Michele Chiarlo, Barolo, Tortoniano

Somewhat underwhelming (89) on day 1 with acidity and tannin dominating even after a 2 hour decant. Bumping to 91 because on day 2 everything now feels in focus. The nose has the expected tar, rose, and tart cherry notes, which are followed on the palette. The finish is slightly sweet with balanced acidity and dusty tannins. Based on this experience, I opened this bottle a few years too soon.

2017 vintage

90+ (now). Unclear how this will evolve with time. For my tasting standards see my profile Initial notes (minimal air, will follow up with time) I will leave these unchanged so you can see my own conflict. See below for night #2. Clear, ruby with a tiny bit of brick. Translucent. Very clear. Beautiful, rich nose - fruits, berries, spices, floral, camphor or???? (hey read the pros, they cant agree!). Nose is also slightly "hot". Slightly. Pretty rich (for Barolo) …

2017 vintage

In peak form after decant and 3 hours- really complemented a Friday steak dinner to end a tough week

2012 vintage

Tastes like grape juice. Needs food

2017 vintage

Dried rose, violet, black pepper, parsley, sour cherry. Stronger aromatically than in the mouth but a solid Barolo, drinking well but no rush, may still improve for a few more years.

2012 vintage

light ruby color. medium to full body, herbal, floral, mineral, cherry, touch of oak. dry. acidic. tannins.

2017 vintage

very harsh opening. big tannin, raspberry. after 1.5hr opens to a well defined balance. mineral, blackcurrants, cherry, subtle raspberry. got it at discounted 44usd+tax so well worth the price.

2017 vintage

Drinking well. Nice bottle. Cheers!

2005 vintage

Has improved substantially since last tasting nearly a decade ago. Nose is now classic earthy, floral, dried cherry. Medium weight with very attractive black tea grape tannins on the long, savory and firm finish.

2005 vintage

Cherry and old leather — 4 months ago

2017 vintage

Drank a glass through coravin a few nights before. Opened and decanted the remainder, light and easy for a barolo. Very approachable young, vibrant fruit, light tannin, enjoyable but not cheap for an easy access barolo

2017 vintage

We decanted two hours prior to consumption. Wine rating is a 93

2017 vintage

Definitely needs time to develop - we opened 1 bottle to see where it was and we will stuff the rest of the case away for a couple years before cracking another one open -- definitely has the potential to be tasty but tannic and out of balance right now for us -- didn't help that it will probably be a food wine vs. mellow drinking like the barolos we favor so I may be underrating it a bit.

2017 vintage

Aromas of violet, cherry, oak, and raspberry. Tasted like tart Cherry, black fruits, oak, and red currant. High dry tannins and high acidity. Long decant or hold for another two to three years.

2017 vintage

100% Nebbiolo. Intensely fragrant with lovely, complex aromas of new leather, earth, red cherry-berry, fine wood spices, juniper berry, and cedar, with touches of rose floral, orange, and barnyard. On the medium-full to full-bodied, structured, slightly creamy palate it is quite approachable right now with red cherry, wild berry, forest floor, wet earth, and savoury wood spice flavours with a touch of orange. Acids are juicy and well-balanced. The structured tannins have some chalky grip, but are accessible now. Forest …

2017 vintage

Start to be in the good “young barolo drinking window”. Give it 1h breather to losen up tight tannins. Very nicely balanced, supple and fruity (clearly not overly extracted), correct lentgh.

2017 vintage

Colour is a pale see through garnet with slight browning on edges. Aromas of berries, cherries. Subtle. Floral notes/perfume are prevalent. Slight hint of polish but it blows off with air. Pretty aromas, not overpowering. Flavours: Muted red berry fruits, cherries, maybe a slight tartness. Earl Grey tea, moderate fruitcake spices. Tannins are still prelevant but not overpowering …. Gum drying. They are drying with bitterness (not sweet tannins). Also getting a vague vanilla, cinnamon zip on the mid palate. …

2005 vintage

Nose: Cherry. Raspberry. Herbs. Palate: Tomato leaf. Raspberry. Blueberry. Raisins. High tannins. High acidity. Medium body. Medoum intensity. Medium finish. Good. Drink now until 2027.

2017 vintage

Very nice, fully mature, modern Barolo. Took a minute in the decanter for a bit of funk to dissipate (very little sediment, btw). Nose is bright with sweet cherries, sage brush, leather, roses, iodine. Full, rich palate, nicely resolved tannins, medium weight on the mid-palate, with a short finish.

2005 vintage

Decanted 2 hours. Soft leather-bound book color w/firm nose & impressive legs. Flavor of full cherries, red licorice, and light lead pencil. Great full finish w/oak backing. Served w/Parmesan crusted chicken breast & roasted vegetables. Great compliment to dinner.

2012 vintage

They call Barolo the “King of Wine.” Properly aged and decanted Barolo can be a joy to drink. A 3 hour open on this one before first sip. This was exceptionally well balanced and a fabulous drink. Got better with each sip. Elegant yet had an earthy texture, muted fruit, well integrated tannins and layers of subtle spices, smoke, cedar, vanilla and cinnamon. Walked away from it for 45 min and came back to have an “oh wow” experience as …

2005 vintage

Drinking beautifully. Maybe not the most complex Barolo ever, but soft fruit, well integrated tannins and a medium + finish. Approachable right from the start but opens up and delivers more with an hour+ in the decanter. Plums and cherries and lingering finish. Drink now.

2005 vintage

Fabulous treat with bold raspberries and subtle notes of clove and violets, this is one of the best wines I’ve had this year!

