1989 Barolo Horizontal in 2014
It has been some four years since I last took a look at 1989 in any depth. Now at age 25 these wines should be in the prime of their lives, at least the better examples still out there. Increasingly rare and well traded, there is much to be concerned with with these wines. Faulty corks, poor storage along the way and the simple vagaries of old wine mean that not very bottle will perform to its potential. Yet when they do, there are few wines that can match these for their alluring combination of power, grace, aromatic complexity and sheer excitement.
As a vintage 1989 is a watershed vintage for Piedmont. The modernist movement was in full swing, yet not yet at its apogee. That drive to improve the work done in both the vineyards and the cellars certainly had an affect on traditional producers as well. While many produces stuck to their tried and true techniques, almost all adopted a more rigorous attitude to both vineyard and cellar management. Combined with the glorious crop of 1989, this ushered in a new age for the region.
As with the wine, the story here begins with the weather. The 1980s had not been unkind in Piedmont, with a great vintage in 1982, another pair of very good vintages with 1985 and 1988, and serviceable crops during the remainder of the decade with two notable exceptions. the hail of 1986 ruined what was shaping up to be a promising vintage and the weather in 1984 persuaded many to forgo producing Barolo entirely in that difficult vintage. The rule of them back in the 90s, and for many years before, was to expect 3 good vintages per decade, and having filled that quota most producers were not expecting what was to come. In fact 1989 found itself wedged in an impressive trio of vintage and in the years that have followed only four vintages 1991, 1992, 1994, and 2002 have produced little to no wine of note.
Hindsight of course is the only we can see that the modern era for Barolo in both climate and wine production began in 1989. The weather played a key role. Rains during flowering ensured the vines access to water during the summer and limited the eventual size of the crop, which, also, further reduced by hail in Serralunga and Monforte, was the third smallest of the decade. The summer was warm and dry, conditions that persisted right through the end of harvest, which enjoyed cool, crisp night in contrast to the warmth of the day. It was what one might call a warm year, but one with enough rain here and there, and those cool nights in October that allowed for the near perfect maturation of the fruit. The following year, 1990 was the first of what one might call hot vintages, but 1989 was just about perfect and produced wines that were both richly fruited and powerful but at the same time that retained aromatic complexity and the lean, tight, structured mouthfeel that Nebbiolo excels at.
In the cellars it was a time of experimentation and increasing recognition for the modernist producers. names like Scavino, Sandrone, and Altare were gaining fame for their innovative take on Barolo. Richer fruit, clean and well preserved through shorter macerations and clean celaars and cellar equipment were changing the way people thought about Nebbiolo. there was new oak of course, and this eventually drove the narrative. Of course I am not fan of new oak with Nebbiolo, but at the time it was new and exciting, adding sweetness and spice to what had been rather tough wines, particularly in their youth.
[PAGEBREAK]
All of this was noticed by the traditional producers, many of whom must have been envious of the super high scores the upstarts were receiving from many in the media. It doesn't take a trained palate to notice a change right about 1989. In fact that change, a shift towards cleaner wines probably driven by more rigorous control int he cellar topping off barrels and a wholesale adoption of a more thorough cleaning regimen in the cellar, egad in 1985. Comparing wines from 1982 and 1985 it is obvious. Interestingly 1985 had a role to play in 1989s greatness. It was a highly touted vintage on release. The growing season was fabulous and the fruit nearly flawless. The media noticed and ran with the story, which in turn introduced many people to these wines. The income from those highly rated wines was wisely invested by many producers. Investments that paid off immediately with the glorious raw materials of 1989!
So the crop was small and concentrated. the fruit perfectly ripe and the season such that growers were able to wait to pick until just the right moment, though there was a two week period in October where rains swirled around the Langhe. It must have tested many a man's patience but int he end the Langhe was spared any significant late season rains and the harvest concluded under clear, sunny skies. This perfect fruit was brought into cellars reinvigorated by the product of 1985, and the rest as they, is history.
All of which is good and fine but today we are tasting the wines as they exist today. These wines, small production wines in a short cop from a universally praised vintage, have become both rare and expensive. I am fortunate to have such a generous group of friend who all came together and donated wise to this evening tasting. A tasting that otherwise would have been nearly impossible to pull off. When you are dealing with wines like this, old with bottles that have likely changed hands more than once, you have to be prepared for some disappointments. Tonight was no exception. There were corked bottles, two that held much promise. Worthy of note was that the 1989 Brovia Monprivato was not surprisingly corked. I think that the Brovia wines of 1989 and 1990, beutiful when there are clean, suffer from abnormally high incidence of cork taint. Given the current pricing I am hesitant to buy them even knowing their potential.
