CRITIC REVIEWS
Walter Speller
Completely mature ruby with dark centre. A little dusty at first and hints of bacon and sweet spice and kirsch. Gripping tannin and beautiful acidity. Almost richly concentrated fruit without being heavy. Loads of stalky but ripe tannin: whole-bunch fermentation? Fits the bill perfectly. Very long and still great lengths to go. Tannins have the last words. The richest of the four but also the lowest (if only by 0.5) in alcohol. (WS)
Antonio Galloni
1997 Barolo Riserva Monfortino—Dark red. It appears that the early approachability of this wine was an illusion after all. My most recent bottle showed all the classic Monfortino notes of tar, licorice, roses, cocoa, and leather, with super-sweet dark fruit and notable concentration, but the open, generous quality that was present just a few months ago is diminishing, and this wine seems to be shutting down. Roberto Conterno confirmed that my impression is consistent with his naturally more frequent observations of this wine. 95/drink after 2012, 11/05.