Podere Rocche Dei Manzoni Barolo Riserva 1989

This was opened only a few hours before e got to it around 8 pm. The nose is great with caperberry and sour berry fruit, menthol and meaty, some subtle and subdued oakky spice, lingonberry, very slightly roasted jamminess, some petroleum based lip balm - the mouth shows great integration, it is not surprisingly still rich and densely youthfull with chewy fruit, rigid strucutre, lots of chocolate here, some frying wood tannin yet to be integrated on the finish. this is a bit softer with lower acidity than the other arch traditional wines tonight but is maturingly very well and offers compelling proof read more...that there is more than one way to make Barolo.    (hide)

March 2007

This remains pubescently bright ruby. The nose is reticent directly from the bottle with sweet baking spices coming to the fore adding sweet licorice and subtle nutty oak tones before revealing light notes of cherries in alcohol with menthol and floral overtones. After 3 hours this was almost exoic on the nose with sweet corffee creme and spicy, dark toffeed notes to the pruny fruit turning smoky and slightly nutty with airing.On the palate this was round and opulent from the bottle with an intense wave of fruit upfront that yeilds to a very savory mineral/toasted spice laced midpalate. Very well read more...balanced with refreshing acidity though the backend falls off rather quickly leading to a tight, cranberry tinged finish. At the table this retains a touch of sweetness up front and offers up lots of fruit but the tannins have grown in intensity and are a touch drying limiting the depth of the red currant fruit and accentuating the dark mineral and tar notes. This is not yet ready and needs time for the structure to be tamed though the oak has integrated quite wel. 2012-2025    (hide)

April 2008

While there is plenty of cocoa scented oak on the nose this still smells fantastic with a sweet, perfumed, complex bouquet of licorice, balsamic tones, waxy lipstick and sweet cooked cherries. On the palate the wood tannin are obtrusive, big and bitter with a sweet, woody, chocolaty element buffering them but not leaving much room for the fruit to express itself. As I said at the time, it’s impossible to get where this is from. 2009-2022 86pts

November 2009