10/28/2019 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

SO... I have been holding this since 08 and tasting a bottle every two or three years and have enjoyed it but not been overwhelmed. That changed tonight!!! The color is egg plant with garnet edges (my wife says aubergine). Rich, complex aroma as you would expect from a 14 year old Bordeaux. Bold dark fruit on the nose with a little cinnamon and graphite in the background. There is an additional spiciness I can't quite define .
On first taste, the black fruit explodes in your mouth. The cinnamon is a bit more pronounced at this point and the mouth feel is absolutely incredible. It's chewy and pairs well with the rare steak and asparagus we had.
At this point, I am sipping after dinner and still enjoying it. After such a superb meal, I would usually have a touch Of Remy but this very much fits the bill.
There is still a lot of life here and it might get a touch better but I am going to use the remaining few bottles for a family celebration. I'll come up with something to celebrate. WOW!!!

10/24/2018 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

Been a while since I enjoyed a bottle like this. Dark fruit forward with some spice and earth in the background. Just the way I like it! The bouquet jumps out of the glass on this medium body beauty and it has quite the long finish. Just dry enough and the blackberry really lasts. Sadly, my last bottle.

8/12/2017 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

Last of three bottles acquired six years ago and clearly the best. Let it air for an hour and the bouquet jumped from the glass. Very complex nose featuring burnt earth and rich dark fruit. Full bodied , rich texture perfect tannins. Strong on graphite but not too much, lots of dark fruit and a spicy finish. Best wine I have had in a while and great with a steak tonight. The nose shines.

3/29/2017 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

Had the 09 vintage and loved it so I got more when the 11 became available. Been sitting on this for three of years and looking forward to the first taste. Rich, flavorful and medium body with a fairly high (14.5) alcohol but not overpowering. It gives me what I want from a Southern Rhone. Muted nose of dark fruits and spice with traces of earth and tar. Initial taste of mostly dark fruit but red is there too. The tar is more prevalent at this point and there is a long spicy finish. It is well balanced. We learned to enjoy Gigondas wines with a salad (with roquefort and walnuts) while in France last year and this one pairs well like that.

1/16/2017 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

Just perfect tonight with homemade ravioli in Sunday Gravy. Extremely food friendly wine, great with the red sauce tonight but would be perfect with steak. In it's drinking window now and has a few years life left. Complex nose is muted of dark fruit, tobacco and spice, a little leather underneath, has all the desirable qualities of a great chianti. On the palate the classic Chianti dark fruit, damp earth (just right) and a touch of spice. The finish is quite dry and not very long but has you ready for another sip or back to the meal. Outstanding!!

11/3/2016 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

Sticking with my prior reviews but this is holding up well. Probably has a couple more years but sadly, I have but one more bottle.

6/16/2016 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

Been sitting on this for four years and tonight was the first taste. I was not disappointed. Intense fragrance of dark fruits and stewed pruned with a touch of tobacco and graphite. First taste was even more complex. Medium body and tannins just right. This continues to be a WTSO best buy. Not quite so good the second night.

6/4/2016 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

Made a trip to Trader Joe's today and found this for seven bucks. Without a doubt the best 7 dollar wine I've ever had and measures up well to wines at twice the price. Having just spent three weeks in southern France, I find it compares very well to the house carafes we had, which were mostly better than the expensive bottles we had. Nice muted bouquet and fairly uni-dimensional. Perfect with our chicken in mushroom sauce but would be perfect with a salad. Took me back to France. Gonna buy a case tomorrow and give it six months. Will compare to medium quality Cotes du Rhone. Languedoc Roussillon is a very overlooked region.

5/12/2016 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

Fixed tortellini carbonara tonight and picked this Barbera as the pairing. Home run. Light to medium body with wonderful dark fruit compote on the nose and initial taste. Perfect mouth feel for the dish. Planned on holing over to tomorrow night but, alas it's gone. Happy to have 4 more bottles and it's just entering it's drinking window. A steal at 12 if you can still find it.

4/14/2016 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

Moving into its drinking window now. Popped and Poured, a little air helped. Nose of fruit and graphite with a touch of spice. Medium body. One of those bottles that you look at in an hour and ask where did it go.

