This year Nebbiolo Prima began with the 2008 Roero, followed by the 2008 Barbaresco and the 2007 Barolo; there were also a few Barbaresco Riservas, and on the last day a number of 2005 Barolo Riserva wines. The afternoons were structured somewhat differently, with Monday afternoon dedicated to the 2001 vintage, a retrospective if you will, Tuesday and Thursday dedicated to winery visits and tastings, Wednesday free (and I did take advantage of that), and Friday an optional visit to Diano and Dogliani to taste Dolcetto di Diano and Dolcetto di Dogliani/Dogliani.
A full week, but both pleasant and profitable, and I learned quite a bit during the afternoon sessions, while the mornings were profitable as always.
To begin, a couple of words on the vintage.
With Barolo we had the 2007 vintage, which is more approachable than the 2006 we tasted last year, with many of the wines richer, more opulent, and readier to drink. This said, as vintages go it's not as good as the 2006, and though the bottles will work better in the short term (3-5 years and perhaps a little longer) the 2006 has, I think, much better potential for long-term ageing. This is not a bad thing; I found many 2007 wines that will be quite pleasant with foods (not as much in the way of meditation wines), and vintages that mature sooner are necessary, because they give us something to enjoy while we await the vintages that need time.
Looking specifically at Serralunga, while it is the Comune known for producing the most powerful, long-lived Barolo, I have found it to be the most temperamental too, demanding perfect weather during the vintage, and if that is not forthcoming, being a bit more difficult than some of the other Comuni. 2007 did have its off moments, and they emerge in some -- certainly not all -- of the wines from Serralunga. But enough that you should choose with care.
A final practical point: I took a terrific volume of notes in the course of the five days of Nebbiolo Prima. To put everything up at once would be unthinkable, and putting up all of the Barolo notes together would be awkward. So I will be posting Roero, Barbaresco, and then Barolo by Comune, in the space of several posts. The wines are listed in the order they were poured, which within the Communes is by vineyard. Therefore if a winery has more than one vineyard, its wines will be separate.
Enough Talk! The Wines:
Pio Cesare Barolo DOCG 2007
Deep almandine with black reflections and almandine rim. The bouquet is fairly rich, with cedar laced sweetish berry fruit supported by spice and some peppery acidity. On the palate it's fairly direct, with full slightly sweet dusky berry fruit supported by tannins that have a savory splintery burr and by moderate rather bitter acidity that flows into a fairly bright tannic finish. It's quite approachable in a direct key, and will drink well with grilled meats or steaks.
1 star
Gemma Barolo DOCG 2007
Almandine with black reflections and almandine rim. The bouquet is moderately intense, with peppery spice and sea salt mingled with some cedar; it has an airiness to it, and not much fruit. On the palate it's fairly intense, with moderate tour cherry fruit supported by ample rather peppery tannins and moderate berry fruit acidity that flow into a fairly long sour cherry finish with greenish accents and a tannic underpinning. It's powerful in a fairly direct key, and the palate is ahead of the nose, which needs another year to come together.
2 stars
Fontanafredda Serralunga D'Alba Barolo DOCG 2007
Deep black almandine with black reflections and almandine rim. The bouquet is full, with moderately intense berry fruit that has some candied accents and is supported by mentholated spice and moderate acidity, Quite young. On the palate it's ample, with moderate fruit supported by dusky graphite laced bitterness and by tannins that are smooth and flow into a rather mineral finish with some graphite shaving bitterness. I'd have liked more richness to the fruit on the palate, which fades too quickly to the minerality of the finish. This is in part youth, because the wine is still developing, but it's also the wine.
1 star
Cascina Luisin Leon Barolo DOCG 2007
Deep black almandine with black reflections and almandine rim. The bouquet is powerful, with jammy berry fruit notes supported by peppery spice and some gum Arabic. On the palate it's bright, with warm sour berry fruit supported by dusky savory tannins and slight balsamic accents, which flow into a fairly long warm savory berry fruit finish. It's quite young, but shows a certain promise, and I would give it a year or two before I thought about drinking it, expecting it to age well for a decade thereafter. It grew upon me.
2 stars
Azienda Agricola Nada Giuseppe Barolo DOCG 2007
Fairly deep black almandine with black reflections and almandine rim. The bouquet is moderately intense and mineral with some smoke, but not much fruit; there are hints of cocoa and cold coffee however. On the palate it's brighter than the nose suggests, though rather languid, with fairly rich cherry fruit supported by sour cherry raspberry acidity, and by tannins that are smooth and rather dry, flowing into a clean dry tannic finish. There's a sinuosity to it -- soft richness of fruit and tannin -- which isn't standard for Barolo but is fairly typical of this vintage, and makes it quite approachable even in youth. It will drink well with grilled meats or roasts now, and will also age nicely for a decade or more.
