My favorite wines in all of Italy are Piedmont.  On the cheap noone makes a better product than the Barbera wines and for $50 plus check out the amazing Barolos and Barberescos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1996 Giuseppe Mascarello & Figlio Santo Stefano di Perno Barolo $$$$

Nice with the bottle age featuring leather, truffles, oak and floral notes.  Some fruit showing through on the finish and a wonderful wine.  92 points

1998

1998 Massolino Vigna Rionda Riserva Barolo $$$$$

Color:  Dark Purple

Nose:  Spice, oak, vanilla

Taste:  Sice, truffles, vanilla, oak, red pepper and well integrated tannins

Finish:  Long and really big wine

Evaluation:  Drinking really well now.  94 points

1998 Massolino Barolo Riserva Vigna Rionda - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (5/14/2010)
Some bricking. Decanted 4 hours and sampled next day. More open today with violets, cedar, cherry, and dust. On the palate spices, cherry, floral, mushrooms and violets. Medium and concentrated finish. Still medium tannins present. This should age another 10 years. (93 pts.)

2000

2000 Azelia Bricco Fiasco Barolo $$$$

Color:  Medium red

Nose:  Dried cherry, roses, oak

Taste:  Dried cherry, chocolate, leather and floral notes

Finish:  Long and really balanced

Evaluation:  Really nice wine 94 points

2000 Poderi Luigi Einaudi Costa Grimaldi Barolo

Light color compared to the rest of the Barolos.  Beautiful nose of coffee, truffles, raspberries, licorice, and strawberries.  Palate shows a ton of flavors and it finishes with complexity and balance.  Great structure to this wine.  94 points

2000 Bartolo Mascarello Barolo $$$$$

Color:  Dark purple

Nose:  Big with forest floor, leather, oak, vanilla, and spice

Taste: Nice smooth wine for this little age with forest floor, spices, smooth tannic quality, leather, minerals, mushrooms, and truffles

Finish:  Long and intense.

Evaluation:  Served at a client event!  What a great wine.  94 points

2000 Marziano & Enrico Abbona Pressenda Barolo (Piedmont) $$$$$

Color:  Dark purple

Nose:  Mushrooms, vanilla

Taste:  Truffles, oak, vanilla, floral, good acidity

Finish:  Long and very smooth tannins with floral, truffles, oak, vanilla.  A complex wine!

Evaluation:  A great example of a Barolo with age.  This will cellar well for another 10 years.  93 points

2001

2001 Pio Cesare Barolo $$$$

Color:  Medium Purple

Nose:  Crisp oak, cherry, vanilla, plum

Taste:  Cherry, toasted oak, vanilla, and chewy

Finish:  Medium with oak, cherry, vanilla, and earth.  Tannins are intense so I would cellar for 5 years to be rewarded.

Evaluation:  A great wine but Barolo's need time to soften.  92 points currently

2001 Marziano & Enrico Abbona Pressenda Barolo (Piedmont) $$$$$

Color:  Dark purple

Nose:  Violets, crushed rock, mushrooms

Taste:  Violets, raspberries, minerals and tar

Finish:  Medium and bursting with flavor

Evaluation:  Really nice wine 92 points

2001 Paolo Scavino Riserva Rocche dell'Annunziata Barolo

Medium purple and changed over the course of the night big time.  It showed mushrooms, tar, spice and dark fruits.  The finish was multi-layered and complex.  Over 3 hours and aerated it really blossomed.  For sure cellar for five plus years.  92-94 points

2002 Villadoria Barolo $$$

Color:  Medium purple

Nose:  Earth, plum, fresh fruit

Taste:  Very drinkable without heavy tannins.  This wine features a nice mix of earth, spice and berries

Finish:  Medium to long with spice, earth, and berries

Evaluation:  A Barolo that is ready to drink.  85 points

2003

2003 Pio Cesare Barolo $$$$

Color:  Medium

Nose:  A bit barnyard with violets, minerals and leather

Taste:  Nice and dominated with earth flavors

Finish:  Medium and concentrated

Evaluation:  A solid 90 pointer

2003 Domenico Clerico Ciabot Mentin Ginestra Barolo $$$$$

Big wine with cherry, tar, mushrooms and strong tannins.  This is a cellar wine for 10 plus years.  90 points currently

2003 Paolo Scavino Bricco Ambrogio Barolo $$$$$

Very smooth for a young Barolo with raspberry, vanilla, truffles and earth.  Nice finish and currently very drinkable.  93 points

2003 Aurelio Settimo Rocche Barolo $$$$

Color: Light ruby

Nose:  Spice, sour cherry, oak, Asian spice

Taste:  Bitter and medium tannins with oak, cherry, strawberries, smoke!