12/14/2015 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

Vastly improved over the last four months. The delightful fragrance is now dark fruit with herbal overlays. The initial taste is still mostly plum and black cherry with some nice peppery spice nuances with tannins just right. This thing is way above its pay grade ($9 at costco) and give a pretty good peppery finish leading to coffee. Hot peppery finish 14.5% abv Hope Costco has some more

12/8/2015 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

Bought at the winery in Seguret and served two bottles at Thanksgiving Diner. Medium to full body, very complex, overpowering for Turkey. Matches way better next day with a pork roast but still needs a year or two. Walter said don't touch it for at least a year but I could not resist. Concentrated dark fruits overlayed by spice and graphite. Long finish.

11/18/2015 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

consistent with last

11/16/2015 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

Very nice with pasta and red sauce

10/5/2015 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

On vacation in France and bought ($16 here) a bottle of this, went back and got two more. Not terribly complex but a really easy drinker. Fabulous with a local cheese plate tonight at our gite. My wife usually has a glass and me two or three but the whole bottle tonight and we are getting more tomorrow. Incredible balance for a young age. Nice nose of mixed red and dark fruit with a touch of spice. Watch out for the 14.5% abv as it sneaks up on you. Short but satisfying finish. Hope I can find some when I get home.

10/5/2015 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

On vacation and bought a couple bottles a a wine and cheese store in L'isle sur la Sourge. I am probably giving a better score based upon the total experience. Also bought a bottle of Chateau de Montfaucon. It was 2/3 the price and heads above. That said I am drinking this way early and it is way out of balance , even on day two. No doubt it will be way better in two years.

9/14/2015 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

Saw this at Costco for $8 and Parker says 91 points. Must admit I'm swayed but I can't help but think this is too good to be true. Drank over two days with the second better. Limited nose and initial taste with overwhelming acid which eased up the second day. Uni dimensional. Won't buy any more. 82-84

8/25/2015 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

Been sipping on this for three hours as I smoke some brats for dinner. Needed an hour to open up and evolved all afternoon. The fragrance is mostly of herbal spice giving way to dark fruit. The initial taste is mostly plum and black cherry with some nice peppery spice nuances. This thing is way above its pay grade ($9 at costco) and give a pretty good peppery finish leading to coffee. Pairs up will with the sausage. I would have expected more heat from the 14.5% abv

3/15/2015 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

Has matured nicely over the last six months. Thought it was about to go down hill then. Expressive nose of of toasted oak (we bourbon fans love that), herbs and muted dark fruit. Initial taste of dark fruit, vanilla overlayed with graphite, leather and a touch of spice. Great mouth drying finish, Sadly only one more bottle.

3/2/2015 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

Deep and Brooding, expressive nose of dark fruit and vanilla with a touch of graphite and spice. Really tickles the taste buds with ripe plums, vanilla and tar. Great depth and balance. Loved it with chicken paprikash but was nice on its own.

1/28/2015 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

Way above its pay grade. Takes 45 minutes to an hour to open up. Heady bouquet leading to flavors of spice and dark fruit but still an little graphite, leather and oak lying on the bottom. Made my wife's stuffed peppers something special. She agreed.

10/6/2014 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

Falls a bit short of expectations. A good every day drinker.

9/13/2014 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

One fine Rioja. It was still cool as I opened the bottle with no nose. Warmed it with my hands as I swirled it and wow. Powerful, complex bouquet. Dark fruit, red fruit, spice, well integrated oak with some graphite and a touch of earth all in there. As I am verbally listing my thoughts, my wife grabs the glass and says "Wow that's good, really good, don't care about all those details." Well I care about the details and this wine is exceptional, nicely balanced and a long finish that improves as it gets more air. Sometimes you need to forget all the details and just enjoy it . We did

9/6/2014 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

In its window but probably about to go downhill. On the thin side but good complexity. Heady fragrance and nice finish

7/22/2014 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

Probably set expectations too high. Needs a few minutes to open up but the nose is muted and complex with the typical cab herbal fragrances ar the forefront. Don't pick ou much fruit. While balanced and mellow I think this is past its prime.

7/20/2014 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

I am a big fan of Chianti Classico especially when blended with 20% cab or merlot. This one is still a bit young with good fruit lingering in the background. Also has some earthy flavors. Probably needs another year as it's a bit out of balance. Got better overnight 89-92

6/23/2014 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

This one lives up to the pros scoring. It needs an hour to wake up and is a touch better the second night. I bought a case for a family outing because it was $10 on WTSO and thought it would be a crowd pleaser. That remains to be seen but I like it a lot. Deep inky purple with a nose of dark fruit, vanilla and leather. Those flavors come through on initial taste and it has a pleasing finish.

