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1998
Scavino, Paolo - Barolo Bric del Fiasc
Terrible. I have heard that some bottles do show well, but that others show the signs of heavy-handed oak treatment. This bottle showed the latter - the oak muddied any Nebbiolo character of the wine, leaving a chocolatey, rubbery, blocky flavor profile. I love Scavino's 1989 and 1990s, and apparently the wines 2001 and on portray some adeptness with oak treatment, but this was in his apparent experimental phase...
1998
Giacosa, Bruno - Barbaresco Gallina
This wine is excellent. I could not take my nose out of the glass. So complex, with beautiful violet and rose, as well as underbrush, tar, red fuit and all sorts of other things. So much depth to this wine. Still has considerable structure, but the fruit is definitely there to guarantee years of evolution. A very pleasant surprise.
1996
Giacosa, Bruno - Barolo Falletto
So young, but so promising. I really didn't want to open this, but did so for a 1996 retrospective in the name of science. Didn't show a ton on the palate, but the aromatics were sublime. Textbook Barolo. Leaving my others to slumber.
2005
Montepeloso - Eneo Rosso
I really like this wine. Balanced and concentrated. A nice minerality on the finish. A crowd-pleaser.
2002
Leflaive (Domaine) - Puligny-Montrachet
great village - wonderful aromatics, a little firm on the palate, but of premier cru quality.
