Alessandro E Gian Natale Fantino, Barolo, Bussia Cascina Dardi

2nd of 6, pnp, perfect cork and level light but fine fragrance and layering to fruit, rose and pot pourri, even some unresolved fine tannin, much better on palate than previous July 23 bottle as it approaches maturity, still upside, 10+ years. VGI (17).

2012 vintage

As before

2008 vintage

This is gorgeous and in very good shape. 2006 was known as a great vintage in Piemonte and this wine is a fine representation of the vintage. Popped it open with the Durand and served it with Tagliatelle alla Ragu. I didn't decant it, but did pull out the Grassl Crus when I realized how good it was after tasting. The wine is classic Bussia Barolo with tar & roses, and sitting between power and finesse. There is still a …

2006 vintage

Double decanted this is at is peak. Well balanced & all of one piece

2012 vintage

Very clean and pretty on the nose. Open from first pour. Sour cherry on the nose. Hint of balsamic on the palate. Lovely balance and complexity. Pretty red fruits. Cherry is the dominant flavour profile on the palate. Super elegant and refined. Fantastic value for money.

2008 vintage

Mostly consistent with previous note ... and still in great shape. Day 1: Opened for about 90 mins, it shows modest signs of age, vivid strawberry nose, and great balance on palate. Lively fruit still in evidence balanced by robust acidity and evident but smooth tannins. Perfect with a rustic polenta dish. After 3 days under vacuvin: Showing some bricking and less fruit, but it's still quite good with excellent balance.

2012 vintage

Very clean and pretty on the nose. Hint of balsamic on the palate. Lovely balance and complexity. Pretty red fruits. Fantastic value for money.

2008 vintage

poured in large burgundy glasses and let it sit for approx 30-45 minutes before serving it to the dinner guests. paired with a chicken-marsala-stew, it was singing. the harmony between the sweet and bitter notes from the stew and the acidity of the nebbiolo-grapes was very enjoyable. one for the books.

2007 vintage

1st of 6, opened an hour, perfect cork and level - pale, transparent ruby, browning rim; attractive quite nuanced bouquet with wild strawberry, rose, cherry and mineral notes; medium bodied, ok length and persistence, tad watery, more simple flavours as yet on palate than nose, core notably sweet, more attractive as drink (ie no rough edges) than rating might imply, some upside, 10 years perhaps but not for long haul in this vintage. VG+ (16.5).

2012 vintage

Very earthy wine. Tobacco and old boots even after decanting for 3 hours. Really great and enjoyable but maybe at its peak. Had with bbq steak and some bbq veggies as well. Steamed carrots and beans with lemon and feta. All balanced well together. Dark red wine, low tannins, oak and dark fruit. Pepper and sweet cherry to finish.

2007 vintage

Charming sweet fruited but very one dimensional and short finished compared to previous bottle

2012 vintage

1/4. Medium (+) garnet color. Smells like barnyard funk, mushroom, black cherry, graphite, newspaper, cotton candy, and potpourri and rose floral that's more prominent as it's been open. Like that. Light to medium body, medium (+) acid and finish, with flavors of cherry, black tea, lemon, and minerals. Nice balance between fresh and rustic, and nice minerality. I like this. 👌

2012 vintage

A good accompaniment to mushroom risotto. The rusticity needs food. No hurry needed.

2012 vintage

Lovely light color with some bricking. After a brief decant, nose hints at black fruits, plums, rose petals, anise. Nice balance on the palate, with significant but smooth tannins, bright acidity over rather little fruit, and a spicy, longish finish. Fantastic synergy with the mild bitterness of roasted radicchio di Treviso. To be revisited in a couple of days. Day four under vacuvin: Now beautifully aromatic in the tobacco/forest floor register. Similar flavors. Clearly needs signifacnt decanting for full enjoyment.

2012 vintage

Delicate, earthy nose of red fruit, forest floor, leather, tar, charcoal, and tomato, lovely, balanced palate of red cherry and wild strawberry with notes of chocolate, licorice, marzipan, and cola, grippy tannins, lengthy finish.

