A Barolo Boys Debauchery - Part II

Part I here - a few red wines were to follow...
All wines tasted double blind, except for the last flight.
Thanks M for a great evening!


Before we went inside for dinner we were greated with this wine - obviously not a Barolo...

2002 Beaune 1er Cru Les Toussaints, Domaine Michel Gay
A medium big, somewhat mature, smoky nose with notes of cooked red fruits, licorice, rasberry candy, pipe tobacco and lots of fresh herbs. A fine velvety character. Very good.
The taste is more restrained that the nose with notes of rosehips, gravel, red currants and dry tobacco. A fresh acidity. A medium long finish that ends with a dry twist. Nice.
86p   (tasted 2012/07)

Then three decanters arrived, and yet again, no Barolo´s - by this time a yellow card was handed out to M...

1995 Great Wall Cabernet Sauvignon
A deep, mature, soft nose with notes of red and black currants, sweet tobacco, earth and some asphalt. A fine sweetness. Good.
The taste is tight, concentrated and fine with sweet red and black fruit and somewhat dry tannins. A little restrained. Very good though. A nice structure.
What a surprise, have only tasted this one many years ago and the years in the cellar have done it good.
85p   (tasted 2012/07)

1995 Clos de l´Obac, Costers del Siruana
A big, upfront, sweet and pure nose with notes of candied cherries, licorice, moist earth, dark chocolate and some oak aromas. Very, very good. A lovely sweetness to the fruit. Very deep.
The taste is tight, concentrated and big with lots of finely tuned tannins and notes of red and black cherries, meat broth, hard cherry candy and new leather. A long, fine finish. This is a nice piece of work.
92p   (tasted 2012/07)

1990 Clos de l´Obac, Costers del Siruana
A big, deep, fine nose with notes of red and black cherries, balsamic vinegar, beets and some oak. A fine mature nose. Deep and sweet. Very good.
The taste is intense, big and mature with notes of blueberries, red cherries, chocolate and warm earth. The tannins are a litte rough around the edges. A long, fine finish. Very, very good.
90p   (tasted 2012/07)

And now we were getting somewhat annoyed - not a Barolo in sight! :-) But our prayers/threats were heard when the next flight was presented...

2008 Barolo Marenca, Luigi Pira
A deep, warm, and a touch jammy nose with notes of freshly cooked cherries with a hint of vanilla, licorice, leather, forest floor and sun warm rocks. Young and upfront. Very good.
The taste is young, tight and fresh with notes of red and black currants, sweet licorice, forest floor and mushrooms. The tannins are young and very finely polished. Needs time. The cherry fruit flavour is really fine.
90p   (tasted 2012/07)

2008 Barolo Vigna Rionda, Luigi Pira
A really fine, intense, fresh nose with notes of sweet black cherries, rosehips, dark chocolate, licorice and lots of fresh mushrooms. Very deep and fine, and very young. This is going places. Great on the nose.
The taste is very tight, very young and very focused. Even with lots of air it doesn´t really opens up. But the underlying fruit is sweet, concentrated and fine. The tannins leaves a distinctive mark in the finish. Needs lots of time. This is a great wine in the making. Impressive.
93p   (tasted 2012/07)

2001 Barolo Margheria, Luigi Pira
A pure, fine, maturing nose with notes of sweet and sour cherries, licorice, dried mushrooms, rosehips and a touch of mint. Complex and satisfying. This has started to mature somewhat. A very fine sweetness to the fruit.
The taste is elegant, finely tuned and long with notes of red currants, rosehips, forest floor, old leather and hard cherry candy. A long, fine finish. After a while some dried strawberries come forward. Very, very fine. Drinking perfect now.
92p   (tasted 2012/07)

