First of six. Cork was about half saturated and broke. Used an ah-so to extract the rest. The wine was not flawed thankfully. Decanted and back in a clean bottle after 3 hours. Lots of chunky sediment. Consumer over another 3 hours.
I would not have thought this was a 23 year old wine. No bricking, still a lot of primary fruit (dark black berries, cassis), grippy tannins. A little oak, plus some peppery and herbal qualities that tell me this would be an excellent accompaniment to a BBQ meal. Overall a pretty well balanced and delicious wine that might hit its peak in another 23 years. On the other hand, these bottles could be eternal.
Music pairing: Pucho and His Latin Soul Brothers - Yaina
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Stood up for 2 days prior to decanting. Decanted for 5 hours and then consumed over another 3-4. The first glass wasn’t very good but it opened up right after and revealed a lovely bouquet of violets and cherries. A hint of tar and oak in each sip. First time having Aglianico with over 15 years of age, and was surprised that the wine I would compare this to would be an aged Bordeaux. Don’t think the tannins have been fully integrated, and looking forward to opening my last bottle in 5+ years.
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Deep ruby color, tending towards black. Somewhat reticent on the nose with elements of mineral, smoke, and blackberry. Plum skin on the palate, dry on the attack but with a lingering sweet finish.
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Another flawed bottle. Cork broke. It was stuck and had to be pried out. It was not as flawed as some previous bottles but was obviously not correct. The first bottle, back in 2011 showed a lot of promise. Sadly, the other 5 all had problems and I never got to experience a proper evolution.
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96 rating applies to 1.5L format. Unbelievable nose of ripe dark fruit, mineral and firm tannins. Over the past year I’ve also had a few 750ml format and the 750 ml format appear to be past its peak, still decent but not near the prime form that the larger format is showing.
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Every time I drink this wine I wonder why Aglianico is not more popular. This was both powerful, and delicate at the same time. At 22 years old it still drank like a baby, likely could have lasted another 10-20 years. Red and black fruit with a smoky edge like grilled meat. Absolutely fantastic
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3 hours of air needed. Still a bit chewy and rough out of the gate, but the elegance of this wine finally started to show after 3+ hours. Black fruits, some slightly underripe plum, sagebrush elements, touch of Oak, and little glimmers of red currant. Still lots of upside remaining.
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Last of 6. Still dark colored with lots of life left. Dark and smokey a bit on the nose and palate, with a pretty long finish. Nice cherry fruits. Lots of rustic tannins.
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Tasted this 100% single-vineyard Aglianico every year for the last seven years, and it keeps getting better. Decanted for sediment. Deep, ruby/brown w/ a garnet hue. Concentrated, glass-staining. Clean, w/ baked black cherries, prunes, dried red cherries, violets, baking spices, tar, licorice, coffee grinds, dark chocolate/carob and leather. The nose is developed. Dry with plenty of nice fruit in the fore palate, med+ alcohol (14%), polyphenols and minerality. Tastes more youthful than it smells. Med+ acidity and tannins. A full-bodied, chewy wine, with a pronounced flavor intensity and long finish. Remarkably balanced for such a big wine, it is showing really well for a 22-year-old.
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Loved this. Dark dark fruits with a tannic backbone. I am not normally a fan of overtly tannic wines but 22 years of ageing has softened the rough edges and produced something truly interesting and exciting. Enjoy
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Undurchsichtiges, tiefes violett mit deutlichem Braunton im Glas. In den ersten Minuten trocknet es den Mund vollständig aus: Tannin ohne Ende. Als würde ich probieren den Durst mit Sand zu stillen. Selten so eine Gerbstoffpeitsche gehabt. Dann vor allem: Leder, Leder und ein bisschen Leder. Nach einer guten Stunde beginnt die Show: die Sauerkirsche und der Pfeffer sind wohltuend in den 14 Volts gebettet. Nicht zu kalt trinken, sonst bleibt einfach nur die Umdrehung übrig. Denke die aller beste Zeit hat er hinter sich: er will getrunken werden. Am besten eine Stunde vorher dekantieren.
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Really nice wine. Sour cherries, cedar, forest floor on the nose. Sour cherries, strawberry, citrus, white pepper, ash, zesty spice. Strong tannin, very complex, good length with the spice. Went very well with lasagna and the family's Sicilian sauce.
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Aromas of old horse saddle, crushed dark berries, savory herbs. Flavors of dried figs, raisins, black tea etc. Tea-like tannins have smoothed out to but are still present. Still possesses amazing acidity that keeps it drinkable and a great pairing for richer fare. Enjoyed with a shortrib ragu and pappardelle. Definitely has more time left in the tank but if you like acid (and have something tasty to eat) I would drink now!
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Great fruit right of the start, big wine. Blind I guessed Cabernet from California. Best upon opening, faded after a couple hours in the decanter. Notes of currents, plums, black tea, licorice, cacao, tobacco and cedar. Recommend pop and pour.
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One-hour decant through a screened and aerating funnel. Blackberry and figs during decant. Some sediment on the screen. After resting, wine was clear; some orange on the rim. Nose of figs and ash. In the mouth, raisins, tea, mulberry, and again, an ash finish, which was moderately long. Balance seemed great and the acid supported grilled steaks. I was really lucky to source a couple more bottles of this and two other vintages after discovering this wine.
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As good as the last bottle, and no sign of being being over a peak-- vibrant. Nose is blackberries, tobacco, earth, a bit of chocolate. Palate carries thru on those notes, especially the earthy chocolate. Significant acidity, and still very significant tannins -- an intensely rounded drink.
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Wine Pages Giro d’Italia Offline at 67PM (67 Pall Mall): A lovely evolved nose of balsamic, tomato, dark plum, black tea, old leather (probably the key note here), some smoke and coffee Time has softened the tannins to a velvety texture with a pleasing acidity too. I think this is on song now
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Lots of oak on the nose. Massive tannins. Full-bodied, but only 14%. Really elegant in a way - decent length to the finish. I think it needs a few more years in the cellar.
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Slow ox for one hour. Black fruit, tobacco and a little brett on the nose. The palate is full bodied, with black currant, minerals, herbs, and smoke. Still decent tannic presence and a little rustic.
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Not decanted, consumed over ~1 1/2 hours with a dinner featuring grilled ribeyes. Dark-fruited (blackberry/black cherry) with some savory, meaty notes and hints of coffee or tar and herbs. Tannic but not rough, with good acidic balance. My wife and I both really enjoyed this, and I think this is mature (although not very tertiary) but could still certainly have a years ahead of good drinking ahead for sound bottles. One of the better reds I've had in a while, considering my palate preferences and its ability to enhance our meal.
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I’m about halfway through my case, and not sure whether it is still evolving at this point. This bottle opened up a bit over four hours (no decant - a mistake since there was tons of sediment). A little bit musty, slightly better fruit than previous bottles, earthy, but still just not knocking me out.
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Finally enjoyable to drink! At 5 years old, my guests were too modest to spit it out. At 15 years, tannins had softened but took 2 days to open up. At 20 years... Nose initially closed (even after a 2-hour decant). Then something earthy, leather, stone and a faint hint of herbs. Minimal bricking. My wife thought I opened a Brunello or Barolo, but heavier body than both. Tart black cherry and some other dark fruits. Tannins soft and integrated. Has not develop much secondary (aging) aromatics or taste. Tannin structure could last another 5 years, but I do not know what else I will be waiting for. Prime for drinking. My last bottle.
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At long last, this wine is open for business. Too bad it's my last bottle, but it's got a thrilling bouquet of dark flowers, mineral, and anise. Broad and expansive palate, and though still showing abundant tannins, it is now soft enough to where the dark cherry fruit shines through. The NY steak with porcini butter certainly helped the wine show its best. If I had more of this wine, I'd not hesitate to keep it another 10 years.
Last bottle of this, brought to Buono Vita in Somers Point to have with some old school Italian fare. Drank over an hour
Notes from 3/20/20: :Dark garnet core color, mild separation.Nose was a bit closed at first, opening up to show blackberry, coffee, earth, mushrooms. Rich palate of dark cherry, black currant, game/savory notes, herbs (rosemary?), coffee grinds, mineral. Great texture, full body, long(ish) finish..."
This was PnP but we took our time with it. There is a lot going on, it takes a good 20 minutes to really show the depth, better an hour in. Classic Anglianico with this terroir..."taste the volcano" terroir on display. Fully mature, not likely to improve from here
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After a slightly funky bottle last month I was keen to try another and see if the old magic was still there which it was in spades. This bottle was deep in colour with no real signs of age. The aromas really rose from the bottle on decanting with lots of dark fruit, liquorice and tar. On the palate these aromas appeared as flavours with lovely tannic grip, plenty of acidity and good balance. In theory this has plenty of time left but is in a really good place now so I suspect I will drink my remaining bottles over the next couple of years in the hope that they are good bottles. Drunk with roast chicken dinner.
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A year on from our last bottle, this one had quite a bit of funk on the nose on opening and took quite a while to dissipate and subside. On the palate this wine still has lots of acidity and is very tannic with dark fruit flavours that are cooked rather than fresh. Not up to the level of the previous bottle but having said that it did pair really well with the duck Ragu we drank it with.
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From a magnum, this was surprisingly tannic. After @45 minutes in a decanter, the tannins started to soften. Beautiful dark fruits nose, followed by flavors of dark fruits, roses, and some leather. My only bottle, but if I had more I’d decant for 3-4 hours or keep it cellared for 5-10 more years.
First glass from Coravin was a great collection of flavors -- tar, tobacco, and leather -- but a bit disjointed. Opened the bottle about 2.5 months later and the wine was much more integrated. Powerful purple nose (if that makes sense) backed by a deep but bright palate. Not much tertiary and a little bit hot from the alcohol but overall the nicest experience I've had with this wine yet.
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PnP using an aerator. Dark, deep and opaque in the glass and gentle on the nose. Velvety tannins embrace full-bodied fruit, but I can’t place it. Really lovely with a bit more tannic response on the back of the palate and a decent finish. Stems up!
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This was great. Very dark and ripe with lots of structure despite the age. Pretty monolithic, tar, leather with dried herbs - full bodied but firm currant, dark plum and blackberry fruit. Some fig. leather on finish. Really interesting.
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Really interesting and nice wine. I don't drink a lot of wine from this region, so take my review fwiw. Still super tannic, even after 20 years. Nose was very nice - as described by others. Some good cherry and plum fruit is still there. 14%, which seems perfect for this style/grape. Finish is fairly quick (other than the tannins), and acidity seems a bit low to me, but overall it is a fun and intriguing wine.
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Beautiful wine. Concentrated cherry, cedar wood, wet earth, tobacco, rhubarb. Still totally alive and with years of life ahead. But I will drink it a bit younger next time. Just my personal taste.
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Big, tight, smoky, black wine. Still dark and impenetrable color. Nicely perfumed with tar, charcoal and black currant fruit scents with a good bit of floral lift. Black fruit and tar with a bit of fine, silky tannin on the palate. Improves with air becoming more silky on the finish with a touch of warmth. Not bad, but probably best with a piece of grilled meat.
Still tight tight tight. The wine sort of continues to sulk in the bottle on opening, and then there is a slow unwinding in the decanter. I gave it about three hours, and it was only beginning to unwind in the glass. Such an interesting collection of primary flavours, but lacking the sophistication from a more harmonious wine. A wine collector's wine.
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90 minute decant and no where near enough. Put back in bottle to try again another night. Initially rough tannins and dark fruits and black currant. After a couple hours, some softening but far from smooth. Tobacco and grilled meats started to emerge with a touch of hard Oak. This wine seems to have so much potential. Could Parker's initial projection of 98 be close to accurate? It could take another decade to have any clue.
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Last bottle was December 2011 (score 82/100) Decanted 3 hours Wow what happened here. This wine is singing out loud now. Still very bold but lovely. Aroma’s of espresso, cedar, pine, sandalwood, cured meat, menthol, warm fruits. The palate is bold, mouth filling, still tannins but integrated. Almost Amarone like in a way. A beauty today. Still got potential.
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Deep purple-red in the glass. Complex nose of figs, warm earth, stewed fruit and wet mushrooms. Rich, full body. Cherry compote, raisin and liquorice. There is so much of everything on the palate here - sweet, powerful and luscious. While smooth, there are stemmy and grainy tannins making this a little sandy. Incredibly long burned sugar and spiced finish with a tertiary hint of green pepper and balsamic. Big wine, 92-93.
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Tasted only on day 2 of opening. Massive wine, still with a bunch of fruit and some good tannins. Lots of sediment in the bottom. This is just a huge wine, not really my style, but fun to have at this age.
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This was outstanding with smoked ribs. Big, rich wine. Very aromatic. Still dark purple in color. Plenty of acid and tannins here to cut the fat on the ribs. In a really nice place.
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18 months on from our last bottle, this went down a treat with our roast beef dinner. The wine continues to be fresh, although the fruit is fading a little and it is more secondary than before with earth, spice and leather showing. Having said that, there is lots of acidity and the wines continues to come across as much younger than it actually is. This is a very tannic wine but it is beginning to mellow, and when paired with red meat is delightful. The wine is full bodied with a medium finish. I stand by my previous assessment that it will continue to evolve very slowly and I would imagine will develop favourably for at least another decade.
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I liked it. My wife did not. Our caveat is we are not very experienced with wine from Campania. It is big but full of acidity allowing it to survive. Very little fruitiness means it requires food which improved the wine significantly.
Decanted but it never came around. Did have some vegetable/green pepper, leather, earthy, and some dark fruit but did not really have the complexity and structure I expected. I liked it more several years ago. Not sure if it was the pairing (pork with barbecue rub) or something else.
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Super herbaceous and vegetal on opening. Evolved over the course of several hours with notes of wild cherry, tar/ash, tobacco spice. A little gaminess on the backend. Big wine with still a lot of structure. Should last for another decade.
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Dark red/purple with some lightening around the edges. Restrained nose take a while to open up to show reddish black cherries, tar, leather, hint of coffee grinds and roasted asian seeds. Full-bodied, rich and spherical palate shows good depth to the ripe dark macerated fruits, hint of anise, lowish acidity, tannins still present and a long leather and tar perfumed finish. This will continue to improve... in a cold cellar.
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At home w/Valerie and some awesome eggplant rollatini from Gennaro's... needed an interesting Italian wine for pairing. These bottles a gift from a friend. Slow oxed for 30 minutes, drank over 2 hours. Clean cork
Dark garnet core color, mild separation.Nose was a bit closed at first, opening up to show blackberry, coffee, earth, mushrooms. Rich palate of dark cherry, black currant, game/savory notes, herbs (rosemary?), coffee grinds, mineral. Great texture, full body, long(ish) finish.
Nicely aged at this point, Anglianico can be impenetrable in its youth... this has come together in a really nice way. The air time/wake up makes a big difference, much better about an hour in. Would give it at least that much if venue allows. The palate seems much younger than the nose...not sure if that means anything. My experience with Anglianico in groups is it can be a love it/hate it result. This one is a classic "taste the volcano"...may not be for everyone. In a great spot, should continue to drink at this level for a while
From a cold cellar. Cork was perfect, looked brand new. Two hour decant, and it was still tight and backward. After another hour in the glass it started to reveal its juicy, meaty palate. The tannins were still very powerful, but finally settled down alongside a prime NY steak. The mouthfeel of this wine is tremendous; It is rich and thick, with tons of sweet cherry, a touch of espresso and herbal notes. Definitely the best bottle of this I've had so far. I'd still recommend waiting another 2 or 3 years before trying another.
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Brought to La Strega . Sweet dark fruit. A bit of heat still. Will be better in 2 years. Very nice Canpania region wine. Everyone thought highly of this wine.
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dark in that aglianico way. inky, cherries coming through along with black licorice. I would say needs more time, but if you like this masculine style, then it is ready to drink.
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Still has a dark color while displaying some browning on the edges. Some funky earth on the initial nose, it quickly fades to tobacco, soil, espresso, truffle, blackberries and toffee. While there is some black currant, it is fading and takes a backseat to smokey game, rosemary, mushroom, leather , pine and spice notes. Like most Aglianico, a fair amount of tannins still remain. 5oz removed via Coravin.
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Still not sure about this wine. Still a massive brooding wine that just never seems to open, yet there is clearly some great juice in the bottle. This wine was almost in a dumb phase with very little fruit coming through. Will try again later this year.
Texas Wine School - Kings of Italy Class. A real pleasure to get to taste this 100% single-vineyard Aglianico every year for the last four years. For peak enjoyment, this wine must be decanted, as it has lots of sediment and tannic precipitate. It also benefits from a couple hours of air to help it open up. The color is clear, deep, ruby/brown with garnet hues on the rim. This is a concentrated, glass-staining wine. The nose is clean, with baked black cherries, prunes, red cherries, violets, baking spices, tar, licorice, coffee grinds, dark chocolate/carob and leather. The nose is developed. The palate is dry with some nice fruit in the fore palate, medium (+) alcohol (14%), polyphenols and minerality. The wine definitely tastes fresher and more youthful than it smells. The acidity is medium (+) and the tannins are still medium (+). This is a full-bodied, chewy wine, with a pronounced flavor intensity and long finish. It has evolved for the better over the last several years, with still plenty of life left. The tannins are still quite firm and complement the ripe fruit beautifully. A very interesting wine, particularly if you can find it on sale in the $50 range. WS 94 upon release. Tasted again on 7/23/20 and 4/23/22 with consistent results.
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It's hard to believe that a wine with this much fruit, freshness and acidity is seventeen years old. This is my third bottle over the past year with very little variation indicating it will continue to evolve very slowly and I would imagine will develop favourably for at least another decade.
This is a real heavyweight of a wine with lots of fresh rather than cooked black fruit, earth, leather and spice. Tannins make their presence felt but are mellowing and not harsh. Full bodied with a medium finish.
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Hard to tell why people are hating on this. Still plenty of fruit, blueberry and cherry seem most pronounced. Lot of structure with some cedar and pine on the aftertaste. Much bigger and harder than a typical brunello but enjoyable all the same.
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Vinetasters: Brown Bag (Skokie, IL): Served double blind. Chocolate milkshake on the nose. Blueberries. Way too big. Creamy, sweet, and massive. Over the top. In its defense, interesting silky texture, but never something I'd care to drink.
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Dark sweet rich brooding Style with lots of density and purity. Young rich and flavor packed. Nothing sure yet well balanced for a big boy wine. Pretty middle flavors. Ripe yet balanced.
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Low scores from others may be due to poor storage conditions... Wine was singing today - rich, lots of fruit, smoky, some tannin. Can taste the oak early on, much better after a splash decant. Similar notes for a bottle opened 3 months ago. Drink or hold for next 3 years
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4th Saturday Group: Anything but Domestic (Rich & Dana's): Double blind. Similar to the last wine of the first flight, this had a subtle bouillon note under the dark fruit. There's also a bit of brett evident as well. Sweet edge to the dark fruit on the palate. Tannic. No guess.
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Dark garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of thatch, dust, berries and plums. Flavors of Bing cherries, plums and raspberries. Bright acidity, firm tannin and full bodied. Drink or hold. No rush.
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This opened to some degree over a few hours. Hugely dry and focused dark fruit!!! Some sweeter influences on the nose from the hot year. Ripe. This could evolve to peak over a decade and live for another 2 decades. Medium to full body.
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Texas Wine School - Wines of Italy Class. Decanted for a couple hours, this wine keeps on improving with air. The color is clear, deep, ruby/brown with garnet hues on the rim. This is a concentrated, glass-staining wine with a considerable amount of sediment. The nose is clean, with baked black cherries, prunes, red cherries, red flowers, baking spices, tar, licorice, coffee grinds, dark chocolate/carob and leather. The nose is developed. The palate is dry with some nice fruit upon entry, medium (+) alcohol (14%), polyphenols and minerality. The wine definitely tastes fresher and more youthful than it smells. The acidity is medium (+) and the tannins are still medium (+) even after 17 years. This is a full-bodied, chewy wine, with a pronounced flavor intensity and long finish. It has definitely evolved over the last two years, but still has plenty of life left. The tannins are beginning to resolve but are still quite firm and complement the ripe fruit beautifully, Contrary to my earlier predictions, it is actually still improving, so I am extending the drinking window. A very interesting wine, particularly if you can find it on sale in the $50 range. WS 94 upon release.
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Still very nice , the longer the bottle was open the more depth the wine lost . Again , very cab or cab franc like . Drink these up and start on another vintage :)
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Quite different from my last bottle, this showed virtually no iodine or residual oak, but instead was overwhelmed by baking spice, to the near complete exclusion of fruit or really anything else. Decanted and drank over the course of about four hours.
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Decanted for 2h at DevCom in Berkeley. From magnum. Not as intense and brambly as my previous note would suggest, maybe this is mellowing out. Still plenty of wild cedar woodsiness and blackberries, and acid in the finish, but the tannins were less pronounced and the wine felt less "big" than I remembered. Good but not great; too bad. Hopefully this is just bottle variation.
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Spectacular showing for this gem. Leather, dusty cellar, cedar, tomato leaf, rose petals, nice reduced cherry fruit, spices and a touch of fennel with present but integrated tannins. This wine is so beautifully rustic and balanced.
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My note from 3/17 still rings true. The rustic nature of the wine really turns into an asset after few years if you have patience. This producer has always be a favorite. Mild dark fruit but really in the background, just integrated complex flavors like leather and cigar box. This is a wine to drink and think about pulling out the flavors. The polar opposite of most Cali styles (although I love them too. Still many years to go. An out of favor grape that is a steal (just need to be able to let it sit for 10+ years)
A strong effort that, while not quite living up to its high scores on release, is still a terrific wine. Still displays a fairly dark purple with minimal bricking and an open nose of dark fruits complimented with secondary notes of tobacco and cedar. Use of oak here is obvious but relatively restrained, leading to a nice balance at current age with present tannins. We drank this decanted, which I would definitely recommend, but contrary to some of the other reviews, a mere one hour or so was just right to get the wine to open up. I still think it can age, definitely five years at least, though I myself am not sure about the durability of aglianico to age more than 20yrs or so. I tasted this many years ago and the current bottle was even better than the experience back then, suggesting aging trajectory is positive.
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Although the conclusion of others was of an “acceptable” but unbalanced wine, due to the high alcohol, very chewy tannins, and high acidity, I think the wine needed either a very long decant or additional cellaring. Others thought it needed to be drank now and wouldn’t benefit from further aging. I clearly disagree on both conclusions and believe the wine is “very good” with the potential for additional cellaring.
Not rated based on differing opinions, the lack of food, and the fact the wine was not decanted prior to drinking.
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Purple cored. Nose is dominated tobacco leaf. Dark black currants, saddle, and cigar box. A little thin middle of the palate. Angular tannins are still prickly and requires decanting.
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Dark garnet to purple color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of perfume, melted black licorice and currants. Flavors of currants, plums and sweet black cherries. Medium acidity, medium to firm tannin, full bodied. Drink or hold.
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Decanted for 2 hours, back into bottle and consumed 6 hours later. This was incredible - so well balanced with enough freshness and acidity to carry the fine tannins and earthiness. Tobacco, cured meat, blue and red fruits, fresh herbs, leather. Compelling.
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Decanted for two hours. Much better than previous remembered. Inky black in color. Beautiful nose and mouthfeel. Full bodied and long finish. This wine is in a great place. Flat out delicious. Watch out for the sediment.
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Texas Wine School - Kings of Italy Class. Decanted for a couple hours, this wine keeps on improving with air, air and then some more air. It is even more approachable a week later... The color is clear, deep, ruby/brown with garnet hues on the rim. This is a concentrated, glass-staining wine with a considerable amount of sediment. The nose is clean, with baked cherries, prunes, baking spices, tar, licorice, coffee grinds, dark chocolate/carob and leather. The nose is developed. The palate is dry with some nice fruit upon entry, medium (+) alcohol (14%), polyphenols and minerality. The wine definitely tastes fresher and more youthful than it smells. The acidity is medium (+) and the tannins are still medium (+) to pronounced, even after 16 years. This is a full-bodied, chewy wine, with a pronounced flavor intensity and long finish. It has definitely evolved over the last two years, but still has plenty of life left. The tannins are still quite noticeable and - thanks to the lively fruit - this bottling appears to have a couple more years of additional aging potential. Still I can't really see it getting any better. A very interesting wine, particularly if you can find it on sale in the $50 range. All in all, i do like the 1999 Taurasi Montevergine better at this point in time. WS 94 upon release.