2 stars
Villadoria S.A.S. Barolo DOCG 2007
Deep black almandine with black reflections and almandine rim. The bouquet is fairly intense, with spice and cedar and some gum Arabic, but not much fruit. On the palate it's ample and rather languid, with again moderate fruit, and to a greater degree minerality supported by mineral acidity and some tannins. There's simply not much there; I'd have expected more fruit and more acidity but both are delinquent.
1 star
Giovanni Rosso Serralunga Barolo DOCG 2007
Deep black almandine with black reflections and almandine rim paling to orange. The bouquet is powerful, with some jammy berry-plum fruit accents and quite a bit of cedar supported by intense alcohol and some nose tingling spice. On the palate it's ample and spicy, with moderately intense savory berry fruit supported by warm savory tannins that flow into a fairly long salty finish with lasting warmth. It's pleasant in a slightly understated key; I'd have liked a little more richness to the fruit, but it will drink well with grilled meats or roasts.
2 stars
Azienda Agricola Guido Porro Vigna Santa Caterina Barolo DOCG 2007
Almandine with black reflections and almandine rim paling to orange. The bouquet is intense, with delicate rosa canina supported by savory notes, slight leaf tobacco, and deft berry fruit; it's quite young but has a graceful air of power to it. On the palate it's full, with fairly rich cherry fruit supported by slight sweetness and peppery spice more than acidity, and by tannins that have a warm burr and flow into a fairly long tannic finish. It's more ahead on the nose than the palate, which needs a couple of years to settle and digest the tannins; it will be worth waiting for, I think.
2 stars
Fontanafredda Vigna La Rosa Barolo DOCG 2007
Deep black almandine with black reflections and almandine rim. The bouquet is fairly intense, with wood smoke and peppery spice with some penetrating acidity, but not much fruit; rather there are hints of leaf tobacco. On the palate it's fairly rich and quite smooth, with moderately intense dusky sour berry fruit that has some graphite shaving bitterness to it, and is supported by moderate berry fruit acidity and by tannins that are fairly smooth, though they do display a slight savory burr, and flow into a clean savory berry fruit finish with lasting warmth. Pleasant in a middle of the road key; it needs a year to come together and will then age well for at least a decade, perhaps more.
2 stars
Azienda Agricola Guido Porro Vigna Lazzairasco Barolo DOCG 2007
Almandine with brownish black reflections and almandine rim. The bouquet is fairly intense, with spicy wet leaves and some smoke with underlying sea salt. Not much fruit. On the palate it's fairly bright, with moderately intense berry fruit supported by minerality and cedar-laced tannins that flow into a moderately long mineral finish with a strong tannic underpinning. I'd have liked greater richness to the fruit, which is too quick to surrender guidance to the tannins.
1 star
Rivetto Dal Comune di Serralunga D'Alba Barolo DOCG 2007
Deep black almandine with black reflections and almandine rim. The bouquet is elegant and rather ripe, with fairly rich slightly jammy cherry plum fruit supported by deft spice, and some hints of leaf tobacco, with slight cedar as well. On the palate it's pleasant, with rich cherry plum fruit supported by moderately intense mineral acidity and by tannins that are smooth and sweet, with a slight cedary overlay that has yet to fold in. It's quite elegant in an international key, but needs another year at least for the tannins to smooth over and fold in. If you like the style you'll enjoy it.
2 stars
Azienda Vinicola Palladino Serralunga Barolo DOCG 2007
Almandine with brownish black reflections and almandine rim paling to white. The bouquet is decidedly old style, with warm balsamic accents and balsamic acidity laced with some sour berry fruit and underlying leaf tobacco and sea salt. On the palate it's bright, with lively slightly leathery cherry fruit supported by balsamic acidity and tannins that start smooth but become quite splintery in the finish. It's pleasant in a frankly traditional key, but needs at least a couple of years for the tannins to get their bearings and begin to fold in; it will likely always be fairly tannic, aging well for a great many years. If you like the style you will enjoy it, but you have to like the style.
