Barolo, Cuneo, Piedmont, Italy
1967 and i wasn’t excited about the producer....and it’s gorgeous
1967 and i wasn’t excited about the producer....and it’s gorgeous
Dec 29th, 2019
Birth year wine number two, and this one is alive and well! 1967 Giuseppe Contratto Barolo. Another Wine Bid purchase.
I stood this up for about 3-4 weeks, but there wasn't much sediment. I did a 4-hour decant. In the last hour, I set the decanter in a slightly iced, water bath to bring it back down to the low 60s F.
Capsule and cork were nice and snug. I was surprised by the depth of color-- a fairly dark garnet to brick to orange to clear rim. See pics.
Nose: Leather, raisin, menthol, sweat, and subtle white pepper.
Palate: Medium bodied. Astonishing amount of well-ripe, dried red fruit on the attack, then a faint spearmint oddly enough, but not offering up too much more midway. But the leather seems to emerge. Acidity is still there, and the tannins are gum-drying. Alcohol feels a bit higher than posted. The finish lingers for while, a bit salty, then prunish.
I guess if I weren't enamored with the age and especially the year 1967, I would put this at about 91-92 points. But I will finalize at 92+. Looking forward to drinking more nebbiolo from this great year. Happy Labor Day 2020.
92+ points
Birth year wine number two, and this one is alive and well! 1967 Giuseppe Contratto Barolo. Another Wine Bid purchase.
I stood this up for about 3-4 weeks, but there wasn't much sediment. I did a 4-hour decant. In the last hour, I set the decanter in a slightly iced, water bath to bring it back down to the low 60s F.
Capsule and cork were nice and snug. I was surprised by the depth of color-- a fairly dark garnet to brick to orange to clear rim. See pics.
Nose: Leather, raisin, menthol, sweat, and subtle white pepper.
Palate: Medium bodied. Astonishing amount of well-ripe, dried red fruit on the attack, then a faint spearmint oddly enough, but not offering up too much more midway. But the leather seems to emerge. Acidity is still there, and the tannins are gum-drying. Alcohol feels a bit higher than posted. The finish lingers for while, a bit salty, then prunish.
I guess if I weren't enamored with the age and especially the year 1967, I would put this at about 91-92 points. But I will finalize at 92+. Looking forward to drinking more nebbiolo from this great year. Happy Labor Day 2020.
92+ points
