Recently I've had good showings on old Barolos from "second tier"
producers. But what about Barolo from a good-but-not-great vintage
from a 3rd (or 4th) tier producer?

Yesterday I had a couple errands in the city, when to Chambers St to
pick up a mixed case I had waiting, and to briefly say hello to
Oswaldo who was in town overnight (and who very generously gave me a
bottle of Scholium Project!). While I parked by hydrant, CSW staff
threw my wine in van, and I had a sec to chat with Oswaldo. He was
looking in the sale bin, and said "hey, they've got 1982 Barolo in
here for $25." Hey, great store, good looking bottle, who's going to
let a little detail like not knowing the producer stop me? So I bought
a bottle (even got the case discount), and I think Oswaldo bought
another.

I stopped by house about noon and left wines on counter. Normally I
believe in 24 hours upright if possible, but when it came time for
dinner (duck breast in a red wine/demiglace sauce over salad) I gave
Betsy the choice of older Barolo or younger Burg, she said Barolo, and
I opened the 1982 Tenuta Montanello (Monchiero) Barolo. Good cork,
clean label (probably recent),. Yeah, a bit murky, more time to rest
after travel would have been wise. A bit of brown/orange to the color,
but nice Nebbiolo nose of cherries, violets and tar, with some citrus
zest. On the palate however it seemed a bit tired, meager red fruit
with the acids sticking out a bit. However, never count out Nebbiolo.
Hey, second pour has more vigor and fruit, and third is a slight
improvement over that. A small glass about 10 (I think opened around
7) is best of all- there's nothing profound or complex here, but a
solid mature midweight with cherries, roses, a bit of forest floor and
tar. Still an edge of tiredness, but fun, and well worth my $22.50
plus tax. There's a good glass plus left, we'll see if it survived the
night. B

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent
wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't
drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no
promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.

On 6/11/10 4:28 PM, DaleW wrote:
> Recently I've had good showings on old Barolos from "second tier"
> producers. But what about Barolo from a good-but-not-great vintage
> from a 3rd (or 4th) tier producer?
>
> Yesterday I had a couple errands in the city, when to Chambers St to
> pick up a mixed case I had waiting, and to briefly say hello to
> Oswaldo who was in town overnight (and who very generously gave me a
> bottle of Scholium Project!). While I parked by hydrant, CSW staff
> threw my wine in van, and I had a sec to chat with Oswaldo. He was
> looking in the sale bin, and said "hey, they've got 1982 Barolo in
> here for $25." Hey, great store, good looking bottle, who's going to
> let a little detail like not knowing the producer stop me? So I bought
> a bottle (even got the case discount), and I think Oswaldo bought
> another.

You'd better open that bottle of Scholium before deciding whether
Oswaldo was doing you any favors or not ;-)

>
> I stopped by house about noon and left wines on counter. Normally I
> believe in 24 hours upright if possible, but when it came time for
> dinner (duck breast in a red wine/demiglace sauce over salad) I gave
> Betsy the choice of older Barolo or younger Burg, she said Barolo, and
> I opened the 1982 Tenuta Montanello (Monchiero) Barolo. Good cork,
> clean label (probably recent),. Yeah, a bit murky, more time to rest
> after travel would have been wise. A bit of brown/orange to the color,
> but nice Nebbiolo nose of cherries, violets and tar, with some citrus
> zest. On the palate however it seemed a bit tired, meager red fruit
> with the acids sticking out a bit. However, never count out Nebbiolo.
> Hey, second pour has more vigor and fruit, and third is a slight
> improvement over that. A small glass about 10 (I think opened around
> 7) is best of all- there's nothing profound or complex here, but a
> solid mature midweight with cherries, roses, a bit of forest floor and
> tar. Still an edge of tiredness, but fun, and well worth my $22.50
> plus tax. There's a good glass plus left, we'll see if it survived the
> night. B

Nice story, Dale! There are quite a few people I know who feel that
Jamie at CSW is one of the true experts on Italian wines in NYC, so I'd
never bet against his judgment. While Astor or PJ might have greater
variety of Italians, CSW's selection is, in my limited experience,
uniformly high quality.

