vein of Snooth’s Wine Pairing... Read moreIn my last post, I wrote about the dilemma I am facing in naming my personal wine project.  I said that I am 99% sure of what that name would be.  And before I unveil it here and my reasons why, let it be said that this is no press release in the vein of Snooth’s Wine Pairing application.  Kudos to the team for another quality extension of the brand that brings the wine world under rule. In that previous post I queried for some feedback and received a few consistent comments pertaining to the ease of remembering the brand name, the ease in pronouncing it and its ability to be distinguished.*  Words like class, simplicity and minimalism were jousted around.  These defining words can do just that, not only define the brand but also, in my opinion, describe the (label) design.  A hook about this wine I am creating is that it will be a small production effort that will be sold to friends and family, a few select retailers and restaurants in NYC and the Bay Area, California.  I have acquired contracts on six tons of grapes and am looking at a potential 300 cases of white wine.  Not enough to get lost on the shelves of your local supermarket or super wine store.  This doesn’t justify an obscure name choice or design, but the limited supply helps with the early stages of marketing by avoiding the clutter.  My wine will be a hand-sell because of the nature of its composition; I will be producing a unique white wine blend with some (relatively) obscure Italian grape varieties at its core.  That being said, does the “name” mean as much as the fit (with the consumer’s palate, the sommelier’s palate or the restaurant’s wine list)?  Only time will tell. So, it is time to tell.  The winery name will be “Massican.”  And its flagship blend, which on paper at this time, will consist of Tocai, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Ribolla Gialla will be “sub” named “Annia.” What? Massican.  Named after the coastal mountain range on the Southern Italian peninsula in the region of Campania.  Mount Massico garnered its mythological fame from a story of Bacchus’ travels when he was looking for a getaway after the “Carabinieri” (Italian police) were after his ass for being a cult-wino-instigator.  In this particular story, Bacchus took refuge in the foothills of Massico with a farmer named Falernus.  Bacchus was so enamored with the farmer’s generosity that when the farmer slept, Bacchus waved his magic Riedel Urn and turned his host’s hillside fields into the most sought after white wine grapes in all of Italy.  Today that DOC is called Falerno del Massico and is home to Campania’s seductive Falanghina.  My great-great Grandfather was also born in these foothills outside of the city of Caserta.  His father was a farmer who was jailed for this or that and sent his only son to the United States before WWI ensued.  During his imprisonment, the crook asked his neighbor to tend his farm.  When he was released, the neighbor did not want to give the land back.  So, he was stabbed and the criminal in my genealogical tree returned to jail.  Mythology, reverence and personal history all play a part in this (relatively easy to pronounce) name. Since the wine doesn’t have a grape variety to distinguish it by, I will designate the wine with the name “Annia.”  Annia has two meanings.  First, it is a derivative of my mother’s name, Ann (who drinks her wine with ice cubes, even red wine, and I love her for it).  And it is also the name of the ancient Roman High Priestess, Paculla Annia, also from the region of Campania.  Paculla Annia was hunted in the Second Century BC because she was the forebearer in the flesh of what we know today to be etymology of what we consider the “Bacchanal” cult. For you shrewd wine types, you will say, the grapes you chose, Dan, are not indigenous to your naming convention.  Yes, that is true.  But it is hard to find Falanghina in the United States, so I am attacking the Italian style of white wine production from its most prominent region, and as I have said earlier, I truly appreciate and enjoy drinking the modern style of wine coming out of North East Italy.  Although my naming convention doesn’t hone into this region’s history, it claims a history in Italian wine and, as described, a personal history.  So, I leave you with it and the words of Horace: “… whether you bring complaints or jokes, or brawling and insane love affairs, or easy sleep, or whatever purpose you preserve choice Massico, worthy to be removed on an auspicious day, descend, bids me uncork [sic] wine.” - * A note about naming.  “Snooth.”  Not ‘smooth’.  Or what I originally linked it to, “Sleuth” (as in investigated).  Philip told me that it was the nickname for the town he grew up in England.  Maybe he can explain it here. Dan Petroski is Assistant Winemaker at Larkmead Vineyards in Napa Valley. Dan has an MBA from New York University and worked as an Ad Exec in New York for several years, before switching it up and trading his suit for a move out west    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic An Ode to Wine Drinking History by danpetroski

  
  

• June 2009

  While this is a follow up post to my 2005 Barolo tasting notes, which can be found here, these wines were actually tasted first. The intro to the Barolo post hold some valuable background information as to the style of the tasting and the limitations that imposes on the ultimate... Read more While this is a follow up post to my 2005 Barolo tasting notes, which can be found here, these wines were actually tasted first. The intro to the Barolo post hold some valuable background information as to the style of the tasting and the limitations that imposes on the ultimate value of these notes. 92-93 Cascina Saria (Neive) -  a really penetrating pine note balances some mulling spices on the nose, the perfumes of the fruit are really deeply embedded here but the quality, ripe and slightly wild, gamy, and spicy berries is very attractive, there’s a touch of dusty ash top note, , really attractive nose -  a bit thick for the first second then rich and focused with great, pure fresh red fruit, really wonderfully ripe tannins and fine acidity that supports the precise ripe earthy raspberry fruit, great persistence, a really great showing, very clean 92-93 91-92 Cascina delle Rose Rio Sordo (Barbaresco)  - clear fruit, a touch smoky but elegant, cherry in alcohol, soil, spice, limestone, white earth, nicely layered with a touch of raspberry and green sap wood, very cool and crisp on entry, nicely proportioned with deep fruit edged in spice and earth tones, there’s a nice tension here but the tannins do grow and gain the upper-hand on the mp though the fruit sort of red currant/ raspberry toned, does fight through, nice tarry, licorice spice tones on the backed lead to a long finish which has flashes of sweet berry fruit, earth, herb and spice, 91-92 Pertinace Marcarini (Treiso) - porcini, truffly, a bit woody, unusual but interesting, with an animale fur note to the spicy rosehip, a nice nuttiness too, hazelnut with a touch of nougat, smoke, this has a really attractive entry with ripe, clean, precise fruit, the mp gains a bit of layered depth, very nicely done with elegance and style, bitter cherry, wild raspberry, a hint of medicinal bitterness, tannins superbly managed, classy wine 91-92 La Ganghija (Treiso) - sauvage, spicy, earthy, pine cones, dried flowers, deep and intense with leather, dried berry, savory tones, full and nicely rich with good flesh backing the ripe tannins, the fruit is a touch dark and towards the earthy end of the spectrum with a lovely vein of bitter cherry fruit that carries through to the long finish which shows a nice tension between savory tones and fruit 91-92 Terrenostre (Treiso) - a touch funky but friendly with a bit of wet dog, soft subtle fruit, transparent, lovely oystershell tones and ranier cherry fruit, with a real nuance of blood orange, precise, classic feel, medium bodied, transparent on the palate as well with subtle strawberry and blood orange fruit, a bit simple but very attractively styled and easy to drink even today, fresh and clean on the bracing finish with a lovely floral note that carries 91-92 Albino Rocca (Alba) - this is great on the nose with deep oily herbs, drying grass, fine precise forest floor, mushroom, and small berry fruit ones -  polished, glossy yet so fresh with mushrooms right up front, fresh cut white, a touch of bitter roots, very refreshing, very pure with a fairly elegant if slightly rustic feel, very nice and pure if slightly bitter fruited finish, good length 91-92 Cascina Luisin Sori Paolin (Neive) - pretty and citrusy with kafir lime leaf, amarena cherry, very focused, very lean and very pure, a bit softer in the mouth than expected from the nose, nice tannins are really crisp and the acidity is very well integrated, this is a more subtle wine with layered and nuanced fruit, lots of detail on the mp with a lovely bitter cherry and wild strawberry fruit tone and a background of funghi, savory and forest floral notes, lovely cleansing finish, excellent length 91-92 Angelo Negro Basarin (Neive) - wooly, green, herbal, crisp lovely fruit then a touch too much diesel sulfur, the underlying fruit smells really crisp tense and fresh with tarry, oily herbal notes, big and powerful with sweet ripe tannins, lots of depth, very young but packed with potential, a touch monolithic and dark but with nice harmony in the mouth and a naturally ripe feel, nice finish with a hint of fruitiness popping out on the finale, a powerful wine 91-92 90-91 Produttori Torre (Barbaresco)  -  so clean, smells like sand and old bones with some freshly picked raspberries and a touch of roasted bouquet garni, cool, crisp and focused with essence of strawberry right up front then followed by earth tones and a crisp hint of violet, very bright with well managed tannins, there’s a hint of eggshell and a touch of licorice bitter on the backed adding tension to the fruit, aggressive finish, with a long menthol finale, 90-91 Pietro Rinaldi San Cristoforo (Neive) - bit sharp and aggressively balsamic, forest floor, Christmas spice, a touch of chocolate mint, obviously terpene woody, spicy, a bit of smoked, sweet ham - slightly sweet entry, then very focused with a nice lean yet well fleshed feel, no fat but nice inner mouth tension, tannins are fine if drying,  lots of crisp wild berry fruit, well balanced and well done, finishes with strong tannins but plenty of backing fruit, good length 90-91 Ugo Lequio Gallina (Neive) - nice nose, toasty spiced, more French oak than fruit with tons of cinnamon spice but lots of fruit as well, enchanting nose with subtle layers of fruit and spicy, a nice sweet entry before finding focus though this is a very well fruited wine, rich almost chewy fruit has a really nice profile with ripe herbs and strong strawberry tones, a bit muddled perhaps but  with even a nice orange peel note on the finish leading to a long spiced, wild berry fruit finish, some drying tannins, 90-91 Fratelli Giacosa Basarin (Neive) - a fair amount of oaky spices but backed up by some very nice fruit, really beautiful pool of raspberry coulis smoke and tobacco that subsumes the oaken spice, adds a balsamic tone and really just perfectly balances the oak if you don’t mind oak,  a touch lose at first then finding excellent focus with nicely forestall balsamic fruit, fresh and transparent with slightly monolithic fruit, but clean and fairly deep wild raspberry fruit tones, tannins are very well managed and the finish has a nice orange rind tone that really caries through on the long finish, has elegance and finesse 90-91 La Contea Ripa Sorita (Neive) - lovely floral notes greet the nose,  this has really nice incense notes on the nose, fresh and downright pretty with building notes of licorice and medicinal spice, fresh and precise in the mouth with fairly deep and very fresh red berry fruit, a touch of peach and lovely soil tones keep this engaging though it lacks the depth of the best wines it still has great purity and a lovely slightly minty/sage finish with crisp fine grained tannins and good length 90-91 Battaglio (Neive) - cherries in alcohol, slight green herb, reticent but showing some hints of very nice potential, really nice presence in the mouth, bright and vibrant with great acidity and fresh fruit that is taut and tight yet has lovely balance and freshness, turn slightly drying on the backend and lacks the complexity of the best but his will be a deliciously pure bottle of wine, lovely rosehips, and dried cranberry on the finish 90-91 89-90 Ca’ del Baio Valgrande (Treiso) - lovely nose this has it all, spicy, full of ripe fruit, savory tones, soil, limestone oyster shells, full, rich and round with a very ripe tannins this is soft and full yet has acidic verve, lovely bitter cherry fruit, a slight astringency plays with the sweetness of the fruit, tastes of mineral and earth, finish is clean and brisk, could use more length, actually is fairly short, still very nice 89-90 Fontanafredda Coste Rubin (Multi Commune) - spicy, sausage, sausage casing, black pepper, richly fruited, very cherried, a bit fuller but still medium with a slightly chewy feel to the darkish black raspberry fruit that shows nice almost salty minerality, tarry, brisk, not terribly complex but with very good purity, really strong finish with lovely purity to the fruit which is transparent and allows the mineral and spice tones to shine through. 89-90 Cantina del Pino (Multi Commune) - deep and penetrating with   herbal, weedy tones that show off the peachy berry fruit very well, there is a bit of cola sweetness here but there’s also a ton of that attractive, herbal complexity - very soft in the mouth with a lovely bitter cherry, apricot pit tone to the fruit, nice chalk and medicinal tones follow with herb and floral notes leading to the finish which is brisk and transparent, a touch rustic but very attractive 89-90 Poderi Elia Serracapelli (Neive) - very high toned floral and game notes with sweet spiced plum fruit, little raspberry dusty, delicious start nicely ripe tannins, a touch tarry but with very fresh acidity and nice solid earthy fruity tones, really good length, nice slightly chunky tannins on the finish with good length and a plumy/ raspberry return 89-90 Ressia Canova (Neive) - brisk, salty with background wood sweetness, turning woodier but then with some nice seashells for relief, just a bit too much wood at this point, a touch tarry, crisp entry, ripe raspberry and peach skin fruit, a touch of tree bark, with nice underlying minerality, a nicely austere wine, very well done, with a classic fruit profile on the backend, brisk bricky and cleansing through the moderately long finish 89-90 Tenuta San Mauro (Neive) - more masculine on the nose with lots of dried rose, earth, touch of minty spice, clean and menthol cool, sweet lingonberry cranberry fruit up front, a leaner style with vibrantly sweet fruit but of a less sweet king, a bit simple but with god purity and juicy, fine tannins are rather soft for the vintage, a pretty wine with a lovely aromatic wood finish and really good length to the golden raspberry finale, 89-90 Fattoria San Giuliano (Neive) - Very earthy, roast meat, candy, sassafras, fairly noticeable oak, underneath has some drying grass freshness, and camphor, nice mouthfeel, a bit matte but fresh with a bit of a compressed feel, not terrible fruit but rich with earthy, savory tones and a touch of wood, very nice in this sort of non fruity intense way, needs time but will be a very nice wine in a masculine, earthy style 89-90 88-89 Moccagatta Bric Balin (Barbaresco)  - cedary, sweet sassafras notes, lighter nose with a fleshy, muddy medicinal tone, lots of licorice and bitter root tones, big and fairly powerful with a nice deep core of fruit, tannins are a bit finer grained than many though still a touch aggressive, nice peachy tone to the fruit,  finishes with the tannins really grabbing hold but there is nice purity to the fruit here, not terribly expressive but intriguing, with a real nice bitter cherry tone on the finish 88-89 Molino Ausario (Treiso) - a touch gamy and musky with an intense dark fruit and spicy herb nose, a bit sweet perhaps but with nice backing freshness, wood comes out with air, nice and cool, then matte and opaque on the mp, pretty well balanced, nice wild cherry and raspberry fruit, a bit of coffee here and some bresoala savory tones as well, finished with a very strong menthol note, impressive wine, but a bit matte 88-89 Molino Teorema (Multi Commune) - woody, hard candy fruitiness, chocolate - very cool and crisp and tense with dark fruit, lacks some detail but has power and depth, really tannic on the finish, sacrifices same detail and elegance for power but in that style quite good, 88-89 Fratelli Barale Serraboella (Neive) - apricot, really strong apricot and cinnamon, baked stone fruit, roses, lovely if slightly atypical nose, bright and crisp with very fine but abundant tannins, the mp is a touch austere with sandlewood and red currant notes, a touch of austerity keeps this really fresh and a nice mineral note lead from the back end to the cleansing finish, a touch short but very typical 88-89 87-88 Carlo Giacosa Narin (Barbaresco)  - woody, then roses, bitter roots, bitter berried fruits, touch of exhaust - sweetness on entry, lean with a bright acid backbone, refreshing with nice raspberry toned fruit, a bit stern but very nicely put together with a drinkable, attractive character, minty on the finish with some dried tarragon notes and a nice wash of raspberry 87-88 Pertinace Nervo  (Treiso) - vanilla, dirty, oystershell, dried herbs, savory, dried alpine flowers, subtle but attractive, not fruity, very lithe, really high toned and lightly styled with tender tannins and bright acids, fruit is a bit shallow but pretty with rosehips, strawberry, and hay tones, a touch of menthol, sandy soil notes, very clean and fresh finish, moderate length 87-88 Armando Piazzo (Alba) - nice candied herb nose with sweet fruit lurking, a touch of apricot to the baked black raspberry fruit, lighter in the mouth, not much depth but very bright with nice tension to the dark berry fruit with cactus, herb, and parsley root backing 87-88 Pasquale Pelissero Bricco San Giuliano (Neive) -   a touch of caramel and spice but well integrated wood, cinnamon spiced, very fresh fruit, a little peachy, macerated flowers, a bit of roast meatiness, a little bit of sweetness,  fairly elegant, tannins are a bit prominent but nice and crisp, lovely bitter cherry fruit tone, with some sandalwood and rosehip notes,  finishes with very drying tannins, a bit tough but balanced 87-88 Oddero Gallina (Neive) - rather restrained, slightly meaty, slightly oaky, nice floral tones and some mineral spice lurking, very taut and focused in the mouth, cold use more detail to the flavors but this has harmony with lots of somewhat rounded tannins, good supporting acids, and a nice density on the mp, turns a bit woody and drying on the finish, 87-88 Marco e Vittorio Adriano Basarin (Neive) - rather sweeter aromatic profile though with some animal fur, peppery spice, a touch hot, gentle use of well integrated oak, slightly raspberry jammy, nice clean limestone entry, then a bit loose and matte, nice but a bit dead in the mouth though the black cherry fruit is deep and the acidity refreshing then the tannins clamp down on the finish, 87-88 Fontanabianca Sori Burdin (Neive) - sandy, wild cherry and flowers macerated in alcohol, a touch candied, medicinal and autumnal, lighter, high acid, very rounded tannins, a nice core of bitter sweet raspberry fruit, not the most complex but well proportioned and with nice earthy/savory depth, a bit short finish but a really attractive flavor profile 87-88 Montaribaldi Palazzina (Neive) - a bit jammy, and flat, closed with hints of very ripe fruit - clean, crisp, nicely fruited and with good balance but noticeably closed. Probably 87-88 Punset (Neive) -  really fine herbal note at first, a touch of bacon and black pepper,  lovely bouquet garni nose,  cool entry, lovely light medium bodied feel, a bit toward the drying grass end of the spectrum, fine granular tannins, good acids, moderately intense fruit,  87-88 86-87 La Ca Nova Bric Mentina (Barbaresco)  - lovely nose, soft and subtle, cherries in alcohol, mineral tones, rosewater, a touch of old wood,  clay, fresh, crisp, berried right up front with a simple freshness, not complex but not trying too hard either, smaller scaled and true to type, enjoyable to drink even now. 86-87 Albina Rocca Vigneto Brich Ronchi (Barbaresco)  - very high toned, raspberry, floral, touch of chamomile, baked clay, a little orange zest, low key, nice earthy bitterness up front, soft yet crisp tannins, good acids, subtle easy styled wine, with a powdered sugar toned raspberry core of fruit, a bit rough on the back end with a brief finish but pleasant 86-87 Ca’del Baio Asili (Barbaresco)  - root beer, light, dried floral tones, fleshy, simple - in the mouth this is light and fresh with an easy character and lovely purity to the fruit, nice ripe tannins, integrated acids solid if uninspiring though this gains a nice tarry edge, short finish shows some tomato leaf 86-87 Orlando Abrigo Montersino (Treiso) - deep and intense with limestone backed ripe berry fruit, penetrating and lovely, picks up a meaty tones and rosehips, nice depth but a bit simple in the mouth with nice deep, dark berry fruit and a very engaging mineral aspect, a solid showing if in a slightly softer, more approachable style with a touch of menthol and spice on the finish and growing fruit. 86-87 Rizzi Nervo Fondetta (Treiso) - deep, woody, strawberry tops, dirt, strawberry jam, salame, laundry detergent florality, low intensity if fresh in the mouth with shallow flavors but nice texture, lovely finish, burnished sandalwood, bitter cherry, short and simple but what’s there is attractive 86-87 Rivetto Ce Vanin (Treiso) - almonds, sweet candied tones, jammy strawberry, fat though with some dried herb tones and a hint of citrus peel easy in the mouth, dark fruit, decent freshness, a nice bitter tone adding freshness bitter almond, interesting, very well managed tannins 86-87 Mainerdo (Multi Commune) - dark and medicinal again, spicy strawberry almost jammy fruit, nice and deep if not very complex, wow this is packed with sweet fruit, really pure with subtle complexities but this is all about expressing the purity of sweet strawberry fruit, there’s a touch of cocoa on the back end, which leads to a shortish finish 86-87 85-86 Castello di Verduno Rabaja (Barbaresco)  - lovely nose, sweetly fruited, ripe, intense with a handful of fresh herbs sitting atop a bowl of freshly picked raspberry with a hint of sassafras and espresso adding complexity, a bit matte up front then turning fresher with nice but not exceptional fruit, a bit monolithic with a spicy strawberry tone but not much detail, quite spicy and long with that spiciness but simple. 85-86 Michele Chiarlo Asili (Barbaresco)  - a bit jammy on the nose with lots of cola character, sweet woodiness, root beer, biter herbs, jammy root beer, cool and seamless if monolithic with prominent tannins backing nice bitter cherry fruit, uncomplicated if impressively structured, nice fruit fights to get out on the backend, finishes fairly strong with really nice fruit but bit short, 85-86 Montaribladi Sori Montaribaldi (Barbaresco)  - clean and deep with a cedary note embedded in dark, forest floor scented fruit, polished, astringent frutti del bosco, tobacco, drying tannins but with a decent amount of fruit buffering, quire red curranty, menthol, a bit chunky and even a touch coarse, 85-86 Rizzi Pajore (Treiso) - slightly jammy, cinnamon hint, stemmy, herby, sharp, aggressive, a bit lifeless in the mouth at first then turns a bit more focused but this feels lazy and poorly composed, decent fruit and a really nice finish with sour cherry tones and spice soil notes that is long and drying, this might just need time to pull itself together 85-86 Pelissero Nubiola (Treiso) - jammyish, woody, wood spice, gamy, forest floor, floral, animal, passionfruit, woodsy, polished smooth and soft with nice fruit but not much depth and extracted tannins, really lovely fruit on the finish but the tannins are out of balance here, length driven by the rustic tannins, could improve 85-86 Marco e Vittorio Adriano Sanadaive (Alba) - smoky, dried strawberry fruit, VA, rustic nose, cool entry, herbal, poppy seeds on the attack with subtle strawberry fruit tones leading to a light, bright finish with ok detail, tastes a bit dull 85-86 84-85 Castello di Morassino Ovello (Barbaresco)  - a bit off with heavy soil tones and dried herb notes, gains sandalwood, rose hips and roses, really opens very nicely, still at it’s core there is some off putting oak and a weird, sweet candied funghi kind of notes - polished and dull in the mouth, again there is the discordant juxtaposition of really good fruit with some bitter wood and terribly drying, aggressive tannins, the fruit is very pretty though and particularly aromatic in the mouth, aggressively tannic finish 84-85 Orlando Abrigo Vigna Rongalio (Treiso) - shy nose, smoky, a touch of oak, really not showing much, a bit fat, a bit flat, fruity, softer style, easy and not very interesting but nothing wrong 84-85 Vigin Noemy (Treiso) -pork products, wood, aromatic, nice if high toned and a touch candied medicinal, moderately big in the mouth with deeply earthy fruit, and nice fruit that shows a nice spice/quinine edge but is a bit matte, finished chunky and a touch clumsy 84-85 Eredi Lodali Lorens (Treiso) - woody, raw wood, touch of caraway, spicy, very spicy, touch hot, violet pastille, big and full, a touch clumsy, dark, anonymous fruit on the mp, dark and anonymous over all, drying, extracted, 84-85 Terre da Vino La Casa in Collina (Multi Commune) - jammy, spicy, a bit woody, normal modern nose with more violet and medicinal but still sickly sweet, nice dark fruit in the mouth, lots of coffee character, nicely managed tannins, bitter sweet, bitter cherry long finish, lots of tannin on the finish, a bit clumsy on the finish 84-85 Prunotto (Multi Commune) - a bit volatile, sandy and jammy, a bit hot, innocuous, not very expressive but fairly well textured, some nice sour strawberry fruit, simple 84-85 Antiche Poderi dei Gallina Vigneto ‘l Ciaciaret (Neive) - a bit stinky, sour meats, soil tones, reductive, a bit lean, a bit sour and simple, might flesh out with time, decent harmony but will always be a small scaled wine, very nice Nebbiolo, lean drying finish 84-85 Castello di Neive Santo Stefano (Neive) - noticeable toasty wood, some nice macerated fruits and flowers underneath but mostly noticeable wood, cool and crisp with good focus in the mouth but overall a muted wine with fairly woody tannins and a nice bitter cherry core trying to fight through, bitter drying finish, 84-85 83-84 Cascina Brusciata Rio Sordo (Barbaresco)  - coarse, raw woody, penetrating, leathery, rustic, gains a bit of toastiness to the wood and a strong, green quinine tone,  drying tannins, a bit green and raw, dark fruit, clumsy, 83-84 82-83 Armando Piazzo Sori Fratin (Alba) - shallow nose, a bit fishy, not much going on, cool and easy, lightly fruited, 83-84 Michele Taliano Ad Altiora (Alba) - candied with deep herbal accents, drying, simple, fresh but not terribly interesting, 83-84 82-83 Romano Bonino Basarin (Neive) - vanilla and candied violets/blackberry, artificial fruit tones, fake coffee, road tar, much better in the mouth where the fruit veers toward the green and fresh with crisp green notes up front then more artificial coffee and fruit on the mp, some dichotomy on the finish, 82-83 Massimo Rivetti Froi (Neive) -  lots of sweet oak and vanilla pudding on the nose, a bit dried out in the mouth without much of anything but structure, some very subtle rose and raspberry notes, 82-83 under 82 Cascina delle Rose Tre Stelle (Barbaresco)  - a bit hot, a bit jammy, plenty of green notes and spicy angelica root to give it some freshness but overall it’s heavy and sweet smelling - a bit matte in the mouth, correct medium bodied feel but the tannins seem forced and drying and the fruit is a bit too bitter, and medicinal without freshness or detail, a bit heavy handed, with an extracted finish 80-81 Giuseppe Nada Casot (Treiso) - dirty barrel, gasoline, fart, dried out, extracted, not much interest, 70-72 Cigliuti Serraboella (Neive) - dirty, old wood, kind of cola character of dirty old barrel, a bit stripped, and bitter, primitive, rustic and drying, totally without charm 70-72 Fratelli Giacosa Basarin Sori Gian Mate (Neive) - a bit stinky at first, then turning sterner and a touch aggressively mineral, a lean angry wine, some nice fruit here but this is indeed a lean angry wine with angular tannins and sharp acidity obscuring much of the fruit, nicely aromatic in the mouth though, 76-77 Punset Campo Quadro (Neive) - sandy, a touch dirty, very chamomile herbal/weedy, a touch chemical, taut and lean and dirty 70 Gregory Dal Piaz Community Manager Snooth    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Alba Wine Exhibition 2006... by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  

