5/17/2024 - Jonnhy99 Likes this wine:

The lady of the house asked to drink a good bottle tonight so everything was on the line. 😂

Medium-intensity aromas of perfume, salt, smoke, cream, baking spice, blackberry, and cassis. The flavours were consistent with the aroma, with hints of milk chocolate, green peppercorn, and tomato leaf. Complex wine with a long finish and paired excellently with butter chicken roti. The old lady loved it and said it was like a Pinotage, but better.

5/13/2024 - Jonnhy99 wrote:

The 2020 Ser Lapo and I enjoyed the artwork in this vintage, but let's discuss the wine. This particular Ser Lapo seems tightly wound, unlike previous vintages that were more approachable in their youth..

You might notice aromas of barnyard and cherry, while the flavours are similar, with hints of oak, cedar, and plum. The wine has medium to high tannins and acidity. It's best to let it age for another two years.

4/10/2024 - Jonnhy99 Likes this wine:

A friend decided to treat me to dinner & wine at Ki restaurant. The wine had subtle aromas of seashells, white flowers, honey, hay, citrus, and tropical fruits. The balance of high acidity and sugar was impeccable, making it a deceptively easy-to-drink wine. I'm Looking forward to the Moelleaux.

10/29/2023 - Jonnhy99 Likes this wine:

Nice Napa, no California fruit bomb here. A strong welcoming red fruit fills the air during the first pour. The red fruit follows through on the tongue with cherry, red currant, smoke, graham crackers, dried herbs, and blueberry. Medium plus finish, medium minus acidity to go with approachable tannins. No overbearing ripe fruits here at all just subtle and delicious stuff.

8/29/2023 - Hi.its.Don.4.Wine Likes this wine:

Too Legit to Quit

Wait, that was an M.C. Hammer song, and today’s wine only uses one of those 4 words, Legit, and was inspired not by M.C. Hammer, but by Thelonius Monk, the famous Jazz artist.

That label and name of the wine does lend itself to a certain appeal, as does the wine itself as I can attest.

Tolaini Legit Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

Originating in the Chianti Classico, Toscana Region of Italy, this organically farmed wine is composed of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. It is fermented in French Oak and then aged for 24 months in barriques (70% new and 30% second use).

Upon tasting, I was struck by how much it resembled a fine Napa Cab, as it should given the lengthy aging in French Oak. The wine showed deep notes of blackberry as well as other dark red fruit and even a hint of cassis. It finalizes in a wonderful earthiness and just the right amount of tannins and spice to balance the wine.

This wine has had a notable history, having been listed on a Top 100 wine list twice; once for the 2013 vintage and once for 2016, while this vintage recorded a review of 94 Points and a pair of 92-point reviews.

If you’re looking for a very nice Cabernet and want to try something different, give the “Legit” a try, the wine is definitely “too legit to quit!”

Cheers

5/12/2023 - Jonnhy99 Likes this wine:

Medium-intensity aromas of red plum, cassis, and tobacco. Juicy flavors of blackcurrant, red fruit, sweet tobacco, leather, and potting soil. Medium grainy tannins that mingle with the medium-plus acidity make this approachable now yet can still age a long time. Medium plus finish.

Futures for this was $45 CDN which is right, but the LCBO's current release price of $75 sets this to disappoint many Ontario drinkers expecting a $75 wine.😠

1/8/2023 - FamousWine Likes this wine:

This is a blend of 56% Merlot, 40% Cab Sauv, 2% Cab Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. I aerated it for 2 hours in a carafe to leverage its full potential. It has a gorgeous nose with luscious and moderately expressive scents of blackberries, raspberries, cigar box, cedar and dried herbs. It's not easy to remove the nose from the glass, it's so mesmerizing. The medium-bodied palate presents a savory and pure black juice, with a great freshness and built on coated tannins. Flavors of crème de cassis, blueberry and flowers I find hard to identify are subtly entwined with notes of a skillfully dosed oak aging. It finishes quite long on a smoky/minty aftertaste and a pleasant caramelized touch. The 2014 vintage was a success in St-Estèphe and this bottle is the perfect example. It's currently totally open for business.
[Photo on Instagram]

3/18/2023 - Rbhan12 wrote:

Riper spectrum of Brunello with some oak components. Doesn’t necessarily have the depth, tannins, acidity, or complexity of other comparable wines.

