Domenico Clerico, Barolo, Percristina

Beautiful, with structure that suggests a much younger wine, as the tannin are still everpresent. Floral nose. Dark cherry, tar, herbs on the palate. Medium body. Rich. Berry and acid that continues though the finish. Yum.

1996 vintage

Annual Pilgrimage to Piedmont - 2024 Edition; 10/18/2024-10/20/2024 : From a 3L decanted and served. Divided us a bit as this is definitely now in a tertiary state and Nicoletta found it a bit too old. But the wine is the wine, well evolved, earthy, herby, forest floor and tobacco. Yes it’s past its energetic days but on the other had it is showing a very beautiful nobly old side that is ever so difficult to find with these old …

1998 vintage

At Sweet Basil, Needham: We've had several vintages of this wine and have consistently loved it. The 2005 vintage was then a bit disappointing -- the wine had a mostly impenetrable woodiness that impeded the pleasure of drinking and obscured any floral qualities. It's still an impressive wine and my wife was very happy to drink what remained in the bottle two days later.

2005 vintage

Captivating nose of cherry and raspberry on a background of vanilla and spices. Minty mouth, with magnificent freshness, on which flavors of black fruits, leather, tobacco and spices are grafted in complete harmony. It is structured and fluid at the same time, here we have a beautiful “modern” Barolo full of liveliness and depth. The juice is massive, stretched by a beautiful acidity which gives it an almost airy side. Beautiful texture and excellent balance. The intense finish takes us …

1996 vintage

Bottle is off. Not sure why but really unbalanced

1998 vintage

I just love old Barolo. To me, just at the perfect stage. Incredible tertiary development, while still being primary enough to admire the fruit still present. True depth and complexity, just layers and layers and layers. Did a double decant 4 hours before drinking, and it continued to unfurl in the glass. Fantastic PQR, wish I had 11 more. '96s just singing for me right now.

1996 vintage

Medium red color. Complex aromas of red cherries, tobacco and wood spices. Ripe, beautifully structured fruit in the mouth with excellent depth and length. Complex and supple on the palate. Surprisingly fresh and intact for a 25 year old wine.

1996 vintage

The cork smelled like a candy store. It scared me a little but it smelled good. Easy on the decanting. Harsh and stiff as hell so I left it and after an hour in the decanter it started to open up. After yet one hour it was pretty ok. Its a good Barolo. Not the best but I still have 6 bottles left. Lets give it some years. (I had to try this again even though I open one a …

2005 vintage

Decanterd heavily back and forth 4 times. Small sediments left in bottle and the cork was in perfect shape. As always, a large bucket af paint exploding in my nose. Harch as hell, equivalent to cacao measuring 99 % but after an hour it opens up and gets pretty darn nice. I gave it 90 points 2019 and 91 tonight so let's stick around for 2023.

2005 vintage

The color is quite faded, but it doesn't taste as old as it looks. The first taste is like a shot of adrenaline, setting the nerves atingle. The wine mellows with air, but it never lost the core of chewy tannins and acidity. For all that, though, it has moved into a gentler phase, reassuring rather than challenging, with more richness and less fierceness. Drink soon.

1998 vintage

A solid modern Barolo, still has a few years left

1996 vintage

Nose: Immediately, there is no questioning which camp this falls into. The oak is still prominent, but it isn't the driving force with tones of dark red cherries, raspberries, cranberries, licorice, spice tones, tobacco, leather, toast, and earth tones. Taste: The feel is Full bodied with well-integrated, high acidity and resolving, high tannins. The structure is there more for framing right now with dark red cherries, raspberries, cranberries, licorice, spice tones, tobacco, and leather notes. Overall: This is clearly at …

1996 vintage

Very little bricking, red-purple hue. This could easily age another 5-10 years as it was better after several days. Balanced, perfumed and elegant barolo. A pleasure to drink on christmas day with brisket and two days later with dinner revisited!

1998 vintage

Still way too young.

2005 vintage

Pale and powerful. Reminded me of an old style Barolo, even though Clerico is one of the “Barolo boys” with their modern ways. Very tannic and tight with notes of menthol and licorice. I enjoyed doing battle with this and felt it got more approachable with time in the glass. Galloni seems to think it’s peaked so I’m drinking my stock now, but seems good to me.

