Poderi Aldo Conterno, Barolo, Bussia Cicala

Fungi, decaying forest, licorice, absent tannins but a lot of acids to keep things fresh. Very good mature barolo

2007 vintage

Decanted 2+ hours. Black cherry, violets, red berry fruits, tar, eventually more tobacco/wet leaves come out. Aromatic and rich, but balanced throughout. Fantastic experience.

2007 vintage

Walkaround tasting, just some short notes on some selected wines. The nose here is absolutely stunning. Like the normale but with more depth and more finesse and especially more floral. Massive substance on the palate but with such finesse. Immense potential here.

2020 vintage

Powerful and muscular, showing more intensity than the Colonnello. Austere in its youth yet still (somewhat) approachable, with prominent licorice, leather, and dark cherry notes, intensely grippy tannins, and a long, structured finish — a Barolo built for patience and rewarding evolution.

2020 vintage

Decanted for 3+ hours. A gorgeous nose. On the palate, big, rich, silky, complex fruit. No remaining tannin. High alcohol, but I did not even notice. An outstanding Barolo, drinking beautifully now.

2007 vintage

Drank over four hours. Had with a Costco Filet Mignon, asparagus, mushrooms, and roasted potatoes. Nose - red fruits (strawberry and cranberry??). Palate - more red fruit, high acid, hints of leather First glass had some of the heat that others noted; last glass did not. I don’t know if the wine changed or the drinker changed. 😁 The last glass had a long enjoyable finish with really nice tannins.

2007 vintage

Tasted blind. Very ripe, alcoholic. On the nose it had nice floral notes of roses but the alcohol is too much. I don’t expect this to improve with more time.

2007 vintage

Loved it. Needed some air time, but opened up nicely. Really tasty barolo with plenty of life ahead.

2007 vintage

Loved how the nose burst forth with chocolate-covered sweet cherries, cigarette tobacco, and a hint of leather. The promising palate offered up sweet cherries, dried plums, strawberries, and a minty-dusty finish. However, the potently persistent tannins and obtrusive alcohol conspired to create a noticeably astringent finish and was not at all to my liking.

2007 vintage

Beautiful, classic grand cru Barolo. Great texture. Both red and black fruit with a serious stone dust and graphite mid palate. Text book stuff. Perfect window now.

2007 vintage

Big brute of a modern Barolo. My score reflects the fact that I don't love the style. Oaky vanilla on this. Black fruited, and very ripe (I believe the abv was stated as 15%). This is a very well-made wine, but will appeal more to people who enjoy New World wines, or perhaps some of the modernist Bordeaux wines. Having said all that, there is Barolo character in there...under all that...and the quality of that nebbiolo seems to be excellent. …

2007 vintage

Dark cherry, liquorice, white truffle, youthul. Nice acidity, depth, complexity. Botttle in perfect condition. Easily 10 years aging potential. Stays for quite some time After 3h, leather, balsamic, pronounced acidity, long finish, silky tannins. Elegance!

2007 vintage

Mature and showing very well now. Oak is less prominent, letting the Nebbiolo core shine through. One of the better 98s.

1998 vintage

In my seller since release. From Magnum, decanted for three hours plus before tasting. The nose has distinct Oak induced vanilla, cedar and tobacco notes, as well as more typical Nebiolo, earthiness and cherry fruit. Acidity and tannins are both medium plus with a nice rich mouse feel. The finish is moderately long and luxurious with some rose, petal and truffle notes despite it’s clearly modern style it is distinctly Nebiolo.

2007 vintage

Decanted 60 minutes. Dark black color. Tertiary flavors now. Not a huge Nebbiolo fan but aged is better. Nice complexity and lots of flavor layers. Excellent.

2007 vintage

Barolo tasting (at my home) : deep ruby black med+ aromas intensity of ripe mature black cherries, black plums, med tertiary notes, smoked prosciutto, truffles, acetone hint, oak-vanilla; developing; dry, high acidity, med tannins, high abv, med- body, very good complexity, long quality elegant finish, med delicate flavors intensity consistent with the aromas, a very good elegant developing Barolo can drink now - suitable for further aging. requires 4-5 hours of aeration, at least.