Good but not worth the price IMO.

4/28/2022 - mjwstickings Likes this wine:

This was my first wine from Montecucco, a region in southern Tuscany, and my first taste of Ciliegiolo, a lesser-known Italian varietal that makes up 10% of this wine along with 80% Sangiovese and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. And it's excellent, very much like a quality Chianti mixed with a touch of Barbaresco. The Cabernet provides a sense of soft, lush juiciness, a roundness, but the core is earthy and dusty, with fine tannins and refreshing acidity. The nose is heavy with floral aromas (rose), along with herbs, red berries, cherries (Ciliegiolo means "little cherry"), and black pepper, all replayed on the palate, which turns quite dry and bitter (orange pith) on the finish. There's a really nice balance of fruity and savoury elements here, and it's just a really well-composed wine and a distinct expression of Tuscany.

2/3/2023 - Jonnhy99 Likes this wine:

Rioja a wine Nemesis of mine, has more misses than hits., usually has too much oak for my taste, but this is no ordinary rioja, right?

Garnet with some bricking on the rim. Medium-intensity aromas of cherry, dried flowers, parmesan cheese, cured meat, oak, dill, molasses, and perfume.

Soft wine with medium acidity, soft tannins, chalk in mid-palate, integrated oak, dried herbs, cherry, saline, perfume, balsamic and cedar. Short finish and sometimes I was reminded of Bordeaux, this is a rioja I can always drink.

1/4/2023 - Dozhdbog Likes this wine:

This is my first CT note on Le Volte, although I have been enjoying bottles of it for well over a decade now.
My recollection of the previous 2018 I drank -just over a year ago- was of a wine that needed some more time. It was still rough around the edges and reticent. This bottle -decanted for 30- comes off more polished and ready to gambol.
It presents aromas of plums, dried herbs, and tuscan flowers such as honeysuckle. There is also a slight agrarian funk that really reminds me of summers I spent wandering Tuscany and exploring the vineyards and farmland. The body is plush and the flow is smooth from start to a lingering finish of cherries and soft chalk. The flavors have become more pronounced and balanced throughout the night, leading me to believe it perhaps could stand another year or so of rest before it peaks as far as my tastes go.
This is not a robust wine. It is elegant -subtle even- but there is quiet confidence in how it presents its quintessentially Tuscan flavors.

12/27/2022 - Jonnhy99 Likes this wine:

Last of the tasting. Aromas of oak, forest floor, cedar, blackberry, and perfume. The palate is the same as the nose with some dried herbs, vanilla, and a hint of plum. Long finish

Medium plus acidity with tannins that you think is not bad until the very last minute to remind you it needs more time or good decant. Have some protein with it and you are ready to go.

11/30/2022 - Hi.its.Don.4.Wine Likes this wine:

Etruscan I Am Not

Why is Etruscan even mentioned in my article today? Let’s start our history lesson by explaining things. I’ll keep it short.

The Etruscan civilization were people of Etruria in ancient Italy with a common language and culture who formed a federation of city-states. After conquering adjacent lands, its territory covered at its greatest extent, roughly what is now Tuscany. That’s it, end of the history lesson.

It’s relevant as the wine today comes from Tuscany and just so happens to use the Etruscan symbol for the letter T on their wines. Appropriate as the wine today is the

Tolaini Valdisanti 2018

Before I move on to the wine, I did want to explain why not being Etruscan is an issue. You see, as I was researching the wine, I read about an ancient symbol that was found on the property and is an equivalent to our modern-day T. They felt it was the perfect symbolism for their winery “Tolaini.” Makes sense.

Not one to let things lie, I did some checking of my own.

Unfortunately, my research concluded that the symbol they use is actually the equivalent of our modern-day U, not T. What do you do when faced with such a quandary? Go to the source I always say. Sending my email halfway around the world (I’m guessing at the distance), I posed the information to the winery directly to see what gives.