2005 vintage

Decanted three hours. Dark garnet with some moderate bricking. Aromas of red fruit, coffee and spice come out of the glass. The palate feels like it has reached early maturity but there is still a decent amount of tannin such that it should be able to age at least five more years. Flavors of plum, black cherry, tar and spice come through into a satisfying finish. The wine has a modern feel with some touches of oak but the oak …

1998 vintage

Still perfect

1996 vintage

Wow, I loved this wine. I have had plenty of his single vineyard wines but never this cuvee, and it turned out to be much more intense and focused than his other offerings (which I also like). As some of the other reviewers note, super concentrated, still possesses gripping tannins but with a wonderful complexity on the nose that belies the terror: lots of tar, black fruit, embers, rose petal all form a solid core that stands up well to …

2005 vintage

Smoked and dried plums on the nose. Harsh and powerful barolo tannins on the palete. Efter a while its even better. (did not got time for decantering.)

2005 vintage

Not a bad Saturday afternoon : A great example of Clerico's trademark combination of ripe dark fruit and spice and brown sugar, and with a touch of florality, it is drinking very well now. It won't be mistaken for a traditional Barolo, but it has plenty of its own charms to offer and deserves to be appreciated for what it is more than for what it isn't.

2005 vintage

On opening this wine was completely discombobulated. After the first glass I closed it up and put it in the fridge. Next night it was much better, but showed more oak than I care for. Tertiary development appropriate for a Barolo at 20. But not a style I seek out these days.

1998 vintage

Wonderful color with flashes of orange. Nose of flowers, particularly violet, afterwards scents of truffle and tabac. Gorgeous in the mouth, very barolo like: elegant, earthy, with a beautiful hint of papaya. The tannis are round and integrated, and contribute in making the sip long and so beautiful.

2005 vintage

Fruitbomb

2005 vintage

Smooth complex and delicious. Drinking beautifully but don’t wait too long.

1996 vintage

Tight, tight, tight. Let it sit for at least another 10 yrs. I wish I did.

2005 vintage

Huh, basically nothing like previous notes suggested. Beautiful nose with roses and burnt orange peel, a touch of spicy cigar and some brown sugar. Beautiful on the palate with great acidity and loads of spice. Crushed flowers, some tar, and a tannic finish. Tasted shockingly young. After about 3 hours open, I'm starting to see the really drying and slightly bitter tannins, but these things were invisible with food (paired this with pasta with a slightly sweet meat sauce). Nevertheless, …

1998 vintage

Excellent, still young

2005 vintage

Excellent. Still very young. Big tannis that took 4 to 6 hours to fade. Will revisit others in 3-5 yrs or more.

2005 vintage

I second what Winewimpie says, except I find barolos gain aromatics with age while their fruit drops out a bit. The wine is certainly at a peak, but I wouldn't be in a hurry to drink, thinking that it will soften and develop a more intoxicating bouquet with more aging. 93 points

1996 vintage

Enjoyed over 5 hours. Clerico with 100% new oak. Opens up after about 1 hour. Seductive feminine nose with allspice, raspberry, vanilla, aniseed, cardamom, baking spices, oriental spices, caramel and tobacco. Grippy tannins and a little austere on the palate. Leather, orange zest, cinnamon and tobacco. Peak after 3 hours. The new oak makes the wine sing for a while with a mesmerising nose, but with enough time in glass a slightly bitterness emerges in the finish. Wonder what more …

2005 vintage

Its colour gives away its age, nice garnet red centre with brownish edges. Fantastic nose of liquorice, phenolic, sweet cherries and other red fruits. Well balanced on the palate, tannins melted with the fruit and some nice light acidity. At first the finish was rather dry and a little austere, but after 3 hours in the decanter, the finish became smoother. Will not improve, drink now, its too good to let it fade!

1996 vintage

Modern Italian classics (Copenhagen) : Very dark for a nebbiolo and full of black fruit. Initially smooth and then quite a tannic attack. Precise and dense and ending in aromas of velvety refinement. I liked this much more than I had expected given my normal preference for the more red-fruited airy style of nebbiolo.

2005 vintage

While the wine is not difficult to drink with its soft tannins and balance for me it lacked the depth, elegance and finesse of traditionally made Barolo.

2005 vintage

Slow-ox for 12 hours. Still very young and tannic. This is a classic barolo. Iodine, dark currants, caramel and mocha on the nose. The palate did not fully open up, but the intensity revealed the potential of this. Give this 10 years and it will be lovely. 93 with age.

2005 vintage

This takes a bit of getting used to. Some subtle oxidation around the edges. Definitely a food friendly wine that needs significant amount of air time if you are going to open it today. A lot of acidity, herbal noes and subtle fruit. It opens up in the glass and delivers impeccable structure and concentration right now. Very backward right now. "Barolo" stuffing is there but it requires a lot of patience. Built for the long term.