2012 vintage

Decanted for an hour+. Great nose of red fruits, spices, herbs and earth. Silky soft and long but not overly complex. Seems to be in a great drinking window and will be interesting to see if fruits fade and more of those secondary and tertiary flavors evolve.

2005 vintage

Modern style, quite approachable now. Nice stawberries, dusty soft tannins, earth, black tea, medium finish. I won't age this much longer, its drinking pretty well now.

2005 vintage

Nice Amber color at first. Needs a bit of time to air. Full bodied, high color. Some cherry and maybe currant notes. Lovely.

2012 vintage

Brown edges, earthy smell, fruit came out after about 2 hours, only air was via audelaze ( I definitely forgot ow to spell that) method. Very enjoyable and the residual in the glass this AM was very fruit smelling. Drink now if you have one

2005 vintage

Very dry, big wine, long finish. After 90 mins it was still tight and trying to open up. Don’t feel this had the complexity and was somewhat one dimensional. next bottle I will decant and let breathe 3+ hours.

2005 vintage

Light and not overpowering. Balanced. Drink now.

2005 vintage

Without a doubt the funkiest Barolo I've ever smelled. But it tastes just fine: well-balanced, kinda old-school in character with nice cherry notes.

2012 vintage

As KenTW noted, it seems light on opening, but gains weight with airing. Plum, earth, and licorice. Faintly floral nose. High acidity. Drinking well.

2005 vintage

This sucks. Its dirty and one dimensional. I had better $15 Nebbiolos in my life for 1/3rd the price. Don't bother.

2012 vintage

I was not a fan of Michele Chiarlo in the past as I thought it was a bit oaky and sometimes too modern, but the wine we had last night was better than I expected. Maybe it was due to the view vintage of being more approachable. The nose showed tar, rose petal, modest rubbed leather, licorice and dark cherries, on the palate, the tannin was more dense and concentrated vs the 2012 Vajra Bricco del Violle we had the …

2012 vintage

Very light and smooth for a Barolo. Subtle nuanced characters of leather and earth to balance the fermented cherry flavors. Very easy to drink, ready in 2018 but can age for a least a decade.

2012 vintage

Gary's / Kobrand icons of Italian wines event I liked this wine tonight. In looking at it in glass the presence of some orange rim around the edges in glass and a slightly cloudy appearance made this wine appetizing to me. Tonight it I should 6 years old and It did not let me down on the palette. The wine has a very balanced structure to it. It allows both the fruit, tannin, and acidity to express themselves in mouth. …

2012 vintage

Salty and mineral, really quite shows the terroir, and lively and fresh. Got good grip.

2012 vintage

Really needs an hour to open

2012 vintage

It’s soft and approachable.

2012 vintage

Bright garnet in color. Nose of cherries, plums, leather, and hint of rose petals. Tastes of cherries, tobacco, and leather. Nice purity of fruit day one which didn’t last to day two. Half bottle. Drink over the next 5-7 years.

2012 vintage

Drank with Rob. Thin and mediocre. Not a great wine but drinkable on a Tuesday.

2012 vintage

Better than a few years ago on my first bottle. Used Aervana. Medium weight, nice mix of aged black fruits and licorice notes, finishes with some earth but mild and non distracting. Shows age in the color. Quite smooth. I believe its peaking, so drink it up if you have any left.

2005 vintage

Smooth and elegant. Popped and poured. This was tannic at first, but settled down after a few minutes. Lovely. Drinking well. Fruit and elegance.

2005 vintage

WSET course Level 2, 1st session (WeWork complex, 7 HaPelech St., Tel-Aviv) : clear pale tawny appearance clean dry mature fruits nose with oak-vanilla & earthy hints dry tannic palate, med-high acidity, medium body, dry spicy fruity flavours, tea, oak-vanilla, long finish. very good wine.

2012 vintage

Earth red cherry, red berries and spices on the nose. Medium to full bodied (14% ABV) with bright cherry upfront along with some cassis and hints of raspberry in the back. Very rounded and open through the middle, perhaps a bit surprising from a barolo so young. Spices, leather and vanilla through the finish. Lacing in terms of depth and concentration. While the structure in the back end does provide some contrast, this won't be a wine that gains tremendously …

2012 vintage

One of our all time favorite Barolos. Smooth and elegant yet complex and bold flavors. Perfect pairing with our charcoal grilled fillets and baby bella mushrooms!

2005 vintage

Barolos (1- '11, 4 - '12s, & 1 - '13) (Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA) : "Tortoniano is named for the tortonian-era soils in which the vines are planted, which contain a high % of magnesium & manganese. [Grapes come from select vyds of growers with whom the Chiarlo family has dealt for generations.] Grape clusters are thinned & harvested up to 15 days later than usual so that the fruit attains higher concentration. Temps are strictly controlled during …

2012 vintage

Kobrand Tour Italia (Peninsula Hotel - Chicago IL) : Tasting, brief note. Red cherry and licorice with floral hints. Also firm, with moderate concentration and good length.

2012 vintage

At initial opening the wine was light to mid weight. almost Pinot like for a moment but after about an hour it became much heavier in weight. Color shows the age. Very old world style, some black fruits but dominated more with licorice, tobacco and earthy tones. Still has some nice acidity with barnyard funk in the background that dissipates on day two.

2005 vintage

It took about 4 hours of decanting, but it finally got to be less astringent on the finish. Very good after that.

2005 vintage

Light in color with tart spice on the nose. The tartness flows right to the taste in the mid palate then mellows into a long finish. As others have commented, great qpr in a nice place right now.

2005 vintage

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Michele Chiarlo, Barolo, Tortoniano

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