Still a bigger boy Brunello but not as big of beast as it was a 4 years ago when I last tried a bottle. Red fruits, with lots of spice box and incense. Wonderfully integrated, balanced, and ready to drink.
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Incredible stuff! Delicious with a gorgeous rust color, deep flavor profile, overall just an excellent Brunello. Can't recommend enough. And at a <$40/bottle cost, A fantastic QPR as well, which isn't oftened said about Brunellos. Sadly my last bottle. Really enjoyed these.
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Continues to please in a very brunello way. Only 2 left from original case. An in-store K&L recommendation, one of many good ones from the old days when I used to go to a store and buy what a knowledgeable sales associate recommended
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Lots of leather and earth on the nose and palate the first night. By the 2nd night this was much diminished and the fruit was more front and center. Good balance and well integrated overall.
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I may be overrating this a bit, but it’s a huge outperformer (relative to expectations) and completely delicious. Still very fruit forward and likely has another 10 years in it, but no real reason to wait unless you’re just craving more mature/tertiary character... outstanding!
A bit of orange/brown tinting at the edges in the glass, otherwise more deep red than purple. Getting some kirsch on the nose, along with orange marmalade, leather, and over-ripe strawberries. On the palate I'm getting orange zest and orange pith, spice, cherry and cherry wood. Candied orange and luxardo cherry on the finish. Tannins still prominent, even at the end of the evening after 5 hours in the decanter. This is fantastic now, and seems to have the structure to carry on for at least another 10 years. Drink now with lengthy decant or hold indefinitely. Very impressive.
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I concur, this wine was great and in a great place! It was cool upon opening and only got better from there. I enjoyed it over a few hours, with food and without.
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Incredible. One of the best Brunellos I've ever had. Amazing color that almost glistens in the glass. Gorgeous fruit. Just incredible. Everything that Brunello hooked me on many years ago. So glad I have a few more of these.
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This has benefited from an extra bit of time in bottle and is coming into its own now. Elegant, balanced with some power. Delicious. Good with food. 93+pts.
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Popped, poured, consumed over next 90 minutes. This has developed really well since my last tasting two and a half years ago. It has integrated beautifully. Wish I'd bought more.
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PnP into Riedel Bdxs and slow oxed for 90 minutes prior to dinner. Semi opaque garnet red color with browning edges. IMO, with the stated alc at 15%, serving this between mid 50s to very low 60s is essential for full enjoyment of all this wine has to offer. If allowed to warm closer to 70 this feels heavier and duller like the small left overs in my glass a few hours later. Huge nose loaded with; spice, herbs and tobacco aromas that carry through to the palate where we pickup; dark red fruit, Asian spice, leather, underbrush, more herbs and minerality. This is big, dense & concentrated. And yet, relatively weightless with its acidity keeping it fresh and lively. For its size this is very true to its terroir and unblemished by heavy handed oak. Very satisfying Brunello tonight with Nita's deep dish pizza on our cool early Fall MN deck. Forced inside a tad earlier than we wanted because of the bugs. Love MN, if only the mosquitos didn't love our state too! In a good spot now with slight room for improvement. One left that I'll likely drink before 2025.
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A beautiful bottle. Reticent nose at first, but developed over time, through the second day: pungent, a bit rough but rich with Italian herbs, ripe cherry/plum. Palate was exotic, and even better on the second day: tannic, leather and spice, a bit of Sangio grit but overwhelmingly rich with leather, herbs and dark fruit and spice.
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Resonant was a word that came to mind. Detailed, with striking intensity but also a bass note. Pretty concentrated and assertive. Feels like it needs more time - hasn't fully unfurled yet. Promising.