• June 2009

  Alba Wine Exhibition 2006 Barbaresco tasting notes While this is a follow up post to my 2005 Barolo tasting notes, which can be found here, these wines were actually tasted first. The intro to the Barolo post hold some valuable background information as to the style of the tasting... Read moreAlba Wine Exhibition 2006 Barbaresco tasting notes While this is a follow up post to my 2005 Barolo tasting notes, which can be found here, these wines were actually tasted first. The intro to the Barolo post hold some valuable background information as to the style of the tasting and the limitations that imposes on the ultimate value of these notes.   92-93 Cascina Saria (Neive) -  a really penetrating pine note balances some mulling spices on the nose, the perfumes of the fruit are really deeply embedded here but the quality, ripe and slightly wild, gamy, and spicy berries is very attractive, there's a touch of dusty ash top note, , really attractive nose -  a bit thick for the first second then rich and focused with great, pure fresh red fruit, really wonderfully ripe tannins and fine acidity that supports the precise ripe earthy raspberry fruit, great persistence, a really great showing, very clean 92-93 91-92 Cascina delle Rose Rio Sordo (Barbaresco)  - clear fruit, a touch smoky but elegant, cherry in alcohol, soil, spice, limestone, white earth, nicely layered with a touch of raspberry and green sap wood, very cool and crisp on entry, nicely proportioned with deep fruit edged in spice and earth tones, there's a nice tension here but the tannins do grow and gain the upper-hand on the mp though the fruit sort of red currant/ raspberry toned, does fight through, nice tarry, licorice spice tones on the backed lead to a long finish which has flashes of sweet berry fruit, earth, herb and spice, 91-92 Pertinace Marcarini (Treiso) - porcini, truffly, a bit woody, unusual but interesting, with an animale fur note to the spicy rosehip, a nice nuttiness too, hazelnut with a touch of nougat, smoke, this has a really attractive entry with ripe, clean, precise fruit, the mp gains a bit of layered depth, very nicely done with elegance and style, bitter cherry, wild raspberry, a hint of medicinal bitterness, tannins superbly managed, classy wine 91-92 La Ganghija (Treiso) - sauvage, spicy, earthy, pine cones, dried flowers, deep and intense with leather, dried berry, savory tones, full and nicely rich with good flesh backing the ripe tannins, the fruit is a touch dark and towards the earthy end of the spectrum with a lovely vein of bitter cherry fruit that carries through to the long finish which shows a nice tension between savory tones and fruit 91-92 Terrenostre (Treiso) - a touch funky but friendly with a bit of wet dog, soft subtle fruit, transparent, lovely oystershell tones and ranier cherry fruit, with a real nuance of blood orange, precise, classic feel, medium bodied, transparent on the palate as well with subtle strawberry and blood orange fruit, a bit simple but very attractively styled and easy to drink even today, fresh and clean on the bracing finish with a lovely floral note that carries 91-92 Albino Rocca (Alba) - this is great on the nose with deep oily herbs, drying grass, fine precise forest floor, mushroom, and small berry fruit ones -  polished, glossy yet so fresh with mushrooms right up front, fresh cut white, a touch of bitter roots, very refreshing, very pure with a fairly elegant if slightly rustic feel, very nice and pure if slightly bitter fruited finish, good length 91-92 Cascina Luisin Sori Paolin (Neive) - pretty and citrusy with kafir lime leaf, amarena cherry, very focused, very lean and very pure, a bit softer in the mouth than expected from the nose, nice tannins are really crisp and the acidity is very well integrated, this is a more subtle wine with layered and nuanced fruit, lots of detail on the mp with a lovely bitter cherry and wild strawberry fruit tone and a background of funghi, savory and forest floral notes, lovely cleansing finish, excellent length 91-92 Angelo Negro Basarin (Neive) - wooly, green, herbal, crisp lovely fruit then a touch too much diesel sulfur, the underlying fruit smells really crisp tense and fresh with tarry, oily herbal notes, big and powerful with sweet ripe tannins, lots of depth, very young but packed with potential, a touch monolithic and dark but with nice harmony in the mouth and a naturally ripe feel, nice finish with a hint of fruitiness popping out on the finale, a powerful wine 91-92 90-91 Produttori Torre (Barbaresco)  -  so clean, smells like sand and old bones with some freshly picked raspberries and a touch of roasted bouquet garni, cool, crisp and focused with essence of strawberry right up front then followed by earth tones and a crisp hint of violet, very bright with well managed tannins, there's a hint of eggshell and a touch of licorice bitter on the backed adding tension to the fruit, aggressive finish, with a long menthol finale, 90-91 Pietro Rinaldi San Cristoforo (Neive) - bit sharp and aggressively balsamic, forest floor, Christmas spice, a touch of chocolate mint, obviously terpene woody, spicy, a bit of smoked, sweet ham - slightly sweet entry, then very focused with a nice lean yet well fleshed feel, no fat but nice inner mouth tension, tannins are fine if drying,  lots of crisp wild berry fruit, well balanced and well done, finishes with strong tannins but plenty of backing fruit, good length 90-91 Ugo Lequio Gallina (Neive) - nice nose, toasty spiced, more French oak than fruit with tons of cinnamon spice but lots of fruit as well, enchanting nose with subtle layers of fruit and spicy, a nice sweet entry before finding focus though this is a very well fruited wine, rich almost chewy fruit has a really nice profile with ripe herbs and strong strawberry tones, a bit muddled perhaps but  with even a nice orange peel note on the finish leading to a long spiced, wild berry fruit finish, some drying tannins, 90-91 Fratelli Giacosa Basarin (Neive) - a fair amount of oaky spices but backed up by some very nice fruit, really beautiful pool of raspberry coulis smoke and tobacco that subsumes the oaken spice, adds a balsamic tone and really just perfectly balances the oak if you don't mind oak,  a touch lose at first then finding excellent focus with nicely forestall balsamic fruit, fresh and transparent with slightly monolithic fruit, but clean and fairly deep wild raspberry fruit tones, tannins are very well managed and the finish has a nice orange rind tone that really caries through on the long finish, has elegance and finesse 90-91 La Contea Ripa Sorita (Neive) - lovely floral notes greet the nose,  this has really nice incense notes on the nose, fresh and downright pretty with building notes of licorice and medicinal spice, fresh and precise in the mouth with fairly deep and very fresh red berry fruit, a touch of peach and lovely soil tones keep this engaging though it lacks the depth of the best wines it still has great purity and a lovely slightly minty/sage finish with crisp fine grained tannins and good length 90-91 Battaglio (Neive) - cherries in alcohol, slight green herb, reticent but showing some hints of very nice potential, really nice presence in the mouth, bright and vibrant with great acidity and fresh fruit that is taut and tight yet has lovely balance and freshness, turn slightly drying on the backend and lacks the complexity of the best but his will be a deliciously pure bottle of wine, lovely rosehips, and dried cranberry on the finish 90-91 89-90 Ca' del Baio Valgrande (Treiso) - lovely nose this has it all, spicy, full of ripe fruit, savory tones, soil, limestone oyster shells, full, rich and round with a very ripe tannins this is soft and full yet has acidic verve, lovely bitter cherry fruit, a slight astringency plays with the sweetness of the fruit, tastes of mineral and earth, finish is clean and brisk, could use more length, actually is fairly short, still very nice 89-90 Fontanafredda Coste Rubin (Multi Commune) - spicy, sausage, sausage casing, black pepper, richly fruited, very cherried, a bit fuller but still medium with a slightly chewy feel to the darkish black raspberry fruit that shows nice almost salty minerality, tarry, brisk, not terribly complex but with very good purity, really strong finish with lovely purity to the fruit which is transparent and allows the mineral and spice tones to shine through. 89-90 Cantina del Pino (Multi Commune) - deep and penetrating with   herbal, weedy tones that show off the peachy berry fruit very well, there is a bit of cola sweetness here but there's also a ton of that attractive, herbal complexity - very soft in the mouth with a lovely bitter cherry, apricot pit tone to the fruit, nice chalk and medicinal tones follow with herb and floral notes leading to the finish which is brisk and transparent, a touch rustic but very attractive 89-90 Poderi Elia Serracapelli (Neive) - very high toned floral and game notes with sweet spiced plum fruit, little raspberry dusty, delicious start nicely ripe tannins, a touch tarry but with very fresh acidity and nice solid earthy fruity tones, really good length, nice slightly chunky tannins on the finish with good length and a plumy/ raspberry return 89-90 Ressia Canova (Neive) - brisk, salty with background wood sweetness, turning woodier but then with some nice seashells for relief, just a bit too much wood at this point, a touch tarry, crisp entry, ripe raspberry and peach skin fruit, a touch of tree bark, with nice underlying minerality, a nicely austere wine, very well done, with a classic fruit profile on the backend, brisk bricky and cleansing through the moderately long finish 89-90 Tenuta San Mauro (Neive) - more masculine on the nose with lots of dried rose, earth, touch of minty spice, clean and menthol cool, sweet lingonberry cranberry fruit up front, a leaner style with vibrantly sweet fruit but of a less sweet king, a bit simple but with god purity and juicy, fine tannins are rather soft for the vintage, a pretty wine with a lovely aromatic wood finish and really good length to the golden raspberry finale, 89-90 Fattoria San Giuliano (Neive) - Very earthy, roast meat, candy, sassafras, fairly noticeable oak, underneath has some drying grass freshness, and camphor, nice mouthfeel, a bit matte but fresh with a bit of a compressed feel, not terrible fruit but rich with earthy, savory tones and a touch of wood, very nice in this sort of non fruity intense way, needs time but will be a very nice wine in a masculine, earthy style 89-90 88-89 Moccagatta Bric Balin (Barbaresco)  - cedary, sweet sassafras notes, lighter nose with a fleshy, muddy medicinal tone, lots of licorice and bitter root tones, big and fairly powerful with a nice deep core of fruit, tannins are a bit finer grained than many though still a touch aggressive, nice peachy tone to the fruit,  finishes with the tannins really grabbing hold but there is nice purity to the fruit here, not terribly expressive but intriguing, with a real nice bitter cherry tone on the finish 88-89 Molino Ausario (Treiso) - a touch gamy and musky with an intense dark fruit and spicy herb nose, a bit sweet perhaps but with nice backing freshness, wood comes out with air, nice and cool, then matte and opaque on the mp, pretty well balanced, nice wild cherry and raspberry fruit, a bit of coffee here and some bresoala savory tones as well, finished with a very strong menthol note, impressive wine, but a bit matte 88-89 Molino Teorema (Multi Commune) - woody, hard candy fruitiness, chocolate - very cool and crisp and tense with dark fruit, lacks some detail but has power and depth, really tannic on the finish, sacrifices same detail and elegance for power but in that style quite good, 88-89 Fratelli Barale Serraboella (Neive) - apricot, really strong apricot and cinnamon, baked stone fruit, roses, lovely if slightly atypical nose, bright and crisp with very fine but abundant tannins, the mp is a touch austere with sandlewood and red currant notes, a touch of austerity keeps this really fresh and a nice mineral note lead from the back end to the cleansing finish, a touch short but very typical 88-89 87-88 Carlo Giacosa Narin (Barbaresco)  - woody, then roses, bitter roots, bitter berried fruits, touch of exhaust - sweetness on entry, lean with a bright acid backbone, refreshing with nice raspberry toned fruit, a bit stern but very nicely put together with a drinkable, attractive character, minty on the finish with some dried tarragon notes and a nice wash of raspberry 87-88 Pertinace Nervo  (Treiso) - vanilla, dirty, oystershell, dried herbs, savory, dried alpine flowers, subtle but attractive, not fruity, very lithe, really high toned and lightly styled with tender tannins and bright acids, fruit is a bit shallow but pretty with rosehips, strawberry, and hay tones, a touch of menthol, sandy soil notes, very clean and fresh finish, moderate length 87-88 Armando Piazzo (Alba) - nice candied herb nose with sweet fruit lurking, a touch of apricot to the baked black raspberry fruit, lighter in the mouth, not much depth but very bright with nice tension to the dark berry fruit with cactus, herb, and parsley root backing 87-88 Pasquale Pelissero Bricco San Giuliano (Neive) -   a touch of caramel and spice but well integrated wood, cinnamon spiced, very fresh fruit, a little peachy, macerated flowers, a bit of roast meatiness, a little bit of sweetness,  fairly elegant, tannins are a bit prominent but nice and crisp, lovely bitter cherry fruit tone, with some sandalwood and rosehip notes,  finishes with very drying tannins, a bit tough but balanced 87-88 Oddero Gallina (Neive) - rather restrained, slightly meaty, slightly oaky, nice floral tones and some mineral spice lurking, very taut and focused in the mouth, cold use more detail to the flavors but this has harmony with lots of somewhat rounded tannins, good supporting acids, and a nice density on the mp, turns a bit woody and drying on the finish, 87-88 Marco e Vittorio Adriano Basarin (Neive) - rather sweeter aromatic profile though with some animal fur, peppery spice, a touch hot, gentle use of well integrated oak, slightly raspberry jammy, nice clean limestone entry, then a bit loose and matte, nice but a bit dead in the mouth though the black cherry fruit is deep and the acidity refreshing then the tannins clamp down on the finish, 87-88 Fontanabianca Sori Burdin (Neive) - sandy, wild cherry and flowers macerated in alcohol, a touch candied, medicinal and autumnal, lighter, high acid, very rounded tannins, a nice core of bitter sweet raspberry fruit, not the most complex but well proportioned and with nice earthy/savory depth, a bit short finish but a really attractive flavor profile 87-88 Montaribaldi Palazzina (Neive) - a bit jammy, and flat, closed with hints of very ripe fruit - clean, crisp, nicely fruited and with good balance but noticeably closed. Probably 87-88 Punset (Neive) -  really fine herbal note at first, a touch of bacon and black pepper,  lovely bouquet garni nose,  cool entry, lovely light medium bodied feel, a bit toward the drying grass end of the spectrum, fine granular tannins, good acids, moderately intense fruit,  87-88 86-87 La Ca Nova Bric Mentina (Barbaresco)  - lovely nose, soft and subtle, cherries in alcohol, mineral tones, rosewater, a touch of old wood,  clay, fresh, crisp, berried right up front with a simple freshness, not complex but not trying too hard either, smaller scaled and true to type, enjoyable to drink even now. 86-87 Albina Rocca Vigneto Brich Ronchi (Barbaresco)  - very high toned, raspberry, floral, touch of chamomile, baked clay, a little orange zest, low key, nice earthy bitterness up front, soft yet crisp tannins, good acids, subtle easy styled wine, with a powdered sugar toned raspberry core of fruit, a bit rough on the back end with a brief finish but pleasant 86-87 Ca'del Baio Asili (Barbaresco)  - root beer, light, dried floral tones, fleshy, simple - in the mouth this is light and fresh with an easy character and lovely purity to the fruit, nice ripe tannins, integrated acids solid if uninspiring though this gains a nice tarry edge, short finish shows some tomato leaf 86-87 Orlando Abrigo Montersino (Treiso) - deep and intense with limestone backed ripe berry fruit, penetrating and lovely, picks up a meaty tones and rosehips, nice depth but a bit simple in the mouth with nice deep, dark berry fruit and a very engaging mineral aspect, a solid showing if in a slightly softer, more approachable style with a touch of menthol and spice on the finish and growing fruit. 86-87 Rizzi Nervo Fondetta (Treiso) - deep, woody, strawberry tops, dirt, strawberry jam, salame, laundry detergent florality, low intensity if fresh in the mouth with shallow flavors but nice texture, lovely finish, burnished sandalwood, bitter cherry, short and simple but what's there is attractive 86-87 Rivetto Ce Vanin (Treiso) - almonds, sweet candied tones, jammy strawberry, fat though with some dried herb tones and a hint of citrus peel easy in the mouth, dark fruit, decent freshness, a nice bitter tone adding freshness bitter almond, interesting, very well managed tannins 86-87 Mainerdo (Multi Commune) - dark and medicinal again, spicy strawberry almost jammy fruit, nice and deep if not very complex, wow this is packed with sweet fruit, really pure with subtle complexities but this is all about expressing the purity of sweet strawberry fruit, there's a touch of cocoa on the back end, which leads to a shortish finish 86-87 85-86 Castello di Verduno Rabaja (Barbaresco)  - lovely nose, sweetly fruited, ripe, intense with a handful of fresh herbs sitting atop a bowl of freshly picked raspberry with a hint of sassafras and espresso adding complexity, a bit matte up front then turning fresher with nice but not exceptional fruit, a bit monolithic with a spicy strawberry tone but not much detail, quite spicy and long with that spiciness but simple. 85-86 Michele Chiarlo Asili (Barbaresco)  - a bit jammy on the nose with lots of cola character, sweet woodiness, root beer, biter herbs, jammy root beer, cool and seamless if monolithic with prominent tannins backing nice bitter cherry fruit, uncomplicated if impressively structured, nice fruit fights to get out on the backend, finishes fairly strong with really nice fruit but bit short, 85-86 Montaribladi Sori Montaribaldi (Barbaresco)  - clean and deep with a cedary note embedded in dark, forest floor scented fruit, polished, astringent frutti del bosco, tobacco, drying tannins but with a decent amount of fruit buffering, quire red curranty, menthol, a bit chunky and even a touch coarse, 85-86 Rizzi Pajore (Treiso) - slightly jammy, cinnamon hint, stemmy, herby, sharp, aggressive, a bit lifeless in the mouth at first then turns a bit more focused but this feels lazy and poorly composed, decent fruit and a really nice finish with sour cherry tones and spice soil notes that is long and drying, this might just need time to pull itself together 85-86 Pelissero Nubiola (Treiso) - jammyish, woody, wood spice, gamy, forest floor, floral, animal, passionfruit, woodsy, polished smooth and soft with nice fruit but not much depth and extracted tannins, really lovely fruit on the finish but the tannins are out of balance here, length driven by the rustic tannins, could improve 85-86 Marco e Vittorio Adriano Sanadaive (Alba) - smoky, dried strawberry fruit, VA, rustic nose, cool entry, herbal, poppy seeds on the attack with subtle strawberry fruit tones leading to a light, bright finish with ok detail, tastes a bit dull 85-86 84-85 Castello di Morassino Ovello (Barbaresco)  - a bit off with heavy soil tones and dried herb notes, gains sandalwood, rose hips and roses, really opens very nicely, still at it's core there is some off putting oak and a weird, sweet candied funghi kind of notes - polished and dull in the mouth, again there is the discordant juxtaposition of really good fruit with some bitter wood and terribly drying, aggressive tannins, the fruit is very pretty though and particularly aromatic in the mouth, aggressively tannic finish 84-85 Orlando Abrigo Vigna Rongalio (Treiso) - shy nose, smoky, a touch of oak, really not showing much, a bit fat, a bit flat, fruity, softer style, easy and not very interesting but nothing wrong 84-85 Vigin Noemy (Treiso) -pork products, wood, aromatic, nice if high toned and a touch candied medicinal, moderately big in the mouth with deeply earthy fruit, and nice fruit that shows a nice spice/quinine edge but is a bit matte, finished chunky and a touch clumsy 84-85 Eredi Lodali Lorens (Treiso) - woody, raw wood, touch of caraway, spicy, very spicy, touch hot, violet pastille, big and full, a touch clumsy, dark, anonymous fruit on the mp, dark and anonymous over all, drying, extracted, 84-85 Terre da Vino La Casa in Collina (Multi Commune) - jammy, spicy, a bit woody, normal modern nose with more violet and medicinal but still sickly sweet, nice dark fruit in the mouth, lots of coffee character, nicely managed tannins, bitter sweet, bitter cherry long finish, lots of tannin on the finish, a bit clumsy on the finish 84-85 Prunotto (Multi Commune) - a bit volatile, sandy and jammy, a bit hot, innocuous, not very expressive but fairly well textured, some nice sour strawberry fruit, simple 84-85 Antiche Poderi dei Gallina Vigneto ‘l Ciaciaret (Neive) - a bit stinky, sour meats, soil tones, reductive, a bit lean, a bit sour and simple, might flesh out with time, decent harmony but will always be a small scaled wine, very nice Nebbiolo, lean drying finish 84-85 Castello di Neive Santo Stefano (Neive) - noticeable toasty wood, some nice macerated fruits and flowers underneath but mostly noticeable wood, cool and crisp with good focus in the mouth but overall a muted wine with fairly woody tannins and a nice bitter cherry core trying to fight through, bitter drying finish, 84-85 83-84 Cascina Brusciata Rio Sordo (Barbaresco)  - coarse, raw woody, penetrating, leathery, rustic, gains a bit of toastiness to the wood and a strong, green quinine tone,  drying tannins, a bit green and raw, dark fruit, clumsy, 83-84 82-83 Armando Piazzo Sori Fratin (Alba) - shallow nose, a bit fishy, not much going on, cool and easy, lightly fruited, 83-84 Michele Taliano Ad Altiora (Alba) - candied with deep herbal accents, drying, simple, fresh but not terribly interesting, 83-84 82-83 Romano Bonino Basarin (Neive) - vanilla and candied violets/blackberry, artificial fruit tones, fake coffee, road tar, much better in the mouth where the fruit veers toward the green and fresh with crisp green notes up front then more artificial coffee and fruit on the mp, some dichotomy on the finish, 82-83 Massimo Rivetti Froi (Neive) -  lots of sweet oak and vanilla pudding on the nose, a bit dried out in the mouth without much of anything but structure, some very subtle rose and raspberry notes, 82-83 under 82 Cascina delle Rose Tre Stelle (Barbaresco)  - a bit hot, a bit jammy, plenty of green notes and spicy angelica root to give it some freshness but overall it's heavy and sweet smelling - a bit matte in the mouth, correct medium bodied feel but the tannins seem forced and drying and the fruit is a bit too bitter, and medicinal without freshness or detail, a bit heavy handed, with an extracted finish 80-81 Giuseppe Nada Casot (Treiso) - dirty barrel, gasoline, fart, dried out, extracted, not much interest, 70-72 Cigliuti Serraboella (Neive) - dirty, old wood, kind of cola character of dirty old barrel, a bit stripped, and bitter, primitive, rustic and drying, totally without charm 70-72 Fratelli Giacosa Basarin Sori Gian Mate (Neive) - a bit stinky at first, then turning sterner and a touch aggressively mineral, a lean angry wine, some nice fruit here but this is indeed a lean angry wine with angular tannins and sharp acidity obscuring much of the fruit, nicely aromatic in the mouth though, 76-77 Punset Campo Quadro (Neive) - sandy, a touch dirty, very chamomile herbal/weedy, a touch chemical, taut and lean and dirty 70 Gregory Dal Piaz Community Manager Snooth    (hide)

