2009 Barolo Bricco Sarmassa
Buying options
Tasting notes
Medium red. Medicinal cherry on the reticent nose. Bigger, broader and more powerful than the regular Sarmassa if a bit more youthfully chunky, showing complex flavors of raspberry, dried flowers and soil. The serious tannins show a slight dry edge today, but this long wine has the breadth and class to evolve positively in bottle.
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
The 2009 Barolo Bricco Sarmassa takes the Nebbiolo experience to dazzling heights. The power and heft of the wine is immediately apparent and the wine fills the palate, front to back. It’s a wine of fascinating juxtapositions. At one moment it feels astringent, the next it feels silky and long. The aromas are floral, then savory, then spicy in what is a constantly shifting and evolving aromatic presentation. The wine gains intensity and purity as it airs in the glass and this bodes well for its long-term potential. I’d love to revisit this wine in 10 or 15 years. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2040. Brezza offers a beautiful window into the fascinating world of traditional Barolo. If you truly love that style, these are wines you will definitely want to enjoy and collect. Various American Importers, including: Acid Inc. Selections, New York, NY; tel. (917) 687-4848; P&S Wine Company, Portland, OR; tel. (503) 265-3155; Ideal Wine & Spirits, Medford, MA; tel. (781) 395-3300
Commune of Barolo. Palish ruby with watery orange-tinged rim. Compact and a little closed on the nose. Fluid and supple on the palate, with a good dose of crunchy and lasting tannins on the finish. Competently made and quite complex and elegant. (WS)
The best qualities of the year come through in the 2009 Barolo Bricco Sarmassa, a wine that brings together the rich, radiant fruit of the year and a very classic sense of structure. Layers of sweet floral and herbal notes meld into cedar, tobacco, dried cherries and espresso beans. The tannins are firm and clenched, but the Bricco Sarmassa remains a relatively mid-weight Barolo likely to drink better on the younger side. Still, an element of attractive sensuality makes me hopeful for the future. In 2009, the Sarmassa and Bricco Sarmassa aren't as different stylistically from each other as they can be.