5/22/2024 - brady.lambert wrote:

Info copied from a retail wine ad:

97 James Suckling

“This will compete with top Brunellos.”

That’s what James Suckling said about the 2020 Castello di Bossi Berardo Chianti Classico Riserva. He backed his words up with a 97-point score that puts this wine up with the finest Chianti Classicos of the vintage—bottles that cost MULTIPLES more.


Grown on a prime organic vineyard in Castelnuovo Berardenga, crafted by winemaking genius Alberto Antonini.


2020 Castello di Bossi Berardo Chianti Classico Riserva Tuscany

4/21/2024 - AudunG wrote:

Light and mineral style, with some sweet fruit. Compared with the Achleiten Smaragd from Prager this wine appears more elegant and agreable.

5/22/2024 - GasperTheWineGuy Likes this wine:

Mellow fruit, earth, bramble, amazing finish. Amazing.

5/21/2024 - GFWeaver Likes this wine:

Excellent. Beautiful expression of the varietal. Lush mouth feel.

5/21/2024 - cdebeau Likes this wine:

Blackberry, smooth, long finish

4/21/2024 - AudunG wrote:

Relatively dark yellow. Candied peaches, but a bit restrained on the nose. Intense, with high acidity and some sweet fruit. Good concentration.

4/21/2024 - AudunG wrote:

Screw cap. Lighter color for the age. Delicious developed Riesling aromas. Slender, dry and intense. Lovely wine.

5/22/2024 - Mr T wrote:

very nice although not as wonderful to my taste as the first bottle. Probably a lot to ask for me

5/21/2024 - Mss0904 Likes this wine:

Notes of cedar, vanilla and dark cherry in the nose. The same flavors follow on the palate, in a soft and even manner. Easy drinking with no complexity or structure. Just a nice easy drink on a weekday.

5/22/2024 - winepog wrote:

Nice- crunchy, fresh and drinking well. Cheers!

5/20/2024 - Winedog1 Likes this wine:

Coravin. Another baby Mouton Rothschild. Gorgeous, classic left bank style. Nose of stewed plums, forest floor, dried flowers, and some candied fruits and nuts; beautiful bouquet. Fruit and acid on the tongue. Dry, tart, olive, mushroom, truffle, and then sweet finish. After opening: orange peel (on the pallet) and then exhaust (on the nose); medium sediment. Opened in preparation of tasting the 2001 in about three weeks (all other 2000 and 2001 Bordeaux have already been imbibed).

5/22/2024 - sbfireman wrote:

Put on considerable weight since my last bottle - Very concentrated. Perhaps would have benefited by decant or double decant or even triple decant - well made and opulent for sure. A full-throttle syrah. Lots of blue fruit, dark earth, gaminess.

5/22/2024 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

decanted 4 hours and drank over 2 hours. I would decant 7+ hours if you open. Once the wine opened, after 6 hours, some asphalt, dark fruits, and a some heavy clove. Early on had a green streak going..The last sip was by far the best, polished and rich, a really good St Emilion... I would persoanlly hold, but with a longer decant, a very enjoyable wine. But for less than $100 other Right Banks are better ..

5/22/2024 - rwpalmer wrote:

Colour not too developed. Nothing hot or top heavy about this. Sure, there's rich caramel notes but also lime curd, marmalade and fading tropical fruits. Impressive and full on the palate. I get no sense of volatility whatsoever. Sufficient acidity. This seems contentedly in middle age. Terrific.

5/22/2024 - wrussell1992 Likes this wine:

An off-catalog wine received as part of SLWC’s club. Stags Leap’s “Distinguished Vineyard” series continues to impress and over-deliver. Beautifully complex Cabernet with typical dark fruits, chocolate, pepper, and licorice notes. Paired with grilled hamburgers on a cool spring night and couldn’t have asked for a better combination. Similar to other SLWC cabs, this wine benefits from a 1+ hour decant. Worth the asking price but nothing revolutionary.

5/20/2024 - Winedog1 Likes this wine:

Drinking this is like eating a blueberry pie; it is uncanny. Blueberry pie filling! Wet rocks. Minerals. White pepper. It is difficult to stop pouring more wine. I tend to go on streaks with certain wines, winemakers, varietals, styles, regions, etc. I am going to miss the 2018 Old Vines when fully depleted from my wine cellar. The run cannot continue forever, and I have not been on one like this since the 2018 Fattoria Petrolo Torrione.

