PJ Willow….. Another strong performance. Very open licorice, mint. Earth, slightly stewed plums. Floral nose. Slight tar. Color turning more brown but think this can still go another 5 years at least. Drink them now as it was great.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Color: brilliant dark red and garnet. Viscous legs Nose: medium/full intensity. Complex fruits; wonderful spicy, mineral aromas. Over several hours, evolved in the glass... warm dark fruits! Body/flavor: full body. Complex dried dark fruits and berries. Excellent balance, the alcohol does not overpower, with good acid. Aftertaste: lingering warm flavors
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
this remains solid juice, but perhaps not overly distinctive. tonight worked well w/ a spicy cheese dip. dark fruits, leather, spice box. quite typical. steal for the money.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is the third of four bottles; the first two were underwhelming to say the least. This particular bottle seems to be coming into its own, and went perfectly with the baked stuffed pesto pork chops, penne and a tossed garden salad. Earthy red cherry, wild raspberry, tart plum, oak spice, taunt leather, herbal tea, decaying autumn leaves, red mineral laden earth. Structure is still in development with grainy tannin and notable acidity both looking for equilibrium. Seems to have enough stuffing and remaining fruit to support another 3-5 years of cellaring.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
With Spaghetti Pork Red sauce…. Pop and initially lots of earth, root beer, licorice tannins slightly sandy but good. Decanted 75 minutes and drank over next 2 hours. Much more linear and showing more resolved tannins. Great plum and dark fruits with slight heat. Finish is 30 second strong . Slight cognac note. Very impressive. I have 7 more!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
First go at this one after 6 years or so in the box. A little detective work suggests this is Icardi's wine although not stated on label or cork. Pretty and typical, but a bit underwhelming for the year and the missive that led me to bite. Even so, the taughtness, tannic structure, balance, and depth certainly speaks to high quality juice, this one from Starderi & Serraboella vineyards. This is drinking about as good as it will get at this point and probably one to drink up over the next couple years. I think this will improve with some air time, and next btls will be decanted.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
First bottle was PnP and 2nd was decanted. Much better with decanting, but could still use a few more years. I won't know because these were my last 2 bottles. Really good QPR from Garagiste at $20 (in 2014).
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Aromatics come out immediately upon pouring. Mint and rose, citrus and other sour fruits. The color is garnet with just a hint of bricking. Ready to drink, for sure, but not over the hill, and maybe not even yet at peak. Plenty of sour fruit flavors, with the nose always taking first position. This is the real thing, even at the low end price and generic label.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wow! I bought three of these six years ago. I had two in 2016. One was corked and dumped, the other was consumed in a casual setting "no notes but seem to remember it drank very well and easily, nice mid-weight balance". This one was excellent! It is drinking so well right now (*). On PnP it was very good if showing a bit damp. It really unwinds with air and got better and better over a couple of hours, showing more depth, complexity, and aged character.
Sour cherry, pipe tobacco, menthol, eucalyptus, dark damp forest floor, toasted fennel seed, sweet herbs with a touch of citrus zest and pith!, spiced baking dark fruits.
All that said, I'd not have guessed Barbaresco. Truth be told, I think I'd have guessed Brunello. That's right, I'd have gone with Sangiovese instead of Nebbiolo if I'm honest.
14% abv
What a bargain at $16 USD (even accounting for one of three being corked).
* Note that this bottle was stored in good, but not ideal conditions. Dark with seasonal temperature fluctuations between low-mid-50s and mid-upper-60s F. So ideally stored bottles will not be as advanced.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
So much better than our previously consumed bottles. Nice cherry notes with good depth. Nice mouthfeel and aftertaste. Went well with eggplant parm and porcini ravioli.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Displays a medium garnet color, full body, and high alcohol. Even with a decant and food, it took well over an hour for this wine to stabilize and open; initially the fruits were very disjointed, with both the acidity and tannin structure front and center. It finally comes around with dirty tar, dried rose petal, cooked plum, sour cherry cough drop, Timut pepper, and iron infused sludge. Pronounced structure notable throughout, and doesn’t seem very well integrated. Although very complex, intense and lengthy, this just doesn’t present itself as being balanced. Slightly better than the prior bottle in October 2019, but from a stylistic and quality perspective, this just doesn’t appeal to my preferences. Still 86 points.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
More clarity in color with this tasting. Musty cherry, licorice and alcohol aromas. Red cherry, raspberry and cranberry flavors with earthy acidity on a lengthy finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Truly delicious tonight - opened up relatively quickly and it was very difficult to put down the glass. Elegant, juicy with good complexity. Excellent value
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
WOW! What a difference from my previous bottles' reviews. This was a wonderful example of a lovely medium bodies Barbaresco. Balance was quite good with just enough acid to keep the fruit bright and not to overwhelm the sweet flowery flavors. Middle slightly tart and smooth with a nice long tannic red fruits on the finish. Tannin was smooth and dry with just a light sweetness and lingered nicely. I don't know why the big difference from the past two bottles but this is exactly what I expected from the wine
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very good QPR - $16 from Garagiste back in 2015. Medium bodied, elegant Barbaresco. Decanted an hour or so before drinking with a big plate of chicken marsala. Bright acidity, no signs of heat, fruity with well integrated tannins. Got a nice little dose of roses and tar on the nose. Drink up or hold a few more years..