In addition several of the bottles suffered from poor storage along the way exhibiting the tell tale notes of beefy bouillon, celery seed, and brown sugar that heat damage wines tend to display. In some case the damage was complete while in other you could still get a clear sense of what lay beneath. Even with the occasional dud this was a spectacular tasting and reaffirmed the superior quality of the vintage. No vintage that is ready to drink, and 1989 Barolo are just barely ready to drink and in no danger of fading, show better today. Both 1978 and 1982 are more rustic, 1985 lacks the power and complexity, 1996 is not nearly ready to drink and while potentially gorgeous it’s a vintage much more inline with 1978, exhibit an austerity and tension that is very attractive yet not with the density and roundness that the 1989 also offers. It will be exciting to watch the 1999, 2006, and 2010 vintages show us their full potential in years to come, each has produced wines that will probably be as good as many from 1989, but for today I can say that I would rather have my cellar full of 89s than any other vintage.
[PAGEBREAK]
The wines we tasted this evening remain youthful, impeccably balanced, yet still tannic from this small berried harvest. The textures are beginning to soften and flesh out while the fruit remains fresh, rich and notably complex. These are as good as Barolo gets. Layered and aromatic with two decades of further evolution ahead of them. Already expensive, though when compared with current releases one is tempted to say that they are generally worth the prices they currently sell for. As time goes by these will only become more expensive and in ten years when they are truly in their prime we might very well look back on this time as the last chance to buy these wines for a fair price. We will not be able to say that we didn’t recognize the quality. That is for sure.
Below is a list of the wines in order of preference. As I mentioned some wines had some damage and sound bottles obviously would have shown much better. The Bartolo Mascarello in particular was a gorgeous wine, just muddied by poor storage. You could sense the depth, richness and complexity of the wine, and even though it was enjoyable I know from previous experience that it could have been much better. Other wines, the Giuseppe Rinaldi in particular, were still quite hard and closed. This Rinaldi has everything it needs to be profound, and in fact from magnum after 12 hours of decanting it was profound last year. Tonight we simply didn’t have the time.
It’s worth noting that these wines were all double decanted roughly between noon and 1pm, then poured in four flights of four for the blind tasting which took place from 7:45pm until 10pm before the wine were unveiled. It was a grand tasting and one that will vie for the best of the year, even though we are just two weeks into the new year. Yes, these wines are that good!
below is the listing of wines in order of preference. The notes that follow list the wines by flight in order of service.
1989 Barolo
Giacomo Conterno Cascina Francia 98pts
Vietti Rocche 96pts
Elio Grasso Gavarini Chiniera 94pts
Prunotto Cannubi 94pts
Rocche dei Manzoni Riserva 93pts
Vietti Villero Riserva 92+pts
Aldo Conterno Cicala 92pts
Produttori del Barbaresco Ovello 92pts
Giuseppe Rinaldi Brunate Riserva 89+pts
Cascina Bruni Vigna Batistot 88pts
Cavallotto San Giuseppe Riserva 85pts
Bartolo Mascarello 83pts
Aldo Conterno Colonnello 82pts
Roagna Barbaresco Riserva - Corked
Brovia Rocche - Corked
Giacosa Villero - Corked
[PAGEBREAK]
Flight 1
1989 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Ovello Riserva
Fresh on the nose and intense with aromas of herbs, warm stones and woodland spice over a base of strawberry fruit with fine rose petal top notes. Crisp, elegant and polished in the mouth with a gorgeous core of rhubarb and raspberry fruit framed with mineral accents. the acids are sharp here and the fine grained tannins firm yet well covered by the fruit. Finishing with good length and a savory note. 92pts
1989 Roagna Barbaresco Riserva
This was very slightly corked though that was more apparent on the clipped, short palate than the nose where one got a hints of musty TCA covering notes of cinnamon, wood spice, sweet dark fruit, rose and leather. Texturally this was soft and rich. There was very little fruit and a short, hard finish. NR
1989 Bartolo Mascarello Barolo
Oxidized aromas of celery seed and bouillon along with a hint of band aid marred the otherwise attractive aromas of soil, dried leather, black tea and mint. On the palate this was smooth and integrated with an elegant feel and decent length to the black fruit with licorice and herbal accents. It could be dismissed as simply very evolved if one hadn’t had previous experience with the wine. 83pts
