Decanted for an hour and this was stunning. After my last bottle 2 years ago I was concerned that this would be over its peak but certainly not - great structure and a good few years left yet.
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Still way too young... it is getting a bit heavy and rough though... I am not quite sure where it will end up, or where it will reach ... Kind of leathery, deep roots, black pepper, red berries in the back end. But over all a bit too heavy, for me at least.
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This bottle was a bit softer and more mature than I expected; might be a little bottle variation but I think it was definitely needing to be drunk within a few years (moreso than a 2007 from a year ago and a 2006 from 1-2 years past). Still a great bottle; really interesting balance of dried fruit and savory spice and mineral notes.
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PnP, served non-blind, and enjoyed over four days (if not completely intentionally). The color is compatible with its age; still bright if not entirely clear. The palate is med+ body, and it favors elegance and conviction vs ripe fruit and tannic build, as it should be. That's all to say it's in its preferred window now, a place it'll occupy for the next 7-10 years quite comfortably I should think. Day two was more complete, though it should be said all were winners on one level or another. If you've got several, it's worth a go now, if you've just a singleton, consider sometime in the next five years as you'll likely be treated to a touch of primary fruit, plenty of secondary qualities, and some early tertiary, as well. Solidly enjoyable, and ten years on since the last one. 14,5% abv. highly recommended.
Decanted for 4 hours. Bright with cherry and plum some chocolate notes and a hint of tobacco and leather. Soft mouth feel and long finish. Really well balanced and a pleasure to drink. Having said that despite the age it still feels slightly muted to me as if it’s hiding more depth. Still a very nice wine and a great example of Fontodi’s premier marque.
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15 years in, this is drinking beautifully. Brickish edge to the dark robe. So much complexity to the nose. Sweet black fruits. Chocolate. Black tea. Tart, sour cherry on the palate with a lovely ripe fig sweetness in the background. Plenty of acidity and drying tannins. Long. Agree with the below comment about tar and leather on the finish. Feels like it’s just getting going. Lovely stuff.
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Beautiful nose, cherries, tea. Bright, very acidic on palette A lively wine. Lots of tart cherry fruit, tea. Huge finish. Still decent tannins. Easily good for another 5 years, probably more
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A private dinner (Restaurant Taiko, Amsterdam, NL): Opened and decanted at 7pm, served at 9.30pm. Double magnum. Clearly still a powerful and youthful wine, but this is a difficult bottle. There is an aspect of dark chocolate / cocoa powder which gives the wine a rough, almost raw edge. Aeration improves the situation, but the problem never quite goes away. Not rated.
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A restrained powerhouse. The power and energy are there, building up in the background. Sublime cherry and black fruit also add to the mix. Finishes with some tar and leather. Really shines.
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Started off lovely. Beautiful fruit, fresh and a long finish. Just about starting to show some interesting development. After a while, maybe due to air or warming up, the oak started to get a more noticeable and it hasn’t integrated yet. I think this will come good and the oak will be absorbed before the fruit fades too much. Try again in a 2024. 4-
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Bought this from local wine shop nearly 10 years ago. Drunk over three nights. Two from Coravin and the last glass straight from the bottle. Faint whiff of age on the wine on all three tastes. 2nd night was the pick of the bunch with the wine showing great dark black fruit, perfectly balanced acidity and a smooth silky texture. Perfect amount of age, laser sharp, delicious wine
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4h decant, still young and powerful. M~M+ acidity, M+ tannin. Well balanced, It's not lean to one side or monotonous. Yes, it's 100% Sangiovese. but somehow every time I drink this wine (08, 13, 16vin), I think it's more like a Napa CS wine. That's how powerful it is.
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Decanted 30 mins. Sour cherries and cigar box spice, polished up front and dusty tannins at the end. More integrated than previous bottles, still notably better with food.
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This took a while to open up, but was quite impressive when it finally did. I popped the cork about 90 minutes before trying, but this would probably benefit from a proper decant. Dark fruit on opening, transitioning to cigar box, earth and slight floral notes. Paired very well with our steak dinner at a lake cabin. Seemed young still and this bottle probably had at least 5-10 years of life left.
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A beautiful Sangeovese from a good but not great vintage. This shows the quality of the grapes and superior wine making. Dark rich fruit with nice acidity and tannins. This could have used two hours in the decanter.
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Outstanding and drinking nicely. Smoky, fruity nose, and dark berries on the palate. Not a sipping wine; much better with food (I served with fresh fettucine with trumpet mushrooms). Needs to be decanted for at least several hours.
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Full day decant. Leather, pencil lead, black licorice, faint dark fruit, black tea, Grippy tannin, medium bodied, all tertiary characteristics at this point. Dusty, some earthen notes. This wine is all about 'being' finessed when being consumed. Leave time for a decent decant (3hrs+), don's consume too cold, and drink with food. Was very good with burgers, but less enjoyable sipped alone.
