November 1, 2019 - Vino ancora molto potente e con tannino ancora vivo.... sarebbe stato perfetto ossigenato almeno 4 ore. Ingresso ottimo sentori di more cardamomo.
January 27, 2018 - Allowed to breathe in glass 1 hour. Clear dark garnet-blood red color. Classic bouquet of cherries, leather, sandalwood, cardamom, cloves, espresso, stony red soil. Similar on the palate, full body, nice balance, mouthwatering acidity, chalky civilized tannins. Improved with air, held up fine under vacuum stopper in refrigerator for four days.
March 5, 2017 - Still holding up. Color showed almost no bricking. Tannins are soft and well integrated with mature fruit.
December 25, 2016 - This is still holding up well. Certainly no point to hold if still in your cellar.
June 9, 2015 - This wine was drinking really well. Everything was there, all be it a notch below some of the great BdMs. Started off slow, brick hue and an unusually high water table. Over the course of an hour it began to sign with glove leather, cigar box and noticeable bright bing cherry. Not too acidic, mature tannin, secondary fruit - all balanced. Very nice.
October 22, 2014 - This was all prune & leather with a sour bent. Very disappointing for a 1997. Seemed a lot older than it should have.
June 10, 2013 - this was the second of two bottles that i shared at a CT off-line held at Sette Cucina in Bernardsville. i had previous enjoyed a bottle for easter 2011 which was primo. was looking forward to another great experience. i tried to fool the table by suggesting that this might have been from another producer. Ibetian put me in my place, stating that this was the same as the first. this bottle also seemed to be a little off. one member thought it was corked. i think i had just kept it a bit too long. hard for me to distinguish between cardboard which would indicate corked vs. dried out leather which has been described by others for this wine. still some enjoyable fruit but not what i had hoped for. this bottle had tan label. i still don't know the difference between tan and gray label. intended for different markets, or perhaps different bottling dates.
June 10, 2013 - this was the first of two bottles that i shared at a CT off-line held at Sette Cucina in Bernardsville. i had previous enjoyed a bottle for easter 2011 which was primo. was looking forward to another great experience. bottle seemed to be a little off. one member thought it was corked. i think i had just kept it a bit too long. hard for me to distinguish between cardboard which would indicate corked vs. dried out leather which has been described by others for this wine. still some enjoyable fruit but not what i had hoped for. this bottle had gray label.
June 29, 2012 - Did back to back tastings of the 97 and 98. I expected the 97 to blow the 98 away, but both were very similar with good fruit and tannins. Last bottle.
October 20, 2011 - Another of my 1997 brunello drink em up bottles. This one did not stand up to most of the others. It is still good, but starting to loose the fruit. I have one more that I will drink ASAP.