1996 Barolo Rocche di Brovia
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Tasting notes
The 1996 Barolo Rocche dei Brovia is a dark, powerful wine, with a huge core of fruit and a level of tannic heft that is unusual for Rocche, where the Barolos are usually much more sensual. A rush of black cherry, violet, cloves, menthol, herbs and licorice build into the deep, explosive finish. Today the 1996 comes across as young, embryonic and virile. Even so, it is terrific.
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
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A real stunner, the 1996 Barolo Rocche dei Brovia is flat-out beautiful. Even today, the 1996 is dark, intense and super-classic in its profile. I am not sure when the 1996 is going to arrive at full maturity, as that is still a ways out. Plums, black cherries, menthol, pine and spices meld into the finish in this big, structured Barolo. This is the vintage where I first took serious note of the Brovia Barolos. It’s great to see the 1996 Rocche is still in great shape. By 1996, the Brovia Barolos were being partly aged in French oak casks, while the intensity of color and overall clarity of the flavors suggest the beginning of a marked effort to raise quality. Of course, 1996 is also one of the most important Barolo vintages of the last thirty years.
The 1996 Barolo Rocche dei Brovia's opaque ruby color with purple nuances is followed by dense black cherry fruit intermixed with raspberry liqueur, spice, and earth. This is a full-bodied, rich, potentially outstanding wine with moderate tannin and two decades longevity. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2018. Importer: Neal Rosenthal, Select Vineyards, Shekomeko, NY; tel. (800) 910-1990
Saturated ruby-red. Very subtle, multidimensional nose combines violet, kirsch, black raspberry, licorice, tar and a whiff of game. Highly concentrated and powerful, with chewy but sharply delineated, rather cool flavors of black cherry and licorice. Already shows compelling inner-mouth aromas and great underlying sweetness but this powerfully structured, classic Barolo will require extended bottle aging. Finishes very long, with mouthclenching but even tannins.