Domenico Clerico, Barolo, Ginestra Pajana

Twixmas 2025 (My house) : The dishes called for something Italian, and the crowd called for something relatively robust and easygoing. Once again, this wine delivered beautifully in its idiom: a generous amount of ripe, dark, plummy fruit, soft textures over a firm structure, a hint of tarry grip that avoids any chance you might mistake this for a boring, international wine. Not especially complex, but so pleasing. Two bottles drunk with consistent results.

2015 vintage

Decanted for a couple hours. Nose has hints of menthol, rose water, and tar. Dried dark red fruit, savory tones with nice acidity. Tannins a bit tight. Recommend giving it a few year for the tannins to round out.

2016 vintage

See previous notes. Has put on some heft since the last time. Not as light on its feet. More masculine. Medium plus intensity on the nose. Dark cherries, tar and roses. Medium plus acidity and high tannins. Last glass was the best one.

2015 vintage

Delicious. Could be confused for a Brunello due to its fuller body, round texture, and fine-grained smoother tannin. Outstanding. The QPR is solid.

2016 vintage

Wonderful perfume that just kept evolving with more air. Rose petals, strawberries, hint of tar. High acidity as expected from a Barolo and firm tannins.

2015 vintage

Medium deep dark purple in color with no signs of aging. Full, forward and assertive nose of ripe dark fruit aromas of dark cherries, plumy, blackberries with tar overtones, floral notes of roses, toasted herbs, earthy, dark cocoa & cedar notes in the background. Full bodied with a very good concentrated of well balanced & smooth textured, ripe dark fruit flavors of dark cherries, blackberries, plums, cedar, dark cocoa & a touch of oak/vanilla in the background. Lingering finish. Drinks …

2016 vintage

Black tea, tobacco, black cherry, tar, oak, truffle, mint

2015 vintage

Last bottle. Same as prior however I will note that both of these bottles felt slightly off balance. They were both very powerful and lacking elegance. Last bottle I thought it was the food. This time even with heavier food it felt brutish. Maybe it’s the style. I prefer more subtly.

1999 vintage

Loads of tar with dried flowers, figs/plums and dried black fruit showing some advance age. The tannins are still prominent and the acid is mouthwatering. Very pretty wine but with some advanced sour notes.

1999 vintage

Quick note for posterity. This wine is in a terrific spot right now with tannins smoothed by age and yet the fruit remains so fresh that one of our experienced oenophiles mistook this wine for a young vintage. It exudes the classic notes of rose and tar to the extent that this was the first time I finally understood that cliche… One hour decant. With the proper food it can only be better.

1999 vintage

Proper Barolo, if something of a crowd-pleaser (which was perfect for the situation). Good weight of ripe cherryish fruit, a controlled sense of generosity and some underlying grip. The initial 12 months of oak elevage was already well integrated, perhaps contributing to the textural richness but luckily not to the aromas. This hedonistic, forward wine doesn't require further cellaring, but seemed robust enough to continue ageing nicely.

2015 vintage

Nice fruit remaining tannins mostly resolved. Well balanced. Drinking beautifully

1999 vintage

Heavenly nose to die for matched by the purity of the fruit. Pronounced intensity. Sour cherries, alpine strawberry, rose petals. So elegant. Medium plus acidity and tannins with a lovely finish.

2015 vintage

Mature wine with bouquet of black fruit, dried cherries and herbs. Black currant, black berries and dried cherry are dominant flavors with herbaceous and leather undertones. Soft tannins. 23-year-old wine contained a lot of sediment but was drinking nicely.

1999 vintage

another visit to Piemonte :))) (Monforte d'Alba) : A bit brownish already The nose is med+ Intensity with blood orange, dried blood, a juicy touch, fruits like cranberries and red berries, you can feel the acidity through those aromas, it is sharp and defined ! Palate is super fresh and all in tension, laser like, no oak showing, well integrated, tannins are already integrated and subtle, its very elegant, with a long ending over orange, and dried blood ... Yeah …

2018 vintage

Brownish color. Pretty complex nose of raisin and tobacco. On the palate a bit freshness left. Complex and smooth

1999 vintage

The 1999 Barolo Pajana is gorgeous, a classic Clerico showing, with masses of black currant and dried cherry, offset by a complex mix of pine resin, menthol, rosemary, cedar and underbrush. This is silky, energized by juicy acids with balsamic spice, tart berries, sweet inner florals, tobacco and tar, leaving a coating of fine tannin in its wake. There's still so much lively energy here, tapering off structured and long yet with depths of dark mentholated fruits. The 1999 blends …

1999 vintage

2016, Barolo Pajana, Azienda Agricola Clerico Domenico, Monforte d’Alba, Piemont, Italien (100% Nebbiolo von Lehm-, Sand- und Tonböden mit östlicher und süd-östlicher Ausrichtung auf 350 M.ü.M. 25 Tage Mazeration bei 31°, Ausbau während 28 Monaten in französischen Barriques. 14.5% Alkohol, 6.3g/l Säure, 33.6g/l Trockenextrakt). Expressiv in der Nase, zeigt deutlich Himbeeren dazu Vanille, etwas Mokkajoghurt, noch etwas vom Holz geprägt. Im Auftakt rund und zugänglich, packt dann zu, zeigt eine ganze Wand aus Gerbstoff und Säure, ein kleines Strukturmonster ist …

2016 vintage

More closed this time

2016 vintage

Tight with tight toppings! Best “mountain” clear and balanced fruit seen in all 2016 Barolo’s so far. So bright and cool fruit build into a massive tightness of healthy wood and tannins. Potential is big. Compared with Barolo normale this is not a pleaser - bigger, bolder and nowhere near ready.

