2009 Barbaresco Maria Adelaide
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Tasting notes
A very special bottle, the 2009 Barbaresco Maria Adelaide boasts a light garnet color and budding tertiary aromas of cured meat, saddle leather, dried fruit, black licorice, cigar smoke, pencil shavings and crushed anise seed. The complexity of the bouquet is really quite remarkable, especially those delicate mineral notes that are so forthcoming. That said, oak-driven tones of cinnamon and cardamom still need time to integrate within the greater fabric of the wine. The texture here is soft and very supple and the mouthfeel is relatively lightweight. Barbaresco Maria Adelaide is a masterful achievement and a wine to put aside in your cellar.
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Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Rocca's 2009 Barbaresco Maria Adelaide is a terrific wine, especially for a vintage that was so challenging. Sweet tobacco, mint, cherries and spices are some of the notes that emerge from a resonant Barbaresco endowed with serious depth and power. The 70% new oak barrels are very well integrated, even at this early stage.
Rocca's 2009 Barbaresco Maria Adelaide has the softness and generosity of the Rabajà, but with a little more tannic spine and energy. Rich, round and enveloping, but with plenty of underlying structure, the 2009 boasts gorgeous depth to match its polished, enveloping finish. A good wine, but not great.
A bit of a departure from past vintages, the late-release 2009 Barbaresco Maria Adelaide for the first time is closer in style to the other wines in the lineup. Over the years, Rocca moved back from a high percentage of French oak barrels in his wines, with the exception of the Maria Adelaide, which was aged in 100% new barrels until this year. Tobacco, incense and dried savory herbs all add complexity to a rich, enveloping core of fruit. The 2009 boasts lovely fleshiness, power and personality. I can't wait to see how this ages. The Maria Adelaide is a selection of the estate's best fruit.