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At this point, the tannins are fully resolved, there’s some slight bricking, and it’s become something of a soy bomb. Still some nice cherry fruit. Lots of fine sediment, so it definitely needs a double decant.
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This bottle is showing beautifully after double decanting (tons of sediment). Ripe rich and velvety. Dried cherry and ripe fruit still predominant. Smooth even finish.
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Much softer and smoother than it's youth. Dried herbs, smoke, and terroir on the palate. Flat out delicious. Time to drink up...it's not getting any better.
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Deep ruby to the rim without any signs of age. From my personal cellar, which is reaching 18-19°C in summer, with winter temperatures of 16°C, this is showing very well. Of course wine is maturing faster here, than in textbook conditions, but not worse. This one is opening with a fruity nose, displaying concentrated red and dark berry fruits, sweaty animal skin, that nearly disappears within 30 min. without decantation, cedar, tobacco, minerals. On the palate it is still quite tannic. The tannins are round and balanced by the corresponding amount of fruit. So over all the 98 points from TWA in 2004 seem quite appropriate if some more tannins have been shed. And I'm optimistic that in 10 more years the tannins are even more integrated and the fruit is still bright and shiny. So my score for well cellared examples of this wine are conversative 96+ points. -2030+
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The reviews for this wine seem to be all over the road. Some say keep holding this, it'll get "softer" or better. Some say it's time to drink. And some are even convinced that it's "over the hill". Most wines at this age would be over the hill, lacking color and flavor, and perhaps even detriorating into "odd" flavors, and icky things. THIS bottle though, was great! Very full body, dark, dark color, and full aromas. First smell was leather, followed by dried figs and cocoa powder. Then with air the figs seemed to get sweeter and more ripe, the wine thicker, like a syrup almost (not in a bad way, but definitely coated the tongue). I enjoyed it. I'll look for more even. I would imagine another 3-5 years of life.
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Beautiful wine here with cedar and cellar dust, tomato leaf and a tomato sauce essence with oregano and other Italian herbs, rose petals, dark fruit leather and gripping tannin structure, went surprisingly well with homemade beef stir fry.
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Deep purple color and very locked in for both bouquet and flavor. Hard to discern any fruit except oddly some grapefruit in the ending when first opened. Tannins have a dusty character and the acidity is balanced. No more approachable after an hour at dinner. I am less inclined to feel that this wine will greatly improve if cellared longer, but it is possible. I do not see much point to a wine that isn't ready after 16 years in bottle, and I say this with all the holy of holy wines in mind that the British convinced the world to cellar forever. I prefer the French practice of drinking things up. Salut!
Wow, still not really mature. But it is deep, tannic, minerally, and intense. Still showing signs of greatness, but my patience is wearing thin. try again in 2 or 3 years.
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Boy do I love Taurasi . The rustic nature of the wine really turns into an asset after few years if you have patience. This producer has always be a favorite. Leather and cigar box right away. Mild dark fruit but really in the background, just integrated complex flavors. Not your California wine (although I love them for their own strenghts). Fuller and less austere on day two. Still many years to go.
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A younger looking, and tasting, bottle than the one in January, enjoyed over two days. Deep purple core, with minimal bricking, in no way suggestive of 16 years. This bottle was a touch fresher than the other as well. In general, however, it showed the same substance, frame, and balance. The noteworthy difference being that this bottle could have aged for 15 to 20+ years. Excellent and satisfying!
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40th bday celebration; 2/17/2017-2/18/2017 (Harrison, ID): This wine was showing so well as almost all were over the weekend. A rusticity to this wine really intrigued me with cedar box, rust, tomato leaf, burley dark fruit in a good way with good tannin structure but acids to marry it with food. Don't think I'll wait too long to open my last bottle.
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Wow! Much more expressive than the last bottle I opened a few years ago. Blackberry, cigar, cedar, smooth mouth feel with well integrated tannins. Probably has a few more years but drinking beautifully right now.
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Opened on Sunday 1/29/2017 and drunk through the next several days. This is a very big and powerful wine. The color is quite dense dark garnet black with just a thin edge of slightly lighter red. No sign of age degradation. The nose is moderately fragrant but somewhat reluctant and in need of additional evolution, nonetheless there is some ripe red fruit, cocoa, licorice and black pepper. Still with a lot of fine grained tannin this has lots of depth and structure. The flavors are nice and layered with ripe red fruit and some black fruit as well, like black raspberry and black plum. There is some minerality as well and black pepper, chocolate and spicy fruit compote. It does seem to be well balanced while very big and ripe. Needs a good bit more time, but very good and still improving.
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The struggle is real. A slight softening of the blackness to redness. Undeniable quality pieces and parts but difficult to find any nuance over 2 days. Where's the perfume? Hold 'em or expect to aerate and revisit over several days.
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Opaque crimson. Striking bouquet of equal parts antique bookstore (housed in an old building), smoke shop (cigar and pipe), smokehouse (full of hanging meats), peat bog, and smoldering (ash) volcano. The wine tastes like it smells and paired spectacularly with smoked ham. It showed similarly to aged Bordeaux, but not even the most charred earth (smoky) Graves--Pessac-Léognan wines can match its smoke and ash elements. It features exceptional power, finesse, and balance. In an early drinking window, yet showing medium plus acid and medium tannins. Likely to peak in 8 to 12 years. 94-95.
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quality & mature wines tasting event (my home): dark opaque ruby lively ripe pomegranate funky nose with mint-eucalyptus & rose hints full bodied, soft firm integrated tannins, excellent structure, good complexity, well balanced and harmonised, good acidity level, lively dark red fruity flavours, smoked meat fruity finish & aftertaste
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As I recently bought more of this, I had to give it a try to see its evolution. Very tight and closed on day 1. By day 3 (with vin vac) started to soften and come around, but still clearly in a near dumb phase. Nonetheless, very enjoyable by day 3 - smooth with vanilla Oak, black fruits and hints of tar. This wine has a lot of evolution yet to occur and great things are expected
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A real struggle for me to find any depth or structure on this. Ditto other notes, still very tannic, and tight with some hints of pine forest, gravel, volcano, game and meat. Yet no real evolution at this point and I struggle to believe this will come around at nearly 17. A tough one for me.
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I echo the experience that NUTTY08 had with this wine as I didn't know what to expect with it and it seemed tight/closed for hours. I decanted for 2+ hours and enjoyed half the bottle over the next 2 hours. And then on night 2, I decanted for 5 hours and enjoyed the rest. It really didn't unwind until after 5 hours of decant time. The wine definitely has lots of life left as it had fierce acidity and tannin, but I'd say it needs several hours of decant at this stage.
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Needed a couple hours to unwind. Aromatic, with saline, citrus, and dried red fruits. Palate was an interrsting mix of reds and blacks, mixed with mild pepper and orange rind. Tannins very much in the background. Nice refreshing finish-not heavy at all. Not really familiar with this grape or producer but found it quite enjoyable.
Brought this to dinner and decanted, poured and enjoyed over an hour or so. Haven't had one of these in a while and think it's drinking great right now. Has plenty of life left and will probably be an awesome old wine someday. A bit of sediment, so decanting was a good move. Nose is dark fruit, forest floor, meat/game. Palate is rich cassis, blackberry, current with a fine, dusty soft tannin and a nice level of acidity that keeps it all alive, gives it a bit of grip. Not over extracted. Just really well balanced with a medium to long finish. Glad I have a few more. Drink window seems right.
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Decanted for two hours; moderate sediment. Cork broke during extraction. Deep ruby color with no bricking. Floral nose of blackberry and raspberry. Rich, full-bodied dark fruit on the palate, well structured by ample acids and tannins. Drinking quite well now, and I would guess it will be for another five to ten years. I am an Aglianico fan, and this wine lives up to what I hope to find in a good one. At the $45 auction price, a good QPR.
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Dark purple/ruby color, and still somewhat brooding. But loosened up after an hour's decant and I enjoyed very much. There is rich fruit below the tannin that rises to the top. Should enjoy a long life.
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BLACK CHERRIES, LEATHER, LICORICE, AND CHOCOLATE IN THE NOSE DEEP BERRY FRUIT. BLACK CHERRIES, AND BLACK RASPBERRIES IN THE FLAVOR MEDIUM TO LONG FINISH.
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Excellent like prior bottle....certain barnyard qualities on the nose and even slightly on palate, but then wonderfully balanced, maturing wine with bricking now evident...really excellent at this point
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This has always been terrific, and it remains youthful. Dark in color, deep nose of dark berry and anise. Full bodied. Very dark black cherry and currant. Drinking great although a bit tannic still; didn't decant but probably would have benefitted
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This wine needed a decant for at least three hours to bring out the fruit. After one hour its aroma was laden with honey, frankincense, dried tobacco, game, minerals, and dried earth tones. Deep red hues with slight bricking on the rim, wonderful body, pleasantly smooth tannins, great mouthfeel. This is a wine to be had over a few hours to peel back the layers - a journey wine that reveals more as each hour passes. We had it with lamb gigot and oven potatoes with rosemary. A real treat.
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Drank at Snowmass today. Dark purple core, some bricking at edges, but the wine still looks surprisingly youthful. Nose exudes some funk, but also aromas of shoe polish, tobacco and earth. This remains a big, hearty wine still loaded with ripe fruit (blackberries), slightly grippy tannins and wonderful tertiary elements--tar, tobacco, earth mostly. Also, delightful elements of chocolate, spices that are a bit on the sweet side, and good acidity level. Wonderful length too. A lovely and extremely youthful wine!
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Decanted for 2h at a grant writing meeting at Garth's. From magnum. Just a massive brambly beast of a wine. Delicious. Intense blackberries and cottony tannins on the finish. Great now and will last for 5-10 more years at least.
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Still drinking very well. I'm sure most of you remember Parker's off the chart score and no one else liked it. We did wait 10 years per his review, and to our surprise, it has been drinking really well at 15 years of age. On the nose, we got shoe polish and soy sauce, not so much fruit. In the mouth at first, a little funky, but after about an hour, it was soft, rich, dense...just a wonderful wine. Very different flavor profile from most of our wines. We kept coming back to dot sauce, aromatics...soft but not the usual berry profile. Really enjoyed. Parker wins, for us, a rare one.
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Deep and dark yet somewhat translucent black cherry color with a moderately developed nutty hue towards the rim. Developed, rich and slightly oxidative nose with aromas of dried figs, pencil shavings, some toasty chocolatey oak, a little bit of wizened blackcurrant, light cherry jam tones and a hint of dusty wood. The wine is developed, moderately full-bodied and quite dense with dry yet obviously pretty ripe flavors of sour cherries, dusty earth, some pruney dark fruits, a little bit of cedary wood, light chocolatey tones and a hint of savory spices. The wine feels rather tightly-knit and very structured with its high acidity and still ample, grippy tannins. The finish is mouth-dryingly tannic and quite powerful with developed flavors of leather, savory spices, sour cherry bitterness, some earthy tones, a little bit of chocolatey oak and mocha, light pruney notes and a hint of wizened black cherry.
A very structured and muscular Italian red that's big - not excessively big, mind you - and showing some age and evolved fruit, but surprisingly little resolution in the structure: the wine is still remarkably tightly-knit and tannic with immense staying power. Flavor-wise the wine is in a fine phase right now, although the chocolatey oak character is still sticking out a bit. For most people the wine is probably peaking right now, but I'd leave it in a cellar for a bit further, just to let the oak integrate a tad better and to let the structure unwind some more. The age cannot mask away that the wine is leaning a bit too much to the modernist direction, but nevertheless: great value at 39,80€.
This is not any other wine. Viscous, visually impenetrable. Experience with this grape at this age limited so very interesting to try. A terroirist's kind, not likely to fail to evoke opinions one way or the other because this is anything but shy. I really liked it.
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Weekly tasting group #192; Chianti plus some pirates (@ RW): Very dark ruby red and high viscosity. In the bouquet beautifully ripe dark berries like blackberries, sweet spices, chocolate and vanilla. On the palate very ripe dark and red berries, chocolate, sweet licorice, a lot of oaky flavors and some herbs. Good acidity and soft tannin with still a pleasant bite. There is a bit heat in the long finish, but nevertheless this is a great and concentrated wine.
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Very youthful, some purple still at the rim. Chocolate, caramel, stewed prunes, dark fruit on the nose. Tannins intergrating. Full bodied and lush. Will benefit from additional bottle age. Just entering its drinking window and should last another 10 to 15 years before its slow decline begins. A very well made powerful wine at a good price point. Worth seeking out.
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Final bottle and among the best. Soft, caressing tannin with plenty of fruit but not flashy nor bombastic as it was in youth. Never reached Sir Bob's heights but there is plenty there to like and to demonstrate how Aglianico can, with age, but such a world-class wine. My WON against competition such as '02 Monte Bello, '10 Saxum Broken Stones, '06 Pirouette and other drinkers, not stunner. Diversity makes the comparison a bit difficult.
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Not having much experience with aged Aglianico, I was curious about this. I wasn't disappointed. Near-black at the core with bricking around the rim, this still boasted ample fruit but just enough secondary character (cedar, tar, and an almost cheesy funk) to make things really interesting. Oak is integrated but a real presence, adding a chocolatey edge. Tannin is definitely still present on the lengthy finish. Reminded me a bit of a modern-styled Bordeaux. This has years to go, clearly, but it's in a beautiful spot. 95.
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Again, this is one of those times when Parker got it right. This wine has matured well. Full of tar, earthy, mushroom flavors. The tannins have smoothed out. The flavor profile is really unique....I can (sort of) see why some haven't cared for this wine, but we have loved it. Such a nice contrast to the usual fruity wines from the usual varietals we all drink. Yet it was, in early years really a hard, closed, somewhat massive wine. Really fun to occasionally taste really unusual wines. Still have several bottles to go, can't see waiting.
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Color: dark ruby core -> dense ruby rim showing the start of some bricking. Quite the intense bouquet on PnP of leather, black cherry, asphalt and earth, iodine and, interestingly, wet wool. Medium weight on the palate with sour cherries, pepper and minerals. Nice acidity and palate presence but a short to medium-long finish ends too quickly and harshly drying for my taste. Tannic and a little sour, this definitely needs more time to sleep. More upside ahead? Only time will tell.
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This is a remarkable wine and indicative of a great vintage. It benefits from air, air and then some more air. The color is clear, deep, purple with garnet hues on the rim. It appears a lot younger than its stated age. This is a concentrated, glass-staining wine with a considerable amount of sediment. The nose is clean, with baked cherries, sugar plums, baking spices, pine, licorice, coffee and tea leaves. The nose is still developing. The palate is dry with some nice fruit upon entry, medium (+) alcohol (14%), polyphenols and minerality. The acidity is medium (+) and the tannins are medium (+) to pronounced, even after 14 years. This is a medium (+) to full-bodied wine, with medium (+) flavor intensity and long finish. The tannins are still quite noticeable and - thanks to the lively fruit - this bottling appears to have several more years of additional aging potential. A very interesting wine, particularly if you can find it on sale in the $50 range.
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Decanted 4 hours. First glass was tight and tannic featuring earth, licorice and oak. Next few glasses really showcased the dark fruits in the wine and it was quite balanced. Medium to long finish and if properly prepared drink now. It also has potential to go another decade.
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Had the opportunity to join a tasting with a 6 Liter bottle of this. We had multiple decanters and had a tasting every hour. Tastings after the first hour showed a small improvement each hour. But at the fifth hour the aroma and flavor began to fall off.
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Dark and very spicy fruit. A big tannic wine, but actually pretty intriguing at the same time. I thought I had more bottles, otherwise this would be a definite drink later. Far more balanced and interesting than I was expecting for a Parker 98 pt Italian wine. Definitely wait another 5-10 years for optimal drinking.
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Last few I have opened have had soft corks. Bring an OSO neoprene with you. Wine still has lots of great flavors with a very nice finish with soft tannins, earthly leather and chocolate. 2 more bottles left in my cellar. Will drink them over the next 6 months.
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Dinner with Steve & Barb at Gravy. This bottle would have definitely benefited from a few hours in a decanter. Very big & brawny with notes of chocolate. 50+12+12+8+8=90
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now this is finally coming into its own. PNP at small dark Italian place to hard to say if still as black as it looked. Tannin now well behaved and the fruit strong dark raspberries and cherries with some smoke....really quite good. I wish the bottles were easier to stack
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PnP with dinner. Very dark with flavors and aromas of various black berry and tree fruits, tobacco and earth. Benefited with some air. Intense and long. Could easily age a few more years. Paired well with lamb.
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Relatively dark in color; more at the purple end of the spectrum than red. The nose is a bit intriguing; I get camphor, mainly, and strangely, a bit of honey. The palate begins with a sour cherry attack, moves into a smooth mid palate with dried cranberry and grilled meat, and finishes with a flash of coarse tannin. It's medium-bodied all of the way through, with a great acid balance.
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Into the decanter at 8 a.m. and not poured until 7:30 p.m. The wine had almost no nose until after noon, and even then it was still largely shut down through 8:30 p.m. The wines tannins are thick and the black fruits are like sweet mud - a real mouthful. There is also smoked meats, hard leather and tobacco present. This wine simply need another half dozen years before I'll come back to it, but it holds such wonderful promise.
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This was a massive inky monster in its youth but has managed to soften and change a little of its character as it ages. Not sure what to expect with aged aglianco but it has started to take on a few of the characteristics of older bordeaux - some saddle leather and hint of cedar. I hope it will continue to improve as I have a few left.
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Sour cherry, grilled meat. Smooth texture in the mid-palate, but finishes with tart acid and fine (but significant) tannins. Intriguing. Looking forward to more Aglianico in my future.
This wine continues to evolve for quite some time after opening, so like others I would suggest an hour-long decant, even at this age. Don't pop and pour!
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I had no expectation from this wine. Opened it with ribs at a poker game where I was likely the only one paying attention to it and was quite blown away by it. Very dark, rich, brooding character. A swarthy kind of wine. Envelops you and draws you in. I understand that it took a long time to get to a drinkable state and that more years might even see more improvement but I very much recommend this wine and wish I had more of it.
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I have consumed numerous bottles of this wine over the past 5 years, and this wine continues to improve with age. It has the tannic backbone to last for another 20 years.
A classic Aglianico. Blows the 2003 and 2005 Serpico out of the water.
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Dark purple. Expressive nose of plum berry and fresh vegetables. Full body and firm structure with flavors of plum and coffee similar to a nice Pomerol. Chewy tannins on the long mineral tinged finish. Seems to have many years left.
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Dark purple with slight bricking... No but noticeably lighter purple/ lavender and less opaque on the rim. First bottle of this wine.... Ever. Clearly more modern style of aglianico. Cedar, slight remnants of oaky saw dust,forest floor, mushrooms, chocolate, coffee bean and raspberries on the nose- all with hour open , 1/2 hour in glass, and lots of coaxing. Palate consistent with medicinal raspberry and tart cherry fruit, coffee and chocolate. Still quite tannic - if you are sensitive wait 5 years minimum.
Enjoyable for me - despite tannins 90 pts. Worth the original tariff- no way! Happy I have a case of 2004 at $28. Yes. Worth the longggggg wait - you better if you're interested, but minimum 10-20 year wait is a long time- unless priced really attractively.
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I got hooked on high class Aglianico and probably red wines generally in Positano on a fantastic spring night with a very special person long time ago. So this is by no means an objective review....This wine is in a great place now. No hurry, but no need to wait any longer either... Big, complex, smooth and balanced. less edges than other top notch Aglianicos, but who cares...Extremely enjoyable, take your loved one and enjoy!!!
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This is outstanding wine. It is in the early drinking window and still has development opportunity. Rich inky aromas.. Mouth numbing flavor on the palate. The finish is deep but still quite tannic.
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Deep, dark red, with a little bricking. Clear. Tobacco, pepper, ,sunroom, leather on the nose. Tannins are still strong, with moderate acidity. Savory flavors of BBQ meat, mushrooms, cherry, and vanilla. Medium short finish.
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Still very dark red opaque. Dark rich ripe black cherry aromas with graphite and grilled pain quality. Dense with pure black cherry, blueberry compote quality. Plenty of structure to balance the massive fruit. Blind I would have guessed a 2009!!! Great raw materials, but still feels like a baby. Long long life ahead and likely gets better.
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Nicely integrated, smokey, oaky nose. Some tannin, a bit drying, but not distactingly so. This tends toward raspberry fruit with hints of coal tar. Drinking nicely right now. Wonder how this will age?
Southern Italy (Lou's): How many times have I had this since release. A dozen maybe? This was blind and I did not pick it out (it was my second guess). Purple in color. The nose has plums, pencil lead, oak and is pretty interesting. Best nose of the night. On the palate, this is big and fruit and one dimensional. Heat on the finish. Lots of new world wines that are similar for 1/4th the price. I still have hope for this based on other Aglianicos, but I think this needs to be held until 2021 at a minimum. Curiously, my Bordeaux loving friend Ray found that to be an issue. ;-) At $75, is it worth it though?
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Decanted 6 hrs. Yes, this is clearly a modern take on Aglianico. The French oak and forward nature of the wine could be a slight turn off for those seeking something in the more traditional side, but I really dug this. Dark cherry and chocolate notes dominate initially, with the acidity and tannin somewhat in the back ground. What I found was extraordinary was how young this wine tasted. IMO, most wines that are structured this way might be a tad tired at 12 years age, but not a chance here; this was young and spry, and a lot of fun to drink, a very strong testament to the quality that this the Aglianico grape. By the second glass the fruit tasted more plum like, layered and complex. Oddly, with a fresh bite of food, the chocolate notes returned, no matter, it worked either way. Aglianico is no doubt the world’s best value at the high end level, just need to be patient with them. As much as I like this, the 99 Piano di Montevergine is still the best wine I have tasted from Feudi.
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Dark garnet core with garnet rim and high extraction; smoky and ripe nose, plummy, spicy, blackberry, good tannic mouthfeel, decent acid, some cedar, some new oak treatment, almost overripe fruit, a little tar; still not ready- hard to say when, but I would try again in 3 years.
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Aerated to decanter 2 hours, returned to bottle, served non-blind. Much different (and better) than the magnum I had last June (I think the provenance for tonight's bottle was excellent, the mag, not so much). Dark ruby, nearly opaque. Not yet at peak, the aromas insisted upon being coaxed before they offered up, mint, camphor, dried red floral, dark spice, blackberries, cherry skin and herbs. Finely textured, well-lifted, gorgeous tannins. Even with aeration, this was not giving up all it had, but did suggest that a revisit in 5 years would be handsomely rewarded. best 2018 - 2026
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Wine of the 2001 Vintage at Matt B's House (New Canaan, CT): My previous tasting of this wine two years ago found it to be tight and monolithic. Tonight it was much more open, probably thanks to the multi-hour decant. Densely packed with earthy fruit, fresh blackberries and spice, this held an extraordinary intensity from start to finish. Probably the biggest wine of the night, it still drinks young. Should be singing in five years.
This tied the Montrose for first place with two first place and one second place vote.
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Nailed it. Drinking wonderfully right now. Opened, but not decanted for about 60mins. Served with short-rib ragu. Beautifully complex: dark cherry, smoke, lead, plum, chocolate, leather and dirt. Almost something new with each sip. Tannins seemed well integrated and the acidity was perfect with the dish. Couldn't have asked for more. A
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The Wines of Feudi di San Gregorio (Spacca Napoli Pizzeria - Chicago, IL): Showed better than the first time I tried this in October of 2011. The tannins had softened, but the fruit was still very rich with lots of distracting tannins. As expected this had a dark-fruit profile with some tobacco and spices on the finish. Seemed pretty popular at dinner, but the sappy, rich fruit didn't really connect with my tastes.
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Blind Food and Wine Pairing Dinner: (Peter & Sandra's): Blind dinner Anita: Everyone thought this was a Bordeaux; earthy leather, smoke, tobacco, small black fruits, big dry tannins. Nice wine, a bit too earthy for the braised beef short ribs in a slightly savory/sweet sauce and creamy potatoes.
