Pours a rich reddish purple, dense but not opaque, some brick fading around the edges so definitely showing some age at this point but still showing lots of color.
Ripe black cherries and black raspberries on the nose, the prettiest vanilla, and after some time, pink flowers, then the green and the spice swoop in, alternating green and dried, sweet cicely vs. star anise, fresh wild sage vs. dried marjoram, and a pure note of steeped cloves. The minerals show more as a meaty character which is quite pronounced, like ground beef browning in the pot. A fascinating book kaleidoscope.
Supremely juicy on the palate, almost syrupy in concentration, the tannins are refined and sculpted, the acid vibrant but balanced. Chewy black cherry and black raspberry fruit, licorice, and woody spices. A long, resinous finish that sticks to your gums in the best way. Enjoyable on its own but better paired with well-seasoned pasta or meat dishes. This one can stand up to fat so meat and cream sauces, bring it on.
I’ve had one bottle of this each of the last two years and now this year, and it is getting better yet not yet altogether harmonious, I feel the prime drinking time is a few years out and this can go decades beyond that if stored properly, ideal drinking window 2026-2035 but it is good to go now with almost any red meat or pasta based Mediterranean fare you have at hand.
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PnP that showed quite well over the two hours it was open. Consistent with my tn of four years ago, this is ageing well and slowly: "PnP that's definitely in the zone. Deep ruby, clear and bright. It took little time for the nose to come to life, and once it had, it remained fairly stable (and pretty) until the bottle was finished. The palate is the lighter side of full-bodied. An excellent food wine, with perfectly integrated, very fine tannins. Red/dark red fruited, fresh acidity, lovely balance. Excellent value at $41, and an excellent gateway wine to those looking to branch out from domestic: Pinot/Syrah/Cab. The 15,0% abv is already well integrated. highly recommended
Hmmm. I really wanted to like this more than I did. The nose promised complexity that didn’t materialize on the palate. Nice notes of tar, rose, leather, dark fruit in the nose but missing something upon drinking. Still quite a substantial wine with nice tannin and acid structure will revisit again down the road.
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Forty-five minute decant through a screened and aerating funnel. No aromas during decant and no sediment either. Wine was clear; dark ruby from bowl to rim. After resting, the nose seemed rather numb: a little tar, a hint of rose petals and a bit of tree bark, but otherwise nothing. Vigorous swirling did nothing to bring forth the nose. In the mouth, a similar story: very austere wine of leather, ash and slight red fruit. Grippy tannins and plenty of acid. Given prior reviews, I was a bit disappointed. For whatever reason, this bottle seemed fast asleep. Next time, I will double decant and wait two hours.
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Nose of black plum, white pepper, bark, and hint of sassafras. Dry black fruit palate with tons of acidity, damp earth, fresh wet leaves, dark leather and hints of black peppercorn and black cherry. Acidity continues on the finish, adding broad, rounded, but firm tannins with oak, iron and iodine. Typically austere Aglianico but the tannins are manageable.
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First of 2 ($37.99@) bought from the big box wine store about 18 months ago. On the nose and palate, medium notes of ash, minerality, mixed dark berry compote, black cherry, mixed ground spice, rose petals, red currants, and, after time, light notes of forest spice and bitter chocolate. Very dark cardinal, medium to full bodied, thick legs. Powerfully tannic, medium+ acidity which is well integrated but undergirds the effort, not a hint of heat despite 15% abv. Great intensity, VG+ persistence, VG complexity. On the pour, like many wines from Campania and some from Sicily, this gives a first impression of drinking liquid volcanic ash, to the extent I can imagine such thing. This is an interesting note, and really unfamiliar to those more used to the wines of the US, France and Italy of Lazio and north. It’s neither the sexy smokiness of so many BdMs, nor the smoke taint, alas, found in so many fire-damaged wines (or in the flawed ‘06 Clos des Papes I described). While this made me think that this would be more of an interesting academic exercise than an enjoyable wine, it integrated almost completely after an hour, so that, at most, it was a backstop, as graphite notes are in Graves or tar in Barolos, giving the wine really nice backbone. As is sometimes the case with European wines, even after this relaxed, this was still a structure and secondary notes first wine, although the diverse fruit notes impressively interlineated. Still, this wine is savory first, and while not enamel-peeling, a bit better with food, in this case, an ideal pairing of spicy red sauce pasta and deep dish pizza, than on its own. Different notes came out and took preeminence over time, but the core held pretty firm, so there wasn’t a huge difference after the first hour (I’d probably say it was at its best with between an hour and 2 of air, but the difference wasn’t huge). Aglianco