Moderate bricking, full-on sous bois with a whiff of underlying black cherry, med/med+ acidity a bit of cherry and sous bois finishes with still volcanic fierce med+ tannins, fully mature and declining unfortunately before the tannins mellowed
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My last bottle from a case bought on release. This bottle has the same maderized note that the bottle I drank in July showed, but the wine remains fresh with good acidity and fruit on the palate
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A little over a year since my last note on this wine - I bought a case of this and have been following it through various ups and downs over the last decade. I've always experienced a fair amount of bottle variation with Calabretta's wines, but at least from my case, the last two or three bottles seem to be indicative of a wine in decline.
This has a maderized note on the nose which I've not experienced before. Better on the palate, where the wine still shows some decent acidity and fruit, but at least IMO, time to drink up.
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Last of my 2004s, and still showing strong. Per usual, this just pops to a different dimension with about 30 minutes in glass. Super exotic and heady, less funky than sometimes, spice and herbs, iron filings, minerality, dried flowers, tart cherry, organic soil. A delight.
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Opened and let sit without the cork for about 2 hours. Then enjoyed with food. Color is garnet-maroon. Shows sign of bricking. Nose of fresh earth and dried cherries. Good acidity on the intro. Has a savory herbal balsamic note. Nice sour cherry fruit with some salinity and minerality.
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It looks like I had a bottle of this about four months ago - this one might be my last. I have had some bottle variation with Calabretta’s wines in the past, and I’m not loving this tonight. A whiff of Brett on opening, with some funk layered over red and black fruit on the nose. A little pinched on the palate. I’ll see if some air or matching it with food allows it to show better, but right now this is subpar compared to the last one I had.
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Not bad, but you need to like a little rusticity in your wine to really appreciate this. Blind, I don't think may tasters would get a lot of similarity between this wine and either Terre Nere or Passopisciaro.
Light to medium-bodied, savory red & black fruit notes on the palate, good persistence and adequate acidity.
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I was very impressed with this wine (esp for the price). We served it right after a '90 Mouton which was just rocking. And while this wasn't in the same class, it wasn't totally offputting either (which sometimes happens when you change the level of wine being drunk in the middle of a dinner). It's a wine made for food and it paired quite well with a smoked fillet and in some ways maybe a bit better with the pasta course. Touch of brambles and spice. Less fruit. Nice. Would look for this again.
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Another great bottle. Consistent with my previous (detailed) notes, this is a savoury, complex wine with wonderful aromatics, great structure and a long, silky finish.
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Initially very funky but give it 30 minutes of air and it blows off. Nice balance and ready for business. Classic cherry, tar, and some earthy soil flavors, very old world and rustic.
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Just an editorial note here - I guess someone petitioned CT to revise the name of this wine. I have no idea what Piede Franco is supposed to signify, but that phrase is not on the label.
Light translucent ruby, with a funky nose featuring cherry fruit - I could see this nose bothering folks, but I don't find it objectionable.
A little lacking in acidity on the palate - not bad, but not overly memorable either.
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Consumed over two nights, with no decanting; in my experience Etna reds (even one 12 years old !) benefit from a decanting 30-60 minutes before serving, but it was not possible this time – unannounced guests !
Translucent brick color with orange edges; nice dark cherry fragrances right from the start, it developed fully after one hour to show earth, a hint of barnyard, iodine, raw steak, more dark cherry; delicious, complex flavors, with a firm mineral taste that is very long; great structure, with firm acidity and grainy tannins in balance. Even better night two, showing leather and dried cherry, dried strawberry; great spiciness and complexity.
As usual, Calabretta is the most rustic of the Etna reds, and rewards those patient enough to wait until air does its magic. A great food wine (not for cocktails) and a great QPR.
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Started off a little rough, but finished in solid form. This needed aeration in decanter given how it was presenting after the cork pull. So, a full two hours later, this had transformed from the beast into the beauty. A lovely mature Nerello Mascalese nearing the end of its preferred window. This is #11 from a case I got on release, and it's probably in the top two or three of the box (i.e. fair amount of variation). Very nice value at $25. recommended
Served non-blind. (the tiny corks crack me up)
https://italianwine.blog/
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PopnPour, tasted over 3 hrs -nearly semi-translucent mild bricking -dusty earthy cherry iodine mature elements -med/med+ acidity, med- weight good intensity minerality, med/med+ chalky volcanic tannins -fully mature, suspect there isn't enough mid-palate sap to predict further improvement, not as vibrant or complex as the 2002 was
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Brick Color; fragrances of earth and sweet dark cherry, raw steak; powerful flavors of sweet dark fruits, with a racy acidity and a very long, sweet, savory finish. Like many wines of Piedmont and Burgundy, this has a light, clear, almost translucent color that in no way prepares you for its full-bodied texture. Hints of citrus and exotic spice, like a fine Barolo Chinato. With its secondary and tertiary flavors of an aged wine on top of its firm structure, acid backbone, firm tannins and great length, this is a great wine.
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Consistent with prior note. Soil/cow pasture is dominant, dried strawberries in the background. Good acidity and structure, but becomes one dimensional due to the Brett.
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Really better drinking initially than one last year. Soil-inflected, but not barnyardy. Half was remaining and I returned to it on night three, where it was downright fantastic. Fabulous, sexy and exotic tertiary aromas layered over spice and cherry flavors were giving off some real magic. 92-93+ for this bottle.
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Pop and pour. At first, tted alone. Then enjoyed with a grilled steak. Dark maroon, showing some bricking at the edges. There is an earthy quality, some oxidation, along with dark fruits. Rich in taste with soft tannins. Perhaps a bit past its prime.
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Good match with pizza. This bottle was a bit more rustic and funky than prior bottles. Nose of dried cherry, leather and funk. Palate has medium body with good grip. More funk. Nice persistent finish. Would have preferred this if it was a bit cleaner.
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Opened one hour before decanting, then served immediately; typical Calabretta color, a bit darker than some other producers; big barnyard nose that gives way to ripe red fruits, mushrooms and other earthy notes; big, mineral, earthy flavor, lovely hints of sweetness; lots of acidity and structure, with the typical Calabretta rustic flavor and mouth feel; decent length. Excellent.
