1996 Barolo Brunate
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Tasting notes
The 1996 Barolo Brunate has aged more gracefully than the Cerequio and has also handled its oak better. Dark red cherry, plum, smoke, licorice and sweet spices infuse the creamy, expansive finish. Dark, brooding and explosive, the 1996 Brunate is superb.
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
The 1996 Barolo Brunate is a deep, dark wine loaded with vibrant dark cherries. This is an especially rich, powerful Barolo from Voerzio, but the French oak dominates throughout and contributes to a sense of aggressiveness that comes through on the tannins. Still, the Brunate has just enough stuffing to provide a measure of balance. This is the first and only vintage in which the malolactic fermentation was carried out in barrel, an approach that, at least in this harvest, doesn't seem to have worked particularly well.
The fabulous, black/purple-colored 1996 Barolo Brunate is gigantic. Monstrously-sized, with huge alcohol, high tannin, and spectacular extract, this layered, chewy wine is sensationally promising. Although stubbornly backward, it possesses wonderful ripeness, but this wine is so huge it needs 5-6 years to evolve. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2030. Importer: Viva Vino, Eddystone, PA; tel. (610) 872-1500
The fabulous, black/purple-colored 1996 Barolo Brunate is gigantic. Monstrously-sized, with huge alcohol, high tannin, and spectacular extract, this layered, chewy wine is sensationally promising. Although stubbornly backward, it possesses wonderful ripeness, but this wine is so huge it needs 5-6 years to evolve. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2030. Robert Parker, Wine Advocate # 124 Aug 1999