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taste: Full bodied with medium+ acidity and good tannins that are more in a supporting role right now. This is well balanced with tones of black pepper, black fruits, spice tones and leather.
overall: This was showing nice maturity while having a good way to go as well. A really good aglianico that is showing great right now.
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Maturity reached. A flatterer. The sheer power has given way to a gentle undertone of delicacy. Still super. The wood is gone. The tannins are completely integrated. However not as good as in the fruit phase.
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Decent, not great -- certainly showed some maturity and the benefits of aging with smoothness and balance, but an odd medicinal note came through that I haven't perceived before (perhaps a flaw?) that was kind of off-putting.
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Nice aglianico with a deep red fruit profile, leather, and some cedar on the back end. Tannins are present but unobtrusive and give the wine character. Very nice, although much closer in score to Galloni's review than Thomases'.
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Opened not decanted. Took to Postino in Lafayette and paired with a rib eye steak. This could have used a little air time, but worked well with food. Dark cherry fruit with some silkiness towards the end of the bottle. Ends with a dry finish. The last bottle that I opened was 4 years ago, and while this is accessible without decanting, still seemed like a baby. Good +
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Aromas of chocolate with almost a cabernet style, but the taste is clearly of Italian origin. With that familiar tartness, bright berry flavors, almost crisp in nature. And the tannins are relaxed and approachable. This really goes perfectly with your Friday night pasta. Enjoy this beauty.
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Wow. After the more rigid and delineated Aglianicos tonight, this is almost a parody of Campania. Blackberry, cocoa powder, sweet, ripe tannin over a glossy, round, and polished frame of blackberry, chocolate, and tobacco. Smooth, juicy, and young. Nothing stern or angular here.
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Initially shows "grabby" maybe rough tannins, but with air time (or becoming desensitized over time) develops somewhat better manners. Remains full bodied, firm, chewy, Peasant wine, but unique flavors of Aglianico grape - partially ripened dark fruit, iodine, green wood, iodine, wet earth and other flavors i could not readily identify- offer a different experience from the standard international grape varieties. That is the primary appeal for me. (The term brooding used by another reviewer fits for m) .Needs hearty fare with with considerable fat content. Doubt this will turn into a polished well integrated and mannered wine with age, but has its different appeal now.
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Thank goodness. I have completely panned the past two bottles of the case that I bought. They all have been stored at cellar temps since arrival. The bottle variation has been huge with 2 being very nice wines and two practically undrinkable. This one was the former. Nice, full bodied Italian wine. Some iodine notes with the red and black fruits. Some spice on the full bodied palate with a lingering finish. Still not close to the Parker score though...
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55 deg cellar since release; dark core;bright crimson to the edge; cranberry and iron-minerally/syrah-like blood notes on nose; fiercely tannic; doesn't seem to have budged from its youthful pedestal; I am w/ others who think RP and staff overpointed this very good wine.
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PnP from magnum. I wasn't expecting this to be as approachable as it was. I'm not sure of the provenance of this bottle, but if this was representative of the bottling, I don't see the structure for extended cellaring. Medium toward full bodied with acids slightly overwhelming the fruit. Firm tannins with just a touch of astringency. Enjoyable but far from great. Tart cherry, red berries, pine tree, cacao. Very solid with the grilled, marinated flank steak. Traditionally styled, medium complexity and finish. B+
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Is this really an aglianico? The other tasting notes helped in deconstructing this wine. The fruit was big - plum, cooked cherry and well oaked. But the tannins, often commented on, were well integrated. I think I drank it at exactly the right time. Great wine, but didn't taste like an aglianico - much more tamed and fruit driven than I would have expected.
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I have been drinking/collecting wines for 25+ years and have always found Italy to be the toughest to "understand". This is a perfect example as one Parker reviewer gives a 98 and another follows with a 92+. The reviews here are even more uneven ranging from 78 to 95, with many in between and no real consensus. This is still a tannic monster and you would initially think it still needs more bottle age. I am sad to say this is not the case. While additional cellaring may soften the tannins, I do not see the full potential ever achieved. The initial notes have cherry, leather and chocolate overtures that you expect will be great after the tannins fade. As the wine softens, the flavors fade at an alarming rate.Overall, an enjoyable wine that does not need to be decanted and should be enjoyed within a few hours after opening. It should still last for many years, so there is no rush to drink, but I don't think it will achieve it's original potential.
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donker rood, donkere geuren, drop, teer, mineraal, ijzerachtig, jodium, donker fruit, bramen, vlezig, smaak is breed en gespierd, heeft echt even nodig, komt mooi los, in 2 dagen gedronken
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Super dark color with a bit of brown tint. Aromas of tar, blackberry, clove and black peppercorn. A little closed aromatically right now. On the palate, this appears to be entering its sweet spot. Tar and dark berry fruit coats the mouth and it has well-integrated, chalky tannins. This is more elegant than most Aglianico, which is typically more dense and chewy. It finishes long and pure, with a great mineral character, and fruit that holds on until the very end. I'd love to revisit this in 2 or 3 years. It should be singing.
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NY/NJ Offline at Cellar 58 (Cellar 58, NYC): A very Italian wine. Scorched earth and dark blue fruit on the nose. Big tannin and acid. Don't let the short note deceive. This was great.
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Extremely young but oak is finally starting to integrate with the incredibly lush fruit. Cellar another 5 years minimum. For those of you with magnums probably 10 years!
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I decanted for about an hour. Very aromatic nose, good volcanic soil coming thru. I thought very elegant with a great finish. I thought this could last another 10 years, so Im not sure if some bottle variation happened to the other tasters here, but this bottle was very good. 94pts
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Not pretty in any sense... very disappointing. Some prunes and dark fruits, but off balance with harsh tannins. Gave it a 3 hour decant with many splashes and tasted all along the way. no improvement... concerned that this may never come together.
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I can only agree with previous tasting notes on this wine. We had a first bottle of this I think around 2004 and it was young, tannic but utterly brilliant. We loved it, especially after a few hours of breathing. Now, today, we have opened another bottle of this wine and it is quite funky, chewy, dry and immensly closed and even boring - even after breathing and decanting. I think - hope - the wine is in mutation and hopefully it will fully unwind again. I will not open another bottle for 10 years. Difficult to score now.
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10 Years Tasting (The same wines now and in 10 years) (Martin's House): This was the only wine that fell a bit short of the standard here. But again this had a very nice and interesting nose. Chamomile, porcini, cedar, cigar, tons of cigar, lots of edges and a bit rough in the palate. This could be Winston Churchill in a bottle :-)
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D.C. Dinner for Greg Golec (Toscana Cafe - DC): This was characterized by dark fruit, graphite and tobacco on the nose. The palate was incredibly tannic and firm. Seemed like there was a lot of red fruit trying to bust out from behind the tannin...but that wasn't happening this night. Awkward wine.
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OK but not stellar. Hollow old-world minerallyness in the middle like sucking on a piece of slate. Not much, but it doesnt take much. Where do parker and WS come up with this suff?
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I bought a case of this wine in around 2005. It had a 98 point rating from Parker at that time, and the bottles I opened then showed that it completely deserved that exalted score. It was such a big wine, and it consistently got better the longer I let it breathe (including some opened for several days), that I thought it could only get better with cellar time. Only recently did I start to open some more of these bottles, and over the last two years, I've opened about four bottles. One was undrinkable. Another was pretty good, and the other two were more or less mediocre -- highly tannic, not complex, not pleasant. I see that Parker has downgraded his rating to 92+ and recommended an additional nine (!) years of aging. I'm drinking from another bottle of the stuff as I write this, and wish I had not opened it until we're a couple years into the next presidency. I've never encountered a wine that was so great young, and seemed like it could only get better, and yet went in quite the opposite direction.
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This is still incredibly youthful, but shows a lot of promise. Lots of fruit, tobacco, cedar, bay leaf, and a dusting of fine chalky tannin in the finish. Improved very slowly over the course of the evening. Needs meat. Went well with grilled tri-tip.
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Put on weight since my last bottle. Knockout nose of red berries. Deep dark color, rich flavors of black fuit, coffee and graphite. Chewy tannis, long finish.
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Big, rich, uber minerally, young, high alcohol, high glycerin, somewhere between Priorat and Aussie... but I like it. Serious juice with some aglianico verve and acidity holding it together. More intense than heavy overall. Probably better down the line. 92 pts, higher if you love the style.
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Dusty and funky, coffee-scented nose with blackberry, fig, brambly and barnyardy earth. A bit surmature. In the mouth, it is dense and difficult to decide whether it's youthfully wound tight our achieving integration with age. Still quite tannic.
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Campania: Intense earth, mineral, sweet black fruit. Sweet tobacco palate that is tannic but silky with berry, rock, chalk, chocolate, cherry. Incredible concentration, very wild and volcanic. Superb.
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Beautiful wine. Served with braised short ribs over creamy polenta. Complemented. The balsamic glaze on the meat. Smooth wine. Relaxed tannins. Drinking beautifully now. Would not hold much longer.
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Dark garnet to purple color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of camphor, licorice, black berries and fresh cut flowers. Flavors of rich and luscious currants, chocolate covered cherries and a dash of bitters on the long finish. Medium to bright acidity, medium to firm tannins, full bodied to the hilt. Drink or hold. No rush on this one. Should drink nicely over the next 10 years plus.
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A massive wine. Although it tasted expensive after three hours in a decanter, it was still so tight that I was left somewhat disappointed. After 24 additional hours in the decanter, some of the fruit started to come out, and I could begin to appreciate how much I had spent on this bottle. For the next bottle, I will be sure to leave it sitting out and open for at least 24 hours before pouring.
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Massive with big notes of raspberry jam, tar, and oak. While deep and flavorful, there is too much wood that is not integrated into this and there was a lack of texture or focus that would compel me to put this in a better class.
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Massive wine with cinnamon and chocolate flavors. I don't much experience with Aglianico, but I liked this wine! I almost always like wine paired with food but did not find a good mate for this; too sweet for savory food and not sweet enough for deserts. Might be good with Moussaka.
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This is no surprise: it's a tannic monster. This may be a surprise: The oak was not dominant at all (maybe a touch of cocoa and coffee on the nose, but that was the total overt contribution fr the wood) and it nicely demonstrated its region and its grape. Features brambly black fruit, tobacco, fig, and plum. Finishes with leather and minerals--a pile of rocks on day 1, a little gravel on day 2, when the fruit got murkier and a little stewed. Despite the still fierce tannins, I wouldn't recommend more than two more years of aging or a long decant. My score is for the first day, after pouring and enjoying a couple glasses over a three hours. Second day was a few points off.
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Nice aromas of plums and cedar, with more on the palate, which adds some charcoal and licorice notes with air time. Flowers on the second pass. Tannins, still present, have become elegant. If the mid-palate had a touch more going on, I'd rate it higher. Still, a rather elegant wine.
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Dense, monolithic, very concentrated. Somewhat attractive initially, but ponderous oak treatment. Modern style with no real varietal character and hard to tell where this wine was made. With time, it just devolves to wood. Not my style of wine, lacks balance and personality. Perhaps it will absorb all that wood and be something someday, but that mythical day is very far away.
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So, i was really curious to taste this for the second time. I had my first bottle two years ago. This was certainly much better. You can even recognise it as an italian wine now. Does it need more time? for me yes but only 2 or 3 more years. Can it deserve a higher score? yes maybe 93. but the 98 score from 'parker'. No way! There is really not much finesse or terroir in this wine. Did I enjoy it? more than i expected. for now 91-92. Drink this with grilled steak.
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opened at the end of a night when my palte was shot. Left in an open decanter overnight. TN from day two. Very floral yet simultaneously dark and brooding. Blackfruits, and ash/ blackberry/ black stony fruits. Violets, Very tannic, but not in a an obtrusive way. Youthful and very pure with the wood integrated well by the next day. More ash and a deep dark black hole of depth. I will not touch another one for 5 years minimum. Really really good. 93 pts.
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Pretty inky black still with a beautiful nose of chocolate, coffee, licorice, and dark berries. There is a powerful earthiness here that is sweetly ashy and very volcanic; it's sexy, deep, complex, and meditative. Firmly establishes Aglianico and Southern Italy in the Pantheon of the finest grapes and regions of wine production in the world. This was mind blowing.
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bottle was monster still.. decanted 2 hours before drinking at an italian restaurant.. huge berries , leather , and chocalate...probably woud last for another 15-20 years... excellent
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Upon opening it was tight with very little fruit on the nose and the tannins hit you like a sledge-hammer. It needs severe decanting. With air get scents of dark fruit and the tannins soften but this still needs time.
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Had this Serpico with some chicken catchatori and spinach ravioli. We decanted the wine for 30 minutes. The nose was pleasant and kind of soft. Had blackberries at first with Cinnamon and lavender. Little earthy and had an old world nose. The palate but did not explode like I expected a super Tuscan to do. It was softer and felt mature but the palate was more floral at first and not much bang to it. More blackberries and black current at first and then the wine transitioned to more blueberries in about 20 minutes and the floral disappeared. This wine went stale in the glass much faster than I liked. About 20 minutes after pouring it was not doing much at all. Over all the wine was good but I just could not get it into the 90 point range and I think is borderline for the money.
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STG Southern Italian Wines: double-deacanted bottle (12 hrs): licorice candy, stewed, and overly sweet. This wine was easy to dump out - tasted to me like a cheap spanish wine. !
bottle opened prior to the tasting: nose of licorice and granite, tannin was pronounced but tasty.
I still preferred the #3 in this flight, which turned out to be the 2003 version of this same wine, to these 2.
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STG does Southern Italy (Ballard, WA): We had two bottles of this. One had been double-decanted 12 hours earlier and had a very stewed nose. Apparently it crashed with aeration, as the person who brought said it seemed fresh when opened.
The second bottle was quite different. A bit of a green/dill oak note on the nose. Wowza this is drying, punishing in fast. Spicy. Gets better with some time but a bit tough. Not a huge fan of what seems to be a very forced wine.
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Aglianico tatsing at PRIMA: nose - cocoa, fig, and with time perhaps slowly opening mouth - dark fruit, very rich, fig, chocolate, decadent & almost a desert in its own right. more or less closed and not really ready to drink in my humble opinion. clove and sambuca on the finish. bonus points for potential 90+.
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Nice nose of anise, smoke and blueberry. This is shut down for business, flavor wise, right now. The tannins are quit prevalent and drying, not that they completely overwhelm the fruit, but two hours after opening, it is still a mouthful of dry cotton instead of opened up fruit. Quite purple and brilliant, but there was a ton of sediment, much more than in the prior bottles. Flavors, while lean and cottony, include dark berry, espresso bean, maybe a hint of wood but certainly not a lot, hints of licorice or anise and a coaly, tarry note. There was also quite mineral component that we know unwooded, often Italian varietals. If this is going to last another 20 years, those flavors need to get back in balance and they are clearly far from that right now.
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First go round with this wine, and given that sufficient time has lapsed since the lofty rating 98 from the WA a few years ago, I felt it was time to enjoy this wine on its own terms and merits. Decanted for 6 hrs and needed every one of those hours to come around into form, which it did in fine fashion. If there was a modern tint to this wine, it was felt on the nose, as a waves of smoky blackberry fruit were complemented by the clear use of oak (French?) but done so with balance and precision, not to mention the 9 years that these two players have had to familiarize themselves with each other. A late arriving note of Mission Fig added a really nice complexity to the bouquet. The palate initially continued such contemporary pleasantries and delights, until the midpalate absolutely roared with the unmistakable presence of the Aglianico Beast, that wreaked havoc on this little Sunday afternoon tea party. Piercing rays of bright red fruit melded with brick dust and ash, some underbrush perhaps, and just absolutely jaw breaking tannins left me almost exhausted (in a good way) after the second glass. I think my last two bottles will sit for a good spell yet, but this was a heck of a good time. Apologies in advance for being long winded and thanks for listening.
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Here is what the Tasting Note Assistant had to say: The wine looks Inky colored. The legs are Medium. It smells like Espresso, and Black Pepper. It tastes like Blackberry, Forest floor, and Stems. The body is Full. The wine is textured Leathery. The wine finishes Medium.
:) My comments: Dark, inky purple color and slightly murky. This wine was just starting to show some tertiary aromas and flavors. It had a rusticity that went well with the food but could never be described as "elegant". It had some sediment so standing it up and gently decanting before serving could improve it. Probably ready to drink depending on your preferences as I don't see too much further improvement down the line.
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Decanted for 90 minutes and still quite tight, but opened nicely over dinner of wild boar ragu. Excellent wine and drinking very well, now. Could absolutely age longer, but fantastic flavors, well integrated and quite yummy make it certainly worth a shot now.
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Cellar Raid; 1/15/2010-1/17/2010 (Extraspace): Wasabi powered peppery spices that punches your nasal senses! This is a knockout but this is not alc knockout..,this is true au naturel spices . Excellent structure with a cooling palate of dark brooding sensual fruits. Very interesting and intriguing wine. I like it . This is a breath of fresh air. Structured and balanced.
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This was a very interesting wine. The color is dark. The nose is mineral with some dark fruit, and a heavy wood note, cedar to be specific, along with tobacco. The tannin is forceful. There is also a lot of sediment. On the palate, the woodiness is a bit too dominant. The wine is a little disjointed now, and I suspect, hope, it's just going through a phase where all the parts have yet to come together to make a greater whole. It's clearly a well made wine, however I'm reserving points. The Serpico was tasted over three days.
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This was our first bottle based on the really critical reviews from early tasters that it had been sorely over-hyped, was incredibly rough, etc etc. So we left it alone for literally seven years and finally opened the first bottle.
It was magnificent. Everything was (as others have noted) dark about this wine. Color, nose, and in the mouth. No "sweet fruit" or floral aromatics. Truly a classic, big old-style wine. But it has smoothed out wonderfully and is now very accessible, although still very young. We got mineral, earth, mushrooms, plenty of tannin and acids. Just great...Parker got one right.
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Color remains extremely dark purple, like black plums. Nose is very sweet and rich, one expects a port: dried red fruits, candies, leather and toffee aromas. Nearly chewy: very ripe and sweet yet a boatload of soft tannins. A great wine in a style Italy does better than anyplace else.
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Still a baby for sure... Deep black/purple color. Dark fruits, graphite, minerals and the nose. Full bodied palate remains very tannic, even after being opened for 2+ hours. Firm acidity and a nice lingering finish. Not a fruit bomb for sure... very stern, old world style that has many, many years ahead of it. Definitely needs food. We had with homemade ravioli at the Hunt's Sea Isle City beach house, and it was terrific.
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It had been nearly 2 years since my last taste of this, and I'm happy to say it was still rocking. Concentrated, ripe blackberry fruit, coffee, mineral, and campfire/smoke flavors, judiciously framed by oak and admirably balanced. Grippy tannins on the back end. A fun, juicy, hedonistic wine.
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Lovely wine, tannic as all get out, sensual flavors and texture after about an hour in the glass. Lovely cherry flavors after an hour; should be stellar in five years +.
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rrr: Deep, opaque ruby color. Dark fruit and black pepper on the nose. Dark, figgy fruit on the palate, with anise and some aggressive spice and oak. This is tight and highly tannic; finish is long, but dry. While ~8 years old, this really seems like it would benefit from another 5 in the cellar, as this is still rough and rustic. Still, there's great concentration and power, so maybe...
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Seemed off. Nice structure, but little fruit. Very dark purple color. I'll give my others a couple more years. Will it ever live up to the expecations?
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Wonderful expolosive nose of floral notes, blackberries. Very chewy tannins and good acidity, this needs a bit of time in the glass or decanter to open to well integrated berry, oak and chocolate flavors. Tasty and the only thing I wonder is will the fruit ever come into balance with those tannins. Power decant it if you got it.
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Decanted and had the first taste in 1 hour. Very dark,thick black ink colour. Great aromas. And even better at the end of the bottle. On the palate ...a bright berry fruit out front then spices...cinnamon for sure and later on in the bottle cloves and very dark chocolate. But the texture of the tannins were amazing.Very sexual texture...this lasted a long time into the finish. This wine will last a long time and I will wait maybe 1-2 years before the next bottle.
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Decanted about 90 minutes. Big raspberry nose with subtle earth and perhaps some spice. Wonderfully full and slightly sweet on the palate but still an incredible tannic bite! I wish I had more because this wine will be incredible, but now it need another 3-5 years to soften.
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Strong and still very youthful with its tannic attack. Bitter cherry, rhubarb, licorice...this wine certainly does not lack personality!! Maybe needs a few more year to get a bit rounder, but it is surely very enjoying right now. It surely is totally different (and better) than 2 years ago when I previosuly tasted it.
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Very Dark fruit- Deep ink color. A little too much wood for me. It had notes of being corked- that off musty taste ...3 more to go hopefully they will be better with age...--- We'll wait and see...
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A wine of teeth staining proportions, I was a little worried it was still to young and perhaps that is true. But with careful decant and time warm a bit from cellar temp, this is a very nice wine right now. It does break down after about 3 hours in decanter with the tannin overrunning the fruit at that point, so I think it is best consumed within 1-2 hours of opening today. Deep red, nearly opaque, the nose smells of spice, berry and pinecone. There is a component of stone licking with this wine, but also a very complex purple berry flavor, some nice thai basil mint and oh those mouth coating, teeth wrenching tannin. My first Aglianico, although I have the 2003 of this wine and another producer's coming from Gargiste, I can only trust the "experts" about the future of the wine. It sure seems like it has the stuffing to go a long time and I might try again in 2010 or 2011. It can be drunk now, just remember not to let it sit too long.
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At Marissa's Bat Mitzvah. Much more approachable than I was expecting. The tannins are there, but it seems like they have begun to release their grip. That said, this wine is still primary.
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Super ripe blackberry, with licorice and iodine. Much like a Petite Syrah. The initial nose reminded my of a marinade or glaze. Not really my style though. Didnt have layers of interesting scents and flavors. Sort of hulking. Could use another 10 years or so if it will ever wow me.
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Much better than 2 years ago. The tannins, though still prominent, are much better integrated. Still not quite entering its drinking window but getting closer.
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I decanted the bottle about 8 hours in advance. Still very young. Good accidity, strong tannin structure but after 8 hours decanting the fruit faded away a bit. (maybe only 4 hours would have been better) I am curious how this will evolve. It can become great but I have my doubt it will once deserve the 98 parker score. for now 90+ next bottle in 2011 with only 3 hours decanting
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Opened and decanted roughly 4 hours. Then re-bottled and taken to a friend's house to be decanted another couple of hours. Mustiness on the nose that never went away (but did not get worse). Chocolate and dried dark berries (raisins and currants) with a very dry and tannic finish.
I would say it was "slightly" corked, if there is such a thing. Usually the corked wines I've had get worse as they are exposed to air and / or are undrinkable. This wasn't the case, so this was new for me.
I still have a couple of these left and I'm seriously thinking of opening up the next in about 5 years. In fact, I'm not sure if these will ever be ready.
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South Italian wine dinner (Chicago, IL): Almost black in colour with a red rim. Intense, complex nose shows lots of tar, black fruits, spice, herbs and licorice. Chewy and full bodied on the palate with spicy dark fruits and herbs, large tannins and good acidity with a long finish.
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Feudi di San Gregorio Serpico vertical (Parco dei Principi, Rome): Black core, ruby rim, deep/dark/dense; lots of fine sediment. Aromas and flavours of ripe black cherries, clean earthiness, minerality, roasted coffee, vanilla and aromatic herbs. Very acidic, high level of chewy tannins, yet balanced. Richly flavourful, concentrated, full bodied, great length and complexity. Love it. WOTN
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Decanted for 4 hours prior to Christmas meal. Deep, dark and brooding. Still very tannic and austere, but a very nice wine. Dark fruits and graphite. Long finish.
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Wow. This wine has aged quite nicely. Not a big nose, but the wine is full bodied, smooth and silky. Big and delicious. Just terrific. It was WOTN, simply crushing a great bottle of 2001 Phelps Insignia. No contest.
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Drank with parmigiano, pesto pasta with olive oil and iberico ham. Very good pairing with pasta and olive oil. Wine itself has a slight plastic/herbal taste. Aftertaste of olive. Wonder if I have a partially defective bottle.
