WTN: Fontanafredda Barolo 1985

Piedmont

I knew this wine would be deader than dead, but thought I would try it anyway.

Decanted (obviously). Lots of sediment.

Copper and brown in the glass.

Maderized, cooked raisins, spicy on the nose.

Light bodied, citrus peel, beef broth, a light bitter bite, good acidity, cheap chocolate, cooked-stewed raisins, earthy-dirty streak.

Interesting, but not exactly enjoyable.

Bruce, why did you expect this to be dead? Previous experience? It sounds as if it was dead. However, a well cellared 1985 Barolo from a good producer should still be showing well, IMHO. A 1989 Barolo cru from the same producer was delicious a few weeks ago.

Bruce, why did you expect this to be dead? Previous experience? It sounds as if it was dead. However, a well cellared 1985 Barolo from a good producer should still be showing well, IMHO. A 1989 Barolo cru from the same producer was delicious a few weeks ago.

This bottle and a few others are the left overs of a misguided aging experience I conducted when I was first starting out. Haven't tried one for a few years, but the last one was pretty much dead, so I didn't hold out much hope for this.

In addition, this is just the regular Barolo, which probably should have been consumed within the first five years or so. It cost me $11.80 (Canadian) at the time.