Barolo
Barbaresco
Barbera
Dolcetto
Other Piedmont
Barolo
89 Pio Cesare Barolo Rio Sordo
Very dark—black. Extremely full of flavor and tannins.
Chewy. Very chewy, more like eating than drinking. Strong earthy elements. Did
I mention chewy? This wine is quite delicious if not a little overpowering. I
believe it could age many more years without scandal. Perhaps the tannins will
soften and balance will reign. $30 8/98
89 Poderi Rocche dei Manzoni Barolo Vigna d’la Roul
A bit dry and out of balance, but lots of flavor anyway. 5/01
90 G. Mascarello Barolo
It was very good. I lost my original note, and we don’t make up reviews around
here, unlike some other wine web sites. $29 3/97
(2) Good flavor, spicy, showing some complexity. Very
enjoyable. I was supposed to wait, but could not. Probably best in about 3-5
yrs. 8/00
90 G. Voerzio Barolo La Serra
I might say it was sort of tight/closed. I might say a number of things if you
paid me enough. Was this wine ready? I really need to have it again. “...best
not say more.” $26 5/97
(2) I am not quite persuaded that G.Voerzio’s barolo has
enough going on to get excited about it. [I think the Mascarello was better,
which is confirmed by the fact that you can still buy more of the Voerzio even
now. 3/98
90 Gianni Voerzio Barolo
Full flavored but somewhat out of balance. Overly tannic, I suppose it was the
same as the other bottles. $28 (worth $24) 10/01
90 Poderi Rocche dei Manzoni Barolo Riserva
Wonderful, long finish. Very full-bodied. The cluster bomb of Italian wines.
Loads of tannins leave a thick, dry coating. But this does not detract at all
from the wonderful experience. She continued to expand with air, and was still
imposing at 12 hrs. Let me recap. Gobs of fruit, lots of good tannins. This
wine gives every indication...continue...evolve and delight...many years. Must
wait. Must-not-drink-all-90-barolos. Must-arrrgh $32 8/98
(2) Very dense. Earthy, acidic. Still very backward and
needs another 5-10, but I’m just guessing at this point. $30 (worth $30-35).
11/01
90 Pira y Figli Barolo Cannubi
Fruit seems like it could go another 5-8 yrs, but somewhat
out of balance at this point. ?Dry 5/01
90 Mascarello Barolo
Good flavor, just too dry . Same as before. 7/01
90 Cavallotto Riserva Barolo Bricco Boschis
Good body. Lots of fruit. Depth. Perhaps just a touch on the
dry side, but—still less so than most other Italian reds. 1/02
90 Poderi Rocche dei Manzoni Barolo Vigna Big
Wow. Dense. Standard tobacco, leather, tar. Nose was 100% syrup. Could go at
least 10 more years without much change. $40 4/05
92 Clerico Barolo Ciabot Mentin Ginestra
Good fruit, but it fades with prolonged swishing. Medium to full bodied, but
not balanced enough. Middle and finish is too astringent. $27 (worth $22).
(drink now). 10/01
93 Revello Barolo
Good fruit but no balance. Too dry? Worth $27 (cost $30) (RP: now-2015, 90+)
5/01
99 Rocche dei Manzoni
Barolo Vigna Big
Initially very oaky, good mid-palate, late-palate good but
not too terribly concentrated (reluctant to use the word “thin” because
compared to other wines…, but compared to some of the 01 Barolos I’ve had, it
certainly is not on the extreme end of the concentration spectrum). $50 (worth $40-50) 11/05
00 Farina Barolo
Same comments as 00 Farina Barbaresco (see below). $30 2/05
00 Clerico Barolo Ciabot Mentin Ginestra
Pepper nose, but not only pepper (see annoying, young
Côte-Rôtie), but also other spices too. Amazingly chewy body. Tannins
oppressively young at this point, but this wine is all there, no doubt. Finish about 15-30 seconds. The young tannins—wow.
