I recently found a few of these bottles in apparently well-cared condition, and given a recently quite positive experience with the 96 Crichet Paje Barbaresco and my anticipation about the future prospects of 03 and 04 Rionda, I decided to purchase. In response to an email, Luca Roagna was kind enough to advise 2-3 hours opening time before dinner but no decanting. I followed his advice strictly, my initial reaction was very positive, nicely elevated alcohol and sweet rich nebbiolo fruit. Over the next 2 hours, the wine became somewhat brown and seemed to be tired, surprisngly advanced…
By the time we poured with dinner, after about 3.5 hours being opened, the wine reconstituted itself brilliantly. The color became richer and more ruby toned and the aromas were sensational – warm earth, truffles, a range of baking spices, plums, occasional scents of red fruit, and a touch of menthol. All very sweet and well integrated. Lively acid and a beautiful touch of elevated alcohol. This wine is showing brilliantly now, layers of sweet rich fruit and lots of complexity, indeed at a level that could easily have been from a more vaunted vintage. This was a simply wonderful example of maturing Barolo… seemed to have a distinctly Serralunga feel but I know the vineyards are in Castiglione…