Perfume of cherries and rose pedals, strawberries, tobacco, vanilla, mushrooms. Balanced acidity and freshness, sour cherries, plums, raspberries. Silky tannins. Really well balanced, lovely wine.
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Decanted for 2 hrs. ripe black berry, dark plum, some leather and camphor, liquorice, dark herbals. firm tannins, grippy but tastes good. m+/full body. long finish with dark chocolate, tobacco and cedar. good on weight and strength.
WE 95, WS 93, JS 91, WA 94
Ap 5/5, Ar 13/15, Palate 17/20, Overall 4+4/10 Total 93+/100
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Nice. Red berries (ripe cherries), some florals, balsamic and dark coffee on the nose. A tad of alcohol shows up on the end of the nose as well. Nice fresh red berries on the palate with strong assertive tannins that leave a mouth-drying finish. There’s enough of everything for this to age nicely. Revisit in 5-10 years.
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Ruby. Nose is a bit ‘hot’ (alcohol overpowering the taste), so could wait a bit longer but doubtful if it would improve given the limit on the ultimate quality. Not refined/elegant but has quite a lot of sultana taste for fruitiness (of the kind one gets from a hot climate). A little lije a thinner Amarone. The conclusion is: “ it’s ain’t worth the price”.
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Medium ruby with garnet hues. Medium plus intensity on the nose. Cherry, underbrush and balsam. Medium acidity and medium plus finish. Ripe mouthfeel with the alcohol in check. Medium plus finish. Can hold for further improvement. Pleasently surprised considering the vintage.
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nice wine but i think i opened it way too early, was not profound, had it with beef but im more of a pinot drinker. saved last thrid of the bottle untill tomorrow maybe it will be more impresive then, ill update my notes
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On premise $69. Retail $100. We were at one of our preferred restaurants and the service was close to terrible, so we blew threw the Chardonnay we ordered well before we received our appetizers. So we ordered this. Fairly dark in color with dark fruit (primarily blackberry and plum), black pepper, and an herbal aspect (sage, oregano) on the nose. The palate is quite pleasant with plenty of fruit (although nowhere close to overdone), balancing tartness, and an earthy finish. Quite lovely. Even better the following day and again the third. This is a wonder.
Opened in the bottle a few hours but in reality needs time in bottle. Medium weight and well made but coming off angular at present. Black cherry, sour raspberry, dusty earth, black tea, mineral and tobacco. Tannic and acidic but drinkable. All the elements are here but it just needs time to fatten up.
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medium red color, at opening a very light feel to it and a bit out of sorts, the remains of the bottle recorked and refrigerated overnight, the next evening - slightly jammy black cherry and dark fruits on the nose with just a bit of dried herbs, on the palate ripe and slightly sweet, very approachable and perhaps the most fruit-driven vintage of this wine I have ever had, a bit lighter in volume and scale as well, there are hints of clove and herbs on the good finish but nowhere near the usual measure, this should develop some in time and be an attractive mid-weight but I suspect it will always be a little more generous on the fruit side at the expense of a bit less complexity on the back end.
*(**)+, now to 2030+
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Restaurant purchase. Trying to understand this producer having tasted the 2015 a few nights before.
Entirely drinkable today (my group happily ordered a second bottle). The last glass and experience with the 2015 tell me there’s a lot more complexity to be enjoyed with air and a few more years in the cellar.
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The nose is sour ripe dark cherry with woody oaky notes. Rather grippy palate and the sour notes dominate but not in an unpleasant way. It is warm and inviting and finish in a long slightly bitter rhubarb fashion. I will leave the case for a couple of years and hope.
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Warm and inviting, simply scrumptious. Tobacco, hay...perhaps a squeak of that balsamic character I find in this brand, but initially drinking brighter than my last two Brunellos. Sour hay notes, figs, dates and leather. Mostly figs, dates and leather. Dates and leather. Some tiny oily points balanced by acids and tannins. Again, pairing with almost anything. There is a firm, rich, wood presence, very bitter dark chocolate in the background. Always savoury. Semi traditional, totally Italian. Might pair with chocolate, lamb, lasagna, dates.
Balsamic presence started to wear on me... by my second bottle 😉
My third bottle is coming in softer! I'll keep you posted! 😉😉
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Decanted for 3 hours. Medium red hues, perfumed dried roses and pomegranates on the nose. Strawberry and sour cherries on the palate typical of this wine. Nice grip and acidity, well balanced. Medium finish. Nice brunello - perhaps not the stature of the 2016 and 2015.
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Lay & Wheeler Italy Growers' Tasting: Brief notes: Very pale. The nose has black fruit and a slight tobacco character. Huge grip. Nice palate with black fruits but spice and a lovely floral layer.
