Imagine the feeling when you serve a wine that is 56 years old... A wine that was made 16 years BEFORE you were even born... Now, imagine that you serve 2 different wines from the same year.... Surely, you feel trepidation, dread, & a little agitation...

I am sure this is how Roland felt this evening as he poured the wine in our glass...

The appearance was obviously tawny with the Barolo is surprisingly 2-3 shades PALER than the Barbaresco... The 1st revelation of the evening...

The nose of each wine was stunning. The 1st thing I said to Roland was "congratulations"... To keep a wine for so long and to get such beautifully harmonious aromas was a feat that deserved felicitations....And a moment of silence to take the experience in w/ proper deference & serenity...

The Barbaresco was balsamic, lively, full of leather & dried forest floor leaves... Very nutty, gamey & tobacco. A bouquet not unlike an aristocratic gentleman of many years past... A complex scent reminiscent of a well travelled person, full of stories & mysteries...

The Barolo on the other hand was stunningly fresh, full of dried fruits, plums, & spices. A lovely dried rose petal scent w/ the complexity of an ancient house, full of stories & secrets but more sedentary than the worldly Barbaresco....

Both incredibly engaging & extremely well harmonious in bouquet. Inviting & seducing in aromas arousing interest & tantalizing the senses to continue the degustation w/ much much interest & thrill....

On the palate, as expected, the Barbaresco was slender, yet savory & smooth. Extremely silky & soft, caressing & keeping attention w/ incredibly interwoven aromas & texture that wanted to stay there & please. A wonder, a beauty in its own ability to seduce & tease while at the same time stand on its own making you lose a moment in time to reflect & be awed by its heavenliness & staying power... A finish perfuming the palate & tear you away from the company to make you travel far away in dreams & moments of unknown joy...

The Barolo was a different experience altogether... Surprisingly, it was paler & fruitier than the Barbaresco, yet the emotion came from it texture... Savoury, sumptuous & voluptuous... Extremely silky & soft... Almost sweet in finish w/ a beautiful lightness that was reminding much more of youth than age... A certain vibrancy & tension that was extremely engaging & attention grabbing. Certainly an eye-opener in many many than none... A beautiful finish full of delight & roundness... Lip smacking!

Both wines incredibly well aged to perfection making then feel as complex as they were ethereal & beautiful... An unforgettable experience.... Surely!!!.

The Barolo was a different experience... Sumptuous & voluptuous, much more an experience of texture than the Barbaresco