Finish:  Medium and powerful.  This is a great value Barolo from a good Vintage

Evaluation:  92 points

2003 Aurelio Settimo Barolo Rocche - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (2/5/2010)
Light purple. Nose of spice, raspberries, and violets. The palate is better then the nose with tar, spices, floral and crushed rock. Medium finish and the acidity matches well with food. Drink within 5 years as I don't see this lasting the long hall. (91 pts.)

2004

2004 Azelia Barolo Bricco Fiasco - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (2/6/2010)
Medium purple. Violets, tar, spices, leather and raspberries on the nose. The palate is tight with violets, leather, tar and heavy spices. Medium and really tannic finish. This wine needs 10 years in the cellar. I decanted this wine for 4 hours prior to the note. (92 pts.)

2004 Azelia Barolo Bricco Fiasco - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (1/5/2009)
Medium purple. Nose is showing floral, mushroom, spices and a bit of heat. Palate reveals spices, a bouquet of flowers, minerals and good acidity. Concentrated finish and really complex wine. Cellar me for 10 plus years! (94 pts.)

2004 Enzo Boglietti Fossati Barolo $$$$

Dark wine with oak, leather and floral notes.   Currently this wine is a tannic beast that needs some serious cellar time to open up.  91 points

2004 Pira Cannubi Barolo $$$$$

Wonderful wine with floral, plum, oak, vanilla and mushrooms on this full bodied wine.  This wine will cellar for 10 to 15 years.  94 points

2004 Bruno Giacosa Falletto Barbaresco $$$$

Color:  Medium red

Nose:  Floral, mushroom

Taste:  Floral, mushroom and minerals

Finish:  Too acidic on this medium finisher

Evaluation:  Too many better options out there 85 points

2004 Hilberg-Pasquero Nebbiolo d'Alba $$$

This wine is not officially a Barolo but contains the Nebbiolo grape.  Very smooth wine with plum, grape jam, oak and minerals.  A fraction of the price from Barolo. 90 points

2004 Marcarini Barolo Brunate - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (2/5/2010)
A wine I had to sample several times throughout the night and it opened up some. Aromas of violets, dried prunes, tar and spices. The palate did not complement the nose but was solid. Medium finish and the wine is quite tannic. This really needs 5 to 10 years in the cellar to evolve. (90 pts.)

2004 San Michele Barbera D'Alba (Piedmont) $$

Color:  Medium purple

Nose:  Plum, blackberry, mineral

Taste:  Good acidity and balance

Finish:  Medium with nice fruits showing

Evaluation:  Solid Barbera 88 points

2004 La Ca Nova Barbera d' Alba $$

Color:  Medium purple

Nose:  Fruit, spice

Taste:  Spice, currant

Finish:  Multi layered, spice and earth

Evaluation:  Solid overall 87 points

2004 La Ca Nova Nebbiolo  $$

Color:  Dark

Nose:  Tannic, musty, earth

Taste:  Musty, earth tones, hint of spice, little tannic

Finish:  Long, earth, tannic, spice

Evaluation:  This style of wine (Nebbiolo grape) requires a meal of game or hearty pasta to balance out the tannins.  These are age worthy wines and I encourage you to try one and pair it with the right meal to see if this grape is for you.  Well made but don’t drink alone.  88 points

2004 La Ca' Nova Barbaresco Bric Mentina - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco (2/6/2010)
Medium purple. Coffee grounds, plum, cherry, spices and grilled meat. The palate shows good balance with coffee, plum, cherry, pepper, tobacco and grilled meat. Medium finish and medium tannins. This is a really nice wine for the money. (92 pts.)

2004 Andrea Oberto Vigneto Albarella Barolo $$$$$

Wow the best Barolo I have ever tasted with cassis, mint, floral, oak, vanilla, and earth on this massively long finishing wine.  Full of flavor and will age for 20 years.  96 points

2004 Andrea Oberto Barolo Vigneto Albarella - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (2/5/2010)
Better then the last tasting but not as good as the first time trying this wine. Medium purple and aromas of spice, floral, mushrooms, and figs. Palate is solid and the acidity is a perfect much for food. This wine is well made and having 10 more bottles will be fun to try over the next 15 years. (93 pts.)

