I am happy to pour my own. I did bring a few other bottles on this trip. The hotel is a Boutique Hotel where everything is first rate but the wine service in the restaurant.
Thanks, Fred!
1 Like
2018 G.D. Vajra Barolo Albe
Way too young. Very high acidity even after 5 hours of decanting. Itās fine with food but really tough to drink on its own.
2001 Produttori del Barbaresco Rabaja.
93 Points
Medium red with browning. Medium light slightly tired nose, black cherry, spice, and tilled soil. The flavours were much more alive, creamy black cherry, nutmeg, and plum. The finish was still a bit fuzzy and the acid was in balance.
My worries about decanting the wine were completely unfounded. The sommelier Jack at the Courtney Room was great. He decanted it for 45 minutes and the last glass was the best.
The food was extraordinary as well. I highly recommend the Courtney Room in Victoria BC. Especially if you are staying in the Hotel Magnolia.
2 Likes
Catching up with some wines had a little while ago.
2015 Burlotto Langhe Nebbiolo
Opened this bottle to see if it would make sense popping the below Monvigliero, and this was drinking great on the first night (slightly dipping day by day thereafter). Beautiful fruit profile and balanced in every way and quite serious.
Expectations for the Monvigliero was high coupled with concerns if it would drink well or shut down.
2015 G. B. Burlotto Barolo Monvigliero
Beautiful upon opening and showing its potential, though as the night went (PnP) and the bottle was opened start of the meal but not drunk until closer to the end it had gained quite a bit of weight, closing down a bit. Great wine but Iād wait about 4-5 years before opening another.
This on the other hand, started off feeling a bit tired but full throttle on day three. Slightly darker fruits and berries, herbal, tannins and acidity as youād expect from Sandri.
Felt a bit muted and never properly fired on all cylinders and Iām leaning towards it being corked. A could be something else, not sure what this is about with the inside of the cork but never seen this type of blue coloration:
2 Likes
Very, very good juice! Hard to describe, it keeps changing with every sip. Thought I might regret opening it so young but no.
6 Likes
2016 Cogno Cascina Nuova last night. I thought it was ready to drink and did not require more aging. It is a nice wine, well-made, but I found it a little thin in the mid-palate and not that interesting. I would have been better off saving $15 to $20 and buying a Vajra Alba Barolo or Produttori Barbaresco.
2010 Marchesi di Barolo Barolo - starting to come around I think, but still needs a bit more time, seems tight. Excellent wine though, I only see upside over the next 10(?) years.
edit: I like my Barolo with some ageā¦
2008 Orlando Abrigo Barbaresco Rocche Meruzzano - find this pruny and overripe, doesnāt align at all with CT reviews. weird. disappointing.
1 Like
This was a tasty choice on a night where the food and weather called for red wine and the day called for bubbles. I assumed this was 100% Nebbiolo, but it has some percentage of Pinot Noir. I canāt say that I got anything out of it that made me think of Nebbiolo. A spumate made metodo classico like Champagne. The first glass was fun and interesting; the second glass less so. It was good for the price and better than the Cantaloupo 100% Nebbiolo NV Mia Ida Brut Rosato I had a few years ago. Iām not thinking sparkling Nebbiolo is a threat to Champagne based on these two.
Edit: Here is the link to my Cantaloupo TN from a few years ago.
2 Likes
Iāve liked that wine when Iāve had it. Liked it for what it is: very dry, short but refreshing. I also thought it was 100% Nebbiolo. I tried this for the first time at Graziella in Montreal.
2 Likes
1999 Paitin āSoriā Paitinā Vecchie Vigne
This was an odd one for me. Iāve liked Paitin going back to the late '80s. I assumed this would be drinking well at 25 years, however, this seemed like a wine half its age or even younger. Deep dark color, dark fruits, licorice, unyielding tannins. It was good, but ungiving, and thus ultimately unenjoyable. Decanted about four hours and drank over another three, it never blossomed with air. If I had another bottle, Iād wait another ten years at least.
Iāve heard that they dabbled with barrique briefly in the early aughts before dropping the idea. I canāt definitively say whether this saw small, new oak or not. Nothing specifically on the nose or palate said so. But that color was so darkā¦