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Boy do I like it. As one commentator said, the acid leads and after a while the fruit reveals. It is a relatively inexpensive wine that is aging gracefully. There isn't much time left in the bottle but after the fruit presents, wow. What a nice medium weight bottle. I have to say among all this glory that it finishes consistently on an odd note. It kind of tastes really great all before it says "ok, I'm tired, I've been working for eleven years." Then it kind of falls apart into this grand "meh". The color, while bricking is presenting, and the nose promise, is really beautiful. Promises promises. Boy have I heard that before.
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Bouquet draws you in but the palate doesn't match. Leans heavily on its acidity then the fruit gains traction with air. A little better than the last bottle.
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3 hr decant, while there was the telltale brett showing it wasn't enough to make us dislike the wine. Enough red fruit and depth to merit more for this price as not all have the same amount of brett signature and are quite good.
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Lots of bottle variation here - this was one of the good ones. Lifted without too much VA, funky without too much Brett. All the crunchy red fruit and hot rocks you could want. When these are good, they're unbeatable at the price. Lovely Nerello.
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First of this vintage for me. Double decanted and taken to a wine event. First sniffy sniff made me wonder tca/tba, but that character changed, and not for the worse, so not corked. So I do think some Brett - earthy, but not the barnyard variety, more a light South African style. Very soil-inflected character, which was appreciated by the wino crowd. It was also frankly overly acidic on its own, but worked just fine with our diverse food as complements (especially the Mediterranean dishes). Much more rustic style of Etna Rosso than the Terre Nere I opened two nights before. Nice stuff, but might be challenging to get it showing its best.
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A little more funk on this bottle. Seems the only thing that varies is the amount of barnyard, but none of the 4 bottles have reached the point where it was unenjoyable. Going to try to track down more of this.
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No brett at all on this bottle. Seems that some bottles get some more barnyard funk than others, but the underlying wine is actually fairly consistent. Great value.
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Similar to last time; brett funk which diminished, pleasantly weighted, well-defined flavors of raspberry, stone, dusty earth. Nice match with basic lasagna.
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Pretty consistent with prior bottles, though this one lasted into night #3, where I actually felt it showed its best. Perhaps it's also worth noting that the wine showed better at cellar temp than at/near room temp - by a good margin, too. 14,5% (fully resolved) abv., recommended
Served non-blind.
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Aerated in bottle ~1 1/2 hours before pouring out for our tasting group alongside sausage and wild mushroom pizza. Consistent with previous bottles - concentrated tart cherry fruit, a mushroomy earthiness which worked well with the pizza, and background hints of smoke and dried herbs. Blind, I suspect it would be very difficult to guess the age of this. Our bottle showed a little bit more ripeness to the fruit than previous bottles at first, but it came together nicely and was well-received with the dinner.
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Hits harshly with pointed blood orange, orange rind, and background fudge notes. Could use some air but deteriorates over night. A sweet impression lingers.
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Definitely rustic on opening but with air, it became more refined, almost elegant. Classic Nerello Mascalese, volcanic soil notes. Would not have guessed the 14.5 alc.
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Lots of horse sweat here, both on the nose and on the finish. On the plus side, this is highly aromatic in that rustic barnyardy way along with tart, yet liqueur-like strawberries. Medium bodied, high acidity, and big drying tannins. Best with food.
Not much room for development given Brett, aside from tannins mellowing. Needs the right audience and context--pretty monolithic in the barnyardy style.
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Very aromatic - sour cherries, crushed rock and light oak. Has a sweetness on the palate with sour cherries and mid-bodied weight. Drying tannins on the finish.
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Decanted ~4 hours, consumed over ~1 hour. Consistent with my 12/12/2014 note - no brett here. Tart cherry/red berry fruit, some spice and leather, maybe a hint of dried herbs or tobacco smoke. Very good, and very good with a baked chicken dish with sage, beans, garlic, and potatoes.
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Maroon to brick. Smells like a smoked baseball mitt and dried rose petals. Sour cherry and caramel are heavily counterbalanced with cedar, tobacco, wood smoke and leather. This turned heads at an Italian meal - was a recognition of how amazingly different a bottle of fermented grape juice can be when you step outside your comfort zone. Timing seems just right, tannins in the sweet spot. 92+
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Interesting floral/fruity notes with strong minerality on the nose. The kaleidascopic profile is an interesting one wiht a fruitful old world expression, nice terrroir expression, and minerality. It is very c/w Sicilian wines I've had . . . but my experience in that category is very limited. I can say this for sure . . . I LIKED IT. Will definatrey keep my eye out for more of this varietal and wines from this region. Good with many food dishes, but I do not think it will stand up to the heaviest of dishes/casseroles, etc . . .
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Decanted 4 hours, consumed over 2+ hours with & after dinner. The nose reminded me a little of a spiced cranberry liqueur I've made for the holidays in years past - tart red berry fruit, just slightly candied, and hints of baking spices. Structured but bright and pure on the palate (barely-detectable brett, if any) with tart red berry fruit at the forefront but hidden earthy and herbal layers brought forth by our dinner. On its own, I would have enjoyed this well enough, but the way it complemented all the food we threw at it makes it noteworthy in my mind. Drinking very well...hope our others are this good.
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open one hour Has to be Italian from the start but very unique, leather nose with cherry strawberry fruit but not overly ripe, the Etna mineral is there but not smokey. Medium body, long finish, needs food but worth a try
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Damn, only batting .333 with this vintage. One gorgeous, one off with some unidentified flaw, then this one marred by a dollop of brett. Drinkable, but a real disappointment after seeing how a good bottle of this performs. Nice sweaty horse though.
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Another excellent showing. Some brett, again, but it managed to stay at a manageable level, a not so modest signature, if you will. The fruit continued to gain weight and intensity with each successive glass; while this paired well with the veal marsala, the '07 1er Burgundy beat it by half a length. Crystalline, bright-toward-high-toned, with good persistence - which I owe to the amount of air this saw prior to service. 14,5% abv (resolved), drink over the next 5 years. A tremendous value. recommended
Audozed 10 hours, served non-blind.