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Nice fruit forward experience at this stage, but still quite tannic and overall sense is that this is not yet ready for primetime. Excellent potential. Next bottle 2021+
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Open and decanted the 2012 Gaja Pieve Santa Restituta and 2010 Baccinetti BdMs 1 hour before consuming at dinner. The Baccinetti was no where near ready after pouring into the decanter and needed the full 1 hour to open up (and continued to open up) during the 2 hour dinner. Aromas of cherry, leather, and spice box (melange of Asian/Indian spices). Medium+/full bodied with good concentration/dense palate that was tight and a bit austere with dark cherries, lots of spices, dried herbs, and crushed rocks, and a long finish. The Baccinetti was decidedly more masculine than the Gaja but both styles complemented each other nicely. The one big detraction was the lack of terrior in the Baccinetti. It felt almost too big, but that might change with time. I would wait another 2 years before trying but has great potential (+93).
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This wine took 1st place in our tasting group for Brunello's from 2010 and 2011. However, I was not one of it top fans. It is rich and full, but I found the finish a bit harsh and confused. The nose was very pleasant, but really did not compete with several of its competitors on that given evening.
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Used Coravin to pour; sit in glass for 40 minutes. Crimson red color. Med body. Violet/lilac, cherry on nose. Medium body. Very dry. Sour cherry, spice, and dust. Finishes sour and with a lot of heat. Very rustic. Does not have the complexity or smoothness of the heavy hitting brunellos. However, for the price point it is spot on. This is a very classic, old world brunello that will drink well with rabbit, boar, ragu, Bistecca alla Fiorentina or other Tuscan dish. I would look to pair this appropriately.
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This is a baby. Slow-oxed for 10 hours and it really benefited from it. Complex, classic aromas and palate, including fresh and dried cherry, orange peel, earth, violets and faint but exotic spice. The slow-ox helped mitigate the ripe, but slightly chalky tannins. Regardless, this structure seems built to age.
Left ¼ of the bottle and finally got back to it on day 3 – still vibrant, but more seamless and complexity, including mature notes of leather and rose, and softening tannins. Have two more – next open will be 2020ish. Buy it if you can find it. Tasted along side the 2010 Valdacava. Made the Valdacava, while definitely an enjoyable and more overtly powerful wine, seem monolithic and a little boring by comparison. This was a nice surprise.
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Classic BdM. Medium ruby slightly brownish / mostly garnet color. I decanted for an hour before drinking. Poured into Riedel Bdxs. Served between high 50s to low 60s. The nose is perfuse and inviting from the get go and loaded with red fruit spice and tobacco aromas that carry through to the palate where we pick up some licorice too. Very satisfying Brunello tonight with a delicious Tuscan pappardelle ragout Nita made in anticipation of our upcoming trip to Tuscany. This very close to a 93pt wine and a very strong 92pts. At $40 this BdM and many others are a complete bargain compared to other options like most new release Napa Cabs. 2010 is great year to boot. Alc is stated at exactly 15% but it didn't feel like it, more like $13% ish.
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Comes across as a bit hot after about 30 minutes in the decanter, but really delicious. Next day I get no heat, fine tannins, great deep fruit, tobacco, and a subtle but distinctive hint of black licorice at the finish. Really nice for such a young brunello. Look forward to trying this with a few years under the belt. Has potential to be great.
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Very fragrant, with sour cherry, incense, and a touch of permanent marker (yes, I'll stick with that description). Good acidity, noticeable but not overwhelming tannins. Quite tasty.
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Popped, poured, consumed over three evenings. Very characteristic of this vintage, there are a lot of good things going on here and this is a very enjoyable wine even at this stage. However, although significant tannin is also characteristic of most of the wines I've tasted from this vintage, I would say this wine is marked by tannin at the more extreme end of the continuum. Luckily, the tannin, again characteristic of the vintage, is sweet and silky, but I'll be very curious to see if the fruit here can outlast the tannin and bring this wine into balance. I suspect this will be a tannic wine for a long time. Still, I found this enjoyable, especially with food.
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This is a great example of what this vintage brings. There's such vibrancy and energy, it's fun and playful but at the same time quite serious. There's so much going on in so many areas. 94+pts.
