Lorenzo Accomasso Rocche dell'Annunziata Riserva Barolo Nebbiolo 2013

Aaron Tan

“Remarkable when good. Almost always rustic. Let’s see how the bottle opens up tonight.” DC’s comment pretty much sums up my somewhat limited experience with the wines of Lorenzo Accomasso, and evidently this bottle has done little to change our opinion. While it was certainly the most complex number of the night as it was constantly evolving with air, the level of volatile acidity in the 13’ Riserva Rocche dell’Annunziata was really testing my limits. Having said that, if my more extensive experience with the wines of Musar is of any relevance, this is bound to do a Benjamin Button and freshen up with another decade in the cellar. Opened some 5 hours before our tasting session, it was all dark and brooding in the first pour. Plums, mocha, spiced meat, and leather aromas, all enveloped in a rather pesky sheen of acetone. Subsequent pours seemed to bring more elegance with aromas of dark red cherries, licorice, dusty rose petals, and even hints of iodine developing. The acetone note was somewhat tamer later in the night, though still very much discernible. The palate mirrors the nose - all dark fruits, leather, tar, sweet spices, and a touch of VA warmth at the start; more red-fruits, licorice, and heaps of black tea by the end of the night. Concentrated and beautifully textured, with fine yet austere tannins. Overall, a bottle I’m grateful to drink and ponder, but best to keep others under locks for another decade.

Jake Bowman

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