  From the article Alba Wine Exhibition 2006 Barbaresco tasting notes

  
  

• May 2009

  Well the 2005 Barolos are tasted, and I can’t help but think back to what I said last year. 2005 is a successful vintage that reflects terroir and winemaking more than weather and will need more time to be as approachable as 2004. This years tasting was a mixed crop and a... Read moreWell the 2005 Barolos are tasted, and I can’t help but think back to what I said last year. 2005 is a successful vintage that reflects terroir and winemaking more than weather and will need more time to be as approachable as 2004. This years tasting was a mixed crop and a challenge.  Many of the wines suffered from one defect or another, be those permanent, i.e. too much wood, too tannic, too extracted, not enough fruit, or temporary due to recent bottling or simply being closed. Under all these defect lay some lovely wines with crisp, aggressive tannins and bright acids that together make for some rather intense experiences at this early stage and make tastings like these frequently less than pleasurable. A few words about the format in which these wines were tasted. These wines were tasted over 3 days in 4-hour sessions each morning. I tried to spend time with each wine but even then I did have to move through these at rather a brisk pace, tasting about 20 wines each hour. The wines were tasted blind and offer a snapshot of what that particular bottle showed me in that particular moment of time. Due to the nature of this tasting, rather large with about 50 people tasting at more or less their own pace, the wines I got were exposed to more or less time in the open bottle. That is not entirely true as all the bottles were uncorked each morning but my point is just to be clear that from some bottles I received the first pour, from some the last, and for most somewhere in between. All these factors may, or may not, account for some rating that seem to be aberrations. For example the wines of one of my favorite producers, Giuseppe Rinaldi showed rather oddly, with one wine being oxidized while the other was simply dirty. These were my opinions of the wines but several other tasters also shared these opinions so at a minimum it was characteristic of at least some of the bottles opened that day. Bartolo Mascarello’s Barolo was also a surprise, though less concerning, as it offered very little of interest at this stage. I have faith that the wine will improve but recorded my note as I wrote it. Other wines that I was able to taste later at their respective cantinas tended to show better than the wines from these tastings. So what does that mean for all of these scores? Well not terribly much other than tasting is an imperfect art and these large tastings, while offering an invaluable opportunity to try wines, they are less than ideal to render definitive judgments. Take these notes as mere snapshots of these wines at a difficult time in their evolution. They certainly show my stylistic preferences but I would never call them definitive. They are mere frames of a film, taken out of context, and of limited value, except for the fact that some wines stood out above the rest. Many of these wines have done this before, other frames of the film that add some context. So perhaps there is more value here than I would like to admit. Certainly names like Brovia, Vietti, Porro, Oddero, Scarzello, Schiavenza and Marcarini would be expected to perform well, and they did. I look forward to trying these wines again, and again. Not only does that add frames to the film but it improves my ability to perceive isolated frames and may add value to notes like these from future events. I think wines that showed well or that I liked, are good wines and I was lucky to catch them at an opportune moment. Other wines I did not like and the reasons are amply illustrated in the corresponding notes. I only found a few wines to be downright bad.  All in all I continue to be a fan of 2005 Barolo and think that time will be kind to most of these wines.  92-93 Brovia Rocche (Castiglione Falletto)- another fine blend of herbal and ripe fruit tones, almost salty with baked clay, raspberry coulis, spicy strawberry and aromatic seed notes, rich fruit up front, density balanced crisp, fine cherry/raspberry fruit, really well framed, admirable freshness and concentration, nice background herb and spice notes, ripe tannins, a touch of melon rind, a little tarry tobacco tone, really nice finish with pure fruit and spice, very complete wine, 92-93 91-92 Bocchino Eugenio La Serra (La Morra)-  sour nose, stinky nose, fleshy nose, very nice nettle notes in the background, really penetrating and pure with a note of heavily used and sweaty work glove, spice, earth fennel and tea,  fine balance in the mouth, ripe sour cherry, lovely backing notes of dried herb, citrus tones, real energy here without being noticeably acidic, elegant, real harmony in the mouth, fresh zesty finish, with ripe tannins, a bit short but still a very strong showing 91-92 Guido Porro Santa Caterina (Serralunga) - limestone, more simmering raspberries, stern, tough and medicinal with a taut nervous quality to the nose, deep, aromatic and earthy with a clean fresh quality and lovely closed in fruit, very precise, very focused, very dark almost bitter fruit, fine tannins, really nice ripeness coupled with freshness here, licorice and medicinal top note over bitter fruits, very fine finish, Very tense and almost astringent red fruits, really good length and balance 91-92 Brovia Ca’ Mia (Serralunga) -sweet  jammy,  a touch of powdered sugar, real intensity, a handful of green herbs and flowers, clay soil, old worn wood, , a touch diffuse, nice and fresh a touch simple but very well balanced, ripe tannins, integrated acids, feels like this has some nice depth, a touch of licorice on the backend, some of the best depth so far 91-92 Vietti Rocche (Castiglione Falletto)- deep liquory black raspberry fruit, a touch of salame,  touch hot, a touch briary, a little powdery limestone,  nice oily herbs, a bit closed feeling, good density, a touch chewy, lurking freshness, a touch monolithic, a little bit inky, but rather light on its feet for that character, a touch of boysenberry , spicy fruit, intense and deep, a nice mineral cut on the backend, good length, more liquory fruit emerges on the backend, this will improve, 91-92 90-91 Marcarini La Serra (La Morra) -  deep earthy lightly smoky liquor of wild raspberry, poppy seeds, fine floral notes, orange rind, very chamomile herbal and fresh, lean and crisp, juicy fruit has a lovely herbal character, fine tannins, very well balanced in the mouth, classically proportioned with good length to the sour cherry and slightly gamy fruit,  90-91 Andrea Oberto Vigneto Brunate (La Morra)-  cinnamon spice, roast beef, spicy cherry pie filling, gamy and rich, nice complexity with dried grass notes, chewing gum and menthol, quite sweet on entry, nice austere tannins, a bit fruity styled but in this style quite well done, a blend of dark dried strawberry fruit, earth, and classic structure, quite rich and chewy, nice finish with a brisk feel, lots of wine with a nice, spiced slightly balsamic finish 90-91 Oddero Brunate (La Morra)-  lightly jammy and with lovely aromatic wood notes, a touch of beef blood, church candle,  spiced peach jam,  nice aromatic array,  sweet fruit, polished fine tannins, well integrated acidity, nice harmony then a touch dull on the back end, where it gets a bit muddy, a bit rich for the vintage and a bit weighty, but with good intensity of flavor, savory, delish 90-91 Podere Luigi Einaudi nei Cannubi (Barolo)- a bit jammy and fudgy but with lovely nuanced peach, thistle, clay, and briary cherry fruit, smooth polished entry, clean and precise wild cherry fruit, a lovely note of old wood and almost popcorn, nice and lean with ranier cherry fruit and dusty earth note, a hint of licorice with some very fresh floral and bitter herb notes, cleansing finish, is a bit short, nice lean style 90-91 Bric Cenciurio Coste de Rose (Barolo)- a bit sweet at first then turning gamy, with sort of feral animal notes and fairly precise raspberry fruit, nice to smell, with right complex fruit tones and a touch of cigarette tobacco and camphor, this has lots of sweet fruit but remains vibrant and taut in the mouth, lacks just a bit of complexity to really show well, but there is incipient, smoke, herbs, camphor and spice notes that are on the rise and show well on the back end, tannins are well managed good length, nice touch of polish but this a sweetly fruity style that helps in a vintage like this 90-91 Damilano Cannubi (Barolo)-  more bitter cherry, earthy, slightly brothy, tight rose note,  lots of white earth,  lovely young balanced nose, a slight root beer bitterness on the nose, camphor - bitter fruit entry is very nice, richly fruited but not fruity,  with a nice spice tone, fresh fruits, crisp tannins, very well balanced medium scaled Barolo with lovely fruit and incipient complexity, camphor and spice on the long finish, stern and aggressive but I like this 90-91 Giorgio Scarzello (Barolo)- deep and pungent with earthy, minerally dark cherry fruit, a hint of wood, but precise and focused, nice tension in the mouth, a bit of dilution but still well concentrated and balanced with a hint of elegance, in a rustic style, lovely green citrus fruit tones and tarry add depth and complexity, fine and intense with a good finish that features spice, mineral and aromatic wood tones 90-91 Oddero Mondoca di Bussia (Monforte) -  frutti del bosco tart with apricot glaze, spice, nicely smoky undertone, a touch of prosciutto and a hint of wildflower, raspberry,  a nice concentrated entry then really drawn to the back of the mouth by fine acids, tannins are fairly well polished, a nice sour cherry and sandalwood core, raspberry tone, turns a bit hard on the finish but nice length,  90-91 Gemma Giblin (Monforte) - dirty, some eggs, yellow berry fruits, sour meats, pork, dried meats, rainier cherry, nice ripeness, a sweet caressing character, a bit weird but with a friendly feel, different, easy, burnished, bacon fat, butchers wax, barbershop, fresh. Clean, a bit lean but not taut, perhaps a bit simple and maybe not super varietal but as wine very likable 90-91 Poderi Colla Dardi le Rose (Monforte) -  very dark and earthy smelling, limestone cut, face powder, gentle herbal and floral tones, a bit on the elegant side, nice and bright, sour cherry fruit, fresh tannins, very fresh style, clean, rosehips in alcohol on the backend, very drinkable , nicely balanced good length, a touch leathery, I like this, 90-91 Mauro Veglio Castelletto (Monforte)- lovely nose at first then very menthol, and fresh,  a touch of leather, nice macerated herb and hot rocks note,  big smooth, and polished, bright acids, juicy, finely polished tannins, good depth again a bit suave, but with nice flavors and a touch of finesse,  clean brisk and very drinkable 90-91 Guido Porro Lazzairasco (Serralunga) - reticent nose, tight and closed but with leather, precise red fruits, a very gentle simmering raspberry sweetness, rainwater, cherry juice, rich yet very well composed with a lean yet muscular character, nice freshness in the mouth, polished tannins, a touch diffuse across the mp but with really nice purity,  finishes with lift and nice grabby yet polished tannins, a very dried earthy note, very fresh with a little camphor on the finish, 90-91 Gemma Colarej (Serralunga) -salame, earthy and gamy, dried cherry, roast meat, greengage plum, nice sweet fruit, with that dank cellar note adding a hint of complexity,  soft, quite evolved, fairly complex flavors that lack some freshness but have a nice complex, rather evolved character to the earthy, dried bitter root, very slight chinato feel to them, there’s a nice core of rather classically presented medicinal cherry fruit,  finishes with menthol, and dried fruits but freshness, and a touch of dried meats, seems a bit too evolved but very enjoyable, 90-91 Schiavenza Prapo (Serralunga) -jammy raspberry, sweetish, kind of fruity,  a nice iron and peppery note, with a black spice at it’s core, a bit flabby acid, nice and crisp texture, cool fruits restrained and balanced, nice purity to the black fruit flavors, good intensity builds with black fruits on the finish, with a long menthol laden finish, a bit rustic but I like, vitamins on the finish 90-91 Vietti Castiglione (Castiglione Falletto)- nice intensity herbal front loaded, spicy, gamy, bright red, lingonberry/cranberry, clay, tobacco, fresh, a little hops maybe, fresh and crisp, a touch dilute but still in balance, almost chewy, soft, ripe tannins, integrated acidity, bitter cherry fruit, almost a touch of hops in the mouth then liquory black raspberry fruit, a touch clay, a touch, sandalwood, black cherry finale, with a bit of spiciness, nice soil note on the return, 90-91  89-90 Cascina del Monastero Bricco Riund (La Morra)- lovely sweet fruit on the nose, wild raspberry, old briar pipe,, touch of menthol, touch of laurel, a touch of leather and some tea notes, a bit of hay, while the palate doesn’t fulfill the promise of the nose there is a nice gentle character that present the fruit of the nice nicely albeit with less intensity, pretty pure and well balanced with integrated acidity a touch lo licorice spice, nicely spiced red currant/lingonberry fruit, vibrant, good length, menthol length, 89-90 Fratelli Alessandria Monvigliero (Verduno)- sweet herbal, sweet wood, sweet floral, nice bit of soil, touch of meat, a touch of watermelon liquor, raspberry liquor, sandlewood, nice slightly chewy feel, easy and well balanced, very drinkable, engaging if lacking just a touch of freshness, nice ripe fruit tone, a bit of seashell, a very pleasant wine with good intensity of fruit, nice follow through, burnished notes on the finish, savory and long, with hint of bitter cherry, really grows on me, 89-90 Mario Marengo Brunate (La Morra)- lean, soil driven, tight, floral, violets, a touch white peppery, a base of fine ripe fruit, nice nose, sweet raspberry fruit, great acids, ripe tannins, structurally very nice, good balance and even a touch of elegance here, very nice medium weight and medium intensity wine, again sour cherry, grapevine, and light spice flavors, very drinkable, could use a bit more complexity 89-90 Ascheri Vigna dei Pola (Verduno) -macerated flowers, bologna, yellow cherry, over-ripe, nice soil notes, some tar, lean, fresh and crisp and actually fairly attractive in the mouth with good crisp focus, refreshing, well balanced, a bit shallow flavor wise but lovely and relatively ready, a strange wine, good feathery finish, 89-90 Cascina del Monastero Bricco Luciano (La Morra)- some sweet wood on the nose, kind of candied but very spicy, vanillin,  nice mouth feel, lots of bright juicy acids, well done with a lithe feel and the tannins are superfine here, a bit of licorice and sandy soil tones, some chalk,  pretty light on the finish as well, admirable freshness 89-90 Giorgio Scarzello Vigna Merenda (Barolo)- pretty closed, a really minerally core rocks, to the tight fruit here, this has potential, closed in the mouth as well but there is fine balance here if a touch dilute, nice core of extracted but traditional fruit, this is closed like a book and the pages are showing only their edges, but the book may turn out to be interesting, nice bitter cherry fruit, the finish shows hints of the ripe fruit with lots of menthol and sandalwood spice tones, a lot of potential for the vintage, 89-90 Barale Cannubi (Barolo)- nice depth, aromatic dried herbs, slightly candied, slightly medicinal, a touch of roastedness here, nicely done, a bit to the tannic side but with plenty of bitter cherry fruit to balance it, there’s a nice streak of violet pastille here as well adding complexity, plenty of tannins and they are a touch astringent, really nice fruit with depth and emerging hints of complexity especially the inner mouth florality, aggressive and slightly menthol on the finish but I really like were I see this going 89-90 Cascina Adelaide Cannubi (Barolo)- lovely herbal/citrus notes on the nose, definite agrumi nose with some brambly edges creeping in and a touch of smoke and roast meat, nicely polished tannins, nice depth to the treebark tinged, quinine tinged bitter cherry fruit, quite perfumed in the mouth with roses and wild raspberry tones,  nice long savory finish with lovely layered earthy spice notes on the finish, long finish with vibrant acids 89-90 Vietti Lazzarito (Serralunga) - lots of ripe fruit, violets, a bit of coffee oak integrated with spicy black plum tones, lots of coffee, lean and crisp in the mouth with bitter mineral and earth tones, lots of almost plummy but not sweet fruit, a bit too much wood tannin, lacks a bit of detail but quite powerful with polished tannins and nice cut and focus, tannins turn a bit woody on the back end too but finishes with good length, 89-90 Cascina Luisin Leon (Serralunga) - intense nose, spicy, jammy cinnamon(-), really fruit driven though not fruity,  with well integrated non toasty oak, nice mouthfeel, a bit loose but with nice balance to the crisp tannins and integrated acids, rather sleek and smooth, all around well done, very refreshing finish, a bit short, again not a particularly fruit driven wine but with good length 89-90 Cavallotto Bricco Boschis  (Castiglione Falletto)- savory, wild raspberry liquor, clay, brushfire, deep for the vintage, slight herbal notes some spicy strawberry seeds, touch of bitter almond, a bit chewy, nice fruit tones, a bit black raspberry, nice mineral note, fresh, wild cherry on the mp, subtle but with nice complicating notes of sandalwood, a hint of caraway, dark spice tones, fairly complete if a touch chunky, nice finish, lots of fruit tannin, a bit spicy, more bitter almond on the finish, should improve, 89-90 Tenuta Montanello (Castiglione Falletto)- very woodsy, forest floor, river rocks, mineral water, wild raspberry liquor, a bit lean smelling but fresh and transparent, and a bit fleshy, refreshing, a nice bitter herb tone balances the fresh, crisp raspberry fruit, a bit simple but nice mouthfeel, nice finish cleansing and clean, not great but very drinkable 89-90 Franco Conterno Vigna Pugnane (Castiglione Falletto)- sappy, herbal, taut and nervous, a touch of seaweed, spicy green and lovely, a bit of wood intrudes in the back, fresh and crisp with plenty of ripe strawberry fruit, nicely balanced pure vibrant fruity little wine, a touch easily styled but to it’s advantage, strawberry seeds perhaps a touch of