1989 Cavallotto Barolo San Giuseppe Riserva
Soft and sweet on the nose with a touch of old oak supporting a core of dark fruit, big asphalt notes, and peppery, liquory accents. This smelled imposing but with air oxidized notes of bouillon become more pronounced. Rich on the palate with somewhat chewy fruit and plenty of power supported by soft tannins, the flavors were somewhat indistinct with accents of old wood and sweet pipe briar topped with molasses and brothy flavors. Heat damaged though this was obviously a fine wine at one time. 85pts
Flight 2
1989 Aldo Conterno Barolo Cicala
Intensely aromatic with deep herbal accents to the core of spicy and dark fruit. There were notes of cocoa and brownies, along with some grilled beefy notes all supporting a core of jammy raspberry fruit that grew with air. Big red fruits greet the palate, which quickly gains focus offering up crisp cranberry and raspberry flavors that gained mineral and clay driven complexity on the backend. This is long and persistent in the mouth with fine balance, but it's ultimately a bit simple. Still a beautiful wine. 92pts
1989 Elio Grasso Gavarini Chiniera
Another wine that shows intense perfumes, with accents of lipstick and earth framing fruit that smells a bit toasty, and sweetly woody and is just a bit heavy and dull at first. Air help this to gain focus and freshens up the core of wild cherry fruit nicely. Cool and compressed on entry, this shows lovely cut in the mouth with deep black cherry fruit saturating the palate, yet this remains elegant and well defined in the mouth. The texture and clarity of flavor is just gorgeous with laser like focus and fine, austere tannins that drive the long, precise finish. This just got better as the night wore on. 94pts
1989 Aldo Conterno Barolo Colonnello
A bit of celery and bouillon is obvious on the nose, though there remains some lovely complexity with fine aromas of wood smoke, black tea, and dried rose petals slowly filling the glass along with a nice limestoney edge. There’s not much fruit left here, what remains is rather rough and rustic with lots of black spice and licorice flavors. This is pretty mean and shows a bit of heat on the palate. 82pts
1989 Rocche dei Manzoni Riserva
Aromatically this is just beautiful, filled with focused licorice, herb, and bitter aromas of chinato, rhubarb and beet root with a hint of vanilla and a wonderful sweet edge to the slightly candied, herb inflected black cherry fruit. Opening with a slightly creamy edge that is followed by big biter black fruits, this then turns austere and medicinal in the mouth with bitter cherry, prune and carob flavors driving through the modest finish. I love the complexity here, though the flavor profile and touch of oak might not appeal to many. It’s nicely balanced with a nice tannic bite on the backend. Feminine in a voluptuous way. 93pts
[PAGEBREAK]
Flight 3
1989 Brovia Barolo Rocche - Corked
1989 Vietti Barolo Rocche
Rich and powerful on the nose this is immediately attractive with notes of plum, spice and grape pomace jam soaring from the glass. Notes of blue fruits, violets, leather and clay add admirable complexity. A bit tight on entry, this slowly unfolds with hints of plum skins and bitter cherry supported by ripe tannins. the texture is like cashmere, showing perfect integration and stunning freshness to the fruit. With some air this turns a bit spicy and attractively rich with a long, finely fruited finish. Still youthful but so fresh and already quite supple. 96pts
1989 Vietti Barolo Villero Riserva
Tight on the nose with superb rose petal aromas over a base of candied raspberries, and wild cherry that have a light jammy edge to them. Some hints of buttery toast and and herbal hint of black currrant add further complexity. A bit tough and rather strict in the mouth, this is filled with mineral flavors layered over a base of dark cherry and black plum fruit with again a hint of the herbal currant like flavor. Tight, powerful and still youthful this finishes with great length and spicy, grippy tannins along with a wash of white soil tones. Still an infant, this is bound to improve significantly. 92pts
1989 Bruno Giacosa Villero - Corked
Flight 4
1989 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia
This is on another level with profound aromas of hot iron, hints of cinnamon, rosehips, rose petals and powdered rocks all embedded in this tight, sinewy core of powerful, dark strawberry laced fruit. On the palate this is just perfectly balanced. Everything is here. The core of fruit is powerful and dark, yet recalls strawberries and raspberry as well with incredible sweetly floral and medicinal spice inner mouth perfumes. This feels like it’s chiseled out of stone, so firm and taut in the mouth with a finish that just goes on and on showing off flashes of bitter cherry, bitter herbs and fine minerality all framed with an ethereal sweetness. Profound wine. 98pts