6/7/2014 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

Been sitting on a few bottles for two years. Aromas pop out with the cork, mostly dark fruit. Initial taste of dark fruit laced with graphite and chocolate with an herbal element there too. Medium body and nicely balanced with a little heat on the finish. I liked it stand alone before dinner but it paired well with sharp cheese and then spicy shrimp later.

5/25/2014 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

Drank over two nights with the second night being a tad better. Enchanting aroma of mixed fruits but a bit of graphite to balance it out. Nice depth and balance ut not much better than some of the more generic southern Rhones of this vintage I have tried. I liked it a lot but expected more.

5/18/2014 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

Drank over two days with little difference. Needs to breathe .5 to 1 hour. Nice complex aromas and initial taste. Lots of depth on the mid palate. Dark fruits, leather, graphite and spicy tobacco. Long finish with chocolate and coffee. Olarra consistently does it well. Fabulous with smoked brisket.

5/5/2014 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

Wonderful complex nose but goes downhill from there. Jammy fruit at first taste but little else. Little change 2nd day. I expected more at over 20

4/27/2014 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

Clearly in its window. Did the lasagna make it better? Or did it make the lasagna better?

1/13/2014 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

Bought a case based on the 2005. I think this one will mature faster. Nice complex nose and initial taste, great depth. Nice heat on the finish

4/2/2014 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

Keeps getting better. Only needs half an hour to open .

3/27/2014 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

Needs an hour to burn off some alcohol. Nice depth. Complex aromas and flavors of dark fruits, spice box and tobacco. Satisfying finish with a touch of chocolate. A bit better 2nd day. 90-91

3/12/2014 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

Last bottle, way above it;s pay grade. A fair amount of complexity and satisfying finish.

2/11/2014 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

Needs an hour to open up and blow off the funk and some alcohol 15.7 ABV. The alcohol still overwhelms other aromas. Initial taste has good dark fruit and graphite. Tanins just right nice peppery finish. Better 2nd night with muted nose of dark fruits, tar and an herbal element. Pleasing initial tastes of dark fruit, graphite and a dollop of spice. Nicely balanced with plenty of heat on the peppery finish. 90-92

1/28/2014 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

Much better after 7 months. Needs a couple hours of air. After three hours open the nose becomes fairly expressive of dark fruit, oak and coffee. That carries to mid palate. Short finish. Drank over 2 nights with second night a bit better.

1/22/2014 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

I's settled down a bit from last but still has not come together. Better 2nd night

1/11/2014 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

Inky purple in color and heady fragrances of dark fruit, graphite and leather. Little difference from pnp to 4 hour decant Initial taste has layer upon layer of flavors. Dark fruit and tar lead the way but then comes vanilla, leather and a touch of spice. Lots going on but well balanced. L O N G finish with a touch of chocolate

12/25/2013 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

In its drinking window , nicely balanced. Not terribly complex showing predominately red and dark fruits with an earthy coffee overlay.

12/16/2013 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

Consistent with prior notes

11/12/2013 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

I am amazed at how consistent Valdipiatta is across vintages. The 01 has been the best, but 99, 04 and 06 follow very closely. Classic Italian Sangiovese, nice earthy fruity bouquet and a touch of tobacco. Mid palate finds good fruit with leather and spiciness. Long complex finish heavy on tar and chocolate. )7 is out now and will try soon, can't wait for the 10 to show up it should be fabulous, maybe a new favorite

12/12/2013 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

Consistent with last review

11/18/2013 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

Needs to breathe a couple of hours to breathe and better the second day. The nose says leather and dark fruit but there's damp earth, spice and graphite in there. Initial taste shows dark fruit and tar. Nice balance and improves as it opens in the glass. Actually makes a pasta with red sauce far better than on its own. Classic sangiovese

11/9/2013 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

This is maturing nicely, coming in well above its pay grade. It bites for the first hour but settles down with aromas of dark fruit and some spice, mostly eucalyptus and licorice. It's a good cocktail drinker but blends well with spicy pork and chipotle black beans. Balanced flavors of dark fruit, graphite licorice and leather. The finish is just right-mouth drying with a touch of burn and a fair amount of peppery cocoa.

10/20/2013 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

Fruit forward with some herbaceous overtones. Maybe better tomorrow

8/27/2013 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

Only eight months since I first sampled but wow has it improved. Powerful complex nose and initial taste. Lot's of dark and red fruit but there's graphite and leather too with just a touch of spice. Long dry finish. Good with cheese before dinner, even better with dinner. XFACTOR review nails it

8/24/2013 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

Consistent with last

8/18/2013 - LEXKYWINE wrote:

Same as last