FINALLY! I've checked in a few times over the years on the 1996 Produttori Barbaresco Rabajà without much luck. The other night was a GODDAMN-I-SHOULDA-BOUGHT-MORE moment. It has started to get to a great place for me with the mid-palate stitched together with umami-like sensations. The nose has deeply pitched black cherry fruit and other classical notes. There is the purity that 1996 always promised. There is still plenty of tannin but not so much that it it can't be enjoyed by itself, but it is really perfect with food as the fats meld with the tannin to produce a complete whole. Really fantastic and worth checking in on if you have a decent stash. I think it is still a year or three away from hitting full stride where it'll probably stay for a while. Obviously, Jay should wait another 15 for the fruit to be gone.
Upon opening the 2012 Ghostwriter Belle Farms pinot noir from Santa Cruz, it showed stems with fruit and earth. As it opened, the stems turned spicy. Great cut and verve. More air made the fruit bigger and more plummy without losing it's sap, although the shape changed. All the components are there to be a great bottle in a few years. Kenny is killing it.
Upon opening the 2012 Ghostwriter Belle Farms pinot noir from Santa Cruz, it showed stems with fruit and earth. As it opened, the stems turned spicy. Great cut and verve. More air made the fruit bigger and more plummy without losing it's sap, although the shape changed. All the components are there to be a great bottle in a few years. Kenny is killing it.