bitter greens lurking but lovely refreshing wine, gains fruitiness, short finish though 89-90 88-89 Gianfranco Bovio Vigna Gattera (La Morra)-  raspberry jam, salt, over-ripe, menthol, chalk, fresh and easy, nice fruity styled wine, the traditional version of above, a bit restaurant styled but nice freshness and lovely orange and lime zest accents to the well proportioned core of ripe berry fruit, lean and nervous,  short finish 88-89 Marcarini Brunate (La Morra)- lightly smokey, a touch sweet, nice raspberry fruit tones, light grilled meat, sweet entry, nice fruit, good balance here with fresh acidity and ripe tannins, a little  soft perhaps but with good depth to the funghi and spearmint tinged, sour cherry fruit, a touch short, nice and drinkable 88-89 Tenuta l’Illuminata Tebavio (La Morra)- lightly smoky a nice sweet raspberry tone, a touch of mint, nice fresh, layered and balanced, a bit loose at first then gains some grip, nice retrained fruit with a bit of sweetness yet firmly in the fresh, crisp end of the spectrum, nice ripe tannins, clean crisp finish, nice balanced fell, smaller wine but a nicely done wine, 88-89 Mauro Sebaste (Barolo)-quinine, old tree bask, forest floor, spicy mushrooms, very aromatic, sauvage but appealing, nice concentration this has a bit of flesh with bitter cherry, medicinal and earthy tones in balance, a bit of finesse even, for the vintage, nicely done and growing inner mouth perfume, a flush of green herb on the rather languid finish 88-89 Marchese di Barolo Sarmassa (Barolo) -  nice fresh green herb notes, are subtly infused with a bit of coffee oak in the white peppery, roast beefy tinged slightly roasted black cherry fruit, cool and taut, with a sinewy quality, nice fruit here  a bit of oak is obvious but well integrated, nice purity to the fruit though it has a bit of sweetness, nice lift on the backend and into the finish with is a touch cedary but fairly long 88-89 Brezza Sarmassa (Barolo)- nice and aromatic, plenty of sandalwood and rosehips, with nice cranberry and raspberry fruit tones, and a touch of spearmint, shows nice concentration up front, a more gentle character nice depth to the slightly simple, but burnished cherry, spice, tobacco and aromatic wood tinged mp, leads to a relatively long bright finish, nicely done and with upside potential, 88-89 Fratelli Barale Castellero (Barolo)-sandalwood slathered in raspberry coulis, very clean, lightly spiced, , some nice spiced peach tones, a hint of green tobacco,  a bit chewy, perhaps a bit extracted as well but with nice cherry toned fruit backed by acidity that keeps this lively and vibrant, it’s a touch leathery with the tannins taking hold on the mid-palate, perhaps to much tannin but his is juicy and tasty if a touch simple,  very strong finish, lots of tannin but a lovely core of fresh, crisp fruit with good length 88-89 Virna Borgogno Cannubi Boschis (Barolo)- angelica root and quinine, this is very medicinal and wildly dried herbal smelling, really interesting dried alpine floral, herbal tea tones, lots of tea here, more herbal tea on the palate as well, there is some bitter cherry fruit here as well but the profile is completely unusual with great big herbs, pollen, earth, and middle Easter spice notes, tons of camphor and curry and middle eastern spice on the finish, totally different an worth a look 88-89 Giuseppe Rinaldi Brunate-Le Coste (Barolo)- slightly dirty old school nose, dirty and funky, with lots of cola and  herb notes, nice cool entry crisp ranier cherry fruit then turning funky and earthy again, a touch dilute but a nice flavor profile, the tannins are ripe and well managed, a bit lean but with a nice herbal, fruit, licorice array and a hint of sweet ripeness,  nice spicy soil tones, and eggshells on the long finish, I can see this getting better 88-89 Cascina Ballarin Bussia (Monforte) - very nice start, clean clear and penetrating, some wood but adding nice spice tones, sandalwood, pencil wood, a bit of patisserie,  very bright acids, polished tannins, nice focus across the palate, a touch austere but with plenty of fruit,  savory burnished wood character to the nice core of fruit, a hint of sweetness returns on the moderately long finish with a nice cherried note, 88-89 Alessendria Fratelli Gramolere (Monforte)   -  slight jammy lingonberry,  hard,  nice taut neb nose,  a bit closed but a nice mineral underlay,  sour cherry upfront, fine tannins, a bit fat/flabby/overdone, god if lacking a bit of character, nice fruit with a sour edge and acids integrated and highlighting this bright berry/raspberry fruit tone, good length, a bit of clay spice on the finish 88-89 Franco Conterno Cascina Sciulin Bussia Munie (Monforte)   -  macerated cherry and floral notes, a bit talcy/sandy, a bit fleshy, smells hard -  hard, cool, crisp feel, not much rather light in the mouth, clean, sour yellow cherry, a touch of lardo, aromatic animal fat,  nice persistence with a nice finish, good length cleansing, brisk and precise.nice fruit notes on the finish but so compressed 88-89 Stroppiana Oreste Gabutti Bussia (Monforte)   -   lots of autumnal character, dried floral tones a touch of bresaola, menthol, penetrating and deep,  sweet fruit, slight dried fruit character, supple tannins, nicely balanced an approachable today with a nice almost peach hint of sweet astringency then more red fruited with a touch of funghi too, zest finish, evolved perhaps but appealing, 88-89 Silvano Bolmida Bussia (Monforte)   -  wow, sweet fruit, big balsamic, earthy note, intense and fruity, a weird herbal red fruit tone, astringent red fruits, wild cherry, thick but then very taut with great acids, cleansing and bracing, nicely concentrated fresh fruits,  a tense, savory, tea, old wood finish, an intense wine, lots of character, good length, slightly medicinal, 88-89 Monti (Monforte)  - stone, dirt, reticent but nice, prosciutto fat, anise seed(green), not a lot going on but what’s there I like, cool in the mouth, soft tannins, a bit soft acids too, a nice core of clean sour cherry fruit,  a bit of dried middle eastern spice, lovely tannins ripe but crisp, would like to see this develop, 88-89 Massolino Margheria (Serralunga) -lovely liquory fruit, great captured fruit on the nose, with exotic notes of green seeds middle eastern spicy seeds, nice intensity just a touch of medicinal character and a hint of black cherry fruit,  a bit sweet up front then falling off but the palate holds it together just enough to maintain interest, a soft styled wine again with lovely pure if simple dark slight cooked raspberry/dried strawberry tones and a little bit of tension from the medicinal character which gains nice purity on the long finish 88-89 Paolo Manzone Serralunga (Serralunga) -nice jammy fruit, then very soil driven talc and mineral and limestone, barbershop, medicinal,  a little light but very attractive, a bit chewy, a bit thin, nice black cherry, bitter fruit, meaty, fairly complex and nicely spicy with good balance on a smaller frame, really good intensity to the medicinal character but the fruit stays fresh and intense nice balance,  88-89 Schiavenza Broglio (Serralunga) -  jammy rosehips, medicinal, herbal, floral, deep, penetrating and intense with a sort of fruit backdrop that’s very appealing,  in the mouth this is a chewy and fairly deep, really crisp, fine tannins, a little austere, with potential 88-89 Giovanni Rosso la Serra (Serralunga) - spicy cinnamon toast and raspberry jam, rosehips and a nice medicinal/camphor note well integrated, rather sweet smelling but with root beer and aromatic herb notes but in a candied sweet style,  big and fresh in the mouth, nice herbal, medicinal background, fairly precise unsweet fruits, wild berry fruits, , clean feeling in the mouth, a bit antiseptic in the mouth, menthol, cool fruit, finishes a bit short, a nice package though could use more length 88-89 Livia Fontana (Castiglione Falletto)- lots of caramel, burnt sugar, wood, and earth, heavy, and deep with some nice backing notes of ripe herbs, actually this gains some nice focus but does seems to be sweet and then savory dried meaty,  nice fresh entry, arugula, a bit of root beer, fresh and linear, a bit simple and maybe a touch dilute, but lovely black cherry fruit and herbs with a long pure finish, may improve, 88-89 87-88 Renato Ratti Conca (La Morra)- sweet wood, furry, nice jammy wild raspberry fruit tones, pretty nose, rosehips and sweet fruitwood smoke, a touch of fruit stripes gum, fresh, easy, a bit hollow on the palate, successful restaurant style wine, drinkable with some nice sour cherry notes, a nice finish, solid if simple wine, the finish has some nice length 87-88 Gianfranco Bovio Vigna Arborina (La Morra)- some dusty sweet earth, orange zest, hint of dried herb/bay  - start with nice sweet fruit in the mouth, nice balanced structure, a bit of root beer/ beet root at it’s heart, nice sandalwood finish is quite long 87-88 Silvio Grasso Bricco Luciani (La Morra)-  heavier and sweeter on the nose, rather dense, slightly medicinal, lots of dried herb and chalk - bright and juicy, nice tannin structure, a bit low intensity flavors but the profile is very nice with bitter cherry fruit, earth, some subtle root tones, drying finish is a bit stern, good length 87-88 Rocche Costamagna Bricco Francesco (La Morra)- chewing gum and candy apple, wild strawberry in liquor, gains some focus with a touch of gaminess in the background, still a little jammy, light and fresh in the mouth, this feels pretty good with a lean, transparent character, low intensity a bit dilute, nice finish, drying but with nice follow through of savory and subtle fruit tone, 87-88 Luigi Einaudi Costa Grimaldi (Barolo)- prosciutto, pepper, alpine herbs, ricola, red fruit, a faint whiff of far away smoke, dilute but with decent flavors, a nice traditional feel, ripe fruit but dilute, a nice minerally tones, almost salty, a bit extracted on the finish but with nice follow through and the finish, a bit minty. Oaky spicy but good depth of flavors and decent length, a bit meaty, 87-88 Franceso Rinaldi Le Brunate (Barolo)- smells sweetly fruited, candied, roasted herbs, red fruit , touch of red hots, diluted, still some nice crisp, fresh wild raspberry fruits here with mineral tones and a lovely transparency, well made and very drinkable with the fruit gaining intensity on the back end and adding a blood orange note, good length, a nice wine 87-88 Giuseppe Rinaldi Cannubi San Lorenzo Ravera (Barolo)-  coffee candy, yuck, dirties up a bit, gains some nice old school notes, with a touch of oxidation showing, turning minty, dusty and old wood like, smells vaguely like a barn, loose up front but then showing some nice sweet/spicy fruitiness, there’s some cola, almost new world flavors here but there is this weird dichotomy between the old and the new, I am intrigued by this wine, its very complex in this line-up and really stands out but I am confused by it. 87-88 Germano Angelo Vigna Rue (Barolo)-  a touch dirty,  bresaola, prosciutto fat, Slavonian oak, smoky, nice freshness in the mouth a touch of backing green herb, a nice layered quality to the bitter root, slight bitter leafy greens notes that frames the solid bitter cherry fruit, not a block buster but good complexity and decent weight to buffer the structure, nice white earthy finish, menthol, a touch of drying herbs, decent length 87-88 Famiglia Anselma (Barolo)-sweet strawberry fruit, woody, spicy, some spicy cinnamon, nice intensity of aromatics, even some herbs and agrumi, sweet right up front, integrated tannins, very spicy mid-palate with lots of licorice and cinnamon character, a touch of floral character, lots of chewy fruit, perhaps a bit extracted but nicely done though the oak intrudes a bit on the back end 87-88 Giacomo Fenocchio Bussia (Monforte)  - very nice fruit, rosehips in alcohol, almost salty wild berry fruit tones, nice nose modest intensity and complexity but interesting, a bit thin on the palate, just barely fruited, a bit extracted tannins,  an austere style but with attractive fruit tones, a tough wine but not without interest and potential, 87-88 Josetta Saffirio Persiera (Monforte)  -   jammy with some cooked fruit character, some smoldering wood,  very fluid, very drinkable, fresh cherry fruit, spiced lightly, nice fruity style wine, good acids, easy drinking, not complicated but enjoyable for its well captured ripe, succulent fruit, very clean finish, this is very drinkable and very friendly 87-88 Bruna Grimaldi Badarini Vigna Regnola (Serralunga) - a bit hot, peppery, cinnamon spicy, quite refreshingly herbal, nice entry with earthy tannins, good acids, a bit diffuse,  pretty soft tannins but nice ripe, slightly herbal fruit that is refreshing and with good depth,  nice spicy finish, well done, 87-88 Luigi Pira Vigna Marenca (Serralunga) - nice jammy fruit, black fruits, black raspberry,  a pretty fruit driven nose,  with some nice stemmy herbal background tones,  and touched of leather and camphor,  a bit flaccid in the mouth, really doesn’t follow up the nice aromatics, the flavors gain some intensity but are low key if nice with authentic medicinal character juxtaposed against a smaller raspberry toned fruit, big tannins on the finish, 87-88 Luigi Pira Vigna Margheria (Serralunga) - a bit more smoky loamy styled tight, hard masculine and dark, a bit loose in a focused slightly extracted style a bit too much power here and not balancing the crisp ripe fruit, good inner mouth aromatics though, this is powerful and intense and will last a long time with a very long, very medicinal black fruited finish but there is a lot of structure to loose here, 87-88 Palladino Vigna Brolio (Serralunga) -weirdly woody, raw woody but with bay and herb lurking, lots of medicinal herbal character, a bit beefy,  very fresh in the mouth with good focus, clean and crisp, some elegance here, nicely measure but marred a bit by the pencil wood,  nice savory finish, good length, 87-88 Paolo Manzone Meriame (Serralunga) -lots of herb, sour cherry, and slightly medicinal character, clean and fairly pure, smells of biter cherry, lithe in the mouth, almost elegant, a bit lacking in depth, softer styled, nice flavors a nice almost spicy macerated cherry note, really nice fruit, well presented good integrated acids, succulent 87-88 Giovanni Rosso Serralunga (Serralunga) -kind of precise, cool fruit, a bit of fine oak in here but not offensive, cool lingonberry jam, a touch of chocolate bitter, cedary, nice concentration very fine grained tannins, good acidity, round and with follow through but a bit simple, 87-88   86-87 Franco Molino Cascina Rocca - Rocche dell’Annunziata (La Morra)- fruity nose, lots of raspberry, simple but fresh and nice, a little milky, a touch of saw dust,  light and crisp, very fresh and well balanced with herb tinged red raspberry fruit, lovely purity, simple, clean a+ restaurant wine, falls a bit flat on the finish though still good intro Barolo 86-87 Bel Colle Monvigliero (Verduno) -  intensely celery seed, celery , herbal, fresh, seashells, smoky, slightly weedy, burning brush pile, spicy seeds, turmeric, cardamom,  nice entry, a touch dilute but with nice intense dark cherry fruit, lacks some definition, good purity and decent harmony, finishes very strong with a nice core of ripe but not sweet fruit and decent length, a bit more spiced on the finale, I want to drink a bit of this, 86-87 Mario Gagliasso Rocche dell’Annunziata (La Morra)- roses, rosehips, vitamins, slightly distant smoky, wild strawberry jam, touch of dried peach, lovely classic profile, simple on the palate, a bit dilute, nice freshness and balance, ripe tannins, perhaps this will improve but for now this lacks intensity though the flavors are pleasant and true, herb tinged bark raspberry, soil tones, it’s has very classic character if a touch wood spicy, nice finish of good length, I want to like this more, 86-87 Mauro Veglio Vigneto Gattera (La Morra)- brownie, fudgy, peach jam, nice spice notes, a touch of dandelion, mineral water, talc, white pepper, a bit of a let down on the mp, simple, but with a decent core of ripe cherry fruit, a nice backend with more savory character, finishes strong with good follow through to the ripe fruit character and nice round tannins, cinnamon finale 86- 87 Andrea Oberto Vigneto Rocche (La Morra)-  nice herbal, slightly medicinal, slightly anise driven nose, a little woody but not enough to obscure the fruit a touch of funghi and some drying leaves,  with some sweet fruit, nice and taut in the mouth, fine tannins, good polish, nice fruit with briarwood and dried herb notes,  nice acidity, drying on the backend leading to a nice savory, briary finish,  86-87 Monfalletto Bricco Gattera (La Morra)- this really has nice intensity, there’s a rose tone, a little vanillin, chalk, very dried orange zest, really nice nose, a bit fat and loose up front, then gains nice focus, a lot of burnished fruit, dried strawberry, pretty rich and chewy on the mp, very good intensity of fruit, no finish or follow through, 86-87 Mario Gagliasso Torriglione (La Morra)- woody, cinnamon, white pepper, a nice weedy tone, some nice fruit gains a grip with that background herb note and nicely measure sour cherry/red currant fruit, a touch of bitterness adds some tension with a hint of root beer, a bit woody tannin on the finish but not bad 86-87 Mauro Molino Vigna Conca (La Morra)-  a bit of VA, sweet cherry, passion fruit, kafir lime leaf, very high toned, very aromatic, a touch of diesel, a touch of brett, thick and rich up front, lots of fruit here, a bit monolithic but can’t deny the intensity of the dark cherry fruit, some mineral tones add cut, chalky tannins, could improve but seems to show quite some promise, ends with a bit of drying wood tannin, really drying 86-87 Gianni Gagliardo Cannubi (Barolo)- dirty and old smelling, very brothy at first, cleans up slightly but remains curiously evolved smelling with a strong licorice character, soft tannins and acid, pretty rich and chewy, shows better in the mouth than on the nose with fairly big and intense monolithic fruit, decent but lacks enough tension to remain interesting though it is pretty packed with lovely ripe fruit, may pull itself together, coffee on the finale 86-87 Brezza Cannubi (Barolo)-  herbal and floral nose with some background cola spice,  more macerated wild cherry, clumps of weeds with fresh dirt  a bit of chalk, fresh and taut,  a bit languid on entry, firming up slightly but this remains a bit closed in the mouth, nice fruit a touch of smoky campfire but it doesn’t pull itself together, a little