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This one took about an hour to open up in full, and then it was just okay. Not much of a nose at all, and a very mild fruit flavor. It’s fine for what it is, but nothing special.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
“Good” for the $20 price as a Garagiste Mystery wine purchased back in 2014. In spite of the low price, the “village” designation, the food, and decant, I found this wine to be very disappointing. Aromatics and flavors were rather weak (light) with some mild rose petal, hard cherry candy, fennel, and cedar. There’s definitely some structure with tannin and acidity notable. High alcohol without enough “body or texture” to provide balance. Rather simplistic in approach, not showing much fruit or complexity in spite of superb vintage conditions. I have additional bottles; hopefully, this is an outlier.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Cloudy red color seemingly just beyond peak. Funky musty fruit aromas. Red cherry, raspberry and cranberry flavors with bracing acidity and tannin on a lengthy finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bright ruby. Shy aromas of red fruit, coffee, a hint of chestnut. Dry fruit on the palate with firm acidity and crisp tannic backing, back aromas of dark plum. Something absent, but perfect with pesto.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Much as previous notes. Decanted 30 mins. Some opening during course of meal. Fully integrated tannin, lovely balanced acidity, moderate rich palate. Fruit deepened with air time. Served with sauteed morel/chanterelle mushrooms over pappardelle--perfect complement.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Color: medium dark garnet Nose: medium intensity. Complex mix of berries and dried fruit. Some warm spices and leather Body/flavor: medium body; attractive, smooth mouthfeel. Lots of evolving dried fruits Finish: lingering
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Black cherry and plum with some faint spice hints reminiscent of Piedmont. Good weight and balance for Barbaresco this young, but I believe this wine is designed for early consumption. Very good value wine.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Some characteristic rose and tar notes, but also molasses like note, and cedar. Not sure what to make of this - not "all that", but nor is it bad, per se, especially at $ point.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Lighting in color although darkens a bit with air to more Grenache like rather than the Pinot color it had on opening. Cherry, leather, drying tannins and a reticent, cedar nose. Drink any time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Continues to impress. Fruit in the red spectrum, with good acidic lift, and tannic spine too. This bottle also shows some gravel and creosote. Finds a hard to hit balance between up front pleasure and layered complexity. Can definitely be approached without contemplation, but is worthy of a little contemplation too for those who are so inclined.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Took a full 24 hours to really reach its prime. Initially thin and tart, but with air gains enough depth and richness to achieve some balance. Ended up a strawberry bomb with brambly floral overtones. Still light-bodied, but enjoyable. A good afternoon quaffer but make sure to open it well in advance
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
a winner! the real deal for $20. yes, there's a touch too much heat, but you get the swirling rosewater aromatics and a refined finish at a very modest price.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Is this great Barbaresco, no, but it was $15. Not complex, but not many $15 wines are. Pleasant enough inexpensive bottle. Opened with a lentil and mushroom dish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
No need for formal notes as mine from previous years will do; this is showing quite similarly. Not too evolved in that time, still showing a bit of a modern streak, particularly on day one. Still an enjoyable quaffer... this will never be a profound Barbaresco, but will be a very nice daily drinker. I still think it needs 5 years to show its best.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Forgot that I had already drunk a bottle last year and was surprised by how charming and enjoyable this is. Sweet red fruit mingles with earthy minerality and moderately grippy tannin. Far, far better than the Tre Communi Barolo.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
While this is not a deeply flavored Barbaresco it is a pleasant weeknight accompaniment to most foods. Decanting is a must right now. As others have noted there's some bottle variation here but overall this is a great value and a worthwhile try from garagiste.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted 30 mins, after sampling. Similar notes to last bottle. This definitely improved with air time and by end of meal had grown a tad fuller and richer, with more fruit and earth showing. Fruit had a bit deeper aged quality to go with the red fruit spectrum. The nose is somewhat muted in terms of floral/tar/fruit, but still apparent. Tannin and acid were balanced and palate maintained a nice structure throughout meal.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
These bottles have been so inconsistent. Last bottle may have been bad. This one is great. Almost Cali Pinot like with bright ripe strawberries, raspberries , crisp, great summer red
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Light , ruby, sour sherry. Bitter melon, crisp, lean Italian red. Mixed feelings about this one. Bouquet is lovely but taste with wild strawberries, mild oak and some earth funk ends flat
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
I really enjoyed this bottle. Consumed over two nights - probably more open on the second, but still quite enjoyable on the first. A lot of nebbiolo character for the price. This has good energy and fine balance. A good Garagiste purchase.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark garnet with bricking. Spicy nose of brambles, tobacco, chocolate, and dark plums. Concentrated dark red fruit on the palate with a delicate touch of acid, furry tannins, aromatic at the back, long and emotionally satisfying finish. 50 + 16 + 17 + 8 = 91.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Aromatic and moderately extracted dark fruit upon opening. Over an hour or so, pepper and astringent tannins on the palate overcame the fruit. Acid roughly equal to the tannins. I was disappointed with how it evolved...it became less generous over time. That being said, it's a firmly structured wine that goes well with food.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Perhaps it was the pairing (shrimp with a marinara, Italian spices, sides of roasted fennel and blanched, cold asparagus with parmigiano) but this was just singing tonight. Excellent.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Ligt in color and body. Expressive, floral nose. Balanced, fruity palate. This has settled down in my cellar, it seems. Much better than when it first got here.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This was at its peak after 3 hours in a decanter when the fruit began to peek forward. Tannins are smooth and still there. I'm going to hold my remaining bottles for a couple of years. Definitely a good buy from Garagiste (but not all have been).
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Open one hour. Charming, dense nose on the elegant side. Fresh dark fruit (blackcurrant, boisenberry). Color just turning orange on the edges. Tar/tobacco on the back end. Intense balanced edge of acidity with fine grained tannins. Persistent grippy nebbiolo finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Hope I have more of these. Very nice wine. Really good with food, has nice bracing acidity without being overwhelming. There is also depth and ripeness. Loads of red and black cherry, some dry currant with leather notes on the palate. Nice but not long finish. Borderline 90 but ekes it on the value.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drank a week or so ago, nice. Had a nice cherry, leather, tobacco thing going on, not overly complex, but the structure and flavours you would expect from a more expensive Barbaresco. Great food wine.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted about an hour. Light ruby color, again, light for a Barbaresco. Pleasant, floral nose. Another review said "feminine," I agree. Still a lot of fruit on the palate, but this time quite a bit of structure balanced it out. Med/long finish. Much better than the last bottle. Shipped from Seattle, perhaps it needed to settle a bit.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This had a soft, feminine and very pleasant bouquet of floral, cherry, strawberry, spice and mineral aromas. The palate was soft with nice acidity and flavors of cherry, strawberry, spice and ash. 89+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This needs a few more years, or at least a good few hours to open up. It is fairly light, but all the goodness of Langhe is there. Very good with food, so long as you're not overpowering it.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Probably too early to open but this wine is already fantastic. Already have an affinity for Barbaresco (and all Italian wines in general), but for the value, this is one of the top wines I've tasted this year.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
No, it's not a top Barbaresco; it's a Nebbiolo de Langhe from Barbaresco. Ultimately, that's beside the point. It's pretty much true to its grape and place, if on the lighter side. I would rate this a significant step up from a lot of $20 Chiantis. for example, in terms of acidic backbone and being a good complement for red-sauce/sugo based cooking. I doubt that it will go anywhere significantly more exciting than where it is now, but there's no rush.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
I really enjoy this wine especially for a young Barbaresco. Not a ton of depth but wonderful aromas of red fruit and light but well integrated tannins. Nice mineral quality as well.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
I know it's probably early to open this, but I was curious. Served blind to friends. Wasn't too easy to peg as Nebbiolo when first opened - in fact, the nose carried a bit of a smoky note. The other standout characteristic was an extreme minerality that really lent itself to a salty characteristic. Overall, a pretty wine and a fantastic value.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Overall, very nice. Just a tad sweet, perhaps, but just a tad, and the slightly sweet fruitiness had nice depth. Sorry can't remember more -- shouldn't wait 2 days to do the tasting note.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Served with grilled butterfly lamb/balsamic garlic marinade. Concur with most recent notes--lighter side, may improve with more bottle time--slightly better integration of tannin. Cherry, some earth, tar, light floral notes. Nose and palate are subtle per DBP. Looks like both bottle and strong individual preference variation. In the end I think a good qpr, and will be interested to see how other bottles fare over time.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nearly exactly a year to my previous note and my impressions are similar on day one. This wine offers gorgeous aromas of Nebbiolo with some cherry pit, strawberry sauce, gravel and charcoal dust. Really pretty stuff. Very soft and supple on the palate, with light fine grained tannins, moderate acid, and flavors of that cherry pit and some new oak. Unfortunately that new oak influence really comes in strong on the finish and covers up much of the Barbaresconess of this wine... as I stated a year ago, the palate and finish of this wine are a bit international in style and are hard to pin as even Nebbiolo. And unlike the last bottle, this didn't smooth out on day two, remaining a bit too oaky and not well integrated on the finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is phenomenal for the $$. Great acidity and smooth tannins; quite plush for a young nebbiolo. Nose reminds me of wild strawberries, lilies (yes I know that's a bit precious as a descriptor, but can we just move on?), liquorice, and cola. Extremely enjoyable.