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I know I should have waited but oh well. The second I poured it into the decanter I knew it was a mistake. The tannins are nostril destroying. However, time in the decanter did tone this down a bit. The alcohol is listed as 15% and I would say you can feel it. All that aside, it is a beautiful wine. Candied cherry, leather, tobacco, earth, mushroom. I would say this veers towards the traditional. This needs time.
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4/27/2024 - bobadopolis Likes this wine: 95 Points
Absurdly delicious. I decanted for about 20 minutes which was key.
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10/15/2022 - Dselkins Likes this wine: 93 Points
Phenol, leather, glycerin. Silky. Great backbone, another 12-15 years left here.
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9/6/2022 - Eye Drink Reds Likes this wine: 94 Points
Still a bigger boy Brunello but not as big of beast as it was a 4 years ago when I last tried a bottle. Red fruits, with lots of spice box and incense. Wonderfully integrated, balanced, and ready to drink.
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1/1/2022 - Chris Likes this wine: 97 Points
Incredible stuff! Delicious with a gorgeous rust color, deep flavor profile, overall just an excellent Brunello. Can't recommend enough. And at a <$40/bottle cost, A fantastic QPR as well, which isn't oftened said about Brunellos. Sadly my last bottle. Really enjoyed these.
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10/10/2021 - skp88 wrote: 94 Points
Continues to please in a very brunello way. Only 2 left from original case. An in-store K&L recommendation, one of many good ones from the old days when I used to go to a store and buy what a knowledgeable sales associate recommended
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10/7/2021 - Chris Likes this wine: 96 Points
A fantastic wine. Earthy, everything you would want in a Brunello. Sadly only one left.
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9/29/2021 - up4wine wrote: 90 Points
Lots of leather and earth on the nose and palate the first night. By the 2nd night this was much diminished and the fruit was more front and center. Good balance and well integrated overall.
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5/30/2021 - Employee500 wrote: 95 Points
I may be overrating this a bit, but it’s a huge outperformer (relative to expectations) and completely delicious. Still very fruit forward and likely has another 10 years in it, but no real reason to wait unless you’re just craving more mature/tertiary character... outstanding!
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5/16/2021 - bobadopolis Likes this wine: 94 Points
A bit of orange/brown tinting at the edges in the glass, otherwise more deep red than purple. Getting some kirsch on the nose, along with orange marmalade, leather, and over-ripe strawberries. On the palate I'm getting orange zest and orange pith, spice, cherry and cherry wood.
Candied orange and luxardo cherry on the finish. Tannins still prominent, even at the end of the evening after 5 hours in the decanter. This is fantastic now, and seems to have the structure to carry on for at least another 10 years. Drink now with lengthy decant or hold indefinitely. Very impressive.
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5/8/2021 - skp88 wrote: 95 Points
Love this wine. Still going strong.
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2/1/2021 - wren460 Likes this wine: 91 Points
This wine offers great QPR. Very very dry, medium bodied, somewhat tanic. Dic not decant but the best glass was the last one, so decant.
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8/8/2020 - wren460 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Loved it ! Great wine for a great price. I am not fond of Italian wines because of its acidity but this one was GREAT
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7/10/2020 - CRAUBER4242 Likes this wine: 95 Points
I concur, this wine was great and in a great place! It was cool upon opening and only got better from there. I enjoyed it over a few hours, with food and without.
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6/21/2020 - Chris Likes this wine: 98 Points
Incredible. One of the best Brunellos I've ever had. Amazing color that almost glistens in the glass. Gorgeous fruit. Just incredible. Everything that Brunello hooked me on many years ago. So glad I have a few more of these.
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1/12/2020 - John McCabe wrote: 93 Points
This has benefited from an extra bit of time in bottle and is coming into its own now. Elegant, balanced with some power. Delicious. Good with food. 93+pts.