2 stars
Cascina Cucco Cerrati Vigna Cucco Barolo DOCG 2007
Deep black almandine with black reflections and almandine rim. The bouquet is muted, though swishing brings up some scalded milk and slight milky acidity; as it opens some cedar and dusky spicy notes also emerge as does slight tartness. On the palate it's ample, with jammy cherry plum fruit supported by moderately intense plum acidity, and by tannins that have a peppery cedar laced burr and flow into a decidedly tannic finish. Considerable extraction, ripeness, and a lot of oak; it needs at least a year for the tannins to settle in, at which point it will be ample in a ripe key, and is a wine you should only consider if you like this style. If you prefer brighter wines with more acidity and tighter tannins it won't work for you.
1 star
Gemma Colarej Barolo DOCG 2007
Deep almandine with black reflections and almandine rim paling to orange. The bouquet is fairly rich, with smoky balsamic accents and warmth mingled with some sea salt and a certain airiness. On the palate it's bright, with lively sour cherry fruit supported by berry fruit acidity and by tannins that have a warm savory balsamic burr and flow into a fairly tannic finish. It's pleasant in a traditional key, but needs a couple of years to get its bearings; if you like the style you will enjoy it very much, and even if you are of more modernist tendencies, you will find things to think about as it ages. And it should age well, because it's quite vigorous.
2 stars
Bruna Grimaldi Badarina Barolo DOCG 2007
Deep almandine with black reflections and almandine rim. The bouquet is moderately intense, with sour red berry fruit supported by some savory notes and slight greenish accents, and as it opens wet leaves and hints of leaf tobacco. On the palate it's full, with fairly powerful red berry fruit supported by mineral acidity and tannins that are powerful and have a graphite shaving bitter underpinning and flow into a fairly long peppery tannic finish. Quite powerful and quite young; it needs a couple of years to get its bearings, and will then age well for many years, revolving more about power than finesse, In short, it will be a good choice with a porterhouse steak, which may be more Tuscan in the Italian panorama (think of the bistecca alla fiorentina), but is still very nice.
2 stars
Ascheri Sorano Barolo DOCG 2007
Deep almandine with black reflections and almandine rim. The bouquet is peppery, with quite a bit of spice and some underlying cedar, and also some fairly ripe berry fruit. On the palate it's full, with bright rather spicy sour cherry fruit supported by deft berry fruit acidity and considerable warmth, while the tannins are fairly rich, and have a cedary burr that flows into a long sour cherry finish with a deft peppery tannic underpinning. The nose needs a year to catch up with the palate, which is also young, and it will develop nicely in time in a bright middle of the road key; I would expect it to age well for a decade or more.
2 stars
Ascheri Sorano Coste e Bricco Barolo DOCG 2007
Deep almandine with black reflections and almandine rim paling to orange. The bouquet is muted, of the lights out and shutters closed variety, swishing more brings up slight spice and some alcohol. On the palate it's full, with fairly bright decidedly mineral fruit that has some bitter graphite accents and is supported by tannins that display a considerable cedar laced burr, which carries through into the finish where some cold coffee also emerges. The structure is more powerful than the fruit, and overshadows it.
1 star
Azienda Agricola Brovia Cà Mia Barolo DOCG 2007
Deep almandine with black reflections and almandine rim. The bouquet is fairly intense, with quite a bit of alcohol and some spice, and also some underlying red berry fruit. Quite young and still coming together. On the palate it's bright, with fairly rich sour cherry fruit supported by fairly bright berry fruit acidity and slightly greenish tannins that have a savory cedar laced overlay, and flow into a savory berry fruit laced finish. It's fairly direct, though this is in part youth, and also rather vigorous, and should clean up nicely in the space of a year or two, in a middle of the road key.
2 stars
Pio Cesare Ornato Barolo DOCG 2007
Deep black almandine with black reflections and almandine rim. The bouquet is quite oaky, with a great rush of greenish cedar and some spice mingled with scalded milk and alcohol. Squalling. On the palate it's equally oaky, with greenish cedar that completely blankets everything, and flows into a long cedar laced finish with tongue-tying tannins. A barrel stuffed into a bottle, and once it's in there that deep it won't come out.
1 star
Gigi Rosso Airone Barolo DOCG 2007
Deep almandine with black reflections and almandine rim. The bouquet is muted, though swishing brings up some graphite shaving bitterness and some penetrating mineral spice. On the palate it's considerably more along, with moderately intense berry fruit supported by mineral acidity and some graphite shaving bitterness, and ample smooth tannins that flow into a fairly quick tannic finish. It's a touch short; the fruit is quicker than I might have liked about handing things over to the tannins, but they do stay with us. This said, it needs time, at least a year for the nose to develop, and has a long future thereafter. Expect it to do interesting things in a traditional key.