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Decanted 60 minutes. Deep purple in color. Wonderful nose of black fruit. Big and bold on the palate with more black fruit on the palate with a long finish with olive. Still primal with mouth-searing tanin. Very good now, but better in 3-5 years.
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BC-01202351; Deep reddish purple color, Phenomal nose of black fruit, rose hip, leather. Intense palate of olive, black fruit, leather, and band-aid. Finish of olive, and other lesser aromas.
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Dark black red. Aromas of dark smokey peppery fruit; some floral aromas with a little rubbery plastic. Full rich well textured flavors of slightly bitter black fruit and herbs. Solid acidity and fleshy tannins. More integrated than last note on 1/7/07.
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decanted for an hour. strong, tannic wine. taste of bold, astringinc fruit, pepper and must; pleasant. loosened up a bit, will be great in a while (4-5 years)
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This was my second bottle. It is just starting to strut its stuff. On opening from my cellar, it did not offer a whole lot. Seemed very closed, as it should at 55 degrees. After decanting for 2 hours it started to emerge. While still very primary, I did notice some hints of earth. Big, full mouthfeel. The last glass was the best. While this was much better than my first bottle, I think that it will get much better in the next few years. If you must open one now, I recommend a decant of at least 2 -3 hours and a hearty tuscan style meal.
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Tasting Group Dinner - The Other Italy (Il Vesco Vino, St. Paul): Much, much better than the previous bottle I opened a few months ago. Very dark and intense. Concentrated blackberry fruit, iron/mineral, iodine. Great structure and power. Needs more time. Great raw material here. Excellent.
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Minneapolis Tastes the Other Italy: Dark red color. The nose gives an intriguing blend of dark fruit, coffee, smoke, flowers, and a slight hint of band-aid. This is an immense wine with great mouthfeel. The taste is dominated by powerful black fruit and mineral but is already showing some complexity. Has great acidity and very sweet tannins. Tastes both powerful and elegant. Should develop nicely with additional years of cellaring.
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This wine is closed for business right now. The last bottle I had, a couple of years ago, drank very well...and I am sure this will again but it needs a few years in the cellar as it's very tight and the tannins are pretty overwhelming. There's a lot of fruit lurking there, though...
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Inky purple black mass with garnet rim. Nose of cassis, wet plant, cedar, heat, spice. Decanted. Breakdown after two hours but evolving. Nose muted. Slight spice, reminiscent of Petite Syrah. Quite disappointingly reminded me of Red Car. Tannic and tooth-staining. Cellar for 10+ years.
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Popped and poured. Deep black color, blood red at the rim. The nose is lush and very peppery, almost Zinfandel-like. More black pepper on the palate, along with blackberries, espresso, and anise. Very concentrated. The midpalate turns a touch tart and acidic, and the finish shows lots of spicy oak. An hour after uncorking, the oak became overwhelming and the wine was nearly undrinkable. 90+ initially; 75-80 points afterwards.
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Dark black-red color. Aromas of peppery blackberry. On the palate it has a split personality: there is a high acidic 'melody' of rasberry and some misc. floral notes and then there are also some low harmony notes of something like bitter strawberries and dark blacberry flavors with amaro, licorice and hints of some other herbal stuff (there is a distinct and pleasant bitterness I rarely see in american wines). The texture is stiff and the wine is tannic and rather acidic. Not sure the two personalities merge today; maybe tomorrow. I think the RP98 is insane but it is well made and attractive nonetheless. I will be glad to open my next bottle.
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Stunning wine. The nose is captivating with unbridled power and yet super-brilliance and delicacy. This wine has the strongest almond tone I have ever found in a wine. The palate is even better. It has red fruits and wood notes paired with spices in a consistency that can't be beat. The finish doesn't seem to stop. Great! 4 bottles of equal phenomenal quality.
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This wine was somewhat of a diappointment for me, because my expectations was skyhigh, due to the 98RP score. The tannins was overwhelming, almost to the point of being sour, and therefore suffocated all the elements, I thought I could sense behind. I waited two days after recorking the bottle, to taste this unapprochable monster again, only to discover that some rounding out, did not reveal more fruit or other, perhaps hidden scents. The only time I have disagreed with Bob....
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Dinner with England, Manlin, and Others (Brad's House): Popped and poured immediately after dessert of lemon tart. Placement in the line-up and serving after dessert made this hard to assess. The color was dark black. The nose was very expressive. I was surprised I could smell anything after all the previous wine and dinner. Very nice. Palate coating and concentrated in the mouth, with a nice long finish. I had low expectations for this wine despite the high DT score, and was pleasantly surprised at how it showed.
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Black ruby. Dark, brooding aromas of cassis, stone dust, toffee, floral overtones. But rather closed with drying tannins and considerable acidity. Was at its best on day two; the richness of the cassis fruit somehow showed through the intense tannins. With time, this will make an elegant bottle, but needs 5-8 years if not more. Potential 94-96 points if the tannins die before the fruit.
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I had the same experience as Pizinah who fairly described the unpleasant sour & vegetal aspect of it. It did improve a little over a 4 hour period but not much. I tasted this wine 2/4/05 and had entirely different experience. In 2/05 the wine seemed to have a lot of promise, "thick, spicy, firm,juicy, lots of baby fat". I am not familiar with the aglianico grape, maybe this wine has closed down?? Either way I will wait a year or two before trying the next one. 87
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I've now opened bottles from 3 different retail sources and all were sour, weedy and vegetal almost to the point of being undrinkable... Those of you who haven't tasted this and are cellaring multiple bottles based on the reviews/points might want to give it a try... Like no doubt many others, I decided to give it a try not only b/c of the price and WA98 pts, but also b/c of the WA (Thomases) tasting notes which describe the wine as "staggeringly rich...offers ultra-ripe but perfectly fresh berry fruit...cinnamon, chocolate...infinitely deep and long..." Sounded like a wine I'd like, and the price wasn't bad. Unfortunately none of the bottles I've tried even remotely resembled Thomases' notes...
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Day one: way too much pepper Day two: much better integration, enjoyable Day three: aaahhhh. now that's better. fully integrated, smooth, luscious, a beautiful wine. exceeded my expectations. glad i have more.
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Six months since my last bottle, still the same opinion. It is a mouthful righ tnow, either wait to drink or decant. Declicious Aglianico, but a big wine right now
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The Amalfi Coast; 10/8/2005-10/14/2005 (Minori, Campania, Italy): Brilliant violet color. Somewhat muted nose, developed mocha on the nose. Cherry, black fruit, chocolate. Big but not overwhelming tannins. Less of an experience than my previous taste 9 months ago, more approachable, though also not as rich.
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Ricardo Cotarella (abs-sp): Black. This is impenetrable dark. Very intense and complex on the nose. Moist Asfalt, cloves, and lot's more. Nicely balanced, bitter chocolate, thick, lot's of tannins, this will definately benefit a ton from more aging. A very impressive job from the winemaker and a unique caracter.
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Dark, inky purple in color. Made from the Aglianico grape it is one of the darkest wines I've ever seen. After the decant there was a kirsch flavor along with a spicyness from the oak. It had a velvety mouthfeel with lots of dark fruit but was slightly out of balance with strong acids and tannins that should resolve with more age. Quite good wine that was good with food. [~$50 on release; Decanted one hour and needed every minute]
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Okay, I'm not sure if I should be glad that I have 2 more bottles. We tasted this after the Kistler which we happened to enjoy with some oyster rockefellers. The FSG just did not have anything there. Absolutely no fruit, and no substance. Took 3/4 of the bottle home and immediately tried it. Now it's showing a little more character, oak blew off a little bit. But it seemed very acidic. Maybe it's just not my style. Corked it back up for tomorrow.
Tried this on second night--put on a little weight, the fruit was definitely starting to show. Evolved into something nice. I don't know if I can go as high as DT did (98), but I think this will be a really good wine, it's really just young right now. Will hold on to the other 2 I have for a few years.
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This wine is made with the Aglianico grape. This was an inky purple color with a character to match. Very heavy and bold. An in your face style that I could not fully embrace but I can certainly see why other would be entralled with this. Aromas of tar and flowers. Concentrated black fruit. Rather like a big Aussie Shiraz. Dry finish. I would say this could use some more time. 90+ points.
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Gorgeous inky purple color. Incredible density and a withering assault of tannin. Needs several years before it reveals itself, but you can sense that it is spring-loaded with some type of intense flavor. Not sure if it is extracted fruit or smoky/peppery clove. Only time will tell.
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Italian Wine Primer (Rainbow Room, NYC): ($40) almost black color c purple margins. Jammy nose. On the palate massive, lush dark fruit (blackberry, black cherry); bright red fruit on the finish. Wish I had a few.
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3/17/2024 - Claymonster Likes this wine: 91 Points
First of six. Cork was about half saturated and broke. Used an ah-so to extract the rest. The wine was not flawed thankfully. Decanted and back in a clean bottle after 3 hours. Lots of chunky sediment. Consumer over another 3 hours.
I would not have thought this was a 23 year old wine. No bricking, still a lot of primary fruit (dark black berries, cassis), grippy tannins. A little oak, plus some peppery and herbal qualities that tell me this would be an excellent accompaniment to a BBQ meal. Overall a pretty well balanced and delicious wine that might hit its peak in another 23 years. On the other hand, these bottles could be eternal.
Music pairing: Pucho and His Latin Soul Brothers - Yaina
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2/26/2024 - Art_Vandelay1 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Stood up for 2 days prior to decanting. Decanted for 5 hours and then consumed over another 3-4. The first glass wasn’t very good but it opened up right after and revealed a lovely bouquet of violets and cherries. A hint of tar and oak in each sip. First time having Aglianico with over 15 years of age, and was surprised that the wine I would compare this to would be an aged Bordeaux. Don’t think the tannins have been fully integrated, and looking forward to opening my last bottle in 5+ years.
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1/5/2024 - dougsmith Likes this wine: 91 Points
Deep ruby color, tending towards black. Somewhat reticent on the nose with elements of mineral, smoke, and blackberry. Plum skin on the palate, dry on the attack but with a lingering sweet finish.
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12/26/2023 - rsbeck wrote: flawed
Another flawed bottle. Cork broke. It was stuck and had to be pried out. It was not as flawed as some previous bottles but was obviously not correct. The first bottle, back in 2011 showed a lot of promise. Sadly, the other 5 all had problems and I never got to experience a proper evolution.
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12/20/2023 - Vesuvio333 wrote: 96 Points
96 rating applies to 1.5L format. Unbelievable nose of ripe dark fruit, mineral and firm tannins. Over the past year I’ve also had a few 750ml format and the 750 ml format appear to be past its peak, still decent but not near the prime form that the larger format is showing.
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11/27/2023 - kdubler wrote:
Every time I drink this wine I wonder why Aglianico is not more popular. This was both powerful, and delicate at the same time. At 22 years old it still drank like a baby, likely could have lasted another 10-20 years. Red and black fruit with a smoky edge like grilled meat. Absolutely fantastic
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6/13/2023 - mxpbuy Likes this wine: 93 Points
3 hours of air needed. Still a bit chewy and rough out of the gate, but the elegance of this wine finally started to show after 3+ hours. Black fruits, some slightly underripe plum, sagebrush elements, touch of Oak, and little glimmers of red currant. Still lots of upside remaining.
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6/9/2023 - trumpet60201 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Last of 6. Still dark colored with lots of life left. Dark and smokey a bit on the nose and palate, with a pretty long finish. Nice cherry fruits. Lots of rustic tannins.
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4/23/2023 - TannicBeast Likes this wine: 95 Points
Tasted this 100% single-vineyard Aglianico every year for the last seven years, and it keeps getting better. Decanted for sediment. Deep, ruby/brown w/ a garnet hue. Concentrated, glass-staining. Clean, w/ baked black cherries, prunes, dried red cherries, violets, baking spices, tar, licorice, coffee grinds, dark chocolate/carob and leather. The nose is developed. Dry with plenty of nice fruit in the fore palate, med+ alcohol (14%), polyphenols and minerality. Tastes more youthful than it smells. Med+ acidity and tannins. A full-bodied, chewy wine, with a pronounced flavor intensity and long finish. Remarkably balanced for such a big wine, it is showing really well for a 22-year-old.
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3/27/2023 - parkline_wine Likes this wine: 93 Points
After 22 years of aging, it's become something quite special. You've got this amazing blend of dark fruits and mellowed tannins that's so inviting.
The nose is just wonderful – cherry, pine, forest floor, that are also consistent in the mouth. It's drinking excellently now, at its peak!
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3/5/2023 - Lordswood wrote: 93 Points
Loved this. Dark dark fruits with a tannic backbone. I am not normally a fan of overtly tannic wines but 22 years of ageing has softened the rough edges and produced something truly interesting and exciting. Enjoy
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1/14/2023 - Realityrichard wrote: 91 Points
Undurchsichtiges, tiefes violett mit deutlichem Braunton im Glas. In den ersten Minuten trocknet es den Mund vollständig aus: Tannin ohne Ende. Als würde ich probieren den Durst mit Sand zu stillen. Selten so eine Gerbstoffpeitsche gehabt. Dann vor allem: Leder, Leder und ein bisschen Leder. Nach einer guten Stunde beginnt die Show: die Sauerkirsche und der Pfeffer sind wohltuend in den 14 Volts gebettet. Nicht zu kalt trinken, sonst bleibt einfach nur die Umdrehung übrig. Denke die aller beste Zeit hat er hinter sich: er will getrunken werden. Am besten eine Stunde vorher dekantieren.
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12/31/2022 - wiscgrad wrote: 92 Points
fruit is fading from the last time I had this bottle. drying tannins are starting to be more pronounced. I would drink sooner than later
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12/25/2022 - CabinConnoisseur wrote: 94 Points
Really nice wine. Sour cherries, cedar, forest floor on the nose. Sour cherries, strawberry, citrus, white pepper, ash, zesty spice. Strong tannin, very complex, good length with the spice. Went very well with lasagna and the family's Sicilian sauce.
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12/20/2022 - OenophilistMN Likes this wine: 93 Points
Identical profile to my note of 9-15-2022. Was an outstanding match with a steak au poivre.
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10/31/2022 - psychstar Likes this wine: 92 Points
Aromas of old horse saddle, crushed dark berries, savory herbs. Flavors of dried figs, raisins, black tea etc. Tea-like tannins have smoothed out to but are still present. Still possesses amazing acidity that keeps it drinkable and a great pairing for richer fare. Enjoyed with a shortrib ragu and pappardelle. Definitely has more time left in the tank but if you like acid (and have something tasty to eat) I would drink now!
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10/4/2022 - Joelene wrote: 92 Points
Great fruit right of the start, big wine. Blind I guessed Cabernet from California. Best upon opening, faded after a couple hours in the decanter. Notes of currents, plums, black tea, licorice, cacao, tobacco and cedar. Recommend pop and pour.
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9/15/2022 - OenophilistMN Likes this wine: 93 Points
One-hour decant through a screened and aerating funnel. Blackberry and figs during decant. Some sediment on the screen. After resting, wine was clear; some orange on the rim. Nose of figs and ash. In the mouth, raisins, tea, mulberry, and again, an ash finish, which was moderately long. Balance seemed great and the acid supported grilled steaks. I was really lucky to source a couple more bottles of this and two other vintages after discovering this wine.
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6/27/2022 - JWG wrote: 94 Points
As good as the last bottle, and no sign of being being over a peak-- vibrant. Nose is blackberries, tobacco, earth, a bit of chocolate. Palate carries thru on those notes, especially the earthy chocolate. Significant acidity, and still very significant tannins -- an intensely rounded drink.
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6/1/2022 - Radders12345 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Wine Pages Giro d’Italia Offline at 67PM (67 Pall Mall): A lovely evolved nose of balsamic, tomato, dark plum, black tea, old leather (probably the key note here), some smoke and coffee
Time has softened the tannins to a velvety texture with a pleasing acidity too.
I think this is on song now
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5/19/2022 - trumpet60201 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Lots of oak on the nose. Massive tannins. Full-bodied, but only 14%. Really elegant in a way - decent length to the finish. I think it needs a few more years in the cellar.
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4/25/2022 - PimpDaddy2Kool Likes this wine: 91 Points
Still delicious but losing its vibrancy. Drink these up asap because it's heading to the other side of the bell curve.
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4/4/2022 - mclanew wrote: 90 Points
Slow ox for one hour. Black fruit, tobacco and a little brett on the nose. The palate is full bodied, with black currant, minerals, herbs, and smoke. Still decent tannic presence and a little rustic.
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2/14/2022 - R1 wrote:
Tannic. Alcoho
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1/30/2022 - bretrooks wrote:
Not decanted, consumed over ~1 1/2 hours with a dinner featuring grilled ribeyes. Dark-fruited (blackberry/black cherry) with some savory, meaty notes and hints of coffee or tar and herbs. Tannic but not rough, with good acidic balance. My wife and I both really enjoyed this, and I think this is mature (although not very tertiary) but could still certainly have a years ahead of good drinking ahead for sound bottles. One of the better reds I've had in a while, considering my palate preferences and its ability to enhance our meal.
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1/30/2022 - mdanyc Likes this wine: 88 Points
I’m about halfway through my case, and not sure whether it is still evolving at this point. This bottle opened up a bit over four hours (no decant - a mistake since there was tons of sediment). A little bit musty, slightly better fruit than previous bottles, earthy, but still just not knocking me out.
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1/8/2022 - A L P Likes this wine:
On first opening, very rich, tannic, blackberry jammy. Decanted, and the last bit in the bottle was thick with sediment.
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1/3/2022 - HJImperial Likes this wine: 93 Points
Finally enjoyable to drink! At 5 years old, my guests were too modest to spit it out. At 15 years, tannins had softened but took 2 days to open up. At 20 years...
Nose initially closed (even after a 2-hour decant). Then something earthy, leather, stone and a faint hint of herbs.
Minimal bricking. My wife thought I opened a Brunello or Barolo, but heavier body than both.
Tart black cherry and some other dark fruits. Tannins soft and integrated. Has not develop much secondary (aging) aromatics or taste. Tannin structure could last another 5 years, but I do not know what else I will be waiting for. Prime for drinking. My last bottle.
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12/25/2021 - TheTreasurer wrote:
- Brick color with medium forming legs.
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12/5/2021 - jsander Likes this wine: 93 Points
Really fine aged wine. Resolved tannins, nice fruit.
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11/21/2021 - robmatic wrote: 95 Points
At long last, this wine is open for business. Too bad it's my last bottle, but it's got a thrilling bouquet of dark flowers, mineral, and anise. Broad and expansive palate, and though still showing abundant tannins, it is now soft enough to where the dark cherry fruit shines through. The NY steak with porcini butter certainly helped the wine show its best. If I had more of this wine, I'd not hesitate to keep it another 10 years.
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8/31/2021 - walkerjfw wrote: 92 Points
Last bottle of this, brought to Buono Vita in Somers Point to have with some old school Italian fare. Drank over an hour
Notes from 3/20/20: :Dark garnet core color, mild separation.Nose was a bit closed at first, opening up to show blackberry, coffee, earth, mushrooms. Rich palate of dark cherry, black currant, game/savory notes, herbs (rosemary?), coffee grinds, mineral. Great texture, full body, long(ish) finish..."
This was PnP but we took our time with it. There is a lot going on, it takes a good 20 minutes to really show the depth, better an hour in. Classic Anglianico with this terroir..."taste the volcano" terroir on display. Fully mature, not likely to improve from here
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8/30/2021 - SteelerFan wrote: 91 Points
Very good bottle. Tannins are still present, as I’d the dark fruit. Very typical of the style, but not heavy. May still improve.
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8/29/2021 - mtarrant003 Likes this wine: 92 Points
After a slightly funky bottle last month I was keen to try another and see if the old magic was still there which it was in spades. This bottle was deep in colour with no real signs of age. The aromas really rose from the bottle on decanting with lots of dark fruit, liquorice and tar. On the palate these aromas appeared as flavours with lovely tannic grip, plenty of acidity and good balance. In theory this has plenty of time left but is in a really good place now so I suspect I will drink my remaining bottles over the next couple of years in the hope that they are good bottles. Drunk with roast chicken dinner.
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7/28/2021 - mtarrant003 Likes this wine: 91 Points
A year on from our last bottle, this one had quite a bit of funk on the nose on opening and took quite a while to dissipate and subside. On the palate this wine still has lots of acidity and is very tannic with dark fruit flavours that are cooked rather than fresh. Not up to the level of the previous bottle but having said that it did pair really well with the duck Ragu we drank it with.
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7/16/2021 - kabert Likes this wine: 92 Points
From a magnum, this was surprisingly tannic. After @45 minutes in a decanter, the tannins started to soften. Beautiful dark fruits nose, followed by flavors of dark fruits, roses, and some leather. My only bottle, but if I had more I’d decant for 3-4 hours or keep it cellared for 5-10 more years.
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5/12/2021 - Duce wrote: 93 Points
Fully evolved, tar, licorice. Drink now
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4/4/2021 - sjtave Likes this wine:
First glass from Coravin was a great collection of flavors -- tar, tobacco, and leather -- but a bit disjointed. Opened the bottle about 2.5 months later and the wine was much more integrated. Powerful purple nose (if that makes sense) backed by a deep but bright palate. Not much tertiary and a little bit hot from the alcohol but overall the nicest experience I've had with this wine yet.
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3/31/2021 - pocchia Likes this wine: 89 Points
PnP using an aerator. Dark, deep and opaque in the glass and gentle on the nose. Velvety tannins embrace full-bodied fruit, but I can’t place it. Really lovely with a bit more tannic response on the back of the palate and a decent finish. Stems up!
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3/19/2021 - RalfRufus Likes this wine: 91 Points
Theo’s first night
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2/3/2021 - thebonnydooner wrote: 92 Points
This was great. Very dark and ripe with lots of structure despite the age. Pretty monolithic, tar, leather with dried herbs - full bodied but firm currant, dark plum and blackberry fruit. Some fig. leather on finish. Really interesting.
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1/31/2021 - trumpet60201 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Really interesting and nice wine. I don't drink a lot of wine from this region, so take my review fwiw. Still super tannic, even after 20 years. Nose was very nice - as described by others. Some good cherry and plum fruit is still there. 14%, which seems perfect for this style/grape. Finish is fairly quick (other than the tannins), and acidity seems a bit low to me, but overall it is a fun and intriguing wine.
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1/31/2021 - gondrik Does not like this wine: 94 Points
After an hour it opened and was very full flavored but very tannic.
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1/27/2021 - RalfRufus Likes this wine: 91 Points
With venison!
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1/9/2021 - molly90068 wrote:
Fruit has subsided. Drying tannins.
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12/27/2020 - Filippo Likes this wine: 92 Points
Beautiful wine. Concentrated cherry, cedar wood, wet earth, tobacco, rhubarb. Still totally alive and with years of life ahead. But I will drink it a bit younger next time. Just my personal taste.
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12/11/2020 - Pinotfanbg Likes this wine: 89 Points
Big, tight, smoky, black wine. Still dark and impenetrable color. Nicely perfumed with tar, charcoal and black currant fruit scents with a good bit of floral lift. Black fruit and tar with a bit of fine, silky tannin on the palate. Improves with air becoming more silky on the finish with a touch of warmth. Not bad, but probably best with a piece of grilled meat.
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11/21/2020 - Kerino wrote: 91 Points
Still tight tight tight. The wine sort of continues to sulk in the bottle on opening, and then there is a slow unwinding in the decanter. I gave it about three hours, and it was only beginning to unwind in the glass. Such an interesting collection of primary flavours, but lacking the sophistication from a more harmonious wine. A wine collector's wine.
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10/19/2020 - mxpbuy Likes this wine: 92 Points
90 minute decant and no where near enough. Put back in bottle to try again another night. Initially rough tannins and dark fruits and black currant. After a couple hours, some softening but far from smooth. Tobacco and grilled meats started to emerge with a touch of hard Oak. This wine seems to have so much potential. Could Parker's initial projection of 98 be close to accurate? It could take another decade to have any clue.