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Decanted. Cooked morello cherries, cinnemon, dusty drying tannins. Mature and in a good place. Plenty of acidity and tannin to last. Well balanced, better with food.
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Even after a two hour decant, this is super tight. However, over time this wine becomes more expressive with ruby red fruit with hints of cherry and cola. Wonderful notes of leather, forest floor, olive and cigar box. Complex and particularly good paired with food from chicken to beef. This wine has more life in it.
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Not decanted - starts out from the bottle with meaty, burnt end aromas, some iron. Drying, grippy, leather, cherry. Better balance than the 2004 at the same stage of opening. With more time in the glass - choco/mocha, tart fruit, drying. Moderate length. After several hours - green notes appear.
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Decanted for 2-3 hours, nose not too strong upon opening. Medium color indicates this is well within its drinking window, taste indicates it is toward the back end of its drinking window. Finish not very long, but decent. Fruit still evident and structure moderately present, good enough to be relevant. Plan to consume remaining bottles within next 12-15 months.
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Brought to a local restaurant where it was opened and decanted. Had about an hour of air before being consumed with strip steak. Very fresh and lively. Dark fruits, leather, classic markers for this grape. Tannins abound, acidity, great pairing with really all the food at the table. Years of life left if properly stored in my opinion! Fantastic wine for sure.
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Fragrant and fruity on the nose, dried cherries and camphor on the palate. Smooth and polished, though quite hot. Deceptive tannins that build in the next glass. Tannins and primary flavours suggest it's got some years left yet but it's drinking well now. No score due to slight cold coming on.
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Prolonged decanting (3-4 hours). Fruit in general, mainly red. Intense with a predominance of black cherry with coconut, cinnamon, leather. Interesting and complex bouquet. Strong and intense tannins. Great persistence.
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Saturday at Domaine (Domaine Wine Storage, Chicago IL): Nose: The nose is perfumed and showing more of a savory side with sour red cherries, raspberries, cranberries, tobacco, dried herbs, licorice, roses, and violets. This shows a bit more advancement than I'd normally expect but there is still a lot of expression to the tones.
Taste: The feel is Full bodied with crisp, medium+ acidity and silky, medium+ tannins. The structure is starting to peel back while the feel is balanced and expressive with sour red cherries, raspberries, licorice, dried herbs, savory notes, and roses.
Overall: This bottle feels like it's a little more advanced than I would normally expect. That said, this is still very enjoyable and showing off a lovely savory side.
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Saturday hangout at Domaine (Chicago, IL): I think this bottle should have showed a little fresher and more youthful, but it was still a fairly enjoyable drink. This shows a slight bit of dried herbs on the nose, as well as plenty of red and black fruit. The palate is quite dense, with lots of fruit and a nice dusty quality, but overall, this seemed like it was well on its way to maturity (which oughtn't be the case with a wine so young).
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Delicious and seductive, Super smooth, plush texture, milk chocolate, well balanced, with cranberry, cherry, black berry, strawberry, some mineral, coffee mocha, a bit of leather, mouth watering delicious, long integrated finish.
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Plums, red fruits aroma, with corn tertiary. Dark fruits, gravel, grape skin on the palate with leather tertiaries. Rather strong on alcohol; tannins very much alive. Finish abit lacklustre and flat though. Wasn’t impressed tonight. Shall revisit in a few more years.
Dark violet/purple color. Medium/strong tart cherry/blueberry nose with slightest mineral and cedar aroma. Dark fruits and cedar continue in the mouth with out the tart. Very pleased with the balance and finish that smooths out over time and keeps a slight but not overbearing tannin taste.
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Our last bottle of the vintage. Decanted off the residual sediment. Bright, brick garnet. Nose took a few moments to reveal dried red and black fruits with spice and tobacco. Fruits carry thru on palate. More cocoa, olive and leather than tobacco on the palate. Alcohol, acidity and tannins are seamless right now with very good balance but not overwhelming complex only a medium+ finish.
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Generally, a selection of 100% Sangiovese from the Colli Toscana Centrale IGT; Fermented in temperature controlled s/s tanks with indigenous yeasts for at least 3 wks, then malolactic & aged in Troncais & Allier barrels for 24 mos; 4,000 cs made in '08.
N: Vanilla, cherries underneath: More to give?
P: LM body; NICE frt firmed by some puckerish astringency which loses virtually ALL its bite by the LONG, BALANCED finish with HINTS of pucker, but with a swtness to the ver, VERY fine tannins. For now & easily making its '15th, + it MIGHT still improve over the next 6-12 mos. IMPRESSIVE! 14.5% ABV; My EXC+.
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Is it too young, is it too old? Had four stashed away at Mom's cellar. Pnp'd 4 btls for family over three nights. A treat to share although its lacking the seamless elegance of previous and more recent vintages. Paired well with beef and poultry and family memories! Cheers.