medicinal mint tannins are nice, decent 86-87 Franceso Rinaldi Cannubbio (Barolo)- sweetly fruited, a touch of peach here, sour cherry, burnt match stick, a bit dilute, nice ripeness but easy styled with moderately intense wild cherry fruit, a bit more structure than fruit, a touch of watermelon and almost minty spice, 86-87 Michele Chiarlo Cannubi (Barolo)- sweet and candied nose, root beer,  some baked goods, extracted, heavy, but deep and intense with chewy, dark, opaque fruit, this might just come around as it has a lovely minerality that really cuts through the huge fruit and finishes with intense cooling menthol and dark, earthy note, even a hint of dark tobacco on the moderately long finish 86-87 Costa di Bussia Tenuto Arnulfo (Monforte)  -   pine, bay, pressed flowers,  cool, a little thin but with nice typical sour cherry and almost leather fruit, perfectly nice little wine, 86 -87 Aldo Conterno Colonnello (Monforte)  -  jammy, pencil shavings, some animale, furry, reticent, a bit ungenerous, and dried out, there’s a sweetness here but not terribly fruity nor varietal, very savory, turns better on the finish, nice tannins ripe tannins, refreshing finish, clean, a small wine 86-87 Josetta Saffirio (Monforte)  -   barrels, way too much barrels, smoky oak and extracted fruit,  has a nice vegetal character hiding behind though,  big fruit, really nice vegetal herbal flavors but the texture is a bit goopy, , really extracted black cherry fruit on the back end, I can see this being very popular 86-87 Silvano Bolmida Vigne dei Fantini (Monforte)  -  big balsamic tones, lots of dried meats, spicy wood tones, really fresh, and exhibiting nice ripeness, nicely fleshy, nicely fresh good refreshing acids, nice ripe tannins, nice herbal and dried earth notes, nothing immediate but subtle and sophisticated with a nice savory finish, 86 -87 Gianfranco Alessandria San Giovanni (Monforte)  -  smells like wood flooring, sweet, then menthol,  nice focus, a bit of an extracted feel, nice slightly medicinal fruit, a bit woody feeling, nice cool fruit, very good ripeness, quite drying but flavorful, 86-87 Marziano Abbona Pressenda (Monforte)  -   nice aromatic nose with a touch of sweet wood contrasting the menthol, savory crisp fruit,  a bit thick and fat, nice richness, flabby though, popular style , restaurant wine, fruity, nice fruit,  86-87 Fontanafredda Serrlaunga (Serralunga) -jammy and herbal very nice green herb notes,  deep ripe fruit and fresh notes nice dichotomy,  a bit hollow, nice flavors but rather low key, ordinary,  lots of tannin on the back end and the finish, a bit innocuous, some nice licorice and menthol on the finish 86 -87 Pio Cesare (Multi commune) -   sweet dried wood tones on the nose, leathery, nice precise fruit, dark fruit, cool in the mouth, good focus, spicy, menthol, floral tones, tight coiled and with good length 86-87 Ascheri (Multi commune) -    smoky, sour wood, sour meats, floral toned, sandalwood, lightly spiced,  fresh in the mouth, a bit of sweetness up front, a touch stern and ungiving, nice sour cherry, nice length, could improve 86-87 Roccheviberti Rocche di Castiglione (Castiglione Falletto)- a bit coffee toned but with nice, herb, sand and white pepper tones, a bit stemmy even,  cool and fresh, almost under-ripe to it’s advantage, easy drinking, simple, easy with nice Nebbiolo fruit, 86-87 Monfalletto Enrico VI (Castiglione Falletto)- nice, sweet briar wood, menthol, rosehips, grass, small flower notes, chamomile, touch of wild strawberry, fresh, a bit dull and lifeless, but with an nice hard candy note this gains a little focus on the backend with it’s simple ludens cough drop note, nothing special but not bad, sweet fruit on the finish is more smith brothers black cherry, nice for what it is 86-87 85-86 Stroppiana Oreste Vigna San Giacomo (La Morra)- lots of cigar box with some fudginess, tobacco, herb, chalk and spice,  a nice core of sweet fruit is small scaled and a little out  of balance with the structure, decent with some background oily herb notes to the dark fruit, but not particularly interesting, 85-86 Cascina Adelaide Preda (Barolo)- meaty, roast herb, roast meat, roast green vegetable, shallow and slightly swampy, nice feel, decent depth, ok dark cherry fruit, nice freshness but again not much depth though this has a bit of engaging elegance, 85 -86 E Pira Cannubi (Barolo)-  a little sweeter, a little jammy, smoky herbal, a touch of coffee, a touch of bitter roots, a bit of fizzy acids on the tongue, not much detail, bitterness, perhaps a bit too extracted, tannins are bitter, nice fruit in there but not particularly fresh or elegant, a bit of coffee in the mouth as well, dark fruited finish is moderately long, too tannic. 85-86 Abbona Marziano Ravera (Barolo)-  sweet herbs, sweet spearmint, high toned and pitched nose, with a touch of bacon - dilute palate, a bit of chewiness here, some nice raspberry tones with a touch of earth, and spice on the backend relatively long and fresh finish 85-86 Giacosa Fratelli Bussia (Monforte)  -   a big woodsy nose, confiture of bitter cherry, intense if monolithic, but very clean and fresh, a nice menthol top note, pretty sweet entry then a bit thin, shiny and hard though the sour cherry and herbal/citrus toned fruit is pleasant, a bit thin but nice 85-86 Monti Bussia (Monforte)  - dark, dirty, earthy, charry, spiced, antiseptic,  a bit lean in the mouth, nice quality to the tannins up front, good acids, nice feel,, decent earthy flavors, drying, inelegant but with some character,  tough and drying, some nice length too, 85-86 Giovanni Sordo Sori Gabutti (Serralunga) - light fresh nose, fresh leather, rocks, passionfruit, red currant, low intensity,  smells astringent, nice mouthfeel, polished tannins, good flesh, a bit loose on the mp but with lots of medicinal character, bitter fruits, a bit simple but very typical, lots of tannins on the finish 85-86 Massolino Parafada (Serralunga) - a fair amount of smoky oak here, still some medicinal character, lacks detail, nicely managed tannins, an easier mouthfeel, a bit of chewy extract, lacks follow through, short, 85-86 Ettore Germano Prapo (Serralunga) -diesel, lots of herbal character, macerated herbs, macerated flowers,  the nose is interesting, the mouth is a bit flat and uninteresting with decent fruit and a nice herbal flourish but nothing special 85-86 Rivetto (Serralunga) -a bit cooked, spicy, clovey,, bresaola,   cool, not much intensity, balanced, a nice wine, but without much detail, nice fruit on the finish, very fresh, nice seeds strawberry toned finish 85-86 Monchiero (Castiglione Falletto)- a bit leathery, bretty, gamy, nice medium weight, pretty feel but a bit on the dirty side, not necessarily rustic but a bit odd, good length, nice return of wild yellow cheery, sapid,  85-86     84-85 Bosco Agostino (La Morra)-speck, tons of cured meat character, a touch of black pepper, savory, a nice herbal touch, a bit too coffeed, meaty and slight herbal up front, coffee cream on the mp, some nice cherry fruit, a matte and indistinct backend, has an interesting character, I would try again, 84-85 Cascina Ballarin Bricco Rocca (La Morra)-  lots of sweet wood, talc, - lots of wood, nice flavors under the wood, a bit simple though a very burnished palate profile, lots of woody tones, good cherry fruit, too much tannin on the backend, short 84-85 Roberto Sarotto Audace (Barolo)-  bitter fruit, cedary, earthy, high acid soil, lean, focused, clean, fairly precise red fruits, very little complexity a touch of wood, and some spicy green fruit notes, lime zest, maybe even a touch of roast beef,  finishes with a touch of candied herbalness, 84-85 Prunotto (Barolo)- roasted fruit, balsamic, roasted meat, very fluid in the mouth, kind of refreshing but without much flavor or interest, nice bit of tar and bitter raspberry, 84-85 Boroli Cerequio (Barolo)- deep and intense, rose, cherry, prugnie, spice and menthol tones, nice freshness and  nice limestone underlay, fresh up front, a bit shallow, decent fruit but a bit nondescript, falls off on the backend, ends short with lots of tannin, 84-85 Marchese di Barolo Cannubi (Barolo)- lots of flashy oak on the nose, sweet, candied, backing spice, praline nose, plush and polished with a sexy mouthfeel, good acids, fine tannins, very nice tannins for 2005, nice bitter cherry fruit but lacks any sweetness or gentleness, and pretty oaky in the mouth, not offensively so but close, very drying finish, 84 - 85 Giacomo Grimaldi Ravera (Barolo)- Rosehips, roasted strawberry, mint, roast beef drippings, some high toned notes, tarry and menthol decent fruit in the mouth, nice concentration, a bit of freshness but also a bit of matteness, good length, fruit on the finish, 84-85 Prunotto Bussia (Monforte) -  very jammy, lots of roses, sweet bay leaf,  sweet fruit on entry, then rather shallow and mostly uninteresting across the palate, there's some very fine sweet tannin here, but not much flavor interest, a bit of an earthy red fruit finale,  84-85 Elio Grasso Gavarini Chiniera (Monforte) -  smells like a cigar butt in apricot jam, smoky, tarry jammy, languid, nice acids, kind of soft and dilute, easy across the tongue with small austere tannins, finishes chalky with a touch of a tobacco tone, 84-85 Rivetto Giulin (Serralunga) -gamy, leathery,  candied herbs,  loose, not much here to work with, light, elegant perhaps, simple 84-85 Gigi Rosso Arione (Serralunga) -lots of apricot, smells like cedar and redwood, lightly jammy raspberry, quite floral but the pencil wood is noticeable,  lacks tension in the mouth, a bit fluid, a bit boring,  nice fruity notes accented with vanilla sugar tones, 84-85   83-84 Michele Chiarlo Cerequio (La Morra)- well integrated spicy wood tones, light cherry and rose, a bit of clay, soft and simple, nice, simple, easy, some fruit, some spice, neither good nor bad 83-84 Eugenio Bocchino Lu (La Morra)-  nice refreshing balsamic scents, intense pine needle, ripe fruit, fur,  amazing Christmas tree tone, much less interesting in the mouth, loose, without focus, some nice fruit and a touch of the balsamic character found on the nose but mostly a stripped flaccid wine,  nice fruit re emerges on the finish, so maybe it will fill in, 87-88 for the nose, 83-84 total Luciano Sandrone Cannubi Boshcis (Barolo)-fine oak notes, candied, candied raspberry leathery, nice fruit is a little simple,  a bit flaccid up front, lacks some vibrancy, nice deep fruit on the mp is monolithic and feels a bit extracted, heavy on the backend, no detail, extracted feel on the finish with a touch of nice earth adding a bit of complexity 83-84 Armando Piazzo (Barolo)- charcuterie and pork aspic,  it really smells like working with pork products, light, fresh, easy, simple, not interesting but far from offensive, 83-84 Giacomo Grimaldi le Coste (Barolo)- a bit of bubblegum on the nose, face powder, white pepper,  white cherry in alcohol,  easy style, a bit simple, not much detail, perhaps closed, nice feel, very finely polished tannins, a bit of mint and camphor on the finish, 83-84 Elvio Cogno Ravera (Barolo)- kind of sweet notes on the nose, some peach skin, minty fresh, earth and clay, a bit dilute, matte, anonymous, nice feel with a touch of chewy extraction, minty some nice cherry pit on the moderately long finish, 83-84 Damilano Liste (Barolo)- beef extract, deep fruit, something weird though, a bit of brett, leathery, with some poop, nice balance, nice tannins, crisp yet fine grained, dilute, not much heart here,  nice but really very little intensity, 83-84 Bergadano Cav. Enrico Sarmassa (Barolo)- heavy aromatics are sweet and fruity, fleshy clean and precise, with macerated cherry and flowers, a little caramel sweetness creeps in, dilute, nothing special, decent fruit, simple, not too bad 83-84 Luciano Sandrone Le Vigne (Barolo)- sweet oaked nose, coffee candy and smoke, some ham, lingonberry and mint, sweet oakiness right up front yields to a dilute mid-palate with nice flavors but really low key, but why? 83-84 Ettore Germano  Cerretta (Serralunga) -diesel, kind of nasty to smell,  chemical, clay,  big and rich, but hollow, nice tannins, a bit chewy, uninteresting but with building fruit, extracted feeling extracted tannins, 83-84 Terre da Vino Essenze (Multi commune) - clean, fresh, candied and slightly uninteresting,  slight herbal root character, nice herbal character in the mouth but lacks some backing fruit, easy to drink and refreshing, simple but the one flavor is enjoyable, very short 83-84 Palladino Parafada (Serralunga) -candied root beer, candied herbs, sour meats, raw wood, gingerbread cheesecake, very fluid in the mouth, flat, very little follow through, some bitter cherry, small scaled, a bit too much tannin for the spicy spice cake fruit 83-84 Francesco Sobrero Ciabot Tanasio (Castiglione Falletto)- jammy, over-ripe, white pepper, round, flaccid, nice wiry fruit of low intensity, indistinct, fresh feeling at least, 83-84   82-83 Gianni Gagliardo Serre (La Morra)- sweet herbal root beer tones, sandy soil, fur, blond tobacco, chalk, lean nose, a bit dead in the mouth, kind of dull dark wild cherry fruit, no detail, no depth, a blanket on the tongue, more nice dark cherry fruit on the finish but flat and dull, 82-83 Aurelio Settimo Rocche (La Morra)- stink on the nose, matchstick, cedar, lean, crisp mouthfeel, no real flavor interest, not much here, a hint of sour cherry, drying, simple and inoffensive, 82-83 Rocche Costamagna Rocche dell’Annunziata (La Morra)- weird chalk and chicken/fowl nose, sweet smelling, candied nose, with a touch of coffee, thin, poorly knit, shrill, nice finish with some raspberry fruit and with reasonable balance, 82-83 Vietti Brunate (La Morra) -  a bit heavy and dull, sweet with integrated wood and some nice spicy herbal tones, a bit smoky wood, a bit loose, lacks some focus, a bit dried out but with some nice pie filling fruit, seems to be a bit too tannic across the mp, spicy eucalyptus/vegetal tones but not refreshing, a bit heavy and dull 82-83 Bartolo Mascarello (Barolo)- campfire, then sweet herbs, a touch of bacon, some cola, weeds, very fluid in the mouth, softish tannins, some sweetness but not much else, not cloying but very little flavor at this stage. 82-83 Ruggeri Corsini Corsini (Monforte) - gamy, sweet wood, heavy, cloying, monolithic,  big in the mouth, good freshness but the fruit is chewy, and feels saturated and not in a particularly good way, thoroughly ordinary and almost cloying on the finish, 82-83 Rocche de Manzoni Santo Stefano di Perno (Monforte) - sweet wood, cigar box, oaky, some herbal character, sweet, lots of wood tannin on the mp, powerful with some liquory almost medicinal fruit on the mid-palate which shows nice promise on the finish before the wood tannins clamp down, 82-83 Parusso Mariondino Bussia le Costa Mosconi (Monforte/Castiglione) - passionfruit, particular French oak, vanilla, smoke, vanilla pipe tobacco, artificial fruit aromas, slightly chewy, innocuous, anonymous,  82-83 Cascina Cucco  Cerrati Vigna Cucco (Serralunga) -a bit jammy, a bit woody, nice cherry fruit, roses, smoky, baking spice,  a bit soft though the acid peeks out, not much on the palate, lean and dried out, though it is soft, with decent woody length, 82-83 Terre del Barolo (Multi commune) - cola, cali pinot,  cool in the mouth, light and easy, 82-83 Boroli Villero (Castiglione Falletto)- jammy, hot, menthol, jammy, hot, feels stripped,  liquory raspberry, sandalwood, rosehips, hot a little spicy 82-83 Terre da Vino Paesi Tuoi (Castiglione Falletto)-   jammy, spicy, liquory frutti del bosco, toast, caramel wood,  marshmallow,  weird candied jammy fruits,  cola, a bit dirty, a bit low key, not much to like fresh, lean, soft tannins, 82-83   Mauro Molino Gallinotto (La Morra)- diesel, real reduced veal stock where it gets kind of sickeningly intense, really sweet wood, some nice cherry fruit but really kind of simple and blah, no detail, no lift, no finish, 80-82 Virna Borgogno Preda Sarmassa (Barolo) -  quinine, horseradish, mint, dry compost heap, tomato paste,  very lean, nicely spiced, not any fruit, tannic, dry, some cola, , menthol and tannins on the finish 80-82 Rocche dei Manzoni Big’d Big (Monforte) -  candied, some dried lime zest perhaps lurking, has potential but not showing much today, big, low tannin, soft, broad but shallow, then a bit drying on the finish,  I don’t know  what to make of this, 80-82 Gianfranco Alessandria (Monforte)-  coffee candy, wood, cigar box, spicy cinnamon, tobacco candy, flat, flabby, hollow, totally uninteresting save a nice floral note on the finish 80-82 Cascina Cucco Cerrati (Serralunga) -very sweet aromatic wood nose, flat in the mouth, neutral in the mouth, nice structure not much flavor 80-82 Fontanafredda la Rosa (Serralunga) -sweet candied root beer, cloying nose,  rather light on the palate though, much better than one would expect from the nose, but there’s not much flavor interest here and a rather watery finish, extracted tea quality, 80-82  Livia Fontana Villero (Castiglione Falletto)- funky, very herbal and soil driven, eggshells, a bit of matchstick, lean, ungenerous, uninteresting, fresh finish, 80-82   Costa di Bussia Campo de Buoi  (Monforte)-  bretty, like big time,  cool, crisp and fresh with front loaded sweet fruit then bretty mp, burnished drying, 78-80  Eredi Lodali Lorens (Roddi)- sweet wood notes, lots of coffee, heavy, candied sweet and dull on the nose, dead in the mouth, fluid, without flavor or character, woody. 78-80 Renato Ratti Rocche (La Morra)-  passionfruit, lemon, wood, lemon pledge, stewy, cedar, a touch of mothball, nothing going on in the mouth, loose, some dark berry fruit, heavy tannins, kind of extracted, really tannic finish, not enough flesh, 78-80 Gianni Voerzio La Serra (La Morra)-  oaky and black raspberry preserves a little lactic, dried pear fruit,  thick up front then oaky and stripped, heavy but not sweet, dead in the mouth, bitter wood and cigar butt notes, a bit of whiskey on the finish, drying detailess 78-80 Fratelli Giacosa Vigna Mandorlo (Castiglione Falletto)- medicinal, herbal, a touch of match stick, sour cherry, sour berry, a flat boring wine in the mouth 78-80  Aurelio Settimo (La Morra)-  hot, over-ripe jammy, indistinct,  very menthol, fluid, shallow, over-ripe, nasty 70-72 Eredi Virginia Ferrero  San Rocco (Serralunga) -stinky, cidery, smells like ass, lots of dried pork character, off and just plain weird,  flat and bad, 70    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Alba Wine Exhibition 2005... by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  