2004 Andrea Oberto Vigneto Albarella Barolo

Light purple and shows spice, raspberries, damp earth and coffee.  The palate needs some work at this stage and clearly not as complex as sampled 2 years ago.  Medium finish and just needs to be revisited in 3 years.  91 points

2004 Andrea Oberto Vigneto Rocche Barolo $$$$$

Full of flavor like the Albarella and features floral, raspberries, coffee, spices, oak, vanilla and great acidity.  Another cellar wine.  95 points

2004 Andrea Oberto Vigneto Rocche Barolo

Medium purple.  Most similar to the Einaudi with coffee, floral, truffles and raspberries.  The palate was really elegant for a 04 and finished with a medium concentration of flavors.  Not real tannic and I don’t think this is a long haul wine.  93 points

2004 Andrea Oberto Barolo $$$$

Not as complex as the Rocche and the Albarella but features floral, earth and oak.   A medium finish and not over the top tannic.   88 points

2004 Aldo e Riccardo Seghesio Barolo Vigneto la Villa - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (2/5/2010)
New world style wine. Big nose with blackberries, floral, violets, oak and vanilla. Palate is also intense with oak, vanilla, black fruits, violets, and spice. Medium and concentrated finish. Good acidity and this wine shows nice structure. (93 pts.)

2004 Aldo e Riccardo Seghesio Barolo Vigneto la Villa - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (2/6/2010)
Day 2 review. Wonderful nose with violets, leather, oak, vanilla, and black currants. Powerful taste with blackberries, spices, oak, vanilla, crushed rock and mineral. Concentrated medium finish and plenty of tannins for the long hall. This wine is a bit better on day 2 and should cellar well for decades. (94 pts.)

2004 Josetta Saffirio Langhe Nebbiolo $$$

Color:  Medium purple

Nose:  Fruit, earth, rustic smell

Taste:  Medium tannins, spice, floral, vanilla, oak

Finish:  Medium with floral, spice oak, vanilla

Evaluation:  A DOCG Italian wine that will go great with a big red sauce pasta dish.  Another great selection from my friend Talyor at Hennepin Lake. 90 points

2004 Villadoria d’Alba Nebbiolo $$

Color:  Medium red

Nose:  Oak, fruit,

Taste:  Spice, burst of fruit, dirty/dusty earth

Finish:  Mellow finish with spice and earth

Evaluation:  The Nebbiolo grape goes well with food.  Don’t drink this solo.  85 point

2005

2005 Bruno Giacosa Barbera d'Alba $$$

Color:  red

Nose:  Musty that blew off with floral, cranberries, mushrooms

Taste:  Spice, floral, cranberry and minerals

Finish:  Concentrated and good acidity

Evaluation:  A really nice wine 90 points

2005 Bruno Giacosa Barbera d'Alba - Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Barbera d'Alba (2/5/2010)
Light purple. Nose is really nice with tar, tobacco, spice and raspberries. Very complex palate and finish and really shows a lot for a Barbera wine. I don't get the low score of Spectator and Parker on this one. (91 pts.)

2005 Bruno Giacosa Barbera d'Alba - Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Barbera d'Alba (2/6/2010)
A day two review. Much more subtle with dried raisins, spices, floral, raspberries on the nose. The palate is showing nice spices, dried fruits, floral, and earth. Medium finish and drinking well right now. (92 pts.)

2005 Angelo Sassi Dolcetto Piedmont $$

Color:  Light

Nose:  Floral, cranberries

Taste:  Floral, cranberries

Finish:  Light

Evaluation:  A light red 83 points

2006

2006 Annamaria Abbona Dolcetto di Dogliani Maioli $$

Medium bodied wine with some fruits but really tight. Needs a few years to open up so currently 84 points

2006 Fontanafredda Briccotondo Piemonte Barbera $

Color:  Medium purple

Nose: Floral, cherry, spice, on a very impressive nose

Taste:  Cherry, spice, floral, oak, vanilla, a little tannic

Finish:  Medium and complex wine

Evaluation:  Very tasty introduction to Piemonte wines.  90 points

2006 La Ca Nova Barbera d'Alba $$

Color: Medium purple

Nose:  Raspberries, earth, cherry

Taste:  Nice fruit and alive.  Everything is balanced

Finish:  Very drinkable with or without food

Evaluation:  Solid Barbera 88 points

2006 La Ca' Nova Barbera d'Alba Loreto - Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Barbera d'Alba (2/5/2010)
A fruit forward style wine that drinks well with or without food. Cherry, raspberry and earth. Solid finish. Simple but no flaws. (88 pts.)

2006 Andrea Oberto Nebbiolo d'Alba $$$

Still featuring the Nebbiolo grape but not from the Barolo Region.  Dust, mint, smoke, leather, and floral weave through the wine and offers a nice experience for the money.  90 points

2007 Fontanafredda Briccotondo Barbera $$

Color:  Medium purple

Nose:  Plum, blackberries, smoke, earth

Taste:  Solid with concentrated fruits, smoke, and mineral

Finish:  Medium and complex wine with nice acidity

Evaluation:  One of Italy's best wines for under $15 91 points

 

2004 Aldo e Riccardo Seghesio Barolo Vigneto la Villa

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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