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10/11/2020 - Ltim BE Likes this wine: 94 Points
Last bottle was December 2011 (score 82/100)
Decanted 3 hours
Wow what happened here. This wine is singing out loud now. Still very bold but lovely. Aroma’s of espresso, cedar, pine, sandalwood, cured meat, menthol, warm fruits. The palate is bold, mouth filling, still tannins but integrated. Almost Amarone like in a way. A beauty today. Still got potential.
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9/3/2020 - rojoloco Likes this wine: 93 Points
very tight on opening. Gor better after 90 minutes or so. It was way better after pumped off overnight. Wish I had more.
A lovely bottle.
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7/20/2020 - wiscgrad wrote: 94 Points
Fantastic. Barolo of the south sounds about right. As others have said, this will live for a long time.
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7/19/2020 - t-sama Likes this wine: 94 Points
Exceptional and ready to drink. Pairs very well with a grilled steak. Definitely needs a decant and really opens up after an hour or two.
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7/5/2020 - Weinberg Falls wrote: 92 Points
Deep purple-red in the glass. Complex nose of figs, warm earth, stewed fruit and wet mushrooms. Rich, full body. Cherry compote, raisin and liquorice. There is so much of everything on the palate here - sweet, powerful and luscious. While smooth, there are stemmy and grainy tannins making this a little sandy. Incredibly long burned sugar and spiced finish with a tertiary hint of green pepper and balsamic. Big wine, 92-93.
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7/5/2020 - kend707 Likes this wine: 93 Points
From magnum. Decanted one hour. Big, brooding, and tight at one hour. Mellows out at hour three.
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6/17/2020 - trumpet60201 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Tasted only on day 2 of opening. Massive wine, still with a bunch of fruit and some good tannins. Lots of sediment in the bottom. This is just a huge wine, not really my style, but fun to have at this age.
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6/14/2020 - winemaker Likes this wine: 94 Points
This was outstanding with smoked ribs. Big, rich wine. Very aromatic. Still dark purple in color. Plenty of acid and tannins here to cut the fat on the ribs. In a really nice place.
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6/8/2020 - mtarrant003 Likes this wine: 92 Points
18 months on from our last bottle, this went down a treat with our roast beef dinner. The wine continues to be fresh, although the fruit is fading a little and it is more secondary than before with earth, spice and leather showing. Having said that, there is lots of acidity and the wines continues to come across as much younger than it actually is. This is a very tannic wine but it is beginning to mellow, and when paired with red meat is delightful. The wine is full bodied with a medium finish. I stand by my previous assessment that it will continue to evolve very slowly and I would imagine will develop favourably for at least another decade.
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5/31/2020 - jweedin Likes this wine: 89 Points
I liked it. My wife did not. Our caveat is we are not very experienced with wine from Campania. It is big but full of acidity allowing it to survive. Very little fruitiness means it requires food which improved the wine significantly.
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5/23/2020 - tadams66 wrote: 89 Points
Decanted but it never came around. Did have some vegetable/green pepper, leather, earthy, and some dark fruit but did not really have the complexity and structure I expected. I liked it more several years ago. Not sure if it was the pairing (pork with barbecue rub) or something else.
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5/15/2020 - scotty_b wrote: 89 Points
Super herbaceous and vegetal on opening. Evolved over the course of several hours with notes of wild cherry, tar/ash, tobacco spice. A little gaminess on the backend. Big wine with still a lot of structure. Should last for another decade.
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5/9/2020 - Kepos Likes this wine: 91 Points
similar notes as in 2018, although I thought there was more acidity this time
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4/4/2020 - devraj Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark red/purple with some lightening around the edges. Restrained nose take a while to open up to show reddish black cherries, tar, leather, hint of coffee grinds and roasted asian seeds. Full-bodied, rich and spherical palate shows good depth to the ripe dark macerated fruits, hint of anise, lowish acidity, tannins still present and a long leather and tar perfumed finish. This will continue to improve... in a cold cellar.
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3/22/2020 - JKGarden wrote: flawed
Cork broke on opening. After decanting drank well. Smooth.
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3/20/2020 - walkerjfw wrote: 92 Points
At home w/Valerie and some awesome eggplant rollatini from Gennaro's... needed an interesting Italian wine for pairing. These bottles a gift from a friend. Slow oxed for 30 minutes, drank over 2 hours. Clean cork
Dark garnet core color, mild separation.Nose was a bit closed at first, opening up to show blackberry, coffee, earth, mushrooms. Rich palate of dark cherry, black currant, game/savory notes, herbs (rosemary?), coffee grinds, mineral. Great texture, full body, long(ish) finish.
Nicely aged at this point, Anglianico can be impenetrable in its youth... this has come together in a really nice way. The air time/wake up makes a big difference, much better about an hour in. Would give it at least that much if venue allows. The palate seems much younger than the nose...not sure if that means anything. My experience with Anglianico in groups is it can be a love it/hate it result. This one is a classic "taste the volcano"...may not be for everyone. In a great spot, should continue to drink at this level for a while
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2/25/2020 - au96alum Likes this wine: 90 Points
It’s past it’s prime...don’t buy it new and if you have it open it. Still good stuff....I know not very well written drinking notes.
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1/19/2020 - robmatic wrote: 95 Points
From a cold cellar. Cork was perfect, looked brand new. Two hour decant, and it was still tight and backward. After another hour in the glass it started to reveal its juicy, meaty palate. The tannins were still very powerful, but finally settled down alongside a prime NY steak. The mouthfeel of this wine is tremendous; It is rich and thick, with tons of sweet cherry, a touch of espresso and herbal notes. Definitely the best bottle of this I've had so far. I'd still recommend waiting another 2 or 3 years before trying another.
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1/19/2020 - willfab60 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Brought to La Strega . Sweet dark fruit. A bit of heat still. Will be better in 2 years.
Very nice Canpania region wine. Everyone thought highly of this wine.
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9/13/2019 - lolo66 wrote: 90 Points
dark in that aglianico way. inky, cherries coming through along with black licorice. I would say needs more time, but if you like this masculine style, then it is ready to drink.
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7/22/2019 - R2-D2 wrote: 91 Points
Still has a dark color while displaying some browning on the edges. Some funky earth on the initial nose, it quickly fades to tobacco, soil, espresso, truffle, blackberries and toffee. While there is some black currant, it is fading and takes a backseat to smokey game, rosemary, mushroom, leather , pine and spice notes. Like most Aglianico, a fair amount of tannins still remain. 5oz removed via Coravin.
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6/21/2019 - mxpbuy Likes this wine: 90 Points
Still not sure about this wine. Still a massive brooding wine that just never seems to open, yet there is clearly some great juice in the bottle. This wine was almost in a dumb phase with very little fruit coming through. Will try again later this year.
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5/7/2019 - TannicBeast Likes this wine: 94 Points
Texas Wine School - Kings of Italy Class. A real pleasure to get to taste this 100% single-vineyard Aglianico every year for the last four years. For peak enjoyment, this wine must be decanted, as it has lots of sediment and tannic precipitate. It also benefits from a couple hours of air to help it open up. The color is clear, deep, ruby/brown with garnet hues on the rim. This is a concentrated, glass-staining wine. The nose is clean, with baked black cherries, prunes, red cherries, violets, baking spices, tar, licorice, coffee grinds, dark chocolate/carob and leather. The nose is developed. The palate is dry with some nice fruit in the fore palate, medium (+) alcohol (14%), polyphenols and minerality. The wine definitely tastes fresher and more youthful than it smells. The acidity is medium (+) and the tannins are still medium (+). This is a full-bodied, chewy wine, with a pronounced flavor intensity and long finish. It has evolved for the better over the last several years, with still plenty of life left. The tannins are still quite firm and complement the ripe fruit beautifully. A very interesting wine, particularly if you can find it on sale in the $50 range. WS 94 upon release. Tasted again on 7/23/20 and 4/23/22 with consistent results.
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3/31/2019 - Rollerball wrote: flawed
Corked. Disappointing to wait 18 years to drink something and have it be flawed.
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2/16/2019 - VinCrush Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very smooth now... Just a bit of the puckers at the end of the very last glass. Dark fruit dominated. Very satisfying!
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2/13/2019 - efc Does not like this wine:
Over the hill.
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1/3/2019 - LeechDogg wrote:
Drinking well, no signs of aging!
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12/29/2018 - mtarrant003 Likes this wine: 92 Points
It's hard to believe that a wine with this much fruit, freshness and acidity is seventeen years old. This is my third bottle over the past year with very little variation indicating it will continue to evolve very slowly and I would imagine will develop favourably for at least another decade.
This is a real heavyweight of a wine with lots of fresh rather than cooked black fruit, earth, leather and spice. Tannins make their presence felt but are mellowing and not harsh. Full bodied with a medium finish.
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12/28/2018 - AJCowen wrote: 92 Points
Hard to tell why people are hating on this. Still plenty of fruit, blueberry and cherry seem most pronounced. Lot of structure with some cedar and pine on the aftertaste. Much bigger and harder than a typical brunello but enjoyable all the same.
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12/26/2018 - rsbeck wrote: 89 Points
This bottle was not flawed. All were purchased from same store and stored in same cellar. However, I still don't feel it has developed positively.
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12/9/2018 - acyso wrote: 80 Points
Vinetasters: Brown Bag (Skokie, IL): Served double blind. Chocolate milkshake on the nose. Blueberries. Way too big. Creamy, sweet, and massive. Over the top. In its defense, interesting silky texture, but never something I'd care to drink.
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12/9/2018 - KenK Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark sweet rich brooding Style with lots of density and purity. Young rich and flavor packed. Nothing sure yet well balanced for a big boy wine. Pretty middle flavors. Ripe yet balanced.
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11/28/2018 - rsbeck wrote: flawed
A bottle 7 years ago seemed youthful and full of promise, but I suspect I misjudged and the wine has instead really fallen off a cliff.
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11/28/2018 - rsbeck wrote: flawed
Another bad bottle.
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11/28/2018 - rsbeck wrote: flawed
Bad bottle. It was all gritty tannin and bitter fruit.
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11/23/2018 - hubestar Likes this wine: 92 Points
Low scores from others may be due to poor storage conditions... Wine was singing today - rich, lots of fruit, smoky, some tannin. Can taste the oak early on, much better after a splash decant. Similar notes for a bottle opened 3 months ago. Drink or hold for next 3 years
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11/22/2018 - alamoave Likes this wine: 89 Points
Post-peak. Fruit has faded.
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9/27/2018 - sawira wrote: 94 Points
Loved it! Light bodied, smoky, delicious.
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9/22/2018 - AllRed wrote: 85 Points
4th Saturday Group: Anything but Domestic (Rich & Dana's): Double blind. Similar to the last wine of the first flight, this had a subtle bouillon note under the dark fruit. There's also a bit of brett evident as well. Sweet edge to the dark fruit on the palate. Tannic. No guess.
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9/22/2018 - wineismylife wrote: 93 Points
WIML93
Tasted non blind.
Dark garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of thatch, dust, berries and plums. Flavors of Bing cherries, plums and raspberries. Bright acidity, firm tannin and full bodied. Drink or hold. No rush.
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9/1/2018 - edjBoca Likes this wine: 92 Points
This opened to some degree over a few hours. Hugely dry and focused dark fruit!!! Some sweeter influences on the nose from the hot year. Ripe. This could evolve to peak over a decade and live for another 2 decades. Medium to full body.
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8/28/2018 - TannicBeast Likes this wine: 94 Points
Texas Wine School - Wines of Italy Class. Decanted for a couple hours, this wine keeps on improving with air. The color is clear, deep, ruby/brown with garnet hues on the rim. This is a concentrated, glass-staining wine with a considerable amount of sediment. The nose is clean, with baked black cherries, prunes, red cherries, red flowers, baking spices, tar, licorice, coffee grinds, dark chocolate/carob and leather. The nose is developed. The palate is dry with some nice fruit upon entry, medium (+) alcohol (14%), polyphenols and minerality. The wine definitely tastes fresher and more youthful than it smells. The acidity is medium (+) and the tannins are still medium (+) even after 17 years. This is a full-bodied, chewy wine, with a pronounced flavor intensity and long finish. It has definitely evolved over the last two years, but still has plenty of life left. The tannins are beginning to resolve but are still quite firm and complement the ripe fruit beautifully, Contrary to my earlier predictions, it is actually still improving, so I am extending the drinking window. A very interesting wine, particularly if you can find it on sale in the $50 range. WS 94 upon release.
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8/26/2018 - Kepos Likes this wine: 92 Points
round and elegant, medium body, still nice acidity but well integrated, some spicy notes, I guess this is as good as it gets
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8/11/2018 - dafmd Likes this wine: 94 Points
DnP: ruby, spice on nose, dark fruit; medium body, smooth tannin; mineral vein running through the dark fruit; smooth finish
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8/1/2018 - jsebiri wrote:
Still very nice , the longer the bottle was open the more depth the wine lost . Again , very cab or cab franc like . Drink these up and start on another vintage :)
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7/26/2018 - ProperClaret Does not like this wine:
Quite different from my last bottle, this showed virtually no iodine or residual oak, but instead was overwhelmed by baking spice, to the near complete exclusion of fruit or really anything else. Decanted and drank over the course of about four hours.
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6/1/2018 - skurtz Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted for 2h at DevCom in Berkeley. From magnum. Not as intense and brambly as my previous note would suggest, maybe this is mellowing out. Still plenty of wild cedar woodsiness and blackberries, and acid in the finish, but the tannins were less pronounced and the wine felt less "big" than I remembered. Good but not great; too bad. Hopefully this is just bottle variation.
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5/30/2018 - Dale M wrote: 94 Points
Really enjoyed this - yes, it will always have its modern polish but dag this was tasty, should hold until its 20th birthday with ease.
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5/28/2018 - bajayngo wrote:
Spectacular showing for this gem. Leather, dusty cellar, cedar, tomato leaf, rose petals, nice reduced cherry fruit, spices and a touch of fennel with present but integrated tannins. This wine is so beautifully rustic and balanced.
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5/18/2018 - Teaky Likes this wine:
Big bold nose, earthy, licorice, very nice
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4/29/2018 - Skip4wine wrote: 94 Points
My note from 3/17 still rings true. The rustic nature of the wine really turns into an asset after few years if you have patience. This producer has always be a favorite. Mild dark fruit but really in the background, just integrated complex flavors like leather and cigar box. This is a wine to drink and think about pulling out the flavors. The polar opposite of most Cali styles (although I love them too. Still many years to go. An out of favor grape that is a steal (just need to be able to let it sit for 10+ years)
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4/21/2018 - hrazdiiv Likes this wine: 93 Points
A strong effort that, while not quite living up to its high scores on release, is still a terrific wine. Still displays a fairly dark purple with minimal bricking and an open nose of dark fruits complimented with secondary notes of tobacco and cedar. Use of oak here is obvious but relatively restrained, leading to a nice balance at current age with present tannins. We drank this decanted, which I would definitely recommend, but contrary to some of the other reviews, a mere one hour or so was just right to get the wine to open up. I still think it can age, definitely five years at least, though I myself am not sure about the durability of aglianico to age more than 20yrs or so. I tasted this many years ago and the current bottle was even better than the experience back then, suggesting aging trajectory is positive.
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4/8/2018 - wmccone54 wrote:
WSET, Level 3 Advanced Certifcation Training; 3/11/2018-4/22/2018 (Texas Wine School at the Food & Wine Foundation of Texas, Austin, TX): Tasting sample. Clear, deep ruby color. Developing aromatics with medium plus nose of violets, blackberry, black cherry, eucalyptus, red cherry and red plum. Dry on the palate. Big, very pronounced flavors of blackberries, black cherries, red plum, mint, and some dark loamy and charred earth. Reflects both a full body and high alcohol. Both high tannin and high acid support a very long finish.
Although the conclusion of others was of an “acceptable” but unbalanced wine, due to the high alcohol, very chewy tannins, and high acidity, I think the wine needed either a very long decant or additional cellaring. Others thought it needed to be drank now and wouldn’t benefit from further aging. I clearly disagree on both conclusions and believe the wine is “very good” with the potential for additional cellaring.
Not rated based on differing opinions, the lack of food, and the fact the wine was not decanted prior to drinking.
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3/20/2018 - brigcampbell wrote:
Purple cored. Nose is dominated tobacco leaf. Dark black currants, saddle, and cigar box. A little thin middle of the palate. Angular tannins are still prickly and requires decanting.
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2/10/2018 - Fftjr Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very good. Should have decanted for 45-60 minutes. Has a few years left.
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2/2/2018 - wineismylife wrote: 93 Points
WIML93
Tasted non blind.
Dark garnet to purple color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of perfume, melted black licorice and currants. Flavors of currants, plums and sweet black cherries. Medium acidity, medium to firm tannin, full bodied. Drink or hold.
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1/1/2018 - CarterBenjamin Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted for 2 hours, back into bottle and consumed 6 hours later. This was incredible - so well balanced with enough freshness and acidity to carry the fine tannins and earthiness. Tobacco, cured meat, blue and red fruits, fresh herbs, leather. Compelling.
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12/10/2017 - PimpDaddy2Kool Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted for two hours. Much better than previous remembered. Inky black in color. Beautiful nose and mouthfeel. Full bodied and long finish. This wine is in a great place. Flat out delicious. Watch out for the sediment.
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11/18/2017 - TannicBeast Likes this wine: 93 Points
Texas Wine School - Kings of Italy Class. Decanted for a couple hours, this wine keeps on improving with air, air and then some more air. It is even more approachable a week later... The color is clear, deep, ruby/brown with garnet hues on the rim. This is a concentrated, glass-staining wine with a considerable amount of sediment. The nose is clean, with baked cherries, prunes, baking spices, tar, licorice, coffee grinds, dark chocolate/carob and leather. The nose is developed. The palate is dry with some nice fruit upon entry, medium (+) alcohol (14%), polyphenols and minerality. The wine definitely tastes fresher and more youthful than it smells. The acidity is medium (+) and the tannins are still medium (+) to pronounced, even after 16 years. This is a full-bodied, chewy wine, with a pronounced flavor intensity and long finish. It has definitely evolved over the last two years, but still has plenty of life left. The tannins are still quite noticeable and - thanks to the lively fruit - this bottling appears to have a couple more years of additional aging potential. Still I can't really see it getting any better. A very interesting wine, particularly if you can find it on sale in the $50 range. All in all, i do like the 1999 Taurasi Montevergine better at this point in time. WS 94 upon release.
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10/9/2017 - pgm wrote: 89 Points
At this point, the tannins are fully resolved, there’s some slight bricking, and it’s become something of a soy bomb. Still some nice cherry fruit. Lots of fine sediment, so it definitely needs a double decant.
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9/29/2017 - Tgood wrote: 89 Points
Dark youthful black ruby, clean crystalline nose of cherries and iron, nicely tart but then show quickly closes down w puckering furrball tannins
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9/24/2017 - A L P wrote:
9/17: OTW! 10/10: Deep dark blackberry jam nose; thick dark fruit taste. Wonderful.
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9/16/2017 - cdp1276 Likes this wine: 93 Points
This bottle is showing beautifully after double decanting (tons of sediment). Ripe rich and velvety. Dried cherry and ripe fruit still predominant. Smooth even finish.
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8/29/2017 - gipsy123 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Consistent with previous notes. Decant at least 90 mins.
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7/8/2017 - ProperClaret wrote:
Way, way, way too much oak. Still three to five years away from drinkability. All oak and iodine. Several bottles left, will try again about 2020.
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7/2/2017 - Nekodab wrote: 97 Points
Decanted for an hour screaming old world earth
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7/2/2017 - TGLeroy wrote:
Began to really shine after 4-5 hours open
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6/24/2017 - PimpDaddy2Kool Likes this wine: 92 Points
Much softer and smoother than it's youth. Dried herbs, smoke, and terroir on the palate. Flat out delicious. Time to drink up...it's not getting any better.
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6/18/2017 - Caruso Likes this wine: 96 Points
Deep ruby to the rim without any signs of age. From my personal cellar, which is reaching 18-19°C in summer, with winter temperatures of 16°C, this is showing very well. Of course wine is maturing faster here, than in textbook conditions, but not worse. This one is opening with a fruity nose, displaying concentrated red and dark berry fruits, sweaty animal skin, that nearly disappears within 30 min. without decantation, cedar, tobacco, minerals. On the palate it is still quite tannic. The tannins are round and balanced by the corresponding amount of fruit. So over all the 98 points from TWA in 2004 seem quite appropriate if some more tannins have been shed. And I'm optimistic that in 10 more years the tannins are even more integrated and the fruit is still bright and shiny. So my score for well cellared examples of this wine are conversative 96+ points. -2030+
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6/16/2017 - TallMikeWine Likes this wine: 90 Points
The reviews for this wine seem to be all over the road. Some say keep holding this, it'll get "softer" or better. Some say it's time to drink. And some are even convinced that it's "over the hill". Most wines at this age would be over the hill, lacking color and flavor, and perhaps even detriorating into "odd" flavors, and icky things. THIS bottle though, was great! Very full body, dark, dark color, and full aromas. First smell was leather, followed by dried figs and cocoa powder. Then with air the figs seemed to get sweeter and more ripe, the wine thicker, like a syrup almost (not in a bad way, but definitely coated the tongue). I enjoyed it. I'll look for more even. I would imagine another 3-5 years of life.
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6/8/2017 - bajayngo wrote:
Beautiful wine here with cedar and cellar dust, tomato leaf and a tomato sauce essence with oregano and other Italian herbs, rose petals, dark fruit leather and gripping tannin structure, went surprisingly well with homemade beef stir fry.
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4/26/2017 - tcosgriff wrote:
Deep purple color and very locked in for both bouquet and flavor. Hard to discern any fruit except oddly some grapefruit in the ending when first opened. Tannins have a dusty character and the acidity is balanced. No more approachable after an hour at dinner. I am less inclined to feel that this wine will greatly improve if cellared longer, but it is possible. I do not see much point to a wine that isn't ready after 16 years in bottle, and I say this with all the holy of holy wines in mind that the British convinced the world to cellar forever. I prefer the French practice of drinking things up. Salut!
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4/21/2017 - jkoenen wrote: 93 Points
Black berried fruit, smoke, dark spices, toasted oak, ink, roasted meat. Open and generous! This is drinking perfectly, right now.
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4/5/2017 - robmatic wrote: 93 Points
Wow, still not really mature. But it is deep, tannic, minerally, and intense. Still showing signs of greatness, but my patience is wearing thin. try again in 2 or 3 years.
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4/2/2017 - gipsy123 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Consistent with previous notes
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3/3/2017 - Skip4wine wrote: 94 Points
Boy do I love Taurasi . The rustic nature of the wine really turns into an asset after few years if you have patience. This producer has always be a favorite. Leather and cigar box right away. Mild dark fruit but really in the background, just integrated complex flavors. Not your California wine (although I love them for their own strenghts). Fuller and less austere on day two. Still many years to go.
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3/1/2017 - Motz wrote: 94 Points
A younger looking, and tasting, bottle than the one in January, enjoyed over two days. Deep purple core, with minimal bricking, in no way suggestive of 16 years. This bottle was a touch fresher than the other as well. In general, however, it showed the same substance, frame, and balance. The noteworthy difference being that this bottle could have aged for 15 to 20+ years. Excellent and satisfying!
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2/18/2017 - bajayngo wrote:
40th bday celebration; 2/17/2017-2/18/2017 (Harrison, ID): This wine was showing so well as almost all were over the weekend. A rusticity to this wine really intrigued me with cedar box, rust, tomato leaf, burley dark fruit in a good way with good tannin structure but acids to marry it with food. Don't think I'll wait too long to open my last bottle.
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2/3/2017 - bromion Likes this wine: 92 Points
Wow! Much more expressive than the last bottle I opened a few years ago. Blackberry, cigar, cedar, smooth mouth feel with well integrated tannins. Probably has a few more years but drinking beautifully right now.
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1/31/2017 - plitton wrote:
Tight as a drum. Dry, reserved, unapologetic. Drink next bottle in 2022.
