One-hour decant with some sediment appearing during decant. Woodsy aromas during decant. After resting, wine was clear; very dark garnet in bowl lightening slightly to garnet and a thin amber rim and equally thin clear halo. Initial nose in the glass: freshly ground dark Kona coffee. After about 20 more minutes, the wine opened: raw honey, caramel, dark fruits, forest floor and a little spice. Coffee remained on the long finish. Over the next hour or so, the coffee reasserted itself in the palate but pleasantly so. This wine went well with prime steaks. Sad it was my only one.
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1988 and 1990 Brunello di Montalcino night (Lafiandra, Singapore): This was very, very good indeed, if just a touch on the modern side. The nose was really expressive, with fragrant notes of woody incense swirling around aromas of plums and blueberries, some dried violets, earth, a hint of bloody meat, and then little touches of herb and spice. Quite captivating. The palate though was where it really lifted off. Wow. There was a lovely liveliness, even transparency to this, with a really bright expression of dark cherries, red plums and fresh berries - all showing a good bit of power, yet always remaining lithe and sinewy, with a lovely sense of structure throughout. A real delight. It was lovely on the midpalate and into the finish too, with lots of those juicy dark berry fruit flavours, this time infused with wafts of spice and dried herb, and again a blush of powdery incense trailing away into a beautifully long, detailed finish. This was a tremendous wine - complex, delicious, and showing beautifully now. My only down point was perhaps the rather noticeable amount of wood on this, but otherwise, really, really nice.
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HK Wine Society Tasting & Dinner: Mature Brunello, 1975-1998 (Langham Palace Hotel, Mongkok, Hong Kong): Transparent, jeweled, purple-hued crimson watery at the meniscus. Phenolic nose of nail varnish remover, black cherry,cocoa 100% black chocolate, still quite prominent oak. Palate is lovely acidic freshness, elegant and harmonious higher-toned black and red cherry. Very fresh and vivrant. Nicely elegant length and resonance on the finish. Excellent with food - beautiful with the Iberico park chop.
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Stored since release at 55 degrees, humidity controlled. Soon after decanted, showed a lovely silky quality with good balance and depth. Tannins evident but smooth. Would not hold a lot longer but now has beautiful, mature fruit. A gorgeous mature brunello. Compared to the 88 Riserva, which I recently had, this is superior, mostly because of the additional fruit.
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Cassis, plum, and leather combine on the nose. On the palate tobacco, cedar and mocha notes accompany the deep fruits. Full bodied with ripe round tannins. Everything is integrated in a mature package that, while not overly complex, is very satisfying.
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Bottle fill and cork all excellent. This was very popular and went fast as we drank it after dinner with a little cheese and not much decanting time. I think it would be even better with more air time and proper food. Excellent wine and still very young, but approachable now.
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24 hours later and without the distractions of serving company, the wine has come alive. in my experience, it is rare for a wine to hold up like this after being open 24 hours. for those who still have bottles in the cellar, i would not hesitate to open several hours before serving to see everything this wine has to offer. pat hits the nail on the head when she says that she smells and tastes ripe black cherries. she also comments that it taste more french than italian. it is noteworthy that a native italian can say this without shame.
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thanksgiving 2009. shared with pat, ellen, donna, giulio, frankie, grandma and grandpa pomponio. this has become a tradition over the last few holiday seasons. 2nd bottle opened just prior to serving. did not suffer. no one recalled from previous years. however, grandpa who is usually unimpressed, proved that he does have a discerning palate. he topped his previous positive reaction by asking to take a bottle home. looking over notes from the past few years, it is clear that the wine is mellowing out. there is still discernible fruit on the palate. i still taste mostly black fruit and earth. to those who taste cherry, i hope they are dark cherries. while it still has firm structure that will carry it along for awhile, the aromatics continue to recede. there is some development with aeration. however, the WOW factor is significantly diminished. that having been said, the wine continues to make a memorable impression. wish i had more. there seems to have been a decline in retail value. could the hard drive be ready to crash?