5/22/2024 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

Very young, hold for another 5 years. Crisp green apple, a touch too sweet at this phase, but laser precision. I really like Cristal and this is another great vintage, with time (5-10 years) this can get to 97-98 points or so...

5/22/2024 - wrussell1992 Likes this wine:

Incredible vintage from Montrose. This has to be my favorite Bordeaux to-date from any producer. Ultra refined, polished tannins with a lovely mix of blackberry and graphite dominant notes. Sensible ABV in the low 13s supports a lively, nearly floral nose. It cannot be overstated how great this wine is. One of those “greater than the sum of its parts” tasting experiences - the nose, structure, mouthfeel, complexity, and rich color all come together to create a monumental wine. As a 2016, there is certainly longevity left and have no doubt this will continue to age well, but this Montrose is unbelievably drinkable today. Shared with casual wine drinkers without preface or context, and the whole table was making comments and stunned at the quality which enhanced overall enjoyment. A wine that will delight technical/critical tasters yet an approachable crowd pleaser that may even spark an interest in wine for the uninitiated. Incredible value if you can find it - buy a case.

5/21/2024 - etyc Likes this wine:

From my cellar this time. Decanted (Voss) for ~1+hrs before serving. Served alongside (both blinded) a '15 PYCM Remilly. Opened with scents of sweet sour prune powder (that one uses for sliced guava) & citrus/lemons, this nosed a bit differently from the last btl that I had at a friend's place. Electricity on the palate, with great tensile weight along with a long saline (which was picked up by most at the dinner) & minerality streak, even more so than the PYCM. Just delicious!

5/22/2024 - pkatz Likes this wine:

Outstanding and drinking wonderfully.

5/22/2024 - cbuhlman wrote:

clear saturated purple. 1 hour decant.
A simply stunning California cab. A prodigious wine- juicy well structured cab fruit and a lengthy 60 second finish.
The aromatics are bright and intoxicating cherry and blackberry with a touch of garrigue and tapenade.
95++

5/22/2024 - wrussell1992 Likes this wine:

A silky, bold estate cab from SLWC, what is not to like? This one impressed me and opened up nicely over the course of a few hours. Initially fruit forward without a ton of complexity on first taste out of the bottle, but developed into an interesting mix of dark fruits, chocolate, and hint of cherry. Delivered as part of a wine club shipment, this Chase Creek ready matches the quality and depth of the winery’s flagship Cabs, Fay and SLV. 2019 was a stellar year for virtually all of the Stags Leap Wine Cellars offerings.

5/15/2024 - Double-A Likes this wine:

Malt, hay, heather, and applesauce nose with subtle, candied nut notes. Warming, balanced palate with assertive flavours and finish; ends with a hint of peated malts and a gentle suggestion of its Sherry cask maturation.
46% abv. Natural colour & non-chill filtered. Aged in 2nd fill Oloroso Sherry casks. The first 10 year old expression from the newly re-established distillery in Caithness.

5/22/2024 - oakville72 Likes this wine:

A light and lively Crémant with plenty of yeast and bread flavors. Bubbles are rather large, but what do you expect from an under-$20 Crémant? Excellent value for an everyday sparkler.

5/22/2024 - oakville72 Likes this wine:

A rich Willamette Valley Pinot Noir with great fruit, noticeable oak and full finish. Drinking well now. $20 on wtso.com. Terrific value!

5/21/2024 - ankitmehra Likes this wine:

Being my first experience with a wine from Gilbert and Christine Felettig - but having read a good amount about the domaine - I was excited to try their monopole offering from Chambolle-Musigny. This wine was truly punching above its weight from the moment it was opened, but as I got preoccupied, this wound up slow oxidising for an hour before I had a glass. The nose had a lovely raspberry cut initially before a bouquet of baking spices emerged with clove, cinnamon and vanilla coming across. The palate boasted some ripe raspberries and a hint of strawberries in the upfront before transitioning into a tertiary mid-palate packed with cedar wood, sous bois and a light licorice note that actually carried across the finish. Silky and boasting decent length, the backend brought in some true-to-Chambolle spices alongside a luscious vanilla note. This far exceeded my expectations and I'm disappointed I only had one bottle in my cooler.

