Opened, decanted for sediment, and poured, the cork came out beautifully - not even a hint of breaking and saturated only about 2/3 of the way up.

The color on this wine is still quite good, a medium ruby with some orange tones to the edge. Initially the most striking thing about this wine is the effusive nose - you can easily smell this wine from several feet away as it sits in the glass! And that nose presents well, with a mix of sour & sweet cherries, leather, earth, roses, and yes, even that hint of tar. On the palate this wine just blows me away - utterly seamless in texture, silky and elegant, the intense backbone of sweet fruit lures one in while the racy acidity keeps the wine lively and exciting. Many of these old Nebbiolos that I've been opening tend to have a rather short finish - not so in the case! The finish on this wine stays true to palate and carries over for a shockingly long time. A brilliant wine that could be enjoyed for years to come. Wow.

Bravo!