Italiano
Monfortino 1961
| Author | Daniele Cernilli |
| Date of publication | 14/10/11 |
| Score | 100/100
DoctorWine Award greater than 95
|
| Denomination | Barolo |
| Awards | |
| Value for money | |
| Current price | 0.00 € |
| Country | Piemonte |
| Nation | Italia |
The ’61 is harder to open. It calls for a two-pronged corkscrew (aka Butler’s Friend) and fortunately there’s someone present who knows how to use one. We don’t really want to have to decant it, and we then see that there is less deposit than we expected anyway. We use smaller glasses in order to avoid unnecessary oxidation, and we take great care when pouring it. It’s actually darker in hue than the ’96, the rim is brown and the colour a deep garnet. The bouquet is sensational. There’s a bit of liquorice, but together with mint, almost balsamic tones of officinal herbs, perhaps some dried thyme, dried roses and even a hint of tamarind and of cinchona. I don’t know how much else you could expect from a Barolo, and especially a Barolo that’s 50 years old.
I try putting it in my mouth. You really have to pay attention when you taste a wine that is this well-balanced: there are no prevailing elements; it’s just a perfect whole. Silk? Musical harmony? These are both aspects with which you could make comparisons, without even having to try too hard. Yes, silk: that’s the texture it has. It doesn’t have the yielding roughness of velvet or fustian, but rather something that has no harshness to it, like silk in fact. There isn’t much point in talking about tannins and acidity here. Everything has been integrated and resolved into a higher equilibrium that simply gives pleasure and should not be over-analysed, but just experienced and enjoyed.
Even a rating wouldn’t make much sense, but if I have to give one, this is worth 100, the maximum, perfection (at least as far as wine is concerned).
