4/3/2024 - dthompson wrote:

This is one of 4 remaining bottles I bought in 1976. Austin Nichols went bankrupt and their inventory was dumped on the NYC market. I bought 60 bottles for $5.50. These bottles had lain dormant in my cellar for about 30 years. I took them to a local BYOB and brought a 2009 Reserve de la Contesse as a back up. We never opened the Reserve. The 1970 PL was good. The ulage was down to just whenre the shoulder starts. The comment by my friend who is retired from a career in wine improrting was " This is what "Old Bordeaux" is like. It was delicious but it wasn't a young wine. What a treat. The 90 rating is really just a Gentleman's C

3/19/2024 - dthompson Likes this wine:

Nice balance lovely delicious medium body AND good QPR. Wish I had more. 3 more to go.

9/10/2023 - dthompson Likes this wine:

Excellent value for the price

8/23/2023 - dthompson Likes this wine:

The color was quite dark, almost like a port. Wow. The wine was extremely good and quite complex. It had a pleasing nose and a very long finish. A wine I will remember for a long time. One of the best wines of the year. Unfortunately, due to the age, I was afraid to give it 30+ minutes in the decanter before consumption. It only had about 15 minutes in the decanter before we started the meal (lobster served chilled with melted butter).

6/24/2023 - dthompson Does not like this wine:

I have a case of this wine which I purchased about a year ago. The first 2 bottles were quite good but this one was off. Drinkable but not what it should be. It had a bit of unpleasant animal shed aroma. The wine also had a very heavy sediment. I have to see how the rest of the case turns out. The provenance was described as direct from the chateau cellar. Hmmmm.

6/9/2023 - dthompson Likes this wine:

Well balanced. Drinking beautifully

5/17/2023 - dthompson Likes this wine:

Well balanced, delicious gorgeous color.

3/25/2023 - dthompson Does not like this wine:

Disappointing. Decanted 20 minutes. Then it was ok for a bit but faded and the acidity dominated. Will try more bottles. Hopefully this was just tis bottle

12/18/2022 - dthompson wrote:

Popped and poured and had it with a very, very good thin crust sausage and mushroom pizza. It needed about 20 minutes in the glass to open up. It was perfect. Well balanced, good fruit and the right amount of acid. Bravo Vietti. A treasure. I have had very good luck with the Perbacco over the years. Excellent QPR.

8/17/2022 - dthompson Likes this wine:

Spectacular. With artisanal sausage at our summer house in Canada. Decanted 1 hour. What a surprise. Very full bodied with delightful aroma and typical nebbiolo flavor. An outstanding wine. I actually prefer barbaresco to barolo when they are this good. Wow.

7/27/2022 - dthompson Does not like this wine:

Too sweet for me. Decanted 30 minutes. No better on the second night.

6/15/2022 - dthompson Does not like this wine:

The wine appeared recently at a major New Jersey chain at a very good price for a Cru Bourgeois from 2016. So I bought a bottle thinking "daily quality". However, the wine had an distinct aroma of fermented hay. Not good. The taste was OK provided you didn't sniff the wine. I don't know if it was just tis bottle.

4/16/2022 - dthompson Likes this wine:

Wow. Good chianti. Great body.

4/5/2022 - dthompson Does not like this wine:

Very light weight.

4/14/2022 - dthompson Likes this wine:

Better than last bottle but....

3/30/2022 - dthompson Does not like this wine:

Very light body and quite acidic. Disappointing. 3rd bottle of case of 12.

4/8/2022 - dthompson Likes this wine:

A very nice St Estephe with a very good QPR. Modest tannins and ready to drink. Had it with grilled pork chop. Very, very good as a daily quality wine at an affordable price.

3/26/2022 - dthompson wrote:

I served this wine with poached cod Asian style using Chef Jean- Pierre's recipe on Youtube. The wine was a perfect pairing and was delicious. Here is the video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwbDJZx0VzE&list=PLnujfCpADfge6lqVl_gsV55cPcYy8Piu7&index=2&ab_channel=ChefJean-Pierre

12/25/2021 - dthompson Likes this wine:

92 Luscious Very nice

12/13/2021 - dthompson Likes this wine:

Drinking well. My previous note: I think the bottle was off. After this I have another 8 bottles to go.

12/4/2021 - dthompson Does not like this wine:

I bought a case of this wine. This is the second bottle. Decanted for about 30 minutes at room temperature. From the start, the wine was slightly bitter and somewhat unpleasant although drinkable. Even after several hours it did not improve. A big surprise since the first bottle was absolutely wonderful and Barbaresco is one of my favorite wines.

10/7/2021 - dthompson Likes this wine:

Still shows that smokiness and drinking nicely. A surprise!

9/7/2021 - dthompson Does not like this wine:

High alcohol seemed to overpower the tannin and fruit. Almost like a port. Despite this, the wine was quite drinkable but disappointing. 5 bottles left. Uhhh.

9/8/2021 - dthompson Likes this wine:

Full bodied, well balanced. First of 6 bottles. Very nice.