1989 Cascina Bruni Barolo Vigna Batistot
herbal on the nose with a touch of leafy greens followed by hints of sage, candied medicinal herbs and sweet floral tones. Somewhat medicinal on entry, and then a bit front loaded with fine cherry and almost black raspberry fruit up front, that yields to a tarry and slightly medicinal back palate. Also rather smooth and polished up front before tightening up on the back and finishing with good length and dark fruit, this is at peak. 88pts
1989 Prunotto Barolo Cannubi
Nuanced weedy and smoky aromas evolve into a rich melange of pipe tobacco, briar, menthol and and intense aromas of freshly picked flowers. The fruit is a touch pruny and graced with spicy cardamom accents. This is really dominated by flowers and tobacco. Rich and broad yet transparent on the palate, this floods the mouth with flavors. A bit meaty at times, then turning fruity with flavors of black cherry and Italian plums that lead to a long, superbly complex finish that reveals great spicy nuance, hints of strawberry seeds, earth, and forest floor . The tannins are really nicely ripe here, important but unimposing and lend this a fine, almost silky texture. This is the best example of this wine I’ve ever had and by a notable margin. 94pts
1989 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Brunate Riserva
OK, who brought the 99 by mistake? Seriously this could easily pass for a wine ten years its junior. Reticent on the nose with faint hints of black fruit, a touch of spice and some fine leather accents. The palate is equally closed for business reealing those same hints of black fruit along with licorice accents. While lacking flavor intensity this is improbably smooth with supple tannins, and that licorice note lingers on the finish which reveals the innate sweetness of this wine. Stubborn as all get out, this barely budges with air but the fruit does slowly begin to emerge, along with floral accents, and some freshly turned earthy aromas. The last time I had this it required a 12 hour decant to fully open up and was stupendous. I see no reason to doubt that this bottle could have been equally fine with several more hours of air. Still judging it for what it delivered this evening it’s not great. 89pts
As a vintage 1989 is a watershed vintage for Piedmont. The modernist movement was in full swing, yet not yet at its apogee. That drive to improve the work done in both the vineyards and the cellars certainly had an affect on traditional producers as well. While many produces stuck to their tried and true techniques, almost all adopted a more rigorous attitude to both vineyard and cellar management. Combined with the glorious crop of 1989, this ushered in a new age for the region.
As with the wine, the story here begins with the weather. The 1980s had not been unkind in Piedmont, with a great vintage in 1982, another pair of very good vintages with 1985 and 1988, and serviceable crops during the remainder of the decade with two notable exceptions. the hail of 1986 ruined what was shaping up to be a promising vintage and the weather in 1984 persuaded many to forgo producing Barolo entirely in that difficult vintage. The rule of them back in the 90s, and for many years before, was to expect 3 good vintages per decade, and having filled that quota most producers were not expecting what was to come. In fact 1989 found itself wedged in an impressive trio of vintage and in the years that have followed only four vintages 1991, 1992, 1994, and 2002 have produced little to no wine of note.
Hindsight of course is the only we can see that the modern era for Barolo in both climate and wine production began in 1989. The weather played a key role. Rains during flowering ensured the vines access to water during the summer and limited the eventual size of the crop, which, also, further reduced by hail in Serralunga and Monforte, was the third smallest of the decade. The summer was warm and dry, conditions that persisted right through the end of harvest, which enjoyed cool, crisp night in contrast to the warmth of the day. It was what one might call a warm year, but one with enough rain here and there, and those cool nights in October that allowed for the near perfect maturation of the fruit. The following year, 1990 was the first of what one might call hot vintages, but 1989 was just about perfect and produced wines that were both richly fruited and powerful but at the same time that retained aromatic complexity and the lean, tight, structured mouthfeel that Nebbiolo excels at.
