Italy

The 1985 Solaia kicks off a flight of Early Classics. I have had the 1985 twice recently and it has always been impressive. It is also very much a wine of its era, which is to say if anything, it is too polished. This was an era in which wines were squeaky-clean. Well-stored bottles still have plenty of fruit although further upside appears to be limited.

-- Antonio Galloni94Antonio Galloni2013 - 2023Not AvailableDec 2013

Rating

98

Release Price

$65

Drink Date

2000 - 2020

Reviewed by

Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Issue Date

28th Aug 2000

Source

130, The Wine Advocate

The dense ruby/purple-colored 1997 Percarlo is compelling. Enormous in aromas, flavors, and persistence on the palate, it exhibits profound levels of concentration as well as unbelievably dense, black currant, blackberry liqueur notes infused with new saddle leather, licorice, truffles, and toasty oak. Enormously thick and viscous, with low acidity, and mouthcoating levels of extract, this wine's tannin level is high, but largely obscured by the wealth of fruit, glycerin, and extract. It is an amazing accomplishment! Anticipated maturity: now-2020.  

Rating 99

Reviewed by

Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Issue Date

30th Oct 2001

Source

137, The Wine Advocate

The 250-case cuvee of 100% Merlot, the 1999 Redigaffi has an astonishing 36 grams per liter of dry extract, which exceeds most top Pomerols in a great vintage! Unfined and unfiltered, it is as close to perfection as a wine can get. The color is a deep saturated blue/purple. The powerful, pure nose offers smoke, licorice, black cherry, and blackberries. It boasts awesome concentration, a fabulously dense, viscous mid-section, and a finish that lasts for nearly a minute. This is riveting juice. 

Rating

97

Release Price

NA

Drink Date

2015 - 2031

Reviewed by

Antonio Galloni

Issue Date

26th Apr 2012

Source

200, The Wine Advocate

The 2001 Barolo Riserva Monprivato Ca d’Morissio is a staggering wine of heroic proportions. It’s all there in the glass. Dark cherries, flowers, spices and minerals emerge as this powerful, intense Barolo shows off its inimitable pedigree. The 2001 isn’t likely to be one of the biggest Ca d’Morissios, but it is impeccable and totally satisfying in every way. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2031. Mauro Mascarello’s 2001s showed very well. I have had the privilege of attending more than my fair share of Monprivato verticals, but something tells me future tastings are going to be even more special, as the number of great examples of this wine has never been higher. Imagine tasting the 1999, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 in another 10-15 years’ time! 

The 2001 vintage in Piedmont has long been a favorite of mine. Bruno Giacosa’s 2001 Barolo Riserva Le Rocche del Falletto is explosive and decadently rich from the very first taste. The 2001 is arguably the last truly classic vintage for the Rocche Red Label. To be sure, the 2004, 2005 and 2007 are all compelling, but the 2001 has more in common stylistically with vintages like 1996 and 1999. Dense, perfumed and wonderfully intense, the 2001 is phenomenally great. Wow.

Score: 98 Antonio Galloni, vinous.com, March 2018

The 2001 Barolo Riserva Le Rocche del Falletto is unbelievably reticent, which is hardly surprising considering how massive the wine was when it was relased. Readers will have to be especially patient here. The 2001 is best forgotten about for a number of years. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2026.

Score: 97 Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate (200), April 2012

Darker and more backward than the Falletto in both its aromas and flavors, Giacosa’s staggering 2001 Barolo Riserva Le Rocche del Falletto offers an explosive nose of spices, menthol, minerals, smoke and scorched earth followed by waves of sweet fruit that coat the palate in a potent mix of finesse and sheer power, with fine tannins, and a lingering balsamic note on the finish. This complex, multi-dimensional wine will require considerable patience and will age gracefully for several decades. Made from the oldest vines at Falletto, the 2001 Barolo Riserva Le Rocche del Falletto is another towering achievement from Bruno Giacosa. An Azienda Agricola Falletto di Bruno Giacosa bottling. To be released in 2007.

Score: 97 Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate (167), October 2006

Rating

87

Release Price

NA

Drink Date

2017 - 2022

Reviewed by

 Monica Larner

Issue Date

28th Apr 2017

Source

230, The Wine Advocate

Compared to the 2002 vintage that seems serendipitously suspended in time, the 2001 Bolgheri Sassicaia is in a more significant downward decline. The 2002 vintage was widely-panned. Back in the day, the 2001 vintage was given a full five stars for excellence. Despite the accolades, this wine does not have much life to give. The bouquet shows aromas of cured meat, petrol, smoke, dried herb and dusty earth. The primary aromas have left the building. The mouthfeel is dry and quickly flat-lining.

