A decent Barolo…
We were excited to try this 2014 Batasiolo Barolo, a wine we previously reviewed on our site, albeit from 2012. To be honest, compared to the 2012 offering, the 2014 vintage came up a little short, especially due to the prominence of alcohol in both the nose and mouth, as well as the pronounced drying tannins.
Nevertheless, this Barolo offered plenty of complexity in the nose, with dark cherries, savoury spice, cigar box, cedar, and some animal aromas (we detected buffalo fur of all things). In the mouth, we had sour dark cherries, black pepper, earth, wet wood, garrigue, and rosemary.
We poured this offering with one of our stable weekend meals, grilled filet mignon with roasted garlic potatoes and roasted red onion. It held up well with the food and, to our surprise, paired best with the grilled red onions. Definitely not a sipping wine, this Barolo could be enjoyed with plenty of dishes, especially from one of our favourite countries, Italy.
Rating (from 70 to 100): 84/100. As an aside, we would definitely buy another Batasiolo Barolo, but just not the 2014 offering.
Value: 3/5.
The Bottle Details…
Name: Batasiolo Barolo DOCG
Vintage: 2014
Producer: Batasiolo
Region/Country: Piedmont, Italy
Grape Varietal(s): Nebbiolo
Alcohol Content: 13.5%
Consumed: At home on a warm, summer’s night
Recommended By: Picked it off the shelf at the LCBO
Cost: $29.90 CAD
Bottle Presentation: A simple label, with a touch of Italian class and elegance, especially in the choice of colours and fonts.
The Tasting Details…
Appearance: Medium garnet.
Nose: A medium nose comprised of dark cherries, old wood, savoury spice, cedar, cigar box, and animal fur (somehow reminded us of a buffalo, which we know sounds weird). The alcohol came across as pronounced, if not a little offensive, although 13% alcohol content is stated on the label.
Taste: A dry, medium-bodied red, with prominent (high) drying, earthy tannins and medium-high acidity. In the mouth, we enjoyed sour red cherries, wet wood, black pepper, dirt/earth, garrigue, and rosemary.
Finish: A long, drying, sour finish, which, to be honest, was one of our least favourite parts of the tasting experience.