The wine opened up a lot in the 2-3 hours after it was opened.
This might improve with time in bottle, but I won't be waiting to find out.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Consumed a couple of weeks prior with dinner. This was better than the first. I liked the first bottle, but this one displayed more of the secondary characteristics I love about nebbiolo. This is the more feminine and floral side of this grape, nicely delineated with some herbs to and good pure cherry to boot. Excellent acidity and no lack of flavor despite the fact that this is a lighter bodied wine made this an excellent accompaniment to my meal.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Strawberry, tobacco, fruity, complex aroma. Clear penetrating fruit on the palate, good acid. Lovely long finish. Very bright and energetic, integrated and delicious, rich and aromatic. 50 + 17 + 17 + 8.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I'm not 100% sold on the concept of a leftover wine label, but for 16$ this was a very solid food friendly nebbiolo. Pale ruby color, nose had great typicity: rose water, tar, maraschino cherry, and menthol. Palate was easy, with super fine tannin with a slight edge that rounded out with air. Midpalate came up pretty short. If you like nebbiolo this will drink very well for the price and hold for a few more years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very typical (in a good way) Nebbiolo. Nice tart cherry, good acid, and a pronounced floral element, with the other spices one can get with Nebbiolo more subdued for now. I had this over two nights, and it didn't develop much on the second night, so I'm not sure this has that much evolution in its future. That said, this was still quite nice, and very good for an affordable example of my favorite grape. Also quite drinkable for its youth, whereas more pedigreed examples from this vintage will still be tannic bastards. Overall, I'm happy to have another bottle, but I won't be holding it for more than a couple of years.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
At the lighter end of red in color. Comes into the mouth with red cherry, firm acidity that is not sour or tart, and drying tannins not at all mouth stripping or austere. An elegant and well structured wine that is neither overpowering nor domineering. The finish is the most delicious part of the wine, with a fine balance of cherry fruit, refreshing acidity, and gentle tannins. Enjoyable any time in the next 5 years, but the one thing it will not show is how rich, complex, and powerful Barbaresco can be.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is probably the lightest weight Barbaresco I've ever drunk. It drinks very nicely now and is likely to do so for 5 more years. It is more translucent than most wines we drink. The nose has nice bright cherry notes. Even though we decanted it (no solids), it took a bit of time to open up. There were nice cherry notes and eventually so earth and spice. It made a nice companion to our porcini and fontina ravioli with cream sauce.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Light styled Barbaresco. High acid, with mineral-floral character. Finishes nicely on a delicate cherry note. A food-friendly wine that should be drunk young.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nice light and flowery with a good bit of acid in the middle. Finish is mild tannin and acid. Rather out of balance because of acidity. The initial taste profile was similar to a nice light well-made Gamay. Tasted over two days and the balance improved but much of the nice flowery fruit faded
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drinks more like a good Langhe Rosso (not unexpected given the price); primary, flowery Nebbiolo fruit and approachable tannins make this drinkable now while you hold on to other 2010s
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Let's be clear 85 is not a bad score, but this just isn't a great bottle of wine. At $20 is it supposed to be? No, but it's lacking in 1) nose 2) depth 3) complexity 4) length. It has some good flavors going on and isn;t "manufactured" tasting, but still not great. Honestly this could be any $20 table wine and I don;t see a reason to re-by. Would rather pay up another $7-10 to get the base bottle from the Produttori.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Really liked this, a fantastic qpr. Super floral, light bodied, some light spice, beautiful light red fruit. Has years to go, but no harm in drinking now.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
I didn't find anything mind-blowing about this wine, yet it is a very pleasant wine to drink. I opened the first bottle a couple hours before drinking, but I didn't find that it evolved much in my glass over the course of the evening...Goes well with food as an everyday drinker. All in all, that is not a bad thing for a $20 Barbaresco.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Not one to hold and wait to turn into something remarkable, but a v. solid wine; on the scale of $20 Barbaresci it's way towards the top, and one the scale of $20 mid-weight reds, it's up there, too. We didn't decant, but it was open about an hour before anybody got to it, and then it opened right up in the glass.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
As I wrote on the 2010 Ca‘ Rozzeria Barolo, for those willing to put in the work of following the details listed on the bottle, I believe with with near certainty that you can figure out precisely what this wine is. There are multiple clues and they all lead to one wine. One point that is a little disappointing is that the offer says, "the bottles are from the exact same racks as what their US importer has – I literally saw the pallets of finished [key word] bottles and one bottle went to the labeler with the importers sticker and the next went to the label line with this sticker." Since wines aren't labeled before they're filled/corked, I don't see how that could be true because the cork itself says "Ca‘ Rozzeria" on it, and I doubt the "real wine" says that.
On day one this one was more enjoyable than the Barolo was, but still coming across quite modern and oak saucy (again, I believe this sees short temperature controlled fermentations and 100% new oak barrique). I left the bottle open, a glass down, for 20 hours and came back to it and it's now drinking better. Like the Barolo, this is quite light in color, like watered down strawberry sauce. Pretty looking stuff. Aromas are initially expressive and floral, coupled with bright cherry and strawberry, with light hints of sweet tar. The smell is pleasant and feels quite round. Less oak noticed on the nose on day two, but it's still there. Palate texture is quite lovely, building nice frothiness in the mouth. Good balanced acidity, not as high as the Barolo, but pleasing fruit is present, with some light tannins. The palate is a little bit generic/international in its approach. The acidic depth does offer more on day two, though. It's nice, but still doesn't reveal much character. The initial hit on the finish is of fine grained tannin and acid, lingering some time. The flavors are high toned strawberry fruit juice. Pretty delicious and drinkable today, and you can certainly sense this is the same style as the 2010 Ca‘ Rozzeria Barolo, but a little softer here, and a bit more generic, so I doubt I'd pin this as Barbaresco blind. Enjoyable and balanced for sure, but its modern approach has me slightly worried for longevity and improvement. I'll drink these on the younger end of things as they're quite enjoyable today.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Light style Barbaresco. Good balance with the tannins well-integrated. Pretty floral notes on the nose. Mineral character to the palate with sour cherry, anise, iron. High acid. Would go well with a variety of dishes. Not a tremendous bargain, but fairly priced at $20.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
PnP this Garagiste mystery Barbaresco. Nose is shy, tart red cherry, new tupperware, orange rind, and violets. Palate shows med bodied wine, lively acidity, firm and chewy tannins. Broad and deep flavors that fill in the mid palate beautifully, including sour red cherry up front, with faint, rich black cherry syrup flavors in the background, making it quite interesting. Tobacco, leather, faint anise, quite complex. Will drink well now with a few hours in the decanter. Should drink well through 2022+. Delicious.