Mark Lipton


--
alt.food.wine FAQ: http://winefaq.cwdjr.net

On Jun 11, 5:19*pm, Mark Lipton > wrote:
> On 6/11/10 4:28 PM, DaleW wrote:
>
> > Recently I've had good showings on old Barolos from "second tier"
> > producers. But what about Barolo from *a good-but-not-great vintage
> > from a 3rd (or 4th) tier producer?
>
> > Yesterday I had a couple errands in the city, when to Chambers St to
> > pick up a mixed case I had waiting, and to briefly say hello to
> > Oswaldo who was in town overnight (and who very generously gave me a
> > bottle of Scholium Project!). While I parked by hydrant, CSW staff
> > threw my wine in van, and I had a sec to chat with Oswaldo. He was
> > looking in the sale bin, and said "hey, they've got 1982 Barolo in
> > here for $25." Hey, great store, good looking bottle, who's going to
> > let a little detail like not knowing the producer stop me? So I bought
> > a bottle (even got the case discount), and I think Oswaldo bought
> > another.
>
> You'd better open that bottle of Scholium before deciding whether
> Oswaldo was doing you any favors or not ;-)
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > I stopped by house about noon and left wines on counter. Normally I
> > believe in 24 hours upright if possible, but when it came time for
> > dinner (duck breast in a red wine/demiglace sauce over salad) I gave
> > Betsy the choice of older Barolo or younger Burg, she said Barolo, and
> > I opened the 1982 Tenuta Montanello (Monchiero) Barolo. Good cork,
> > clean label (probably recent),. Yeah, a bit murky, more time to rest
> > after travel would have been wise. A bit of brown/orange to the color,
> > but nice Nebbiolo nose of cherries, violets and tar, with some citrus
> > zest. On the palate however it seemed a bit tired, meager red fruit
> > with the acids sticking out a bit. However, never count out Nebbiolo.
> > Hey, second pour has more vigor and fruit, and third is a slight
> > improvement over that. A small glass about 10 (I think opened around
> > 7) is best of all- there's nothing profound or complex here, but *a
> > solid mature midweight with cherries, roses, a bit of forest floor and
> > tar. Still an edge of tiredness, but fun, and well worth my $22.50
> > plus tax. There's a good glass plus left, we'll see if it survived the
> > night. B
>
> Nice story, Dale! *There are quite a few people I know who feel that
> Jamie at CSW is one of the true experts on Italian wines in NYC, so I'd
> never bet against his judgment. *While Astor or PJ might have greater
> variety of Italians, CSW's selection is, in my limited experience,
> uniformly high quality.
>
> Mark Lipton
>
> --
> alt.food.wine FAQ: *http://winefaq.cwdjr.net

I'm well aware that Oswaldo didn't like the Scholium, and the wines
are controversial/idiosyncratic. I've liked one white, not so much 2
others, but always interesting. Never had a red, was willing to pay
for this, but Oswaldo wouldn't take money (I did give him a bottle)

Jamie has a great rep for Italians, but on other hand this was
apparently somethign they put in closeout for cheap rather than
instock. So I don't think he was recommending it!

On Jun 12, 10:58�pm, DaleW > wrote:
> On Jun 11, 5:19�pm, Mark Lipton > wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > On 6/11/10 4:28 PM, DaleW wrote:
>
> > > Recently I've had good showings on old Barolos from "second tier"
> > > producers. But what about Barolo from �a good-but-not-great vintage
> > > from a 3rd (or 4th) tier producer?
>
> > > Yesterday I had a couple errands in the city, when to Chambers St to
> > > pick up a mixed case I had waiting, and to briefly say hello to
> > > Oswaldo who was in town overnight (and who very generously gave me a
> > > bottle of Scholium Project!). While I parked by hydrant, CSW staff
> > > threw my wine in van, and I had a sec to chat with Oswaldo. He was
> > > looking in the sale bin, and said "hey, they've got 1982 Barolo in
> > > here for $25." Hey, great store, good looking bottle, who's going to
> > > let a little detail like not knowing the producer stop me? So I bought
> > > a bottle (even got the case discount), and I think Oswaldo bought
> > > another.
>
> > You'd better open that bottle of Scholium before deciding whether
> > Oswaldo was doing you any favors or not ;-)
>
> > > I stopped by house about noon and left wines on counter. Normally I
> > > believe in 24 hours upright if possible, but when it came time for
> > > dinner (duck breast in a red wine/demiglace sauce over salad) I gave
> > > Betsy the choice of older Barolo or younger Burg, she said Barolo, and
> > > I opened the 1982 Tenuta Montanello (Monchiero) Barolo. Good cork,
> > > clean label (probably recent),. Yeah, a bit murky, more time to rest
> > > after travel would have been wise. A bit of brown/orange to the color,
> > > but nice Nebbiolo nose of cherries, violets and tar, with some citrus
> > > zest. On the palate however it seemed a bit tired, meager red fruit
> > > with the acids sticking out a bit. However, never count out Nebbiolo.
> > > Hey, second pour has more vigor and fruit, and third is a slight
> > > improvement over that. A small glass about 10 (I think opened around
> > > 7) is best of all- there's nothing profound or complex here, but �a
> > > solid mature midweight with cherries, roses, a bit of forest floor and
> > > tar. Still an edge of tiredness, but fun, and well worth my $22.50
> > > plus tax. There's a good glass plus left, we'll see if it survived the
> > > night. B
>
> > Nice story, Dale! �There are quite a few people I know who feel that
> > Jamie at CSW is one of the true experts on Italian wines in NYC, so I'd
> > never bet against his judgment. �While Astor or PJ might have greater
> > variety of Italians, CSW's selection is, in my limited experience,
> > uniformly high quality.
>
> > Mark Lipton
>
> > --
> > alt.food.wine FAQ: �http://winefaq.cwdjr.net
>
> I'm well aware that Oswaldo didn't like the Scholium, and the wines
> are controversial/idiosyncratic. I've liked one white, not so much 2
> others, but always interesting. Never had a red, was willing to pay
> for this, but Oswaldo wouldn't take money (I did give him a bottle)
>
> Jamie has a great rep for Italians, but on other hand this was
> apparently somethign they put in closeout for cheap rather than
> instock. So I don't think he was recommending it!- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

The whites that I've had were oxidized and skunky, the reds dirty and
funky.....