In the cellars it was a time of experimentation and increasing recognition for the modernist producers. names like Scavino, Sandrone, and Altare were gaining fame for their innovative take on Barolo. Richer fruit, clean and well preserved through shorter macerations and clean celaars and cellar equipment were changing the way people thought about Nebbiolo. there was new oak of course, and this eventually drove the narrative. Of course I am not fan of new oak with Nebbiolo, but at the time it was new and exciting, adding sweetness and spice to what had been rather tough wines, particularly in their youth.
[PAGEBREAK]
All of this was noticed by the traditional producers, many of whom must have been envious of the super high scores the upstarts were receiving from many in the media. It doesn't take a trained palate to notice a change right about 1989. In fact that change, a shift towards cleaner wines probably driven by more rigorous control int he cellar topping off barrels and a wholesale adoption of a more thorough cleaning regimen in the cellar, egad in 1985. Comparing wines from 1982 and 1985 it is obvious. Interestingly 1985 had a role to play in 1989s greatness. It was a highly touted vintage on release. The growing season was fabulous and the fruit nearly flawless. The media noticed and ran with the story, which in turn introduced many people to these wines. The income from those highly rated wines was wisely invested by many producers. Investments that paid off immediately with the glorious raw materials of 1989!
So the crop was small and concentrated. the fruit perfectly ripe and the season such that growers were able to wait to pick until just the right moment, though there was a two week period in October where rains swirled around the Langhe. It must have tested many a man's patience but int he end the Langhe was spared any significant late season rains and the harvest concluded under clear, sunny skies. This perfect fruit was brought into cellars reinvigorated by the product of 1985, and the rest as they, is history.
All of which is good and fine but today we are tasting the wines as they exist today. These wines, small production wines in a short cop from a universally praised vintage, have become both rare and expensive. I am fortunate to have such a generous group of friend who all came together and donated wise to this evening tasting. A tasting that otherwise would have been nearly impossible to pull off. When you are dealing with wines like this, old with bottles that have likely changed hands more than once, you have to be prepared for some disappointments. Tonight was no exception. There were corked bottles, two that held much promise. Worthy of note was that the 1989 Brovia Monprivato was not surprisingly corked. I think that the Brovia wines of 1989 and 1990, beutiful when there are clean, suffer from abnormally high incidence of cork taint. Given the current pricing I am hesitant to buy them even knowing their potential.
In addition several of the bottles suffered from poor storage along the way exhibiting the tell tale notes of beefy bouillon, celery seed, and brown sugar that heat damage wines tend to display. In some case the damage was complete while in other you could still get a clear sense of what lay beneath. Even with the occasional dud this was a spectacular tasting and reaffirmed the superior quality of the vintage. No vintage that is ready to drink, and 1989 Barolo are just barely ready to drink and in no danger of fading, show better today. Both 1978 and 1982 are more rustic, 1985 lacks the power and complexity, 1996 is not nearly ready to drink and while potentially gorgeous it’s a vintage much more inline with 1978, exhibit an austerity and tension that is very attractive yet not with the density and roundness that the 1989 also offers. It will be exciting to watch the 1999, 2006, and 2010 vintages show us their full potential in years to come, each has produced wines that will probably be as good as many from 1989, but for today I can say that I would rather have my cellar full of 89s than any other vintage.
[PAGEBREAK]
The wines we tasted this evening remain youthful, impeccably balanced, yet still tannic from this small berried harvest. The textures are beginning to soften and flesh out while the fruit remains fresh, rich and notably complex. These are as good as Barolo gets. Layered and aromatic with two decades of further evolution ahead of them. Already expensive, though when compared with current releases one is tempted to say that they are generally worth the prices they currently sell for. As time goes by these will only become more expensive and in ten years when they are truly in their prime we might very well look back on this time as the last chance to buy these wines for a fair price. We will not be able to say that we didn’t recognize the quality. That is for sure.
Below is a list of the wines in order of preference. As I mentioned some wines had some damage and sound bottles obviously would have shown much better. The Bartolo Mascarello in particular was a gorgeous wine, just muddied by poor storage. You could sense the depth, richness and complexity of the wine, and even though it was enjoyable I know from previous experience that it could have been much better. Other wines, the Giuseppe Rinaldi in particular, were still quite hard and closed. This Rinaldi has everything it needs to be profound, and in fact from magnum after 12 hours of decanting it was profound last year. Tonight we simply didn’t have the time.
