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| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.5 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 44 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by wabi47 on 2/10/2024 & rated 90 points: some bricking; nice nose; fruit is more lean now, so you notice the (good) oak; great acidity that stands up to BBQ ribeye; i don't get any brett. (403 views) | | | Tasted by Thad on 12/3/2023 & rated 90 points: drink it (587 views) | | | Tasted by drrobvino on 9/23/2023 & rated 94 points: 4th of 6 bottles, last consumed about 2 yrs ago.
Evolving beautifully, this House is always a thriller for me, showing red and black fruits, savory spices, iodine, perhaps anise.
Gorgeous tannic structure and medium acidity, this is mature and lovely and will easily drink well for another 5+ years. (665 views) | | | Tasted by gmbdds on 4/21/2023: Decanted, which is needed for sediment at a minimum. Dark fruits which show advanced and perhaps even slightly stewed. Earth, celery and savory notes. Dry, good, but not quite right. Bought upon release and properly stored. Not scored. (1026 views) | | | Tasted by KeithAkers on 12/18/2022 flawed bottle: this is just slightly heat damaged/oxidized. The nose is much more advanced than the age would indicate. There is something there to make you want to drink it......until you actually drink it. The tannins are dried out and this just doesn't show off the expressiveness that I expect from Valdicava. (1475 views) | | | Tasted by aero on 9/11/2022 & rated 93 points: Medium+ bodied, traditional producer-unique styling. PnP with decant, a phenomenal nose and palate bursting with iron-rich soil, bright berries, new leather, fresh spices, clay. Firm tannins but balanced. Complex finish bring small dried flowers. Turns more towards traditional BdM profile with air, and it's almost disappointing except so good as well.
Enjoyed this far more than I expected, and it was less bretty than other reviewers noted. Doesn't reach Pegau levels of brett. The only wine I can think of that shares these unique tones are same era Clos Saron Syrahs (mid-2000s Heart of Stone, Stone Soup). Perhaps they shared a similar bacteria in the cellar in those years. (1620 views) | | | Tasted by drrobvino on 12/9/2021 & rated 94 points: 3rd bottle of 6, last consumed almost 2 yrs ago.
This BdM was enjoyed over several days, and showed gorgeous progression of flavors leaning toward red fruits, tart red cherry, sweet tobacco leaf, lovely and refreshing mint or anise, leading into a drying finish with finely grained tannins and lovely, snappy acidity. A lip-smacker, takes an hour to open up, drink through 2028+. (2450 views) | | | Tasted by SpitzNV on 10/29/2021 & rated 91 points: Color is lovely. Ruby with slight bricking on the rim. Nose not fantastic. Brett/barnyard with stewed plums. Might improve with air/time? In the mouth it's much better. Austere and herbaceous, little fruit, but fine tannins with a long finish. (2407 views) | | | Tasted by markcic on 7/30/2021 & rated 92 points: The first bottle I opened and slow ox'd for a few hours. This time I decided to taste it before I put the cork back in. It was nasty. So I opened a second bottle and let it breathe for a half hour and tasted that one and it was beautiful. Actually better than previous bottles I had tried. The nose was dark red fruit and a hint of tobacco. The palate was dark cherry, plum, tobacco and leather. The finish was on the long side and smooth. (2767 views) | | | Tasted by markcic on 6/5/2021 & rated 91 points: Sorry for the incomplete posting. My laptop decides on its own when to post and then I have to undrink them and start over. Anyway this bottle is better than the bottle I had three months ago. I opened and slow ox'd for two hours then decanted through a vinturi and let sit for another hour. The nose is fruit and mocha. The palate was dark cherry, plum, mocha, a little tobacco and lots of leather.
