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Showing posts from July, 2018

2008 Marcarini Barolo Brunate

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Still young, with typical fine tannins — cherries, tar and roses with a hint of tobacco. The wine has a broad and emphatic balsamic richness with a hedonistic meaty feel, while maintaining a freshness and zip. A great Barolo with potential and real good value for money… Picture from the Cellar Brunate First labelled and sold as a single-vineyard wine in 1934, Brunate is one of the Grand Crus of the Langhe region, even if the classification has not yet been made. Why? Because of its ability to deliver high quality fruit year-in, year-out. It is at the base of the La Morra slope, in a plum south amphiteatro which generates plenty of steamy heat by day and because of its position low down, it chills down quickly by night, preserving the perfumes and extending the hang-time. Picture from the Cellar Notes from the Winemaker Single-vineyard. The Barolo cru is one of the most famous in the Barolo region — apparently celebrated as early as the 1300s! — and

1996 Salon “Le Mesnil” Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne

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This is one of my absolute favourite champagnes. Fresh and clean on the palate and made to age for many years. Aromas of fresh citrus and green apples and lots of chalky mineral notes. Will hold for many years. Copyright Per Kamperin (My collection.) Winemakers notes The 1996 Salon is a pale yellow color with a touch of green. It is clear and lively, with fine, persistent bubbles and a stunning bouquet. Initially, the nose offers hints of green apple, which soon develop into lemon and grapefruit combined with pear and kiwi notes. The wine is complex and refreshing on the palate, displaying a burst of minerality. This is a well-made, rich, powerful Champagne, all-encompassing yet subtle, with contained strength. According to Didier Depond, Salon should be served in a tulip-shaped glass instead of a traditional champagne flute. “Because of the richness and complexity of its aromas, and its exceptional, lingering finish, we’ve found that Salon can be drunk in the same way as

2007 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Brunate Le Coste.

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Barolo is a wine worth devoting yourself to… Traditional “Old School”, cherries, roses, cedar, violets and tobacco with a typical hint of tar and a long finish. Still rather young, but accessible — imposing and delicious, drinking nicely right now. (Drink 2018–2030.) Why is Barolo so special? Why is it considered the king of Italian wines? The Italian Stallion of red wines? The answer is deceptively simple: it’s a matter of terroir and each winemaker’s specific style of wine-making. Barolo is one of the world’s most stern, tannic, full-flavored wines, offering aromas of road tar, leather, bing cherries, tobacco, and dried herbs. Massive and intensely fragrant, it can easily last for 20–30 years. Barolo is made from the Nebbiolo grape grown on the steep hillside vineyards situated south and southwest of Alba, the area’s largest town. The thick-skinned Nebbiolo grape of Barolo is one of the most delightfully aromatic of red grape varieties and for that reason sometimes co