Attilio Ghisolfi 1996 Bricco Visette Barolo

Tasted December 24, 2006 with Christmas Dinner. This is probably the oldest wine I have ever opened. I can not describe the beautiful dark brown, root beer like color when poured. Everyone loved the taste of this Barolo. Incredible smooth and very complex in the nose and taste.  Dark garnet, with good floral and mixed hard-candy aromas, opening up to fennel and leather. Good fruit flavors consistent with the nose, tart and tannic. You could taste chocolate, licorice.  This was pretty pricing, even my 15% discount, thanks to my friends at Dallas Fine Wine and Spirits. But hey, it was Christmas, and I splurged.

Rocche Costamagna Dell' Annunziata Barolo 2000  - rated 90 points in WS

Tasted 12/02/06 with Rib Eye steaks.  This was another good Barolo wine, though it did not impress me as much as the 2001 Guido Porro Barolo.  However, the others with me liked this Barolo better than the Guido, so there you go - it's all about what you like.

This wine has a deep red color. Definitely, a weighted wine with intense nose of cherries and plums. Some express smells of vanilla, though I wasn't getting that. It had a very good finish, but again, the Guido for me, had a much longer finish.

From some of the notes I found regarding this wine, the fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks, then the Barolo partly matures a further year in the bottle before it spends an additional two years in French Barriques.