The finish was moderate to long. Served alongside a platter of meatballs that we got from a local Italian restaurant. (2480 views) | | | Tasted by BostonDoug on 4/4/2021: Oh man, I wanted to love this wine. It was so strongly in the horses stall prior to cleaning. Brett was overwhelming. I can like, even love a bit of brett ... this was a stable at 6AM as you open the barn doors. Sad. I will let the bottle sit open for sometime, but I can't see it improving. On to the next. No rating. (2291 views) | | | Tasted by VinoPKM on 4/3/2021 & rated 92 points: A rookie when it comes to Valdicava wines, was impressed. This one is already showing some age. Fruit sits behind the tabacco, leather and spices... lots of aged Bordeaux notes. A lot of similar notes to last reviewer, but I liked this wine more. At $59 form JJ Buckley 5+ years ago, this was a steal. (1809 views) | | | Tasted by markcic on 3/26/2021 & rated 90 points: Well I pulled the cork and it broke which to me is never a very good sign. I pushed it through and let the wine sit for two hours inserted a vintorio and started to pour. The nose dark fruit with hints of sage. The palate was dark plums, leather, tobacco, mushroom and a touch of sage. The finish was moderate to long but a little rough around the edges. I was really looking for more after reading all the reviews but it did not deliver. Good yes, great no. I bought these a while ago at a good price. If I had to pay what they are asking today I would be incensed. I have a few more bottles and I hope they show better. (1833 views) | | | Tasted by dnnk88 on 12/24/2020 & rated 92 points: Christmas Eve Wine Night in the East!: Black cherries, ripe plums, leather, dried herbs, sweet spices, figs, espresso. Slight heat and alcohol but blew off after some time. This was good but I prefer the 2010 drank in 2020 as well. Open up (2074 views) | | | Tasted by JS199 on 12/13/2020 flawed bottle: Corked (1731 views) | | | Tasted by gothamfreerider on 11/11/2020 & rated 94 points: Cherry and berry flavors with delicate spices interspersed.Wonderful mountain flower perfume, part baroloesque. Lengthy. One of the brunello stars of the vintage . (1672 views) | | | Tasted by skp88 on 8/8/2020 & rated 95 points: An awesome wine. Decanted and drunk over two hours. Rich, velvety and harmonious. My first Valdicava and hopefully the first of many. (1942 views) | | | Tasted by Frank Murray III on 5/14/2020: Blind Tasting via Zoom (Over Zoom): Tasted blind. This showed some brett, both in the aromatics and inside the palate. It wasn't a big blast of brett but enough to distract me, as I don't care for brett. Dark cherry, a bit fatter and more mouthilling, too. Tangy acid, spice and raspberry, but for me this was beat hands down by the 2010 Fuligni Brunello we tasted alongside it. (2856 views) | | | Tasted by guido23 on 4/18/2020 & rated 93 points: Decanted then consumed over five hours. Right off the bat, a hell of a nose of bright red fruit. Very tannic but not abrasive. Tastes young and delicious but raw. Improved and softened over time but not close to it's peak. My favorite valdicava since 2001. (1948 views) | | | Tasted by sdrucker1000 on 2/23/2020 & rated 94 points: Firing on all cylinders. Perfect blend of acidity and fruit. (2075 views) | | | Tasted by drrobvino on 2/21/2020 & rated 94 points: 2nd of 6 bottles, last tasted 2 years ago.
Showing a nice browning rim from 12 yrs of bottle age.
On the nose, some barnyard aromas right out of the gate, with earthy red fruits, tobacco, anise, tart red cherry, cooking spices, so complex.
The wine was medium in body, with puckering acidity and gorgeously refined tannins.
Red and black fruits come out to play, with substantial soil-driven flavors like beets, tobacco, leather, and cinnamon.
The finish just goes and goes, the wine is lovely and quite regal.