But as I say, the fruit is all there. All there. Pepper blows off after a while
anyway. This is good Barolo. 12/05
01 Clerico Barolo Ciabot Mentin Ginestra
Slightly more strength, tannins // Tannins seem a little
younger (one year younger) but flavor also showing a little more // What I
imagine is a classic Nebbiolo flavor—even now, I’m still swishing the same
mouthful, and it’s occurring to me that this flavor is pretty much unending. At
$65, one should buy more. 12/05
01 Pira/E Barolo Cannubi
Damn good. Not quite as elegant/balanced, nor does it have
quite the incredible mouth feel of the 01 Scavino Bric del Fiasc $80, but it is really good. $65
(worth $65) 11/05
01 Clerico Barolo Pajana
A monster. Grendel.
But delicious. Tried to let it air out a few hours but the wine—the wine
tasted too good for people to not finish it before even one hour was up. I
would say compared to some of the 01s clocking in at $80, that this Barolo is
probably worth a proportionate $65 and may even turn out to be undervalued at
that. Barolos nowadays really are
ridiculously expensive. But still worth it, in my opinion. 11/05
01 Azelia Barolo San Rocca
Standard Nebbiolo nose. Tannins sharp, crisp. Flavor has a touch
of sour. Finish under 10 seconds. This wine will no doubt improve greatly with
time. Definitely not ready at this stage. 11/05
01 Scavino Barolo Bric De Fiasc
Standard Nebbiolo nose. Flavor after initial opening is
already showing more than Azelia. Body slightly smoother, more chewy. Finish is
more classic Nebbiolo. After being opened 45 minutes, both the Azelia and
Scavino just got better and better. The sourness in the Azelia gave way to a
much nicer, rich Nebbiolo flavor. The
Scavino became fatter and softer and its flavor started to become outright
delicious. This Scavino is my top pick in 01 Barolo so far. I am going to have
to make some inquiries. $80 (worth $85)
11/05
Barbaresco
90 Roagna
Was it better than the single vinyard Produttori’s? I can’t remember that far
back (retrospective note). $28 10/96
90 Sori Paitin
Can’t really say much because I had it with a girl who ended up drinking most
of it before I could get a second glass. Like the very hungry
caterpillar, she also drank half a bottle of cheap Rioja, which she
adamantly declared better than the Barbaresco. Who’s Sori now? $22 4/97
90 Produttori del
Barbaresco
It was very good and remained so at 2 days. $18 1/22/97
(2) I report the same story. 1/98
(3) Fruit explosion on the palate. Seems so young even at 10 yrs old. One could
try to find complexity here. For example, there was the moment where I detected
the essence of one blueberry. But you should probably just enjoy the fruit and
get the haut stuff in more
expensive nebs. Now, I’ve never been part of the “I always mention something
about the structure, but that’s just to conceal my ongoing addiction to forward
fruit” camp. But what about this fruit! This fruit is great for $17. 1/00
90 Produttori del Barbaresco Moccaggata
We had this with the 90 Capezzana carmignano.
We decided it came on with much more force showing a great, fruity nose and
strong finish. It had neither the complexity or elegance of the carmignano at
this early stage of its development. I’ll keep you informed as to how these PDB
‘single vinyards’ evolve. $25 11/97
90 Produttori del Barbaresco Pora
Wall of tannin. Fruit bomb. Maybe I’m detecting early signs of a new layer of
complexity. That or I’m deluding myself. Nonetheless, way too early to drink. A
crime? No, but it will surely improve another 5-10 years. $25 2/99
(2) Too young versus just interminably out of balance, which
would suck considering I have several remaining. Will try again in 3-5 years.
$25 (96). 5/00
(3) Great nebbiolo flavor. It’s been too long since I’ve had this great flavor.
Slightly too dry, but decent structure overall. Might improve over next 5
years. 7/02
(3) Strong, beastly, not showing any signs of fading. Also not showing any
normal flavor! It’s clearly Nebbiolo. It’s just not as good as I remember it.
4/05
(4) This time it seems like better flavor, but still overly
tannic. Definitely a lot of good fruit
here. Not sure if the fruit will last as
long as these tannins. 8/05
90 Produttori del Barbaresco Ovello
A tannic bomb waiting to evolve. Chernobyl?