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Some bottle variation in these, but this bottle was wonderful. Rustic, red fruited with ashy minerality, one can taste it's volcanic soils. When these are on, they're fantastic. My previous bottle had some unidentifiable flaw; not corked, not VA, not Brett, not cooked, just off...
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The wine looks brick colored. The legs are medium. It smells like forest floor, mushroom, medicinal, hay/straw, tobacco, brettanomyces, cherry and cranberry. It tastes like cherry, forest floor, black pepper, brettanomyces and strawberry. The body is medium. The wine finishes medium. The wine has high acidity.
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Mature nose with great complexity. Notes of blonde tobacco, worn leather, decomposing leaves, used band-aid, volcano ash, dried berries and flowers. A friendly balance on the palate, with enough freshness, melting yet firm tannins, the sweetness of age and a spicy mineral core. A beautiful drinking experience, this bottle was probably a good as they get (we tried six of them a week ago, with a mixed outcome).
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Earthy nose of mushrooms, bell pepper, black pepper, and black berries. Medium acidity and high tannins. Good finish. Very nice wine and excellent QPR.
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As others note, lots of brett. Thought I was sniffing a gueuze for a minute. Interestingly, it seems to work pretty well with the flavors of cherry and raspberry, which are zin/pinot/nebbiolo like. Strong but balanced finish.
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Whoa. Overwhelming VA upon opening (and this is from a guy who can stand a little VA in his wines). After a vigorous decant, 3 hours and food the VA pulls back to reveal typical, acid driven Nerello flowers and rocks. It's possible my palate got a little numb to the VA as well, since I was tasting it all along those 3 hours. That said, it finally got to that delicious point!
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Translucent brown-ruby in the glass. Lifted and pronounced nose has red berries, earth and leather notes. Palate bursts with acidity and earthy, rustic, red fruit flavor. Excellent grip and tension across the mid-palate into medium+ finish. Palate echoes the nose with some cigar and ash notes added. There is modest complexity here and terrific balance. This is dialed in for pizza or pasta with a red sauce. Good stuff.
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My fourth from a case, and I think I've got this one figured out: give it air. I followed the nose on this roughly every 20 minutes until the three hour mark, the transformation from start to finish was remarkable, and well worth the wait. Reductive, slightly bretty as the cork was pulled, the wine transformed by hour three into an elegant, beautifully perfumed wine with gentle textures, fresh acids and well integrated tannins. This is in the sweet spot now, with proper aeration, or cellar for up to five more years. 14,5% (fully integrated), highly recommended
Served non-blind. Begs for food, though my wife commented that she was just as happy to have it on its own, too.
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Beautiful classic Italian red, think tar, earthy, dark subdued fruit, caramel, on the lighter side color density wise, and nice weight on the palate, good acid, tannins in balance with the rest of the wine, never thought of it as tannic, in a blind taste you would gravitate towards Barolo/Barbaresco and a good one. Looking forward to having it again. Great value.
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Have had a few of these now, and while I'm going from memory from a few weeks back (CT tab left open), I recall a lovely transparent crimson color with light bricking, aromas of red fruit, ashy/smokey notes, herbs, and a distinct cinnamon element, and flavors of tart red fruits and minerals on the medium body and finish, with medium+ acidity. A lovely wine for pizzas and lighter meats and pastas. Loves red sauce/gravy.
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Quite a big nose with depth and complexity. Tastes like a maturing traditional Serralunga barolo. Sturdy tannins, rustic fruit, dark minerality, grapefruit bitterness. Has more guts and potential for further cellaring than the '01 a few years ago. Improved with 24h in the fridge.
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Translucent ruby in the glass; some funkiness that blurs the red-fruited nose.
Bright and clean/sharp on the palate; presents with more acidity than I remember from my last bottle. Tannic bite on the finish; okay right now popped & poured by itself, but I think this will round into shape with the quattro formaggi pizza that my wife is currently preparing.
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By the glass purchase in restaurant. My first glass was from a bottle that had been open awhile and was really open and giving. Lovely, complex, balanced, some beautiful funk, seamless, lingering. Second glass was from newly opened bottle and was much tighter, but still very enjoyable. Score is for first glass.
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It even has "bret" in the name, so you have been forewarned. Having said that, to me it was just enough brett to add complexity and funk. (In fact, the funk reminded me a bit of Musar, which I love.) A nice value for a complex wine with some age on it.
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Wow, huge bottle variation between last bottle and this one. Same nose as the last bottle and that is where the similarities end. Wine was overly sour and lacking fruit. 2nd day the wine was marginally better.
Had over 2 nights. PnP at first, then drank over 1.5 hours on 1st night, showing best just after 1 hour open. Notes of tart red cherry, strawberry licorice, def noticeable funk; later yielding to herbs, ash, moist earth and spice. Onto 2nd night developed a more funky edge and picked up a note of some tobacco leaf. Nicely balanced as tannins were well integrated along vibrant acidity, and ending with a moderate finish in a delicate medium-light body. Very good now and should do well over next 6+ years IMHO, and at a great price point.
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This is a tough one to score... 1st there is a great funk nose to this wine- not Barnyard, but a volcanic, saddle leather & something else. Once you get through the nose there is some underlying fruit- dry cherries and some plum mixed with licorice and herbs. There is so much going on in this wine- killer QPR and a fun wine.
Definitely recommend.
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Incredibly bretty on the pop and pour, lots of funk and barnyard... calmed down as we progressed through the bottle, but found this far more bretty than a recent 2001. Still good, but was pushing the limit on my tolerance for it
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Agree fully with peternelson's note below, except I did not get any barnyard notes that he and others reported. Dried cherry, bruised plum, red licorice and a dusting of herbs, ten years since the vintage this is dry and worn and slightly wind-swept and rugged, which is how I imagine Mt. Etna to be. With Zank at Maialino.
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Another fun one from Patrick. Slightly gritty, volcanic terroir I guess, and brett on the nose and palate. The brett was right at the limit for me, light barnyard and saddle leather. Very interesting.