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This is really too young to be drinking right now. Decant for several hours and it's still likely to be better on day two. Out of the bottle the acid and tannin are overwhelming, but on day two they reside and the wine's balance strike's you. Very nice effort, just wait a while.
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Touch of garnet, sour cherry, baking spaces, bit of tea, M+ body, Intensity, Acidity H, oak wonderfully integrated, touch of leather, long. At peak now and should easily last, primary fruit still lovely.
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Bright ruby colour. Nose of french oak, vanilla mixing with sour cherry aroma to become an interesting yogurt nose at first. It's very unbalanced acidic at the first sip. Much better after decant and drink after 1 hour. Tannin was young but approachable. Very intense, deep and solid fresh sour cherry taste. The body was so solid and serious. Pure beauty of sangiovese. Drink like a Brunello di Montalcino but it's less mineral, less violet floral aroma and higher acidity. Can drink now with hours of breathing but will improve in next few years.
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This followed a young Barbaresco and a '05 Barolo, which made the rich fruit in this wine even more pronounced. Dense, rich and aromatic. Dark fruit, tobacco, licorice. Nice balance. Tannins still need time.
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This took a very long time to show its stuff. Decanted for 6 hours. Very tight on the nose at first, and super tannic and acidic on the palate. After a lot of time in the decanter, this came around. On the nose, red and sour cherries along with oak vanillin. On the palate, a beautiful cornucopia of sour red fruits and spices with searing but balanced acidity and tannin. Wait 5 years.
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Pinot like nose, with sour cherries and some orange peel, but absolutely Sangiovese to taste, with imposing tannic structure and fantastic acidity. Benchmark wine.
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Lots of sediment in bottle. Lovely mahogany colour around the edges. Chocolate, prune, red fruit nose. Full fruit attack and sparkle in the mid-palate. Quite restrained and sleeping currently but lush, tongue coating chocolate hidden behind. Will improve in 5 years but not a great flaccianello and given price variation by vintage is not huge i'd give this a miss in favour of other vintages. I say this as a fan of the wine.
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needs air or needs time to develop, great aroma of flowers and red berries, the palate is medium to full bodied but remains elegant, with muscular tannins and taut acidity, yet the Tuscan personality shines, dried cherries, herbs, cigar and mineral flavors, deep, delicious, dry, this is looking at a drinking window beginning in a year or two, excellent at a dinner table
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Opened sinfully early, and nice as it was, only hinting of how good it will be with another 5 years under its belt. The wall of tannin dissipated a little after some decanting but this is still relatively stern. Still, the complexity and fullness at this early stage really illustrate the quality both on the nose and in the mouth. If I had another I'd exercise as much patience as I could.
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(magnum). Slow-O 1 hour, served non-blind. No need to rehash what others have already said, though it's worth noting that life at your leisure's notes come awfully close to my own. There was no prior aeration, yet this was on-point from the first moment. Casually elegant, but equally profound in texture and flavors thanks to precise, fine-grained tannins and very fresh acids. I liked this as much as the 2008 Sassacaia, but for different reasons. Quite nice and exceeded my expectations for an '08. 14,5% abv, drink thru 2028. highly recommended
Almost black in color with purple hues at the rim. It has an intense, concentrated nose of smoked dried berries, licorice, espresso, and perfumed floral scents. The palate has a full body with focused flavors of black cherry, currant, cassis, tobacco, leather and smoke. Very intense and persistent all throughout the finish that lasts for 45 seconds. This is just amazing - pure and clean. It's very well balanced with high-pitched acidity. Will drink very elegantly in 2016 to 2038.
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Decanted for 1.5 hrs. Really better after 3 hours in decanter. Dark ruby that is translucent during the pour but too dark to see through in the glass. Medium nose of cherries and small earth tones. Palate of same. Very tight with low complexity at the moment, it may get better with time. Score could rise. Overall somewhat disappointed. This is similar to a very good Chianti, but priced like it has something truly special. Not that apparent at present - I have others and look forward to its evolution over the next 5 years..
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Beautiful wine that definitely needs to be opened a few hours before being consumed. Soft tannins, well balanced and fruit forward wine. Was the wine of the night for some at the table despite having bottles like Halo, Poetry, Casanova di Neri, a Molly Dooker Syrah/Cab just to name a few. This will continue to develop in the bottle for years to come.
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Very approachable right now with a little air. Much like the 2007, but maybe a little softer. Very Panzanno in style, and I may be bias, but the flavor will always be the epitamy
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Wine Spectator's Grand Tour, Washington DC 2012 (Ronald Reagan Building): very nice nose, hard to assess since the tannins masked much of the fruit, perhaps with decanting and airing you could make a better assessment, but that wasn't possible at a tasting, if its like other Flaccianello's the nose is a good guide to how it will turn out
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Beautiful nose with toasty oak, rubber, earth, floral nuances of violets, herbs like mint, coffee and tea leaves. Medium bodied, tannic with high acidity. Beautiful if young. More accesible than Vigna del Sorbo of the same vintage with rounder and smoother texture, more oak influence and equally if not more complex, long and satisfying.