Honestly, I’m not good enough to know. But there’s certainly no point in
drinking any more of these for another 5 years. $25 (96) 10/00
(2) Same as
previous. It’s like time has stood still for this wine. Lots of fruit,
astringent tannins. +/- worth the price/effort. 1/06
(3) Still somewhat out of balance and I doubt that will ever
change. But listen. There is rockin’ Nebbiolo in here. So shut up. 1/07
90 Produttori del Barbaresco Montestefano
Solid fruit. Good flavor. Way too dry for the hype. Age may have helped these
brutes become a little more approachable, but they’re still quite gnarly. I
might say worth $24 just for the solid neb flavor. 9/01
00 Farina Barbaresco
All power. Strong. Too young but good taste. Worth all of
$25. 2/05
01 Albino Rocca
Barbaresco Vigneto Brich Ronchi
Wall of tannin—but not just a wall of tannin, but an
incredibly astringent, ten-foot thick, impenetrable sheet of—I don’t even
remember the last time I met tannins like this. There is fruit. Plenty of it,
but right now, the two are on separate planets. And for $50, I’m not sure
there’s enough evidence they’ll ever come together. I cannot buy more at that
price when there are sure things, like so many other 01s for just a few dollars more. Between us,
the truth is, these tannins will outlast the fruit by > 5 yrs. 12/05
“The
2001 Barbaresco Brich Ronchi features a complex nose with incense and chocolate
mingled with notes of roses and anise, a rich, deep palate whose size and
weight are balanced by much velvet and very supple tannins. Drink: 2005-2018.”
– Daniel Thomases
Okay,
what was he smoking? He’s right about the nose. It did start to develop a
fairly interesting nose > 1 hr after opening. I forgot about that.
“Fabulous aromas of crushed blackberries and
strawberries follow through to a full-bodied palate, with soft and velvety
tannins and a fresh finish. Very aromatic red. Best after 2007. 1,620 cases
made.” WS92
Barbera
96 G. Mascarello
Nice, lots of glycerol, medium fruit, short finish. An Italian beaujolais.
Funny taste last experienced with cheap 96 bourgogne (I don’t know the word for it). At
least it’s not too harsh like some low-end Italian reds. Day 2, still holding
up. Drink now - 2004 A.D., or not, I don’t care. $14 4/99
(2) Same as other one? Maybe a little better.
96 Pavia
et Figli La Marescialla (barbera d’asti)
A bit clumsy but loaded with fruit. The Tek 9 of Italian
wine. Best under $20 wine since the 90 PdB Barbaresco. Give it 3-6 years. $15
5/99
96 Rivetti Barbera Gallina
Flavorful but only worth $21 probably. Slightly out of balance, dry. Would say
drink within next 2-3 yrs. $27 3/02
Dolcetto
D’Alba
94 Aldo Conterno
It had a nice, simple and very accessible flavor. Overall, it was worth $16
even though it was pretty tame compared to the big nebbiolos. Good for serving
people who are also tame compared to the big nebbiolos. 4/97
90 Ceretto
Standard Italian table wine. Maybe overpriced at $16. 12/96
Other
Piedmont
96 Produttori del
Barbaresco - Nebbiolo
Concentrated. You can almost see the tannins in this murky wine. I think I just
saw a small catfish swim by as well. Alcoholic nose. Good $11 plonk.
Unfortunately it was $12. Requires food for safe drinking. 3/99
96 Kye Freisa G.D. Vajra VV (Nebbiolo di Langhe)
I had no idea when to open this one, so that generally means
right now. There’s lots of good flavor here, just not much fat. It’s too tannic now and needs another 5
years at least, but with air, it becomes rather expansive on the palate like a
mini-barolo (not to sound like your local wine retailer). Might be worth $20.
10/99
(2) Still plenty of neb flavor but fairly imbalanced. Dry.
Oh well. Maybe worth $20, I guess. 2/05
96 Rivetti La Spinetta
Pin
Pretty good concentration of fruit. Very Bordeaux-style, in
my opinion. Still tight and backward. But opens up > 30-60 mins. Should clearly
improve over next 5-10 years. Very
promising. $30 1/06
“About
200 cases were made of the 1996 Pin (89+), a proprietary red wine blend of 50%
Nebbiolo, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 25% Barbera. The color is a saturated
black/purple, and the wine tannic and backward, made in a Medoc-like style.
Although rich, it was closed, and revealing too much oak to merit an
outstanding score (it was brought up in 100% new oak casks).” – Robert Parker
03 Paolo Scavino
Rosso
Feel good wine of the year.
Light-bodied but good fruit flavor. Worth $19 at least. Perhaps reports
of the death of good, cheap Italian red were premature. $16 5/05
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