Decant Stop Tasting Wine Blog

This vintage Barbera D’Asti pretty well lives up to its reputation.  I wish we could have tried a bottle of it 5 years ago to see what the years have done to this wine though.  My feeling at this point about vintage wines in general is that after 10 years they all tend to contain what we’ve come to call “that vintage taste”.  It is a slightly sour and dusty flavor… not in a bad way though.  It just makes the wine go better with sushi!  Have you ever had a decent wine that was at least 8-10 years old?  Then you probably know what I’m talking about.

The color gets an orange hue, although not so much this one… yet.  The dusty smell… there with this wine, but with pretty nice fruit as well – pretty much cherry and strawberry, with a hint of spice.  There is a hint of oak and vanilla, which is surprisingly little considering it spent 2 years in French oak.  The fruit, which is very integrated at this point, is orange, strawberry, and cherry.  That orange might sound strange, but its yummy, and common for older vintage wines, according to our palate.  It is delicious!  The finish could be longer, but no complaints here.  It is pleasant, especially if you like the taste of cork and oak.  :)  Not that it is acidic… it is quite low, but I love the citrus on the finish.

There are still some bottles of this to be found, believe it or not.. expect to pay close to $50 for it.  I think release price was $48.   Bargain?  Probably not.  Worth buying?  Sure, if you love that vintage taste.  If not, pass on it.

Rating:  93

Price:  $48 (we got it on clearance sale for $25, sorry)