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Garnet color of medium to medium-deep depth. Moderately expressive Nose is “dark” and oaky. Medium-full bodied. Good thing I didn’t stop with the Nose on this wine, as only the Palate reveals how good this wine actually is: excellent concentration of fruit – somewhat bitter right now – along with mineral notes and lots of tannins and acidity; oak is a bit overwhelming now, but this certainly has the structure to age well. Needs a lot of time. Gut impression score (based on potential): low to mid 90’s.
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3/20/2024 - Dorset Iain Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted for an hour and this was stunning. After my last bottle 2 years ago I was concerned that this would be over its peak but certainly not - great structure and a good few years left yet.
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2/28/2024 - Sugarb Does not like this wine: 91 Points
PnP, drunk over 3 hours. Gets better along the way. This bottle was definitely at its peak. Glad we had it now.
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2/21/2024 - swyang wrote:
Still way too young... it is getting a bit heavy and rough though... I am not quite sure where it will end up, or where it will reach ... Kind of leathery, deep roots, black pepper, red berries in the back end. But over all a bit too heavy, for me at least.
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2/9/2024 - ddingley Likes this wine: 94 Points
This bottle was a bit softer and more mature than I expected; might be a little bottle variation but I think it was definitely needing to be drunk within a few years (moreso than a 2007 from a year ago and a 2006 from 1-2 years past). Still a great bottle; really interesting balance of dried fruit and savory spice and mineral notes.
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1/23/2024 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:
PnP, served non-blind, and enjoyed over four days (if not completely intentionally). The color is compatible with its age; still bright if not entirely clear. The palate is med+ body, and it favors elegance and conviction vs ripe fruit and tannic build, as it should be. That's all to say it's in its preferred window now, a place it'll occupy for the next 7-10 years quite comfortably I should think. Day two was more complete, though it should be said all were winners on one level or another. If you've got several, it's worth a go now, if you've just a singleton, consider sometime in the next five years as you'll likely be treated to a touch of primary fruit, plenty of secondary qualities, and some early tertiary, as well. Solidly enjoyable, and ten years on since the last one. 14,5% abv. highly recommended.
https://www.ItalianWine.blog
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8/5/2023 - azscot wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for 4 hours. Bright with cherry and plum some chocolate notes and a hint of tobacco and leather. Soft mouth feel and long finish. Really well balanced and a pleasure to drink. Having said that despite the age it still feels slightly muted to me as if it’s hiding more depth. Still a very nice wine and a great example of Fontodi’s premier marque.
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8/5/2023 - The-E-Man Likes this wine:
15 years in, this is drinking beautifully. Brickish edge to the dark robe. So much complexity to the nose. Sweet black fruits. Chocolate. Black tea. Tart, sour cherry on the palate with a lovely ripe fig sweetness in the background. Plenty of acidity and drying tannins. Long. Agree with the below comment about tar and leather on the finish. Feels like it’s just getting going. Lovely stuff.
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5/31/2023 - phandley66 wrote: 91 Points
Beautiful nose, cherries, tea. Bright, very acidic on palette A lively wine. Lots of tart cherry fruit, tea. Huge finish. Still decent tannins. Easily good for another 5 years, probably more
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5/13/2023 - alamoave wrote: 92 Points
Drinking great after double decant
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2/18/2023 - Xavier Auerbach wrote:
A private dinner (Restaurant Taiko, Amsterdam, NL): Opened and decanted at 7pm, served at 9.30pm. Double magnum. Clearly still a powerful and youthful wine, but this is a difficult bottle. There is an aspect of dark chocolate / cocoa powder which gives the wine a rough, almost raw edge. Aeration improves the situation, but the problem never quite goes away. Not rated.
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2/17/2023 - levicn wrote: 93 Points
醒酒两个小时，中宝石红色，闻香有法桶带来的明显香草奶油味，红果和梅果香气，入口酸度高，单宁紧涩，有些糊嘴，颗粒细腻，酒液很咸，矿物感强烈，红果和草本植物的气息，余味香草奶油。香气鲜活的一支酒，口感扎实，结构不小，非常强健，刚刚进入适饮期，还有很长的陈年潜力。醒酒时间不长，还处于法桶占据主导的前期阶段就已经喝完了，没能等到后面更多的变化，但已经能感受到高质量水准。
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11/3/2022 - BURGHen Boy Likes this wine: 93 Points
A restrained powerhouse. The power and energy are there, building up in the background. Sublime cherry and black fruit also add to the mix. Finishes with some tar and leather. Really shines.
