Recommendation: Expensive and VERY disappointing
Winery/Producer: Pederi Aldo Conterno; Monforte D’Alba, Italy
Grape Variety: Nebbiolo
Geographic Region, Appellation: Barolo; Piedmont, Italy
Vintage: 2006
Price: $139.99
Purchased From: Total Wine; Northridge, California
Paired With: Grilled steak, baked potato and asparagus; blind tasted with Charles Krug Yountville-Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2011.
Tasting:
He said: Opened one hour before tasting. Dark ruby red color. Light, but pungent ripe cherry aroma. Very, very tart (I’m being kind…it was harsh) fruit taste that continued through a long dry finish. In a word, it was TERRIBLE!!! There is something wrong with this picture; Wine Spectator rated this wine as a 97, but I can say there was no question those tasters didn’t drink from a bottle that was anything like what we had. The flavors in the wine were so acrid I would describe it as unpleasant. It was simply a bad bottle of wine that should have been outstanding…maybe Total Wine cellared it in the warm southern California sun because this bottle was clearly not up to it’s reputation.
Since there was a large quantity left in the bottle we let it sit for 24-hours before tasting it again; there was some difference, but not enough to change any comments about the wine.
She said: Some blind tastings just don’t go the way you expect and this was one of them. We had a delicious grilled steak dinner with a Barolo and a Cabernet Sauvignon. We all knew there was a substantial price difference and expected to pick out the better wine easily and quickly. Sorry to say, it was easy and quick and all four of the tasters chose the less expensive wine. This Barola fell short in regard to aroma and taste, it was dry, but very harsh tasting. The tannins were strong and the finish long but I was surprised because Barolas are known for their fine aroma and full flavor as well as their strong tannins, so I expected to absolutely love it. Unfortunately, it’s harsh taste caused it to fall short.
Was it a bad pairing? Do I lack the palette to appreciate what the Barola had to offer? Had that bottle gone bad? Or is there another reason for my poor opinion. I would like to try this wine again but at $139 it is not likely that I will do so.
Comments: See also our tasting notes of the other wine (Charles Krug Yountville-Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2011).
Alcohol: 14.5%
Bar code: 8028777002067