• May 2009

  Alba Wine Exhibition 2005 Barolo tasting notes Well the 2005 Barolos are tasted and I can’t help but think back to what I said last year. 2005 is a successful vintage that reflects terroir and winemaking more than weather and will need more time to be as approachable as 2004. This... Read moreAlba Wine Exhibition 2005 Barolo tasting notes Well the 2005 Barolos are tasted and I can’t help but think back to what I said last year. 2005 is a successful vintage that reflects terroir and winemaking more than weather and will need more time to be as approachable as 2004. This years tasting was a mixed crop and a challenge.  Many of the wines suffered from one defect or another, be those permanent, i.e. too much wood, too tannic, too extracted, not enough fruit, or temporary due to recent bottling or simply being closed.  Under all these defect lay some lovely wines with crisp, aggressive tannins and bright acids that together make for some rather intense experiences at this early stage and make tastings like these frequently less than pleasurable.  A few words about the format in which these wines were tasted. These wines were tasted over 3 days in 4-hour sessions each morning. I tried to spend time with each wine but even then I did have to move through these at rather a brisk pace, tasting about 20 wines each hour. The wines were tasted blind and offer a snapshot of what that particular bottle showed me in that particular moment of time. Due to the nature of this tasting, rather large with about 50 people tasting at more or less their own pace, the wines I got were exposed to more or less time in the open bottle. That is not entirely true as all the bottles were uncorked each morning but my point is just to be clear that from some bottles I received the first pour, from some the last, and for most somewhere in between. All these factors may, or may not, account for some rating that seem to be aberrations. For example the wines of one of my favorite producers, Giuseppe Rinaldi showed rather oddly, with one wine being oxidized while the other was simply dirty. These were my opinions of the wines but several other tasters also shared these opinions so at a minimum it was characteristic of at least some of the bottles opened that day. Bartolo Mascarello’s Barolo was also a surprise, though less concerning, as it offered very little of interest at this stage. I have faith that the wine will improve but recorded my note as I wrote it. Other wines that I was able to taste later at their respective cantinas tended to show better than the wines from these tastings. So what does that mean for all of these scores, well not terribly much other than tasting is an imperfect art and these large tastings, will offering an invaluable opportunity to try wine are less than ideal to render definitive judgments. I think wines that showed well or that I liked, are good wines and I was lucky to catch them at an opportune moment. Other wines I did not like and the reasons are amply illustrated in the corresponding notes. I only found a few wines to be downright bad.  All in all I continue to be a fan of 2005 Barolo and think that time will be kind to most of these wines.   92-93   Brovia Rocche (Castiglione Falletto)- another fine blend of herbal and ripe fruit tones, almost salty with baked clay, raspberry coulis, spicy strawberry and aromatic seed notes, rich fruit up front, density balanced crisp, fine cherry/raspberry fruit, really well framed, admirable freshness and concentration, nice background herb and spice notes, ripe tannins, a touch of melon rind, a little tarry tobacco tone, really nice finish with pure fruit and spice, very complete wine, 92-93   91-92   Bocchino Eugenio La Serra (La Morra)-  sour nose, stinky nose, fleshy nose, very nice nettle notes in the background, really penetrating and pure with a note of heavily used and sweaty work glove, spice, earth fennel and tea,  fine balance in the mouth, ripe sour cherry, lovely backing notes of dried herb, citrus tones, real energy here without being noticeably acidic, elegant, real harmony in the mouth, fresh zesty finish, with ripe tannins, a bit short but still a very strong showing 91-92 Guido Porro Santa Caterina (Serralunga) - limestone, more simmering raspberries, stern, tough and medicinal with a taut nervous quality to the nose, deep, aromatic and earthy with a clean fresh quality and lovely closed in fruit, very precise, very focused, very dark almost bitter fruit, fine tannins, really nice ripeness coupled with freshness here, licorice and medicinal top note over bitter fruits, very fine finish, Very tense and almost astringent red fruits, really good length and balance 91-92 Brovia Ca’ Mia (Serralunga) -sweet  jammy,  a touch of powdered sugar, real intensity, a handful of green herbs and flowers, clay soil, old worn wood, , a touch diffuse, nice and fresh a touch simple but very well balanced, ripe tannins, integrated acids, feels like this has some nice depth, a touch of licorice on the backend, some of the best depth so far 91-92 Vietti Rocche (Castiglione Falletto)- deep liquory black raspberry fruit, a touch of salame,  touch hot, a touch briary, a little powdery limestone,  nice oily herbs, a bit closed feeling, good density, a touch chewy, lurking freshness, a touch monolithic, a little bit inky, but rather light on its feet for that character, a touch of boysenberry , spicy fruit, intense and deep, a nice mineral cut on the backend, good length, more liquory fruit emerges on the backend, this will improve, 91-92     90-91   Marcarini La Serra (La Morra) -  deep earthy lightly smoky liquor of wild raspberry, poppy seeds, fine floral notes, orange rind, very chamomile herbal and fresh, lean and crisp, juicy fruit has a lovely herbal character, fine tannins, very well balanced in the mouth, classically proportioned with good length to the sour cherry and slightly gamy fruit,  90-91 Andrea Oberto Vigneto Brunate (La Morra)-  cinnamon spice, roast beef, spicy cherry pie filling, gamy and rich, nice complexity with dried grass notes, chewing gum and menthol, quite sweet on entry, nice austere tannins, a bit fruity styled but in this style quite well done, a blend of dark dried strawberry fruit, earth, and classic structure, quite rich and chewy, nice finish with a brisk feel, lots of wine with a nice, spiced slightly balsamic finish 90-91 Oddero Brunate (La Morra)-  lightly jammy and with lovely aromatic wood notes, a touch of beef blood, church candle,  spiced peach jam,  nice aromatic array,  sweet fruit, polished fine tannins, well integrated acidity, nice harmony then a touch dull on the back end, where it gets a bit muddy, a bit rich for the vintage and a bit weighty, but with good intensity of flavor, savory, delish 90-91 Podere Luigi Einaudi nei Cannubi (Barolo)- a bit jammy and fudgy but with lovely nuanced peach, thistle, clay, and briary cherry fruit, smooth polished entry, clean and precise wild cherry fruit, a lovely note of old wood and almost popcorn, nice and lean with ranier cherry fruit and dusty earth note, a hint of licorice with some very fresh floral and bitter herb notes, cleansing finish, is a bit short, nice lean style 90-91 Bric Cenciurio Coste de Rose (Barolo)- a bit sweet at first then turning gamy, with sort of feral animal notes and fairly precise raspberry fruit, nice to smell, with right complex fruit tones and a touch of cigarette tobacco and camphor, this has lots of sweet fruit but remains vibrant and taut in the mouth, lacks just a bit of complexity to really show well, but there is incipient, smoke, herbs, camphor and spice notes that are on the rise and show well on the back end, tannins are well managed good length, nice touch of polish but this a sweetly fruity style that helps in a vintage like this 90-91 Damilano Cannubi (Barolo)-  more bitter cherry, earthy, slightly brothy, tight rose note,  lots of white earth,  lovely young balanced nose, a slight root beer bitterness on the nose, camphor - bitter fruit entry is very nice, richly fruited but not fruity,  with a nice spice tone, fresh fruits, crisp tannins, very well balanced medium scaled Barolo with lovely fruit and incipient complexity, camphor and spice on the long finish, stern and aggressive but I like this 90-91 Giorgio Scarzello (Barolo)- deep and pungent with earthy, minerally dark cherry fruit, a hint of wood, but precise and focused, nice tension in the mouth, a bit of dilution but still well concentrated and balanced with a hint of elegance, in a rustic style, lovely green citrus fruit tones and tarry add depth and complexity, fine and intense with a good finish that features spice, mineral and aromatic wood tones 90-91 Oddero Mondoca di Bussia (Monforte) -  frutti del bosco tart with apricot glaze, spice, nicely smoky undertone, a touch of prosciutto and a hint of wildflower, raspberry,  a nice concentrated entry then really drawn to the back of the mouth by fine acids, tannins are fairly well polished, a nice sour cherry and sandalwood core, raspberry tone, turns a bit hard on the finish but nice length,  90-91 Gemma Giblin (Monforte) - dirty, some eggs, yellow berry fruits, sour meats, pork, dried meats, rainier cherry, nice ripeness, a sweet caressing character, a bit weird but with a friendly feel, different, easy, burnished, bacon fat, butchers wax, barbershop, fresh. Clean, a bit lean but not taut, perhaps a bit simple and maybe not super varietal but as wine very likable 90-91 Poderi Colla Dardi le Rose (Monforte) -  very dark and earthy smelling, limestone cut, face powder, gentle herbal and floral tones, a bit on the elegant side, nice and bright, sour cherry fruit, fresh tannins, very fresh style, clean, rosehips in alcohol on the backend, very drinkable , nicely balanced good length, a touch leathery, I like this, 90-91 Mauro Veglio Castelletto (Monforte)- lovely nose at first then very menthol, and fresh,  a touch of leather, nice macerated herb and hot rocks note,  big smooth, and polished, bright acids, juicy, finely polished tannins, good depth again a bit suave, but with nice flavors and a touch of finesse,  clean brisk and very drinkable 90-91 Guido Porro Lazzairasco (Serralunga) - reticent nose, tight and closed but with leather, precise red fruits, a very gentle simmering raspberry sweetness, rainwater, cherry juice, rich yet very well composed with a lean yet muscular character, nice freshness in the mouth, polished tannins, a touch diffuse across the mp but with really nice purity,  finishes with lift and nice grabby yet polished tannins, a very dried earthy note, very fresh with a little camphor on the finish, 90-91 Gemma Colarej (Serralunga) -salame, earthy and gamy, dried cherry, roast meat, greengage plum, nice sweet fruit, with that dank cellar note adding a hint of complexity,  soft, quite evolved, fairly complex flavors that lack some freshness but have a nice complex, rather evolved character to the earthy, dried bitter root, very slight chinato feel to them, there’s a nice core of rather classically presented medicinal cherry fruit,  finishes with menthol, and dried fruits but freshness, and a touch of dried meats, seems a bit too evolved but very enjoyable, 90-91 Schiavenza Prapo (Serralunga) -jammy raspberry, sweetish, kind of fruity,  a nice iron and peppery note, with a black spice at it’s core, a bit flabby acid, nice and crisp texture, cool fruits restrained and balanced, nice purity to the black fruit flavors, good intensity builds with black fruits on the finish, with a long menthol laden finish, a bit rustic but I like, vitamins on the finish 90-91 Vietti Castiglione (Castiglione Falletto)- nice intensity herbal front loaded, spicy, gamy, bright red, lingonberry/cranberry, clay, tobacco, fresh, a little hops maybe, fresh and crisp, a touch dilute but still in balance, almost chewy, soft, ripe tannins, integrated acidity, bitter cherry fruit, almost a touch of hops in the mouth then liquory black raspberry fruit, a touch clay, a touch, sandalwood, black cherry finale, with a bit of spiciness, nice soil note on the return, 90-91 89-90 Cascina del Monastero Bricco Riund (La Morra)- lovely sweet fruit on the nose, wild raspberry, old briar pipe,, touch of menthol, touch of laurel, a touch of leather and some tea notes, a bit of hay, while the palate doesn’t fulfill the promise of the nose there is a nice gentle character that present the fruit of the nice nicely albeit with less intensity, pretty pure and well balanced with integrated acidity a touch lo licorice spice, nicely spiced red currant/lingonberry fruit, vibrant, good length, menthol length, 89-90 Fratelli Alessandria Monvigliero (Verduno)- sweet herbal, sweet wood, sweet floral, nice bit of soil, touch of meat, a touch of watermelon liquor, raspberry liquor, sandlewood, nice slightly chewy feel, easy and well balanced, very drinkable, engaging if lacking just a touch of freshness, nice ripe fruit tone, a bit of seashell, a very pleasant wine with good intensity of fruit, nice follow through, burnished notes on the finish, savory and long, with hint of bitter cherry, really grows on me, 89-90 Mario Marengo Brunate (La Morra)- lean, soil driven, tight, floral, violets, a touch white peppery, a base of fine ripe fruit, nice nose, sweet raspberry fruit, great acids, ripe tannins, structurally very nice, good balance and even a touch of elegance here, very nice medium weight and medium intensity wine, again sour cherry, grapevine, and light spice flavors, very drinkable, could use a bit more complexity 89-90 Ascheri Vigna dei Pola (Verduno) -macerated flowers, bologna, yellow cherry, over-ripe, nice soil notes, some tar, lean, fresh and crisp and actually fairly attractive in the mouth with good crisp focus, refreshing, well balanced, a bit shallow flavor wise but lovely and relatively ready, a strange wine, good feathery finish, 89-90 Cascina del Monastero Bricco Luciano (La Morra)- some sweet wood on the nose, kind of candied but very spicy, vanillin,  nice mouth feel, lots of bright juicy acids, well done with a lithe feel and the tannins are superfine here, a bit of licorice and sandy soil tones, some chalk,  pretty light on the finish as well, admirable freshness 89-90 Giorgio Scarzello Vigna Merenda (Barolo)- pretty closed, a really minerally core rocks, to the tight fruit here, this has potential, closed in the mouth as well but there is fine balance here if a touch dilute, nice core of extracted but traditional fruit, this is closed like a book and the pages are showing only their edges, but the book may turn out to be interesting, nice bitter cherry fruit, the finish shows hints of the ripe fruit with lots of menthol and sandalwood spice tones, a lot of potential for the vintage, 89-90 Barale Cannubi (Barolo)- nice depth, aromatic dried herbs, slightly candied, slightly medicinal, a touch of roastedness here, nicely done, a bit to the tannic side but with plenty of bitter cherry fruit to balance it, there’s a nice streak of violet pastille here as well adding complexity, plenty of tannins and they are a touch astringent, really nice fruit with depth and emerging hints of complexity especially the inner mouth florality, aggressive and slightly menthol on the finish but I really like were I see this going 89-90 Cascina Adelaide Cannubi (Barolo)- lovely herbal/citrus notes on the nose, definite agrumi nose with some brambly edges creeping in and a touch of smoke and roast meat, nicely polished tannins, nice depth to the treebark tinged, quinine tinged bitter cherry fruit, quite perfumed in the mouth with roses and wild raspberry tones,  nice long savory finish with lovely layered earthy spice notes on the finish, long finish with vibrant acids 89-90 Vietti Lazzarito (Serralunga) - lots of ripe fruit, violets, a bit of coffee oak integrated with spicy black plum tones, lots of coffee, lean and crisp in the mouth with bitter mineral and earth tones, lots of almost plummy but not sweet fruit, a bit too much wood tannin, lacks a bit of detail but quite powerful with polished tannins and nice cut and focus, tannins turn a bit woody on the back end too but finishes with good length, 89-90 Cascina Luisin Leon (Serralunga) - intense nose, spicy, jammy cinnamon(-), really fruit driven though not fruity,  with well integrated non toasty oak, nice mouthfeel, a bit loose but with nice balance to the crisp tannins and integrated acids, rather sleek and smooth, all around well done, very refreshing finish, a bit short, again not a particularly fruit driven wine but with good length 89-90 Cavallotto Bricco Boschis  (Castiglione Falletto)- savory, wild raspberry liquor, clay, brushfire, deep for the vintage, slight herbal notes some spicy strawberry seeds, touch of bitter almond, a bit chewy, nice fruit tones, a bit black raspberry, nice mineral note, fresh, wild cherry on the mp, subtle but with nice complicating notes of sandalwood, a hint of caraway, dark spice tones, fairly complete if a touch chunky, nice finish, lots of fruit tannin, a bit spicy, more bitter almond on the finish, should improve, 89-90 Tenuta Montanello (Castiglione Falletto)- very woodsy, forest floor, river rocks, mineral water, wild raspberry liquor, a bit lean smelling but fresh and transparent, and a bit fleshy, refreshing, a nice bitter herb tone balances the fresh, crisp raspberry fruit, a bit simple but nice mouthfeel, nice finish cleansing and clean, not great but very drinkable 89-90 Franco Conterno Vigna Pugnane (Castiglione Falletto)- sappy, herbal, taut and nervous, a touch of seaweed, spicy green and lovely, a bit of wood intrudes in the back, fresh and crisp with plenty of ripe strawberry fruit, nicely balanced pure vibrant fruity little wine, a touch easily styled but to it’s advantage, strawberry seeds perhaps a touch of bitter greens lurking but lovely refreshing wine, gains fruitiness, short finish though 89-90 88-89 Gianfranco Bovio Vigna Gattera (La Morra)-  raspberry jam, salt, over-ripe, menthol, chalk, fresh and easy, nice fruity styled wine, the traditional version of above, a bit restaurant styled but nice freshness and lovely orange and lime zest accents to the well proportioned core of ripe berry fruit, lean and nervous,  short finish 88-89 Marcarini Brunate (La Morra)- lightly smokey, a touch sweet, nice raspberry fruit tones, light grilled meat, sweet entry, nice fruit, good balance here with fresh acidity and ripe tannins, a little  soft perhaps but with good depth to the funghi and spearmint tinged, sour cherry fruit, a touch short, nice and drinkable 88-89 Tenuta l’Illuminata Tebavio (La Morra)- lightly smoky a nice sweet raspberry tone, a touch of mint, nice fresh, layered and balanced, a bit loose at first then gains some grip, nice retrained fruit with a bit of sweetness yet firmly in the fresh, crisp end of the spectrum, nice ripe tannins, clean crisp finish, nice balanced fell, smaller wine but a nicely done wine, 88-89 Mauro Sebaste (Barolo)-quinine, old tree bask, forest floor, spicy mushrooms, very aromatic, sauvage but appealing, nice concentration this has a bit of flesh with bitter cherry, medicinal and earthy tones in balance, a bit of finesse even, for the vintage, nicely done and growing inner mouth perfume, a flush of green herb on the rather languid finish 88-89 Marchese di Barolo Sarmassa(Barolo) -  nice fresh green herb notes, are subtly infused with a bit of coffee oak in the white peppery, roast beefy tinged slightly roasted black cherry fruit, cool and taut, with a sinewy quality, nice fruit here  a bit of oak is obvious but well integrated, nice purity to the fruit though it has a bit of sweetness, nice lift on the backend and into the finish with is a touch cedary but fairly long 88-89 Brezza Sarmassa (Barolo)- nice and aromatic, plenty of sandalwood and rosehips, with nice cranberry and raspberry fruit tones, and a touch of spearmint, shows nice concentration up front, a more gentle character nice depth to the slightly simple, but burnished cherry, spice, tobacco and aromatic wood tinged mp, leads to a relatively long bright finish, nicely done and with upside potential, 88-89 Fratelli Barale Castellero (Barolo)-sandalwood slathered in raspberry coulis, very clean, lightly spiced, , some nice spiced peach tones, a hint of green tobacco,  a bit chewy, perhaps a bit extracted as well but with nice cherry toned fruit backed by acidity that keeps this lively and vibrant, it’s a touch leathery with the tannins taking hold on the mid-palate, perhaps to much tannin but his is juicy and tasty if a touch simple,  very strong finish, lots of tannin but a lovely core of fresh, crisp fruit with good length 88-89 Virna Borgogno Cannubi Boschis (Barolo)- angelica root and quinine, this is very medicinal and wildly dried herbal smelling, really interesting dried alpine floral, herbal tea tones, lots of tea here, more herbal tea on the palate as well, there is some bitter cherry fruit here as well but the profile is completely unusual with great big herbs, pollen, earth, and middle Easter spice notes, tons of camphor and curry and middle eastern spice on the finish, totally different an worth a look 88-89 Giuseppe Rinaldi Brunate-Le Coste (Barolo)- slightly dirty old school nose, dirty and funky, with lots of cola and  herb notes, nice cool entry crisp ranier cherry fruit then turning funky and earthy again, a touch dilute but a nice flavor profile, the tannins are ripe and well managed, a bit lean but with a nice herbal, fruit, licorice array and a hint of sweet ripeness,  nice spicy soil tones, and eggshells on the long finish, I can see this getting better 88-89 Cascina Ballarin Bussia (Monforte) - very nice start, clean clear and penetrating, some wood but adding nice spice tones, sandalwood, pencil wood, a bit of patisserie,  very bright acids, polished tannins, nice focus across the palate, a touch austere but with plenty of fruit,  savory burnished wood character to the nice core of fruit, a hint of sweetness returns on the moderately long finish with a nice cherried note, 88-89 Alessendria Fratelli Gramolere (Monforte)   -  slight jammy lingonberry,  hard,  nice taut neb nose,  a bit closed but a nice mineral underlay,  sour cherry upfront, fine tannins, a bit fat/flabby/overdone, god if lacking a bit of character, nice fruit with a sour edge and acids integrated and highlighting this bright berry/raspberry fruit tone, good length, a bit of clay spice on the finish 88-89 Franco Conterno Cascina Sciulin Bussia Munie (Monforte)   -  macerated cherry and floral notes, a bit talcy/sandy, a bit fleshy, smells hard -  hard, cool, crisp feel, not much rather light in the mouth, clean, sour yellow cherry, a touch of lardo, aromatic animal fat,  nice persistence with a nice finish, good length cleansing, brisk and precise.nice fruit notes on the finish but so compressed 88-89 Stroppiana Oreste Gabutti Bussia (Monforte)   -   lots of autumnal character, dried floral tones a touch of bresaola, menthol, penetrating and deep,  sweet fruit, slight dried fruit character, supple tannins, nicely balanced an approachable today with a nice almost peach hint of sweet astringency then more red fruited with a touch of funghi too, zest finish, evolved perhaps but appealing, 88-89 Silvano Bolmida Bussia (Monforte)   -  wow, sweet fruit, big balsamic, earthy note, intense and fruity, a weird herbal red fruit tone, astringent red fruits, wild cherry, thick but then very taut with great acids, cleansing and bracing, nicely concentrated fresh fruits,  a tense, savory, tea, old wood finish, an intense wine, lots of character, good length, slightly medicinal, 88-89 Monti (Monforte)  - stone, dirt, reticent but nice, prosciutto fat, anise seed(green), not a lot going on but what’s there I like, cool in the mouth, soft tannins, a bit soft acids too, a nice core of clean sour cherry fruit,  a bit of dried middle eastern spice, lovely tannins ripe but crisp, would like to see this develop, 88-89 Massolino Margheria (Serralunga) -lovely liquory fruit, great captured fruit on the nose, with exotic notes of green seeds middle eastern spicy seeds, nice intensity just a touch of medicinal character and a hint of black cherry fruit,  a bit sweet up front then falling off but the palate holds it together just enough to maintain interest, a soft styled wine again with lovely pure if simple dark slight cooked raspberry/dried strawberry tones and a little bit of tension from the medicinal character which gains nice purity on the long finish 88-89 Paolo Manzone Serrlauna (Serralunga) -nice jammy fruit, then very soil driven talc and mineral and limestone, barbershop, medicinal,  a little light but very attractive, a bit chewy, a bit thin, nice black cherry, bitter fruit, meaty, fairly complex and nicely spicy with good balance on a smaller frame, really good intensity to the medicinal character but the fruit stays fresh and intense nice balance,  88-89 Schiavenza Broglio (Serralunga) -  jammy rosehips, medicinal, herbal, floral, deep, penetrating and intense with a sort of fruit backdrop that’s very appealing,  in the mouth this is a chewy and fairly deep, really crisp, fine tannins, a little austere, with potential 88-89 Giovanni Rosso la Serra (Serralunga) - spicy cinnamon toast and raspberry jam, rosehips and a nice medicinal/camphor note well integrated, rather sweet smelling but with root beer and aromatic herb notes but in a candied sweet style,  big and fresh in the mouth, nice herbal, medicinal background, fairly precise unsweet fruits, wild berry fruits, , clean feeling in the mouth, a bit antiseptic in the mouth, menthol, cool fruit, finishes a bit short, a nice package though could use more length 88-89 Livia Fontana (Castiglione Falletto)- lots of caramel, burnt sugar, wood, and earth, heavy, and deep with some nice backing notes of ripe herbs, actually this gains some nice focus but does seems to be sweet and then savory dried meaty,  nice fresh entry, arugula, a bit of root beer, fresh and linear, a bit simple and maybe a touch dilute, but lovely black cherry fruit and herbs with a long pure finish, may improve, 88-89 87-88 Renato Ratti Conca (La Morra)- sweet wood, furry, nice jammy wild raspberry fruit tones, pretty nose, rosehips and sweet fruitwood smoke, a touch of fruit stripes gum, fresh, easy, a bit hollow on the palate, successful restaurant style wine, drinkable with some nice sour cherry notes, a nice finish, solid if simple wine, the finish has some nice length 87-88 Gianfranco Bovio Vigna Arborina (La Morra)- some dusty sweet earth, orange zest, hint of dried herb/bay  - start with nice sweet fruit in the mouth, nice balanced structure, a bit of root beer/ beet root at it’s heart, nice sandalwood finish is quite long 87-88 Silvio Grasso Bricco Luciani (La Morra)-  heavier and sweeter on the nose, rather dense, slightly medicinal, lots of dried herb and chalk - bright and juicy, nice tannin structure, a bit low intensity flavors but the profile is very nice with bitter cherry fruit, earth, some subtle root tones, drying finish is a bit stern, good length 87-88 Rocche Costamagna Bricco Francesco (La Morra)- chewing gum and candy apple, wild strawberry in liquor, gains some focus with a touch of gaminess in the background, still a little jammy, light and fresh in the mouth, this feels pretty good with a lean, transparent character, low intensity a bit dilute, nice finish, drying but with nice follow through of savory and subtle fruit tone, 87-88 Luigi Einaudi