is a bit of a sledgehammer grape, although those not familiar with it, in my experience, Taurasis are its best expression (like Barolos with Nebbiolo, although whether that’s the case with the BdMs and sangio is a topic for a conversation with some good glasses of Casanova di Neri TN and a Flac in front of you), and this wine is right at the top of my (admittedly small) sample size of these wines. Whether a great Taurasi can be a great wine—this tops out at VG++-excellent-, IMO—will be something I’ll spend more time determining, but even if it doesn’t, at 20-25% the price of high quality vintages of the Sandrones, CdN TNs, Valdicava Riservas and Flacs, it’s pretty killer qpr, and another ringing endorsement for this vintage in Italy, even if I speak of that with less conviction of its underrated quality than in the climes of Tuscany and the Piedmont. Again, relative unfamiliarity with Taurasis generally, and totally unfamiliarity with this bottling in particular, I’m a bit reluctant to venture out too strongly on drinking windows other than to say that, with moderate air, this seems to be in its, my sense is earlier than later, with plenty of time left from the tannic structure (will the tannins ebb a bit more and the fruit come forward to make this more sublime or will the entire endeavor fade? That’s above my pay grade). But if you read my notes and your palate is similar and you pop this now with a bit of air and pair it with something red (ideally, pizza or pasta, but it could certainly stand up to something bloodier), I can’t imagine you’ll be disappointed. One of my NY’s resolutions for a couple of years running has been to drink more Italians outside of the ABBs and the IGTs; this wine makes me think I should make up for my dereliction, stat. Will likely put my second bottle aside for 2-3 years, opportunistically look for more of this and its kin. 94++
Third up in the line at our 22nd virtual wine tasting even twas this Aglianico. Opaque with thick legs that showed off the 15% ABV. On the nose the panel got blueberry, violets, tar, charcoal, black raspberry, tarry smoke, forest floor, black licorice and pencil lead. One person noted it to be Port-like. On the palate it was a tannic beast. Almost searing even with 9 years of bottle age. It's difficult to discern flavors when all you can sense is the astringency covering even square inch of you gums and teeth but we did manage to coax anise, blackberry, cherry, smoky tar (or tarry smoke!) out of the glass. As mentioned- super tannic, it had medium acidity, medium body and a medium finish which made it a 92 point wine in my book. After some decanting time it softened up quite considerably and came into its own. At $40 it is an interesting way to discover the varietal from Campania, which is due east of Naples. 4 stars with a drink by 2030 window.
https://wp.me/p125DB-2jN
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Highly aromatic upon opening the bottle. After 1+ hour of decanting, poured into glasses to enjoy aromas of red berry fruits, leather and hint of chocolate and tobacco. On the palate , wonderfully rich texture of fruits with silky finish. On of the best Taurasi’s tasted.
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Give at least an hour for the nose to open up and you will be rewarded with a spicy nose of rose, cedar, cumin, and leather notes. The palate is red fruits, savory, and saline with strong, but integrated tannins. I would like a bit more acidity, but most will find it just fine. Can enjoy now, but a few more years will help the tannins and surely more tertiary elements will develop.
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Beautiful intense color with no sign of aging at the edges. Upon opening, there are intense aromas of bright red fruit. After a 4.5 hour decant, the fruit aromas are more subdued and are mixed with herb, menthol, and leather. On the palate there is a lot of flavor: mild dark fruit (raisin/fig) and cranberry, with bitter herb, earth, ash, licorice, and some cocoa. On the reasonably long finish, some white pepper emerges. Strongly tannic. Full bodied. Likely to improve with additional bottle age.
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Really powerful and interesting stuff. Well-aged but still benefits from decanting. After 30-40 mins opening I thought I had a new favorite grape and wine. Striking but restrained red fruit, great acidity, engaging body, and for a brief moment had some cocoa and cedar notes. After an hour the finish got just a bit less interesting / more tart blueberry than cedar which was a shame, but still a really lovely wine.
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A deep red and powerful (15% alcohol) wine. This is a wine where ch punches well above its weight. It is very acidic, quite tannic and filled with aged wine notes that consistent with great wines.
Earthy, underbrush, and some mushroom at the start. Moves onto cherry, plum skin, and stewed meat. The finish has some vegetable notes with pepper and tobacco leaf.
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Dunkles Bordeauxrot, schwarzer Kern. Weihnachtliche, explosive Nase. Gewürznelken, Zimt, Kardamom, Waldbeeren, Teer. Am Gaumen extraktsüss, Honigtouch, tolle, tragende Säure, wieder Waldbeeren, feingliedrige aber noch sehr präsente Tannine. Endlos im Finale. Der beste je von mir verkostete Taurasi - ich muss aufstocken!