Drink now through 2028 or so. (1871 views) | | | Tasted by Marquis du Vin on 11/30/2019 & rated 95 points: This is solid stuff... Interesting out of the bottle, showed brownish bricking, a bit austere and slightly dry... Gave it an hour in the decanter and things turned around! She came to life! Even the color changed from hinting brown to dark cherry... The fruit jumped out too! Very succulent and sweet cherry emerged... I bit of earth, perhaps cigar or whatever it is that terror is known for became unmistakable for those who know wines from that area... Very well done indeed! If you like Valdicava, you will love this one for sure. Drinking brilliantly right now with a bit of air in the mix... Well worth the money... (2168 views) | | | Tasted by richshoes on 7/5/2019 & rated 96 points: One of the better Valdicavas I’ve had. Big wine with some Bordeaux barnyard accents...has aged well, right blend of mellow age and big structure. (2259 views) | | | Tasted by drrobvino on 6/29/2018 & rated 93 points: My first-ever Valdicava...and I have 5 more of these in the cellar.
Showing a nice browning rim from 10 yrs of bottle age.
On the nose, earthy red fruits, tobacco, anise, tart red cherry, cooking spices, so complex.
The wine was medium in body, with puckering acidity and gorgeously refined tannins. Red and black fruits come out to play, with substantial soil-driven flavors like beets, tobacco, leather, and cinnamon. The finish just goes and goes, the wine is lovely and quite regal.
Drink now through 2028 or so. (3080 views) | | | Tasted by zackmayo on 6/24/2018 & rated 91 points: Not outstanding like most Valdicavas. (2851 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, 2008 Brunello di Montalcino: A Consumer's Vintage (Sep 2013)
(Valdicava Brunello Di Montalcino) Subscribe to see review text. | By Walter Speller
JancisRobinson.com (1/7/2013)
(Valdicava Brunello di Montalcino Red) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous and JancisRobinson.com. (manage subscription channels) |
| Valdicava Producer website
Valdicava is the name of the area that leads into the foothills of Montalcino. To the left is the La Casa vineyard of Caparzo and to the right is Val Di Suga and the small hill in the middle of his property is the oldest vines planted on the property (1970) “Madonna del Piano”. The Valdicava estate was one of the original members of the Brunello consortium, formed in 1967. Like everyone else in the region the Abrusezzi family was trying to emulate the wines of Biondi Santi. The early years were tough as the producers were feeling their way through production problems and many did not have the facility to produce outstanding wines. The 1970’s saw a huge investment of newcomers in Montalcino. The Cinzano vermouth firm, with Coco-Cola money behind it, headed a group that purchased Col d’Orcia, an estate that has produced wine for years. Marchesi de Frescobaldi was involved with a group known as Enoviticola Senese, which had French, German, and Spanish investors as well. Their estate, Castelgiocondo, brought out its first bottles in 1980, not all Brunello. The most talked about outsider was the house of Banfi, the largest US importer of Italian wines, which had prepared some 1,000 acres of vines (only 125 of them in Montalcino) at a place called Poggio d’Oro, or “The golden Hill”. With all this new activity the old timers like Valdicava were forced to continually improve their wines to keep up with the foreign talent. Valdicava has been experimenting with rootstock and different clones of Brunello Grosso on their estate for the last thirty years and today they seem to have the winning combination.
Valdicava is one of the stars of the Brunello district. The wines of this young estate are the handy work of Vincenzo Abbruzzese. Vincenzo is a perfectionist. He will settle for nothing short of excellence and it shows in his work. He has seen the big companies come in and make a huge impact in terms of recognition of his regions wines, but loves the things about this region that make it unique. One of the things that make him feel at home here are the goat and the horse outside the winery. His father had a goat and a horse on the property that became comrades (supposedly not an uncommon thing in this part of the world) and when Vincenzo looks out over the vineyard and sees these two animals hanging out together it makes him remember his father.
This estate has been dedicated to quality from the very start with an ongoing experimentation of rootstock and clone selection refining every vintage of this wine. The oldest vines on the property were planted in 1970 and the youngest in 2001. Vincenzo Abbruzzese is one of the leaders in terms of progressive thinking and cutting edge viticulture in Montalcino today. He has a no chemical/back to nature approach to viticulture at Valdicava and believes that the health of the vineyard is most important and that chemicals harm the long term the health of the soils. They are a short-term/easy fix to a specific problem and can cause even bigger problems in the long run.
