Yes, the fail rate is high, and I only became aware of that when I enter my bottles in CT, but if I get a success rate of 2/3 on this case, I will still be happy with my purchase. I’ll open a 2003 tonight and report back.
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Speaking of fail rate and TCA, I’ve opened 3 bottles of 2018 Le Pianelle Bramaterra and 2 have been terribly corked. The one that wasn’t was glorious. Anyone else seeing an issue with these or am I just unlucky?
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Nose stellar. Mid palate resolved from a tannin perspective, but a bit advanced despite a gorgeous cork. May hold the 01’s and drink the 99’s, as the 01 recently showed very little age compared to the 16 beside it
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[Doubled-decanted at 5pm for one hour.] Lovely cherry and spice on the nose. Juicy, sweet cherries. Soft tannins. Still a little tight. I’d give it a few more years.
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It would be fun to pull up Lyle’s pitch for these and compare that to the experience of the wines.
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Just tried a 2004 Luigi Einaudi Cannubi, and I just cannot imagine that this bottle could be showing any better than it did. I don’t think the fruit had fallen off even 5%, there was a terrific nose of very pleasant cherry pipe tobacco, forest floor, spice, rose petals, and fresh jasmine. On the palate a hedonistic mouth feel, plush, elegant, and very sexy, with a presence of dark cherry jam, some darker berries, a fine mix of herbs, a mildly smoky element, and a sweetness that was very compelling. The finish was stunning, with super fine tannins, and a one minute paradise of haunting greatness.
Unfortunately this was my only bottle and I doubt I will ever find another bottle of this 2004 again. It felt like it had years to go. Such pedigree. Such aristocratic grace. Wow.
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2003 Tenuta Monolo Bramaterra Riserva
Another sound bottle. This vintage feels cleaner and a bit sweet noted compared to the 1990, interestingly, without being advanced, it feels more mature as well. Signs of the vintage?
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I had made a delicious bucatini with Piedmontese breed beef Bolognese sauce (with a dollop excess San Marzanos vs. the wine and milk components) which called for an Italian wine – so the 2010 Rivetto ‘Serralunga d’Alba’ [Barolo] was poured. Initially it was tight and stern, despite the well regarded vintage, and 14.5% abv on the label, with some orange peel on the bouquet. But with food this lighter bodied, still mildly tannic and acidic nebbiolo was better. On the second night floral aspects like violets and roses emerge, while the fruit grows more generous, turning cherry flavored. I would consider this an old school traditional Barolo - acknowledging my limited experience - that still needs cellar time or extended decanting to show its best. B+ on opening but the last glass nosed into the A- bracket. Long natural cork.
PS: In this era I think there was just this producer with the ‘Rivetto’ name, but now there is Alessandro as well as Enrico?
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Some Barolo notes from a dinner I was invited to last week. It was a fun time and it was interesting doing a mini-Burlotto vertical. It was very educational. I think we all reached a consensus about the '99 Monprivato and the '06 and '15 Monviglieros, though I think my opinion on the '20 Monvigliero was a bit of an outlier among the group.
N.B.: I left out the notes for the non-Nebbiolo wines because of the subject matter of this thread.
1999 Giuseppe E Figlio Mascarello Barolo Monprivato: This was served on pop and pour and was really great right out of the gate. Lifted aromas of rose and tar in spades. Red fruit on the palate that leaves a trace of citric tartness on the finish. Very silky texturally with a nice dusting of ashy tannins providing just a scintilla of grip. Classic, archetypal Nebbiolo that has perfect balance and is just lip-smackingly good. I had a tiny pour near the end of the night when I got home and the acidity took on a volatile character, so I’m actually glad I didn’t decant this before the dinner.
2006 Comm. G.B. Burlotto Barolo Monvigliero: On the nose, has the classic rose and tar signature, but also has notes of herbal green as well. Elegant and light on the palate. There’s also a dark red fruit enveloped with minerality, layered with this savory, almost meaty quality. Finish is quite long with a hint of ashy smokiness.
Of the three Burlotto Monviglieros (this, '15, and '20), this was the most earthy and the most complex, though the tannins still had a drying and astringent bite. However, food (especially protein) effectively tamed the tannins and this was really very enjoyable. Will improve, but a pleasure to drink now with a meaty meal.
2015 Comm. G.B. Burlotto Barolo Monvigliero: Borderline jammy red strawberries on the nose. Texturally very elegant and silky with sweet red fruit and a bit of pepper and tannin on the finish. It is initially a little hollow on the midpalate, but it fills out with air and there’s a smoky minerality that emerges. While the acidity is there, the red fruit feels a little too ripe and structurally this feels a bit too plush. Still a very good wine, and maybe it will get more interesting with age, but it lacks a bit of tension right now. This could be a little shut down at the moment.
