These two Barolo´s - 34 years apart - were drunk with a mushroom and truffle risotto the other day. Not bad I can tell you!
1974 Barolo Vigna La Rosa, Fontanafredda
As with these (almost) mature wines, they need time to open up. When opened it had a funky, damp nose, but with two hours in a decanter, it blossomed in to a beautiful mature Barolo.
The nose is deep, round and sweet with menthol spiked red cherries and additional notes of damp forest floor, cigarette ash, mushrooms and violets. Very complex and fine. Five hours after decanting it is bursting with ripe cherry fruit. Lovely.
The taste is round, rich and dry with notes of hard cherry candy, dried flowers, rosehips, tobacco and damp earth. Very long and mouth coating. It ends a tad on the dry side but with the risotto it played a fine harmony. In a great mature state. Nine years ago I thought of it as not yet mature. This bottle is, or, it will keep for another 5+ years, but I don´t think it will get better. It spreads a lot of joy on this evening.
92p (tasted 2017/02)
2008 Barolo Vigna La Rosa, Fontanafredda
What a youngster! But a really promising one. This one needs a lot of time to open up. Decanted at the same time as the 74, and when I write this five hours have passed, and now it has start to sing.
The nose is high and pure with notes of ripe red currants, raspberry liquorice, bakelite and roses. Very fine. It has a fine depth. Some cool tobacco scents. Needs more time.
The taste is like eating hard cherry candy over and over again. Then there is some sturdy tannins that show themselves in the long finish. Lots of chrushed rocks. This will turn out fine, just give it, at least, 10 years.
91p (tasted 2017/02)
Which of the two labels do you think is the most beautiful? Being a necrophiliac, I of course love the label of the 74. Not so much love for the 08. And when checking out Fontanafredda´s web page, they have changed the label on La Rosa about five times since the 74 was produced. Talk about consistency...
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