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1/30/2017 - oldwines Likes this wine: 92 Points
Opened on Sunday 1/29/2017 and drunk through the next several days. This is a very big and powerful wine. The color is quite dense dark garnet black with just a thin edge of slightly lighter red. No sign of age degradation. The nose is moderately fragrant but somewhat reluctant and in need of additional evolution, nonetheless there is some ripe red fruit, cocoa, licorice and black pepper. Still with a lot of fine grained tannin this has lots of depth and structure. The flavors are nice and layered with ripe red fruit and some black fruit as well, like black raspberry and black plum. There is some minerality as well and black pepper, chocolate and spicy fruit compote. It does seem to be well balanced while very big and ripe. Needs a good bit more time, but very good and still improving.
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1/29/2017 - champ12oh Likes this wine: 90 Points
The struggle is real. A slight softening of the blackness to redness. Undeniable quality pieces and parts but difficult to find any nuance over 2 days. Where's the perfume? Hold 'em or expect to aerate and revisit over several days.
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1/12/2017 - Motz wrote: 94 Points
Opaque crimson. Striking bouquet of equal parts antique bookstore (housed in an old building), smoke shop (cigar and pipe), smokehouse (full of hanging meats), peat bog, and smoldering (ash) volcano. The wine tastes like it smells and paired spectacularly with smoked ham. It showed similarly to aged Bordeaux, but not even the most charred earth (smoky) Graves--Pessac-Léognan wines can match its smoke and ash elements. It features exceptional power, finesse, and balance. In an early drinking window, yet showing medium plus acid and medium tannins. Likely to peak in 8 to 12 years. 94-95.
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1/5/2017 - Yagil wrote: 90 Points
quality & mature wines tasting event (my home): dark opaque ruby
lively ripe pomegranate funky nose with mint-eucalyptus & rose hints
full bodied, soft firm integrated tannins, excellent structure, good complexity, well balanced and harmonised, good acidity level, lively dark red fruity flavours, smoked meat fruity finish & aftertaste
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1/1/2017 - mxpbuy Likes this wine: 92 Points
As I recently bought more of this, I had to give it a try to see its evolution. Very tight and closed on day 1. By day 3 (with vin vac) started to soften and come around, but still clearly in a near dumb phase. Nonetheless, very enjoyable by day 3 - smooth with vanilla Oak, black fruits and hints of tar. This wine has a lot of evolution yet to occur and great things are expected
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12/23/2016 - T.E.D. wrote: 87 Points
A real struggle for me to find any depth or structure on this. Ditto other notes, still very tannic, and tight with some hints of pine forest, gravel, volcano, game and meat. Yet no real evolution at this point and I struggle to believe this will come around at nearly 17. A tough one for me.
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11/28/2016 - bobvictor Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still very tannic but also really nice to drink. Deep dark, red fruit. Rounded mid palate. Silky with substantial body. Drink or hold.
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11/28/2016 - m.lupus Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still a tannic beast, no need to rush.
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11/21/2016 - CRAUBER4242 Likes this wine: 91 Points
I echo the experience that NUTTY08 had with this wine as I didn't know what to expect with it and it seemed tight/closed for hours. I decanted for 2+ hours and enjoyed half the bottle over the next 2 hours. And then on night 2, I decanted for 5 hours and enjoyed the rest. It really didn't unwind until after 5 hours of decant time. The wine definitely has lots of life left as it had fierce acidity and tannin, but I'd say it needs several hours of decant at this stage.
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11/13/2016 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Needed a couple hours to unwind. Aromatic, with saline, citrus, and dried red fruits. Palate was an interrsting mix of reds and blacks, mixed with mild pepper and orange rind. Tannins very much in the background. Nice refreshing finish-not heavy at all. Not really familiar with this grape or producer but found it quite enjoyable.
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11/1/2016 - Rackit Likes this wine: 92 Points
Brought this to dinner and decanted, poured and enjoyed over an hour or so. Haven't had one of these in a while and think it's drinking great right now. Has plenty of life left and will probably be an awesome old wine someday. A bit of sediment, so decanting was a good move. Nose is dark fruit, forest floor, meat/game. Palate is rich cassis, blackberry, current with a fine, dusty soft tannin and a nice level of acidity that keeps it all alive, gives it a bit of grip. Not over extracted. Just really well balanced with a medium to long finish. Glad I have a few more. Drink window seems right.
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10/26/2016 - wculpepper Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted for two hours; moderate sediment. Cork broke during extraction. Deep ruby color with no bricking. Floral nose of blackberry and raspberry. Rich, full-bodied dark fruit on the palate, well structured by ample acids and tannins. Drinking quite well now, and I would guess it will be for another five to ten years. I am an Aglianico fan, and this wine lives up to what I hope to find in a good one. At the $45 auction price, a good QPR.
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10/26/2016 - SteelerFan wrote: 91 Points
Dark purple/ruby color, and still somewhat brooding. But loosened up after an hour's decant and I enjoyed very much. There is rich fruit below the tannin that rises to the top. Should enjoy a long life.
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10/16/2016 - Jay Win wrote: 90 Points
Nice wine but nothing extraordinary. Don't see much improvement but holding well now. Grade of B+
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10/11/2016 - buckeye76 wrote: 92 Points
BLACK CHERRIES, LEATHER, LICORICE, AND CHOCOLATE IN THE NOSE DEEP BERRY FRUIT. BLACK CHERRIES, AND BLACK RASPBERRIES IN THE FLAVOR MEDIUM TO LONG FINISH.
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8/30/2016 - jsebiri wrote:
2 bottles , 2 nites........well done , cab like , well enjoyed by everyone . Big wine .
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7/16/2016 - gthelen Likes this wine: 92 Points
Enjoyable nose of eucalyptus, tobacco, and leather. Super juicy. Nowhere near dead. Fine tannins. Drinking very well now. Drink or hold.
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7/11/2016 - Claret & CdP Gang Likes this wine: 93 Points
This had a nice mature nose of ripe black fruits with secondary aromas of garringue, tobacco and funk, about ready to drink, long finish
93
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5/2/2016 - Mr T wrote:
Excellent like prior bottle....certain barnyard qualities on the nose and even slightly on palate, but then wonderfully balanced, maturing wine with bricking now evident...really excellent at this point
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4/8/2016 - rcg62 Likes this wine: 93 Points
This has always been terrific, and it remains youthful. Dark in color, deep nose of dark berry and anise. Full bodied. Very dark black cherry and currant. Drinking great although a bit tannic still; didn't decant but probably would have benefitted
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3/27/2016 - VenturePlanet Likes this wine: 93 Points
This wine needed a decant for at least three hours to bring out the fruit. After one hour its aroma was laden with honey, frankincense, dried tobacco, game, minerals, and dried earth tones. Deep red hues with slight bricking on the rim, wonderful body, pleasantly smooth tannins, great mouthfeel. This is a wine to be had over a few hours to peel back the layers - a journey wine that reveals more as each hour passes. We had it with lamb gigot and oven potatoes with rosemary. A real treat.
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2/22/2016 - cephomer Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drank at Snowmass today. Dark purple core, some bricking at edges, but the wine still looks surprisingly youthful. Nose exudes some funk, but also aromas of shoe polish, tobacco and earth. This remains a big, hearty wine still loaded with ripe fruit (blackberries), slightly grippy tannins and wonderful tertiary elements--tar, tobacco, earth mostly. Also, delightful elements of chocolate, spices that are a bit on the sweet side, and good acidity level. Wonderful length too. A lovely and extremely youthful wine!
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2/21/2016 - JWG wrote: 94 Points
Intense wine, full of blackberries, tobacco, earth, a bit of chocolate -- all around delicious, drinking wonderfully from a magnum.
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2/10/2016 - skurtz Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted for 2h at a grant writing meeting at Garth's. From magnum. Just a massive brambly beast of a wine. Delicious. Intense blackberries and cottony tannins on the finish. Great now and will last for 5-10 more years at least.
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2/1/2016 - amred wrote: 93 Points
Still drinking very well. I'm sure most of you remember Parker's off the chart score and no one else liked it. We did wait 10 years per his review, and to our surprise, it has been drinking really well at 15 years of age.
On the nose, we got shoe polish and soy sauce, not so much fruit. In the mouth at first, a little funky, but after about an hour, it was soft, rich, dense...just a wonderful wine. Very different flavor profile from most of our wines. We kept coming back to dot sauce, aromatics...soft but not the usual berry profile. Really enjoyed. Parker wins, for us, a rare one.
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1/28/2016 - RussK wrote: 92 Points
Russk. Allan's WOFL tasting at the Ritz Carlton Hotel. Rustic, complex. A wild beauty.
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12/12/2015 - forceberry wrote: 93 Points
Tasted fully blind.
Deep and dark yet somewhat translucent black cherry color with a moderately developed nutty hue towards the rim. Developed, rich and slightly oxidative nose with aromas of dried figs, pencil shavings, some toasty chocolatey oak, a little bit of wizened blackcurrant, light cherry jam tones and a hint of dusty wood. The wine is developed, moderately full-bodied and quite dense with dry yet obviously pretty ripe flavors of sour cherries, dusty earth, some pruney dark fruits, a little bit of cedary wood, light chocolatey tones and a hint of savory spices. The wine feels rather tightly-knit and very structured with its high acidity and still ample, grippy tannins. The finish is mouth-dryingly tannic and quite powerful with developed flavors of leather, savory spices, sour cherry bitterness, some earthy tones, a little bit of chocolatey oak and mocha, light pruney notes and a hint of wizened black cherry.
A very structured and muscular Italian red that's big - not excessively big, mind you - and showing some age and evolved fruit, but surprisingly little resolution in the structure: the wine is still remarkably tightly-knit and tannic with immense staying power. Flavor-wise the wine is in a fine phase right now, although the chocolatey oak character is still sticking out a bit. For most people the wine is probably peaking right now, but I'd leave it in a cellar for a bit further, just to let the oak integrate a tad better and to let the structure unwind some more. The age cannot mask away that the wine is leaning a bit too much to the modernist direction, but nevertheless: great value at 39,80€.
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12/10/2015 - jusuf Likes this wine: 96 Points
This wine is great but even better drunk young. it seems to loose somewhat body size. Was best in 2006.
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11/24/2015 - capacious Likes this wine: 92 Points
This is not any other wine. Viscous, visually impenetrable. Experience with this grape at this age limited so very interesting to try. A terroirist's kind, not likely to fail to evoke opinions one way or the other because this is anything but shy. I really liked it.
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11/9/2015 - Zweder wrote: 91 Points
Weekly tasting group #192; Chianti plus some pirates (@ RW): Very dark ruby red and high viscosity. In the bouquet beautifully ripe dark berries like blackberries, sweet spices, chocolate and vanilla. On the palate very ripe dark and red berries, chocolate, sweet licorice, a lot of oaky flavors and some herbs. Good acidity and soft tannin with still a pleasant bite. There is a bit heat in the long finish, but nevertheless this is a great and concentrated wine.
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10/25/2015 - BklynNeophyte wrote: 90 Points
Still big, but wonderful.
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10/19/2015 - Ispendtoomuchmoneyonwine Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very youthful, some purple still at the rim. Chocolate, caramel, stewed prunes, dark fruit on the nose. Tannins intergrating. Full bodied and lush. Will benefit from additional bottle age. Just entering its drinking window and should last another 10 to 15 years before its slow decline begins. A very well made powerful wine at a good price point. Worth seeking out.
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9/28/2015 - guitarguy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Final bottle and among the best. Soft, caressing tannin with plenty of fruit but not flashy nor bombastic as it was in youth. Never reached Sir Bob's heights but there is plenty there to like and to demonstrate how Aglianico can, with age, but such a world-class wine. My WON against competition such as '02 Monte Bello, '10 Saxum Broken Stones, '06 Pirouette and other drinkers, not stunner. Diversity makes the comparison a bit difficult.
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9/20/2015 - rwerner Likes this wine: 93 Points
Also a soft cork but wine is at it prime. Complex flavors of coffee, coco, and dusty tannis going from the mouth to the finish.
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9/14/2015 - jmull Likes this wine: 95 Points
Not having much experience with aged Aglianico, I was curious about this. I wasn't disappointed. Near-black at the core with bricking around the rim, this still boasted ample fruit but just enough secondary character (cedar, tar, and an almost cheesy funk) to make things really interesting. Oak is integrated but a real presence, adding a chocolatey edge. Tannin is definitely still present on the lengthy finish. Reminded me a bit of a modern-styled Bordeaux. This has years to go, clearly, but it's in a beautiful spot. 95.
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6/10/2015 - amred Likes this wine: 94 Points
Again, this is one of those times when Parker got it right. This wine has matured well. Full of tar, earthy, mushroom flavors. The tannins have smoothed out. The flavor profile is really unique....I can (sort of) see why some haven't cared for this wine, but we have loved it. Such a nice contrast to the usual fruity wines from the usual varietals we all drink. Yet it was, in early years really a hard, closed, somewhat massive wine. Really fun to occasionally taste really unusual wines. Still have several bottles to go, can't see waiting.
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4/6/2015 - jmh st louis Likes this wine: 87 Points
very dry red.
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3/30/2015 - BVal wrote: 91 Points
Color: dark ruby core -> dense ruby rim showing the start of some bricking. Quite the intense bouquet on PnP of leather, black cherry, asphalt and earth, iodine and, interestingly, wet wool. Medium weight on the palate with sour cherries, pepper and minerals. Nice acidity and palate presence but a short to medium-long finish ends too quickly and harshly drying for my taste. Tannic and a little sour, this definitely needs more time to sleep. More upside ahead? Only time will tell.
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3/26/2015 - TannicBeast Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is a remarkable wine and indicative of a great vintage. It benefits from air, air and then some more air. The color is clear, deep, purple with garnet hues on the rim. It appears a lot younger than its stated age. This is a concentrated, glass-staining wine with a considerable amount of sediment. The nose is clean, with baked cherries, sugar plums, baking spices, pine, licorice, coffee and tea leaves. The nose is still developing. The palate is dry with some nice fruit upon entry, medium (+) alcohol (14%), polyphenols and minerality. The acidity is medium (+) and the tannins are medium (+) to pronounced, even after 14 years. This is a medium (+) to full-bodied wine, with medium (+) flavor intensity and long finish. The tannins are still quite noticeable and - thanks to the lively fruit - this bottling appears to have several more years of additional aging potential. A very interesting wine, particularly if you can find it on sale in the $50 range.
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2/15/2015 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 92 Points
Decanted 4 hours. First glass was tight and tannic featuring earth, licorice and oak. Next few glasses really showcased the dark fruits in the wine and it was quite balanced. Medium to long finish and if properly prepared drink now. It also has potential to go another decade.
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2/14/2015 - vegastom2 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Had the opportunity to join a tasting with a 6 Liter bottle of this. We had multiple decanters and had a tasting every hour. Tastings after the first hour showed a small improvement each hour. But at the fifth hour the aroma and flavor began to fall off.
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1/18/2015 - jerhardt wrote:
Dark and very spicy fruit. A big tannic wine, but actually pretty intriguing at the same time. I thought I had more bottles, otherwise this would be a definite drink later. Far more balanced and interesting than I was expecting for a Parker 98 pt Italian wine. Definitely wait another 5-10 years for optimal drinking.
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12/26/2014 - 1961Vintage Likes this wine: 93 Points
Terrific wine with significant life left. Was great both with and without food.
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12/6/2014 - rwerner Likes this wine: 91 Points
Last few I have opened have had soft corks. Bring an OSO neoprene with you. Wine still has lots of great flavors with a very nice finish with soft tannins, earthly leather and chocolate. 2 more bottles left in my cellar. Will drink them over the next 6 months.
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11/22/2014 - JeffGMorris wrote: 90 Points
Dinner with Steve & Barb at Gravy. This bottle would have definitely benefited from a few hours in a decanter. Very big & brawny with notes of chocolate. 50+12+12+8+8=90
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11/3/2014 - Mr T wrote:
now this is finally coming into its own. PNP at small dark Italian place to hard to say if still as black as it looked. Tannin now well behaved and the fruit strong dark raspberries and cherries with some smoke....really quite good. I wish the bottles were easier to stack
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10/18/2014 - DarinC Likes this wine: 93 Points
PnP with dinner. Very dark with flavors and aromas of various black berry and tree fruits, tobacco and earth. Benefited with some air. Intense and long. Could easily age a few more years. Paired well with lamb.
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8/17/2014 - Bob & Sue Atlanta wrote: 96 Points
Great but I would still give it a few more yaers...
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7/19/2014 - alpha_ori Likes this wine: 91 Points
Relatively dark in color; more at the purple end of the spectrum than red. The nose is a bit intriguing; I get camphor, mainly, and strangely, a bit of honey. The palate begins with a sour cherry attack, moves into a smooth mid palate with dried cranberry and grilled meat, and finishes with a flash of coarse tannin. It's medium-bodied all of the way through, with a great acid balance.
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7/17/2014 - mxpbuy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Into the decanter at 8 a.m. and not poured until 7:30 p.m. The wine had almost no nose until after noon, and even then it was still largely shut down through 8:30 p.m. The wines tannins are thick and the black fruits are like sweet mud - a real mouthful. There is also smoked meats, hard leather and tobacco present. This wine simply need another half dozen years before I'll come back to it, but it holds such wonderful promise.
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6/15/2014 - madeiradog Likes this wine: 92 Points
This was a massive inky monster in its youth but has managed to soften and change a little of its character as it ages. Not sure what to expect with aged aglianco but it has started to take on a few of the characteristics of older bordeaux - some saddle leather and hint of cedar. I hope it will continue to improve as I have a few left.
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6/5/2014 - BklynNeophyte wrote: 91 Points
Coming into prime. Nicely integrated now. Fruit not overwhelming.
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4/26/2014 - jwongham wrote: 93 Points
Superb. Requires decant but opens into a dark, rustic but wonderfully structured and complete wine.
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4/23/2014 - Johnny5 Likes this wine: 93 Points
deep cassis nose leathery fruity palate edge of chocolate/tobacco, wonderful longer smooth finish good balance of tannins and acidity
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4/21/2014 - alpha_ori Likes this wine: 92 Points
Sour cherry, grilled meat. Smooth texture in the mid-palate, but finishes with tart acid and fine (but significant) tannins. Intriguing. Looking forward to more Aglianico in my future.
This wine continues to evolve for quite some time after opening, so like others I would suggest an hour-long decant, even at this age. Don't pop and pour!
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4/16/2014 - Topper wrote: 94 Points
I had no expectation from this wine. Opened it with ribs at a poker game where I was likely the only one paying attention to it and was quite blown away by it. Very dark, rich, brooding character. A swarthy kind of wine. Envelops you and draws you in. I understand that it took a long time to get to a drinkable state and that more years might even see more improvement but I very much recommend this wine and wish I had more of it.
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4/13/2014 - BordeauxBuff Likes this wine: 96 Points
I have consumed numerous bottles of this wine over the past 5 years, and this wine continues to improve with age. It has the tannic backbone to last for another 20 years.
A classic Aglianico. Blows the 2003 and 2005 Serpico out of the water.
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4/3/2014 - WDK Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark purple. Expressive nose of plum berry and fresh vegetables. Full body and firm structure with flavors of plum and coffee similar to a nice Pomerol. Chewy tannins on the long mineral tinged finish. Seems to have many years left.
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3/20/2014 - Venice Al wrote: 90 Points
Dark purple with slight bricking... No but noticeably lighter purple/ lavender and less opaque on the rim. First bottle of this wine.... Ever. Clearly more modern style of aglianico. Cedar, slight remnants of oaky saw dust,forest floor, mushrooms, chocolate, coffee bean and raspberries on the nose- all with hour open , 1/2 hour in glass, and lots of coaxing. Palate consistent with medicinal raspberry and tart cherry fruit, coffee and chocolate. Still quite tannic - if you are sensitive wait 5 years minimum.
Enjoyable for me - despite tannins 90 pts.
Worth the original tariff- no way!
Happy I have a case of 2004 at $28. Yes.
Worth the longggggg wait - you better if you're interested, but minimum 10-20 year wait is a long time- unless priced really attractively.
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3/10/2014 - curtr Likes this wine: 90 Points
Way too young. Great stuffing that will require several more years to come together. Try again in 2018.
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2/16/2014 - europat55 wrote: 89 Points
Euto-Themed Lunch - Southern Italy (Donato Enoteca, Redwood City, CA): Very dark. Interesting fruity nose, green, vegetal (B++). Somewhat thin palate. Still a little bit tannic (B+).
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1/29/2014 - Mike V wrote: 92 Points
Terrific wine.
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1/25/2014 - Bob Barker Likes this wine: 94 Points
I got hooked on high class Aglianico and probably red wines generally in Positano on a fantastic spring night with a very special person long time ago. So this is by no means an objective review....This wine is in a great place now. No hurry, but no need to wait any longer either... Big, complex, smooth and balanced. less edges than other top notch Aglianicos, but who cares...Extremely enjoyable, take your loved one and enjoy!!!
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1/23/2014 - rwerner Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted and took an hour to open but the flavors developed with soft tannis, dark chocolate, coffee and lots of complexity.
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12/29/2013 - winemo Likes this wine: 88 Points
Just starting to show some promise. Needs time! Minimum 5-7 years.
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12/4/2013 - Tgood wrote: 88 Points
A year since last bottle, still no relief from mouth bruising tannins, rusticity seems fixed
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12/2/2013 - benny wrote: 95 Points
This is outstanding wine. It is in the early drinking window and still has development opportunity. Rich inky aromas.. Mouth numbing flavor on the palate. The finish is deep but still quite tannic.
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11/25/2013 - Margauxguy wrote: 90 Points
Very nice, still young and primary. Tart cherry and cranberry. Worked superbly with white truffle!
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11/17/2013 - mhauser wrote:
Deep, dark red, with a little bricking. Clear. Tobacco, pepper, ,sunroom, leather on the nose. Tannins are still strong, with moderate acidity. Savory flavors of BBQ meat, mushrooms, cherry, and vanilla. Medium short finish.
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10/15/2013 - KenK wrote: 92 Points
Still very dark red opaque. Dark rich ripe black cherry aromas with graphite and grilled pain quality. Dense with pure black cherry, blueberry compote quality. Plenty of structure to balance the massive fruit. Blind I would have guessed a 2009!!! Great raw materials, but still feels like a baby. Long long life ahead and likely gets better.
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10/5/2013 - guitarguy wrote: 91 Points
Nicely integrated, smokey, oaky nose. Some tannin, a bit drying, but not distactingly so. This tends toward raspberry fruit with hints of coal tar. Drinking nicely right now. Wonder how this will age?
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9/27/2013 - willthethrill Does not like this wine: 89 Points
Deep red berries. Medium body with some burnt tire. Well made.
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9/25/2013 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 88 Points
Southern Italy (Lou's): How many times have I had this since release. A dozen maybe? This was blind and I did not pick it out (it was my second guess). Purple in color. The nose has plums, pencil lead, oak and is pretty interesting. Best nose of the night. On the palate, this is big and fruit and one dimensional. Heat on the finish. Lots of new world wines that are similar for 1/4th the price. I still have hope for this based on other Aglianicos, but I think this needs to be held until 2021 at a minimum. Curiously, my Bordeaux loving friend Ray found that to be an issue. ;-) At $75, is it worth it though?
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9/21/2013 - Winevestor wrote: 92 Points
Very consistent with my last TN. A good enjoyable wine, but not what I would expect from a typicity perspective
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9/8/2013 - Dale M wrote: 94 Points
Decanted 6 hrs. Yes, this is clearly a modern take on Aglianico. The French oak and forward nature of the wine could be a slight turn off for those seeking something in the more traditional side, but I really dug this. Dark cherry and chocolate notes dominate initially, with the acidity and tannin somewhat in the back ground. What I found was extraordinary was how young this wine tasted. IMO, most wines that are structured this way might be a tad tired at 12 years age, but not a chance here; this was young and spry, and a lot of fun to drink, a very strong testament to the quality that this the Aglianico grape. By the second glass the fruit tasted more plum like, layered and complex. Oddly, with a fresh bite of food, the chocolate notes returned, no matter, it worked either way. Aglianico is no doubt the world’s best value at the high end level, just need to be patient with them. As much as I like this, the 99 Piano di Montevergine is still the best wine I have tasted from Feudi.
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7/9/2013 - Rezy13 wrote: 89 Points
Dark garnet core with garnet rim and high extraction; smoky and ripe nose, plummy, spicy, blackberry, good tannic mouthfeel, decent acid, some cedar, some new oak treatment, almost overripe fruit, a little tar; still not ready- hard to say when, but I would try again in 3 years.
