I usually find youngish (under 20 years for Barolo) tastes/shows best in the days following the initial opening. But, I usually clean and aerate such wines, as I don’t think slow ox does anything aeration-wise that the cleaning didn’t do.
Still trying to figure out the “best” method…or the one I use…and open aeration is where I am now. But…open-minded, too.
If the idea is that all of the progression comes from that initial decant—I unfortunately can’t answer that without testing. What I will say, is that the leftovers from these wines on the second day were almost all gorgeous. Some of them showed oxidation. The 2000 Sandrone that was pop and pour was actually the worst of the bunch on the second day, but that may be the vintage more than the wine.
This is fabulous. Thanks for posting. While I’ve been drinking and collecting wine for years, I’m a rather newbie to Barolo. We just got back from there this weekend, and we are officially hooked. We had the opportunity to taste with Roberto Conterno and his wines are just absolutely stunning. The 11s out of barrel were looking fabulous and the to be released 08 Monfortino as well. If you guys ever need 2 people to fill some spots, my wife and I would love to join. Thanks again for the notes.
My tasting notes are single-blind. That is, I knew which wines were in each flight before the flight was poured, but did not know which wine was which.
1997 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia- Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double decanted at 11am.] Dirty, earthy nose, but not unappealing. Very tannic in the mouth with rich black fruit. Complex and long. Hinting at greatness, but something isn’t quite right. Others thought it might have been corked. I did not. 92 points, but may not be representative of this wine.
I brought the 97 CF to this tasting. I bought it in 2008 from a good source, and it has shared a case since then with the 96 CF that we tasted this evening. The cork for the 96 was perfect. The cork for the 97 was dry on top and broke apart as I tried to open the bottle. I did not think it was over the hill at all, but I did think it was off in some way. I don’t recall ever having this wine before from any source, so I can’t say whether this bottle was representative of any other. I do hope to pop another bottle of the 97 CF from the same box soon. (92 pts.)
2000 Luciano Sandrone Barolo Cannubi Boschis- Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Pop and pour, which may not have been a good choice.] No nose. Thick, sweet, and gunky in the mouth. Very young and simple. (88 pts.)
1998
1998 Luciano Sandrone Barolo Le Vigne- Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double decanted at 4pm.] Tart, tannic, sweet black fruit and licorice. Restrained, but very appealing. Very good structure with a long life still ahead. I guessed this to be the CF! (94 pts.)
1998 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia- Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double decanted at 4pm.] Smokey dark fruit in the nose. Smooth and sweet in the mouth. Nice structure. I thought this was the CB. (93 pts.)
1998 Luciano Sandrone Barolo Cannubi Boschis- Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double decanted at 4pm.] The most backward of these 3. Muted nose. Ripe, sweet and sour cherries. Needs time. I thought it was the Le Vigne since it showed little complexity. May improve significantly with time. 90-?? (90 pts.)
1999
1999 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino- Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Opened at 1pm. Double decanted at 5pm.] Powerful nose of intense ripe fruit. Incredibly rich in the mouth with great tannic structure but loads of balancing intense fruit. Clearly the WOTN for me, and I think everyone else. Stunning. I was sure this was the Monfortino, until I tasting the CF which was so backward, I thought maybe it was the Monfortino, but surprisingly, the Monfortino is just more forward and open at this time. Worth all its accolades, and maybe even its price! 99-100 points. (99 pts.)
1999 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia- Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Opened at 1pm. Double decanted at 5pm.] No nose. Hugely tannic. So backward and shut down. Thick and juicy, but so tight. Needs a lot of time or a lot of air. Hard to say how terrific it might eventually be, though a bottle tasted last year was open and incredibly good. 93-?? (93 pts.)
1999 Luciano Sandrone Barolo Le Vigne- Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double decanted at 2:30pm.] Jammy red fruit nose is also floral and fragrant. Big complex rip and luscious. Easy to pick this out at the one Sandrone in the flight. Young, but drinking beautifully tonight. (94 pts.)
1996
1996 Luciano Sandrone Barolo Cannubi Boschis- Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double decanted at 8:30am.] Nose of stewed black fruit, roast beef, and olives. Thick, silky, tannic. Young but great. I thought this might be the Monfortino because the 2nd wine was so obviously the CF and the last one couldn’t possibly be a sound Monfortino. Still, on its own merits, this is a terrific bottle of wine. (96 pts.)
1996 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia- Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double decanted at 11am.] Muted nose of dark black fruits and subtle spice. Rich, ripe, and tannic in the mouth. Long, complex, wonderful black fruit finish. Needs time, but a great wine. 95-?? (95 pts.)
1996 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino- Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double decanted at 2:30pm.] Candied and ripe sweet fruit. Some tannin, but no structure. I was shocked when this was revealed as Monfortino. It was either a bad bottle or in a very weird phase. NR
1985 and 1990
1985 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia- Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double decanted at 2:30pm.] Gorgeous, fully mature, but no sign of decline. This was a great way to start the last flight because it showed where the rest are headed. Nose of mulch and red fruit. Long, riveting finish. Complex. From the maturity, it was obvious this was the 85 CF. This will certainly hold for a decade or more, but I see no reason to wait now. If you got it, let it rip. An absolute joy to drink. (96 pts.)
1990 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia- Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double decanted at 9am.] Gorgeous licorice and black fruit nose. Thick and silky in the mouth. Complex. Doesn’t have the tertiary development of the 85, but it is just stunning. Another great wine. If you only have a bottle or two, I would hold another 5 years. (97 pts.)
1990 Luciano Sandrone Barolo Cannubi Boschis- Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[Double decanted at 2:30pm.] Medicinal and withholding at first. Opening more with time. A very good and tasty wine, but disappointing given the reputation of this wine. I now see that I had this 5 years ago, found it a little weird and gave it the same score. (93 pts.)
Dessert
1998 Château Coutet- France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac
[Pop and pour.] Delicious, honeyed, sweet. Classic Sauternes. A bit simple at this point. (91 pts.)
2001 Paolo Bea Sagrantino di Montefalco Passito- Italy, Umbria, Montefalco, Sagrantino di Montefalco
Complex and fascinating. If I hadn’t drunk so much so far, I would have liked to spend more time with this. Only mildly sweet. Very good with chocolate biscotti. (94 pts.)
I’ve done a Sandrone vertical, but not compared to Conterno. You allude to it in the 1998 flight, but can you comment if you were able to guess the producer with any accuracy?
Thanks for the notes. I have a few of the Sandones you posted on and I have been wondering whether to open them. There have been some bad notes on the Sandrones
and I’m glad to see they are doing well.
I addmit that I’ve found myself looking at some of these Sandrones since our tasting. The day may come that I’m adding some to my cellar. This was a great idea for a tasting, and happy to be part of a group thats able to shift gears like this.