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thanksgiving 2009. shared with pat, ellen, donna, giulio, frankie, grandma and grandpa pomponio. this has become a tradition over the last few holiday seasons. first bottle opened 30 minutes before serving. no one recalled from previous years. however, grandpa who is usually unimpressed, proved that he does have a discerning palate. he topped his previous positive reaction by asking to take a bottle home. looking over notes from the past few years, it is clear that the wine is mellowing out. there is still discernible fruit on the palate. i still taste mostly black fruit and earth. to those who taste cherry, i hope they are dark cherries. while it still has firm structure that will carry it along for awhile, the aromatics continue to recede. there is some development with aeration. however, the WOW factor is significantly diminished. that having been said, the wine continues to make a memorable impression. wish i had more. there seems to have been a decline in retail value. could the hard drive be ready to crash?
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had this wine for christmas dinner. shared with pat, ellen, giulio, frankie and grandma and grandpa pomponio. this wine still has an astonishing amount of wow factor although it is a little more subdued than last year. the wine required two hours to become fully expressive. tasting notes remain as before. however, considering the diminished intensity shown this time around, i am less optimisitic regarding longevity. will probably have the remaining bottles before the end of 2009.
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Decanted for 1 hour. There was very little sediment. Floral, violets and cherries nose, candy like.Hint of Eucalyptis, high notes of burnt cedars. Starts very soft almost velvet. Strong tannins on the finish. After 2 hrs high notes almost dissappeared. Move toward leather, chocolat and expresso. Tannis still frim.
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opened for dinner on christmas day. shared with pat, ellen, donna, giulio, frankie and grandma and grandpa pomponio. decanted 45 mintutes before serving. WOW! haven't had a wine as good as this in a long time. although the bouquet does not fill the air, it is far from shy. beautiful sensuous perfume. lush mouth feel. plenty of fruit. mostly blackberry. everything in perfect balance. the wine becomes more expressive when mixing with air in the mouth. the wine stimulates every sensory receptor. at least a 10 second finish using this procedure. grandpa learns the technique. he acknowledges the quality of this wine but says that he enjoys montepulciano d'abruzzo equally well. to each his own. i have added one year to longevity to remind myself to try another one soon, however, i believe the wine could go longer.
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Brunello '90, '95, '97 at Il Corso 3/18/07 (Il Corso W. 55th St. NYC): A very reticent nose. Dispite coaxing all night it was hard to get a solid impression.Even after 3 hours it was still holding out. What impression I did get was fresh cherry, pine needles and perfume. The palette was much less shy, with a nice earthiness, leather and crisp cherry. Later there was a bit of mushroom. Perhaps this one is fading.
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Azzurri Celebratory Dinner (Tuscany Cafe, Toronto): Dark garnet colour. Aromas of blackberry, currant, cherry, leather, truffle, and herbs. Medium-full bodied, complex, with sottobosco, orange rind, cherry, and currant. Moderate-long finish, 40-45s, with currant and plums.
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6/30/2022 - OenophilistMN Likes this wine: 91 Points
One-hour decant with some sediment appearing during decant. Woodsy aromas during decant. After resting, wine was clear; very dark garnet in bowl lightening slightly to garnet and a thin amber rim and equally thin clear halo. Initial nose in the glass: freshly ground dark Kona coffee. After about 20 more minutes, the wine opened: raw honey, caramel, dark fruits, forest floor and a little spice. Coffee remained on the long finish. Over the next hour or so, the coffee reasserted itself in the palate but pleasantly so. This wine went well with prime steaks. Sad it was my only one.
