8/99. Bought in auction, Oct-98 for $100.
Dorit made an excellent 'tough' spaghetti Bolognese yesterday. Today we looked for a good wine to go with it. I thought a 10-years first-class Barolo should be up to the task. I thought the spaghetti was tough? Wait till you read about (or taste) this wine!
COLOR: Dark purple-red. Hardly any clearing around the rim.
NOSE: Profound presence with smoky secondary bouquet like oak and 'Bordeaux Nose' elements somewhat (but not totally) obscuring the black fruit. Impressive, and not inelegant, but neither me nor Dorit found it enticing.
TASTE: A massive wine in all respects. Concentrated, alcoholic (14%!) and very tannic but with enough fruit to stand the bad guys. This is the type of wine that might impress certain kind of critics at a tasting venue. But to be totally honest with you - it didn't sing for me (nor for Dorit...).
LENGTH: Very long. Did I say impressive?
TEXTURE & BALANCE: A super blockbuster old-style Barolo. Huge and massive in every department but one. Alas that one is the one that counts with me... Very concentrated on the nose and the palate, but harsh tannins that make it almost impossible to enjoy (and this is from a guy who is not particularly tannins shy!)
OVERALL: Excellent-plus. A 'great' wine that lacks harmony and is not a pleasure to drink.

MARK: 17.5/20.

BUY MORE? No.

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Jacob "Yak" Shaya.