2 stars
Paolo Manzone Serralunga Barolo DOCG 2007
Almandine with black reflections and almandine rim paling to orange. The bouquet is intense and a bit odd, with warm sour berry fruit supported by, well, sweaty red head, with some sea salt as well. It's likely a phase, as I have never smelled this in a Barolo previously, and as the wine opens it does shift some towards leaf tobacco and leather. On the palate it's bright, with rich sour cherry fruit supported by savory minerality and tannins that are ample and sweet on the outset, but become dry in the finish, which is moderately long and settles into lasting warmth. It needs at least a year to develop, and two would be better, by which time it would be middle of the road in key, and age well for many years.
2 stars
Paolo Manzone Meirame Barolo DOCG 2007
Deep almandine with black reflections and almandine rim paling to orange. The bouquet is spicy with some peppery accents and fairly intense nose tingling acidity, but not much in the way of fruit. On the palate it's rather languid, with cherry plum fruit supported more by minerality than acidity, and by tannins that are ample and rather blocky, and flow into a dry slightly greenish tannic finish. It's very much up in the air, and frankly too young to judge, because it could come down several ways.
Germano Ettore Cerretta Barolo DOCG 2007
Almandine with black reflections and almandine rim. The bouquet is fairly rich, with moderate fruit laced with hardwood ash and penetrating acidity that at present overshadow the fruit, and by some minerality and alcohol. On the palate it's brighter than the nose suggested on the outset, with berry fruit that quickly surrenders to an angry rush of cedar laced tannins that become peppery in the finish, while there's more (slight) minerality than acidity to provide direction, and the finish has some warmth. Too much oak for me; it overshadows the fruit.
1 star
Giovanni Rosso Barolo DOCG 2007
Deep black almandine with black reflections and almandine rim. The bouquet is fairly intense, with jammy berry fruit supported by sweetness and slight menthol, and by slight greenish cedar; it's very young, but has opened nicely. On the palate it's full and fairly rich on the outset, with bright cherry fruit that quickly gives way to considerable warmth and tannins that have a warm savory balsamic overlay and flow into a long warm tannic finish. It's very young in a fairly traditional key, and needs time, at least a couple of years, for the tannins to begin to fall into place, assuming they do, because they are rather hard. If they do it will be long lived in a fairly traditional key, and be a wine to drink more with hearty red meats, which will benefit from the palate cleaning action of the tannins, than by itself.
2 stars
Palladino Azienda Vinicola Parafada Barolo DOCG 2007
Almandine with black reflections and almandine rim paling to orange. The bouquet is fairly intense, in a traditional key, with warm balsamic acidity and some greenish savory accents. Quite intense. On the palate it's ample, with fairly bright sour berry fruit supported by balsamic acidity and savory tannins that flow into a long savory quite tannic finish. It's quite young, and needs a couple of years for the tannins to smooth and blend into the wine; if you are traditionally minded you will enjoy it, but if your tastes run more towards ripe fruit it won't work as well for you. Expect it to be quite long lived.
2 stars
Massolino Parafada Barolo DOCG 2007
Deep almandine with black reflections and almandine rim. The bouquet is moderately intense and greenish, with pleasant savory accents and some sour berry fruit with slight scalded milk; it's still coming together. On the palate it's bright, with lively sour cherry fruit supported by berry fruit acidity and by tannins that are splintery, and flow into a warm rather dry tannic finish. It's still very young, with the tannins in the angry squalling stage; it needs a couple of years, by which point it will be bright in a middle of the road key, and age well for a decade at least thereafter.
2 stars
Mirafiore Lazzarito Barolo DOCG 2007
A note: This is Fontanafredda's top-of-the-line.
Deep black almandine with black reflections and almandine rim. The bouquet is intense, and smoky, with a fair amount of alcohol as well, and bright berry fruit supported by considerable sea salt. On the palate it's ample, and a bit riper than I expected, with cherry plum fruit supported by moderately intense mineral acidity and by tannins that are ample and rather splintery, and flow into a warm fairly rich sour berry fruit finish with a splintery tannic underpinning. It's a child, and needs another couple of years to come together and develop; it will be slightly towards the more modern key thanks to the ripeness of the fruit, and will age well for a decade or more.