2007 vintage

[Stored well throughout this owner's life; transported a short distance; decanted for 90 minutes.] It's been a while since I've been so firmly in a minority faction on here -- [I'm reminded of the Far Side cartoon of the "Didn't Like Dances With Wolves Society" meeting.] https://twitter.com/kbiegel/status/601525995871469569 It's not that this was a failure as a *beverage* at all -- it was rich, identifiably Nebbiolo, and it went wonderfully with some grilled ribeyes -- but was it a success as …

2007 vintage

Decanted 90 minutes but it still needs 2 hours plus. Similar to previous notes. Poured quarter glasses 20 minutes before dinner. Tannins softer but still plenty to carry it many more years. Nice complex layers and excellent structure. Finish was a bit tart and acidic that I don’t remember from the last bottle. This tartness continued until the last 20 minutes or so. Wine was consumed over 90 minutes. Midpalate was great and had lots of fullness. Tannings are silky. …

2007 vintage

Stellar wine. Linear focus with black cherries borderlining on cherry cola with a hint of cigar box with a racy and even at times sexy structure. I’ll be having more of these…

2007 vintage

Classic mature barolo flavor profile. A lithe structure. Ample shade tobacco with a cherry liquor motes. In a beautiful spot.

2007 vintage

Beautiful nose of rose petal, lemon citrus, and camphor. On the palate, blackberry, plum, tar, and notes of orange peel, black tea, candied cherry, and cocoa on the long finish, with moderate tannins and good acidity. This is early in its drinking window, with some potential for improvement. It stands out for its complexity and the evolution of flavors over 30+ seconds. This was a bargain on sale some years ago at about $60; it would be fairly priced at …

2007 vintage

We drank this one a little too early, with the amount of tannins it has it could use another 7 years of aging. It's still very very good with lots of red cherry on the nose almost like red vines licorice. Palate is the same with nice minerality and the hint of leather. The tannins are a bit overwhelming though so if you drink it now, make sure you pair it with something super rich.

2007 vintage

Not bad - clearly from a riper, hotter vintage, so maybe not as nuanced as one would like, but pretty darned tasty all the same.

2007 vintage

Archetypical young Barolo. Fruit with tar and a little menthol. Touch of Amarone. Massive energy.

2007 vintage

Opened 2 hours before then decanted just prior to tasting. Very dark red/black but with a hint of browning on the edge. This wine showed remarkable changeability over 2-3 hours before it was gone. Phase 1 was deep and fruit driven with dark cherry, plum, mushroom flavors. Then the fruit integrated with the prodigious tannic structure and the flavors receded and the wine tasted almost ready to drink. Finally towards the bottom of the bottle the tannins reared their heads …

2007 vintage

Front end of maturity window and drinking great. Deep cherries, tar, spice, and floral qualities.

2007 vintage

This is drop dead gorgeous. Full stop. Absolutely textbook Barolo flavor profile. Ripe dark plum and black cherry, shiitake mushroom, fresh laid asphalt, decaying leaves, and dried wildflowers. Could not be more stylish or cleanly made. Does a nice dance b/w classic and modern. What struck me though was the Musigny-like peacock's tail texture of this wine. Just so silky, sexy, and polished. I have never felt Barolos were particularly burgundian, but this one clearly is. This was one of …

2007 vintage

Drank by the glass at a restaurant. Beautiful and open nose with dark cherries, figs, and rose petals. Medium-plus-to-full bodied with medium-to-medium-plus acid with medium tannins that had a bit of grip. Hits you with a load of rich sweet dark cherries on the front of the palate before offering some darker, savory flavors along with chocolate mid-palate that continued into the finish. Rich and opulent -- to much so for my wife -- but I felt the acid kept …

2007 vintage

Good, solid aged Barolo. It took about 2 hours to open up. Once opened, red bricking, floral nose, palate true to varietal. Tannins present and well integrated. Oak not overwhelming.

1998 vintage

This had the cherry-garnet color and a mix of leather and forest fruits on the nose and palate. With time more floral elements came out. It was an enjoyable bottle but never reached the heights of other Barolo's I have had recently.

1998 vintage

CHE91 Too much wood

1998 vintage

Gone wrong. Oxidised. The other bottle I had was fine. Strange inconsistency.