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6/28/2013 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:
Aerated to decanter 2 hours, returned to bottle, served non-blind. Much different (and better) than the magnum I had last June (I think the provenance for tonight's bottle was excellent, the mag, not so much). Dark ruby, nearly opaque. Not yet at peak, the aromas insisted upon being coaxed before they offered up, mint, camphor, dried red floral, dark spice, blackberries, cherry skin and herbs. Finely textured, well-lifted, gorgeous tannins. Even with aeration, this was not giving up all it had, but did suggest that a revisit in 5 years would be handsomely rewarded. best 2018 - 2026
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6/12/2013 - BklynNeophyte wrote: 88 Points
Heavy. Still young. Will try again in a year.
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5/10/2013 - peterk wrote: 93 Points
Big, rich wine. Cherries and earth. Still slightly tannic. Better on the second day,
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4/19/2013 - overhill wrote: 91 Points
Wine of the 2001 Vintage at Matt B's House (New Canaan, CT): My previous tasting of this wine two years ago found it to be tight and monolithic. Tonight it was much more open, probably thanks to the multi-hour decant. Densely packed with earthy fruit, fresh blackberries and spice, this held an extraordinary intensity from start to finish. Probably the biggest wine of the night, it still drinks young. Should be singing in five years.
This tied the Montrose for first place with two first place and one second place vote.
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4/19/2013 - MLD70 wrote: 93 Points
3+ hours in a decanter and didn't budge. Massive, rich wine. Forget about this one for another 5 years.
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4/14/2013 - mwagner7700 wrote:
Nailed it. Drinking wonderfully right now. Opened, but not decanted for about 60mins. Served with short-rib ragu. Beautifully complex: dark cherry, smoke, lead, plum, chocolate, leather and dirt. Almost something new with each sip. Tannins seemed well integrated and the acidity was perfect with the dish. Couldn't have asked for more. A
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3/15/2013 - AllRed wrote: 88 Points
Aromas of dark fruit and burnt rubber. Full-bodied and tannic, with tart dark fruit and red berries on the palate.
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3/13/2013 - tooch wrote: 82 Points
The Wines of Feudi di San Gregorio (Spacca Napoli Pizzeria - Chicago, IL): Showed better than the first time I tried this in October of 2011. The tannins had softened, but the fruit was still very rich with lots of distracting tannins. As expected this had a dark-fruit profile with some tobacco and spices on the finish. Seemed pretty popular at dinner, but the sappy, rich fruit didn't really connect with my tastes.
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3/12/2013 - murph13 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Still young, needed about an hour and a half of air. Will revisit in 2014-2016
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3/3/2013 - peternelson wrote: 90 Points
Blind Food and Wine Pairing Dinner: (Peter & Sandra's): Blind dinner Anita: Everyone thought this was a Bordeaux; earthy leather, smoke, tobacco, small black fruits, big dry tannins. Nice wine, a bit too earthy for the braised beef short ribs in a slightly savory/sweet sauce and creamy potatoes.
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1/13/2013 - KeithAkers wrote: 92 Points
Italian wines from Less Hearlded Regions (Briciola, Chicago IL): nose: There is nice power behind it with robust tones of black pepper, black fruits, spice tones, black cherries and leather. There is good depth to it as well.
taste: Full bodied with medium+ acidity and good tannins that are more in a supporting role right now. This is well balanced with tones of black pepper, black fruits, spice tones and leather.
overall: This was showing nice maturity while having a good way to go as well. A really good aglianico that is showing great right now.
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12/10/2012 - jusuf Likes this wine: 97 Points
Maturity reached. A flatterer. The sheer power has given way to a gentle undertone of delicacy. Still super. The wood is gone. The tannins are completely integrated. However not as good as in the fruit phase.
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12/9/2012 - KevinS wrote:
Decent, not great -- certainly showed some maturity and the benefits of aging with smoothness and balance, but an odd medicinal note came through that I haven't perceived before (perhaps a flaw?) that was kind of off-putting.
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11/23/2012 - EMTAME wrote: 91 Points
Nice aglianico with a deep red fruit profile, leather, and some cedar on the back end. Tannins are present but unobtrusive and give the wine character. Very nice, although much closer in score to Galloni's review than Thomases'.
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11/18/2012 - tanglenet wrote:
Opened not decanted. Took to Postino in Lafayette and paired with a rib eye steak. This could have used a little air time, but worked well with food. Dark cherry fruit with some silkiness towards the end of the bottle. Ends with a dry finish. The last bottle that I opened was 4 years ago, and while this is accessible without decanting, still seemed like a baby. Good +
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11/3/2012 - pols wrote: 93 Points
with plenty of air this is agreat bottle. looking forward to more
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11/1/2012 - NNV Likes this wine: 91 Points
Lots of structure, harmony and powerful fruit. Happy have more.
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10/22/2012 - t4drman Likes this wine: 90 Points
Aromas of chocolate with almost a cabernet style, but the taste is clearly of Italian origin. With that familiar tartness, bright berry flavors, almost crisp in nature. And the tannins are relaxed and approachable. This really goes perfectly with your Friday night pasta. Enjoy this beauty.
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9/30/2012 - rhialto wrote: 89 Points
Very good, but not excellent. Will have the second half of the bottle tonight and see if I change my mind.
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8/29/2012 - andtheodor wrote: 92 Points
Wow. After the more rigid and delineated Aglianicos tonight, this is almost a parody of Campania. Blackberry, cocoa powder, sweet, ripe tannin over a glossy, round, and polished frame of blackberry, chocolate, and tobacco. Smooth, juicy, and young. Nothing stern or angular here.
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8/22/2012 - Ken63 wrote: 88 Points
Initially shows "grabby" maybe rough tannins, but with air time (or becoming desensitized over time) develops somewhat better manners. Remains full bodied, firm, chewy, Peasant wine, but unique flavors of Aglianico grape - partially ripened dark fruit, iodine, green wood, iodine, wet earth and other flavors i could not readily identify- offer a different experience from the standard international grape varieties. That is the primary appeal for me. (The term brooding used by another reviewer fits for m) .Needs hearty fare with with considerable fat content. Doubt this will turn into a polished well integrated and mannered wine with age, but has its different appeal now.
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8/21/2012 - bmarshall wrote: 90 Points
Thank goodness. I have completely panned the past two bottles of the case that I bought. They all have been stored at cellar temps since arrival. The bottle variation has been huge with 2 being very nice wines and two practically undrinkable. This one was the former. Nice, full bodied Italian wine. Some iodine notes with the red and black fruits. Some spice on the full bodied palate with a lingering finish. Still not close to the Parker score though...
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8/13/2012 - Tgood wrote: 88 Points
55 deg cellar since release; dark core;bright crimson to the edge; cranberry and iron-minerally/syrah-like blood notes on nose; fiercely tannic; doesn't seem to have budged from its youthful pedestal; I am w/ others who think RP and staff overpointed this very good wine.
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7/12/2012 - twoamps wrote: 90 Points
not bad, but not a 98, still not a 98. Maybe 90 if I’m feeling generous
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6/21/2012 - Tim Heaton wrote:
PnP from magnum. I wasn't expecting this to be as approachable as it was. I'm not sure of the provenance of this bottle, but if this was representative of the bottling, I don't see the structure for extended cellaring. Medium toward full bodied with acids slightly overwhelming the fruit. Firm tannins with just a touch of astringency. Enjoyable but far from great. Tart cherry, red berries, pine tree, cacao. Very solid with the grilled, marinated flank steak. Traditionally styled, medium complexity and finish. B+
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6/20/2012 - alamoave wrote: 87 Points
Nondescript on Day 1. Oxidized on Day 2.
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6/3/2012 - PourritureNoble wrote: 90 Points
Pfffff, ok but no way near a 98 point wine. Really lacks a delicous factor.
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5/22/2012 - amateurwino wrote: 92 Points
Delicious aglianico. Tasted double-blind, I guessed this flight was CA merlots based on high ripeness of the fruit, and color. 92-93
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5/17/2012 - Winevestor wrote: 92 Points
Is this really an aglianico? The other tasting notes helped in deconstructing this wine. The fruit was big - plum, cooked cherry and well oaked. But the tannins, often commented on, were well integrated. I think I drank it at exactly the right time. Great wine, but didn't taste like an aglianico - much more tamed and fruit driven than I would have expected.
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5/6/2012 - NoGraves wrote: 93 Points
I have been drinking/collecting wines for 25+ years and have always found Italy to be the toughest to "understand". This is a perfect example as one Parker reviewer gives a 98 and another follows with a 92+. The reviews here are even more uneven ranging from 78 to 95, with many in between and no real consensus. This is still a tannic monster and you would initially think it still needs more bottle age. I am sad to say this is not the case. While additional cellaring may soften the tannins, I do not see the full potential ever achieved. The initial notes have cherry, leather and chocolate overtures that you expect will be great after the tannins fade. As the wine softens, the flavors fade at an alarming rate.Overall, an enjoyable wine that does not need to be decanted and should be enjoyed within a few hours after opening. It should still last for many years, so there is no rush to drink, but I don't think it will achieve it's original potential.
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5/3/2012 - Biglama wrote: 91 Points
donker rood, donkere geuren, drop, teer, mineraal, ijzerachtig, jodium, donker fruit, bramen, vlezig, smaak is breed en gespierd, heeft echt even nodig, komt mooi los, in 2 dagen gedronken
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4/7/2012 - eric@cwm wrote: 94 Points
Super dark color with a bit of brown tint. Aromas of tar, blackberry, clove and black peppercorn. A little closed aromatically right now. On the palate, this appears to be entering its sweet spot. Tar and dark berry fruit coats the mouth and it has well-integrated, chalky tannins. This is more elegant than most Aglianico, which is typically more dense and chewy. It finishes long and pure, with a great mineral character, and fruit that holds on until the very end. I'd love to revisit this in 2 or 3 years. It should be singing.
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4/2/2012 - Roughl wrote:
good, not great. Oak is integrated, tannins are quite present. Big and chunky. Not my style.
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4/1/2012 - Ive Marx wrote: 87 Points
Not a bad wine but very hard to enjoy. If anything the tannins are becoming even more dominant now that the fruit is going downhill.
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3/13/2012 - amgryger wrote:
NY/NJ Offline at Cellar 58 (Cellar 58, NYC): A very Italian wine. Scorched earth and dark blue fruit on the nose. Big tannin and acid. Don't let the short note deceive. This was great.
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2/11/2012 - Mr. Muga wrote: 94 Points
Extremely young but oak is finally starting to integrate with the incredibly lush fruit. Cellar another 5 years minimum. For those of you with magnums probably 10 years!
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12/31/2011 - Parador wrote: 94 Points
I decanted for about an hour. Very aromatic nose, good volcanic soil coming thru. I thought very elegant with a great finish. I thought this could last another 10 years, so Im not sure if some bottle variation happened to the other tasters here, but this bottle was very good. 94pts
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12/11/2011 - bmarshall wrote: 80 Points
Not pretty in any sense... very disappointing. Some prunes and dark fruits, but off balance with harsh tannins. Gave it a 3 hour decant with many splashes and tasted all along the way. no improvement... concerned that this may never come together.
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12/2/2011 - Ltim BE wrote: 82 Points
I can only agree with previous tasting notes on this wine. We had a first bottle of this I think around 2004 and it was young, tannic but utterly brilliant. We loved it, especially after a few hours of breathing. Now, today, we have opened another bottle of this wine and it is quite funky, chewy, dry and immensly closed and even boring - even after breathing and decanting. I think - hope - the wine is in mutation and hopefully it will fully unwind again. I will not open another bottle for 10 years. Difficult to score now.
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11/12/2011 - G_H wrote: 88 Points
10 Years Tasting (The same wines now and in 10 years) (Martin's House): This was the only wine that fell a bit short of the standard here. But again this had a very nice and interesting nose. Chamomile, porcini, cedar, cigar, tons of cigar, lots of edges and a bit rough in the palate. This could be Winston Churchill in a bottle :-)
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10/25/2011 - tooch wrote: 78 Points
D.C. Dinner for Greg Golec (Toscana Cafe - DC): This was characterized by dark fruit, graphite and tobacco on the nose. The palate was incredibly tannic and firm. Seemed like there was a lot of red fruit trying to bust out from behind the tannin...but that wasn't happening this night. Awkward wine.
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10/6/2011 - twoamps wrote: 89 Points
OK but not stellar. Hollow old-world minerallyness in the middle like sucking on a piece of slate. Not much, but it doesnt take much. Where do parker and WS come up with this suff?
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9/24/2011 - scamhi wrote:
yuck. Just an tannic mess. Could not drink.
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9/19/2011 - yahnny wrote: 89 Points
I bought a case of this wine in around 2005. It had a 98 point rating from Parker at that time, and the bottles I opened then showed that it completely deserved that exalted score. It was such a big wine, and it consistently got better the longer I let it breathe (including some opened for several days), that I thought it could only get better with cellar time. Only recently did I start to open some more of these bottles, and over the last two years, I've opened about four bottles. One was undrinkable. Another was pretty good, and the other two were more or less mediocre -- highly tannic, not complex, not pleasant. I see that Parker has downgraded his rating to 92+ and recommended an additional nine (!) years of aging. I'm drinking from another bottle of the stuff as I write this, and wish I had not opened it until we're a couple years into the next presidency. I've never encountered a wine that was so great young, and seemed like it could only get better, and yet went in quite the opposite direction.
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8/28/2011 - rsbeck wrote: 92 Points
This is still incredibly youthful, but shows a lot of promise. Lots of fruit, tobacco, cedar, bay leaf, and a dusting of fine chalky tannin in the finish. Improved very slowly over the course of the evening. Needs meat. Went well with grilled tri-tip.
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8/27/2011 - guitarguy wrote: 92 Points
Nose of raspberry, smoke and cedar.
Mature, chewy cherry, wood with a ton of tannin. Still seems like a baby. Nice mouthful of vino.
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8/8/2011 - WDK wrote: 94 Points
Put on weight since my last bottle. Knockout nose of red berries. Deep dark color, rich flavors of black fuit, coffee and graphite. Chewy tannis, long finish.
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8/3/2011 - blanquito wrote: 92 Points
Big, rich, uber minerally, young, high alcohol, high glycerin, somewhere between Priorat and Aussie... but I like it. Serious juice with some aglianico verve and acidity holding it together. More intense than heavy overall. Probably better down the line. 92 pts, higher if you love the style.
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7/30/2011 - pgm wrote: 91 Points
Dusty and funky, coffee-scented nose with blackberry, fig, brambly and barnyardy earth. A bit surmature. In the mouth, it is dense and difficult to decide whether it's youthfully wound tight our achieving integration with age. Still quite tannic.
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7/27/2011 - robmatic wrote: 94 Points
Super potent, mighty tannins. Needs many more years in the cellar though.
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7/27/2011 - andtheodor wrote: 92 Points
Campania: Intense earth, mineral, sweet black fruit. Sweet tobacco palate that is tannic but silky with berry, rock, chalk, chocolate, cherry. Incredible concentration, very wild and volcanic. Superb.
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7/2/2011 - S. Lorin wrote: 93 Points
Dense and rich almost napa-like, wild jam, chocolate, lavender, finshing with graphite and minerals; well balanced and unique
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5/22/2011 - bmarshall wrote: flawed
Will not give it a score as something was wrong with this bottle. Very disappointing... Seemed cooked...
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5/4/2011 - KenK wrote: 91 Points
Plush ripe chocolate nose, Dark sweet prunes.
Nice ripe dense amorone like fruit, dry dense leather good gripe. Iron dominates and a bit rustic 91+
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4/20/2011 - leadpencil wrote: 94 Points
Dark red, medium-full bodied. Dark cherry, mocha, crushed rocks. Great acidity. Could use a little time.
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4/10/2011 - tewks wrote: 94 Points
Beautiful wine. Served with braised short ribs over creamy polenta. Complemented. The balsamic glaze on the meat. Smooth wine. Relaxed tannins. Drinking beautifully now. Would not hold much longer.
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3/22/2011 - RobertDwyer wrote: 93 Points
Not a blockbuster on the nose at this point, but so flavorful and satisfying on the palate. Really nicely aged and ready to drink. Nice stuff.
Some pretty significant sediment at the bottom of the bottle so be careful serving this.
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3/21/2011 - jtinto wrote:
Has softened nicely and is drinking very well at this point.
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2/11/2011 - Diane (LI) wrote: flawed
Corked 3L.
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1/26/2011 - wineismylife Likes this wine: 93 Points
DAWGS January 2011 - Italians anything but "B" (Amici's Signature Italian, Carrollton, TX): WIML93
Tasted non blind. Opened and served immediately.
Dark garnet to purple color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of camphor, licorice, black berries and fresh cut flowers. Flavors of rich and luscious currants, chocolate covered cherries and a dash of bitters on the long finish. Medium to bright acidity, medium to firm tannins, full bodied to the hilt. Drink or hold. No rush on this one. Should drink nicely over the next 10 years plus.
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1/9/2011 - bablues wrote: 93 Points
Impressive. Very big, with a powerful nose and a tremendous fruit and a long expressive finish. I can only imagine how well this will age.
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1/2/2011 - Tintin wrote: 92 Points
A massive wine. Although it tasted expensive after three hours in a decanter, it was still so tight that I was left somewhat disappointed. After 24 additional hours in the decanter, some of the fruit started to come out, and I could begin to appreciate how much I had spent on this bottle. For the next bottle, I will be sure to leave it sitting out and open for at least 24 hours before pouring.
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1/2/2011 - Cortona5 wrote: 92 Points
Drinking perfectly without decanting. Lots of life left. Fantastic balance, fruit forward and smooth
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12/31/2010 - SevenDayMile wrote: 89 Points
Massive with big notes of raspberry jam, tar, and oak. While deep and flavorful, there is too much wood that is not integrated into this and there was a lack of texture or focus that would compel me to put this in a better class.
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12/27/2010 - gondrik wrote: 94 Points
Massive wine with cinnamon and chocolate flavors. I don't much experience with Aglianico, but I liked this wine! I almost always like wine paired with food but did not find a good mate for this; too sweet for savory food and not sweet enough for deserts. Might be good with Moussaka.
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11/28/2010 - pgm wrote: 92 Points
This is no surprise: it's a tannic monster. This may be a surprise: The oak was not dominant at all (maybe a touch of cocoa and coffee on the nose, but that was the total overt contribution fr the wood) and it nicely demonstrated its region and its grape.
Features brambly black fruit, tobacco, fig, and plum. Finishes with leather and minerals--a pile of rocks on day 1, a little gravel on day 2, when the fruit got murkier and a little stewed.
Despite the still fierce tannins, I wouldn't recommend more than two more years of aging or a long decant. My score is for the first day, after pouring and enjoying a couple glasses over a three hours. Second day was a few points off.
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11/15/2010 - Li6 wrote: 91 Points
Nice aromas of plums and cedar, with more on the palate, which adds some charcoal and licorice notes with air time. Flowers on the second pass. Tannins, still present, have become elegant. If the mid-palate had a touch more going on, I'd rate it higher. Still, a rather elegant wine.
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11/9/2010 - sergiozy wrote: 88 Points
great bottle
huge in the mouth long
still high on alchohol but typical aglianico was great w lamb shanks
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9/28/2010 - vindictive wrote:
Dense, monolithic, very concentrated. Somewhat attractive initially, but ponderous oak treatment. Modern style with no real varietal character and hard to tell where this wine was made. With time, it just devolves to wood. Not my style of wine, lacks balance and personality. Perhaps it will absorb all that wood and be something someday, but that mythical day is very far away.
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9/19/2010 - PourritureNoble wrote: 92 Points
So, i was really curious to taste this for the second time. I had my first bottle two years ago. This was certainly much better. You can even recognise it as an italian wine now. Does it need more time? for me yes but only 2 or 3 more years. Can it deserve a higher score? yes maybe 93. but the 98 score from 'parker'. No way! There is really not much finesse or terroir in this wine. Did I enjoy it? more than i expected. for now 91-92. Drink this with grilled steak.
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8/2/2010 - cct wrote: 93 Points
opened at the end of a night when my palte was shot. Left in an open decanter overnight. TN from day two. Very floral yet simultaneously dark and brooding. Blackfruits, and ash/ blackberry/ black stony fruits. Violets, Very tannic, but not in a an obtrusive way. Youthful and very pure with the wood integrated well by the next day. More ash and a deep dark black hole of depth. I will not touch another one for 5 years minimum. Really really good. 93 pts.
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8/2/2010 - andtheodor wrote: 94 Points
Pretty inky black still with a beautiful nose of chocolate, coffee, licorice, and dark berries. There is a powerful earthiness here that is sweetly ashy and very volcanic; it's sexy, deep, complex, and meditative. Firmly establishes Aglianico and Southern Italy in the Pantheon of the finest grapes and regions of wine production in the world. This was mind blowing.
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7/18/2010 - golfer5349 wrote: 95 Points
bottle was monster still.. decanted 2 hours before drinking at an italian restaurant.. huge berries , leather , and chocalate...probably woud last for another 15-20 years... excellent
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7/9/2010 - HRT wrote:
Upon opening it was tight with very little fruit on the nose and the tannins hit you like a sledge-hammer. It needs severe decanting. With air get scents of dark fruit and the tannins soften but this still needs time.
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6/21/2010 - Eros Coniglio wrote: 88 Points
Not my style but in fairness, this needs a lot more time.
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6/13/2010 - jrglm wrote: 87 Points
Deep garnet in color. Ripe nose. Lots of heavy fruit on the palate. Still very tannic after decanting twice.
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6/7/2010 - bjohnson350 wrote: 89 Points
Had this Serpico with some chicken catchatori and spinach ravioli. We decanted the wine for 30 minutes. The nose was pleasant and kind of soft. Had blackberries at first with Cinnamon and lavender. Little earthy and had an old world nose. The palate but did not explode like I expected a super Tuscan to do. It was softer and felt mature but the palate was more floral at first and not much bang to it. More blackberries and black current at first and then the wine transitioned to more blueberries in about 20 minutes and the floral disappeared. This wine went stale in the glass much faster than I liked. About 20 minutes after pouring it was not doing much at all. Over all the wine was good but I just could not get it into the 90 point range and I think is borderline for the money.
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5/28/2010 - tarheel17 wrote:
STG Southern Italian Wines: double-deacanted bottle (12 hrs): licorice candy, stewed, and overly sweet. This wine was easy to dump out - tasted to me like a cheap spanish wine. !
bottle opened prior to the tasting: nose of licorice and granite, tannin was pronounced but tasty.
I still preferred the #3 in this flight, which turned out to be the 2003 version of this same wine, to these 2.
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5/27/2010 - Eric wrote: 87 Points
STG does Southern Italy (Ballard, WA): We had two bottles of this. One had been double-decanted 12 hours earlier and had a very stewed nose. Apparently it crashed with aeration, as the person who brought said it seemed fresh when opened.
The second bottle was quite different. A bit of a green/dill oak note on the nose. Wowza this is drying, punishing in fast. Spicy. Gets better with some time but a bit tough. Not a huge fan of what seems to be a very forced wine.
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5/20/2010 - soyhead wrote: 90 Points
Aglianico tatsing at PRIMA: nose - cocoa, fig, and with time perhaps slowly opening
mouth - dark fruit, very rich, fig, chocolate, decadent & almost a desert in its own right. more or less closed and not really ready to drink in my humble opinion. clove and sambuca on the finish. bonus points for potential 90+.
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4/24/2010 - guitarguy wrote: 90 Points
Nice nose of anise, smoke and blueberry. This is shut down for business, flavor wise, right now. The tannins are quit prevalent and drying, not that they completely overwhelm the fruit, but two hours after opening, it is still a mouthful of dry cotton instead of opened up fruit. Quite purple and brilliant, but there was a ton of sediment, much more than in the prior bottles. Flavors, while lean and cottony, include dark berry, espresso bean, maybe a hint of wood but certainly not a lot, hints of licorice or anise and a coaly, tarry note. There was also quite mineral component that we know unwooded, often Italian varietals. If this is going to last another 20 years, those flavors need to get back in balance and they are clearly far from that right now.