2012 vintage

Really lovely Barolo. Light in colour , much more roses than tar . Long finish .

2012 vintage

Decanted 3 hours, which was warranted. A bit lighter in color, and a bit cloudy. Not a lot of aroma, but some forest floor and bright red fruit. Tart cherry, tobacco, cedar, some herb, strong tannin. Black pepper joins in, especially on the finish.

2012 vintage

Pinot-like paleness; rose petals, red berries fruit; plenty of rugged tannins & marked acidity on show, initially skinny fruit softens & broadens with time/air. More time needed. (Cork pulled 6 hours before. Not decanted).

2012 vintage

Colour: med red. Clear, little sediment. Nose:Bacon grease,black berries, herbs Taste: silky tannins, dark chocolate, big mouth feel,very long finish. This is a great bottle of wine that is peaking right now. Still fresh for this age but has tempered out so that it is a fine wine with plenty of punch. Amazing!

2007 vintage

Light in appearance almost pale. Almost garnet. Black currant and blackberry on the nose. Some hint of leather as well. The palate was hints of dark fruit, but a bit more leather. Tannins were a bit grippy but not bad. Well integrated. Paried with a London broil. Was splendid and went very nicely. Good finish. This is drinking great right now, especially given the price ($25!)

2012 vintage

A little cooked. Heavy prunes. Not pleasant. Always amazes me how a case can have so much bottle variation. Wine is the ONLY product that can ship product that’s bad and the consumer has no recourse.

2012 vintage

Barries, spices and floral and really met life when it met with a tomato pork ribs sauce.

2006 vintage

Perfumes and fragrant on the nose. Light and ethereal on the palate. Poised and elegant. Sweet cherry on the palate. Lots of layers hidden underneath. Silky soft tannins. Touch of rose and tar but not overly so. Young but so approachable.

2012 vintage

this wine was singing tonight. rich, almost portlike and oh so smooth. A great barolo unexpectedly presented itself to me. wow. will have to try some of this producers wines

2007 vintage

Opened another bottle last night. This was the best bottle yet. It was slow oxed for 6 hours and then into a decanter for a few hours more. Beautiful translucent ruby red. the nose was full of sweet red fruits, flowers, honey and a bit of tar. Not as intense as you would expect for a young barolo, but a silky delicious subtile version of Nebbiolo. It paired very well with grilled swordfish. This case is my first experience with …

2012 vintage

Opened a bottle at 7 am and decanted at 1:00. Beautiful translucent maroon color that gets just a bit lighter at the edges. Nose is very very subtle. Light hints of fruit and not much else. Totally resolved and has the a beautiful light fruit profile. No real structure that you might expect of a young Barolo. Totally drinkable. Not complex but enjoyable. Not sure that I could identify as a Nebbiolo. Actually would be delightful with a brined chicken.

2012 vintage

Opened the bottle at noon for dinner tonight. Hopefully better than first one. Into a decanter for a couple of hours. Much darker in color than first bottle. In the glass a bit translucent color of a tinged ruby. Lovely. Nose exudes cherries and strawberries honey and a bit of tar. A real feminine expression in the best way. Not for the long term and I can’t see any real great improvement. Enjoy now and at this price of $28 …

2012 vintage

Just opened at 10:30 am for dinner tonight. Stayed very much on the light side which leads me to believe that there is not much material in the wine. Totally translucent thru the entire glass from top to bottom. Faint smells of cherries and other red berries. None of the usual tar roses etc that I associate with a aged Barolo, but for sub $30 it’s ok. I’d call it the Cote du Rhone of Barolo. Nice soft everyday drinker.

2012 vintage

Really lovely. Elegant. Fragrant. Light. Pretty. I a good spot.

2012 vintage

Very good. This Barolo is bright red fruited, chalky, and floral with a hint of brown sugar in the finish.