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10/21/2022 - Thebigbaby wrote: 91 Points
Drinking well with short decant and has plenty of life left too. Good on its own, but really shines with food!
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10/15/2022 - ASMB Likes this wine: 93 Points
2 bottles with Italian food. Decanted for maybe an hour. Really good.
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6/21/2022 - Al-Vino Likes this wine: 92 Points
Awesome bottle! Still vibrant and full
Bodied with no signs of being towards the end of its drinking window. Having said that, why chance?! Enjoy!
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6/21/2022 - Chris Davies Likes this wine: 90 Points
Started off lovely. Beautiful fruit, fresh and a long finish. Just about starting to show some interesting development. After a while, maybe due to air or warming up, the oak started to get a more noticeable and it hasn’t integrated yet. I think this will come good and the oak will be absorbed before the fruit fades too much. Try again in a 2024. 4-
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3/26/2022 - Bolzano2022 wrote: 91 Points
Still lots of fruit and tannin. Aromas of tobacco, black berry, black pepper, leather. Round, intense.
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2/19/2022 - DFBW Likes this wine: 93 Points
Bought this from local wine shop nearly 10 years ago. Drunk over three nights. Two from Coravin and the last glass straight from the bottle. Faint whiff of age on the wine on all three tastes. 2nd night was the pick of the bunch with the wine showing great dark black fruit, perfectly balanced acidity and a smooth silky texture. Perfect amount of age, laser sharp, delicious wine
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2/10/2022 - ddingley Likes this wine: 95 Points
Bright fruit on the nose with a sweetness and savory, cherry and herbal palate, silky and long finish. Tannins soft, probably at peak
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9/27/2021 - navyramp wrote: 90 Points
4h decant, still young and powerful.
M~M+ acidity, M+ tannin. Well balanced, It's not lean to one side or monotonous.
Yes, it's 100% Sangiovese. but somehow every time I drink this wine (08, 13, 16vin), I think it's more like a Napa CS wine. That's how powerful it is.
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8/29/2021 - phandley66 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drinking beautifuly. Bright, acidic. Lots of sweet cherry, tea notes. Super long finish. Drink over next 5 to 7 years.
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7/5/2021 - danchaq wrote: 91 Points
Decanted 30 mins. Sour cherries and cigar box spice, polished up front and dusty tannins at the end. More integrated than previous bottles, still notably better with food.
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6/11/2021 - malbrecht wrote: 93 Points
This took a while to open up, but was quite impressive when it finally did. I popped the cork about 90 minutes before trying, but this would probably benefit from a proper decant. Dark fruit on opening, transitioning to cigar box, earth and slight floral notes. Paired very well with our steak dinner at a lake cabin. Seemed young still and this bottle probably had at least 5-10 years of life left.
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6/8/2021 - Uncle John wrote: 93 Points
A beautiful Sangeovese from a good but not great vintage. This shows the quality of the grapes and superior wine making. Dark rich fruit with nice acidity and tannins. This could have used two hours in the decanter.
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12/19/2020 - Rond Likes this wine: 94 Points
Outstanding and drinking nicely. Smoky, fruity nose, and dark berries on the palate. Not a sipping wine; much better with food (I served with fresh fettucine with trumpet mushrooms). Needs to be decanted for at least several hours.
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10/3/2020 - Al-Vino Likes this wine: 92 Points
Outstanding bottle of wine. Defies expectations of what you’d expect of a Sangiovese. Big, bold with lots of structure.
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8/9/2020 - scotty_b wrote: 92 Points
Black olive, plum, licorice, high-toned red fruit, cocoa. Enjoyable with food. Too acidic to drink on its own. Didn't blow me away for the price paid.
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7/1/2020 - Genghis88 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Full day decant.
Leather, pencil lead, black licorice, faint dark fruit, black tea,
Grippy tannin, medium bodied, all tertiary characteristics at this point. Dusty, some earthen notes. This wine is all about 'being' finessed when being consumed. Leave time for a decent decant (3hrs+), don's consume too cold, and drink with food. Was very good with burgers, but less enjoyable sipped alone.
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4/18/2020 - danchaq Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted. Cooked morello cherries, cinnemon, dusty drying tannins. Mature and in a good place. Plenty of acidity and tannin to last. Well balanced, better with food.
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4/16/2020 - Schiffy Likes this wine: 93 Points
Even after a two hour decant, this is super tight. However, over time this wine becomes more expressive with ruby red fruit with hints of cherry and cola. Wonderful notes of leather, forest floor, olive and cigar box. Complex and particularly good paired with food from chicken to beef. This wine has more life in it.
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2/16/2020 - ZMAng wrote: 88 Points
Not decanted - starts out from the bottle with meaty, burnt end aromas, some iron. Drying, grippy, leather, cherry. Better balance than the 2004 at the same stage of opening.
