Cappellano Nebbiolo Barolo 2003

Liquory and quite mineral on the nose with rich, dense aromas of ripe cherry and plummy fruit. This actually smells tannic and tarry. Powerful on the palate, liquory and medicinal, this is incredibly concentrated with dense, aggressively medicinal fruit. This is majestic but not fruity per se, never will be elegant but powerfully complex and tannic with rich, slightly roasted black cherry fruit that should drink well for a decade or two.

Minerally and black-fruited on the nose with aromas of black plum, bit of prune, cherry in alcohol and tarry, spicy and gently smoky top notes. This is young and vibrant, tarry and closing with air. This is sexy, suave, powerful and rich with ripe fruit in a fairly plump style. There are plenty of spicy and earthy accents lending an almost black peppery quality to the chewy fruit. With air the tannins come to dominate the palate a bit, but this has great depth of fruit so I expect it will age quite well. Still a bit of a rustic wine but it shows the brilliance of the vintage.

Caraway, mineral, amarena cherry, hint of cinnamon, some incipient bay leaf, and a hint of sweetness on the nose is joined by a gentle tarry note, fennel, with very fine rose petals and some cranberry fruit with a little mint and a hint of porcini. This is firing on all cylinders. Very supple and attractive with sweet fruit on the palate, this is ready with lovely wild cherry and strawberry fruit and a hint of prune lurking in the background. A bit small scaled but this has fresh Nebbiolo tannins, bright acids, great medicinal accents to the fruit with good length and a lovely spicy cherry pit note on the finish. There is a lovely crispness to the tannins of this very pretty wine.

Choco necco wafer greets the nose along with dusty, mineral, earthy aromas. There is a lovely herbal base here that recalls fennel but the fruit is definitely roasted and stewy. Bright and juicy on entry with an array of earthy, tarry and licorice scents in the mouth. A lovely porcini note on the palate, yet lots of tannins on the finish, albeit ripe, this seems to be something you should be drinking sooner rather than later. This lacks the detail of the 1979 but attractive with spicy and mineral accents on the finish.

A bit tight on the nose with sweet fruit, a hint of Tootsie Roll, an edge of arugula and mint, along with oyster shell and tar base notes. Silky and bright on the palate with wonderfully ripe tannins and tarry, spicy flavors. This lacks some fruit but texturally is very attractive with an earthy, mineral note that leads to a long, huge finish full of bing cherry fruit. This is a bit lean but ripe and focused, if only the fruit could move a bit back onto the palate it would be great.

Insecticide on the nose along with caraway seeds and a little black pepper in a muddy presentation. Earthy and a bit fudgy on the palate. This is fairly tannic, bright, dusty, chunky and a bit tough, in a very extracted style. Even the finish is tough and extracted with evolved earthy flavors. With air the tannins soften a bit, but this remains angular gaining minty and spicy notes on the finish. A tough wine to like.

Mushroom and pencil lead on the nose with a fair amount of insect spray; this smells wrong. Soft tannins and bright acids give this a good juicy feel, and the chunky plummy fruit is smooth, and attractive but at the same time simple and short, finishing with bright acidity but a bit chunky and clumsy. Not what I expected.