Stefano Marengo Barolo 1978
Monforte d'Alba - Fraz. S. Giovanni
13.8%

Bought this because I don't have much Monforte - seemed like a lot of the producers were modern when I was buying. Lots of winemakers named Marengo in Piedmont! I can find info for this one from 1965 to 1979. His address makes me wonder if this wine came from the S. Giovanni vineyard, like Gianfranco Alessandria's Barolo San Giovanni.

I was pleased when the wine was opened and it didn't smell like sherry. Decanted 4 hours.

"Sweet, ripe, accessible. So agreeable. Sweet rose nose. Very alive. Classic, getting more acidic, structured and tart. Fragrant - extremely smooth and balanced. Poignant and enveloping nose. Softening - a little caramel. Easy drinking - a little simple. So smooth - hard to put down. Entering the Unified Aged Barolo Zone. Deep, deep nose. More about the nose than the palate. The last few sips were fantastic - high end. Improved". A couple of drops in the bottle tasted great the next day. Very nice wine, better than good and the last sips were great.

I had one of my best meals ever. Roasted kale with fennel salt and marsala, then broiled sage polenta on the same pan with the kale/fennel juices. Sautéed mushrooms in the fry pan and then seared some very thin venison loin steaks (rolled in rice flour) in the same pan without cleaning. After the steaks were done, I reduced a mushroom sauce in the same pan. Wow, I couldn't believe how good the venison was. So tender.

What a treat of a night!

Thanks
Fraser


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