With more time in the glass - choco/mocha, tart fruit, drying. Moderate length.
After several hours - green notes appear.
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12/31/2019 - Sugarb Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted for 2-3 hours, nose not too strong upon opening. Medium color indicates this is well within its drinking window, taste indicates it is toward the back end of its drinking window. Finish not very long, but decent. Fruit still evident and structure moderately present, good enough to be relevant. Plan to consume remaining bottles within next 12-15 months.
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11/11/2019 - midtownmac Likes this wine:
Brought to a local restaurant where it was opened and decanted. Had about an hour of air before being consumed with strip steak. Very fresh and lively. Dark fruits, leather, classic markers for this grape. Tannins abound, acidity, great pairing with really all the food at the table. Years of life left if properly stored in my opinion! Fantastic wine for sure.
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10/27/2019 - danchaq Likes this wine:
Fragrant and fruity on the nose, dried cherries and camphor on the palate. Smooth and polished, though quite hot. Deceptive tannins that build in the next glass. Tannins and primary flavours suggest it's got some years left yet but it's drinking well now. No score due to slight cold coming on.
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10/26/2019 - phgnan wrote: 93 Points
Prolonged decanting (3-4 hours). Fruit in general, mainly red. Intense with a predominance of black cherry with coconut, cinnamon, leather. Interesting and complex bouquet. Strong and intense tannins. Great persistence.
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9/29/2019 - EM_MB wrote: 92 Points
No formal notes. Drinking very well right now. Presumably at or near peak.
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9/2/2019 - Radboy wrote: 91 Points
Drinking well.
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8/17/2019 - KeithAkers wrote: 92 Points
Saturday at Domaine (Domaine Wine Storage, Chicago IL): Nose: The nose is perfumed and showing more of a savory side with sour red cherries, raspberries, cranberries, tobacco, dried herbs, licorice, roses, and violets. This shows a bit more advancement than I'd normally expect but there is still a lot of expression to the tones.
Taste: The feel is Full bodied with crisp, medium+ acidity and silky, medium+ tannins. The structure is starting to peel back while the feel is balanced and expressive with sour red cherries, raspberries, licorice, dried herbs, savory notes, and roses.
Overall: This bottle feels like it's a little more advanced than I would normally expect. That said, this is still very enjoyable and showing off a lovely savory side.
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8/17/2019 - acyso wrote: 90 Points
Saturday hangout at Domaine (Chicago, IL): I think this bottle should have showed a little fresher and more youthful, but it was still a fairly enjoyable drink. This shows a slight bit of dried herbs on the nose, as well as plenty of red and black fruit. The palate is quite dense, with lots of fruit and a nice dusty quality, but overall, this seemed like it was well on its way to maturity (which oughtn't be the case with a wine so young).
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8/3/2019 - Hawk94 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Delicious and seductive, Super smooth, plush texture, milk chocolate, well balanced, with cranberry, cherry, black berry, strawberry, some mineral, coffee mocha, a bit of leather, mouth watering delicious, long integrated finish.
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7/12/2019 - yeti575rider wrote: 92 Points
Rough score based on memory. Drank these 4 bottles at Smith's a week ago.
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5/21/2019 - Coachron13 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Light bodied, easy drinking sangiovese. While enjoyable, it is overpriced for what you get.
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4/22/2019 - dnnk88 wrote: 89 Points
Plums, red fruits aroma, with corn tertiary. Dark fruits, gravel, grape skin on the palate with leather tertiaries. Rather strong on alcohol; tannins very much alive. Finish abit lacklustre and flat though. Wasn’t impressed tonight. Shall revisit in a few more years.
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1/17/2019 - Billud90 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark violet/purple color. Medium/strong tart cherry/blueberry nose with slightest mineral and cedar aroma. Dark fruits and cedar continue in the mouth with out the tart. Very pleased with the balance and finish that smooths out over time and keeps a slight but not overbearing tannin taste.
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10/17/2018 - Canoehead Likes this wine: 92 Points
Our last bottle of the vintage. Decanted off the residual sediment. Bright, brick garnet. Nose took a few moments to reveal dried red and black fruits with spice and tobacco. Fruits carry thru on palate. More cocoa, olive and leather than tobacco on the palate. Alcohol, acidity and tannins are seamless right now with very good balance but not overwhelming complex only a medium+ finish.
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8/18/2018 - srh Likes this wine:
Winebar [4 Whites, 8 Reds, & 3 *shared* IT reds] from 08/17/18 (Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA): You were TOO kind to save some of this, José! :)
Generally, a selection of 100% Sangiovese from the Colli Toscana Centrale IGT; Fermented in temperature controlled s/s tanks with indigenous yeasts for at least 3 wks, then malolactic & aged in Troncais & Allier barrels for 24 mos; 4,000 cs made in '08.
N: Vanilla, cherries underneath: More to give?
