Giovanni Sordo Barolo

Giovanni Sordo Barolos with Paola Sordo (Flatiron Wines, San Francisco CA) : Oh, this is nice. There is so much depth already that draws you in with a gorgeous, savory backdrop to the tones of dark red cherries, raspberries, dark red fruits, roasted herbs, tobacco leaf, earth notes, perfumes, and a heavy dose of roses. The Full bodied feel has some heft, but with a light touch while possessing racy, high acidity and chewy, high tannins are certainly youthful. This …

Way to young. Strong acidity and tannins. Wait at least couple more years, I think a lot of potential to age for a long time up to 20243

Fantastic but young. Well structured, quite potent tannins. Drank over two days and it was better day 2. Will wait at least one year until I open the next bottle and think I ought to wait until 2025/2026.

SLDS July 2023 : Blind. Smoky, menthol, redcurrant and graphite. Very dry on the palate, there is fruit density but the structure has taken over at the moment. It feels quality but it's not easy to tackle at the moment.

Strong grippy tannins, earth, herbs and rose petals.

Classic Barolo on opening of dried cherries and rose petals. With a bit of time herbal notes emerged with some cooling eucalyptus, earthy spice and a really bloody/iron ore character. Drunk over about 8hrs to see how it evolved. Started with very grippy tannins and quite elegant body, tannins softened over time and the body seemed to build weight. I personally liked it most after only about 1hr when the aromas had opened but the body was still light, so …

Meaty, savoury, slightly gamey, a touch of plum but this lacks concentration on the nose. Medium plus intensity acidity and massive drying tannins combine to dominate the palate. Not for me.

2016 Sordo Barolo is mediocre wine from a mediocre vintage. My first impression of this wine was not excellent. 2016 Sordo has a weak nose and pale color for a Barolo. The wine was a bit earthy and it lacked fruit. It may be premature for a 2016 Barolo, but I don't think that this will ever be a great wine.

Pristine cherry fruits coupled with notes of teak, leather and spice. Good flesh. Lovely balance.

Dense, rich and layered. Has a core of liqueur cherry and plenty of savoury nuance. It is deep, with waves of flavour lapping around the gums. Terrific persistence.