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3/24/2021 - Paul S wrote: 94 Points
1988 and 1990 Brunello di Montalcino night (Lafiandra, Singapore): This was very, very good indeed, if just a touch on the modern side. The nose was really expressive, with fragrant notes of woody incense swirling around aromas of plums and blueberries, some dried violets, earth, a hint of bloody meat, and then little touches of herb and spice. Quite captivating. The palate though was where it really lifted off. Wow. There was a lovely liveliness, even transparency to this, with a really bright expression of dark cherries, red plums and fresh berries - all showing a good bit of power, yet always remaining lithe and sinewy, with a lovely sense of structure throughout. A real delight. It was lovely on the midpalate and into the finish too, with lots of those juicy dark berry fruit flavours, this time infused with wafts of spice and dried herb, and again a blush of powdery incense trailing away into a beautifully long, detailed finish. This was a tremendous wine - complex, delicious, and showing beautifully now. My only down point was perhaps the rather noticeable amount of wood on this, but otherwise, really, really nice.
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10/11/2015 - AWBryce Likes this wine:
Blood/iron on the nose, cedar and red fruit. A bit dusty, tannin almost resolved, good acidity. Excellent.
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4/29/2015 - Goldstone Likes this wine: 90 Points
HK Wine Society Tasting & Dinner: Mature Brunello, 1975-1998 (Langham Palace Hotel, Mongkok, Hong Kong): Tasted blind in a line-up of 12. Transparent and very young-looking red cherry colour. Nose of black cherry and oak, quite tight. Palate seemed very slightly corked, very dry, lots of fruit, powerful, muscular and quite heady. The bottle drank over dinner was better, perhaps because of a longer decant.
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4/29/2015 - Goldstone Likes this wine: 91 Points
HK Wine Society Tasting & Dinner: Mature Brunello, 1975-1998 (Langham Palace Hotel, Mongkok, Hong Kong): Transparent, jeweled, purple-hued crimson watery at the meniscus. Phenolic nose of nail varnish remover, black cherry,cocoa 100% black chocolate, still quite prominent oak. Palate is lovely acidic freshness, elegant and harmonious higher-toned black and red cherry. Very fresh and vivrant. Nicely elegant length and resonance on the finish. Excellent with food - beautiful with the Iberico park chop.
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2/24/2015 - Dennis Graves wrote: 94 Points
Stored since release at 55 degrees, humidity controlled.
Soon after decanted, showed a lovely silky quality with good balance and depth. Tannins evident but smooth. Would not hold a lot longer but now has beautiful, mature fruit. A gorgeous mature brunello. Compared to the 88 Riserva, which I recently had, this is superior, mostly because of the additional fruit.
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6/25/2013 - JJB88 wrote:
Cassis, plum, and leather combine on the nose. On the palate tobacco, cedar and mocha notes accompany the deep fruits. Full bodied with ripe round tannins. Everything is integrated in a mature package that, while not overly complex, is very satisfying.
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10/6/2012 - beachbum wrote: flawed
nose was tainted, but good underlying sweet fruit, damm
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7/17/2012 - vindictive wrote:
Bottle fill and cork all excellent. This was very popular and went fast as we drank it after dinner with a little cheese and not much decanting time. I think it would be even better with more air time and proper food. Excellent wine and still very young, but approachable now.
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2/19/2012 - dmaywood wrote: 98 Points
Absolutely luscious. Opened up within 30 minutes. Cork looked new. Fantastic sublime flavor
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11/27/2009 - bacchus wrote: 92 Points
24 hours later and without the distractions of serving company, the wine has come alive. in my experience, it is rare for a wine to hold up like this after being open 24 hours. for those who still have bottles in the cellar, i would not hesitate to open several hours before serving to see everything this wine has to offer. pat hits the nail on the head when she says that she smells and tastes ripe black cherries. she also comments that it taste more french than italian. it is noteworthy that a native italian can say this without shame.