2016 vintage

Terrific wine, and I knew from the first sniff that it would be. Fresh leather mixed with cocoa, lots of dark fruits, olives, and spices. Deep, serious tannins buttressed by the thick fruit. Concrete structure, perfect acidity, and just a lush mouthfeel that is totally alluring. This is seriously one of the best Barolos I've ever had. The bottle was purchased in Italy in 2006.

1999 vintage

Eric Guido below describes the wine I drank. This continues to show why top Barolo should be left for 15 years and continues to be wonderful for a quarter of a century

1999 vintage

More subdued, yet with a delicate aroma image with red ripe roses, cherries, and a hint of truffle tones. Full bodied and lightly rich wine with tighter and concentrated mouthfeel with concentrated cherries and salts. Good acidity and solid tannins that stick to an easily demanding finish. There is a lot going on here, but can't manage to charm now. Quality wines that need several years in the cellar. 91 points. For now. (91-93 points)

2015 vintage

Roses, tar, ripe cherry, dark notes on the nose. With time - rosemary, hints of mint. Really expressive and compelling. Bigger on the palate, power, sweet cherry, really dark macerated cherry notes, sweet sweet cherry with hints of cedar. Deep finish, riper but with a mineral core. Great balance for a big wine. Perhaps a hint of more modern approach - but just the right hint of polish and fruit.

1999 vintage

The nose was gorgeous, and classic Clerico, showing masses of tart blackberry and black cherry, offset by a complex mix of pine resin, menthol, licorice, rosemary, cedar and lifting notes of dried roses, as hints of animal musk developed over time. On the palate, I found silky, enveloping textures, energized by juicy acids and savory spices as bright cherry and sweet inner florals flooded the senses, leaving a hint of residual tannin in their wake. The finish was long, showing …

1999 vintage

At Bishan. Barolo night. Tasted blind. Appearance is clear, deep intensity, ruby colour with garnet rim. legs. Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of scented toasty wood, earth, dark red cherries, red plums. Developing. On the palate, dry, high acidity, high alcohol (14.5%), grippy structured mouth--filling high tannins, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of vanilla, hints of coconut oak, dark red cherries, dark red plums, earth, tobacco. Long finish. Very good quality. This is real modern! Could …

1999 vintage

Darker brown-ruby; this is really strong, dark spices, roots, anise, bitters, mulberry, brooding almost. Very structured still. Excellent shape, cool brut of a wine, powerful, and almost evil.

1999 vintage

Dark ruby color with a wonderfully perfumed bouquet. On the palate, ripe red and dark fruits, still quite fresh, wonderful earthiness, gentle tannins. Has a long life ahead of it. Great wine.

1999 vintage

Just keeps performing at the very highest level. Everything you'd want in well aged Barolo. I will probably keep for another 3 years

1999 vintage

Still a great wine and consistent with my note of August 12, 2015. Will probably drink well thru it's 20th birthday.

1999 vintage

Double decanted and drank with chicken parm. Wine seemed a bit over the hill, definite notes of plum in the nose and palate. Finish was short and disappointing.

1999 vintage

Four hour decant. Great nose of tar and balsam. Still a bit primary but typical although more "tar than roses". Integrated but slightly biting tannins. I think that rumors of demise are premature. This may last another 10 years. Last bottle, though.

1999 vintage

Double decanted two bottles for a friend's birthday. Moderate sediment. Medium ruby color with a slight orangish tint. Poured 4 hours later: Dark cherry and tar on the nose. Nice fruit with lively acids and smooth tannins. In good balance, and with a very long finish. This is probably within its best drinking window, and should be good for several more years. Day 2: Had one glass left after the birthday bash. The nose is still great and the palate …

1999 vintage

Stood 750ml for a day, decanted for a couple hours, then served with ribeye steaks. Nice showing: good balance, fresh acidity, hint of eucalyptus and cocoa. Medium-plus finish. Absolutely no rush to pop these

1999 vintage

Gave me more pleasure than two top Bordeaux we drank the same evening. All the reviews below are spot on. This wine is showing really well now but has plenty of time to evolve. 12 bottle Wine on the HJ scale

1999 vintage

Chicago Italian Lovers: 1999 Barolo (Bascule Wine Bar) : Clearly and emphatically a modern Barolo. Huge concentrated dark cherry, espresso and vanilla bean nose. Palate is full bodied with concentrated sweet cherry fruit. Mocha accents. Lush style with lower acidity and sweeter, chewy tannin. Oak is not bashful. I can certainly see why traditionalists would abhor this wine but there is room in my cellar for the modern and the traditional. Well made and delicious in the style.

1999 vintage

An excellent showing this time around. Heavy sediment, double decanted and served an hr later. Clean powerful with intense aromatics and nice structure and balance. Drinking beautifully now.

1999 vintage

juicy complex, well balanced, sappy dark fruit. my WOTN

1999 vintage

limited nose. great perfumed nose. rich and mature barolo

1999 vintage

Are you sure?

Domenico Clerico, Barolo, Ginestra Pajana

Vintages

No vintages

Community Reviews