2005 vintage

How well do cigarillos age Barolo? Kyle notes fig and prune on the nose but I am not getting much. Palate delivers tar and ripe fruit with really dried out tannins that I believe must be the oak. To quote Kyle again "there's just not allot there. I thought it would be denser too." The overwhelming sensation to me is the dried out wood tannins. Not much nose, not much fruit. But just opened. Maybe time will tell.

1998 vintage

Has some balsamic lift to the aroma. The fruit is ripe and raisiny. it has notes of cherry and spice and is nicely balanced. Tannins are sweet and round and the wine has good composure.

1996 vintage

The Underground Blind Tasting Group: Single Vineyard Barolo & Barbaresco (Houston) : Dark garnet color, darkest and deepest color of the flight. Complex and rich nose of spice, red fruits, a bit of tar. On the palate, this wine was rich and deeply fruited with smooth, spicy mouthfeel and what I felt like were French oak tannins. The was a noticeable tick lower in acidity than the other wines in the lineup, and the wine was denser and heavier on …

1998 vintage

Dark red color , red fruits , cherries , earth , tobacco , on the palate is round but full bodied , tannins smooth but a little harsh. Ready to drink but can last for more years

1998 vintage

Elegant. Pure red fruits, vanilla and earthy notes on the nose. Palate is still farily tannic, but not obtrusively. Finish lingers for ages. Excellent.

1998 vintage

Domenico Clerico winery visit (Monforte D'Alba) : opaque dark red-brown, elegant fruity aromas, full bodied, round firm tannins, good acidity level, powerful fruity flavours, delicate earthy-spicy notes, medium finish.

2005 vintage

Haven't had this since release, and, no surprise, it's rolling right along. Bright and fresh, this has moved off its primary base and has entered a secondary phase that's nothing short of gorgeous. A few nits here and there re: the generous nature of this, but that's more personal preference than wine flaw. Solid structure, lovely tannins. After a 3 hour decant, this was drained in near record time. A brilliant future to those that wait, but very enjoyable now, …

1996 vintage

Barolo : (degustato alla cieca) Dalla vigna Mosconi prodotto solo in annate eccellenti. Inizio incredibilmente restio ed austero. Poi timidamente spezie in polvere, cardamomo, piccolo frutto, china, terra. In bocca c'è un tannino aggressivo ma ben fatto che ai primi sorsi monopolizza la bocca per svariati secondi. Facendoci un po' il palato il vino mostra la sua classe e ottima fattura anche se ho preferito il Romirasco a questo punto.

2005 vintage

Rich, full with a dry finish.

2005 vintage

Pretty burly with some heat. Prominent spice. Very deep. Some maturity and brown sugar. Nice on the palate: spicy and minerally with red-brown fruit. Chewy. Nice balance. Prominent chalky tannins, but lighter in style and pretty clear. Nose: 4.5+/6, Palate - 5/6, Finish - 5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1.5/2 = 16+/20.

2005 vintage

Piedmont 2013, Day 2 - Visit to Domenico Clerico (Monforte d'Alba, Piedmont, Italy) : Very good. However, this is another one of those wines with absurdedly high scores from certain wine critics that I just could not appreciate as much. It is good for sure, in a very modern style, but certainly not greater than many a Barolo with a fraction of its price-tag or critical approval. The nose was typical Clerico - big, bold and insistent, with dark cherry …

2005 vintage

Requires decanting. The nose is open from the start but on the palate it required about 30 minutes to start relaxing as on open it had quite a few harsh notes on the palate. Nose is very barolo, with cherries dominating , light earth and little to no oak notes. Post the decanting the palate is firm, some dry bits but a medium to full bodied wine with a lot of power in it. On the young side still and …

1998 vintage

Russk Hermes Whrhs tasting. 92- WOTN.

2005 vintage

infantcide

1996 vintage

Popped the cork a few hours before we enjoyed the wine but I definitely would have decanted it for 1-2 hours if I had the means. Wonderful opulent nose of dark fruit, tar and licorice which followed suit on the lush rich medium-full bodied palate with smooth tannins and a great finish. The oak was wonderfully integrated and played no role in this wine. A wonderful Barolo! Enjoyed with various cured pork products and pizzas at Olio Pizzeria.

1998 vintage

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Domenico Clerico, Barolo, Percristina

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