5/13/2024 - JoeDwine Likes this wine: 92 Points
PJ Willow…..
Another strong performance. Very open licorice, mint. Earth, slightly stewed plums. Floral nose. Slight tar.
Color turning more brown but think this can still go another 5 years at least. Drink them now as it was great.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/10/2024 - OldwineinVT Likes this wine: 90 Points
Garagiste selection 14% ABV
Color: brilliant dark red and garnet. Viscous legs
Nose: medium/full intensity. Complex fruits; wonderful spicy, mineral aromas. Over several hours, evolved in the glass... warm dark fruits!
Body/flavor: full body. Complex dried dark fruits and berries. Excellent balance, the alcohol does not overpower, with good acid.
Aftertaste: lingering warm flavors
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/21/2024 - Neurowine1 wrote:
this remains solid juice, but perhaps not overly distinctive. tonight worked well w/ a spicy cheese dip. dark fruits, leather, spice box. quite typical. steal for the money.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/9/2023 - wmccone54 wrote: 91 Points
This is the third of four bottles; the first two were underwhelming to say the least. This particular bottle seems to be coming into its own, and went perfectly with the baked stuffed pesto pork chops, penne and a tossed garden salad. Earthy red cherry, wild raspberry, tart plum, oak spice, taunt leather, herbal tea, decaying autumn leaves, red mineral laden earth. Structure is still in development with grainy tannin and notable acidity both looking for equilibrium. Seems to have enough stuffing and remaining fruit to support another 3-5 years of cellaring.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/26/2023 - Neurowine1 wrote:
similar to the bottle last year. this is nice with a very typical barbaresco profile. lots of minerals tonight. a ridiculous bargain at sub-$20!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/29/2022 - JoeDwine Likes this wine: 91 Points
With Spaghetti Pork Red sauce….
Pop and initially lots of earth, root beer, licorice tannins slightly sandy but good. Decanted 75 minutes and drank over next 2 hours. Much more linear and showing more resolved tannins. Great plum and dark fruits with slight heat. Finish is 30 second strong . Slight cognac note. Very impressive. I have 7 more!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/30/2022 - Neurowine1 wrote:
First go at this one after 6 years or so in the box. A little detective work suggests this is Icardi's wine although not stated on label or cork. Pretty and typical, but a bit underwhelming for the year and the missive that led me to bite. Even so, the taughtness, tannic structure, balance, and depth certainly speaks to high quality juice, this one from Starderi & Serraboella vineyards. This is drinking about as good as it will get at this point and probably one to drink up over the next couple years. I think this will improve with some air time, and next btls will be decanted.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/18/2022 - maxmanx wrote:
First bottle was PnP and 2nd was decanted. Much better with decanting, but could still use a few more years. I won't know because these were my last 2 bottles. Really good QPR from Garagiste at $20 (in 2014).
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/18/2022 - pape du neuf Likes this wine: 90 Points
Aromatics come out immediately upon pouring. Mint and rose, citrus and other sour fruits. The color is garnet with just a hint of bricking.
Ready to drink, for sure, but not over the hill, and maybe not even yet at peak. Plenty of sour fruit flavors, with the nose always taking first position.
This is the real thing, even at the low end price and generic label.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/14/2022 - tward Likes this wine: 93 Points
Wow! I bought three of these six years ago. I had two in 2016. One was corked and dumped, the other was consumed in a casual setting "no notes but seem to remember it drank very well and easily, nice mid-weight balance". This one was excellent! It is drinking so well right now (*). On PnP it was very good if showing a bit damp. It really unwinds with air and got better and better over a couple of hours, showing more depth, complexity, and aged character.
Sour cherry, pipe tobacco, menthol, eucalyptus, dark damp forest floor, toasted fennel seed, sweet herbs with a touch of citrus zest and pith!, spiced baking dark fruits.
All that said, I'd not have guessed Barbaresco. Truth be told, I think I'd have guessed Brunello. That's right, I'd have gone with Sangiovese instead of Nebbiolo if I'm honest.
14% abv
What a bargain at $16 USD (even accounting for one of three being corked).
* Note that this bottle was stored in good, but not ideal conditions. Dark with seasonal temperature fluctuations between low-mid-50s and mid-upper-60s F. So ideally stored bottles will not be as advanced.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/6/2022 - Aparritz Likes this wine: 93 Points
Wow - major improvement from 4 years ago. Mature integrated flavors, good depth, and short/medium finish.
This is ready to drink and IMO in prime drinking window.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/19/2021 - sanjuanlewis Likes this wine: 89 Points
Not my favorite, needs some fat to balance out the acidity. Help up well for a couple days.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/17/2021 - wayfarer Likes this wine: 90 Points
Quite good, drinking perfectly with brief decant. Last bottle...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/2/2021 - lvjohn Likes this wine: 93 Points
So much better than our previously consumed bottles. Nice cherry notes with good depth. Nice mouthfeel and aftertaste. Went well with eggplant parm and porcini ravioli.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/10/2021 - maxmanx wrote:
Drank over several days, and held up very nicely. Not the greatest Barbaresco, but did taste of Nebbiolo. Very good QPR at $20 from Garagiste.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/7/2021 - SeaWine Likes this wine:
Better than in 2016, and I liked it then, too. Great value.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/5/2021 - guitarguy wrote: 85 Points
Light crimson, maybe a bit Pinot Noirish. Smoke and leather nose with sour cherry, underbrush and rosemary notes. Drink now, this isn’t swinging up.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/28/2021 - fmginc Likes this wine: 89 Points
needed time to open and wonderful results
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/24/2020 - Francophile Likes this wine: 89 Points
Pretty reasonable Barbaresco.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/8/2020 - fmginc Likes this wine: 89 Points
great notes nice balance deep garnet color
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/27/2020 - wmccone54 wrote:
Displays a medium garnet color, full body, and high alcohol. Even with a decant and food, it took well over an hour for this wine to stabilize and open; initially the fruits were very disjointed, with both the acidity and tannin structure front and center. It finally comes around with dirty tar, dried rose petal, cooked plum, sour cherry cough drop, Timut pepper, and iron infused sludge. Pronounced structure notable throughout, and doesn’t seem very well integrated. Although very complex, intense and lengthy, this just doesn’t present itself as being balanced. Slightly better than the prior bottle in October 2019, but from a stylistic and quality perspective, this just doesn’t appeal to my preferences. Still 86 points.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/26/2020 - Jasonr1023 wrote: 85 Points
Thanksgiving
Sierra says good, but not best she's ever had.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comments (2)
11/11/2020 - davidspieker wrote: 90 Points
More clarity in color with this tasting. Musty cherry, licorice and alcohol aromas. Red cherry, raspberry and cranberry flavors with earthy acidity on a lengthy finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/30/2020 - Bowmanifesto wrote: 90 Points
Serious Barbaresco. Wonderful in every way. What a deal.Wish I'd bought more.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/25/2020 - Canuckgiver Likes this wine: 90 Points
Agreeing with PIFCHO, except for the score. Easy drinking, no obvious faults, worth the original price...