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PnP, slightly better on night #2. Deep ruby, clear and bright. It took little time for the nose to come to life, and once it had, it remained fairly stable (and pretty) until the bottle was finished. The palate is the lighter side of full-bodied, with avg depth that's likely to improve with a few more years in the cellar. An excellent food wine, with perfectly integrated, very fine tannins. Somewhat remarkable just how well this is drinking already, but I think in the coming 2-4 years, it'll be drinking even better. Red/dark red fruited, fresh acidity, lovely balance. Excellent value at $41, and an excellent gateway wine to those looking to branch out from domestic: Pinot/Syrah/Cab. The 15,0% abv is already well integrated. highly recommended
Very good. It’s a powerful wine but has calmed down. Lots of red fruit, acidic, strong tannins but not too strong, earthy. I’d say this is in a good spot but will improve in the next few years.
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5/7/2024 - puffinscellar Likes this wine: 95 Points
Pours a rich reddish purple, dense but not opaque, some brick fading around the edges so definitely showing some age at this point but still showing lots of color.
Ripe black cherries and black raspberries on the nose, the prettiest vanilla, and after some time, pink flowers, then the green and the spice swoop in, alternating green and dried, sweet cicely vs. star anise, fresh wild sage vs. dried marjoram, and a pure note of steeped cloves. The minerals show more as a meaty character which is quite pronounced, like ground beef browning in the pot. A fascinating book kaleidoscope.
Supremely juicy on the palate, almost syrupy in concentration, the tannins are refined and sculpted, the acid vibrant but balanced. Chewy black cherry and black raspberry fruit, licorice, and woody spices. A long, resinous finish that sticks to your gums in the best way. Enjoyable on its own but better paired with well-seasoned pasta or meat dishes. This one can stand up to fat so meat and cream sauces, bring it on.
I’ve had one bottle of this each of the last two years and now this year, and it is getting better yet not yet altogether harmonious, I feel the prime drinking time is a few years out and this can go decades beyond that if stored properly, ideal drinking window 2026-2035 but it is good to go now with almost any red meat or pasta based Mediterranean fare you have at hand.
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3/18/2024 - Side Hustle Wino wrote:
Excellent wine. Fruit notes are steel there even with nearly 12 years of age. Minerality, smokiness, incredibly smooth.
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2/16/2024 - Tim Heaton wrote:
PnP that showed quite well over the two hours it was open. Consistent with my tn of four years ago, this is ageing well and slowly: "PnP that's definitely in the zone. Deep ruby, clear and bright. It took little time for the nose to come to life, and once it had, it remained fairly stable (and pretty) until the bottle was finished. The palate is the lighter side of full-bodied. An excellent food wine, with perfectly integrated, very fine tannins. Red/dark red fruited, fresh acidity, lovely balance. Excellent value at $41, and an excellent gateway wine to those looking to branch out from domestic: Pinot/Syrah/Cab. The 15,0% abv is already well integrated. highly recommended
https://www.ItalianWine.blog
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1/23/2024 - 3 Graces wrote:
Excellent- buy again!
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1/21/2024 - Gman_21 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Inky dark purple with some dark fruits and a little funk. Still pretty tannic and very dry. Great with bolognese. Opened a few hours before drinking.
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10/4/2023 - talid Likes this wine: 90 Points
Hmmm. I really wanted to like this more than I did. The nose promised complexity that didn’t materialize on the palate. Nice notes of tar, rose, leather, dark fruit in the nose but missing something upon drinking. Still quite a substantial wine with nice tannin and acid structure will revisit again down the road.
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9/21/2023 - angelaRD Likes this wine: 95 Points
Beautiful
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9/15/2023 - OenophilistMN Likes this wine: 86 Points
Forty-five minute decant through a screened and aerating funnel. No aromas during decant and no sediment either. Wine was clear; dark ruby from bowl to rim. After resting, the nose seemed rather numb: a little tar, a hint of rose petals and a bit of tree bark, but otherwise nothing. Vigorous swirling did nothing to bring forth the nose. In the mouth, a similar story: very austere wine of leather, ash and slight red fruit. Grippy tannins and plenty of acid. Given prior reviews, I was a bit disappointed. For whatever reason, this bottle seemed fast asleep. Next time, I will double decant and wait two hours.
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9/11/2023 - dsenni Likes this wine: 93 Points
Beautiful and in a great place right now.
