1999 Luciano Sandrone Barbera d’Alba- Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Barbera d’Alba (9/28/2014)
Are you kidding me? This is fantastic stuff. Fragrant, and still very primary nose of roses, red cherries, and plums. Perhaps this does come off a bit high-toned though. The palate hasn’t lost its freshness either, with the same lively fruit (albeit with some stewed character). Soft tannins. Nonetheless, served chilled, this is refreshing and downright delicious. No deterioration at all on the second day, with perhaps even some improvement – the high-toned acidity is gone, and there’s a slight bit of earthiness that now emerges. (90 pts.)
I’m finding that modern renditions of mid-late nineties Barbera is pretty amazing right now. I had a '99 Clerico Tre Vigne that was out of this world good. If only we knew then.
I had a 30+ year old Barbera in Rome a few years ago. I ordered it off a list because it was such a curiosity. The sommelier tossed out the first bottle before it ever made it to the table but the second bottle was wonderful. The restaurant had bought an old cellar. There was plenty of fruit, a silky texture and a very nice, earhty/mushroom undertone.
My eyes were first opened to the ageability of Barbera when I had an '88 a few months ago. The fruit has the uncanny ability to stick around, even after decades of aging.