2 stars
Vietti Lazzaritto Barolo DOCG 2007
Deep almandine with black reflection sand almandine rim. The bouquet is fairly intense, and somewhat smoky, with hints of gum Arabic and quite a bit of alcohol too; there are also savory accents, but there's not much fruit. On the palate it's a bit riper than the nose suggests, with moderately intense rather mineral plum fruit supported more by minerality than acidity, and by tannins that flow into a rather mineral finish that gradually settles. I'd have liked more richness and acidity to the fruit, which is a bit too settled, and will only settle further with time.
1 star
Pira Luigi Margheria Barolo DOCG 2007
Deep almandine with black reflections and almandine rim. The bouquet is fairly closed, with some mineral accents and slight cedar with some alcohol as well, but not much fruit at present. On the palate it's full, and quite mineral, with minerality more than fruit supported by tannins that are rather splintery, and flow into a rather tannic mineral finish with a distinctly splintery burr. There's not as much fruit as I might like; minerality can be interesting, but as a supporting actor in Barolo, not a protagonist.
1 star
Caretto Bricco Rocche Prapò Barolo DOCG 2007
Deep almandine with black reflections and almandine rim. The bouquet is powerful, and rather penetrating, with metallic notes that fade with swishing to reveal musty dried orange peel and some berry fruit with some underlying spice; the wood isn't quite as clean as it could have been. On the palate it's spicy, with moderately intense plum fruit supported by minerality and tannins that have a considerable peppery burr and flow into a fierily long plum laced finish with peppery tannic underpinning and some minerality. I'd have liked more cleanliness to the nose.
1 star
Germano Ettore Prapò Barolo DOCG 2007
Deep almandine with black reflections and almandine rim. The bouquet is fairly intense, with spicy berry fruit supported by some bell pepper jam and a certain sunniness; it's quite fresh and there are also savory accents that provide increased depth. On the palate it's bright, with lively sour cherry fruit that has slight plum accents and is supported by bright berry fruit acidity with some sea salt, and flows into a clean bright berry fruit finish with tannic underpinning that has some vegetal accents too. It's rather cheeky, the first Barolo of the day I might say that of; it will age nicely in a bright middle of the road key, and though one could drink it with a steak now I would give it at least a couple of years.
2 stars
We Finish up with a few 2005 Barolo Riserva wines: There were too many for me to taste them all in the time allotted, so I selected, skimming the list.
2005 was a vintage I didh't particularly like when it was released -- the vintage was cool and wet, with problems in ripening, and the basic Barolo reflected this -- but as is often the case with Riserva wines, the more careful selection in the vineyard had a quite positive impact upon the wines, in the order tasted:
Elvio Cogno Vigna Elena Barolo Riserva DOCG 2005 Deep almandine with black reflections and almandine rim. The bouquet is elegant, with some sour berry fruit supported by savory notes and slight leaf tobacco, and hints of rosa canina as well; it's quite young but shows considerable depth and promise. On the palate it's again young, and full, with rich cherry fruit supported by fairly bright berry fruit acidity, and by tannins that have a warm peppery burr, and flow into a long rather savory finish with nice tannic underpinning and some sour berry fruit; I'm still typing and it's still continuing, fading into pepperiness. Beautiful, and just barely beginning to come into its own; one could drink it now with a roast or steak, but I would hold it another 3-5 years, and expect it to age well for perhaps 10 -- it's not the most ageworthy vintage, but this is a very fine expression of it, and if you like the style, which is fairly traditional, you will enjoy it very much. Even if you're modernist you'll find things to think about.
92-94
Castello di Verduno Monvigliero Barolo Riserva DOCG 2005
Deep almandine with black reflections and almandine rim paling to orange. The bouquet is intense, and quite fresh, with red berry fruit supported by barest hints of leaf tobacco and rosa canina, with some sour berry fruit acidity too, and moderate alcohol with greenish vegetal accents with hints of water-based tempera paints of the kind I used as a child. It seems younger than 2005. On the palate it's bright, with lively cherry fruit supported by tannins that have a dusky burr and flow into a fairly dry tannic finish with some savory underpinning and moderately intense berry fruit acidity. It's younger and more vigorous than some, with tannins that are still quite precocious and spicy, and need more time -- 3-5 years at least -- to begin to settle and come into their own. Fortunately the fruit is also bright and young, so they should have this time. It's a wine that revolves more around vigor than subtlety, and short of very long aging, is better suited to being served with succulent meats than to being meditated over.