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11/25/2019 - rsbeck wrote: 94 Points
Popped, poured, consumed over next 90 minutes. This has developed really well since my last tasting two and a half years ago. It has integrated beautifully. Wish I'd bought more.
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9/6/2019 - chablis28 wrote: 93 Points
PnP into Riedel Bdxs and slow oxed for 90 minutes prior to dinner. Semi opaque garnet red color with browning edges. IMO, with the stated alc at 15%, serving this between mid 50s to very low 60s is essential for full enjoyment of all this wine has to offer. If allowed to warm closer to 70 this feels heavier and duller like the small left overs in my glass a few hours later. Huge nose loaded with; spice, herbs and tobacco aromas that carry through to the palate where we pickup; dark red fruit, Asian spice, leather, underbrush, more herbs and minerality. This is big, dense & concentrated. And yet, relatively weightless with its acidity keeping it fresh and lively. For its size this is very true to its terroir and unblemished by heavy handed oak. Very satisfying Brunello tonight with Nita's deep dish pizza on our cool early Fall MN deck. Forced inside a tad earlier than we wanted because of the bugs. Love MN, if only the mosquitos didn't love our state too! In a good spot now with slight room for improvement. One left that I'll likely drink before 2025.
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8/21/2019 - WineAggregate Likes this wine: 94 Points
A beautiful bottle. Reticent nose at first, but developed over time, through the second day: pungent, a bit rough but rich with Italian herbs, ripe cherry/plum. Palate was exotic, and even better on the second day: tannic, leather and spice, a bit of Sangio grit but overwhelmingly rich with leather, herbs and dark fruit and spice.
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5/30/2019 - John McCabe wrote: 93 Points
Resonant was a word that came to mind. Detailed, with striking intensity but also a bass note. Pretty concentrated and assertive. Feels like it needs more time - hasn't fully unfurled yet. Promising.
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11/5/2018 - bobadopolis Likes this wine: 92 Points
Nice fruit forward experience at this stage, but still quite tannic and overall sense is that this is not yet ready for primetime. Excellent potential. Next bottle 2021+
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9/14/2018 - sommwines wrote:
Not gentle. Cherry, spice box. Will wait to see if the austerity softens a bit in time.
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6/2/2018 - Eye Drink Reds Likes this wine: 93 Points
Open and decanted the 2012 Gaja Pieve Santa Restituta and 2010 Baccinetti BdMs 1 hour before consuming at dinner. The Baccinetti was no where near ready after pouring into the decanter and needed the full 1 hour to open up (and continued to open up) during the 2 hour dinner. Aromas of cherry, leather, and spice box (melange of Asian/Indian spices). Medium+/full bodied with good concentration/dense palate that was tight and a bit austere with dark cherries, lots of spices, dried herbs, and crushed rocks, and a long finish. The Baccinetti was decidedly more masculine than the Gaja but both styles complemented each other nicely. The one big detraction was the lack of terrior in the Baccinetti. It felt almost too big, but that might change with time. I would wait another 2 years before trying but has great potential (+93).
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1/11/2018 - up4wine wrote: 89 Points
This wine took 1st place in our tasting group for Brunello's from 2010 and 2011. However, I was not one of it top fans. It is rich and full, but I found the finish a bit harsh and confused. The nose was very pleasant, but really did not compete with several of its competitors on that given evening.
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12/17/2017 - Rico100 wrote: 93 Points
Very nice brunello - drinking well now.
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10/12/2017 - chanote44 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Delicious Brunello. Ready to drink.
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7/23/2017 - stevenrcagle Likes this wine: 92 Points
Used Coravin to pour; sit in glass for 40 minutes. Crimson red color. Med body. Violet/lilac, cherry on nose. Medium body. Very dry. Sour cherry, spice, and dust. Finishes sour and with a lot of heat. Very rustic. Does not have the complexity or smoothness of the heavy hitting brunellos. However, for the price point it is spot on. This is a very classic, old world brunello that will drink well with rabbit, boar, ragu, Bistecca alla Fiorentina or other Tuscan dish. I would look to pair this appropriately.
