1996 Barolos & Barbarescos
EWS Blind Tasting - January 9, 2007

Beginning with the arrival of 1996 Barolos and Barbarescos in the US market, consumers were blessed with five consecutive outstanding Piemontese vintages to choose from.  The best 1996s are currently coveted by collectors who recognize that top 1996s are extremely powerful and concentrated wines, rich and well-structured with ripe and delicious fruit to balance.  Since the time they were released, the best 1996 Barolos and Barbarescos have been regarded as classic, traditional, brilliantly made wines.

As these wines have entered their second decade of life and have had the chance to “settle in,” we figure it was a good excuse to check on their development.  As you would expect, we gathered 13 of the highest rated wines of the vintage for this exciting blind tasting.

Overall, it was an excellent tasting even though the two wines from Bruno Giacosa and Gaja’s Sori San Lorenzo were disappointing relative to expectations.  In retrospect, maybe we should have given these wines more than the three hours we gave them to breathe. 

On the other hand, we had at least five true masterpieces to soften the impact of any disappointments.  Several others were not far behind.  Pio Cesare’s 1996 Barolo “Ornato,” the “wine of the night,” proved to be one of the greatest Barolos we’ve ever tasted, truly worth the price of admission.

The following are consensus tasting notes, written to share commentary, descriptors, and convey the overall impression the group had for each wine.  Rating reflects the quality of the wine and the enthusiasm (or lack thereof) displayed by our group during our in-depth discussions.  Wines were poured in three flights from numbered bags (1 - 13) and are listed below in the order they were poured.  Participants were asked to vote (by number) for their three favorite wines.  We award three points for every first place vote, two for every second place vote, and one point for every third, allowing for ties.  Data is based on 36 voters.  Voting tallies: 1st/2nd/3rd

1) Barolo “Bricco Rocche Bricco Rocche” (Ceretto)  -  11 points (2/1/3)  -  92 rating
Medium-deep saturated color.  Deep, sweet, somewhat rustic, penetrating nose features tar, licorice, violet, spice, and iron shavings, with bright, fragrant blackberry and plum fruit.  It was slightly austere and rough at first, but opened nicely with aeration.  In the mouth we are hit with a tannic wave, but there’s plenty of well-extracted fruit as well.  This is a concentrated, chewy, dense wine that still needs time to evolve.  The acidity was perfect; we suspect that this would be excellent with food.  Long finish.  Really comes on!  Needs time and aeration but should become a real beauty when fully evolved.

2) Langhe “Sori San Lorenzo” (Gaja) -  2 points (0/1/0)  -  90 rating
Fairly deep color.  Attractive, though soft nose is restrained at first, but comes on to reveal sweet raspberry and plum fruit, a touch of oak, and a nice herbal component.  The ripe fruit is also in evidence on the palate, but this wine also shows impressively in terms of texture, concentration, and mouth feel.  This is a youthful wine with excellent acidity, finishing with consistency and length.  It is also somewhat backward and unyielding.  Ultimately, while enjoyable and well made, these bottles of 1996 Sori San Lorenzo would have benefited from additional time in the cellar.

3) Barolo “Brunate” (Marcarini) *from magnum -  0 points (0/0/0)  -  85 rating
Light color with the first hints of brown at the rim.  Soft and easy nose is fine, but hardly makes a statement.  We get hints of ripe cherry fruit, but not much more.  Follows through in similar fashion in the mouth; it’s too “easy,” without much in the way of grip or concentration.  As we keep tasting, it becomes noticeably bitter and astringent, particularly in the finish.  This Barolo didn’t gather any fans and was easily the “weakest link” of the tasting.

4) Barolo “Ornato” (Pio Cesare)  -  54 points (9/11/5)  -  98 rating
Medium-deep color.  Very rich,complex, and compelling nose is extremely expressive, especially compared to the others in our first flight of five.  Notes include wonderful blackberry and plum fruit, earth, tobacco, smoke, spice, and chocolate.  The influence of oak in the aromatics is quite apparent in this modern styled wine, but everyone loved it.  Rich and layered on entry with excellent concentration.  The dark berry fruit is ripe and delicious, balanced perfectly by the wine’s acidity and alcohol.  The tannins were soft yet prevalent, blending nicely into the mix.  Extremely long and consistent finish had the crowd murmuring that this “...had to be a Gaja wine.”  Wow, the 1996 Ornato was mesmerizing, easily the greatest wine we’ve ever tasted from Pio Cesare.  It could be a 100 point wine in a few years when more tannins resolve. 

5) Barolo “Nei Cannubi” (Luigi Einaudi) *from magnum   -  12 points (0/3/6)  -  92 rating
Deeply colored.  Attractive, sweet, floral, ripe fruit nose has elegance and a “feminine perfume.”  Follows through nicely on the palate with lovely sweet cherry fruit at the core.  Next to wine #4, this is a relative lightweight, not nearly as complex, yet drinking beautifully right now.  It has all of its components aligned in perfect balance.  We were treated to a long, consistent finish.  By itself, Einaudi’s Nei Cannubi was a delicious wine.  But it fell a little short when compared to the best of this tasting.