1998 vintage

Artadi Night (Extra Space) : Drank from bottle over 3 hours. Tasted blind. Appearance is clear, pale intensity, ruby core with large garnet rim. Legs. Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of tar, savoury earth, thin layer of roses, sweet spices, emerging soy sauce. Developed. On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium+ alcohol integrated high tannins, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of sour red cherries, savoury earth, tar, sweet spices. Long finish. Easily guessed as an aged …

1998 vintage

Drank over dinner. Fortunately, this bottle wasn't oxidised. Appearance was clear, medium garnet. Legs. On the nose, medium+ intensity, with aromas of earth, barnyard, tar, soy, worn leather, game, mushrooms (Porcini), truffles, red cherries, chicken essence and some floral (roses) notes. Developed. On the palate, medium+ flavour intensity. High acidity, medium tannin, medium+ bodied, medium alcohol and a long finish. Very good quality, but tertiary notes were dominating which made the fruits seemed weaker than it should be. Drink up, …

1998 vintage

The wine was light to medium garnet in colour and threw a notable amount of sediment. It offered withered flowers, cherry, cucumber, rosewater, marzipan and mushroom aromas on the nose. On the palate the wine showed red fruit, red cherry, cucumber, marzipan, a hint of chocolate, salty soy sauce, spices, mushroom, a hint of tobacco, black tea leaves and balsamic notes, with high, lively acidity, well-integrated tannin and superb length. The medium-bodied wine kept gaining complexity as time passed. It …

1998 vintage

Mature Barolo Night (B&B Parkway) : Popped by a friend who bought a case from an auction. Unfortunately clearly oxidised and sherry-like. Savoury earth, saltiness, and lots of soy sauce. Zero fruit. Hopefully the rest of the case does not disappoint.

1998 vintage

oxidised

1998 vintage

Two 1998s : I served the Cicala blind to friends who immediately saw it as a fairly modernist Barolo. It was a very clean wine, throwing no sediment. Light ruby red. The bouquet is fairly primary but with the oak quite prominent, shielding the fruit. Along with red fruit there is some soil and tar in the background. With time in the glass some floral notes emerged, similar to those with the Cornas. On palate, the oak is more integrated, …

1998 vintage

In which we ate all the truffles (Chicago, IL) : Soy on the nose. The palate is just iron and acid, and there's nothing else at all. Something's wrong with this bottle, but it's not corked, nor does it seem heat-damaged. Defective cork, perhaps?

1998 vintage

Superbe nez sur le cuir, le tabac, les fleurs et l'écorce d'orange, bouche impressionnante mais toute en finesse, tannins fondus, finale longue avec un peu d'amertume. Excellent!

1998 vintage

extremely good. highly recommended

1998 vintage

This is a wonderful wine, rich, powerful, and structured. Unfortunately we had it in a restaurant with only minimal airtime, whereas it needed 2-3 hours or days. Still the plus side was that the intensity forced us to sip it and thus it lasted the whole second course for three people. Of course we were vastly overcharged for it, bearing a 200% markup over retail, but if I find it again in a store I will buy it and hold …

1998 vintage

Still dark color and plenty of fruit, but this shows a bit of the hot, roasted style that I don't love. Very good, and nothing to turn away, but prefer the cooler fruit style vs. this one. Structure to hold. A-

1998 vintage

A serious and classically styled barolo. Needs hours of decanting to open up full, but when it does, it is profound and complex, with numerous layers of intense small-berrry fruit, peaty notes, and fragrant herbs. Big, fine-grained tannins. Would recommend holding another 3-5 years.

1998 vintage

One of the better Barolos I have had in a while. Lovely rose petals. Well-structured. Classic style.

1998 vintage

Light color. Notes of cherries, herbs, cinnamon and warm spices. Flavors of red cherry with baking spices. Elegant, with a nice finish.

1998 vintage

92+

1998 vintage

Dinner with clients and I don't drink alot of Barolos so take my notes as is, solid fruit forward red, full bodied and well balanced, finish had great legs and seems to be drinking very well right now, has very good structure to age as well. Flavors seemed to be dark red fruits with hints of vanilla throughout. Really liked it and was a nice change from my normal napa cab regimen. Low 90s.

1998 vintage

Wonderful bottle of Barolo. Rich and vibrant with classic Nebbiolo flavors. Great mouth feel with a long finish. Lots of structure. This is still young. Decanted 2 hours before drinking. I will probably wait several years before I drink more, but with decanting this is great now.

1998 vintage

Bistro Elan Rona Gary -- Arhhhhhhhh X2! Did I just get two bad bottles? At first, unbelievably pruney, oxidized, tons of bricking in color--more like a 20+ year Barolo not 10 year. Off-putting nose of rust, sun dried tomatoes, sweaty handful of copper pennies, earth and weeds. Unbelievably after decanting an hour lots of this blew off (or were we just drunk on the other stuff?) and more acceptable aromas of violet, earth, black truffley mushroom emerged. Regardless, something was …

1998 vintage

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Poderi Aldo Conterno, Barolo, Bussia Cicala

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