5/22/2024 - BoxerBee wrote:

Peach, orange zest, tart cranberry, and rhubarb. A little inharmonious: There is enough acidity to counterbalance the sweetness, but the elements do not really enforce one another. Herbal finish that reminds me of grass and orange seeds. Not a bad wine, but there is some way to go to compete with the best of Puglia, let alone Provence... Drink now

5/15/2024 - Double-A wrote:

Lemon/lime, mineral, and apple nose and flavours. Bright and focused palate; delineated finish.
3.5/5

5/15/2024 - Double-A Likes this wine:

Aromatic, apricot, and musky spice nose. Distinct and assertive palate with a lengthy, firm, fresh finish.
4/5

5/15/2024 - Double-A Likes this wine:

Fragrant, applesauce, beeswax and floral nose. Fruity, grapey palate with some strawberry essence; mostly dry finish.
3.5/5

3/9/2022 - Macman77 Likes this wine:

Fruity, floral and elegant nose
Green taste, herbs, grass, minerality, a touch of passion fruit and goose berries and lemon in the finish

5/21/2024 - wayfarer Likes this wine:

Rich and full, balanced, much as prior bottle, drank over several nights and did not shift a lot save losing nuance in nose. In between had a lovely 2010 1er Burgundy, interesting style contrast, esp in translucency of fruit and crisp minerality.

2/6/2024 - Macman77 Likes this wine:

Lost some of its freshness since last time (see previous TN).
Recommend too drink young.

5/22/2024 - dangtangy wrote:

Good value for the price

5/15/2024 - Double-A Likes this wine:

Aromatic, ginger, honeysuckle, Mandarin orange, and banana nose. Flavourful palate with good balance, replays and length.
4/5

5/22/2024 - Bryan49 Likes this wine:

Nose of red fruit. Cherries, rasberries, velvety tannins. Delicious. May be at peak.

5/22/2024 - dangtangy wrote:

Possibly a bit over, didn't last

5/22/2024 - dangtangy Likes this wine:

Nice enough

5/15/2024 - Double-A Does not like this wine:

Leesy, apple puree nose with mineral elements. Earthy, leesy flavours; light bodied with a chlorinated/plasticized finish.
2.5/5

5/22/2024 - LW31 wrote:

A few years past prime, alas. Not poxxed, just a bit flat and with a medium golden color.

5/22/2024 - LW31 Likes this wine:

Quite lovely, primary red fruits. Definitely young and a bit raw with that whole cluster style. I like it but probably needs 2-3 years more to settle into itself. Good promise.

5/22/2024 - LW31 Likes this wine:

This is lovely. Bright, classic notes, a bit austere on the finish. Probably even a bit more accessible in 2-3 years.

5/22/2024 - kmicho Likes this wine:

Love this Zin. Not too jammy, but just a little. In your face with very strong flavors. Really paired well charcuterie. All around an easy drinking Zin that nicely balances typical Zin characteristics. Hard to go wrong with this one.

5/15/2024 - Double-A Does not like this wine:

Ripe apple nose with guava and toasty notes. Ripe, weighty palate; 14% alcohol and you feel it.
3/5

5/22/2024 - Sjibb Likes this wine:

Medium color Intensity lemon with hints of green. Medium Intensitu with pineapple and lemongrass on the nose.
Pear, melon and butter with medium finish. Medium Acidity with 13,5% ABV

5/15/2024 - Double-A wrote:

Nettles, gooseberry, grapefruit, and Mandarin orange aromas. Light, fresh, and balanced palate with a persistent, spiced fruit finish.
3.5/5

5/22/2024 - rpenn77 Likes this wine:

Delightful fruit forward white burgundy

5/15/2024 - Double-A Likes this wine:

Fragrant strawberry, perfume, and fresh apricot nose. Flavourful and balanced, light-medium bodied palate; good length finish.
3.5/5

5/22/2024 - rpenn77 Likes this wine:

I was astonished to find that this 13 year old Kistler Chard was still in beautiful shape with good fruit and acidity. Definitely not "over the hill" as many older Kistlers can be.

5/22/2024 - Sjibb Likes this wine:

Medium color intensity. Lemon with hints of green
Peach and Capsicum on the nose
Medium Intensity on the palate. Apricot, kiwi & bergamot with butter and coconut as secondary flavours. Medium Finish. Medium Aciditu with 13% abv