2009 Barbaresco Basarin
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Tasting notes
Made with organic and biodynamic fruit, the 2009 Barbaresco opens to a dark garnet-amber color and pungent tones of dried cherry, candied raspberry and old spice. The wine shows its age with budding tertiary and oxidative tones of licorice, truffle and cola. Despite its best efforts, it does not feel totally integrated or balanced. It shows some rough edges (aromatically speaking) that give it a rustic and untamed personality.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
Marina Marcarino trained in viticulture and then turned the property organic in 1982, certified in 1993. All the vineyards are grassed over, with the fruit vinified traditionally in both cement and stainless steel, before being aged in a combination of used French tonneaux and Slavonian botte grande. She has three Barbaresco vineyards: Basarin, San Cristoforo, and San Cristoforo Campo Quadro. Pale ruby. Earthy and pungent. But a bit too sweet on the start. The nose promises much more excitement than the palate delivers. A bit hot on the end. (JR)
The 2009 Barbaresco Basarin opens with a dark appearance and austere aromas of lead pencil, plum, dark fruit and plum. The wine is bold and masculine with a firm tannic grip that you immediately feel in the mouth. It presents a medium build with good persistency. Although the bouquet is clean, the fruit tones are still disconnected at this young stage. The wine needs more time in the bottle. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2025. In the 1980s, after graduating from high school, Marina Marcarino bet her father that she could run the family winery in Barbaresco at a profit. He gave her one year to try. If she won, she could take over management. If she lost, she’d enroll in civil engineering classes at the local university. After a grueling 12 months, she closed her accounting books with a profit of less than 100 Euros, or 100,000 Lira at the time. But she won the wager and became the first female vintner in the Langhe. I have followed Marina’s wines for years and have never been able to figure them out. They show the most convoluted evolutionary arc of any Italian wine I have tasted. Sometimes I love them, other times I don’t. She is a certified organic farmer since 1982, the first year a certification was recognized in Italy. My personal theory is: If you are a fan of Punset, you have no business drinking these wines for at least ten years (or more) after the harvest. Even then, you can’t be sure of the results. Importer: Zancanella Importing Company, Portland, OR; tel. (503) 236-5424