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/17/2020 - Francophile Likes this wine: 89 Points
Pretty good Barbaresco, but getting near the end.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/4/2020 - pifcho Likes this wine: 93 Points
Truly delicious tonight - opened up relatively quickly and it was very difficult to put down the glass. Elegant, juicy with good complexity. Excellent value
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/24/2020 - fmginc Likes this wine: 90 Points
Open and let breathe for an hour or so became outrageous. Great fruit notes and super rounded tannins
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/11/2020 - wtianseter wrote: 91 Points
WOW! What a difference from my previous bottles' reviews. This was a wonderful example of a lovely medium bodies Barbaresco. Balance was quite good with just enough acid to keep the fruit bright and not to overwhelm the sweet flowery flavors. Middle slightly tart and smooth with a nice long tannic red fruits on the finish. Tannin was smooth and dry with just a light sweetness and lingered nicely.
I don't know why the big difference from the past two bottles but this is exactly what I expected from the wine
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/29/2020 - TGLeroy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drank over two days. This is in a really good place at the moment. Balanced, delicious and a solid effort in every way. Great QPR!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/27/2020 - festiva wrote: 89 Points
Very good QPR - $16 from Garagiste back in 2015. Medium bodied, elegant Barbaresco. Decanted an hour or so before drinking with a big plate of chicken marsala. Bright acidity, no signs of heat, fruity with well integrated tannins. Got a nice little dose of roses and tar on the nose. Drink up or hold a few more years..
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/25/2019 - fmginc Likes this wine: 90 Points
Decanted and left for an hour. Result was wonderful crisp notes and well balanced
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/19/2019 - Bowmanifesto wrote: 90 Points
Outstanding in every way.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/14/2019 - stbraunt wrote: 88 Points
This one took about an hour to open up in full, and then it was just okay. Not much of a nose at all, and a very mild fruit flavor. It’s fine for what it is, but nothing special.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/25/2019 - wmccone54 wrote: 86 Points
“Good” for the $20 price as a Garagiste Mystery wine purchased back in 2014. In spite of the low price, the “village” designation, the food, and decant, I found this wine to be very disappointing. Aromatics and flavors were rather weak (light) with some mild rose petal, hard cherry candy, fennel, and cedar. There’s definitely some structure with tannin and acidity notable. High alcohol without enough “body or texture” to provide balance. Rather simplistic in approach, not showing much fruit or complexity in spite of superb vintage conditions. I have additional bottles; hopefully, this is an outlier.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/15/2019 - 2caveman Likes this wine: 90 Points
This is consistently delicious and is holding up beautifully. Show me a better 20$ wine from piedmont
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/16/2019 - davidspieker wrote: 89 Points
Cloudy red color seemingly just beyond peak. Funky musty fruit aromas. Red cherry, raspberry and cranberry flavors with bracing acidity and tannin on a lengthy finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/9/2019 - wgmccallum wrote: 89 Points
Bright ruby. Shy aromas of red fruit, coffee, a hint of chestnut. Dry fruit on the palate with firm acidity and crisp tannic backing, back aromas of dark plum. Something absent, but perfect with pesto.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/20/2019 - winemaker Likes this wine: 92 Points
Same as last note.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/8/2019 - winemaker Likes this wine: 91 Points
Opened an hour in advance. Really good and balanced. Tannins are fine. Cherry fruits. Some savory herbal notes. In its drinking window.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/16/2019 - wayfarer Likes this wine: 90 Points
Much as previous notes. Decanted 30 mins. Some opening during course of meal. Fully integrated tannin, lovely balanced acidity, moderate rich palate. Fruit deepened with air time. Served with sauteed morel/chanterelle mushrooms over pappardelle--perfect complement.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/29/2019 - Enzo D wrote: 90 Points
Thought this was quite good. Even better on day two. Drink now or hold a bit longer.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/15/2019 - ctbob Likes this wine:
Delish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/2/2019 - guitarguy wrote: 88 Points
Light color, light body. Cigar box, creamy cherry and a bit of sour acidity. Half was used in pork ragu.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/21/2019 - OldwineinVT Likes this wine: 89 Points
Garagiste mystery selection
Color: medium dark garnet
Nose: medium intensity. Complex mix of berries and dried fruit. Some warm spices and leather
Body/flavor: medium body; attractive, smooth mouthfeel. Lots of evolving dried fruits
Finish: lingering
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/19/2019 - Burgundy Al wrote: 87 Points
Black cherry and plum with some faint spice hints reminiscent of Piedmont. Good weight and balance for Barbaresco this young, but I believe this wine is designed for early consumption. Very good value wine.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/7/2019 - Baudelaire Likes this wine: 90 Points
On the palate and finish cherry, violet, and a hint of sandalwood. Round. Very enjoyable.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/5/2019 - 2caveman Likes this wine: 90 Points
My wife says “very good” and that’s all the news....