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Dry cherry, macerated plum, plum skin, dry herbs, intense floral notes; slight sweet impression burst in the mouth with orange clove allspice; sour cherry and a touch of barnyard for complexity, more forward, intense fruit and longer finish than the 2001 (which was silky, elegant, more complex and perfumy, and finer tannins on the other hand). Very cool wine, tons of character.
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{second from a case} Pretty much the opposite of the last bottle that was fresh and snappy from the very first moment. Instead, this was reductive and proved a real challenge on night #1, so I re-corked it and waited till night #3, when it was much more open/enjoyable, though far from vibrant. Hopefully just an off bottle. 14,5% abv.
https://italianwine.blog/
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Fantastic. Dark garnet, lively reflections. After a 3 hour Audoze, this was ready to go. Such energy on the nose, with vivid aromas of cherry, riverbed, spice, red licorice, herbs...and another dose of minerals, just because, and all of it on a canvas of dried tobacco leaf. The medium-bodied palate is graceful and fresh; it's every bit as detailed as the nose. As if I'm reaching out and picking the cherries right off the tree. A bead of cool, sweet raspberry juice flows right through the middle. Lively acids, very fine tannins. Shows great structure, balance. First of a case, and already sourcing another. Huge win here, folks, just huge. highly recommended, 14,5% abv, now thru 2022
* be sure to give this some air, it really pops at the 2 hour mark
Medium to full body. Earthy, spice box, black current nose. A bit musty. Barnyard funk on the palate. Raisins, dark fruit and earth dominate. A very unusual wine. Too much barnyard for my taste. Moderate tannins. Did improve after a hour in the glass.
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Our first bottle of this vintage, this was decanted off an insignificant amount of sediment then poured back into the bottle and allowed to aerate slowly for 5 hours before serving. Stylistically, it is very similar to the 2001 and 2002 I’ve had on several occasions. There seems to be more of a resemblance now to the 2001 as the 2002 seems a little lighter and shows a bit more acidity. The secondary and tertiary characteristics are in full bloom and are a sensual 3 ring circus with a delightful play of nuanced aromatics, crisp acidity, and mature flavors. It is beautifully balanced with subtle fine tannins showing in the finish. Very highly recommended if you are a fan of artisanal red wines. You can expect some bottle variation if this remains consistent with earlier years. Extraordinary value.
A shade or two darker in the glass than the Terre Nere, but still translucent. Complex nose, with menthol, red fruits (raspberry?) and a smoky accent.
Very smooth and together; lengthy finish. Tannins are noticeable, but relatively integrated at this point. Really nice; I have been somewhat the skeptic when it comes to Calabretta, as I haven't had a bottle of the 2001 yet that has wowed me like many other tasters, but this is quite good.
4/8/2023 - Cote d'Or wrote:
Moderate bricking, full-on sous bois with a whiff of underlying black cherry, med/med+ acidity a bit of cherry and sous bois finishes with still volcanic fierce med+ tannins, fully mature and declining unfortunately before the tannins mellowed
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1/7/2023 - Cote d'Or wrote: flawed
Corked
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12/20/2022 - Bob H wrote:
My last bottle from a case bought on release. This bottle has the same maderized note that the bottle I drank in July showed, but the wine remains fresh with good acidity and fruit on the palate
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7/15/2022 - Bob H wrote:
A little over a year since my last note on this wine - I bought a case of this and have been following it through various ups and downs over the last decade. I've always experienced a fair amount of bottle variation with Calabretta's wines, but at least from my case, the last two or three bottles seem to be indicative of a wine in decline.
This has a maderized note on the nose which I've not experienced before. Better on the palate, where the wine still shows some decent acidity and fruit, but at least IMO, time to drink up.
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9/9/2021 - MindMuse wrote: 92 Points
Last of my 2004s, and still showing strong. Per usual, this just pops to a different dimension with about 30 minutes in glass. Super exotic and heady, less funky than sometimes, spice and herbs, iron filings, minerality, dried flowers, tart cherry, organic soil. A delight.
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6/26/2021 - t_moderne wrote: 88 Points
Opened and let sit without the cork for about 2 hours. Then enjoyed with food.
Color is garnet-maroon. Shows sign of bricking.
Nose of fresh earth and dried cherries.
Good acidity on the intro. Has a savory herbal balsamic note. Nice sour cherry fruit with some salinity and minerality.
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6/11/2021 - Bob H wrote:
It looks like I had a bottle of this about four months ago - this one might be my last. I have had some bottle variation with Calabretta’s wines in the past, and I’m not loving this tonight. A whiff of Brett on opening, with some funk layered over red and black fruit on the nose. A little pinched on the palate. I’ll see if some air or matching it with food allows it to show better, but right now this is subpar compared to the last one I had.
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2/2/2021 - Bob H wrote:
Not bad, but you need to like a little rusticity in your wine to really appreciate this. Blind, I don't think may tasters would get a lot of similarity between this wine and either Terre Nere or Passopisciaro.
Light to medium-bodied, savory red & black fruit notes on the palate, good persistence and adequate acidity.
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5/21/2019 - Bob H wrote:
A fairly distinct barnyard note on the nose here. I don't mind it, but my better half did not care for it.
This isn't bad, but I prefer the 2005 right now.
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1/30/2019 - MindMuse wrote:
I really like these wines. Just pops after about 20 minutes with exotic aromatics. Minerally, soil-inflected, and soft juiciness. 91-92
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9/1/2018 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine: 91 Points
I was very impressed with this wine (esp for the price). We served it right after a '90 Mouton which was just rocking. And while this wasn't in the same class, it wasn't totally offputting either (which sometimes happens when you change the level of wine being drunk in the middle of a dinner). It's a wine made for food and it paired quite well with a smoked fillet and in some ways maybe a bit better with the pasta course. Touch of brambles and spice. Less fruit. Nice. Would look for this again.
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6/14/2018 - Bob H wrote:
Light translucent ruby; earthy red fruit on the nose.
Lighter bodied, ripe red fruits, decent acidity for lift - not bad.
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4/17/2018 - Bob H wrote:
Red-fruited nose with a savory note as well.
Light-bodied with good supporting acidity - fairly straightforward, but decent enough for a Tuesday night.