Costa Grimaldi (Barolo)- prosciutto, pepper, alpine herbs, ricola, red fruit, a faint whiff of far away smoke, dilute but with decent flavors, a nice traditional feel, ripe fruit but dilute, a nice minerally tones, almost salty, a bit extracted on the finish but with nice follow through and the finish, a bit minty. Oaky spicy but good depth of flavors and decent length, a bit meaty, 87-88 Franceso Rinaldi Le Brunate (Barolo)- smells sweetly fruited, candied, roasted herbs, red fruit , touch of red hots, diluted, still some nice crisp, fresh wild raspberry fruits here with mineral tones and a lovely transparency, well made and very drinkable with the fruit gaining intensity on the back end and adding a blood orange note, good length, a nice wine 87-88 Giuseppe Rinaldi Cannubi San Lorenzo Ravera (Barolo)-  coffee candy, yuck, dirties up a bit, gains some nice old school notes, with a touch of oxidation showing, turning minty, dusty and old wood like, smells vaguely like a barn, loose up front but then showing some nice sweet/spicy fruitiness, there’s some cola, almost new world flavors here but there is this weird dichotomy between the old and the new, I am intrigued by this wine, its very complex in this line-up and really stands out but I am confused by it. 87-88 Germano Angelo Vigna Rue (Barolo)-  a touch dirty,  bresaola, prosciutto fat, Slavonian oak, smoky, nice freshness in the mouth a touch of backing green herb, a nice layered quality to the bitter root, slight bitter leafy greens notes that frames the solid bitter cherry fruit, not a block buster but good complexity and decent weight to buffer the structure, nice white earthy finish, menthol, a touch of drying herbs, decent length 87-88 Famiglia Anselma (Barolo)-sweet strawberry fruit, woody, spicy, some spicy cinnamon, nice intensity of aromatics, even some herbs and agrumi, sweet right up front, integrated tannins, very spicy mid-palate with lots of licorice and cinnamon character, a touch of floral character, lots of chewy fruit, perhaps a bit extracted but nicely done though the oak intrudes a bit on the back end 87-88 Giacomo Fenocchio Bussia (Monforte)  - very nice fruit, rosehips in alcohol, almost salty wild berry fruit tones, nice nose modest intensity and complexity but interesting, a bit thin on the palate, just barely fruited, a bit extracted tannins,  an austere style but with attractive fruit tones, a tough wine but not without interest and potential, 87-8 Josetta Saffirio Persiera (Monforte)  -   jammy with some cooked fruit character, some smoldering wood,  very fluid, very drinkable, fresh cherry fruit, spiced lightly, nice fruity style wine, good acids, easy drinking, not complicated but enjoyable for its well captured ripe, succulent fruit, very clean finish, this is very drinkable and very friendly 87-88 Bruna Grimaldi Badarini Vigna Regnola (Serralunga) - a bit hot, peppery, cinnamon spicy, quite refreshingly herbal, nice entry with earthy tannins, good acids, a bit diffuse,  pretty soft tannins but nice ripe, slightly herbal fruit that is refreshing and with good depth,  nice spicy finish, well done, 87-88 Luigi Pira Vigna Marenca (Serralunga) - nice jammy fruit, black fruits, black raspberry,  a pretty fruit driven nose,  with some nice stemmy herbal background tones,  and touched of leather and camphor,  a bit flaccid in the mouth, really doesn’t follow up the nice aromatics, the flavors gain some intensity but are low key if nice with authentic medicinal character juxtaposed against a smaller raspberry toned fruit, big tannins on the finish, 87-88 Luigi Pira Vigna Margheria (Serralunga) - a bit more smoky loamy styled tight, hard masculine and dark, a bit loose in a focused slightly extracted style a bit too much power here and not balancing the crisp ripe fruit, good inner mouth aromatics though, this is powerful and intense and will last a long time with a very long, very medicinal black fruited finish but there is a lot of structure to loose here, 87-88 Palladino Vigna Brolio (Serralunga) -weirdly woody, raw woody but with bay and herb lurking, lots of medicinal herbal character, a bit beefy,  very fresh in the mouth with good focus, clean and crisp, some elegance here, nicely measure but marred a bit by the pencil wood,  nice savory finish, good length, 87-88 Paolo Manzone Meriame (Serralunga) -lots of herb, sour cherry, and slightly medicinal character, clean and fairly pure, smells of biter cherry, lithe in the mouth, almost elegant, a bit lacking in depth, softer styled, nice flavors a nice almost spicy macerated cherry note, really nice fruit, well presented good integrated acids, succulent 87-88 Giovanni Rosso Serralunga (Serralunga) -kind of precise, cool fruit, a bit of fine oak in here but not offensive, cool lingonberry jam, a touch of chocolate bitter, cedary, nice concentration very fine grained tannins, good acidity, round and with follow through but a bit simple, 87-88   86-87   Franco Molino Cascina Rocca - Rocche dell’Annunziata (La Morra)- fruity nose, lots of raspberry, simple but fresh and nice, a little milky, a touch of saw dust,  light and crisp, very fresh and well balanced with herb tinged red raspberry fruit, lovely purity, simple, clean a+ restaurant wine, falls a bit flat on the finish though still good intro Barolo 86-87 Bel Colle Monvigliero (Verduno) -  intensely celery seed, celery , herbal, fresh, seashells, smoky, slightly weedy, burning brush pile, spicy seeds, turmeric, cardamom,  nice entry, a touch dilute but with nice intense dark cherry fruit, lacks some definition, good purity and decent harmony, finishes very strong with a nice core of ripe but not sweet fruit and decent length, a bit more spiced on the finale, I want to drink a bit of this, 86-87 Mario Gagliasso Rocche dell’Annunziata (La Morra)- roses, rosehips, vitamins, slightly distant smoky, wild strawberry jam, touch of dried peach, lovely classic profile, simple on the palate, a bit dilute, nice freshness and balance, ripe tannins, perhaps this will improve but for now this lacks intensity though the flavors are pleasant and true, herb tinged bark raspberry, soil tones, it’s has very classic character if a touch wood spicy, nice finish of good length, I want to like this more, 86-87 Mauro Veglio Vigneto Gattera (La Morra)- brownie, fudgy, peach jam, nice spice notes, a touch of dandelion, mineral water, talc, white pepper, a bit of a let down on the mp, simple, but with a decent core of ripe cherry fruit, a nice backend with more savory character, finishes strong with good follow through to the ripe fruit character and nice round tannins, cinnamon finale 86- 87 Andrea Oberto Vigneto Rocche (La Morra)-  nice herbal, slightly medicinal, slightly anise driven nose, a little woody but not enough to obscure the fruit a touch of funghi and some drying leaves,  with some sweet fruit, nice and taut in the mouth, fine tannins, good polish, nice fruit with briarwood and dried herb notes,  nice acidity, drying on the backend leading to a nice savory, briary finish,  86-87 Monfalletto Bricco Gattera (La Morra)- this really has nice intensity, there’s a rose tone, a little vanillin, chalk, very dried orange zest, really nice nose, a bit fat and loose up front, then gains nice focus, a lot of burnished fruit, dried strawberry, pretty rich and chewy on the mp, very good intensity of fruit, no finish or follow through, 86-87 Mario Gagliasso Torriglione (La Morra)- woody, cinnamon, white pepper, a nice weedy tone, some nice fruit gains a grip with that background herb note and nicely measure sour cherry/red currant fruit, a touch of bitterness adds some tension with a hint of root beer, a bit woody tannin on the finish but not bad 86-87 Mauro Molino Vigna Conca (La Morra)-  a bit of VA, sweet cherry, passion fruit, kafir lime leaf, very high toned, very aromatic, a touch of diesel, a touch of brett, thick and rich up front, lots of fruit here, a bit monolithic but can’t deny the intensity of the dark cherry fruit, some mineral tones add cut, chalky tannins, could improve but seems to show quite some promise, ends with a bit of drying wood tannin, really drying 86-87 Gianni Gagliardo Cannubi (Barolo)- dirty and old smelling, very brothy at first, cleans up slightly but remains curiously evolved smelling with a strong licorice character, soft tannins and acid, pretty rich and chewy, shows better in the mouth than on the nose with fairly big and intense monolithic fruit, decent but lacks enough tension to remain interesting though it is pretty packed with lovely ripe fruit, may pull itself together, coffee on the finale 86-87 Brezza Cannubi (Barolo)-  herbal and floral nose with some background cola spice,  more macerated wild cherry, clumps of weeds with fresh dirt  a bit of chalk, fresh and taut,  a bit languid on entry, firming up slightly but this remains a bit closed in the mouth, nice fruit a touch of smoky campfire but it doesn’t pull itself together, a little medicinal mint tannins are nice, decent 86-87 Franceso Rinaldi Cannubbio (Barolo)- sweetly fruited, a touch of peach here, sour cherry, burnt match stick, a bit dilute, nice ripeness but easy styled with moderately intense wild cherry fruit, a bit more structure than fruit, a touch of watermelon and almost minty spice, 86-87 Michele Chiarlo Cannubi (Barolo)- sweet and candied nose, root beer,  some baked goods, extracted, heavy, but deep and intense with chewy, dark, opaque fruit, this might just come around as it has a lovely minerality that really cuts through the huge fruit and finishes with intense cooling menthol and dark, earthy note, even a hint of dark tobacco on the moderately long finish 86-87 Costa di Bussia Tenuto Arnulfo (Monforte)  -   pine, bay, pressed flowers,  cool, a little thin but with nice typical sour cherry and almost leather fruit, perfectly nice little wine, 86 -87 Aldo Conterno Colonello (Monforte)  -  jammy, pencil shavings, some animale, furry, reticent, a bit ungenerous, and dried out, there’s a sweetness here but not terribly fruity nor varietal, very savory, turns better on the finish, nice tannins ripe tannins, refreshing finish, clean, a small wine 86-87 Josetta Saffirio (Monforte)  -   barrels, way too much barrels, smoky oak and extracted fruit,  has a nice vegetal character hiding behind though,  big fruit, really nice vegetal herbal flavors but the texture is a bit goopy, , really extracted black cherry fruit on the back end, I can see this being very popular 86-87 Silvano Bolmida Vigne dei Fantini (Monforte)  -  big balsamic tones, lots of dried meats, spicy wood tones, really fresh, and exhibiting nice ripeness, nicely fleshy, nicely fresh good refreshing acids, nice ripe tannins, nice herbal and dried earth notes, nothing immediate but subtle and sophisticated with a nice savory finish, 86 -87 Gianfranco Alessandria San Giovanni (Monforte)  -  smells like wood flooring, sweet, then menthol,  nice focus, a bit of an extracted feel, nice slightly medicinal fruit, a bit woody feeling, nice cool fruit, very good ripeness, quite drying but flavorful, 86-87 Marziano Abbona Pressenda (Monforte)  -   nice aromatic nose with a touch of sweet wood contrasting the menthol, savory crisp fruit,  a bit thick and fat, nice richness, flabby though, popular style , restaurant wine, fruity, nice fruit,  86-87 Fontanafredda Serrlaunga (Serralunga) -jammy and herbal very nice green herb notes,  deep ripe fruit and fresh notes nice dichotomy,  a bit hollow, nice flavors but rather low key, ordinary,  lots of tannin on the back end and the finish, a bit innocuous, some nice licorice and menthol on the finish 86 -87 Pio Cesare (Multi commune) -   sweet dried wood tones on the nose, leathery, nice precise fruit, dark fruit, cool in the mouth, good focus, spicy, menthol, floral tones, tight coiled and with good length 86-87  Ascheri (Multi commune) -    smoky, sour wood, sour meats, floral toned, sandalwood, lightly spiced,  fresh in the mouth, a bit of sweetness up front, a touch stern and ungiving, nice sour cherry, nice length, could improve 86-87 Roccheviberti Rocche di Castiglione (Castiglione Falletto)- a bit coffee toned but with nice, herb, sand and white pepper tones, a bit stemmy even,  cool and fresh, almost under-ripe to it’s advantage, easy drinking, simple, easy with nice Nebbiolo fruit, 86-87 Monfalletto Enrico VI (Castiglione Falletto)- nice, sweet briar wood, menthol, rosehips, grass, small flower notes, chamomile, touch of wild strawberry, fresh, a bit dull and lifeless, but with an nice hard candy note this gains a little focus on the backend with it’s simple ludens cough drop note, nothing special but not bad, sweet fruit on the finish is more smith brothers black cherry, nice for what it is 86-87   85-86   Stroppiana Oreste Vigna San Giacomo (La Morra)- lots of cigar box with some fudginess, tobacco, herb, chalk and spice,  a nice core of sweet fruit is small scaled and a little out  of balance with the structure, decent with some background oily herb notes to the dark fruit, but not particularly interesting, 85-86 Cascina Adelaide Preda (Barolo)- meaty, roast herb, roast meat, roast green vegetable, shallow and slightly swampy, nice feel, decent depth, ok dark cherry fruit, nice freshness but again not much depth though this has a bit of engaging elegance, 85 -86 E Pira Cannubi (Barolo)-  a little sweeter, a little jammy, smoky herbal, a touch of coffee, a touch of bitter roots, a bit of fizzy acids on the tongue, not much detail, bitterness, perhaps a bit too extracted, tannins are bitter, nice fruit in there but not particularly fresh or elegant, a bit of coffee in the mouth as well, dark fruited finish is moderately long, too tannic. 85-86 Abbona Marziano Ravera (Barolo)-  sweet herbs, sweet spearmint, high toned and pitched nose, with a touch of bacon - dilute palate, a bit of chewiness here, some nice raspberry tones with a touch of earth, and spice on the backend relatively long and fresh finish 85-86 Giacosa Fratelli Bussia (Monforte)  -   a big woodsy nose, confiture of bitter cherry, intense if monolithic, but very clean and fresh, a nice menthol top note, pretty sweet entry then a bit thin, shiny and hard though the sour cherry and herbal/citrus toned fruit is pleasant, a bit thin but nice 85-86 Monti Bussia (Monforte)  - dark, dirty, earthy, charry, spiced, antiseptic,  a bit lean in the mouth, nice quality to the tannins up front, good acids, nice feel,, decent earthy flavors, drying, inelegant but with some character,  tough and drying, some nice length too, 85-86 Giovanni Sordo Sori Gabutti (Serralunga) - light fresh nose, fresh leather, rocks, passionfruit, red currant, low intensity,  smells astringent, nice mouthfeel, polished tannins, good flesh, a bit loose on the mp but with lots of medicinal character, bitter fruits, a bit simple but very typical, lots of tannins on the finish 85-86 Massolino Parafada(Serralunga) - a fair amount of smoky oak here, still some medicinal character, lacks detail, nicely managed tannins, an easier mouthfeel, a bit of chewy extract, lacks follow through, short, 85-86 Ettore Germano Prapo (Serralunga) -diesel, lots of herbal character, macerated herbs, macerated flowers,  the nose is interesting, the mouth is a bit flat and uninteresting with decent fruit and a nice herbal flourish but nothing special 85-86 Rivetto (Serralunga) -a bit cooked, spicy, clovey,, bresaola,   cool, not much intensity, balanced, a nice wine, but without much detail, nice fruit on the finish, very fresh, nice seeds strawberry toned finish 85-86 Monchiero (Castiglione Falletto)- a bit leathery, bretty, gamy, nice medium weight, pretty feel but a bit on the dirty side, not necessarily rustic but a bit odd, good length, nice return of wild yellow cheery, sapid,  85-86 84-85   Bosco Agostino (La Morra)-speck, tons of cured meat character, a touch of black pepper, savory, a nice herbal touch, a bit too coffeed, meaty and slight herbal up front, coffee cream on the mp, some nice cherry fruit, a matte and indistinct backend, has an interesting character, I would try again, 84-85 Cascina Ballarin Bricco Rocca (La Morra)-  lots of sweet wood, talc, - lots of wood, nice flavors under the wood, a bit simple though a very burnished palate profile, lots of woody tones, good cherry fruit, too much tannin on the backend, short 84-85 Roberto Sarotto Audace (Barolo)-  bitter fruit, cedary, earthy, high acid soil, lean, focused, clean, fairly precise red fruits, very little complexity a touch of wood, and some spicy green fruit notes, lime zest, maybe even a touch of roast beef,  finishes with a touch of candied herbalness, 84-85 Prunotto (Barolo)- roasted fruit, balsamic, roasted meat, very fluid in the mouth, kind of refreshing but without much flavor or interest, nice bit of tar and biter raspberry, 84-85 Boroli Cerequio (Barolo)- deep and intense, rose, cherry, prugnie, spice and menthol tones, nice freshness and  nice limestone underlay, fresh up front, a bit shallow, decent fruit but a bit nondescript, falls off on the backend, ends short with lots of tannin, 84-85 Marchese di Barolo Cannubi (Barolo)- lots of flashy oak on the nose, sweet, candied, backing spice, praline nose, plush and polished with a sexy mouthfeel, good acids, fine tannins, very nice tannins for 2005, nice bitter cherry fruit but lacks any sweetness or gentleness, and pretty oaky in the mouth, not offensively so but close, very drying finish, 84 - 85 Giacomo Grimaldi Ravera (Barolo)- Rosehips, roasted strawberry, mint, roast beef drippings, some high toned notes, tarry and menthol decent fruit in the mouth, nice concentration, a bit of freshness but also a bit of matteness, good length, fruit on the finish, 84-85 Prunotto Bussia (Monforte) -  very jammy, lots of roses, sweet bay leaf,  sweet fruit on entry, then rather shallow and mostly uninteresting across the palate, theres some very fine sweet tannin here, but not much flavor interest, a bit of an earthy red fruit finale,  84-85 Elio Grasso Gavarini Chiniera (Monforte) -  smells like a cigar butt in apricot jam, smoky, tarry jammy, languid, nice acids, kind of soft and dilute, easy across the tongue with small austere tannins, finishes chalky with a touch of a tobacco tone, 84-85 Rivetto Giulin (Serralunga) -gamy, leathery,  candied herbs,  loose, not much here to work with, light, elegant perhaps, simple 84-85 Gigi Rosso Arione (Serralunga) -lots of apricot, smells like cedar and redwood, lightly jammy raspberry, quite floral but the pencil wood is noticeable,  lacks tension in the mouth, a bit fluid, a bit boring,  nice fruity notes accented with vanilla sugar tones, 84-85 83-84 Michele Chiarlo Cerequio (La Morra)- well integrated spicy wood tones, light cherry and rose, a bit of clay, soft and simple, nice, simple, easy, some fruit, some spice, neither good nor bad 83-84 Eugenio Bocchino Lu (La Morra)-  nice refreshing balsamic scents, intense pine needle, ripe fruit, fur,  amazing Christmas tree tone, much less interesting in the mouth, loose, without focus, some nice fruit and a touch of the balsamic character found on the nose but mostly a stripped flaccid wine,  nice fruit re emerges on the finish, so maybe it will fill in, 87-88 for the nose, 83-84 total Luciano Sandrone Cannubi Boshcis (Barolo)-fine oak notes, candied, candied raspberry leathery, nice fruit is a little simple,  a bit flaccid up front, lacks some vibrancy, nice deep fruit on the mp is monolithic and feels a bit extracted, heavy on the backend, no detail, extracted feel on the finish with a touch of nice earth adding a bit of complexity 83-84 Armando Piazzo (Barolo)- charcuterie and pork aspic,  it really smells like working with pork products, light, fresh, easy, simple, not interesting but far from offensive, 83-84 Giacomo Grimaldi le Coste (Barolo)- a bit of bubblegum on the nose, face powder, white pepper,  white cherry in alcohol,  easy style, a bit simple, not much detail, perhaps closed, nice feel, very finely polished tannins, a bit of mint and camphor on the finish, 83-84 Elvio Cogno Ravera (Barolo)- kind of sweet notes on the nose, some peach skin, minty fresh, earth and clay, a bit dilute, matte, anonymous, nice feel with a touch of chewy extraction, minty some nice cherry pit on the moderately long finish, 83-84 Damilano Liste (Barolo)- beef extract, deep fruit, something weird though, a bit of brett,?, leathery, with some poop, nice balance, nice tannins, crisp yet fine grained, dilute, not much heart here,  nice but really very little intensity, 83-84 Bergadano Cav. Enrico Sarmassa (Barolo)- heavy aromatics are sweet and fruity, fleshy clean and precise, with macerated cherry and flowers, a little caramel sweetness creeps in, dilute, nothing special, decent fruit, simple, not too bad 83-84 Luciano Sandrone Le Vigne (Barolo)- sweet oaked nose, coffee candy and smoke, some ham, lingonberry and mint, sweet oakiness right up front yields to a dilute mid-palate with nice flavors but really low key, but why? 83-84 Ettore Germano  Cerretta (Serralunga) -diesel, kind of nasty to smell,  chemical, clay,  big and rich, but hollow, nice tannins, a bit chewy, uninteresting but with building fruit, extracted feeling extracted tannins, 83-84 Terre da Vino Essenze (Multi commune) - clean, fresh, candied and slightly uninteresting,  slight herbal root character, nice herbal character in the mouth but lacks some backing fruit, easy to drink and refreshing, simple but the one flavor is enjoyable, very short 83-84 Palladino Parafada (Serralunga) -candied root beer, candied herbs, sour meats, raw wood, gingerbread cheesecake, very fluid in the mouth, flat, very little follow through, some bitter cherry, small scaled, a bit too much tannin for the spicy spice cake fruit 83-84 Francesco Sobrero Ciabot Tanasio (Castiglione Falletto)- jammy, over-ripe, white pepper, round, flaccid, nice wiry fruit of low intensity, indistinct, fresh feeling at least, 83-84 82-83   Gianni Gagliardo Serre (La Morra)- sweet herbal root beer tones, sandy soil, fur, blond tobacco, chalk, lean nose, a bit dead in the mouth, kind of dull dark wild cherry fruit, no detail, no depth, a blanket on the tongue, more nice dark cherry fruit on the finish but flat and dull, 82-83 Aurelio Settimo Rocche (La Morra)- stink on the nose, matchstick, cedar, lean, crisp mouthfeel, no real flavor interest, not much here, a hint of sour cherry, drying, simple and inoffensive, 82-83 Rocche Costamagna Rocche dell’Annunziata (La Morra)- weird chalk and chicken/fowl nose, sweet smelling, candied nose, with a touch of coffee, thin, poorly knit, shrill, nice finish with some raspberry fruit and with reasonable balance, 82-83 Vietti Brunate (La Morra) -  a bit heavy and dull, sweet with integrated wood and some nice spicy herbal tones, a bit smoky wood, a bit loose, lacks some focus, a bit dried out but with some nice pie filling fruit, seems to be a bit too tannic across the mp, spicy eucalyptus/vegetal tones but not refreshing, a bit heavy and dull 82-83 Bartolo Mascarello (Barolo)- campfire, then sweet herbs, a touch of bacon, some cola, weeds, very fluid in the mouth, softish tannins, some sweetness but not much else, not cloying but very little flavor at this stage. 82-83 Ruggeri Corsini Corsini (Monforte) - gamy, sweet wood, heavy, cloying, monolithic,  big in the mouth, good freshness but the fruit is chewy, and feels saturated and not in a particularly good way, thoroughly ordinary and almost cloying on the finish, 82-83 Rocche de Manzoni Santo Stefano di Perno (Monforte) - sweet wood, cigar box, oaky, some herbal character, sweet, lots of wood tannin on the mp, powerful with some liquory almost medicinal fruit on the mid-palate which shows nice promise on the finish before the wood tannins clamp down, 82-83 Parusso Mariondino Bussia le Costa Mosconi (Monforte/Castiglione) - passionfruit, particular French oak, vanilla, smoke, vanilla pipe tobacco, artificial fruit aromas, slightly chewy, innocuous, anonymous,  82-83 Cascina Cucco  Cerrati Vigna Cucco (Serralunga) -a bit jammy, a bit woody, nice cherry fruit, roses, smoky, baking spice,  a bit soft though the acid peeks out, not much on the palate, lean and dried out, though it is soft, with decent woody length, 82-83 Terre del Barolo (Multi commune) - cola, cali pinot,  cool in the mouth, light and easy, 82-83 Boroli Villero (Castiglione Falletto)- jammy, hot, menthol, jammy, hot, feels stripped,  liquory raspberry, sandalwood, rosehips, hot a little spicy 82-83 Terre da Vino Paesi Tuoi (Castiglione Falletto)-   jammy, spicy, liquory frutti del bosco, toast, caramel wood,  marshmallow,  weird candied jammy fruits,  cola, a bit dirty, a bit low key, not much to like fresh, lean, soft tannins, 82-83 Less than 82   Mauro Molino Gallinotto (La Morra)- diesel, real reduced veal stock where it gets kind of sickeningly intense, really sweet wood, some nice cherry fruit but really kind of simple and blah, no detail, no lift, no finish, 80-82 Eredi Lodali Lorens (Roddi)- sweet wood notes, lots of coffee, heavy, candied sweet and dull on the nose, dead in the mouth, fluid, without flavor or character, woody. 78-80 Renato Ratti Rocche (La Morra)-  passionfruit, lemon, wood, lemon pledge, stewy, cedar, a touch of mothball, nothing going on in the mouth, loose, some dark berry fruit, heavy tannins, kind of extracted, really tannic finish, not enough flesh, 78-80 Gianni Voerzio La Serra (La Morra)-  oaky and black raspberry preserves a little lactic, dried pear fruit,  thick up front then oaky and stripped, heavy but not sweet, dead in the mouth, bitter wood and cigar butt notes, a bit of whiskey on the finish, drying detailess 78-80 Aurelio Settimo (La Morra)-  hot, over-ripe jammy, indistinct,  very menthol, fluid, shallow, over-ripe, nasty 70-72 Virna Borgogno Preda Sarmassa (Barolo) -  quinine, horseradish, mint, dry compost heap, tomato paste,  very lean, nicely spiced, not any fruit, tannic, dry, some cola, , menthol and tannins on the finish 80-82 Rocche dei Manzoni Big’d Big (Monforte) -  candied, some dried lime zest perhaps lurking, has potential but not showing much today, big, low tannin, soft, broad but shallow, then a bit drying on the finish,  I don’t know  what to make of this, 80-82 Gianfranco Alessandria (Monforte)-  coffee candy, wood, cigar box, spicy cinnamon, tobacco candy, flat, flabby, hollow, totally uninteresting save a nice floral note on the finish 80-82 Costa di Bussia Campo de Buoi  (Monforte)-  bretty, like big time,  cool, crisp and fresh with front loaded sweet fruit then bretty mp, burnished drying, 78-80 Cascina Cucco Cerrati (Serralunga) -very sweet aromatic wood nose, flat in the mouth, neutral in the mouth, nice structure not much flavor 80-82 Fontanafredda la Rosa (Serralunga) -sweet candied root beer, cloying nose,  rather light on the palate though, much better than one would expect from the nose, but there’s not much flavor interest here and a rather watery finish, extracted tea quality, 80-82 Eredi Virginia Ferrero  San Rocco (Serralunga) -stinky, cidery, smells like ass, lots of dried pork character, off and just plain weird,  flat and bad, 70 Fratelli Giacosa Vigna Mandorlo (Castiglione Falletto)- medicinal, herbal, a touch of match stick, sour cherry, sour berry, a flat boring wine in the mouth 78-80 Livia Fontana Villero (Castiglione Falletto)- funky, very herbal and soil driven, eggshells, a bit of matchstick, lean, ungenerous, uninteresting, fresh finish, 80-82                            (hide)