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/29/2018 - lake.vino wrote: 86 Points
Some characteristic rose and tar notes, but also molasses like note, and cedar. Not sure what to make of this - not "all that", but nor is it bad, per se, especially at $ point.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/12/2018 - guitarguy wrote: 88 Points
Lighting in color although darkens a bit with air to more Grenache like rather than the Pinot color it had on opening. Cherry, leather, drying tannins and a reticent, cedar nose. Drink any time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/25/2018 - 1961Vintage wrote: 89 Points
Agree with previous comments. Terrific value at under $20. Plenty of life remaining too.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/26/2018 - wirelesswine wrote:
So fantastic...and what a value...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/29/2018 - JimEaton Likes this wine: 90 Points
This seems to be improving slightly with some age. More balanced that 2 years ago. Went well with lasagna this evening.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/29/2018 - tmoritz1 wrote: 91 Points
Nose of leather and dried figs and plums. Balanced acidity with medium legs.light claret color easy to dring with a very smooth and finish
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/8/2018 - cab wrote:
Too much vanilla for me. And kind of disjointed. Not terrible,just not one I want more of.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/10/2018 - bhouk wrote:
Continues to impress. Fruit in the red spectrum, with good acidic lift, and tannic spine too. This bottle also shows some gravel and creosote. Finds a hard to hit balance between up front pleasure and layered complexity. Can definitely be approached without contemplation, but is worthy of a little contemplation too for those who are so inclined.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/24/2018 - UpfromtheCellar wrote: 89 Points
A nice drinking red that was showing very well. Easy, balanced, not surprisingly, light in color. Long smooth finish. Needs time to open.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/27/2018 - burr wrote: 89 Points
Took a full 24 hours to really reach its prime. Initially thin and tart, but with air gains enough depth and richness to achieve some balance. Ended up a strawberry bomb with brambly floral overtones. Still light-bodied, but enjoyable. A good afternoon quaffer but make sure to open it well in advance
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/30/2017 - cse Likes this wine: 91 Points
a winner! the real deal for $20. yes, there's a touch too much heat, but you get the swirling rosewater aromatics and a refined finish at a very modest price.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/18/2017 - Al Ehrhardt wrote:
Is this great Barbaresco, no, but it was $15. Not complex, but not many $15 wines are. Pleasant enough inexpensive bottle. Opened with a lentil and mushroom dish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/2/2017 - David Paris (dbp) wrote: 89 Points
No need for formal notes as mine from previous years will do; this is showing quite similarly. Not too evolved in that time, still showing a bit of a modern streak, particularly on day one. Still an enjoyable quaffer... this will never be a profound Barbaresco, but will be a very nice daily drinker. I still think it needs 5 years to show its best.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/29/2017 - bhouk wrote:
Forgot that I had already drunk a bottle last year and was surprised by how charming and enjoyable this is. Sweet red fruit mingles with earthy minerality and moderately grippy tannin. Far, far better than the Tre Communi Barolo.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/12/2017 - guitarguy wrote: 89 Points
Mildly interesting, leather, alcohol, green brush in the nose. Sour cherry, moderate tannins, sous bois and moderate tannin impact. Okay for $20
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/11/2017 - thebonnydooner wrote: 90 Points
Another lovely showing, great acidty and freshness to balance the nice cherry and strawberry fruit. Ripe but firm, long finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/29/2017 - Aparritz Likes this wine: 89 Points
While this is not a deeply flavored Barbaresco it is a pleasant weeknight accompaniment to most foods. Decanting is a must right now. As others have noted there's some bottle variation here but overall this is a great value and a worthwhile try from garagiste.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/20/2017 - wayfarer Likes this wine:
Decanted 30 mins, after sampling. Similar notes to last bottle. This definitely improved with air time and by end of meal had grown a tad fuller and richer, with more fruit and earth showing. Fruit had a bit deeper aged quality to go with the red fruit spectrum. The nose is somewhat muted in terms of floral/tar/fruit, but still apparent. Tannin and acid were balanced and palate maintained a nice structure throughout meal.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/7/2017 - Rico100 wrote: 91 Points
Nice light balanced.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/27/2017 - redz wrote: 89 Points
medium body, pnp, probably should have decanted
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/9/2017 - ravbik wrote: 91 Points
These bottles have been so inconsistent. Last bottle may have been bad. This one is great. Almost Cali Pinot like with bright ripe strawberries, raspberries , crisp, great summer red
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/30/2017 - ravbik wrote: 87 Points
Light , ruby, sour sherry. Bitter melon, crisp, lean Italian red. Mixed feelings about this one. Bouquet is lovely but taste with wild strawberries, mild oak and some earth funk ends flat
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/12/2017 - 2caveman Likes this wine: 91 Points
first tasting was excellent. This wine has depth and body, classic nebbiola features and for me outshines its Barolo brethren.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/8/2017 - pifcho Likes this wine: 91 Points
I really enjoyed this bottle. Consumed over two nights - probably more open on the second, but still quite enjoyable on the first. A lot of nebbiolo character for the price. This has good energy and fine balance. A good Garagiste purchase.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/7/2017 - cab wrote:
Decent, not great. Too much heat, just a touch too much vanilla. Balanced, lean, a little savory.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/4/2017 - wgmccallum Likes this wine: 91 Points
Dark garnet with bricking. Spicy nose of brambles, tobacco, chocolate, and dark plums. Concentrated dark red fruit on the palate with a delicate touch of acid, furry tannins, aromatic at the back, long and emotionally satisfying finish. 50 + 16 + 17 + 8 = 91.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/3/2017 - CDH Likes this wine: 88 Points
Aromatic and moderately extracted dark fruit upon opening. Over an hour or so, pepper and astringent tannins on the palate overcame the fruit. Acid roughly equal to the tannins. I was disappointed with how it evolved...it became less generous over time. That being said, it's a firmly structured wine that goes well with food.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/26/2017 - tlangle wrote: 92 Points
this is in a great place and is improving with time
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/10/2017 - fmginc Likes this wine: 88 Points
Soft smooth medium soft to no tannins great mixed fruit
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/4/2017 - Tony Poli Likes this wine: 91 Points
Perhaps it was the pairing (shrimp with a marinara, Italian spices, sides of roasted fennel and blanched, cold asparagus with parmigiano) but this was just singing tonight. Excellent.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/28/2017 - Bowmanifesto wrote: 89 Points
What a great deal. Unbelievably low price for this much Piedmont quality.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/22/2017 - Tony Poli Likes this wine: 89 Points
Ligt in color and body. Expressive, floral nose. Balanced, fruity palate. This has settled down in my cellar, it seems. Much better than when it first got here.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/16/2017 - maxmanx wrote:
This was at its peak after 3 hours in a decanter when the fruit began to peek forward. Tannins are smooth and still there. I'm going to hold my remaining bottles for a couple of years. Definitely a good buy from Garagiste (but not all have been).
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/21/2017 - jsherdc Likes this wine: 88 Points
Still tannic. Black cherry, tar and tobacco. Smooth. Nice grip. Hold for another 3 years.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/20/2017 - tnt4242 Likes this wine:
Open one hour. Charming, dense nose on the elegant side. Fresh dark fruit (blackcurrant, boisenberry). Color just turning orange on the edges. Tar/tobacco on the back end. Intense balanced edge of acidity with fine grained tannins. Persistent grippy nebbiolo finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/17/2017 - thebonnydooner wrote: 90 Points
Hope I have more of these. Very nice wine. Really good with food, has nice bracing acidity without being overwhelming. There is also depth and ripeness. Loads of red and black cherry, some dry currant with leather notes on the palate. Nice but not long finish. Borderline 90 but ekes it on the value.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/9/2016 - thebonnydooner wrote: 90 Points
Drank a week or so ago, nice. Had a nice cherry, leather, tobacco thing going on, not overly complex, but the structure and flavours you would expect from a more expensive Barbaresco. Great food wine.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/26/2016 - Tony Poli Likes this wine: 89 Points
Decanted about an hour. Light ruby color, again, light for a Barbaresco. Pleasant, floral nose. Another review said "feminine," I agree. Still a lot of fruit on the palate, but this time quite a bit of structure balanced it out. Med/long finish. Much better than the last bottle. Shipped from Seattle, perhaps it needed to settle a bit.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/26/2016 - bhouk wrote:
Sweet strawberries, some leather and tar, good structure. Good regional character. Lots of value at this price.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/21/2016 - arthrovine wrote: flawed
Tca
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/21/2016 - nittanyjack Does not like this wine:
One-dimensional wine that I have a hard time identifying with the nebbiolo grape. Not a fan.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/12/2016 - UpfromtheCellar wrote: 90 Points
The recent reviews have nailed it. Medium bodied, drinking very very nicely at present. Time opened improves it somewhat but not 100% essential.
Life is good-Kistler one night this the next. That's why I have a cellar.....
