2009 Barolo Arborina
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Tasting notes
Good bright, dark red. Lovely perfumed lift to the aromas of black raspberry, dried rose, brown spices and marzipan. Fine-grained and well delineated in the mouth, showing a subtle floral character and very good acidity and energy. Quite Burgundian in its palate feel. This elegantly styled, nicely balanced midweight finishes with fine-grained tannins and sneaky juicy persistence. The most perfumed of this set of 2009s today.
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2009 Barolo Arborina shows more depth and paints a portrait of a bold, powerful and fruit-forward vintage. The wine sets forth a veritable wall of dark cherry, plum, tobacco, dark licorice, savory herb or juniper. Barolo Arborina is a nervous adolescent that will show a more contemplative personality in five or more years. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2028. Various American Importers, including: T. Edward Wines; New York, NY; tel. (212) 233-1504; Vanguard Wines; Columbus, OH; tel. (614) 291-3493; Wine Warehouse; Los Angeles, CA; tel. (310) 877-2445
The 2009 Barolo Arborina is another rich, fleshy wine endowed with serious depth. This is an unusually ripe Barolo with distinctly darker shades of fruit than the other 2009 Barolos I tasted from Arborina, the vineyard above which the winery sits. Mocha, plums, black cherries and spices are all layered into the finish. There isn't a whole lot of vineyard typicity in the 2009, but the wine is quite beautiful if taken on its own terms. The tannins could use another year to soften a touch, but like most wines in this vintage, I would not wait too long here.