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2/18/2023 - Mactus wrote:
Great wine. Really enjoyed it and had lot of layers to its flavor
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2/16/2023 - VAGenius Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nose of black plum, white pepper, bark, and hint of sassafras. Dry black fruit palate with tons of acidity, damp earth, fresh wet leaves, dark leather and hints of black peppercorn and black cherry. Acidity continues on the finish, adding broad, rounded, but firm tannins with oak, iron and iodine. Typically austere Aglianico but the tannins are manageable.
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12/6/2022 - Side Hustle Wino wrote: 88 Points
Was an interesting wine but not earth shattering.
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7/21/2022 - sfwinelover1 Likes this wine: 94 Points
First of 2 ($37.99@) bought from the big box wine store about 18 months ago. On the nose and palate, medium notes of ash, minerality, mixed dark berry compote, black cherry, mixed ground spice, rose petals, red currants, and, after time, light notes of forest spice and bitter chocolate. Very dark cardinal, medium to full bodied, thick legs. Powerfully tannic, medium+ acidity which is well integrated but undergirds the effort, not a hint of heat despite 15% abv. Great intensity, VG+ persistence, VG complexity. On the pour, like many wines from Campania and some from Sicily, this gives a first impression of drinking liquid volcanic ash, to the extent I can imagine such thing. This is an interesting note, and really unfamiliar to those more used to the wines of the US, France and Italy of Lazio and north. It’s neither the sexy smokiness of so many BdMs, nor the smoke taint, alas, found in so many fire-damaged wines (or in the flawed ‘06 Clos des Papes I described). While this made me think that this would be more of an interesting academic exercise than an enjoyable wine, it integrated almost completely after an hour, so that, at most, it was a backstop, as graphite notes are in Graves or tar in Barolos, giving the wine really nice backbone. As is sometimes the case with European wines, even after this relaxed, this was still a structure and secondary notes first wine, although the diverse fruit notes impressively interlineated. Still, this wine is savory first, and while not enamel-peeling, a bit better with food, in this case, an ideal pairing of spicy red sauce pasta and deep dish pizza, than on its own. Different notes came out and took preeminence over time, but the core held pretty firm, so there wasn’t a huge difference after the first hour (I’d probably say it was at its best with between an hour and 2 of air, but the difference wasn’t huge). Aglianco is a bit of a sledgehammer grape, although those not familiar with it, in my experience, Taurasis are its best expression (like Barolos with Nebbiolo, although whether that’s the case with the BdMs and sangio is a topic for a conversation with some good glasses of Casanova di Neri TN and a Flac in front of you), and this wine is right at the top of my (admittedly small) sample size of these wines. Whether a great Taurasi can be a great wine—this tops out at VG++-excellent-, IMO—will be something I’ll spend more time determining, but even if it doesn’t, at 20-25% the price of high quality vintages of the Sandrones, CdN TNs, Valdicava Riservas and Flacs, it’s pretty killer qpr, and another ringing endorsement for this vintage in Italy, even if I speak of that with less conviction of its underrated quality than in the climes of Tuscany and the Piedmont. Again, relative unfamiliarity with Taurasis generally, and totally unfamiliarity with this bottling in particular, I’m a bit reluctant to venture out too strongly on drinking windows other than to say that, with moderate air, this seems to be in its, my sense is earlier than later, with plenty of time left from the tannic structure (will the tannins ebb a bit more and the fruit come forward to make this more sublime or will the entire endeavor fade? That’s above my pay grade). But if you read my notes and your palate is similar and you pop this now with a bit of air and pair it with something red (ideally, pizza or pasta, but it could certainly stand up to something bloodier), I can’t imagine you’ll be disappointed. One of my NY’s resolutions for a couple of years running has been to drink more Italians outside of the ABBs and the IGTs; this wine makes me think I should make up for my dereliction, stat. Will likely put my second bottle aside for 2-3 years, opportunistically look for more of this and its kin. 94++
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11/22/2021 - caspernick wrote: 92 Points
Third up in the line at our 22nd virtual wine tasting even twas this Aglianico. Opaque with thick legs that showed off the 15% ABV. On the nose the panel got blueberry, violets, tar, charcoal, black raspberry, tarry smoke, forest floor, black licorice and pencil lead. One person noted it to be Port-like. On the palate it was a tannic beast. Almost searing even with 9 years of bottle age. It's difficult to discern flavors when all you can sense is the astringency covering even square inch of you gums and teeth but we did manage to coax anise, blackberry, cherry, smoky tar (or tarry smoke!) out of the glass. As mentioned- super tannic, it had medium acidity, medium body and a medium finish which made it a 92 point wine in my book. After some decanting time it softened up quite considerably and came into its own. At $40 it is an interesting way to discover the varietal from Campania, which is due east of Naples. 4 stars with a drink by 2030 window.
https://wp.me/p125DB-2jN
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10/10/2021 - EXPLORER 825 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Highly aromatic upon opening the bottle. After 1+ hour of decanting, poured into glasses to enjoy aromas of red berry fruits, leather and hint of chocolate and tobacco. On the palate , wonderfully rich texture of fruits with silky finish. On of the best Taurasi’s tasted.
