2004 Barolo Riserva

The 2004 Barolo Riserva is made in an unusually ripe, extracted style for a Barolo from La Morra. Dark fruit is layered with dark spices, tar, smoke, menthol and a host of other balsamic notes, yet the wine never quite comes together in the glass. In 2004 Boglietti fashioned his Riserva from old vines and some of his lowest-yielding plants, both in Fossati. The wine spent a full month on the skins and was aged 15 months in French oak (80% new) followed by an additional 33 months mostly in larger, neutral oak. The raw materials are unquestionably first-rate, but I have my doubts the fruit has the makings to support both extended skin contact and lengthy barrel aging to this extent. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2024. Enzo Boglietti crafts rich, sumptuous Barolos from his holdings in La Morra, and more recently, Serralunga. Importer: New France Wine Co., St. Paul, MN; tel. (651) 698-2533

The 2004 Barolo Riserva is made in an unusually ripe, extracted style for a Barolo from La Morra. Dark fruit is layered with dark spices, tar, smoke, menthol and a host of other balsamic notes, yet the wine never quite comes together in the glass. In 2004 Boglietti fashioned his Riserva from old vines and some of his lowest-yielding plants, both in Fossati. The wine spent a full month on the skins and was aged 15 months in French oak (80% new) followed by an additional 33 months mostly in larger, neutral oak. The raw materials are unquestionably first-rate, but I have my doubts the fruit has the makings to support both extended skin contact and lengthy barrel aging to this extent. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2024. ||Enzo Boglietti crafts rich, sumptuous Barolos from his holdings in La Morra, and more recently, Serralunga. Wine Advocate.February, 2010