This monday is was time for a tasting with Senza Nome. D presented a great set of wines, and for once.....I was right on track regarding the theme. As you can see from the pics D has a very moist cellar, a few more years and it would be a guessing game...:-)
Tasted double blind.
We were treated to a warm up wine while D poured the wines:
1986 Blanc de Blancs, Jacques Selosse
Nice too see an old friend. And it has aged with finesse too. The nose is fine, round, mature and just yummy with notes of butter fudge, warm grass, mature yellow apples and digestive bisquits. The mature scents is great. Very, very good.
The taste is smooth, round but with enough punch not to be flabby, and the bitterness (think grapefruit) in the finish is awesome. Lovely notes of sweet lime, fudge and wet stones. This is in a perfect state of maturity. We all guessed a Blanc de Blancs from around 1990 - we were close...
93p (tasted 2012/02)
Then on to the main event - 6 glasses of red wine, and the scents slowly filled the room.
1996 Barolo Le Vigne, Sandrone
A deep, spicy, fine nose with notes of lingonberries, red cherries, licorice and dried flowers, Very nice, but it felt a tad muted all evening long. A fine depth though.
The taste is fresh, rounded and rather creamy with lots of red currants, lingonberries and licorice. The acidity is fine and the finish is dry and elegant, but, again, it doesn´t really reveals itself. Somewhat anonymous.
I was really surprised when the bottles was revealed - I have had much better bottles. But it wasn´t bad at all, just muted.
88p (tasted 2012/02)
1998 Barolo La Rosa, Fontanafredda
A warm, round, expressive nose with notes of dry leather, black cherries, blueberries and very tasty licorice note. A little laid back but all the better for it. Very, very good.
The taste is tight, long and beautiful with a good core of juicy red fruit, polished tannins and a fresh acidity. This is a fresh example of a medium mature Barolo. Very, very nice.
Fontanafredda always seems to deliver at a very good level, although I think that the 60 and 70´s was their best time, so far...
91p (tasted 2012/02)
1998 Barolo Colonello, Aldo Conterno
A big, open, sweet and complex nose with notes of vanilla spiced blueberries, black cherries, dark chocolate and a touch of band aid. Deep, powerful and really fine.
The taste is as big as the nose with lots of sweet fruit and notes of rosehips, dried flowers, earth and leather. Very long and intense. This has just began its drinking window.
Well, Aldo Conterna always seems to make a type of "modern" Barolo that fits my taste buds.
93p (tasted 2012/02)
1998 Barolo Brunate, Vietti
A cool, rather withdrawn nose with notes of lingonberries, dry licorice, ski wax and some gravelly notes. Very fine but a tad subdued. This still needs a lot of time it seems.
The taste is tight, linear and young with notes of rosehips, red cherries, Valrhona chocolate and dry licorice. The finish is closed and a bit angular. A lot of good structure here but very young. This still needs a lot of time.
Well, this was a surprise, I have loved the 98 Brunate from Vietti but it was a couple of years since I last tasted it. I´m gonna wait a couple of years until I open another one from my stash.
89p (tasted 2012/02)
1998 Barolo Carobric, Paolo Scavino
Aaaaaaaah, world class from the first sniff to the last! This has both structure, elegance and hedonistic fruit. The nose is full of sweet red and black cherries, Valrhona chocolate, road dust, dark fudge, cigarette ashes and what I call a "Zegna" scent - the scent you sense when you walk in a Ermenegildo Zegna store.......I know...:-)
The taste is sooo concentrated, pure and fresh with notes of sweet cherries, dried flowers, mushrooms and almond paste. The tannins are made of pure silk. The finish goes on for over one minute. This is stunning!
Yes, Scavino makes really fine wines, although I haven´t been as impressed with vintages after 2001 as I have been with the older ones.
96p (tasted 2012/02)
1998 Barolo Riserva, Borgogno
A deep, fine, old style nose with notes of dry leather, earth, dry chocolate and tobacco. This is more earthy and old fashioned than the rest of the line up, but very nice all the same.
The taste is tight, tannin driven and long with notes of lingonberries, dry leather and with a nice warmth. Not as complex as the others but a nice, big mouthfull.
Borgogno always delivers a more earthy, old style of Barolo, but they are always very well made. But they need age, and then they really delivers, the 1952 and 1958 - aaaaaaaah.....
86p (tasted 2012/02)
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