2020 Comm. G.B. Burlotto Barolo Monvigliero: The nose is pretty tight on the initial pour. I’m getting a little bit of florals and red strawberry fruit, but the aromas could be more expressive. The palate is also initially just straightforward ripe red fruit that seems a little simple. However, with air, the nose opens up and, on the palate, you get additional layers of green herbs, saltiness, and earthy minerality to complement the red fruit. The acidity is quite good and lively, and the wine has an elegance to it. However, while it does get more interesting with air, the wine does feel a little ripe and full-throttled. It is still enjoyable though and maybe this will improve with more time in the bottle.
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I’m not super familiar with Alessandro Rivetto, but your bottle is from Enrico Rivetto who’s the current generational leader of their family estate. Visiting Rivetto turned out to be one of our favorite appointments on our last trip to Barolo, Enrico and the whole family are all involved in the winery and they were incredible hosts.
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I’ve bought quite a few of the Langhe Nebbiolo and some of the Serralunga Barolo, all for very good prices from Last Bottle or First Bottle. I’d say that they have shown lots of variability and that the LN in particular started out great but VA was a major problem as the wines aged. I’ve had some good bottles of the Barolo (2016 and 2019), and some very underwhelming, just kind of nothing there, but that could just be the phase they were in when I last tried them.
1989 Tenuta Monolo Bramaterra Riserva
Massive acidity, oxidized fruit, no tannins. Interesting if I can find a bottle where the fruit department is alive
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2015 Elvio Cogno Barbaresco Bordini
Still very young, a touch of malo upon opening that quickly blew away. Mostly purple fruit and tons of baby fat. Hold.
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2019 Poderi Colla Barbaresco Roncaglie
The nose is lovely with Savory red fruits, red cherries, strawberries, spice notes, rose petals, some earthy tones, morning dew, sweet tobacco, a touch of purple fruits, and roasted herbs. There is excellent complexity to the nose while it seems like it may be shutting down a touch. The Medium/full bodied feel is deft and silky with tart, high acidity and refined, high tannins that have some noticeable grip. This is clearly young, but it is also extremely pretty and savory with a good bit of purity. I would love to see where this goes over the next decade. 92
2016 Fratelli Alessandria Barolo
The nose is fairly open and with more bass than treble to the tones of Dark red cherries, raspberries, olive notes, violets, licorice, earth notes, roasted herbs, leather, rose petals, and some savory spices. This is starting to open up and kick into gear, but it still feels like it is holding back a touch. The Full bodied feel is robust, yet balanced with mouthwatering, high acidity and silky, high tannins. The structure doesn’t overpower and while the tannins have some grip, they aren’t punishing. This is showing pretty darned well right now, but can still use another 4+ years.
It’s still quite impressive for a base-level Barolo and is a great demonstration of the quality that Fratelli Alessandria brings. 91
2018 Vajra Barolo Ravera
The nose is fleshy and vibrant with plush tones of Plums, sour red cherries, raspberries, licorice, crushed rocks, petrichor, perfumes, tobacco leaf, fresh herbs, violets, and fresh leather. This shows off the warmth of the vintage without going into the stewed category on the fruit. The Full bodied feel shows off the plush qualities of the nose and fruit while still retaining balance along with crisp, high acidity and silky, high tannins. This is a real successful 18 for me. It takes the warmth of the vintage while still retaining some tension and intrigue. While age will help it, it will always retain the more forward fruit due to the vintage. 91
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Thanks for the check in on the Fratelli. I went deep on 2016, including this one. With all the talk around modern Barolos being accessible earlier, I was wondering if it was time to consider opening these. Will hold off a bit longer.
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2021 G.D. Vajra Barolo Bricco delle Viole: There are notes of jube-like raspberry and cherry fruits, some licorice, earth and grated ginger too. With air you get rose petals. The palate has a luscious feel through the mid but it is contained. It is rich and heady, loaded with florals. It builds through the mouth and then fans out, carried by chalky structure that is buried deep. Great wine.
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Drool-worthy note, Jeremy!
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Imported by the Baron of the Barossa. Had 6 hours to overcome travel shock before being liberated.
It’s dense and stacked, dark and sooty, with blossoming tannins. Lots of wine here but really needs a little slumber.
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It’s excellent Robert but will really need time. We tasted at the winery in May. Going to check in on the 15 soon. As much as I love Vajra Barolo’s the Baudana’s they make may become my favorites. The 20 and 21’s are excellent.
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