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/3/2016 - garambler Likes this wine: 90 Points
This had a soft, feminine and very pleasant bouquet of floral, cherry, strawberry, spice and mineral aromas. The palate was soft with nice acidity and flavors of cherry, strawberry, spice and ash. 89+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/30/2016 - lvjohn Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nice fruit, but light to medium weight wine. I suspect it may need a bit more bottle aging, but it is drinking just fine now.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/5/2016 - alexrad Likes this wine: 90 Points
This needs a few more years, or at least a good few hours to open up. It is fairly light, but all the goodness of Langhe is there. Very good with food, so long as you're not overpowering it.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/29/2016 - ctbob Likes this wine:
As before...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/27/2016 - mdconn Likes this wine: 93 Points
Probably too early to open but this wine is already fantastic. Already have an affinity for Barbaresco (and all Italian wines in general), but for the value, this is one of the top wines I've tasted this year.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/20/2016 - ctbob Likes this wine:
No, it's not a top Barbaresco; it's a Nebbiolo de Langhe from Barbaresco. Ultimately, that's beside the point. It's pretty much true to its grape and place, if on the lighter side. I would rate this a significant step up from a lot of $20 Chiantis. for example, in terms of acidic backbone and being a good complement for red-sauce/sugo based cooking. I doubt that it will go anywhere significantly more exciting than where it is now, but there's no rush.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/24/2016 - czender1 Likes this wine: 91 Points
I really enjoy this wine especially for a young Barbaresco. Not a ton of depth but wonderful aromas of red fruit and light but well integrated tannins. Nice mineral quality as well.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/22/2016 - wirelesswine wrote: 89 Points
I know it's probably early to open this, but I was curious. Served blind to friends. Wasn't too easy to peg as Nebbiolo when first opened - in fact, the nose carried a bit of a smoky note. The other standout characteristic was an extreme minerality that really lent itself to a salty characteristic. Overall, a pretty wine and a fantastic value.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/16/2016 - cab Likes this wine:
Overall, very nice. Just a tad sweet, perhaps, but just a tad, and the slightly sweet fruitiness had nice depth. Sorry can't remember more -- shouldn't wait 2 days to do the tasting note.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/10/2016 - SeaWine Likes this wine: 90 Points
As others have noted, a great QPR. A bit austere at first, this was an enjoyable wine with food and also fun to sip on its own.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/1/2016 - wayfarer Likes this wine: 89 Points
Served with grilled butterfly lamb/balsamic garlic marinade. Concur with most recent notes--lighter side, may improve with more bottle time--slightly better integration of tannin. Cherry, some earth, tar, light floral notes. Nose and palate are subtle per DBP. Looks like both bottle and strong individual preference variation. In the end I think a good qpr, and will be interested to see how other bottles fare over time.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/21/2016 - Cliff Booth Likes this wine: 89 Points
PnP - pleasing combination of the floral and feminine side of Nebbiolo. Far from a classic Barbaresco, but impressive PQR - drink up.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/17/2016 - Tony Poli Likes this wine: 87 Points
A bit of a lightweight. Sweet on the nose and palate. Barriques? Smoothed out a bit with some air, I will give the other bottles a bit more time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/1/2016 - David Paris (dbp) wrote: 89 Points
Nearly exactly a year to my previous note and my impressions are similar on day one. This wine offers gorgeous aromas of Nebbiolo with some cherry pit, strawberry sauce, gravel and charcoal dust. Really pretty stuff. Very soft and supple on the palate, with light fine grained tannins, moderate acid, and flavors of that cherry pit and some new oak. Unfortunately that new oak influence really comes in strong on the finish and covers up much of the Barbaresconess of this wine... as I stated a year ago, the palate and finish of this wine are a bit international in style and are hard to pin as even Nebbiolo. And unlike the last bottle, this didn't smooth out on day two, remaining a bit too oaky and not well integrated on the finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/30/2016 - mid_palate Likes this wine:
This is phenomenal for the $$. Great acidity and smooth tannins; quite plush for a young nebbiolo. Nose reminds me of wild strawberries, lilies (yes I know that's a bit precious as a descriptor, but can we just move on?), liquorice, and cola. Extremely enjoyable.
The wine opened up a lot in the 2-3 hours after it was opened.
This might improve with time in bottle, but I won't be waiting to find out.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/1/2016 - wtianseter wrote: 84 Points
Disappointing Nebbiolo! Lacked fruit intensity and needed better balance, on the acid side
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/30/2016 - ilcalmo wrote: 90 Points
Consumed a couple of weeks prior with dinner. This was better than the first. I liked the first bottle, but this one displayed more of the secondary characteristics I love about nebbiolo. This is the more feminine and floral side of this grape, nicely delineated with some herbs to and good pure cherry to boot. Excellent acidity and no lack of flavor despite the fact that this is a lighter bodied wine made this an excellent accompaniment to my meal.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/26/2016 - grantsky wrote: 88 Points
Pretty simple, thin, but pleasant with food.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/11/2016 - winepog wrote: 88 Points
Great aroma, does not come through as well on the palate, but good for the price.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/6/2016 - joraesque wrote: 87 Points
Strawberries and cherry pit. Too light to be very enjoyable, but good with food.
14% ABV.
86-87
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (2)
2/28/2016 - wgmccallum Likes this wine: 92 Points
Strawberry, tobacco, fruity, complex aroma. Clear penetrating fruit on the palate, good acid. Lovely long finish. Very bright and energetic, integrated and delicious, rich and aromatic. 50 + 17 + 17 + 8.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/27/2016 - ex-sommelier Likes this wine: 89 Points
I'm not 100% sold on the concept of a leftover wine label, but for 16$ this was a very solid food friendly nebbiolo. Pale ruby color, nose had great typicity: rose water, tar, maraschino cherry, and menthol. Palate was easy, with super fine tannin with a slight edge that rounded out with air. Midpalate came up pretty short. If you like nebbiolo this will drink very well for the price and hold for a few more years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/20/2016 - itadome Does not like this wine: 81 Points
Flat, almost spent. Probably an inferior bottle
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/6/2016 - ilcalmo wrote:
Very typical (in a good way) Nebbiolo. Nice tart cherry, good acid, and a pronounced floral element, with the other spices one can get with Nebbiolo more subdued for now. I had this over two nights, and it didn't develop much on the second night, so I'm not sure this has that much evolution in its future. That said, this was still quite nice, and very good for an affordable example of my favorite grape. Also quite drinkable for its youth, whereas more pedigreed examples from this vintage will still be tannic bastards. Overall, I'm happy to have another bottle, but I won't be holding it for more than a couple of years.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/24/2016 - RoysterWright wrote: 89 Points
Bright and acidic. Still young.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/27/2015 - ctbob Likes this wine:
This bottle put me on the side of those who think it may evolve into something more substantial...