There was a brief hesitation on my part in sending that email. After all, I was challenging their iconic symbol. If I was wrong, I could easily accept that outcome; I’ve been wrong many times before. If I am right, what does the winery do? Ignore my request and with my limited audience, the issue will likely just go away. They could find that they are wrong, which has significant repercussions; while they could keep the symbol, if they wanted to change it, it would likely require some major modifications where that symbol is being used.

Awaiting the outcome of the mystery, let me focus on the more important issue; the wine (at least for me and other wine drinkers). The wine emerged dark with fruit overcoming the senses. There are dark blue and blackberry notes on the palate with just a touch of plum. Dusty tannins that are softer help present the wine as medium to full-bodied. Softer spice notes finish the wine, making for a lovely experience.

Tolaini is also a winery that practices sustainable farming to respect the environment and the biodiversity of the land. The grapes come from the area in the Chianti Classico district within Tuscany, Italy, and the wine is composed of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Cabernet Franc. After fermentation in French Oak, the wine is then aged in French Barriques for 16 months, 6 months of which the wine spends resting on the fine lees. The attention to quality is not lost as the wine received reviews of 92, 94, and 95 Points. A string of excellent vintages should help cement newer wines.

As for the outcome of my query. The winery did respond with the explanation that there are many versions of the letter and acknowledged that the U and T are similar. The part I didn’t take into consideration was how those letters might “sound,” pointing out that both letters may have been used interchangeably as they sound the same, likely in Etruscan. That’s why, after all, the English language has homonyms and homophones.

It's safe to say, that their use of the symbol is secure and warranted. Whew, I wouldn’t have wanted to create a world-shattering event, there’s enough of that without my butting into things. Besides, it’s so cute!

Cheers

5/17/2022 - Alexander Tronstad Likes this wine:

I love this Chateau. And this wine in this vintage is by far my most drunk wine of the left bank classed growths. Just good easy drinking, yet has enough complexity and depth to satisfy the craving for some gravity and seriously made wine.. So be it that it may be lacking a bit on concentration as Konstantin Baum pointed out recently, but... at the price it is a big winner. It is a classed growth, and it tastes like a class growth, unmistakably.

With the other classed growths - too often I find myself trembling before opening one, "I spent so much money, what if it is not good enough?? What a waste! Why spend so much!?" I get nervous and over-analytical, I can't really relax, and wine isn't supposed to feel like that. Well... I am not so worried about that with Cantemerle.

This 2016 is around 45 $.. It's no everyday wine, it's still priced above that, but I can let my guard down, I don't need to worry when I find the occasion - opened too early? Who cares... Have a bit in the sauce for your meal? Sure, why not! Have half a bottle left over in the fridge that you drink at the wrong temperature the day after? Well, it is not optimal but again, who cares? You can afford it and it is YOUR wine, and this wine is robust; It takes a beating and is enjoyable throughout. It works with you, you don't have to tiptoe around and micro-manage it, I let my shoulders down, relax and enjoy. This is not a high maintenance visitor, this is home on a sunday.


It is delicious and I am not ruined, it reaches quite high, has great manners, it's well made... at the price it is punching well above its weight, it is balanced well between structure and fruit, not too sweet. What I find I need to dig for in a lean chianti, Cantemerle showers you with - the quality comes out quite eagerly without going into a too sun-sweet plummy cabernet - it carries itself better than that. It hits the right spots and my red fine wine-thirst is quenched. If I were richer I'd probably find better, but for a normal worker, this hits me right at my level. As Peter Koff said comparing a higher quality wine to one he liked better regardless: "Another wine is my favourite, but this wine is my friend."

3/29/2022 - Jeff Leve wrote:

Spicy, fresh and floral, you find a nice, slight touch of tobacco and smoke that comes along with the earthy, herbal touched red fruits. Medium-bodied, elegant and crisp, the bright red fruits show up nicely on the palate and in the finish. You can enjoy this on release. Drink from 2022 - 2029.

7/17/2022 - GrapeScott wrote:

Of course this is infanticide, but I wanted to check in on this after purchasing the better part of a case. As others have commented, this is excellent. Brambly mix of red and blue berry fruits on the nose, savory herbs, a whiff of mushroom on the nose. Burly yet classy, and surprisingly approachable. Although the oak is a bit more prominent than I would like at this point, it should integrate nicely with bottle age. Great value at under-$50.