The menu is not up to me. These are wonderful wines, if not all from top vintages. In that regard, now might be a good time to drink them. And it might be far too soon.
But I can’t stop the slaughter, so I’m curious to know what your expectations would be for the following:
Chave 2001 Hermitage Rouge
G. Mascarello 2004 Monprivato
St. Cosme 2007 Gigondas Valbelle
1997 Quintarelli Alzero
2003 Rieussec Sauternes
I have thoughts to share, which I’ll hold for now. Cheers and thanks.
IMO,the drinking of the last 3 will be much more fulfilling than the infanticide of the 1st 2,especially for the Monprivato.
There’s nothing else to say after such a pithy posting of the truth.
Totally depends on the decanting or not. pop and pour? A closed down shade of the wines. Decanting for a few hours? A good hint of why the wines are great.
I don’t doubt this, but I maintain a stubborn optimism based on the fact that recent Berserker threads on the Monprivato include glowing praise rather than warnings of pain and gloom…
JM2C.
The Chave can show a lot if you give it some air. It obviously is not at peak yet, I find this vintage to be a bit more approachable in its youth. It will offer up a lot of fruit but little of the complexity that makes Chave great and worth the price IMO. It will show a seamless and excellent Syrah and in fact, be quite enjoyable.
The St. Cosme has more upfront fruit and ripeness. It could also use some air, but more to integrate rather than to open up. It is fun and delicious as well.
The Quintarelli should show a lot. I don’t have a lot of experience with this one, but it should be approaching maturity and should be great.
The Rieussec should be mature and ready to go. I am not a huge fan of this vintage finding it a bit flabby. Still, it should be nice.
I’ve had the Rieussec and I think Loren’s advice nails it. Not a deep thought wine but should be a crowd pleaser. Maybe pass a slice of lemon with it. 
In my experience any St. Cosme is ready to drink at any time, and always good.
I only had that Chave in a tasting several years ago, but I think it will drink okay now. My preference is to age them much longer, though. I think they start getting really interesting at 15-20 years, depending on the vintage. My best ones have been around 25 years.
I think the Chave should be drinking well, only showing slight hint of smoke meat, blood and olive with some blue fruits still. This is more of personal preference.
Best advice I’ve heard yet with regard to 2003 Rieussec ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
I think the Monprivato will be a stone cold waste. The typical Barolo opened too young will be fiercely tannic and astringent, but with a lot of air will reveal some of its character as long as you can handle the tannins and acid.
Mascarello Monprivato, however, is “too young” in a very different way than most other Barolo, just completely closed and simple and one-dimensional even though not overtly tannic and astringent. It tastes like you’re drinking a $10 wine. Maybe some long decant can coax some of its character out, but I doubt it would be worth it.
The other wines should be possible to enjoy at this age, maybe with some decanting.
Actually, there is. While Bill and I would generally agree on drinking Barolo too early, the 2004 Monprivato, with a reasonable amount of air and if served with well-paired food (that is a BIG “if” in this context, by the way), will deliver a lot of pleasure, albeit primary and less than the wine will deliver in the fullness of time. Not at all a “stone cold waste” nor classic infanticide. (The 2006, on the other hand, comes closer to that description, even though it proved not a total waste when paired with its native cuisine recently.) I invoke a higher authority for my statement: I had the good fortune to share the 2004 and 2005 Monprivati, along with the 2003 Morissio, with Mauro Mascarello at lunch at a nearby osteria last spring. Mauro, his wife and his oenologist were drinking the 2005 and 2003 Morissio, and he generously gave me and an Italian friend the remaining half-full bottles of each, while I ordered the 2004. He offered commentary on each of the three, and we all concluded that the 2004 was the least forthcoming of the three, but still making a decent showing of its considerable qualities. Chris, as you seem to be pointing out, Monprivato is rarely, if ever, fiercely tannic and astringent, and for that reason, it often drinks well (or well enough) young. The problem with popping most ageworthy wines when young is the high risk that the bottle could be shut down. That risk is certainly great with grand Nebbiolo. I tried both the 1996 Giacosa Barbaresco Asili Riserva and 1996 Barolo Falletto Riserva in the past few weeks, and they remain almost completely shut down after 16 years…
Bill’s comments are much more reflective of what I read from experienced tasters who have opened this Monprivato in the past year or so. I prefer the beauty of time with Barolo of this quality, to be clear. But I’m in need of a classic – read, not gloppy modern – bottle for this coming Friday. We can only go with the bullets in the chamber.
I suspect those who claim this wine will be an utter waste at this stage have not tasted it themselves at this young a stage, but certainly I agree that it would be better to hold for many years to come.
I’d ask Bill and others to jump into the new thread I’ve started with some ideas on what Barolo is available now for a fair price ($125, let’s say) and is drinking beautifully. Sadly, the market has made such an acquisition quite difficult.
I’ll defer to Bill, him having had the wine and with Mauro recently and all. I was just speaking generally to my few experiences over the years with young Monprivato – I find it a considerably bigger waste than other good Barolo opened too young.
I did open a 2000 Monprivato a few weeks ago, and it was excellent even though it has further upside ahead of it. Of course, 2000 is an earlier-maturing vintage than 2004 plus it’s four years older, but it did show very strongly at a tasting dinner full of A list Barolo.
I am moving closer to striking the '04 Monprivato and going with something more accessible. Patience is indeed a virtue.
I could open a G. Mascarello '01 Barolo Santo Stefano di Perno, but that’s the last of three bottles I’ve had and that wine could go a long time. Wonderful vintage.
I would enjoy drinking any of them now. Just as well there is no young Bordeaux in the line-up. Cheers Mike
Yes, I’d enjoy all of these I expect. Just guessing but for what it’s worth, Chave will likely be floral and a bit hard, the Barolo likely to be pretty closed, the Cosme open as the producer and vintage would suggest, the Quintarelli maybe in a good but still young spot, and that’ 03 Rieussec is probably showing great if pretty soft and advanced in color. Curious to see reflections on the tasting.
Wow. That really illustrates what a tough (tannic) year 96 was. I haven’t had any Giacosa from that year, but the 96 Oberto’s I have had have been like sticking iron nails in your mouth.
“I tried both the 1996 Giacosa Barbaresco Asili Riserva and 1996 Barolo Falletto Riserva in the past few weeks, and they remain almost completely shut down after 16 years…”
Another reason why not to defer to Bill…
I have had the 1996 Falletto Riserva many times, and on all but the last occasion, the wine showed little aromatically and displayed huge, delicious fruit and fine tannins completely hidden by the fruit until the finish, so it was enjoyable, albeit in a Cali Cab kind of a way. It struts its enormous potential rather than delivering the goods. I kept thinking that it would begin to show a little more each year, especially with extended air time. No such luck. The wine that I had two weeks ago was little changed from the bottle tried shortly after release. I do not find this true of all 1996s. Gaja’s Sperss drinks well now, and has for a while. Sandrone’s 1996 wines are fine, as are most of the “modernist” efforts. Even some of the more traditional, rustic 1996 Nebboli are drinkable now. But the two Giacosas? Nah…
And Boykin, don’t pretend that you don’t try 16-year-old Nebbioli from your cellar from time to time, especially those in good supply…
Guilty as charged,counselor,guilty as charged…but I have had the aforementioned 96 only once,and rued every sip I took until the last…and so I have become almost ascetic in leaving the 96s alone.
Agreed,the Sperss drinks nicely,as well as the 97…but that’s a different story.