The vineyard is planted 3,000 vines per acre and the soil is a mixture of clay, sand, Galestro and this combination of different soil types, four different rootstocks and four different clones of Sangiovese make Valdicava one of the most unique wines made in Brunello. Valdicava did years of research to find out which rootstock/clone combination did the best in each particular soil type and the new releases from this winery soundly prove that this is one of the top producers in Brunello Di Montalcino today. The winery produces on average 2,000 cases of Rosso di Montalcino, 2,000 cases of Brunello di Montalcino and 500 cases of the Riserva Brunello di Montalcino labeled “Madonna del Piano”. Due to the limited production of these wines they can be very hard to find, especially when wine writers like Robert Parker Jr. giving praise to the effect of: "The 1995 Madonna Del piano is a candidate for wine of the vintage." And even more impressive stating that: “Vincenzo Abbruzzese is Montalcino’s number one over-achiever with winner after winner since 1988. The secret – a willingness, indeed eagerness, to spend whatever it takes for quality in addition to utilizing several of Italy’s outstanding consultants, winemaker Attilio Pagli and agronomist Andrea Paoletti (the former Antinori vineyard manager). Pagli is unfortunately little known to the larger public, but no oenologist in Italy has made so many excellent wines since the mid-1980’s.”
We would have to agree with Parker because whenever we do a tasting including Valdicava’s wines they almost always steal the show. Although most great Brunello's really do not offer immediate gratification, Abbruzzese 's wine has a fair amount of immediate appeal, due to its rich forward fruit. The Rosso Di Montalcino from Valdicava is so rich it surpasses many Brunellos in richness and structure. The grapes come from the same vineyard, and in off vintages the Rosso from Valdicava are some of the best buys from this famous wine region.SangioveseSANGIOVESE: (Pronounced "sahn-joh-vhe-se").
Sangiovese - Italy's claim to fame, the pride of Tuscany. Traditionally made, the wines are full of cherry fruit, earth, and cedar. It produces Chianti (Classico), Rosso di Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino, Rosso di Montepulciano, Montefalco Rosso, and many others. Sangiovese is also the backbone in many of the acclaimed, modern-styled "Super-Tuscans", where it is blended with Bordeaux varietals (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc) and typically aged in French oak barrels, resulting a wine primed for the international market in the style of a typical California cabernet: oaky, high-alcohol, and a ripe, jammy, fruit-forward profile.[16]
Semi-classic grape grown in the Tuscany region of Italy. Used to produce the Chianti and other Tuscan red wines. Has many clonal versions, two of which seem to predominate. The Sangiovese Grosso clone Brunello variety is used for the dark red, traditionally powerful and slow-maturing "Brunello di Montalcino" wine. The other is the Sangiovese Piccolo, also known under the historical synonym name Sangioveto, used for standard Chianti Classico DOC wines. Old vine derived wine is often used in the better versions, needing several years ageing to reach peak. A third clone, Morellino, is used in a popular wine blend with the same name found in the southern part of the province. Recent efforts in California with clones of this variety are very promising, producing medium-bodied reds with rich cherry or plumlike flavors and aromas. Among the available clonal versions are R6 and R7, derived from the Montalcino region of Italy, having average productivity/ripening and producing small berries on medium size clusters. R10 and R24 are well-recommended. R23, listed as deriving from the Emilia-Romagna region, has good vigor with medium-small clusters with earlier ripening. R102 derives from the Montepulciano region and reported to have average vigor with moderate productivity that results in higher sugar levels and good acidity from medium-small berries on medium-small clusters. Has synonym name of Nielluccio where grown in Corsica.Italy Italian Wines (ItalianMade.com, The Italian Trade Commission) | Italian Wine Guide on the WineDoctorTuscany Tuscany (ItalianMade.com) | TuscanytMontalcino Montalcino websiteBrunello di Montalcino Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino (Official DOCG website) |
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