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2/9/2018 - Bob H wrote:
Translucent ruby in the glass, with musky red fruits on the nose.
Somewhat abbreviated on the finish, but other than that minor complaint, not bad.
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1/5/2018 - PaulusLoZebra Likes this wine: 93 Points
Another great bottle. Consistent with my previous (detailed) notes, this is a savoury, complex wine with wonderful aromatics, great structure and a long, silky finish.
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9/16/2017 - angryphoton wrote: 89 Points
Initially very funky but give it 30 minutes of air and it blows off. Nice balance and ready for business. Classic cherry, tar, and some earthy soil flavors, very old world and rustic.
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8/18/2017 - Bob H wrote:
Just an editorial note here - I guess someone petitioned CT to revise the name of this wine. I have no idea what Piede Franco is supposed to signify, but that phrase is not on the label.
Light translucent ruby, with a funky nose featuring cherry fruit - I could see this nose bothering folks, but I don't find it objectionable.
A little lacking in acidity on the palate - not bad, but not overly memorable either.
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1/21/2017 - PaulusLoZebra Likes this wine: 93 Points
Consumed over two nights, with no decanting; in my experience Etna reds (even one 12 years old !) benefit from a decanting 30-60 minutes before serving, but it was not possible this time – unannounced guests !
Translucent brick color with orange edges; nice dark cherry fragrances right from the start, it developed fully after one hour to show earth, a hint of barnyard, iodine, raw steak, more dark cherry; delicious, complex flavors, with a firm mineral taste that is very long; great structure, with firm acidity and grainy tannins in balance. Even better night two, showing leather and dried cherry, dried strawberry; great spiciness and complexity.
As usual, Calabretta is the most rustic of the Etna reds, and rewards those patient enough to wait until air does its magic. A great food wine (not for cocktails) and a great QPR.
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1/4/2017 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:
Started off a little rough, but finished in solid form. This needed aeration in decanter given how it was presenting after the cork pull. So, a full two hours later, this had transformed from the beast into the beauty. A lovely mature Nerello Mascalese nearing the end of its preferred window. This is #11 from a case I got on release, and it's probably in the top two or three of the box (i.e. fair amount of variation). Very nice value at $25. recommended
Served non-blind. (the tiny corks crack me up)
https://italianwine.blog/
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12/30/2016 - Cote d'Or wrote:
PopnPour, tasted over 3 hrs
-nearly semi-translucent mild bricking
-dusty earthy cherry iodine mature elements
-med/med+ acidity, med- weight good intensity minerality, med/med+ chalky volcanic tannins
-fully mature, suspect there isn't enough mid-palate sap to predict further improvement, not as vibrant or complex as the 2002 was
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12/11/2016 - theronware wrote: flawed
Full of band-aidy Brett. Down the sink it went.
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11/27/2016 - PaulusLoZebra wrote: 94 Points
Brick Color; fragrances of earth and sweet dark cherry, raw steak; powerful flavors of sweet dark fruits, with a racy acidity and a very long, sweet, savory finish. Like many wines of Piedmont and Burgundy, this has a light, clear, almost translucent color that in no way prepares you for its full-bodied texture. Hints of citrus and exotic spice, like a fine Barolo Chinato. With its secondary and tertiary flavors of an aged wine on top of its firm structure, acid backbone, firm tannins and great length, this is a great wine.
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11/26/2016 - Cabfrancophile wrote:
Consistent with prior note. Soil/cow pasture is dominant, dried strawberries in the background. Good acidity and structure, but becomes one dimensional due to the Brett.
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11/21/2016 - MindMuse Likes this wine: 93 Points
Really better drinking initially than one last year. Soil-inflected, but not barnyardy. Half was remaining and I returned to it on night three, where it was downright fantastic. Fabulous, sexy and exotic tertiary aromas layered over spice and cherry flavors were giving off some real magic. 92-93+ for this bottle.
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5/18/2016 - Thad wrote: 88 Points
Pop and pour
brown edges showing age, leather and tar, bright fruit nose
medium fruit,
showing it age
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5/6/2016 - t_moderne wrote: 88 Points
Pop and pour. At first, tted alone. Then enjoyed with a grilled steak.
Dark maroon, showing some bricking at the edges. There is an earthy quality, some oxidation, along with dark fruits. Rich in taste with soft tannins. Perhaps a bit past its prime.
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3/20/2016 - Nanda wrote: 88 Points
Good match with pizza. This bottle was a bit more rustic and funky than prior bottles. Nose of dried cherry, leather and funk. Palate has medium body with good grip. More funk. Nice persistent finish. Would have preferred this if it was a bit cleaner.
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2/19/2016 - Finare Vinare wrote: 93 Points
Perfect bottle. Served blind, it would have taken us to Serralunga, probably a Cappellano 80s/90s. Best mouthfeel after 2h of air.
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11/28/2015 - PaulusLoZebra Likes this wine: 92 Points
Opened one hour before decanting, then served immediately; typical Calabretta color, a bit darker than some other producers; big barnyard nose that gives way to ripe red fruits, mushrooms and other earthy notes; big, mineral, earthy flavor, lovely hints of sweetness; lots of acidity and structure, with the typical Calabretta rustic flavor and mouth feel; decent length. Excellent.
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11/5/2015 - Cabfrancophile wrote: flawed
Corked!
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11/4/2015 - Ideasthatstick Likes this wine:
Boy do I like it. As one commentator said, the acid leads and after a while the fruit reveals. It is a relatively inexpensive wine that is aging gracefully. There isn't much time left in the bottle but after the fruit presents, wow. What a nice medium weight bottle. I have to say among all this glory that it finishes consistently on an odd note. It kind of tastes really great all before it says "ok, I'm tired, I've been working for eleven years." Then it kind of falls apart into this grand "meh". The color, while bricking is presenting, and the nose promise, is really beautiful. Promises promises. Boy have I heard that before.
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11/2/2015 - Rollerball wrote: 88 Points
Bouquet draws you in but the palate doesn't match. Leans heavily on its acidity then the fruit gains traction with air. A little better than the last bottle.