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3/11/2017 - WineAggregate Likes this wine: 93 Points
Rustic, a bit old-world, very nice and rich, full-bodied, fragrant nose, a beautiful mouthful.
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1/5/2017 - TahoeJoe wrote:
Wine seemed a bit flaccid and dull.
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12/20/2016 - MV2007 Likes this wine: 94 Points
This is a baby. Slow-oxed for 10 hours and it really benefited from it. Complex, classic aromas and palate, including fresh and dried cherry, orange peel, earth, violets and faint but exotic spice. The slow-ox helped mitigate the ripe, but slightly chalky tannins. Regardless, this structure seems built to age.
Left ¼ of the bottle and finally got back to it on day 3 – still vibrant, but more seamless and complexity, including mature notes of leather and rose, and softening tannins. Have two more – next open will be 2020ish. Buy it if you can find it. Tasted along side the 2010 Valdacava. Made the Valdacava, while definitely an enjoyable and more overtly powerful wine, seem monolithic and a little boring by comparison. This was a nice surprise.
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10/22/2016 - chablis28 wrote: 92 Points
Classic BdM. Medium ruby slightly brownish / mostly garnet color. I decanted for an hour before drinking. Poured into Riedel Bdxs. Served between high 50s to low 60s. The nose is perfuse and inviting from the get go and loaded with red fruit spice and tobacco aromas that carry through to the palate where we pick up some licorice too. Very satisfying Brunello tonight with a delicious Tuscan pappardelle ragout Nita made in anticipation of our upcoming trip to Tuscany. This very close to a 93pt wine and a very strong 92pts. At $40 this BdM and many others are a complete bargain compared to other options like most new release Napa Cabs. 2010 is great year to boot. Alc is stated at exactly 15% but it didn't feel like it, more like $13% ish.
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5/25/2016 - bobadopolis Likes this wine: 93 Points
Comes across as a bit hot after about 30 minutes in the decanter, but really delicious. Next day I get no heat, fine tannins, great deep fruit, tobacco, and a subtle but distinctive hint of black licorice at the finish. Really nice for such a young brunello. Look forward to trying this with a few years under the belt. Has potential to be great.
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3/17/2016 - shleepy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very fragrant, with sour cherry, incense, and a touch of permanent marker (yes, I'll stick with that description). Good acidity, noticeable but not overwhelming tannins. Quite tasty.
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3/7/2016 - rsbeck wrote: 91 Points
Popped, poured, consumed over three evenings. Very characteristic of this vintage, there are a lot of good things going on here and this is a very enjoyable wine even at this stage. However, although significant tannin is also characteristic of most of the wines I've tasted from this vintage, I would say this wine is marked by tannin at the more extreme end of the continuum. Luckily, the tannin, again characteristic of the vintage, is sweet and silky, but I'll be very curious to see if the fruit here can outlast the tannin and bring this wine into balance. I suspect this will be a tannic wine for a long time. Still, I found this enjoyable, especially with food.
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3/2/2016 - John McCabe wrote: 94 Points
This is a great example of what this vintage brings. There's such vibrancy and energy, it's fun and playful but at the same time quite serious. There's so much going on in so many areas. 94+pts.
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9/16/2015 - jeffreylubowski Likes this wine: 92 Points
I know I should have waited but oh well. The second I poured it into the decanter I knew it was a mistake. The tannins are nostril destroying. However, time in the decanter did tone this down a bit. The alcohol is listed as 15% and I would say you can feel it. All that aside, it is a beautiful wine. Candied cherry, leather, tobacco, earth, mushroom. I would say this veers towards the traditional. This needs time.
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1/24/2015 - BigBoy_Sonoma wrote: 97 Points
Red fruit, tobacco, minerality, wonderful layered complexity. Really well balanced.
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