| Community Tasting Notes (average 91.7 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 70 notes) - hiding notes with no text |
| | Tasted by bigbass250 on 12/24/2023: christmas eve starter decanted and ready to go (144 views) |
| | Tasted by Sperls on 12/20/2023 & rated 93 points: Seemed a touch better than our bottle last year, although the cork broke and surgery needed to be performed. At peak, dark color w brick rim, deep fruit, touch of tar, plum prune, long finish. (154 views) |
| | Tasted by bigbass250 on 10/27/2023: Opened up fairly quickly, a bit dry at first. Paired really well with sausage, kale, potato soup my wife made. (270 views) |
| | Tasted by bigbass250 on 9/9/2023: definitely needs a decant a little drier than I prefer had with halibut, roast potatoes and green been dish (270 views) |
| | Tasted by thesternowl on 2/12/2023 & rated 93 points: Popped and poured to celebrate 18 Super Bowls together; enjoyed over several hours. This bottle of 2005 “Sammarco” has been in my cellar since release. It pours a deep garnet with a near opaque core. Medium+ viscosity with very light staining of the tears and some signs of light sediment. On the nose, cherries, black tea, dry earth, porcini, and a bit of an old library smell…one with a sizable collection of leather bound books. On the palate, the wine is dry with fully integrated tannins and medium acid. The finish is long with notes of leather, sarsaparilla, fresh Italian herbs and tobacco. This IGT is showing a tremendous sense of place and I’m smitten. At peak but I don’t see this falling off a cliff anytime soon. Drink now and over the next 10 years. Bravissimo! (753 views) |
| | Tasted by wgilbert3 on 12/25/2022 & rated 88 points: Way past its prime. Lots of brown notes in the glass; some oxidation when tasted. Drinkable but won't be for long. Hints of the wine that was there show up with cherry notes, some hints of spice and maybe a bit of mushroom. (651 views) |
| | Tasted by Sperls on 12/11/2022 & rated 92 points: Deep purple color w dark blackberry fruit, tar, plum, some herbs, shortish finish. At its peak and probably on the downslope but still quite interesting and great w chicken scarpariello and linguini and meatballs. Drink up though. (658 views) |
| | Tasted by Mark Shapiro on 2/26/2022: Birthday bottle. Kids home from college. Drank at Gianna’s in Highlands. Fruity, tasty wine. In it’s prime. (922 views) |
| | Tasted by smahk on 8/19/2021 & rated 92 points: Color: deep ruby with slight bricking
Nose: plum, flowers, sage
Taste: plum, flowers, soft herbs ( sage, mint, thyme) this is light and soft and the mid palate is a tad dry with tannins hanging around enough to keep it interesting. I’m not sure if this age beyond here - may not have the weight needed to become interesting in old age. I have three more and will try again next year. (1578 views) |
| | Tasted by BURGHen Boy on 6/12/2021 & rated 93 points: Structure held nicely with age. Deep plum and purple fruit, some drying tannin and a hint of wood, earth. Some spiciness on the finish with a hardy acid backbone. Cork soaked about midway but the wine held its integrity. (1327 views) |
| | Tasted by Docemann5 on 1/15/2021 & rated 92 points: Mild nose
First glass decanted 1/2 hour was tight. Black cherry and smoked leather.
1 hour later with fruiti de mare complemented well. Deep currant with a hint of vanilla or Carmel. Moderate tannins with a bit of a chew.
Overall enjoyment and delightful. (1513 views) |
| | Tasted by Lemmy-W on 12/31/2020 & rated 91 points: not sure if it's bottle variation or what but to me (or maybe it's my preference) this seems to be getting very close to the end of its drinking window. will consume last bottle during 2021. (1434 views) |
| | Tasted by VinCrush on 5/4/2020 & rated 91 points: Very good. But would have been better with food. Still has at least 3-5 years left in it. (1688 views) |
| | Tasted by winesnout on 5/4/2020 & rated 92 points: Classic Cabernet/Sangiovese blend plus some Merlot. Fruity and fresh tasting with excellent acidity (typical Tuscan) that will keep it alive for years to come. Frutti di bosco, red and black berries, sour cherry and minerals. Goes with many foods, not exactly a steak wine, more versatile (why not pasta, even fish) due to its freshness. Beautiful now but probably even more complex in 2022 or 2023. (1332 views) |
| | Tasted by corkscrews on 12/20/2019 & rated 92 points: A nose of dark fruits and spices, dark garnet in color. A medium to full bodied Tuscan blend, with black cherry, plum, meaty spiced finish, was very good, stills needs a decant. www.winelx.com (1507 views) |
| | Tasted by gajalaa on 12/1/2018 & rated 91 points: Much better this time, because I Decanted before dinner (2107 views) |
| | Tasted by gajalaa on 11/3/2018 & rated 91 points: Dark color Needs time to open up, I should have decanted, Cherry on the nose (2158 views) |
| | Tasted by gajalaa on 6/16/2018 & rated 91 points: Dark color (2456 views) |
| | Tasted by MattB72 on 3/11/2018 & rated 91 points: This bottle felt much older than the ones I have recently. Could be bottle variation, but either way not sure if this will improve with more time. Good wine nonetheless. (2665 views) |
| | Tasted by Papies on 2/3/2018 & rated 91 points: Two very consistent bottles here decanted and served.
Just coming out of its shell in terms of expression but not in any way austere or harsh. Needed its time to open up. Dark in color and in style, nice dark fruit mix on the nose, well assimilated oak with some vanilla touches on the nose, good ripe feel and on the silky but firm tannin side. Still very young and in a way fresh, bright but also giving. Needs some more time but on the right path. 91+ for now (2807 views) |
| | Tasted by MattB72 on 1/8/2018 & rated 92 points: still very tight, but opened up nicely after about 3-4 hrs (2129 views) |
| | Tasted by heythatslife on 12/10/2017 & rated 92 points: This wine manages to achieve a classic cab-blend profile while retaining a distinct Tuscan character at the same time. Black cherries and plum fruit-wise, alongside quite well-developed notes of leather, earth, and herbs. I love the uplifting acidity - almost like that of a Chianti Classico - and the tannins have integrated well. Needs food to get the most out of it. Wish I had bought more. (2061 views) |
| | Tasted by SpoochMan on 11/10/2017 & rated 93 points: Last bottle of the '05 and it was another dandy. Brought to Branca for dinner. What I really love about this wine is that it is so versatile with food. It goes well with a variety of pastas due to the sangiovese and the excellent acidity, but it can also pair well with a piece of meat, in which case the cabernet really comes out a bit. If I am going out and I know that I'm going to have a steak, this would not be my first choice for a wine to bring. But it's great when I'm going out and I don't know exactly what I will be eating, especially at an Italian restaurant that has a variety of fare. Really classy well-made wine, and a good value. Glad I have '04s and '06s in the cellar getting ready to drink. (1662 views) |
| | Tasted by Winiac on 11/5/2017 & rated 93 points: Pretty classic bouquet, structured and focused on palate. Full body and medium finish. (1591 views) |
| | Tasted by Jurgens on 10/21/2017 & rated 91 points: Drink now but open 1-2 hour before and on decanter for a hour (1597 views) |
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