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/20/2015 - Mossrose wrote: 90 Points
At the lighter end of red in color. Comes into the mouth with red cherry, firm acidity that is not sour or tart, and drying tannins not at all mouth stripping or austere. An elegant and well structured wine that is neither overpowering nor domineering. The finish is the most delicious part of the wine, with a fine balance of cherry fruit, refreshing acidity, and gentle tannins. Enjoyable any time in the next 5 years, but the one thing it will not show is how rich, complex, and powerful Barbaresco can be.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/20/2015 - rjm_va Likes this wine: 91 Points
Other TN on track. Thin but not weak. Glad have more
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/18/2015 - nefarm Likes this wine: 87 Points
An 88 on the first night--violet and cherry--with alcohol showing on day 2. Satisfied with purchase.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/15/2015 - lvjohn Likes this wine: 90 Points
This is probably the lightest weight Barbaresco I've ever drunk. It drinks very nicely now and is likely to do so for 5 more years. It is more translucent than most wines we drink. The nose has nice bright cherry notes. Even though we decanted it (no solids), it took a bit of time to open up. There were nice cherry notes and eventually so earth and spice. It made a nice companion to our porcini and fontina ravioli with cream sauce.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/4/2015 - jayw wrote:
Light styled Barbaresco. High acid, with mineral-floral character. Finishes nicely on a delicate cherry note. A food-friendly wine that should be drunk young.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/20/2015 - brinko99 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Surprisingly simple and never seemed to open up for us. Next time I'll consider a significant decant.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/16/2015 - wtianseter wrote: 85 Points
Nice light and flowery with a good bit of acid in the middle. Finish is mild tannin and acid. Rather out of balance because of acidity. The initial taste profile was similar to a nice light well-made Gamay. Tasted over two days and the balance improved but much of the nice flowery fruit faded
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/13/2015 - bklynwine wrote:
Drinks more like a good Langhe Rosso (not unexpected given the price); primary, flowery Nebbiolo fruit and approachable tannins make this drinkable now while you hold on to other 2010s
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/13/2015 - RyanJames Does not like this wine: 85 Points
Let's be clear 85 is not a bad score, but this just isn't a great bottle of wine. At $20 is it supposed to be? No, but it's lacking in 1) nose 2) depth 3) complexity 4) length. It has some good flavors going on and isn;t "manufactured" tasting, but still not great. Honestly this could be any $20 table wine and I don;t see a reason to re-by. Would rather pay up another $7-10 to get the base bottle from the Produttori.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/11/2015 - cadamson Likes this wine: 92 Points
Same, maybe even better, than my note from two months ago. This is a delicious wine, a great qpr. Much better than the barolo at this point.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/3/2015 - Jasonr1023 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Drinking well now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/18/2015 - ctbob Likes this wine:
Delicious drink-now Barbaresco; light in style, no need to decant
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/18/2015 - cadamson Likes this wine: 92 Points
Really liked this, a fantastic qpr. Super floral, light bodied, some light spice, beautiful light red fruit. Has years to go, but no harm in drinking now.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/3/2015 - colleenjoy Likes this wine: 89 Points
Light color, body, taste. Nice with food, but I'm not going to age it.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/30/2015 - Drunken Sailor wrote:
I didn't find anything mind-blowing about this wine, yet it is a very pleasant wine to drink. I opened the first bottle a couple hours before drinking, but I didn't find that it evolved much in my glass over the course of the evening...Goes well with food as an everyday drinker. All in all, that is not a bad thing for a $20 Barbaresco.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/12/2015 - Jasonr1023 Likes this wine: 87 Points
better on day 2
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/20/2015 - ctbob wrote:
Slightly corked -- slight enough that the ice-plastic wrap treatment made it drinkable and even enjoyable.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/6/2015 - redz wrote: 89 Points
light, needs longer decant and more time
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/25/2015 - ctbob wrote:
Not one to hold and wait to turn into something remarkable, but a v. solid wine; on the scale of $20 Barbaresci it's way towards the top, and one the scale of $20 mid-weight reds, it's up there, too. We didn't decant, but it was open about an hour before anybody got to it, and then it opened right up in the glass.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/20/2015 - David Paris (dbp) wrote: 90 Points
As I wrote on the 2010 Ca‘ Rozzeria Barolo, for those willing to put in the work of following the details listed on the bottle, I believe with with near certainty that you can figure out precisely what this wine is. There are multiple clues and they all lead to one wine. One point that is a little disappointing is that the offer says, "the bottles are from the exact same racks as what their US importer has – I literally saw the pallets of finished [key word] bottles and one bottle went to the labeler with the importers sticker and the next went to the label line with this sticker." Since wines aren't labeled before they're filled/corked, I don't see how that could be true because the cork itself says "Ca‘ Rozzeria" on it, and I doubt the "real wine" says that.
On day one this one was more enjoyable than the Barolo was, but still coming across quite modern and oak saucy (again, I believe this sees short temperature controlled fermentations and 100% new oak barrique). I left the bottle open, a glass down, for 20 hours and came back to it and it's now drinking better. Like the Barolo, this is quite light in color, like watered down strawberry sauce. Pretty looking stuff. Aromas are initially expressive and floral, coupled with bright cherry and strawberry, with light hints of sweet tar. The smell is pleasant and feels quite round. Less oak noticed on the nose on day two, but it's still there. Palate texture is quite lovely, building nice frothiness in the mouth. Good balanced acidity, not as high as the Barolo, but pleasing fruit is present, with some light tannins. The palate is a little bit generic/international in its approach. The acidic depth does offer more on day two, though. It's nice, but still doesn't reveal much character. The initial hit on the finish is of fine grained tannin and acid, lingering some time. The flavors are high toned strawberry fruit juice. Pretty delicious and drinkable today, and you can certainly sense this is the same style as the 2010 Ca‘ Rozzeria Barolo, but a little softer here, and a bit more generic, so I doubt I'd pin this as Barbaresco blind. Enjoyable and balanced for sure, but its modern approach has me slightly worried for longevity and improvement. I'll drink these on the younger end of things as they're quite enjoyable today.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/15/2015 - jayw wrote:
Light style Barbaresco. Good balance with the tannins well-integrated. Pretty floral notes on the nose. Mineral character to the palate with sour cherry, anise, iron. High acid. Would go well with a variety of dishes. Not a tremendous bargain, but fairly priced at $20.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/15/2015 - rho wrote: 90 Points
Light bodied table wine. Smooth and balanced with soft tannin. S20 mystery Barbaresco from Garagiste. Drink now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/9/2015 - drrobvino wrote: 91 Points
PnP this Garagiste mystery Barbaresco.
Nose is shy, tart red cherry, new tupperware, orange rind, and violets.
Palate shows med bodied wine, lively acidity, firm and chewy tannins. Broad and deep flavors that fill in the mid palate beautifully, including sour red cherry up front, with faint, rich black cherry syrup flavors in the background, making it quite interesting. Tobacco, leather, faint anise, quite complex.
Will drink well now with a few hours in the decanter. Should drink well through 2022+. Delicious.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comments (2)
5/3/2015 - Mmbratt wrote: 90 Points
I really enjoyed this lighter drinking Barolo with a good finish and nice cherry notes
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment