Per other postings, this needs LOTS of air and more time in bottle to reveal its true potential. Even with 3 hours of air (no decant) and two+ hours of drinking, this was barely starting to open up.
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This wine was initially big, burly and richly fruited but 3 hours in the decanter revealed lovely structure behind the dark cherry and blackcurrant fruit that came into fine focus. There was plenty of length, grip and chew here but equally tons of character and purity.
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Either alrady slghtly over the top or all done with increadible rioe fruits. For my taste missing the freshness, too many porto-style notes. Don‘t eait any longer!
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Distinctly Italian Bordeaux blend with an atypical animalistic barnyard type nose with mushrooms and plumb. A wild like, structured frame yet smooth. Mint and red berries on a lingering finish. Drink now-2029.
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Initially a bit closed, had some bitterness on palate. But this faded out over time, showed more needed acidity. Became more complex, balanced. Time will further improve.
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Aromas of new wood, primary black fruits and loads of spice. Quite full-bodied with an excellent tannic structure and flavors that match the aroma. This is young and very unformed but clearly has all the pieces it needs to age into a beauty. Really elegant and refined. Give it a few years (at least).
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Upon opening, beautiful but slightly tight aromas of black cherry and boysenberry with a hint of mint, a little spice too. As it opened over the course of the afternoon and evening it gave off more of a red fruit vibe as the tension relaxed. The palate is deep, savory and delicious with a good amount of sweet cherry fruit followed by a long finish. This is a beautiful wine but there is no rush to open it. Right now, depending on where you catch this thing because it did go through an awkward phase about three hours into being opened, I'd score it somewhere between 91-93. There is still plenty of fruit so no need to hurry. I believe in another three years this will put on a bit more weight and the aromatics will come together. Very well made wine that should easily age another ten years.
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This was my contribution to an eight bottle Cabernet tasting (all blind) and (surprisingly) was most everyone's last choice. Granted that it was amongst good company with some fabulous wines from Napa and Washington, so a different style but I still expected a better showing. Decanted 24 hours beforehand, there was a distinct brown hue to the appearance and earthiness on the nose and palate with minimal secondary fruit showing through. It was one of the driest wines of the line up.
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Worth every dime of it. Solid structure, enticing nose, and fairly long lasting. Last vintage I tasted was 2007 which also knock my sox off. They did it again. At the price range of 50~60, this is good enough.
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Interesting wine. Medium body with sweet black fruit and smooth tannins. The impression I had is somewhere between a Saint-Julien and a good Coonawarra cabernet. Enjoyable but hard to find a distinguishing marker. Will try another soon as I seem to have been mean with my score compared to everyone else! ***
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Consistent with other's notes. Drank along side a Nickel & Nickel Hayne Vineyard. Consistent in structure and flavor profile. Double decanted eight hours before consuming, which I had to think helped improve the wine.
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Tasted double-blind. The first impression, both on the bouquet and palate, was ripe sweetness, of purple berries in particular, along with overt high-quality oak influence. And, the 15 abv, while not angular, was certainly noticeable. The wine also features a luxurious sweetness on the palate, quite feminine, reminiscent of dark berry liqueurs, blackberry in particular, although not Crème de Cassis, a hallmark of ripe vintage Left Bank Bordeaux. Moreover, Cabernet Sauvignon markers, while present (blackcurrant, peppers, graphite), lacked promience, in part because of overall ripeness, and also intentional style. All this noted, however, the wine showed prominent Old World markers. Thus, that this was a modernly styled, 2015 vintage Right Bank Bordeaux (Saint-Emilion), or Tuscan Bordeaux tribute seemed fairly certain. Ultimately the sweetness, of fruit and high-quality oak, along with a relative paucity of Tuscan terroir markers led me to guess 2015 Saint-Emilion.
A delicious head-turner, and quite powerful, though not at all rustic. It shows elements of (off-putting) manufacture, yet delivers enough substance to make it interesting. Likely to evolve over the next three to seven years, depending upon where the ripeness and 15 abv take it. Recommend checking in by 2020-2021, which should reveal whether the wine will begin declining after 2025, or hold until 2030-2032. 92-94.
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The nose was quite intense with dark cherries, some oak and cooked and now cold potato peel (sounds a bit crazy, I know, but was quite precise.... never had that before). Quite interesting nose for such a young wine. A clear minus for the overbearing acidity, however. On the palate some dark fruit, red currant, cherries, some soft oak aromas, some scents of yeast. All in a good structure with noticeable but fine-grained, smooth tannins. Acidity much better integrated. Well balanced, medium+ complexity and intensity, medium precision.
I had this by the glass (newly opened bottle, decanted for 30 minutes). It never came even close to the 2015 Ornellaia I had some weeks ago. Not as deep, not as sexy and sweet, not the same precision, not the same exciting structural frame. But to be fair, I followed to Ornellaia for 2-3 hours vs roughly 45 minutes for the Giusto i Notri. So probably not a fair trial for this wine. Nevertheless, definitely a good wine from a good vintage which will certainly improve.
My scores of the few 2015 Super Tuscans I had this year: Ornellaia 97 (pure sex in a bottle), Redigaffi 97 (layers, layers, layers, for me clearly more potential than the Ornellaia), Saffredi 93 & 94 (potential for a 95-96 wine for sure, QPR is insane) and Giusto i Notri with 92.
A word on decanting: The Saffredi and the Ornellaia showed that they need air and improve drastically with time in the glass. I would hence advise to give this wine 2, 3 or better 4 hours in the decanter and follow it over some time.
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Aromas of new wood, primary black fruits and loads of spice. Quite full-bodied with an excellent tannic structure and flavors that match the aroma. This is young and very unformed but clearly has all the pieces it needs to age into a beauty. Really elegant and refined. Give it a few years (at least). Drink 2021-2030 92-95.
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Tasted after 2016 Rosso dei Notri this is also quite fruit driven , but shows more depths and complexity - notes of spices, tobacco, coffee. Good concentration on the palate, good acidity, nice tannic grip. Very long. Lovely. 91-92+
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Deep dark reddish-purple opaque in color. Full, fragrant & attractive nose of ripe fruit aromas of blackberries, dark cherries & plums with overtones of earthy/dusty & some floral notes, dried herbs, cocoa, spices, minerals, a hint of cedar & vanilla notes in the background. Medium-full to full bodied with a very good concentration of balanced & smooth textured, ripe fruit flavors of dark cherries, blackberries & plums with cocoa, spices, herbs, minerals & a touch of vanilla. Lingering finish with a slight hint of bitterness. Drinks quite well at present with decanting and extending airing although it will continue to develop with further aging. [Comprised of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc & 10% Merlot.]
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Super clean and correct, but also painfully backward today at VinItaly. I gave this as much time as I could spare in hopes it would open in the glass, but it wasn't budging. Good energy underneath the bonds of youth/wood; give this at least 2-3 years to unwind. Above-average structure, leathery, raspy tannins. HOLD. recommended
11/8/2023 - Sugarb Likes this wine: 91 Points
Per other postings, this needs LOTS of air and more time in bottle to reveal its true potential. Even with 3 hours of air (no decant) and two+ hours of drinking, this was barely starting to open up.
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9/16/2023 - drjb Likes this wine: 94 Points
This wine was initially big, burly and richly fruited but 3 hours in the decanter revealed lovely structure behind the dark cherry and blackcurrant fruit that came into fine focus. There was plenty of length, grip and chew here but equally tons of character and purity.
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7/22/2023 - King_Arthur wrote: 90 Points
Either alrady slghtly over the top or all done with increadible rioe fruits. For my taste missing the freshness, too many porto-style notes. Don‘t eait any longer!
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9/23/2022 - Poisey wrote: 91 Points
Distinctly Italian Bordeaux blend with an atypical animalistic barnyard type nose with mushrooms and plumb. A wild like, structured frame yet smooth. Mint and red berries on a lingering finish. Drink now-2029.
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7/24/2022 - bugdoced Likes this wine: 90 Points
early in its drinking window
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5/1/2022 - King_Arthur Likes this wine: 92 Points
Initially a bit closed, had some bitterness on palate. But this faded out over time, showed more needed acidity. Became more complex, balanced. Time will further improve.
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7/13/2021 - ravbik wrote: 94 Points
Still very young
Loads of Cabernet Sauvignon
Delicious but need to have with a hearty Italian meal
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6/6/2021 - WilD wrote: 94 Points
Aromas of new wood, primary black fruits and loads of spice. Quite full-bodied with an excellent tannic structure and flavors that match the aroma. This is young and very unformed but clearly has all the pieces it needs to age into a beauty. Really elegant and refined. Give it a few years (at least).
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5/13/2021 - Rabaja Likes this wine: 93 Points
Upon opening, beautiful but slightly tight aromas of black cherry and boysenberry with a hint of mint, a little spice too. As it opened over the course of the afternoon and evening it gave off more of a red fruit vibe as the tension relaxed. The palate is deep, savory and delicious with a good amount of sweet cherry fruit followed by a long finish. This is a beautiful wine but there is no rush to open it. Right now, depending on where you catch this thing because it did go through an awkward phase about three hours into being opened, I'd score it somewhere between 91-93. There is still plenty of fruit so no need to hurry. I believe in another three years this will put on a bit more weight and the aromatics will come together. Very well made wine that should easily age another ten years.
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3/17/2021 - kanab ram Likes this wine:
This was my contribution to an eight bottle Cabernet tasting (all blind) and (surprisingly) was most everyone's last choice. Granted that it was amongst good company with some fabulous wines from Napa and Washington, so a different style but I still expected a better showing. Decanted 24 hours beforehand, there was a distinct brown hue to the appearance and earthiness on the nose and palate with minimal secondary fruit showing through. It was one of the driest wines of the line up.
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11/1/2020 - RyanWu Likes this wine: 92 Points
Worth every dime of it. Solid structure, enticing nose, and fairly long lasting. Last vintage I tasted was 2007 which also knock my sox off. They did it again. At the price range of 50~60, this is good enough.
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5/30/2020 - baxter67 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Interesting wine. Medium body with sweet black fruit and smooth tannins. The impression I had is somewhere between a Saint-Julien and a good Coonawarra cabernet. Enjoyable but hard to find a distinguishing marker. Will try another soon as I seem to have been mean with my score compared to everyone else! ***
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8/26/2019 - kanab ram Likes this wine:
Consistent with other's notes. Drank along side a Nickel & Nickel Hayne Vineyard. Consistent in structure and flavor profile. Double decanted eight hours before consuming, which I had to think helped improve the wine.
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11/10/2018 - JonnyG Likes this wine: 92 Points
Rich and modern, with dark fruit, spicy oak and some smoke. A crowd pleaser with quality, if that is a thing.
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9/4/2018 - Motz wrote: 93 Points
Tasted double-blind. The first impression, both on the bouquet and palate, was ripe sweetness, of purple berries in particular, along with overt high-quality oak influence. And, the 15 abv, while not angular, was certainly noticeable. The wine also features a luxurious sweetness on the palate, quite feminine, reminiscent of dark berry liqueurs, blackberry in particular, although not Crème de Cassis, a hallmark of ripe vintage Left Bank Bordeaux. Moreover, Cabernet Sauvignon markers, while present (blackcurrant, peppers, graphite), lacked promience, in part because of overall ripeness, and also intentional style. All this noted, however, the wine showed prominent Old World markers. Thus, that this was a modernly styled, 2015 vintage Right Bank Bordeaux (Saint-Emilion), or Tuscan Bordeaux tribute seemed fairly certain. Ultimately the sweetness, of fruit and high-quality oak, along with a relative paucity of Tuscan terroir markers led me to guess 2015 Saint-Emilion.