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Liberating simple and good wine. Initially tight and astringent with leather, dark fruit, tobacco, and ketchup. Gradually a milder expression. Deep fruit, red tea, and spices. Tight, but at the same time a welcoming taste of dark berries and pepper. A young wine that gives a lot of wine pleasure for the money.
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A matter of taste - Day 2: *** Brief notes from wine fair, primarily for my own memory *** Glass: Stölzle Universal A bit freaky nose, ripe tannin, nice old-school Brunello. Give it 5+ years to develop. 92+
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Tasted at Benvenuto Brunello in NYC. I always try this wine at tastings when it is available because so many seem to rate it highly and I keep trying to see what they like about it. It is usually a very dense, highly ripe and extracted, heavily oaked monster in my opinion. I generally don’t like such wines. In this vintage the wine looked much less dense, ripe and extracted than all of the vintages I have tasted in the last 2 decades (maybe half of them). It presents as translucent medium garnet with still dominating oaky elements on the nose. The palate is unyielding, astringent but still showing some ripe cherry. Texturally it seemed rather watery to me. This is quite a puzzlement for me. It seems neither “fish nor fowl”. I am never quite sure what others, including most of the supposed “pro’s” see in this wine…? My numerical score, I consider generous.
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5/6/2024 - KimberJ Likes this wine: 94 Points
good fruit and balance. dusty leather cherry. soft tannins. a lot of talk about this wine after dinner.
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4/27/2024 - Ken_Hsu Likes this wine: 92 Points
Perfume of cherries and rose pedals, strawberries, tobacco, vanilla, mushrooms. Balanced acidity and freshness, sour cherries, plums, raspberries. Silky tannins. Really well balanced, lovely wine.
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2/12/2024 - evanqian wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for 2 hrs. ripe black berry, dark plum, some leather and camphor, liquorice, dark herbals. firm tannins, grippy but tastes good. m+/full body. long finish with dark chocolate, tobacco and cedar. good on weight and strength.
WE 95, WS 93, JS 91, WA 94
Ap 5/5, Ar 13/15, Palate 17/20, Overall 4+4/10
Total 93+/100
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12/28/2023 - Sagan99 Likes this wine: 92 Points
This wine is really really Fabulous!
(I just had a 2015 Mate Brunello Christmas Eve. It was in a place of "brooding", and not presently ready for pleasurable consumption.)
TBC
Sangiovese 100%
14.5% abv
PS Drink The Rainbow!
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11/30/2023 - philmtl Likes this wine:
Nice. Red berries (ripe cherries), some florals, balsamic and dark coffee on the nose. A tad of alcohol shows up on the end of the nose as well. Nice fresh red berries on the palate with strong assertive tannins that leave a mouth-drying finish. There’s enough of everything for this to age nicely. Revisit in 5-10 years.
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9/25/2023 - Philolesen Likes this wine: 91 Points
Red fruit, red flowers, balsamic, herbs, strong tannins. Wait 5 years.
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9/6/2023 - Rabley Heath wrote: 87 Points
Ruby. Nose is a bit ‘hot’ (alcohol overpowering the taste), so could wait a bit longer but doubtful if it would improve given the limit on the ultimate quality. Not refined/elegant but has quite a lot of sultana taste for fruitiness (of the kind one gets from a hot climate). A little lije a thinner Amarone. The conclusion is: “ it’s ain’t worth the price”.
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8/4/2023 - FjordogFjell wrote: flawed
Kork
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5/21/2023 - Es7e2003 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Medium ruby with garnet hues. Medium plus intensity on the nose. Cherry, underbrush and balsam. Medium acidity and medium plus finish. Ripe mouthfeel with the alcohol in check. Medium plus finish. Can hold for further improvement. Pleasently surprised considering the vintage.
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4/29/2023 - Amcleod wrote:
Opened up at 12:00 pm and drank by 9 pm. Didn't have it in a decanter.
Drank it after 4 bottles of Quilt, followed the cab sav well.
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4/28/2023 - Redwineisbestwine wrote: 86 Points
nice wine but i think i opened it way too early, was not profound, had it with beef but im more of a pinot drinker.
saved last thrid of the bottle untill tomorrow maybe it will be more impresive then, ill update my notes
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4/23/2023 - The Drunken Cyclist Likes this wine: 94 Points
On premise $69. Retail $100. We were at one of our preferred restaurants and the service was close to terrible, so we blew threw the Chardonnay we ordered well before we received our appetizers. So we ordered this. Fairly dark in color with dark fruit (primarily blackberry and plum), black pepper, and an herbal aspect (sage, oregano) on the nose. The palate is quite pleasant with plenty of fruit (although nowhere close to overdone), balancing tartness, and an earthy finish. Quite lovely. Even better the following day and again the third. This is a wonder.
www.thedrunkencyclist.com
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3/13/2023 - MAXIMUM SATISFACTION wrote: 93 Points
Opened in the bottle a few hours but in reality needs time in bottle. Medium weight and well made but coming off angular at present. Black cherry, sour raspberry, dusty earth, black tea, mineral and tobacco. Tannic and acidic but drinkable. All the elements are here but it just needs time to fatten up.
