2004 Barolo Vecchia Vigna Delle Brunate
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Tasting notes
The 2004 Barolo Vecchia Vigna delle Brunate is more forward than the straight Barolo Brunate, which was my concern when the wine was young, although I did not think it would develop this quickly. Scents of licorice, game, sage and leather add darkness as well as weight, but the 2004 appears to have been heavily marked by new French oak. Although the flavors are a bit forward, the 2004 should drink well for at least a few years. I bought this wine on release. This showing, from my original case, is frankly underwhelming.
Critic scores
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Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2004 Barolo Brunate Vecchie Vigne is a big, strapping wine loaded with fruit and a generous, enveloping personality. It reveals a lovely purity to its dark cherry fruit, with spice, mint and sweet toasted oak nuances that develop in the glass, adding further complexity. This old-vine cuvee offers greater concentration than the Brunate, but its massiveness has come at a loss of some of the perfume of the regular Brunate, which I slightly preferred for its greater freshness and minerality. 2004 is the first vintage of this wine.
The 2004 Barolo Brunate Vecchie Vigne is a big, strapping wine loaded with fruit and a generous, enveloping personality. It reveals a lovely purity to its dark cherry fruit, with spice, mint and sweet toasted oak nuances that develop in the glass, adding further complexity. This old-vine cuv?e offers greater concentration than the Brunate, but its massiveness has come at a loss of some of the perfume of the regular Brunate, which I slightly preferred for its greater freshness and minerality. 2004 is the first vintage of this wine. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2024. In top vintages Marco Marengo can give some of his more famous neighbors a run for their money. 2004 is without question one of those vintages. Readers looking for a source of first-rate Barolo at affordable prices should consider these new releases, all of which are outstanding. A Marc de Grazia Selection, various American importers, including Michael Skurnik, Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300, Vin Divino, Chicago, IL; tel. (773) 334-6700, and Estate Wines, Ltd., San Rafael, CA; tel. (415) 492-9411
(another new release from Marengo, but there were just two barrels of this juice, one new and one used) Good deep red. Precise aromas and flavors of dried rose, minerals, menthol and spicy oak; there's something Burgundian about this. Then lush, silky and deep, with insidious texture and flavor, and superb balance. Offers a rare combination of pliancy and perfume. Finishes with very suave tannins and a long, rising finish featuring late notes of mocha and brown spices.