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9/13/2015 - Louvin Likes this wine: 88 Points
3 hr decant, while there was the telltale brett showing it wasn't enough to make us dislike the wine. Enough red fruit and depth to merit more for this price as not all have the same amount of brett signature and are quite good.
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8/25/2015 - stubbie999 Likes this wine:
Lots of bottle variation here - this was one of the good ones. Lifted without too much VA, funky without too much Brett. All the crunchy red fruit and hot rocks you could want. When these are good, they're unbeatable at the price. Lovely Nerello.
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7/27/2015 - Tim Heaton wrote: flawed
Tappo. Shi+!
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7/5/2015 - MindMuse Likes this wine: 91 Points
First of this vintage for me. Double decanted and taken to a wine event. First sniffy sniff made me wonder tca/tba, but that character changed, and not for the worse, so not corked. So I do think some Brett - earthy, but not the barnyard variety, more a light South African style. Very soil-inflected character, which was appreciated by the wino crowd. It was also frankly overly acidic on its own, but worked just fine with our diverse food as complements (especially the Mediterranean dishes). Much more rustic style of Etna Rosso than the Terre Nere I opened two nights before. Nice stuff, but might be challenging to get it showing its best.
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6/18/2015 - bconly Likes this wine:
A little more funk on this bottle. Seems the only thing that varies is the amount of barnyard, but none of the 4 bottles have reached the point where it was unenjoyable. Going to try to track down more of this.
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5/7/2015 - glou.sf Likes this wine: 91 Points
Caramel, plum, pepper, earth, and licorice on the nose. High tannins and well balanced. Very nice.
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4/20/2015 - bconly Likes this wine:
No brett at all on this bottle. Seems that some bottles get some more barnyard funk than others, but the underlying wine is actually fairly consistent. Great value.
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4/12/2015 - nectar14 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Similar to last time; brett funk which diminished, pleasantly weighted, well-defined flavors of raspberry, stone, dusty earth. Nice match with basic lasagna.
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4/1/2015 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:
Pretty consistent with prior bottles, though this one lasted into night #3, where I actually felt it showed its best. Perhaps it's also worth noting that the wine showed better at cellar temp than at/near room temp - by a good margin, too. 14,5% (fully resolved) abv., recommended
Served non-blind.
https://italianwine.blog/
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3/14/2015 - bretrooks wrote:
Aerated in bottle ~1 1/2 hours before pouring out for our tasting group alongside sausage and wild mushroom pizza. Consistent with previous bottles - concentrated tart cherry fruit, a mushroomy earthiness which worked well with the pizza, and background hints of smoke and dried herbs. Blind, I suspect it would be very difficult to guess the age of this. Our bottle showed a little bit more ripeness to the fruit than previous bottles at first, but it came together nicely and was well-received with the dinner.
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3/13/2015 - Rollerball wrote: 87 Points
Hits harshly with pointed blood orange, orange rind, and background fudge notes. Could use some air but deteriorates over night. A sweet impression lingers.
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3/4/2015 - Rer wrote:
barnyard funk for an hour, then nice
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2/17/2015 - MJHDC wrote:
Definitely rustic on opening but with air, it became more refined, almost elegant. Classic Nerello Mascalese, volcanic soil notes. Would not have guessed the 14.5 alc.
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2/15/2015 - Cabfrancophile wrote:
Lots of horse sweat here, both on the nose and on the finish. On the plus side, this is highly aromatic in that rustic barnyardy way along with tart, yet liqueur-like strawberries. Medium bodied, high acidity, and big drying tannins. Best with food.
Not much room for development given Brett, aside from tannins mellowing. Needs the right audience and context--pretty monolithic in the barnyardy style.
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2/8/2015 - Eags25 wrote: 91 Points
Very aromatic - sour cherries, crushed rock and light oak. Has a sweetness on the palate with sour cherries and mid-bodied weight. Drying tannins on the finish.
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1/24/2015 - bretrooks wrote: 91 Points
Decanted ~4 hours, consumed over ~1 hour. Consistent with my 12/12/2014 note - no brett here. Tart cherry/red berry fruit, some spice and leather, maybe a hint of dried herbs or tobacco smoke. Very good, and very good with a baked chicken dish with sage, beans, garlic, and potatoes.
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1/17/2015 - ftc Likes this wine: 92 Points
Maroon to brick. Smells like a smoked baseball mitt and dried rose petals. Sour cherry and caramel are heavily counterbalanced with cedar, tobacco, wood smoke and leather. This turned heads at an Italian meal - was a recognition of how amazingly different a bottle of fermented grape juice can be when you step outside your comfort zone. Timing seems just right, tannins in the sweet spot. 92+
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1/16/2015 - Eags25 wrote: 88 Points
No notes
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1/10/2015 - Finare Vinare wrote: 92 Points
Another splendid bottle!
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1/5/2015 - kronfeld wrote: 90 Points
Still tastes raw and youthful. Sour cherries and leather. Very enjoyable. A nice surprise on list at Marta in NYC and fairly priced.
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1/2/2015 - ant-1 Likes this wine:
De la mûre, cerise noire, belle acidité. Des tannins charpentés. J'adore, comme toujorus avec les vieux Calabretta.
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12/18/2014 - Nanda wrote: 91 Points
Consistent with my last note. Dried herbs, tar, sour cherry all day long. A terrific food wine. Rustic. Great acidic grip, structure and backbone.
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12/14/2014 - MoTheMan wrote: 92 Points
Interesting floral/fruity notes with strong minerality on the nose.
The kaleidascopic profile is an interesting one wiht a fruitful old world expression, nice terrroir expression, and minerality.
It is very c/w Sicilian wines I've had . . . but my experience in that category is very limited.
I can say this for sure . . . I LIKED IT. Will definatrey keep my eye out for more of this varietal and wines from this region.
Good with many food dishes, but I do not think it will stand up to the heaviest of dishes/casseroles, etc . . .