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11/26/2009 - bacchus wrote: 92 Points
thanksgiving 2009. shared with pat, ellen, donna, giulio, frankie, grandma and grandpa pomponio. this has become a tradition over the last few holiday seasons. 2nd bottle opened just prior to serving. did not suffer. no one recalled from previous years. however, grandpa who is usually unimpressed, proved that he does have a discerning palate. he topped his previous positive reaction by asking to take a bottle home. looking over notes from the past few years, it is clear that the wine is mellowing out. there is still discernible fruit on the palate. i still taste mostly black fruit and earth. to those who taste cherry, i hope they are dark cherries. while it still has firm structure that will carry it along for awhile, the aromatics continue to recede. there is some development with aeration. however, the WOW factor is significantly diminished. that having been said, the wine continues to make a memorable impression. wish i had more. there seems to have been a decline in retail value. could the hard drive be ready to crash?
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11/26/2009 - bacchus wrote: 92 Points
thanksgiving 2009. shared with pat, ellen, donna, giulio, frankie, grandma and grandpa pomponio. this has become a tradition over the last few holiday seasons. first bottle opened 30 minutes before serving. no one recalled from previous years. however, grandpa who is usually unimpressed, proved that he does have a discerning palate. he topped his previous positive reaction by asking to take a bottle home. looking over notes from the past few years, it is clear that the wine is mellowing out. there is still discernible fruit on the palate. i still taste mostly black fruit and earth. to those who taste cherry, i hope they are dark cherries. while it still has firm structure that will carry it along for awhile, the aromatics continue to recede. there is some development with aeration. however, the WOW factor is significantly diminished. that having been said, the wine continues to make a memorable impression. wish i had more. there seems to have been a decline in retail value. could the hard drive be ready to crash?
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4/28/2009 - TT2000 wrote: flawed
Unfortunately, bottle was corked
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12/25/2008 - bacchus wrote: 92 Points
had this wine for christmas dinner. shared with pat, ellen, giulio, frankie and grandma and grandpa pomponio. this wine still has an astonishing amount of wow factor although it is a little more subdued than last year. the wine required two hours to become fully expressive. tasting notes remain as before. however, considering the diminished intensity shown this time around, i am less optimisitic regarding longevity. will probably have the remaining bottles before the end of 2009.
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3/10/2008 - mbermingham wrote: 96 Points
Decanted for 1 hour. There was very little sediment. Floral, violets and cherries nose, candy like.Hint of Eucalyptis, high notes of burnt cedars. Starts very soft almost velvet. Strong tannins on the finish. After 2 hrs high notes almost dissappeared. Move toward leather, chocolat and expresso. Tannis still frim.
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12/25/2007 - bacchus wrote: 94 Points
opened for dinner on christmas day. shared with pat, ellen, donna, giulio, frankie and grandma and grandpa pomponio. decanted 45 mintutes before serving. WOW! haven't had a wine as good as this in a long time. although the bouquet does not fill the air, it is far from shy. beautiful sensuous perfume. lush mouth feel. plenty of fruit. mostly blackberry. everything in perfect balance. the wine becomes more expressive when mixing with air in the mouth. the wine stimulates every sensory receptor. at least a 10 second finish using this procedure. grandpa learns the technique. he acknowledges the quality of this wine but says that he enjoys montepulciano d'abruzzo equally well. to each his own. i have added one year to longevity to remind myself to try another one soon, however, i believe the wine could go longer.
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3/19/2007 - Bob Fyke wrote: 89 Points
Brunello '90, '95, '97 at Il Corso 3/18/07 (Il Corso W. 55th St. NYC): A very reticent nose. Dispite coaxing all night it was hard to get a solid impression.Even after 3 hours it was still holding out. What impression I did get was fresh cherry, pine needles and perfume. The palette was much less shy, with a nice earthiness, leather and crisp cherry. Later there was a bit of mushroom. Perhaps this one is fading.
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7/13/2006 - futronic wrote: 92 Points
Azzurri Celebratory Dinner (Tuscany Cafe, Toronto): Dark garnet colour. Aromas of blackberry, currant, cherry, leather, truffle, and herbs. Medium-full bodied, complex, with sottobosco, orange rind, cherry, and currant. Moderate-long finish, 40-45s, with currant and plums.
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