  From the article Alba Wine Exhibition 2005 Barolo tasting notes

  
  
• 

  May 2009

  Redtree Winery Pinot Noir 2008

  Snoothrank: Starting at $7^.19

  This was on sale for $4.97 at a well-known Minneapolis wine shop. That is a ... out there for $8 or $9. Red Tree Pinot Noir is non-offensive, light bodied, and short on flavor. It is, however, easy to drink and fuity. Strawberies and Michigan cherries come to mind. Not much... Read moreThis was on sale for $4.97 at a well-known Minneapolis wine shop. That is a ... out there for $8 or $9. Red Tree Pinot Noir is non-offensive, light bodied, and short on flavor. It is, however, easy to drink and fuity. Strawberies and Michigan cherries come to mind. Not much depth of flavor or layers and finishes light and clea    (hide)

  Wine review by telal01

  
  

• April 2009

   Say Wha? You say? No it's true, well as true as something like this can be. Petite Sirah, aka Duriff, has toiled in anonymity for years. It's a solid blending grape and has added punch and color to some of the greatest bottles of jug wine ever to come out of California. It... Read more Say Wha? You say? No it's true, well as true as something like this can be. Petite Sirah, aka Duriff, has toiled in anonymity for years. It's a solid blending grape and has added punch and color to some of the greatest bottles of jug wine ever to come out of California. It survived prohibition being a thick skinned solution to shipping woes.  While Petite Sirah has had trouble gaining a following we are at least blessed with these old vine beuties, much of them dry'farmed, head pruned relics of a day gone by. This stubborn vine that refuses to quit has a bit of a mixed past. A cross of Peloursin and Syrah, and named for it's resemblance to the "petite" clone of Syrah, Petty is slowly establishing itself as a premium Wine and earning the respect it deserves. From the first varietally labeled bottle, Concannon's 1961, to today's broad range of  producers, it's been a long, slow journey. So we have we arrived? Never before have so many high quality Petites been available, and at such reasonable price points. One of the beautiful things that Petites offer are tremendously long drinking windows. For example, last night I enjoyed a 1987 Louis Martini Proprietors Reserve Petite Sirah that remained purple and rich with just a hint of development. If you had told me the wine was a 2004 I would not have been surprised. The wine continued to offer wonderfully ripe, round fruit in classic PS style and had just a subtle layer of tertiary complexity enhancing the black pepper spice and earth note the wines are famous for. When young Petite Sirah has a rich yet chewy texture and a nice peppery note to the black berried fruit. There can be an almost starchy green note that seems to stick around for a few years in some cases and of course there is the black color. In the mouth the wines almost always have wonderful acidity and surprisingly modest alcohol, figure 13.5 to 14%. This results in a wonderfully drinkable yet large scaled wine, perfect for barbecues and grilling. And the knock? Well the wine are not the most complex and while there is some development with age the appeal here is really that wonderful fruit. I've had some exceptions, old Ridge, Stag's Leap and  Stevenot, that were more complex than I would have imagined, but when a Petite is right, and balanced, I can forgive it's lack of hyper complexity. After-all sometimes one just wants a damn good bottle of wine that one doesn't have to think about to enjoy. And if that's what you're looking for I urge you to take a look at Petite Sirah! Petite on a budget 1) Bogle 2006 California Petite Sirah $12 13.5% Very sweet, tarry nose with plenty of ash, wood spice and cream notes. Fat and formless on entry then shows some bright acid that supports purple fruit with a nice brambly edge. Lots of fruit and flavor if very simple. Tannins are relatively soft and show through a bit more on the short finish that shows a fair amount of unintegrated acid. 83pts ~ 2) Lost Angel Central Coast Petite Sirah 2006 $15 13.5% A nice nose that combines a bit of wood with chocolate twizzler, candied black cherry fruit and a significant vegetal/fermented tea tone a touch of black pepper and a hint of barnyard.  Sweet entry but the wine has nice focus with very ripe tannins and acid that pulls this into the sour cherry/sour plum and blueberry end of the fruit spectrum.  Refreshing feel and there’s lots of fruit to back it up. Perhaps a touch  sweet but in a crowd pleasing style. 86pts ~ 3) Parducci Mendocino Petite Sirah 2006 $12 13.5% A nice note of cured meats with a strong tea note then some spicy wood tones and plenty of white pepper tinged black plum and crystallized black berry fruits and even an edge of dried rose. Inky on the palate with an extracted feel up front. Nicely tannic with good supporting acids and a definite milk chocolate and toast top note to the black fruits. This thins out noticeably on the mid-palate turning a bit dilute yet redeems itself with a moderately long finish with a bit of spice complimenting lurking blackberry fruits with a lovely brisk mineral finale that cleanses the mouth. Not fruity and eminently drinkable 87pts Barbecue Quaffing Value! ~ Paso Robles Petite Sirah 4) Vina Robles Jardine Petite Sirah 2006 $24 14.9% Very black spiced nose with plenty of anise tinged medicinal, tarry, wood spice, a hint of toasted coconut and jammy boysenberry fruit with a starchy green top note.  Rich and chewy in the mouth with plenty of polished tannin yet plenty of fruit to buffer it, in fact this is very well balanced for it’s size. Black raspberry and dried plum notes are nicely complimented by the spicy wood nuances and a strong black tea note. Finishes with a more typical cherry vanilla tone and a strong tar finale.  A lot of depth here but at a very early stage in this wine’s evolution. Feels inky yet polished and refined so I expect this will improve with a few years in the cellar. 89pts ~ 5) Victor Hugo Petite Sirah 2006 $24 13.8% Nice nose, spicy oak clove and ginger notes with a hint of black pepper, black cherry, lime leaf, anise seed, touch brambly.  Sweetly fruited entry then puts on a fair amount of structure with lots of ripe tannins and balancing acidity. This is a touch spicy and has an accentuating note of vanilla  over big grapey fruit with a touch of leather and earth on top. Nice finish is just a touch rustic and tannic but with good length and appealingly earthy tones and a touch of blueberry fruit and perhaps a whisper of chocolate on the powerful, raw finish 90pts ~ 6) Eos Estate Petite Sirah 2006 $20 13.5% Very chocolaty nose with white pepper, cured meats, ground coffee and dried cherry tones.  A little bit of sweet tea and flowers in the background,  lots of complexity but in a fresh, clean style.  Real polish on entry with the acid on top of fairly rich  fruit with nicely enmeshed tannins. Nice fruit here, definitely not a sweet style but with nice fresh black cherry and black currant tones.  Really well balanced and fresh feeling this doesn’t seem tiring to drink. A touch inky and blocky on the fairly long finish that offers up nice hints of tea, candied orange peel and licorice. 91pts ~ Lodi Petite Sirah 7) Harney Lane Petite Sirah 2006 $24 15.8% A bit jammy with powdered sugar tones and a bit of evident heat on the nose. It smells earthy, dense and not particularly open with a strong grilled meat and black pepper salami nose.  Drying and like a black hole in the mouth but with surprising elegance.  Pretty tight at this point and one can only extrapolate where this might go but it has tannin to burn yet possesses a wonderful mouthfeel. Even the finish is more about intensity than actual flavor but there seems to be plenty of dark berry fruit hiding behind these lovely  crisp tannins but man they need time to mellow. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this really blossom in time. Today a tough 88pts but promising. ~ 8) Judds Hill Petite Sirah 2005 $30 14.5% Classic petite nose of dark fruit, earth, autumnal vegetal tones, beet root, cola notes touch of wood, gamy, raw veal, sweet black raspberry candy, the wood gets the upper hand though.  A bit soft on entry and fluid through the midpalate but there are plenty of tannins that clamp down on the finish. This has a real chocolaty tone in the mouth and there's big ball of dark cocoa tinged  fruit lurking but the wood treatment is a bit heavy at the moment leading to a chocolate and mint marshmallow finish. 88pts ~ 9) Mettler Petite Sirah 2005 $20 14.2% Deep nose has nice notes of crushed currants, spice, tree bark, red currants, earth, clay, and subtle medicinal/menthol tones with a hint of curing tobacco. Big and bright in the mouth with the depth and richness that PS can deliver yet very little fat or flash. This is  deep and plush with  muscular fruit and ripe tannins. There’s a floral almost rose like note in the mouth with lots of earthy spice framing the black currant and mulberry fruit.  Really well balanced particularly since the simplicity and rusticity of PS has not been entirely finessed away. Lovely freshness with a nice licorice/menthol medicinal tone and plenty of milk chocolate notes on the moderately long finish. Embryonic but super stuff even now. 94pts  Wine of the night! ~ Napa Valley Petite Sirah 10) Stanton St Helena Petite Sirah 2006 $45 14.5% Wow this has fine fruit tones on the nose with wonderful depth. This is very ripe yet not over-ripe with well integrated toasty oak and nuanced floral tones as well as notes of ink, blackberry liquor/syrup, macerated flowers, cedar, vanilla minor note, musk, bitter roots and earth. Polished yet big and round. Slippery in the mouth but in a good way with excellent balance and old-vine intensity. The flavors are layered with sweet boysenberry/blueberry fruits dominating the palate and minor notes of spice, herbs a subtle vegetal/green bean tone, shaved bitter chocolate and espresso crema tones. A great crisp finish tops everything off. 92pts ~ 11) Girard Petite Sirah 2006 $30 14.5% Very dried floral nose at first then turned medicinal and earthy with a macerated black plum fruitiness and plenty of spicy berry notes. Soft and juicy with a mouthfilling quality. This is a little loose yet it’s structurally quite sound with lovely blueberry toned fruit and nice underlying wood spice tones that meld perfectly with the fruit. There's a nice vanilla/bay note that extends to the finish and an accent of chocolate twizzler that turn a bit redder on the finish. The tannins really pop on the finish as well. This needs some time to come together but is an attractive package if not terribly varietal. 90pts ~ 12) Miner  Petite Sirah 2005 $40 14.4% Inky yet crisp smelling with a touch of sulfur to lose. Smells lightly cherried and very tarry with plenty of prosciutto and grilled meats. Quite elegant in the mouth with a decidedly black cherry fruit profile. Lot’s of tannins but well balanced with a rather refined feel and a distinct lack of extraction which keeps it light on it’s feet. Juicy and focused on the finish. Which has solid length and a nice touch of minerality/chalkiness. A claret styled PS with wonderful fruit and balance destined for a long life. 91pts ~   Gregory Dal Piaz Community Manager Snooth      (hide)

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