P: LM body; NICE frt firmed by some puckerish astringency which loses virtually ALL its bite by the LONG, BALANCED finish with HINTS of pucker, but with a swtness to the ver, VERY fine tannins. For now & easily making its '15th, + it MIGHT still improve over the next 6-12 mos. IMPRESSIVE! 14.5% ABV; My EXC+.
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11/12/2017 - Uncle John wrote: 94 Points
Decanted for 4 hours and was best after another 2. A very young but beautiful Flaccianello. This was amazing with a meat based pasta dish.
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10/11/2017 - Canoehead Likes this wine: 92 Points
Is it too young, is it too old? Had four stashed away at Mom's cellar. Pnp'd 4 btls for family over three nights. A treat to share although its lacking the seamless elegance of previous and more recent vintages. Paired well with beef and poultry and family memories! Cheers.
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7/22/2017 - Grapescape wrote: 95 Points
Fantastic wine still needs to be kept for best results but great now.
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1/25/2017 - tim m wrote: 93 Points
This is really too young to be drinking right now. Decant for several hours and it's still likely to be better on day two. Out of the bottle the acid and tannin are overwhelming, but on day two they reside and the wine's balance strike's you. Very nice effort, just wait a while.
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10/28/2016 - Milos Likes this wine: 92 Points
Business lunch; no detailed notes taken; well structured wine and very enjoyable; very young
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9/22/2016 - astruggl Likes this wine: 94 Points
Touch of garnet, sour cherry, baking spaces, bit of tea, M+ body, Intensity, Acidity H, oak wonderfully integrated, touch of leather, long. At peak now and should easily last, primary fruit still lovely.
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1/22/2016 - dimdic wrote: 92 Points
Bright ruby colour. Nose of french oak, vanilla mixing with sour cherry aroma to become an interesting yogurt nose at first. It's very unbalanced acidic at the first sip. Much better after decant and drink after 1 hour. Tannin was young but approachable. Very intense, deep and solid fresh sour cherry taste. The body was so solid and serious. Pure beauty of sangiovese. Drink like a Brunello di Montalcino but it's less mineral, less violet floral aroma and higher acidity. Can drink now with hours of breathing but will improve in next few years.
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1/3/2016 - KeithSurg wrote: 91 Points
This followed a young Barbaresco and a '05 Barolo, which made the rich fruit in this wine even more pronounced. Dense, rich and aromatic. Dark fruit, tobacco, licorice. Nice balance. Tannins still need time.
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4/21/2015 - la turque wrote: 92 Points
This took a very long time to show its stuff. Decanted for 6 hours. Very tight on the nose at first, and super tannic and acidic on the palate. After a lot of time in the decanter, this came around. On the nose, red and sour cherries along with oak vanillin. On the palate, a beautiful cornucopia of sour red fruits and spices with searing but balanced acidity and tannin. Wait 5 years.
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1/26/2015 - antkorbel Likes this wine: 94 Points
Pinot like nose, with sour cherries and some orange peel, but absolutely Sangiovese to taste, with imposing tannic structure and fantastic acidity. Benchmark wine.
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7/10/2014 - tendring Likes this wine: 91 Points
Wine Education Service - Italy - Tuscany (Imperial College): Opaque, some age.
Slightly oaky, very attractive.
Fruity, very tannic (soft), still oaky, pretty long. This will grow into a wonderful wine in five to ten years.
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2/6/2014 - OmiyaDrinker wrote: 90 Points
Lots of sediment in bottle. Lovely mahogany colour around the edges. Chocolate, prune, red fruit nose. Full fruit attack and sparkle in the mid-palate. Quite restrained and sleeping currently but lush, tongue coating chocolate hidden behind. Will improve in 5 years but not a great flaccianello and given price variation by vintage is not huge i'd give this a miss in favour of other vintages. I say this as a fan of the wine.
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11/3/2013 - whits wrote: 93 Points
needs air or needs time to develop, great aroma of flowers and red berries, the palate is medium to full bodied but remains elegant, with muscular tannins and taut acidity, yet the Tuscan personality shines, dried cherries, herbs, cigar and mineral flavors, deep, delicious, dry, this is looking at a drinking window beginning in a year or two, excellent at a dinner table
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11/3/2013 - PJRONeill wrote: 92 Points
Opened sinfully early, and nice as it was, only hinting of how good it will be with another 5 years under its belt. The wall of tannin dissipated a little after some decanting but this is still relatively stern. Still, the complexity and fullness at this early stage really illustrate the quality both on the nose and in the mouth. If I had another I'd exercise as much patience as I could.