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12/12/2014 - bretrooks wrote: 91 Points
Decanted 4 hours, consumed over 2+ hours with & after dinner. The nose reminded me a little of a spiced cranberry liqueur I've made for the holidays in years past - tart red berry fruit, just slightly candied, and hints of baking spices. Structured but bright and pure on the palate (barely-detectable brett, if any) with tart red berry fruit at the forefront but hidden earthy and herbal layers brought forth by our dinner. On its own, I would have enjoyed this well enough, but the way it complemented all the food we threw at it makes it noteworthy in my mind. Drinking very well...hope our others are this good.
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12/6/2014 - Thad Likes this wine: 92 Points
open one hour
Has to be Italian from the start but very unique, leather nose with cherry strawberry fruit but not overly ripe, the Etna mineral is there but not smokey. Medium body, long finish, needs food but worth a try
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12/4/2014 - wineduggery Likes this wine: 91 Points
A beautifully earthy Italian wine, and a great intro to how well they can age.
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11/16/2014 - WST wrote: flawed
Damn, only batting .333 with this vintage. One gorgeous, one off with some unidentified flaw, then this one marred by a dollop of brett. Drinkable, but a real disappointment after seeing how a good bottle of this performs. Nice sweaty horse though.
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11/15/2014 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:
Another excellent showing. Some brett, again, but it managed to stay at a manageable level, a not so modest signature, if you will. The fruit continued to gain weight and intensity with each successive glass; while this paired well with the veal marsala, the '07 1er Burgundy beat it by half a length. Crystalline, bright-toward-high-toned, with good persistence - which I owe to the amount of air this saw prior to service. 14,5% abv (resolved), drink over the next 5 years. A tremendous value. recommended
Audozed 10 hours, served non-blind.
https://italianwine.blog/
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11/8/2014 - WST wrote: 90 Points
Some bottle variation in these, but this bottle was wonderful. Rustic, red fruited with ashy minerality, one can taste it's volcanic soils. When these are on, they're fantastic. My previous bottle had some unidentifiable flaw; not corked, not VA, not Brett, not cooked, just off...
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11/6/2014 - ereimbold Likes this wine: 90 Points
The wine looks brick colored. The legs are medium. It smells like forest floor, mushroom, medicinal, hay/straw, tobacco, brettanomyces, cherry and cranberry. It tastes like cherry, forest floor, black pepper, brettanomyces and strawberry. The body is medium. The wine finishes medium. The wine has high acidity.
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10/24/2014 - Finare Vinare wrote: 92 Points
Mature nose with great complexity. Notes of blonde tobacco, worn leather, decomposing leaves, used band-aid, volcano ash, dried berries and flowers. A friendly balance on the palate, with enough freshness, melting yet firm tannins, the sweetness of age and a spicy mineral core. A beautiful drinking experience, this bottle was probably a good as they get (we tried six of them a week ago, with a mixed outcome).
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10/24/2014 - wineduggery Likes this wine: 91 Points
Delicious. This wine is in a great spot, and good QPR.
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10/20/2014 - Finare Vinare wrote: 90 Points
Distinctly uneven delivery from six bottles - the best ones showed outstanding old-school complexity, the worst were unclean and borderline corked.
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10/19/2014 - World Wine Guy wrote:
Good wine with food. A bit smokey
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10/12/2014 - glou.sf Likes this wine: 92 Points
Earthy nose of mushrooms, bell pepper, black pepper, and black berries. Medium acidity and high tannins. Good finish. Very nice wine and excellent QPR.
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10/2/2014 - nectar14 Likes this wine: 90 Points
As others note, lots of brett. Thought I was sniffing a gueuze for a minute. Interestingly, it seems to work pretty well with the flavors of cherry and raspberry, which are zin/pinot/nebbiolo like. Strong but balanced finish.
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9/27/2014 - stubbie999 Likes this wine:
Whoa. Overwhelming VA upon opening (and this is from a guy who can stand a little VA in his wines). After a vigorous decant, 3 hours and food the VA pulls back to reveal typical, acid driven Nerello flowers and rocks. It's possible my palate got a little numb to the VA as well, since I was tasting it all along those 3 hours. That said, it finally got to that delicious point!
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9/19/2014 - Nanda wrote: 91 Points
Translucent brown-ruby in the glass. Lifted and pronounced nose has red berries, earth and leather notes. Palate bursts with acidity and earthy, rustic, red fruit flavor. Excellent grip and tension across the mid-palate into medium+ finish. Palate echoes the nose with some cigar and ash notes added. There is modest complexity here and terrific balance. This is dialed in for pizza or pasta with a red sauce. Good stuff.
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9/13/2014 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:
My fourth from a case, and I think I've got this one figured out: give it air. I followed the nose on this roughly every 20 minutes until the three hour mark, the transformation from start to finish was remarkable, and well worth the wait. Reductive, slightly bretty as the cork was pulled, the wine transformed by hour three into an elegant, beautifully perfumed wine with gentle textures, fresh acids and well integrated tannins. This is in the sweet spot now, with proper aeration, or cellar for up to five more years. 14,5% (fully integrated), highly recommended
Served non-blind. Begs for food, though my wife commented that she was just as happy to have it on its own, too.
https://italianwine.blog/
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9/12/2014 - Giacomo Likes this wine: 93 Points
Beautiful classic Italian red, think tar, earthy, dark subdued fruit, caramel, on the lighter side color density wise, and nice weight on the palate, good acid, tannins in balance with the rest of the wine, never thought of it as tannic, in a blind taste you would gravitate towards Barolo/Barbaresco and a good one. Looking forward to having it again. Great value.
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9/6/2014 - studleytrey Likes this wine: 92 Points
Have had a few of these now, and while I'm going from memory from a few weeks back (CT tab left open), I recall a lovely transparent crimson color with light bricking, aromas of red fruit, ashy/smokey notes, herbs, and a distinct cinnamon element, and flavors of tart red fruits and minerals on the medium body and finish, with medium+ acidity. A lovely wine for pizzas and lighter meats and pastas. Loves red sauce/gravy.
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9/4/2014 - Finare Vinare wrote: 92 Points
Quite a big nose with depth and complexity. Tastes like a maturing traditional Serralunga barolo. Sturdy tannins, rustic fruit, dark minerality, grapefruit bitterness. Has more guts and potential for further cellaring than the '01 a few years ago. Improved with 24h in the fridge.