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3/19/2010 - jtw1969 wrote: flawed
corked
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3/17/2010 - Dale M wrote: 94 Points
First go round with this wine, and given that sufficient time has lapsed since the lofty rating 98 from the WA a few years ago, I felt it was time to enjoy this wine on its own terms and merits. Decanted for 6 hrs and needed every one of those hours to come around into form, which it did in fine fashion. If there was a modern tint to this wine, it was felt on the nose, as a waves of smoky blackberry fruit were complemented by the clear use of oak (French?) but done so with balance and precision, not to mention the 9 years that these two players have had to familiarize themselves with each other. A late arriving note of Mission Fig added a really nice complexity to the bouquet. The palate initially continued such contemporary pleasantries and delights, until the midpalate absolutely roared with the unmistakable presence of the Aglianico Beast, that wreaked havoc on this little Sunday afternoon tea party. Piercing rays of bright red fruit melded with brick dust and ash, some underbrush perhaps, and just absolutely jaw breaking tannins left me almost exhausted (in a good way) after the second glass. I think my last two bottles will sit for a good spell yet, but this was a heck of a good time. Apologies in advance for being long winded and thanks for listening.
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3/5/2010 - Winetex Likes this wine: 91 Points
Here is what the Tasting Note Assistant had to say: The wine looks Inky colored. The legs are Medium. It smells like Espresso, and Black Pepper. It tastes like Blackberry, Forest floor, and Stems. The body is Full. The wine is textured Leathery. The wine finishes Medium.
:) My comments: Dark, inky purple color and slightly murky. This wine was just starting to show some tertiary aromas and flavors. It had a rusticity that went well with the food but could never be described as "elegant". It had some sediment so standing it up and gently decanting before serving could improve it. Probably ready to drink depending on your preferences as I don't see too much further improvement down the line.
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2/16/2010 - tdalton wrote:
Decanted for 90 minutes and still quite tight, but opened nicely over dinner of wild boar ragu. Excellent wine and drinking very well, now. Could absolutely age longer, but fantastic flavors, well integrated and quite yummy make it certainly worth a shot now.
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1/17/2010 - Alex H wrote: 87 Points
Cellar Raid; 1/15/2010-1/17/2010 (Extraspace): Wasabi powered peppery spices that punches your nasal senses! This is a knockout but this is not alc knockout..,this is true au naturel spices . Excellent structure with a cooling palate of dark brooding sensual fruits. Very interesting and intriguing wine. I like it . This is a breath of fresh air. Structured and balanced.
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1/14/2010 - mebydef wrote:
This was a very interesting wine. The color is dark. The nose is mineral with some dark fruit, and a heavy wood note, cedar to be specific, along with tobacco. The tannin is forceful. There is also a lot of sediment. On the palate, the woodiness is a bit too dominant. The wine is a little disjointed now, and I suspect, hope, it's just going through a phase where all the parts have yet to come together to make a greater whole. It's clearly a well made wine, however I'm reserving points. The Serpico was tasted over three days.
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1/1/2010 - alamoave wrote: 92 Points
Much richer and more complex than last bottle. Popped and poured. Coming into its own?
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11/27/2009 - John McCabe wrote: 94 Points
Still quite tannic even after a couple of hours of decanting - still needs more time, but very good.
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11/17/2009 - rwstorer wrote: 93 Points
Very young with high acid. I did not find this very silky or smooth as others have commented. Not a lot of fruit. Needs more time.
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11/16/2009 - spaciello wrote: 95 Points
Very silky and smooth with long finish
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10/17/2009 - rralls wrote: 94 Points
This onbe was huge and still really tight even after a decant. Laser focused with significant room for improvement.
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10/5/2009 - amred wrote: 95 Points
This was our first bottle based on the really critical reviews from early tasters that it had been sorely over-hyped, was incredibly rough, etc etc. So we left it alone for literally seven years and finally opened the first bottle.
It was magnificent. Everything was (as others have noted) dark about this wine. Color, nose, and in the mouth. No "sweet fruit" or floral aromatics. Truly a classic, big old-style wine. But it has smoothed out wonderfully and is now very accessible, although still very young. We got mineral, earth, mushrooms, plenty of tannin and acids. Just great...Parker got one right.
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9/22/2009 - KPB wrote: 91 Points
Color remains extremely dark purple, like black plums. Nose is very sweet and rich, one expects a port: dried red fruits, candies, leather and toffee aromas. Nearly chewy: very ripe and sweet yet a boatload of soft tannins. A great wine in a style Italy does better than anyplace else.
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9/12/2009 - bmarshall wrote: 92 Points
Still a baby for sure... Deep black/purple color. Dark fruits, graphite, minerals and the nose. Full bodied palate remains very tannic, even after being opened for 2+ hours. Firm acidity and a nice lingering finish. Not a fruit bomb for sure... very stern, old world style that has many, many years ahead of it. Definitely needs food. We had with homemade ravioli at the Hunt's Sea Isle City beach house, and it was terrific.
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7/24/2009 - alamoave wrote: 89 Points
Good but too new world and not earthy enough for my tastes. When I drink Italian, I want to feel like I'm there.
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5/23/2009 - schwartzman wrote: 95 Points
Hit all parts of the tounge. Long finish. Deep but smooth flavors.
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4/27/2009 - Siggy wrote: 92 Points
It had been nearly 2 years since my last taste of this, and I'm happy to say it was still rocking. Concentrated, ripe blackberry fruit, coffee, mineral, and campfire/smoke flavors, judiciously framed by oak and admirably balanced. Grippy tannins on the back end. A fun, juicy, hedonistic wine.
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4/4/2009 - JimVan wrote: 91 Points
Lovely wine, tannic as all get out, sensual flavors and texture after about an hour in the glass. Lovely cherry flavors after an hour; should be stellar in five years +.
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3/29/2009 - KevinS wrote: 90 Points
rrr: Deep, opaque ruby color. Dark fruit and black pepper on the nose. Dark, figgy fruit on the palate, with anise and some aggressive spice and oak. This is tight and highly tannic; finish is long, but dry. While ~8 years old, this really seems like it would benefit from another 5 in the cellar, as this is still rough and rustic. Still, there's great concentration and power, so maybe...
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3/27/2009 - txwine wrote: 87 Points
Seemed off. Nice structure, but little fruit. Very dark purple color. I'll give my others a couple more years. Will it ever live up to the expecations?
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2/15/2009 - guitarguy wrote: 92 Points
Wonderful expolosive nose of floral notes, blackberries. Very chewy tannins and good acidity, this needs a bit of time in the glass or decanter to open to well integrated berry, oak and chocolate flavors. Tasty and the only thing I wonder is will the fruit ever come into balance with those tannins. Power decant it if you got it.
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1/25/2009 - jgrapski wrote:
This is fantastic. Deep purple, inky. Big red fruit, a little spice, a little earth. Great mouthfeel. Really great wine.
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12/13/2008 - benny wrote: 95 Points
Decanted and had the first taste in 1 hour. Very dark,thick black ink colour. Great aromas. And even better at the end of the bottle. On the palate ...a bright berry fruit out front then spices...cinnamon for sure and later on in the bottle cloves and very dark chocolate. But the texture of the tannins were amazing.Very sexual texture...this lasted a long time into the finish. This wine will last a long time and I will wait maybe 1-2 years before the next bottle.
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12/7/2008 - ecnemergut wrote: 93 Points
Decanted about 90 minutes. Big raspberry nose with subtle earth and perhaps some spice. Wonderfully full and slightly sweet on the palate but still an incredible tannic bite! I wish I had more because this wine will be incredible, but now it need another 3-5 years to soften.
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11/26/2008 - Filippo wrote: 92 Points
Strong and still very youthful with its tannic attack. Bitter cherry, rhubarb, licorice...this wine certainly does not lack personality!! Maybe needs a few more year to get a bit rounder, but it is surely very enjoying right now. It surely is totally different (and better) than 2 years ago when I previosuly tasted it.
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11/22/2008 - jtw1969 wrote: 85 Points
Very Dark fruit- Deep ink color. A little too much wood for me. It had notes of being corked- that off musty taste ...3 more to go hopefully they will be better with age...--- We'll wait and see...
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11/16/2008 - Triryan wrote: 91 Points
Dark berries and chocolate. Strong tannins, complex wine. We enjoyed it!
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11/9/2008 - darius wrote:
Bottacellis
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9/25/2008 - guitarguy wrote: 93 Points
A wine of teeth staining proportions, I was a little worried it was still to young and perhaps that is true. But with careful decant and time warm a bit from cellar temp, this is a very nice wine right now. It does break down after about 3 hours in decanter with the tannin overrunning the fruit at that point, so I think it is best consumed within 1-2 hours of opening today. Deep red, nearly opaque, the nose smells of spice, berry and pinecone. There is a component of stone licking with this wine, but also a very complex purple berry flavor, some nice thai basil mint and oh those mouth coating, teeth wrenching tannin. My first Aglianico, although I have the 2003 of this wine and another producer's coming from Gargiste, I can only trust the "experts" about the future of the wine. It sure seems like it has the stuffing to go a long time and I might try again in 2010 or 2011. It can be drunk now, just remember not to let it sit too long.
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9/6/2008 - Pknut wrote:
At Marissa's Bat Mitzvah.
Much more approachable than I was expecting. The tannins are there, but it seems like they have begun to release their grip. That said, this wine is still primary.
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8/16/2008 - GrandeSerataFuori wrote: 89 Points
Super ripe blackberry, with licorice and iodine. Much like a Petite Syrah. The initial nose reminded my of a marinade or glaze. Not really my style though. Didnt have layers of interesting scents and flavors. Sort of hulking. Could use another 10 years or so if it will ever wow me.
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8/13/2008 - rsepulve wrote: 95 Points
Much better than 2 years ago. The tannins, though still prominent, are much better integrated. Still not quite entering its drinking window but getting closer.
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6/17/2008 - WineForRob wrote: flawed
Hope bottle was flawed. tasted lots of alchohol. Nothing but. Let sit and gave up nothing. Knid of disappointed. If no give today will dump it.
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6/1/2008 - PourritureNoble wrote: 90 Points
I decanted the bottle about 8 hours in advance. Still very young. Good accidity, strong tannin structure but after 8 hours decanting the fruit faded away a bit. (maybe only 4 hours would have been better) I am curious how this will evolve. It can become great but I have my doubt it will once deserve the 98 parker score. for now 90+ next bottle in 2011 with only 3 hours decanting
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4/6/2008 - tanglenet wrote:
Opened and decanted roughly 4 hours. Then re-bottled and taken to a friend's house to be decanted another couple of hours. Mustiness on the nose that never went away (but did not get worse). Chocolate and dried dark berries (raisins and currants) with a very dry and tannic finish.
I would say it was "slightly" corked, if there is such a thing. Usually the corked wines I've had get worse as they are exposed to air and / or are undrinkable. This wasn't the case, so this was new for me.
I still have a couple of these left and I'm seriously thinking of opening up the next in about 5 years. In fact, I'm not sure if these will ever be ready.
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2/10/2008 - vintage72 wrote: 92 Points
needed an hour to open up in the glass. still needs years. dark fruit. very tasty.
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2/8/2008 - salil wrote: 93 Points
South Italian wine dinner (Chicago, IL): Almost black in colour with a red rim. Intense, complex nose shows lots of tar, black fruits, spice, herbs and licorice. Chewy and full bodied on the palate with spicy dark fruits and herbs, large tannins and good acidity with a long finish.
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2/1/2008 - phantphant wrote: flawed
COrked. Too bad...was looking forward to it.
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1/21/2008 - Barbara B wrote: 96 Points
Feudi di San Gregorio Serpico vertical (Parco dei Principi, Rome): Black core, ruby rim, deep/dark/dense; lots of fine sediment. Aromas and flavours of ripe black cherries, clean earthiness, minerality, roasted coffee, vanilla and aromatic herbs. Very acidic, high level of chewy tannins, yet balanced. Richly flavourful, concentrated, full bodied, great length and complexity. Love it. WOTN
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12/26/2007 - bmarshall wrote: 92 Points
Decanted for 4 hours prior to Christmas meal. Deep, dark and brooding. Still very tannic and austere, but a very nice wine. Dark fruits and graphite. Long finish.
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12/25/2007 - JJA wrote: 96 Points
Wow. This wine has aged quite nicely. Not a big nose, but the wine is full bodied, smooth and silky. Big and delicious. Just terrific. It was WOTN, simply crushing a great bottle of 2001 Phelps Insignia. No contest.
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11/29/2007 - twoamps wrote: 89 Points
good, but surprisingly wimpy for something in the high 90’s. Old-world metallic taste. Not bad, just not a big wine at all.
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11/4/2007 - HKTraveler wrote: 90 Points
Drank with parmigiano, pesto pasta with olive oil and iberico ham. Very good pairing with pasta and olive oil. Wine itself has a slight plastic/herbal taste. Aftertaste of olive. Wonder if I have a partially defective bottle.
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9/29/2007 - ecnemergut wrote: 92 Points
Decanted 60 minutes. Deep purple in color. Wonderful nose of black fruit. Big and bold on the palate with more black fruit on the palate with a long finish with olive. Still primal with mouth-searing tanin. Very good now, but better in 3-5 years.
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9/28/2007 - dwandrus wrote: 90 Points
BC-01202351; Deep reddish purple color, Phenomal nose of black fruit, rose hip, leather. Intense palate of olive, black fruit, leather, and band-aid. Finish of olive, and other lesser aromas.
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9/19/2007 - Calistoga wrote: 92 Points
Dark black red. Aromas of dark smokey peppery fruit; some floral aromas with a little rubbery plastic. Full rich well textured flavors of slightly bitter black fruit and herbs. Solid acidity and fleshy tannins. More integrated than last note on 1/7/07.
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8/19/2007 - deanda wrote: 92 Points
decanted for an hour. strong, tannic wine. taste of bold, astringinc fruit, pepper and must; pleasant. loosened up a bit, will be great in a while (4-5 years)
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7/15/2007 - tconcilio wrote: 92 Points
This was my second bottle. It is just starting to strut its stuff. On opening from my cellar, it did not offer a whole lot. Seemed very closed, as it should at 55 degrees. After decanting for 2 hours it started to emerge. While still very primary, I did notice some hints of earth. Big, full mouthfeel. The last glass was the best. While this was much better than my first bottle, I think that it will get much better in the next few years. If you must open one now, I recommend a decant of at least 2 -3 hours and a hearty tuscan style meal.
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6/30/2007 - JJA wrote:
Terrible. Must have been a bad bottle.
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6/24/2007 - Siggy wrote: 93 Points
Tasting Group Dinner - The Other Italy (Il Vesco Vino, St. Paul): Much, much better than the previous bottle I opened a few months ago. Very dark and intense. Concentrated blackberry fruit, iron/mineral, iodine. Great structure and power. Needs more time. Great raw material here. Excellent.
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6/24/2007 - Dave Dalluge wrote: 93 Points
Minneapolis Tastes the Other Italy: Dark red color. The nose gives an intriguing blend of dark fruit, coffee, smoke, flowers, and a slight hint of band-aid. This is an immense wine with great mouthfeel. The taste is dominated by powerful black fruit and mineral but is already showing some complexity. Has great acidity and very sweet tannins. Tastes both powerful and elegant. Should develop nicely with additional years of cellaring.
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6/24/2007 - moutondoc wrote: 92 Points
This wine showed really well with pasta. I drank the rest the next day and it was not nearly as impressive on its own.
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3/8/2007 - nvandyk wrote: 92 Points
This wine is closed for business right now. The last bottle I had, a couple of years ago, drank very well...and I am sure this will again but it needs a few years in the cellar as it's very tight and the tannins are pretty overwhelming. There's a lot of fruit lurking there, though...
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2/15/2007 - guile wrote: 90 Points
Inky purple black mass with garnet rim. Nose of cassis, wet plant, cedar, heat, spice. Decanted. Breakdown after two hours but evolving. Nose muted. Slight spice, reminiscent of Petite Syrah. Quite disappointingly reminded me of Red Car. Tannic and tooth-staining. Cellar for 10+ years.
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2/14/2007 - Siggy wrote: 85 Points
Popped and poured. Deep black color, blood red at the rim. The nose is lush and very peppery, almost Zinfandel-like. More black pepper on the palate, along with blackberries, espresso, and anise. Very concentrated. The midpalate turns a touch tart and acidic, and the finish shows lots of spicy oak. An hour after uncorking, the oak became overwhelming and the wine was nearly undrinkable. 90+ initially; 75-80 points afterwards.
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1/7/2007 - Calistoga wrote: 91 Points
Dark black-red color. Aromas of peppery blackberry. On the palate it has a split personality: there is a high acidic 'melody' of rasberry and some misc. floral notes and then there are also some low harmony notes of something like bitter strawberries and dark blacberry flavors with amaro, licorice and hints of some other herbal stuff (there is a distinct and pleasant bitterness I rarely see in american wines). The texture is stiff and the wine is tannic and rather acidic. Not sure the two personalities merge today; maybe tomorrow. I think the RP98 is insane but it is well made and attractive nonetheless. I will be glad to open my next bottle.
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12/10/2006 - jusuf Likes this wine: 99 Points
Stunning wine. The nose is captivating with unbridled power and yet super-brilliance and delicacy. This wine has the strongest almond tone I have ever found in a wine. The palate is even better. It has red fruits and wood notes paired with spices in a consistency that can't be beat. The finish doesn't seem to stop. Great! 4 bottles of equal phenomenal quality.
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8/2/2006 - mortenef wrote: 85 Points
This wine was somewhat of a diappointment for me, because my expectations was skyhigh, due to the 98RP score. The tannins was overwhelming, almost to the point of being sour, and therefore suffocated all the elements, I thought I could sense behind. I waited two days after recorking the bottle, to taste this unapprochable monster again, only to discover that some rounding out, did not reveal more fruit or other, perhaps hidden scents. The only time I have disagreed with Bob....
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6/14/2006 - Spencer wrote: 92 Points
Still quite young and primary, but this has a lot of potential. Very unique.
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4/25/2006 - Dave Dalluge wrote: 96 Points
Dinner with England, Manlin, and Others (Brad's House): Popped and poured immediately after dessert of lemon tart. Placement in the line-up and serving after dessert made this hard to assess. The color was dark black. The nose was very expressive. I was surprised I could smell anything after all the previous wine and dinner. Very nice. Palate coating and concentrated in the mouth, with a nice long finish. I had low expectations for this wine despite the high DT score, and was pleasantly surprised at how it showed.
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3/16/2006 - Bitmisbit wrote:
WOW! What a wine. I think this one can run with Sassicaia or Onellalaia
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3/6/2006 - KPB wrote: 91 Points
Black ruby. Dark, brooding aromas of cassis, stone dust, toffee, floral overtones. But rather closed with drying tannins and considerable acidity. Was at its best on day two; the richness of the cassis fruit somehow showed through the intense tannins. With time, this will make an elegant bottle, but needs 5-8 years if not more. Potential 94-96 points if the tannins die before the fruit.
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3/4/2006 - Arcturus wrote: 87 Points
I had the same experience as Pizinah who fairly described the unpleasant sour & vegetal aspect of it. It did improve a little over a 4 hour period but not much. I tasted this wine 2/4/05 and had entirely different experience. In 2/05 the wine seemed to have a lot of promise, "thick, spicy, firm,juicy, lots of baby fat". I am not familiar with the aglianico grape, maybe this wine has closed down?? Either way I will wait a year or two before trying the next one. 87
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12/31/2005 - pizinah wrote: 85 Points
I've now opened bottles from 3 different retail sources and all were sour, weedy and vegetal almost to the point of being undrinkable... Those of you who haven't tasted this and are cellaring multiple bottles based on the reviews/points might want to give it a try... Like no doubt many others, I decided to give it a try not only b/c of the price and WA98 pts, but also b/c of the WA (Thomases) tasting notes which describe the wine as "staggeringly rich...offers ultra-ripe but perfectly fresh berry fruit...cinnamon, chocolate...infinitely deep and long..." Sounded like a wine I'd like, and the price wasn't bad. Unfortunately none of the bottles I've tried even remotely resembled Thomases' notes...
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12/23/2005 - JJA wrote: 95 Points
Day one: way too much pepper
Day two: much better integration, enjoyable
Day three: aaahhhh. now that's better. fully integrated, smooth, luscious, a beautiful wine. exceeded my expectations. glad i have more.
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11/19/2005 - ctwino wrote: 94 Points
Six months since my last bottle, still the same opinion. It is a mouthful righ tnow, either wait to drink or decant. Declicious Aglianico, but a big wine right now
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10/11/2005 - 97mjr wrote: 92 Points
The Amalfi Coast; 10/8/2005-10/14/2005 (Minori, Campania, Italy): Brilliant violet color. Somewhat muted nose, developed mocha on the nose. Cherry, black fruit, chocolate. Big but not overwhelming tannins. Less of an experience than my previous taste 9 months ago, more approachable, though also not as rich.
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8/26/2005 - Herb Blair wrote: 95 Points
Needs couple more years stillpretty hard and closed down
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8/20/2005 - ctwino wrote: 94 Points
Too big to drink right now, this needs to age at least another 4-5 years. If you like blockbuster tannic wines, open it up, but personally I'd wait
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7/18/2005 - Erik R. wrote: 93 Points
@ A16. Not a detailed note, but a dark, almost black appearnace. Huge, intense, velvety and tannic as hell, this will be great in a few years.
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7/5/2005 - cousteau wrote: 93 Points
Ricardo Cotarella (abs-sp): Black. This is impenetrable dark. Very intense and complex on the nose. Moist Asfalt, cloves, and lot's more. Nicely balanced, bitter chocolate, thick, lot's of tannins, this will definately benefit a ton from more aging. A very impressive job from the winemaker and a unique caracter.
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5/24/2005 - Winetex wrote: 91 Points
Dark, inky purple in color. Made from the Aglianico grape it is one of the darkest wines I've ever seen. After the decant there was a kirsch flavor along with a spicyness from the oak. It had a velvety mouthfeel with lots of dark fruit but was slightly out of balance with strong acids and tannins that should resolve with more age. Quite good wine that was good with food. [~$50 on release; Decanted one hour and needed every minute]
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5/3/2005 - NobleRot wrote: 91 Points
Okay, I'm not sure if I should be glad that I have 2 more bottles. We tasted this after the Kistler which we happened to enjoy with some oyster rockefellers. The FSG just did not have anything there. Absolutely no fruit, and no substance. Took 3/4 of the bottle home and immediately tried it. Now it's showing a little more character, oak blew off a little bit. But it seemed very acidic. Maybe it's just not my style. Corked it back up for tomorrow.
Tried this on second night--put on a little weight, the fruit was definitely starting to show. Evolved into something nice. I don't know if I can go as high as DT did (98), but I think this will be a really good wine, it's really just young right now. Will hold on to the other 2 I have for a few years.
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3/16/2005 - Vino Me wrote: 90 Points
This wine is made with the Aglianico grape. This was an inky purple color with a character to match. Very heavy and bold. An in your face style that I could not fully embrace but I can certainly see why other would be entralled with this. Aromas of tar and flowers. Concentrated black fruit. Rather like a big Aussie Shiraz. Dry finish. I would say this could use some more time. 90+ points.
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3/13/2005 - R2-D2 wrote: 94 Points
Powerful, jammy, dark fruits, and it's terribly young so please do wait on this. I agree with the last guy ... wish I had a few.
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3/12/2005 - futronic wrote: 91 Points
Dark, black, inky, colour. Opaque. Aromas of vanilla, blackcurrant, blackberry, blueberry, flowers. Full-bodied, tannic, with blackberry, raspberry, vanilla. Moderate-long finish, 35-40s, with black fruit.
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3/12/2005 - otisabdul wrote: 92 Points
Gorgeous inky purple color. Incredible density and a withering assault of tannin. Needs several years before it reveals itself, but you can sense that it is spring-loaded with some type of intense flavor. Not sure if it is extracted fruit or smoky/peppery clove. Only time will tell.
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1/22/2005 - 97mjr wrote:
Italian Wine Primer (Rainbow Room, NYC): ($40) almost black color c purple margins. Jammy nose. On the palate massive, lush dark fruit (blackberry, black cherry); bright red fruit on the finish. Wish I had a few.
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