6) Barolo “Vigna Cicala” (Aldo Conterno) -  10 points (1/3/1)  -  92 rating
Medium saturated color.  Aromatic, sweet, fruit-filled nose features tar, licorice, and a little wood.  There’s plenty of ripe fruit on entry, recalling cherry syrup.  We are particularly impressed with this wine’s acidity, the liveliest so far.  Concentrated, full-bodied, well-textured, and balanced, this wine doesn’t seem to have any faults.  But the tough New York crowd wanted even more than the wine could offer.  Long, pleasing finish.  Ultimately, a near-great.

7) Barolo “Brunate” (Roberto Voerzio) -  28 points (6/3/4)  -  95 rating
Deeply colored.  Very rich, “aristocratic” nose is huge, offering amazing complexity and nuance.  We get lovely scents of plum, blackberry, violet, spice, and licorice.  Even more amazing on the palate as this wine redefines “complexity” and “concentration” to new levels in the context of this tasting.  This youthful, tannic wine is mostly about structure which it has in abundance.  But the fruit comes out too; in the end it’s perfectly balanced with incredible length.  Crying for additional cellaring, Voerzio’s 1996 Brunate was spectacular.  After the wine was revealed, several participants commented that this was the greatest wine they’ve ever had from Roberto Voerzio.  And to think that it didn’t make it into the top three in the voting!

8) Barolo Riserva “Falletto di Serralunga” (Bruno Giacosa) -  0 points (0/0/0)  -   89 rating
Medium-light color.  Subtle nose doesn’t reveal much this evening, but the dark berry fruit is sweet with earth, tobacco, and spice undertones.  In the mouth this wine is full-bodied and voluptuous with noticeable tannins.  This is a very youthful entry that seems unevolved.  But the fruit is there lurking underneath and it is nicely balanced.  There were a few complaints that the finish was rather short.  While a few people thought these bottles, which were in excellent condition, were delicious, most were shocked when the wine was revealed.  Besides youthful clumsiness, it’s hard to explain this performance.  Perhaps storage was too good (we know the provenance) leaving these bottles in a state of suspended development.

9) Barolo Riserva “Rocche dell Annunziata” (Paolo Scavino) -  25 points (4/4/5)  -  94 rating
Fairly deep color.  Gorgeous, sweet nose entices with scents of crushed black berries, violet, licorice, tar, and spice.  Youthful, very rich, and mouth-filling on the palate.  The blackberry and raspberry fruit is very sweet and jammy.  This delicious modern-styled wine may be the least Nebbiolo-like in the first two flights.  The tannins dig in deep right now to hijack the flavor profile, but after a long finish to contemplate the wine’s merits, we concluded that Scavino’s Riserva has a brilliant future.

10) Barbaresco Riserva “Asili” (Bruno Giacosa) -  7 points (1/2/0)  -   91 rating
Fairly light color, possibly the least saturated wine in the tasting.  Lovely, expressive, rustic nose proved to be a big hit with those tasters who love traditional Nebbiolo aromatics.  We get scents of plum, raspberry, mushroom, earth, tobacco, and just a little wildness to get us excited.  More reserved in the mouth; full-bodied, concentrated, complex, with tannin to shed but has enough fruit underneath to evolve into a great wine.  The earth and tobacco flavors follow through, and the acidity is excellent.  Long finish.  Needs more cellaring (3 - 5 years?) and/or aeration to show at its best.

11) Barolo “Cannubi Boschis” (Luciano Sandrone) -  4 points (0/0/4)  -   92 rating
Medium-deep color.  We had one slightly corked bottle and one good bottle.  These notes are for the better bottle.  Beautiful, sweet bouquet features scents of rich raspberry, blackberry, chocolate, licorice, and spice.  These characteristics repeat in the mouth.  This is a medium-bodied, complex wine that is particularly well-structured.  The ripe fruit is positively delicious.  There’s enough tannin left to suggest a long life ahead.  The finish was extremely long and consistent.  At the dawn of peak drinking years.

12) Barolo “Monprivato” (Giuseppe Mascarello) - 32 points (9/1/3)  -   95 rating
Fairly deep color.  Ethereal, open, complex, rustic nose has much to offer including spice, mushrooms, wet leaves, tobacco, and rich, dark berry fruit.  Wonderful acidity gives this wine lift and vitality in the mouth.  It’s a distinctive, full-bodied, voluptuous, concentrated wine leaning toward the more traditional style.  It’s also one of the most complex wines we’ve tasted this evening, with noticeable tannins and a very long finish.  A superb showing tonight with decades of life ahead!

13) Langhe “Sperss” (Gaja) -  31 points (4/7/5)  -  95 rating
Fairly deep color.  Wonderful, flamboyant, sweet scents of perfume, flowers, and licorice combine with tar and deep black cherry fruit to form a compelling nose.  Just as good in the mouth; a huge wine with tremendous depth and attack.  The fruit is ripe and thoroughly delicious, with lively acidity, and excellent mouth feel.  This wine magical combines power and elegance, and is a synthesis of old and new styles.  Very long finish.  Everyone in the room loved 1996 Sperss which was drinking quite well this evening.

Executive Wine Seminars, Inc.
P. O. Box 1791
New York, NY 10113-1791

Tel: (800) 404-WINE (9463)
E-Mail: ews.wine@instantlink.com

Howard Kaplan and Robert Millman, Co-Directors
Reprinted with permission.