2012 vintage

Very pale; quiet nose, rose petal; impactful palate, tidy tannins, refreshing acidity; clean, vitality to very long finish. Scrunched up at the end. Merits more time. 24 hours later this had put on more weight & filled out. Tannins unresolved.

2012 vintage

Lovely garnet out to rim; clean red fruit on nose, dried herbs, whiff of rosé petals maybe even a touch of hot tar; ‘sweet’ red fruits, tannic core, refreshing acidity, suitably structured; splendid flourish on an extended finish. (Corked pull 8 hours before, a decant would’ve have been better.).

2012 vintage

Colour light red with a slight orange/brick tinge. At first, it was closed with some earthy notes...very shy. Quite dry with discreet fruit, cherry pit, old leather. Warm with medium finish...expected more. But later with the roast beef, simply delicious as sweet caramel fruit flavours and more spices exploded from the glass! Simplement délicieux avec le rôti de boeuf saignant...le mariage parfait ! 90+

2007 vintage

Bottle maybe slightly flawed -- a bit fizzy, although blew off w aeration. Light-bodied, persistent cherry flavor and nose. Slightly astringent.

2007 vintage

2012 Barolo: Grace Under Pressure Masterclass (Del Posto Restaurant, NYC) : Bright sweet red fruit nose. Complex and stunning in the mouth. What a terrific wine. Stunning bright red fruit and an expansiveness that goes on and on. My wine of the tasting.

2012 vintage

2012 Vinous Master Class in Barolo (Del Posto, New York) : My first encounter with this wine, which I found both unusual and lovely. Sweetly perfumed bouquet. Sweet strawberry flavors dominated, along with a notable salinity. It all worked very well together.

2012 vintage

Excellent, nez sur le cuir, la rose, la sueur, tannins assagis, belle matière assez ronde et généreuse pour le Piémont, structuré mais très agréable, sans aspérités, bonne longueur, prêt à boire. Mes expériences avec le millésime 2006 dans le Piémont semblent confirmer un assez grand millésime. 91-92.

2006 vintage

Decanted but very cold. Definitely not the best conditions. Possible upscore with more air and heat. 14%

2006 vintage

Weekly tasting group #147; Italy: Barolo and Barbaresco (@ The factory by JdB) : In the bouquet, which is still a bit locked, there are cherries and other red fruits as well as herbs and spices. On the palate a somewhat sweet start with small red berry fruits, some licorice, juicy acidity and medium sticky tannin. Pleasant wine with a good length. Given some air this wine is in its early maturity stage. Drink between 2016 and 2020 is what …

2008 vintage

Deep, creamy and sweet fruit, jammy-like, dark red. Rosehip and chocolate. Incredibly acccecible on the palate for a young Barolo. Fine but integrated tannins, not much resistance whatsoever, very smooth this. Simple and very drinkable but I would have liked some more resistence and complexity. Don't see the point in cellaring.

2008 vintage

Quel nez! Cèdre, fruits noirs (initialement), canneberge, graphite, tabac. En bouche on retrouve ces mêmes saveurs en plus d'herbes séchées (laurier), cerise rouge, fruits sucrés. Les tannins sont encore pointus, mais s'assouplissent après 1-2h décanté. Très beau vin, rond en bouche. ----- What a nose! Cedar, black fruits (initially), cranberry, graphite, tobacco. On the palate we find these same flavours plus dried herbs (laurel), red cherries, sweet fruit. Tannins are still a little rough initially, but soften after 1-2 hrs …

2007 vintage

Aromatic, red apple skin, toast, nut, mineral, earth, flint and driftwood node. Elegant and complex structure with a beautiful, dry grip. Long, complex finish. 5/5

2007 vintage

Very floral nose - there are violets and roses then liquorice, tobacco and raspberry. The palate has ample tannins providing structure but it is actually quite approachable, with powerful fruit. Excellent length, this was consumed too early but still provided enjoyment.

2006 vintage

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Alessandro E Gian Natale Fantino, Barolo, Bussia Cascina Dardi

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