'93 Cascina Francia - Gorgeous nose of forest floor, roses, tar, hot rocks and some cherries. Some really dark burned wood character too. Lush and expansive on the palate showing lots of ripe fruit. Acidity is a touch low but this absolutely deliciosu today. Very impressive for '93. Seems the traditionalists really rocked in '93. A stunner and a sure sleeper.
'97 Monfortino - Explosive nose of spices (cardamon, clove, allspice,) and ripe cherry fruit. Some floral notes and hot rocks. Pretty exotic and very ripe but thoroughly captivating. A panoply of spices with a serious mineral underpinning. Ripe and expansive with a very lush mouthfeel and great concentration. Very complex already and so approachable it is almost scary. Long winding finish with big tannins that are very ripe. You know this has alot to give in reserve but it is unreal right now.
'37 Barolo Riserva - I have never had a Barolo this old and this was a fascintaing wine. Great nose that is slightly oxidized but with still beautiful minerality and fruit. Some sour cherry and even, dare I say . . .sous-bois, Incredibley fresh . . . I mean shockingly fresh for a wine this old. The fruit is ripe and beautiful and the balance is so amazing. It coats the palate with layer after layer of ripe and sweet fruit. The concentration is great. This is great. This is insane wine and a testament to the longetivity of traditional Barolo. Stunning and one of the most memorable bottles I have ever had. I wish I could drink wine this old more often. Maybe Francois Audoze will adopt me.
'61 Barolo - Nose of crushed hot rocks, some black truffles, sour cherry, mineral and fresh wet dirt. Great nose with a definite charred burnt element to it that adds to the complexity. Lush witn an amazing level of sweet fruit and crazy ripeness. Really explosive and complex with gorgeous inner mouth perfume. Still tannic but the tannins are ripe and lush. Long finish. This is gorgeous. Wonderful texture. This is a wow wine and will last 25-35 more years. God these wines are good.
'64 Barolo - Another mindboggling nose. Mesquite bbq sauce, dark flowers, spice (cloves, etc), and woodsmoke. Like a carpenter's shop in a Piedmont wine cellar. If that makes any sense. This was just so aromatic I smelled it for 10 minutes before I had a sip. Again with a super-supple texture and great purity the fruit was so sweet and the concentration was so intense this wine was singing. Easily the youngest so far of the old wines with just fantastic snap and length. It is amazing how complete these wines are especially once they have age.
'64 Barolo Monfortino - A different animal here. The spices on the nose are more intricate. More of them and in much more detail. There is a primordial inner earth thing going on. Like I just walked into a Tolkien novel. Absolutely fascinating. There is fruit, spice, bbq, woodsmoke, just everything it is all there. Even a bit of oxidation to add to the complexity. Cerebral stuff. The palate is perfection. So complex. An explosion of the Piedmont symphony. Perfect integration and harmony. Wowsers!