Rating

93

Release Price

$94

Drink Date

2008 - 2023

Reviewed by

Antonio Galloni

Issue Date

31st Oct 2007

Source

173, The Wine Advocate

The 2003 Barolo Monprivato is made in an atypically big, powerful style loaded with ripe fruit supported by plenty of structure. It boasts an enticing palate presence and a uniquely intense personality. The classic Monprivato notes of ripe cherries, roses, minerals, flowers and herbs are present, but they don’t have the clarity and precision of the finest vintages. In 2003 Mascarello was more severe than normal in his green harvesting of the vineyard as he wanted to lighten the load on his plants to reduce their stress. He was also helped considerably by the compact, moisture-retentive soils. Readers who prefer more classically-styled versions of Monprivato may want to revisit the 1999 and 2001 although Mascarello told me he prefers the 2003 to the 2001. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2023. Mauro Mascarello is one of the few producers who prefers his 2003 Barolos to his 2001s as he finds they have more power and intensity while also maintaining finesse and a sense of classicism. The wines certainly have more power, but I am not sure I would agree they have more finesse. In any event, his 2003 Barolos are among the best of the vintage, in particular the Santo Stefano di Perno and Monprivato. I also tasted the 2003 Ca’ d’ Morissio from barrel a few months ago, and it is shaping up to be a remarkably rich wine very much in keeping with the style of the vintage. Mascarello hasn’t decided when he will release the 2001 Ca’ d’ Morissio, but it, too, is promising, as is his entire range of 2004 Barolos.  

Special Labels - For the ‘Exuberance’ (L’Esuberanza) of Ornellaia 2006, Luigi Ontani has designed an exclusive label which dresses an extremely limited number of large size bottles of Ornellaia 2006: 100 double Magnums (3 litres), 20 Imperials (6 litres) and a unique Salmanazar bottle (9 litres). Luigi Ontani has dedicated a different colour to each format, and every bottle is individually numbered and personally signed by him. The design of the label features four faces hidden by the artist’s calligraphy, depicting the theme of the seasons, and the surrounding decorative leaves create letters that compose the words ‘Ornellaia Esuberanza’.

Wine Advocate:

The 2006 Ornellaia flows from the glass in a profound expression of ripe, dark fruit. With time in the glass layers of minerals, cassis, tar, sweet herbs and French oak emerge, adding further complexity. This harmonious Ornellaia combines the richness of the vintage with superb freshness and awesome balance. Today the wine's sheer density almost manages to hide the tannins, but they are there, and the wine will ultimately benefit from a few years in the cellar. The 2006 Ornellaia is one of the highlights of this sensational Tuscan vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2026.

Score: 97 Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate (IT report), September 2009

Antinori's 2007 Tignanello is wonderfully ripe and seductive in its dark cherries, flowers, spices, tobacco, sage, cedar, mint and minerals. This is as opulent a Tignanello as I have ever tasted but there is just enough acidity and structure from the Sangiovese to keep things from going over the top. The wine's richness and warmth are such that in a blind tasting I mistook the 2007 Tignanello for a wine from Maremma! The dense, muscular fruit follows through to an impeccable finish with no hard edges and impossibly fine, silky tannins. Simply put, the 2007 is a magnificent Tignanello. The 2007 Tignanello is 80% Sangiovese aged in 300-liter French oak barrels (1/3 new), 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc, both aged in 100% new 225-liter French oak barriques.

The 2007 Chianti Classico Riserva emerges with hints of smoke, underbrush, licorice, leather and wild cherries. The wine gains volume and depth in the glass as its sheer pedigree emerges over time. There is plenty of muscle to back up the delicate aromatics in a striking balance of elegance and power, all in an essentially classic, mid-weight style. The round, deeply satisfying finish makes it hard to put the glass down.

Rating

94

Release Price

$440

Drink Date

2016 - 2028

Reviewed by

Antonio Galloni

Issue Date

31st Oct 2011

Source

197, The Wine Advocate

The 2008 Costa Russi is absolutely gorgeous. Sweet dark cherries, tar, licorice and new leather are some of the aromas and flavors that take shape in the glass. The 2008 is a firm Costa Russi, with less of the seductiveness of most years, but equally fine balance. Ideally it needs a few more years in bottle, but it is striking. The finish shows terrific intensity. The typical juiciness of the site is framed by the firm tannins of the year. Everything that makes Costa Russi such an engaging wine is here, but in a slightly smaller-scaled package than in the very finest years. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2028. This is a stunning set of wines from Angelo Gaja and his team in Barbaresco. Those who think 2008 is a truly great year for Nebbiolo must have tasted these wines. In a vintage that is inconsistent across the villages of Barbaresco, Gaja has produced not one but four stellar wines. As fabulous as these wines are, they aren’t especially true to type, as I explain in these notes. The 2008s I tasted in the US showed far better than the bottles I tasted in Barbaresco during the summer. Perhaps the onset of the cool fall weather gave these wines a little more spine than they had during the sweltering heat of August. Readers who want to learn more about the 2011 harvest at Gaja may want to take a look at my video interview with Gaia Gaja and vineyard manager Giorgio Culasso.  

The 2008 Sori Tildin is impressive. I confess I wasn't quite prepared for the assault of fruit and tannins here. Sori Tildin is so often a graceful, elegant wine, but that is not the case in 2008. That's not to say elegance is missing, but this is a big, big wine with tons of intensity and richness, all woven together beautifully. It's tough to find a comparison with a previous vintage, as this is a singular Tildin. The flavors are familiar if a touch on the dark side, but the structure is closer than that of Sori San Lorenzo. Flowers, tar, leather and licorice wrap around the palate. This is a fabulous showing and a great wine in the making. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2033.

Score: 96