On Jun 11, 4:28�pm, DaleW > wrote:
> Recently I've had good showings on old Barolos from "second tier"
> producers. But what about Barolo from �a good-but-not-great vintage
> from a 3rd (or 4th) tier producer?
>
> Yesterday I had a couple errands in the city, when to Chambers St to
> pick up a mixed case I had waiting, and to briefly say hello to
> Oswaldo who was in town overnight (and who very generously gave me a
> bottle of Scholium Project!). While I parked by hydrant, CSW staff
> threw my wine in van, and I had a sec to chat with Oswaldo. He was
> looking in the sale bin, and said "hey, they've got 1982 Barolo in
> here for $25." Hey, great store, good looking bottle, who's going to
> let a little detail like not knowing the producer stop me? So I bought
> a bottle (even got the case discount), and I think Oswaldo bought
> another.
>
> I stopped by house about noon and left wines on counter. Normally I
> believe in 24 hours upright if possible, but when it came time for
> dinner (duck breast in a red wine/demiglace sauce over salad) I gave
> Betsy the choice of older Barolo or younger Burg, she said Barolo, and
> I opened the 1982 Tenuta Montanello (Monchiero) Barolo. Good cork,
> clean label (probably recent),. Yeah, a bit murky, more time to rest
> after travel would have been wise. A bit of brown/orange to the color,
> but nice Nebbiolo nose of cherries, violets and tar, with some citrus
> zest. On the palate however it seemed a bit tired, meager red fruit
> with the acids sticking out a bit. However, never count out Nebbiolo.
> Hey, second pour has more vigor and fruit, and third is a slight
> improvement over that. A small glass about 10 (I think opened around
> 7) is best of all- there's nothing profound or complex here, but �a
> solid mature midweight with cherries, roses, a bit of forest floor and
> tar. Still an edge of tiredness, but fun, and well worth my $22.50
> plus tax. There's a good glass plus left, we'll see if it survived the
> night. B
>
> Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent
> wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't
> drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no
> promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.

Nice when that happens. Let us know your impressions of the
Scholium. I haven't had one yet that I've enjoyed but they are
interesting.

On Jun 12, 10:12*am, "Bi!!" > wrote:
> On Jun 11, 4:28 pm, DaleW > wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > Recently I've had good showings on old Barolos from "second tier"
> > producers. But what about Barolo from a good-but-not-great vintage
> > from a 3rd (or 4th) tier producer?
>
> > Yesterday I had a couple errands in the city, when to Chambers St to
> > pick up a mixed case I had waiting, and to briefly say hello to
> > Oswaldo who was in town overnight (and who very generously gave me a
> > bottle of Scholium Project!). While I parked by hydrant, CSW staff
> > threw my wine in van, and I had a sec to chat with Oswaldo. He was
> > looking in the sale bin, and said "hey, they've got 1982 Barolo in
> > here for $25." Hey, great store, good looking bottle, who's going to
> > let a little detail like not knowing the producer stop me? So I bought
> > a bottle (even got the case discount), and I think Oswaldo bought
> > another.
>
> > I stopped by house about noon and left wines on counter. Normally I
> > believe in 24 hours upright if possible, but when it came time for
> > dinner (duck breast in a red wine/demiglace sauce over salad) I gave
> > Betsy the choice of older Barolo or younger Burg, she said Barolo, and
> > I opened the 1982 Tenuta Montanello (Monchiero) Barolo. Good cork,
> > clean label (probably recent),. Yeah, a bit murky, more time to rest
> > after travel would have been wise. A bit of brown/orange to the color,
> > but nice Nebbiolo nose of cherries, violets and tar, with some citrus
> > zest. On the palate however it seemed a bit tired, meager red fruit
> > with the acids sticking out a bit. However, never count out Nebbiolo.
> > Hey, second pour has more vigor and fruit, and third is a slight
> > improvement over that. A small glass about 10 (I think opened around
> > 7) is best of all- there's nothing profound or complex here, but a
> > solid mature midweight with cherries, roses, a bit of forest floor and
> > tar. Still an edge of tiredness, but fun, and well worth my $22.50
> > plus tax. There's a good glass plus left, we'll see if it survived the
> > night. B
>
> > Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent
> > wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't
> > drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no
> > promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.
>
> Nice when that happens. *Let us know your impressions of the
> Scholium. *I haven't had one yet that I've enjoyed but they are
> interesting.

As noted to Mark, my experience is all with whites, as you note more
interesting than tasty. But I love trying new things!