Nebbiolo

The last Bruno Giacosa was one of the premier producers in Barolo.  Sadly, he passed away a couple years ago.  The top wines he made were given a red label and Riserva status.  This bottle is still youthful but it is drinking great.  Purple, ruby rim.  Still looks quite young.  Tight nose; cherries, slight tea leaves and dried roses.  A bit of tar.  Just the slightest bit of VA with air, which is good as it ends up bringing out the aromatics.  Delicious on the palate.  Tight layers of cherries, cherry candy, anise and earth.  Firm but manageable tannins.  Finish goes on forever.  Needs anot

This was pop and pour and it needed more air.  Of course very young, but still, this was excellent.  Ruby in color.  The nose has cherries, floral notes and slight tar.  On the palate, this is tannic.  Fresh acidity cuts across the tannins though revealing nice cherry fruit.  Showing some tight layering already. Great mouthfeel.  Of course, this begs for some hearty food.  Even more, another ten years in a good cellar should show some improvement.  

Deep ruby in color with brown tinges to it.  On the nose, this has nice cherries with a bit of tar/anise.  It has strong tannins on the palate.  Cherry fruit but a pretty strong green streak.  There is plenty of depth.  Good acidity.  This begs for food, both to calm the tannins and the green streak.  It is very good though and at $18, this is fairly priced.  It will be interesting to try the 2015 to compare.

Wow!  Incredible.  Opened, decanted and it was singing and drained quickly.  Ruby in color, just a bit of browning on the edges.  The nose is ethereal.  Cherries, dried cherries, slight tar, dried roses in an intoxicating perfume.  On the palate, this is just getting to maturity.  A wonderful texture that is velvety yet slick.  Each sip makes you want another one.  On the palate, this still has light tannins; just enough to grip.  Great acidity.  Layers of fruit, tar and earth.  Long finish.  Worked great with food.  No hurry as this has a couple of decades left, but no regrets about drinki

This is painfully young.  Great stuffing but really needs at least five more years and probably more.  For all the talk about modern styles of Barolo's and making them more accessible, even the average ones still need a decade or more.  This is ruby in color, clear and bright.  The nose is dusty with cherries, macerated cherries and dried roses.  On the palate, this has firm tannins.  Sour cherry fruit.  A very nice finish.  Plenty of upside on this wine and it is probably still out in the marketplace.  I am told it retails for around $50 which is a great price for a Barolo of this quality.

This was an off bottle.  It had been purchased via Acker-Merrill auction and probably at some point in its life, exposed to excessive heat.  Nevertheless, it was still enjoyable as a wine, even if not what it should have been.  Ruby in color.  The nose has cherries, brown sugar, dried cherries and raisins.  On the palate, this is a bit disjointed but has some nice cherry flavors.  Still has some light tannins.  Some alcohol showing.  Finishes with dried cherries.  Another example why provenance is so important.  No score is assigned.  

Ruby in color, purple swirls.  The nose is dusty with dried roses, some tar and cherries.  Classic and very nice.  On the palate, this is deep, complex and layered.  Layers of cherries, dried cherries, forest floor and tar.  It explodes ans it unwinds in the glass.  Still youthful as it closes in on maturity.  Long finish.  Great with a creamy pasta dish, and probably almost every other food as well.  This is one of the top Barolos out there and great in almost every vintage, but this vintage is right there again!

From Magnum.  Ruby in color, clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, slight dried cherries, some tar and roses.  Pretty classic actually.  On the palate, this has nice acidity.  Cherries, dried cherries tar and forest floor in tight layers that unwind in the glass.  Some mild tannins.  It was drinking just fine at this point and just to the younger side of mature.  Worked with with food.  No hurry but this does seem to be ageing a bit quicker than expected.  Of course, it is 11 years from vintage so not too quickly.  

This bottle was opened and decanted for a few hours.  Still young but really blossoming.  Ruby in color, clear and bright.  The nose is gorgeous with cherries, roses, slight tar and slight dried cherries.  On the palate, this has great cherry fruit.  Light tannins.  Layers of fruit, earth and dry forest floor.  Complex.  Long finish.  Good acidity.  Better with food.  This continued to improve for the 2 hours or so it was opened.  Still some upside but a great Barolo.  

This is really drinking quite well right now.  I had been told it might be past prime, but this bottle, bought on release and well cellared was about as good as one could expect.  Ruby in color.  Very pretty nose of cherries, tar, and slight roses.  On the palate, this has layers of fruit, dried fruit and earthy forest floor.  Great acidity.  Nice finish.  Worked perfectly at the dinner table.  No hurry on this but this is at or close to peak.