2001 Barolo Vigna Rionda, Luigi Pira
Aaaaaaaah - what a nose! Deep, stringent, powerful and yet elegant. Scents of sweet red and black cherries, rosehips, violets, dark chocolate and crushed rose petals oozes up from the glass. The sweetness of the fruit is amazing. Utterly gorgeous. Still young though, this has even more to offer...
The taste is very, very deep, hedonistic and energetic with notes of sweet rosehips, black cherries, warm earth, licorice, leather and a touch of oak. The tannins are still young and makes an impact but at the same time they complement the fruit perfectly. In 5+ years this will be candidate for perfection.
97p   (tasted 2012/07)

As an interlude before the next flight M presented a real treat. In my Tasting dinner with Bric dël Fiasc the 1989 was corked. I had high hopes for it and had never tasted that vintage - a dubbel bummer! So it was a real joy to see a bottle turning up on the table - thanks M!

1989 Barolo Bric dël Fiasc, Paolo Scavino
A stunningly deep, fresh, beautiful nose greats you when you put your nose deep in the glass. Notes of rosehips, black cherries, ceps, moist earth, dark chocolate and a touch of oak vanilla oozes up from the glass. And so fresh! Very, very deep. This is the real thing.
The taste is concentrated, dense and big with tightly wrapped sweet fruit and notes of black cherry jam, dried mushrooms, licorice, leather and forest floor. Still big, big tannins under the sweet fruit. Would have guessed a 1996 given this blind. This has more evolving to do, but it is irresistible today.
95p   (tasted 2012/07)

Well, what next, we are beginning to pick up some pace here!? What, four bottles of Clerico....ok then!

2001 Barolo Ciabot Mentin Ginestra, Domenico Clerico
A profoundly deep, sweet and gorgeous nose with notes of red cherries, rosehips, balsa wood, forest floor, milk chocolate mousse and warm herbs. Very, very fine. The cherry fruit is of the amazing kind! :-)
The taste is still young and the grip in the mouth is of structure, structure and structure. The fruit is sweet and generous but the structure has the upper hand right now. The finish goes on for over a minute and screams for food. This is for keeping in the dark corners of the cellar for another 8+ years.
93p   (tasted 2012/07)

1998 Barolo Pajana, Domenico Clerico
A very handsome, upfront nose with notes of sweet and sour cherries, milk chocolate, moist forest floor and large amounts of sweet licorice. Very hedonistic and yummy but without the depth of the other Clerico wines.
The taste is fresh, focused and maturing with nice notes of sweet red cherries, dried mushrooms, licorice, rosehips and coffee powder. The finish is long and finely tuned. This has started to mature and drinks very well, but it lacks a bit in complexity compared to the others. But I would gladly drink this every day of the week!
90p   (tasted 2012/07)

2001 Barolo Pajana, Domenico Clerico
A deep, deep, gorgeous nose with sweet notes of red and black cherries, dark chocolate, dark cookie dough, leather and warm herbs. After a while in the glass a perfect scent of a autumn forest walk emerge. Stunning nose! Still very young.
The taste is fresh, intense and sweet with a stunning structure and a lovely purity. The fruit is amazing and notes of rosehips, ceps, licorice, sugared coffe, hard cherry candy and a touch of oak flows over the palate. An impressive length. This is still young but boy, is it drinkable!
96p   (tasted 2012/07)

1996 Barolo Pajana, Domenico Clerico
An intense, deep, concentrated nose with notes of black cherries, licorice, rosehips, beets, forest floor and cold coffee. Very young still. Elegant and fine. It hasn´t matured much since last time I tasted it. A sort of laid back sweetness of the fruit. Very, very fine.
The taste is brutal - there is no other word to describe it. The tannins crushes everything in their path. It is like drinking cherry ink...
When I tasted this in its youth I thought my teeth were gone when I has swallowed... Since then I thought it had softened a bit, although it has always packed a punch, but this bottle seems to have come out from a time warp and taste taste like when it was really young. There is great fruit in this wine, I´m sure about it, and sometimes you get a glimpse of it, but the lasting impression is of a wine which never gonna mature in a graceful manner. Will wait at least 8+ years before I open another bottle, and then with my fingers crossed.
92p?   (tasted 2012/07)