6/30/2021 - dthompson Likes this wine:

Decanted 45 minutes. Wow. Wonderful aroma mildly acidic and very well balanced. A delight. Only 8 bottles left. Wish I had more.

I drank the bottle over 3 nights (my usual approach). It faded the slightly an the 3rd night. The first night was something special.

7/3/2021 - dthompson wrote:

I bought a case without tasting first. I often do this with this particular supplier. The recommendations are usually reliable. The first bottle was a bit disappointing. Don't know exactly why. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't very good. I think it was the balance. On the other hand, I seldom drink Brunello. I will wait 3 months and try again.

6/20/2021 - dthompson Likes this wine:

Popped and poured without decanting. Not the right way to drink of course. However, it opened up nicely in the glass but it took time to do that. In the end it was very good. Excellent QPR. After tasting I immediately bought a case.

5/8/2021 - dthompson wrote:

1 1/4 hour decant served with Broccoli Rabe, pasta and sausage. Perfect pairing. Delicious. Medium body excellent fruit. It kept getting better. A real delight.

5/21/2021 - dthompson Does not like this wine:

I drank this wine over 3 nights. Each time decanting 1/3 bottle through an aerator and waiting for 30 minutes. The first night the wine tasted (almost but not quite) defective. It was bitter. It opened up a bit as I had it with food. It improved the second night and the third night it was acceptable. The problem is I don't want a wine that takes this much time to open up. Maybe it was a bad bottle but it's not on my list for a daily wine.

4/17/2021 - dthompson wrote:

Improved

3/23/2021 - dthompson wrote:

Very light. Not much body.

2/4/2021 - dthompson wrote:

Very smooth, well balanced with subdued tannins. Ready to drink. 2014 was a difficult year in Brunello. On sale locally in NJ and a very good value.

12/28/2020 - dthompson wrote:

It took about 2 hours of decanting for the oak to tame down to an acceptable level. This is the main reason I have never bought much Rioja.

12/5/2020 - dthompson wrote:

Tried this wine based on Eric Guido's article on Vinous - Central Italy's best kept secrets. The article lists many wines but this one happened to be available locally in NJ at a good price (less than $18). So I decided to try it. The wine is 60% Sangiovese, 25% Barbera and 15% Sagrantino. It is full bodied but still needs bottle age. It was a good value. I have anther bottle and will give it at least an hour of decanting. Good QPR.

11/15/2020 - dthompson wrote:

Had this over 3 days. First day decanted 30-45 minutes. It was good. However, it got better on the second day with another 30 minutes in the decanter. Overall, was very pleased with this as a classic bordeaux. Nice finish.

10/29/2020 - dthompson wrote:

Decanted about 45 minutes. Wow. A very nice medium body Langhe Nebbiolo. Wonderful QPR. Lots of fruit tannins subdued.

10/8/2020 - dthompson wrote:

a little disappointing. Tannic and very little fruit. perhaps not ready. Will wait a year and try again.

9/26/2020 - dthompson wrote:

Very nice. Decanted 1 hour. Long finish. Got better in the glass as we had dinner. Wow.

8/28/2020 - dthompson wrote:

Wow. Nice. First bottle from a case

7/17/2020 - dthompson wrote:

delightful. Decanted 1 hour. Must be close to the peak but downhill yet.

4/18/2020 - dthompson wrote:

This has been one of my favorite wines in my cellar. I bought a case at the suggestion of a well known New Jersey wine store. Consistently wonderful, full bodied. Easily the best barbera I have ever had. Only 3 left.

4/18/2020 - dthompson wrote:

Extremely light in color. Nose was OK and flavor as well. Lacking in body. Disappointing for the price

1/1/2020 - dthompson wrote:

With Les & Mike. last of 6 bottles i bought in 1985 for $19. Still had some life left. Parker rated this 100. Had a bottle in 2000 which is easily the best bottle of wine I have ever had. The wine was so good, my guest and I were speechless. Funny how you never forget a bottle that good.

12/21/2019 - dthompson wrote:

Still good (not great but good) after all theses years. Purchased 1985 from Century Liquors, Rochester NY for $39.50. The wine is well past its prime but it still had that hint of magic that Haut Brion has always had for me. Alas. The last of 6 bottles I bought, as part of purchasing 17 cases of 1982 Bordeaux. The 82 Pichon Lalande was spectacular. The good old days before wine became a status symbol.

10/18/2019 - dthompson wrote:

drinking beautifully.

10/7/2019 - dthompson wrote:

Delicious. Perfectly balanced with subdued tannins

9/17/2019 - dthompson wrote:

A truly delightful sauternes. We had a split with cake and whipped cream. We had a lovely Napa Cab with dinner but this sauternes stole the show. Astonishing value for those who still drink dessert wines.

4/20/2019 - dthompson Likes this wine:

Good wine but lacking in fruit. A bit disappointing since I bought a case. 10 bottles to go.

4/13/2019 - dthompson Likes this wine:

Lots of fruit. Ready to drink. Was good out of the bottle and got better with time. Delicious.

1/30/2019 - dthompson wrote:

corked