1964 Barbaresco, Mario Minuto & Figli
This wine has a somewhat bizarre color : cloudy and very light and brownish orange, it looks like a murky but light rosé wine, not appealing or inviting at all. There is a powerful nose of marzipan and something chemical (molten plastic) at first, fully keeping the trend of its odd appearance. After the weird odor lifts there’s a concentrated pine nut aroma that will make any squirrel go totally mental followed by a more common smell of red cherries and flowers (rose petal). The more time passes it becomes more and more surprising and exotic, revealing a tad of leather, Asian spices and sandal wood incense. Drinking it is a special experience as well : it has very soft acidity and tannins that have completely molten away but there is a juicy and minty freshness in the middle combined with a long finish ending with a whirl of that nuttiness again. This is a great example of an old wine I would have declared deceased upon sight that turns out to be an excellent glass of wine, no guts no glory definitely applies here!