It’s worth noting that these wines were all double decanted roughly between noon and 1pm, then poured in four flights of four for the blind tasting which took place from 7:45pm until 10pm before the wine were unveiled. It was a grand tasting and one that will vie for the best of the year, even though we are just two weeks into the new year. Yes, these wines are that good!
below is the listing of wines in order of preference. The notes that follow list the wines by flight in order of service.
1989 Barolo
Giacomo Conterno Cascina Francia 98pts
Vietti Rocche 96pts
Elio Grasso Gavarini Chiniera 94pts
Prunotto Cannubi 94pts
Rocche dei Manzoni Riserva 93pts
Vietti Villero Riserva 92+pts
Aldo Conterno Cicala 92pts
Produttori del Barbaresco Ovello 92pts
Giuseppe Rinaldi Brunate Riserva 89+pts
Cascina Bruni Vigna Batistot 88pts
Cavallotto San Giuseppe Riserva 85pts
Bartolo Mascarello 83pts
Aldo Conterno Colonnello 82pts
Roagna Barbaresco Riserva - Corked
Brovia Rocche - Corked
Giacosa Villero - Corked
[PAGEBREAK]
Flight 1
1989 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Ovello Riserva
Fresh on the nose and intense with aromas of herbs, warm stones and woodland spice over a base of strawberry fruit with fine rose petal top notes. Crisp, elegant and polished in the mouth with a gorgeous core of rhubarb and raspberry fruit framed with mineral accents. the acids are sharp here and the fine grained tannins firm yet well covered by the fruit. Finishing with good length and a savory note. 92pts
1989 Roagna Barbaresco Riserva
This was very slightly corked though that was more apparent on the clipped, short palate than the nose where one got a hints of musty TCA covering notes of cinnamon, wood spice, sweet dark fruit, rose and leather. Texturally this was soft and rich. There was very little fruit and a short, hard finish. NR
1989 Bartolo Mascarello Barolo
Oxidized aromas of celery seed and bouillon along with a hint of band aid marred the otherwise attractive aromas of soil, dried leather, black tea and mint. On the palate this was smooth and integrated with an elegant feel and decent length to the black fruit with licorice and herbal accents. It could be dismissed as simply very evolved if one hadn’t had previous experience with the wine. 83pts
1989 Cavallotto Barolo San Giuseppe Riserva
Soft and sweet on the nose with a touch of old oak supporting a core of dark fruit, big asphalt notes, and peppery, liquory accents. This smelled imposing but with air oxidized notes of bouillon become more pronounced. Rich on the palate with somewhat chewy fruit and plenty of power supported by soft tannins, the flavors were somewhat indistinct with accents of old wood and sweet pipe briar topped with molasses and brothy flavors. Heat damaged though this was obviously a fine wine at one time. 85pts
Flight 2
1989 Aldo Conterno Barolo Cicala
Intensely aromatic with deep herbal accents to the core of spicy and dark fruit. There were notes of cocoa and brownies, along with some grilled beefy notes all supporting a core of jammy raspberry fruit that grew with air. Big red fruits greet the palate, which quickly gains focus offering up crisp cranberry and raspberry flavors that gained mineral and clay driven complexity on the backend. This is long and persistent in the mouth with fine balance, but it's ultimately a bit simple. Still a beautiful wine. 92pts
1989 Elio Grasso Gavarini Chiniera
Another wine that shows intense perfumes, with accents of lipstick and earth framing fruit that smells a bit toasty, and sweetly woody and is just a bit heavy and dull at first. Air help this to gain focus and freshens up the core of wild cherry fruit nicely. Cool and compressed on entry, this shows lovely cut in the mouth with deep black cherry fruit saturating the palate, yet this remains elegant and well defined in the mouth. The texture and clarity of flavor is just gorgeous with laser like focus and fine, austere tannins that drive the long, precise finish. This just got better as the night wore on. 94pts
1989 Aldo Conterno Barolo Colonnello
A bit of celery and bouillon is obvious on the nose, though there remains some lovely complexity with fine aromas of wood smoke, black tea, and dried rose petals slowly filling the glass along with a nice limestoney edge. There’s not much fruit left here, what remains is rather rough and rustic with lots of black spice and licorice flavors. This is pretty mean and shows a bit of heat on the palate. 82pts
1989 Rocche dei Manzoni Riserva