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8/31/2013 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:
(magnum). Slow-O 1 hour, served non-blind. No need to rehash what others have already said, though it's worth noting that life at your leisure's notes come awfully close to my own. There was no prior aeration, yet this was on-point from the first moment. Casually elegant, but equally profound in texture and flavors thanks to precise, fine-grained tannins and very fresh acids. I liked this as much as the 2008 Sassacaia, but for different reasons. Quite nice and exceeded my expectations for an '08. 14,5% abv, drink thru 2028. highly recommended
https://italianwine.blog/
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8/26/2013 - johnwine Likes this wine: 93 Points
A delicious Tuscan Sangiovese by Fontodi. This is a wine you can chew on with concentrated black jammy fruit.
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5/26/2013 - Life At Your Leisure 🍷 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Almost black in color with purple hues at the rim. It has an intense, concentrated nose of smoked dried berries, licorice, espresso, and perfumed floral scents. The palate has a full body with focused flavors of black cherry, currant, cassis, tobacco, leather and smoke. Very intense and persistent all throughout the finish that lasts for 45 seconds. This is just amazing - pure and clean. It's very well balanced with high-pitched acidity. Will drink very elegantly in 2016 to 2038.
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11/24/2012 - Chiantihound wrote: 90 Points
Decanted for 1.5 hrs. Really better after 3 hours in decanter. Dark ruby that is translucent during the pour but too dark to see through in the glass. Medium nose of cherries and small earth tones. Palate of same. Very tight with low complexity at the moment, it may get better with time. Score could rise. Overall somewhat disappointed. This is similar to a very good Chianti, but priced like it has something truly special. Not that apparent at present - I have others and look forward to its evolution over the next 5 years..
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11/4/2012 - Rafili wrote: 94 Points
Beautiful wine that definitely needs to be opened a few hours before being consumed. Soft tannins, well balanced and fruit forward wine. Was the wine of the night for some at the table despite having bottles like Halo, Poetry, Casanova di Neri, a Molly Dooker Syrah/Cab just to name a few. This will continue to develop in the bottle for years to come.
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10/11/2012 - Le_Gaspesien wrote: 94 Points
Excellent as always :) too much young....
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7/13/2012 - AlanM68 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Powerful wine that needs 2 hours at least in the decanter. That gives the tannins time to soften a little and the fruit comes forward
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5/18/2012 - S_stas wrote: 93 Points
Very approachable right now with a little air. Much like the 2007, but maybe a little softer. Very Panzanno in style, and I may be bias, but the flavor will always be the epitamy
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4/28/2012 - pizzler wrote: 91 Points
Wine Spectator's Grand Tour, Washington DC 2012 (Ronald Reagan Building): very nice nose, hard to assess since the tannins masked much of the fruit, perhaps with decanting and airing you could make a better assessment, but that wasn't possible at a tasting, if its like other Flaccianello's the nose is a good guide to how it will turn out
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2/20/2012 - quaglia wrote: 88 Points
Anteprima Chianti Classico (45 TN inside!!) (Firenze - Stazione Leopolda): Mature plums, cherries at nose. Great entry in mouth, velvety and full body. Well balanced. [AiS: 85-90/2012]
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2/20/2012 - Outplaying wrote:
Tre Bicchieri (NYC Friday 2/17/12): Red fruits, mint, complex, elegant and dry. Very nice.
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1/30/2012 - Eric Guido Likes this wine: 91 Points
Slow Wine Guide 2012 (Release tasting) (Metropolitan Pavilion): The nose showed dark spicy berries, yet was still very closed. On the palate, it was lean yet focused with red berries and a tightly wound structure.
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11/26/2011 - Stefanos T. wrote: 94 Points
Beautiful nose with toasty oak, rubber, earth, floral nuances of violets, herbs like mint, coffee and tea leaves. Medium bodied, tannic with high acidity. Beautiful if young. More accesible than Vigna del Sorbo of the same vintage with rounder and smoother texture, more oak influence and equally if not more complex, long and satisfying.
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11/25/2011 - grafstrb wrote:
Italian Wine Tasting (Harrogate Fine Wine Company): -- tasted a couple pours non-blind over approx. 35 minutes --
Garnet color of medium to medium-deep depth. Moderately expressive Nose is “dark” and oaky. Medium-full bodied. Good thing I didn’t stop with the Nose on this wine, as only the Palate reveals how good this wine actually is: excellent concentration of fruit – somewhat bitter right now – along with mineral notes and lots of tannins and acidity; oak is a bit overwhelming now, but this certainly has the structure to age well. Needs a lot of time. Gut impression score (based on potential): low to mid 90’s.
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10/20/2011 - EMichels wrote:
Light nose; Great body; Full of fruit with good body; Would love to have this in 10 years
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10/18/2011 - JOsgood wrote:
Awesome juice. Big and structured. Penetrates every millimeter of the palate. Finishes long with a tannic grip. Needs time but will be excellent.
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5/23/2011 - mike410 wrote: 93 Points
Tasted at the WS Grand Tour in Boston. Not as good as the '07 but still a very well made wine. Needs a few years of cellaring.
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