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2/7/2023 - Elpaninaro Likes this wine:
medium red color, at opening a very light feel to it and a bit out of sorts, the remains of the bottle recorked and refrigerated overnight, the next evening - slightly jammy black cherry and dark fruits on the nose with just a bit of dried herbs, on the palate ripe and slightly sweet, very approachable and perhaps the most fruit-driven vintage of this wine I have ever had, a bit lighter in volume and scale as well, there are hints of clove and herbs on the good finish but nowhere near the usual measure, this should develop some in time and be an attractive mid-weight but I suspect it will always be a little more generous on the fruit side at the expense of a bit less complexity on the back end.
*(**)+, now to 2030+
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1/25/2023 - Skotto Likes this wine:
Restaurant purchase. Trying to understand this producer having tasted the 2015 a few nights before.
Entirely drinkable today (my group happily ordered a second bottle). The last glass and experience with the 2015 tell me there’s a lot more complexity to be enjoyed with air and a few more years in the cellar.
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12/17/2022 - pilatus88 Likes this wine: 90 Points
The nose is sour ripe dark cherry with woody oaky notes. Rather grippy palate and the sour notes dominate but not in an unpleasant way. It is warm and inviting and finish in a long slightly bitter rhubarb fashion. I will leave the case for a couple of years and hope.
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12/10/2022 - winoman1 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Warm and inviting, simply scrumptious. Tobacco, hay...perhaps a squeak of that balsamic character I find in this brand, but initially drinking brighter than my last two Brunellos. Sour hay notes, figs, dates and leather. Mostly figs, dates and leather. Dates and leather. Some tiny oily points balanced by acids and tannins. Again, pairing with almost anything. There is a firm, rich, wood presence, very bitter dark chocolate in the background. Always savoury. Semi traditional, totally Italian. Might pair with chocolate, lamb, lasagna, dates.
Balsamic presence started to wear on me... by my second bottle 😉
My third bottle is coming in softer! I'll keep you posted! 😉😉
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12/6/2022 - TintoDelPais wrote: flawed
Kork
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11/19/2022 - Dwongl Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted for 3 hours. Medium red hues, perfumed dried roses and pomegranates on the nose. Strawberry and sour cherries on the palate typical of this wine. Nice grip and acidity, well balanced. Medium finish. Nice brunello - perhaps not the stature of the 2016 and 2015.
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11/3/2022 - Biggsy wrote: 91 Points
Lay & Wheeler Italy Growers' Tasting: Brief notes: Very pale. The nose has black fruit and a slight tobacco character. Huge grip. Nice palate with black fruits but spice and a lovely floral layer.
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10/2/2022 - chialuvwines wrote: 85 Points
Good nose but wine a tad too young to drink. Still tannic.
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8/13/2022 - Torchy wrote: 90 Points
Liberating simple and good wine. Initially tight and astringent with leather, dark fruit, tobacco, and ketchup. Gradually a milder expression. Deep fruit, red tea, and spices. Tight, but at the same time a welcoming taste of dark berries and pepper. A young wine that gives a lot of wine pleasure for the money.
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4/3/2022 - NoTrollingerPlease Likes this wine:
A matter of taste - Day 2: *** Brief notes from wine fair, primarily for my own memory ***
Glass: Stölzle Universal
A bit freaky nose, ripe tannin, nice old-school Brunello. Give it 5+ years to develop. 92+
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2/23/2022 - oldwines Does not like this wine: 87 Points
Tasted at Benvenuto Brunello in NYC. I always try this wine at tastings when it is available because so many seem to rate it highly and I keep trying to see what they like about it. It is usually a very dense, highly ripe and extracted, heavily oaked monster in my opinion. I generally don’t like such wines. In this vintage the wine looked much less dense, ripe and extracted than all of the vintages I have tasted in the last 2 decades (maybe half of them). It presents as translucent medium garnet with still dominating oaky elements on the nose. The palate is unyielding, astringent but still showing some ripe cherry. Texturally it seemed rather watery to me. This is quite a puzzlement for me. It seems neither “fish nor fowl”. I am never quite sure what others, including most of the supposed “pro’s” see in this wine…? My numerical score, I consider generous.
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