Aromatically this is just beautiful, filled with focused licorice, herb, and bitter aromas of chinato, rhubarb and beet root with a hint of vanilla and a wonderful sweet edge to the slightly candied, herb inflected black cherry fruit. Opening with a slightly creamy edge that is followed by big biter black fruits, this then turns austere and medicinal in the mouth with bitter cherry, prune and carob flavors driving through the modest finish. I love the complexity here, though the flavor profile and touch of oak might not appeal to many. It’s nicely balanced with a nice tannic bite on the backend. Feminine in a voluptuous way. 93pts
[PAGEBREAK]
Flight 3
1989 Brovia Barolo Rocche - Corked
1989 Vietti Barolo Rocche
Rich and powerful on the nose this is immediately attractive with notes of plum, spice and grape pomace jam soaring from the glass. Notes of blue fruits, violets, leather and clay add admirable complexity. A bit tight on entry, this slowly unfolds with hints of plum skins and bitter cherry supported by ripe tannins. the texture is like cashmere, showing perfect integration and stunning freshness to the fruit. With some air this turns a bit spicy and attractively rich with a long, finely fruited finish. Still youthful but so fresh and already quite supple. 96pts
1989 Vietti Barolo Villero Riserva
Tight on the nose with superb rose petal aromas over a base of candied raspberries, and wild cherry that have a light jammy edge to them. Some hints of buttery toast and and herbal hint of black currrant add further complexity. A bit tough and rather strict in the mouth, this is filled with mineral flavors layered over a base of dark cherry and black plum fruit with again a hint of the herbal currant like flavor. Tight, powerful and still youthful this finishes with great length and spicy, grippy tannins along with a wash of white soil tones. Still an infant, this is bound to improve significantly. 92pts
1989 Bruno Giacosa Villero - Corked
Flight 4
1989 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia
This is on another level with profound aromas of hot iron, hints of cinnamon, rosehips, rose petals and powdered rocks all embedded in this tight, sinewy core of powerful, dark strawberry laced fruit. On the palate this is just perfectly balanced. Everything is here. The core of fruit is powerful and dark, yet recalls strawberries and raspberry as well with incredible sweetly floral and medicinal spice inner mouth perfumes. This feels like it’s chiseled out of stone, so firm and taut in the mouth with a finish that just goes on and on showing off flashes of bitter cherry, bitter herbs and fine minerality all framed with an ethereal sweetness. Profound wine. 98pts
1989 Cascina Bruni Barolo Vigna Batistot
herbal on the nose with a touch of leafy greens followed by hints of sage, candied medicinal herbs and sweet floral tones. Somewhat medicinal on entry, and then a bit front loaded with fine cherry and almost black raspberry fruit up front, that yields to a tarry and slightly medicinal back palate. Also rather smooth and polished up front before tightening up on the back and finishing with good length and dark fruit, this is at peak. 88pts
1989 Prunotto Barolo Cannubi
Nuanced weedy and smoky aromas evolve into a rich melange of pipe tobacco, briar, menthol and and intense aromas of freshly picked flowers. The fruit is a touch pruny and graced with spicy cardamom accents. This is really dominated by flowers and tobacco. Rich and broad yet transparent on the palate, this floods the mouth with flavors. A bit meaty at times, then turning fruity with flavors of black cherry and Italian plums that lead to a long, superbly complex finish that reveals great spicy nuance, hints of strawberry seeds, earth, and forest floor . The tannins are really nicely ripe here, important but unimposing and lend this a fine, almost silky texture. This is the best example of this wine I’ve ever had and by a notable margin. 94pts
1989 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Brunate Riserva
OK, who brought the 99 by mistake? Seriously this could easily pass for a wine ten years its junior. Reticent on the nose with faint hints of black fruit, a touch of spice and some fine leather accents. The palate is equally closed for business reealing those same hints of black fruit along with licorice accents. While lacking flavor intensity this is improbably smooth with supple tannins, and that licorice note lingers on the finish which reveals the innate sweetness of this wine. Stubborn as all get out, this barely budges with air but the fruit does slowly begin to emerge, along with floral accents, and some freshly turned earthy aromas. The last time I had this it required a 12 hour decant to fully open up and was stupendous. I see no reason to doubt that this bottle could have been equally fine with several more hours of air. Still judging it for what it delivered this evening it’s not great. 89pts