6/10/08

Bruno Giacosa, Gallina di Nieve, Barbaresco 1996

I know, I know, infanticide. . .but it's my father's Birthday and I just couldn't wait any longer. . ..

Starglow magenta with curranty flecks of red. . . a mohawk at a Sex Pistols concert. The nose is at once tight, hard and brutish but perhaps hinting at a softer side, like the smell of the color purple. Floral and bright yet mysterious and shy. The content of this glass is totally 'Schizo'.


After one hour of oxygen (half decanted, half in the bottle) the nose exploded for exactly 10 minutes of sheer beauty. sauvage-Rasberry-redcurrant-Nutmeg-effusive-cherry-smoke-meat- DELICIOUS-whiteflowers- Savory herbs-moremeat-Burnt orange peel-acid-acid-tannin-tannin-tannin.  And that's it - She's Gone. . .but what a fling

It's hard to tell where this wine is going. As the wine opened and closed it showed more alcohol than I expected for this fantastic vintage. Many of the best Gallina's I've tasted have been more understated. Even the warm but absolutely perfect '71 didn't have afterburners like this. On the other hand this wine had more than ample acids, plenty of concentration and tannin for days. The overall balance didn't lean in any one direction; however, the last unnerving sip made everyone suck their cheeks in.

Although confused I am still in love with this wine.  I can't wait to visit it again in 5-10 years. I wonder what it will be like then.