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8/22/2014 - Bob H wrote:
Translucent ruby in the glass; some funkiness that blurs the red-fruited nose.
Bright and clean/sharp on the palate; presents with more acidity than I remember from my last bottle. Tannic bite on the finish; okay right now popped & poured by itself, but I think this will round into shape with the quattro formaggi pizza that my wife is currently preparing.
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8/17/2014 - rsbeck wrote: 93 Points
By the glass purchase in restaurant. My first glass was from a bottle that had been open awhile and was really open and giving. Lovely, complex, balanced, some beautiful funk, seamless, lingering. Second glass was from newly opened bottle and was much tighter, but still very enjoyable. Score is for first glass.
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8/9/2014 - jim dixon wrote: 90 Points
It even has "bret" in the name, so you have been forewarned. Having said that, to me it was just enough brett to add complexity and funk. (In fact, the funk reminded me a bit of Musar, which I love.) A nice value for a complex wine with some age on it.
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7/31/2014 - VinoPKM wrote: 85 Points
Wow, huge bottle variation between last bottle and this one. Same nose as the last bottle and that is where the similarities end.
Wine was overly sour and lacking fruit. 2nd day the wine was marginally better.
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7/24/2014 - DRS-Inc wrote: 92 Points
Had over 2 nights. PnP at first, then drank over 1.5 hours on 1st night, showing best just after 1 hour open. Notes of tart red cherry, strawberry licorice, def noticeable funk; later yielding to herbs, ash, moist earth and spice. Onto 2nd night developed a more funky edge and picked up a note of some tobacco leaf. Nicely balanced as tannins were well integrated along vibrant acidity, and ending with a moderate finish in a delicate medium-light body. Very good now and should do well over next 6+ years IMHO, and at a great price point.
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7/22/2014 - VinoPKM wrote: 91 Points
This is a tough one to score... 1st there is a great funk nose to this wine- not Barnyard, but a volcanic, saddle leather & something else. Once you get through the nose there is some underlying fruit- dry cherries and some plum mixed with licorice and herbs.
There is so much going on in this wine- killer QPR and a fun wine.
Definitely recommend.
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7/21/2014 - Grape_ape wrote:
Incredibly bretty on the pop and pour, lots of funk and barnyard... calmed down as we progressed through the bottle, but found this far more bretty than a recent 2001. Still good, but was pushing the limit on my tolerance for it
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7/17/2014 - Pknut wrote:
Agree fully with peternelson's note below, except I did not get any barnyard notes that he and others reported. Dried cherry, bruised plum, red licorice and a dusting of herbs, ten years since the vintage this is dry and worn and slightly wind-swept and rugged, which is how I imagine Mt. Etna to be. With Zank at Maialino.
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7/13/2014 - brigcampbell wrote:
Another fun one from Patrick. Slightly gritty, volcanic terroir I guess, and brett on the nose and palate. The brett was right at the limit for me, light barnyard and saddle leather. Very interesting.
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6/25/2014 - peternelson wrote: 92 Points
Dry cherry, macerated plum, plum skin, dry herbs, intense floral notes; slight sweet impression burst in the mouth with orange clove allspice; sour cherry and a touch of barnyard for complexity, more forward, intense fruit and longer finish than the 2001 (which was silky, elegant, more complex and perfumy, and finer tannins on the other hand). Very cool wine, tons of character.
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6/20/2014 - bconly Likes this wine:
Old school and rustic. Little bit of barnyard but if you're okay with that you should be buying this by the case. 2004 is the current release.
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6/17/2014 - Tim Heaton wrote:
{second from a case} Pretty much the opposite of the last bottle that was fresh and snappy from the very first moment. Instead, this was reductive and proved a real challenge on night #1, so I re-corked it and waited till night #3, when it was much more open/enjoyable, though far from vibrant. Hopefully just an off bottle. 14,5% abv.
https://italianwine.blog/
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5/19/2014 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:
Fantastic. Dark garnet, lively reflections. After a 3 hour Audoze, this was ready to go. Such energy on the nose, with vivid aromas of cherry, riverbed, spice, red licorice, herbs...and another dose of minerals, just because, and all of it on a canvas of dried tobacco leaf. The medium-bodied palate is graceful and fresh; it's every bit as detailed as the nose. As if I'm reaching out and picking the cherries right off the tree. A bead of cool, sweet raspberry juice flows right through the middle. Lively acids, very fine tannins. Shows great structure, balance. First of a case, and already sourcing another. Huge win here, folks, just huge. highly recommended, 14,5% abv, now thru 2022
* be sure to give this some air, it really pops at the 2 hour mark
https://italianwine.blog/
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5/4/2014 - djarcara wrote: 87 Points
Medium to full body. Earthy, spice box, black current nose. A bit musty. Barnyard funk on the palate. Raisins, dark fruit and earth dominate. A very unusual wine. Too much barnyard for my taste. Moderate tannins. Did improve after a hour in the glass.
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4/13/2014 - VTCellarDweller Likes this wine: 93 Points
Our first bottle of this vintage, this was decanted off an insignificant amount of sediment then poured back into the bottle and allowed to aerate slowly for 5 hours before serving. Stylistically, it is very similar to the 2001 and 2002 I’ve had on several occasions. There seems to be more of a resemblance now to the 2001 as the 2002 seems a little lighter and shows a bit more acidity. The secondary and tertiary characteristics are in full bloom and are a sensual 3 ring circus with a delightful play of nuanced aromatics, crisp acidity, and mature flavors. It is beautifully balanced with subtle fine tannins showing in the finish.
Very highly recommended if you are a fan of artisanal red wines. You can expect some bottle variation if this remains consistent with earlier years. Extraordinary value.
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3/29/2014 - Bob H Likes this wine:
A shade or two darker in the glass than the Terre Nere, but still translucent. Complex nose, with menthol, red fruits (raspberry?) and a smoky accent.
Very smooth and together; lengthy finish. Tannins are noticeable, but relatively integrated at this point. Really nice; I have been somewhat the skeptic when it comes to Calabretta, as I haven't had a bottle of the 2001 yet that has wowed me like many other tasters, but this is quite good.
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