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10/8/2021 - Kevin Wilcox wrote:
Enjoyed
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9/13/2021 - JimTaft Likes this wine: 93 Points
This stuff is fantastic. Ready to drink while probably just as good maybe better in 10 years. A particularly enjoyable Aglianico !!
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7/25/2021 - Saxman1984 wrote:
Give at least an hour for the nose to open up and you will be rewarded with a spicy nose of rose, cedar, cumin, and leather notes. The palate is red fruits, savory, and saline with strong, but integrated tannins. I would like a bit more acidity, but most will find it just fine. Can enjoy now, but a few more years will help the tannins and surely more tertiary elements will develop.
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7/23/2021 - Escher Cellars wrote: 93 Points
Just amazing; layered complexity but punch-in-the-mouth tannins. What a great aglianico should be. Drink now or next 3-4 years. Enjoy!
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7/1/2021 - CabinConnoisseur Likes this wine: 92 Points
Beautiful intense color with no sign of aging at the edges. Upon opening, there are intense aromas of bright red fruit. After a 4.5 hour decant, the fruit aromas are more subdued and are mixed with herb, menthol, and leather. On the palate there is a lot of flavor: mild dark fruit (raisin/fig) and cranberry, with bitter herb, earth, ash, licorice, and some cocoa. On the reasonably long finish, some white pepper emerges. Strongly tannic. Full bodied. Likely to improve with additional bottle age.
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6/3/2021 - Desolation Row Likes this wine: 92 Points
This is going to be a great wine however it still needs time in the bottle.
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5/15/2021 - OnWisconsin Likes this wine: 92 Points
Cherry, fresh herbs, oak, and a plummy note.
Medium + acid and tannin.
This is unmistakably Italian with the cherry, high acid, and savory notes. Maintains relative elegance with the medium + to high acid/tannin/alcohol.
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3/13/2021 - WineTimeFineTime Likes this wine: 92 Points
Really powerful and interesting stuff. Well-aged but still benefits from decanting. After 30-40 mins opening I thought I had a new favorite grape and wine. Striking but restrained red fruit, great acidity, engaging body, and for a brief moment had some cocoa and cedar notes. After an hour the finish got just a bit less interesting / more tart blueberry than cedar which was a shame, but still a really lovely wine.
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2/21/2021 - tomoem Likes this wine: 94 Points
A deep red and powerful (15% alcohol) wine. This is a wine where ch punches well above its weight. It is very acidic, quite tannic and filled with aged wine notes that consistent with great wines.
Earthy, underbrush, and some mushroom at the start. Moves onto cherry, plum skin, and stewed meat. The finish has some vegetable notes with pepper and tobacco leaf.
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12/27/2020 - EMAZurich Likes this wine: 96 Points
Dunkles Bordeauxrot, schwarzer Kern. Weihnachtliche, explosive Nase. Gewürznelken, Zimt, Kardamom, Waldbeeren, Teer.
Am Gaumen extraktsüss, Honigtouch, tolle, tragende Säure, wieder Waldbeeren, feingliedrige aber noch sehr präsente Tannine. Endlos im Finale. Der beste je von mir verkostete Taurasi - ich muss aufstocken!
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12/19/2020 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:
PnP, slightly better on night #2. Deep ruby, clear and bright. It took little time for the nose to come to life, and once it had, it remained fairly stable (and pretty) until the bottle was finished. The palate is the lighter side of full-bodied, with avg depth that's likely to improve with a few more years in the cellar. An excellent food wine, with perfectly integrated, very fine tannins. Somewhat remarkable just how well this is drinking already, but I think in the coming 2-4 years, it'll be drinking even better. Red/dark red fruited, fresh acidity, lovely balance. Excellent value at $41, and an excellent gateway wine to those looking to branch out from domestic: Pinot/Syrah/Cab. The 15,0% abv is already well integrated. highly recommended
http://www.italianwine.blog
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11/7/2020 - shurpa14 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very good. It’s a powerful wine but has calmed down. Lots of red fruit, acidic, strong tannins but not too strong, earthy. I’d say this is in a good spot but will improve in the next few years.
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