2 stars
Marchesi di Barolo Barolo Riserva DOCG 2005
Deep black almandine with black reflections and almandine rim paling to orange. The bouquet is fairly intense, with red berry fruit supported by delicate cedar and some greenish vegetal notes, and as it opens some hints of berry fruit jam. Pleasing and graceful. On the palate it's full, with fairly rich cherry plum fruit supported by minerality and graphite shaving bitterness more than acidity, and by warmth, while the tannins are ample and smooth with some peppery accents, and flow into a fairly long savory finish with sour berry fruit and tannic underpinning. Pleasant in a vigorous key, and a wine to be drunk with foods in the short term because there is a greenish cedar-laced warmth to the tannins that will match perfectly with rich red meats along the lines of roasted leg of lamb, while it should also smooth nicely with time, though I think the greenish vegetal notes (which can occur in Nebbiolo, especially in cooler vintages) will remain.
90-91
Cavallotto Tenuta Bricco Boschis Riserva Vignolo Barolo Riserva DOCG 2005
Deep black almandine with black reflections and almandine rim paling to orange. The bouquet is powerful and quite young, with greenish cedary accents and a fair amount of chalk laced supported by quite a bit of alcohol; it's a colossus emerging from the glass, and gives an impression of being rather rough hewn as of yet -- the finishing touches haven't been affixed, and in particular the fruit is still working on coming together. As it opens, however, some leaf tobacco and slight leather with bitter accents do emerge. On the palate it's a bit further along, with powerful dusky sour berry fruit supported by minerality and some acidity, and by tannins that have a strong dusky greenish burr, and flow into a long sour berry fruit finish with greenish tannic underpinning. It's a big wine, like a weightlifter who also practices ballet, but is also really not quite ready yet; the fruit that stands proudly in the palate needs to work its way into the nose, and I would give it another 2-3 years to do that. If you must drink it now, however, it will work well with succulent roasts. Stinco, veal shank, comes to mind.
2 stars
Cascina del Monastero Bricco Riund Barolo Riserva DOCG 2005
Deep black almandine with black reflections and almandine rim. The bouquet is powerful and enticing; you want more. Of red berry fruit supported by some leather and slight leaf tobacco that gains with intensity as the wine opens, and delicate spice with warmth and some alcohol, and hints of cedar as well. Quite fresh, though it is beginning to come into its own. On the palate it's ample and quite smooth, with rich cherry fruit supported by deft berry fruit acidity and by tannins that have some leaf tobacco accents, and dusky overtones, and flow into a long warm slightly sour berry fruit finish. The palate isn't quite as rich as the nose, but displays pleasing grace and considerable subtlety that's destined to increase with time -- at present the tannin are still folding in, and have slight cedary notes that will fade; it doesn't have the vibrancy of some of the others but will I think do interesting things with time, and be a wine to converse with.
88-90
Azienda Agricola Giacomo Fenocchio Bussia Barolo Riserva DOCG 2005
Deep almandine with black reflections and almandine rim paling to leathery orange. The bouquet is muted at first swish, though as it opens some berry fruit and minerality emerge and also greenish vegetal accents and some spice. It's like coaxing a cat from her hidey-hole; with more swishing the spice increases, while leaf tobacco mingled with green leather also emerge followed reluctantly by greenish accents and sea salt. Harmonious. On the palate it's full, with rich sour cherry and forest berry fruit supported by warm berry fruit acidity and by tannins that are ample and rather splintery, with some bitter accents, and flow into a clean greenish tannic finish that continues at length, gradually resolving into vegetal notes and some spice with tannic underpinning. It's very young, a toddler at best, and though you could drink it now with a roast or stew it will reward those who have patience because the potential is there in abundance; it will show considerably better in 3-5 years than it does now.
88-90
Massolino Vigna Rionda Barolo Riserva DOCG 2005
Deep almandine with black reflections and almandine rim. The bouquet is fairly intense, with some leaf tobacco and green leather mingled with berry fruit and spice; it's not completely closed but brings to mind a child peeping from around a corner; more swishing brings up some savory accents and slight truffles with some underbrush followed by hints of wood smoke and bitterness. On the palate it's full, and rich, with fairly bright mineral-laced berry fruit supported by sour mineral acidity and smooth sweet tannins that flow into a fairly long mineral finish with deft tannic underpinning from grapes. Quite elegant but really not ready; it needs another couple of years for everything to come together and will age nicely for a decade at least thereafter. By comparison with some of the others it is more mineral, and this is the expression of the land in a cooler wetter vintage.
90-91
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