A delicious head-turner, and quite powerful, though not at all rustic. It shows elements of (off-putting) manufacture, yet delivers enough substance to make it interesting. Likely to evolve over the next three to seven years, depending upon where the ripeness and 15 abv take it. Recommend checking in by 2020-2021, which should reveal whether the wine will begin declining after 2025, or hold until 2030-2032. 92-94.
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8/22/2018 - Cailles wrote: 92 Points
The nose was quite intense with dark cherries, some oak and cooked and now cold potato peel (sounds a bit crazy, I know, but was quite precise.... never had that before). Quite interesting nose for such a young wine. A clear minus for the overbearing acidity, however. On the palate some dark fruit, red currant, cherries, some soft oak aromas, some scents of yeast. All in a good structure with noticeable but fine-grained, smooth tannins. Acidity much better integrated. Well balanced, medium+ complexity and intensity, medium precision.
I had this by the glass (newly opened bottle, decanted for 30 minutes). It never came even close to the 2015 Ornellaia I had some weeks ago. Not as deep, not as sexy and sweet, not the same precision, not the same exciting structural frame. But to be fair, I followed to Ornellaia for 2-3 hours vs roughly 45 minutes for the Giusto i Notri. So probably not a fair trial for this wine. Nevertheless, definitely a good wine from a good vintage which will certainly improve.
My scores of the few 2015 Super Tuscans I had this year: Ornellaia 97 (pure sex in a bottle), Redigaffi 97 (layers, layers, layers, for me clearly more potential than the Ornellaia), Saffredi 93 & 94 (potential for a 95-96 wine for sure, QPR is insane) and Giusto i Notri with 92.
A word on decanting: The Saffredi and the Ornellaia showed that they need air and improve drastically with time in the glass. I would hence advise to give this wine 2, 3 or better 4 hours in the decanter and follow it over some time.
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6/25/2018 - WineGuyX Likes this wine: 93 Points
Aromas of new wood, primary black fruits and loads of spice. Quite full-bodied with an excellent tannic structure and flavors that match the aroma. This is young and very unformed but clearly has all the pieces it needs to age into a beauty. Really elegant and refined. Give it a few years (at least). Drink 2021-2030 92-95.
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6/3/2018 - rossi.wine wrote: 92 Points
Tasted after 2016 Rosso dei Notri this is also quite fruit driven , but shows more depths and complexity - notes of spices, tobacco, coffee. Good concentration on the palate, good acidity, nice tannic grip. Very long. Lovely. 91-92+
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12/2/2017 - Vinnut Likes this wine: 92 Points
Deep dark reddish-purple opaque in color. Full, fragrant & attractive nose of ripe fruit aromas of blackberries, dark cherries & plums with overtones of earthy/dusty & some floral notes, dried herbs, cocoa, spices, minerals, a hint of cedar & vanilla notes in the background. Medium-full to full bodied with a very good concentration of balanced & smooth textured, ripe fruit flavors of dark cherries, blackberries & plums with cocoa, spices, herbs, minerals & a touch of vanilla. Lingering finish with a slight hint of bitterness. Drinks quite well at present with decanting and extending airing although it will continue to develop with further aging. [Comprised of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc & 10% Merlot.]
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10/23/2017 - chris.diez wrote:
Modified original order
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4/11/2017 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:
Super clean and correct, but also painfully backward today at VinItaly. I gave this as much time as I could spare in hopes it would open in the glass, but it wasn't budging. Good energy underneath the bonds of youth/wood; give this at least 2-3 years to unwind. Above-average structure, leathery, raspy tannins. HOLD. recommended
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