Marcarini Barolo la Serra 1979

The nose here offered up dirty scents right out of the bottle with some stinky egg shells that quickly blew off revealing a core of raspberry hard candy fruit graceful edged with a touch of banana peel and dry, almost toasty wood. Lot's of smoke and dusty gravel tones emerge quickly. The palate impression is soft and full with good balance showing a round yet restrained style. The moderate depth of flavor offered up bright minerality and floral, cirtrus orange blossom inner mouth perfume. Finishing delicately, if Montevertine made barolo this would be it. By dinner the nose had grown immensely read more...offering up intense sassafrass notes as well as beefy, toffee tones to the deep raspberry fruit. Tons of complexity on the nose, menthol, tobacco, hot rocks, medicinal roots, hot asphalt, expresso foam, killer nose. Seamless in the mouth with citrussy orange tones dominating and a hint of talcy tannins supporting them. The integrated acidity leads to a long, succulent finish. While showing well there are some contradictory points, while well balanced the alcohol seems a touch high, the mid-palate is silky yet there is a bitter, astringent note that may be off-putting to some. And while the wine ends on a sweetly fruited note the finish is pretty mineral and with a slightly bitter coffee bean edge that enhances that sweetness with it's contrast. I find the wine to be complete and at peak 2008-2014    (hide)

September 2008

The nose here offered up dirty scents right out of the bottle with some stinky egg shells that quickly blew off revealing a core of raspberry hard candy fruit graceful edged with a touch of banana peel and dry, almost toasty wood. Lot's of smoke and dusty gravel tones emerge quickly. The palate impression is soft and full with good balance showing a round yet restrained style. The moderate depth of flavor offered up bright minerality and floral, cirtrus orange blossom inner mouth perfume. Finishing delicately, if Montevertine made barolo this would be it.By dinner the nose had grown immensely read more...offering up intense sassafrass notes as well as beefy, toffee tones to the deep raspberry fruit. Tons of complexity on the nose, menthol, tobacco, hot rocks, medicinal roots, hot asphalt, expresso foam, killer nose. Seamless in the mouth with citrussy orange tones dominating and a hint of talcy tannins supporting them. The integrated acidity leads to a long, succulent finish. While showing well there are some contradictory points, while well balanced the alcohol seems a touch high, the mid-palate is silky yet there is a bitter, astringent note that may be off-putting to some. And while the wine ends on a sweetly fruited note the finish is pretty mineral and with a slightly bitter coffee bean edge that enhances that sweetness with it's contrast. I find the wine to be complete and at peak 2008-2014    (hide)

April 2008