nose- deep, dark, cassis, brooding mouth - unctuous and mouthcoating, this wine has a dense wall of concentrated fruit veering to the cocoa and charcoal spectrum. i can only imagine what it might have tasted like 20 year ago on release. Still a tannic beast, and something deep down in my palate memory made me thing of some hundred acres i have had (all quite some while ago BTW). interestingly parker in his review said the same. this wine can last another twenty years i suspect, easily
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Downgraded from prior tasting notes in the last 4 months mainly due to the vanilla/oak notes. Also the structure was very good, not excellent - acidity threw it off for me.
Blueberry, black currant, fair amount of vanilla, spice, leather and chocolate.
A lovely wine, don’t get me wrong/.
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Medium/dark ruby. Dried black fruit, black pepper and white chocolate on the nose. Full bodied, almost jammy on the palate. I’d peg this in the first half of its ideal drinking window. Enough tannins to suggest it can age some more. Drinking very well. This was bottle 3/6 and I’ll be on the lookout for more given price to age is decent value
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Impressive dark, inky color for a 19 year old wine. Bold, yet a mature and silky profile. The black fruit, while hard to ignore for a wine of this style, has softened and notes of chocolate, leather and vanilla are very much present. Soft tannins, very long finish. This wine is very smooth and is in it’s prime drinking window. After drinking side by side with a 2012 I’m a bigger fan of this wine.
Edited 8/19/21 after drinking another bottle next to a 2012 vintage.
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I suppose with taste there is no argument, but this was not to my taste. It was a goopy over the top over extracted fruit bomb. If you like the Parker deluxe style, this is it on steroids. For 100 dollars I felt duped.
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Much better than bottle 1. Dark purple, thick and chewy. Tannins fully integrated and subsided. Perfect hints of oak and red, blue and black fruit on the nose with some perfume. Palate was blue and red fruit with acid at near ideal levels. Some oak, but in harmony with fruit.
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Pencil shavings, cedar box, mocha and chocolate dominated on the nose and palate with a medium finish. Expected a lot more fruit from a Coombsville wine. On the downward part of the curve, drink me if you got em.
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Last of three bottles. In addition, I had a vertical of Buccella from this, their first release (2002) to the latest release, 2011. But then, wine was meant to drink, so my wife and I shared the bottle to celebrate our son's 40th and my 65th birthdays. This wine has aged very well and has not really changed that much since my first tasting of the wine eight years ago. The nose and fruit is clean, distinctive and pronounced. The tannins and acidity have softened slightly. The backbone and overall structure is fantastic. I would dare say this wine will keep another 30 years! So, the 2003 and the rest of my remaining vertical is very safe. I keep my Buccella wines in a single, undercounter style, 36 bottle capacity wine cooler set at 59F in a corner of my basement.
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The wife always wants Buccella on her Bday. Cork snapped in half upon opening - got nervous, but wine was perfect. Decanted 4 hours, re-bottled and took to restaurant. Teeth staining, almost black in the glass and thick. Currant, blackberry, cassis, blueberry and some licorice. 90 second finish. The perfect compliment to our perfectly cooked steaks. This wine has several good years left - but why wait when it is drinking so good right now. Not going to get any better. Sadly, my last of the '02.
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Love Buccella. This wine is full throttle on all fronts - starting with the 10 pound bottle, which leads to a pour that reveals black lushness in the glass, to the nose that is intoxicating to me like a pheromone is to an insect in the Spring, on finally to that big, thick mouthfeel that coats your entire palate and lasts for 45 to 60 seconds. Such a slutty wine. I can't resist. I want more...
My last bottle. Wish I had more. Flashy and fat with a big attack of blackcurrant, blueberry and cassis. Great balance and oak integration. Follows through the midpalate with layers of licorice, mint and kirsch. All there is to love about big Napa cab done right.
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So putting everyone on notice that from this note forward unless I score a wine in the 9.2+ range or above, I will probably not be posting a detailed tasting note. Too little time. --- COLOR: Opaque garnet with garnet rim NOTE: Lovely mélange of blackberry liqueur, wet limestone, black cherry compote, Saigon cinnamon and crème fraiche. Just beautiful and fresh. Mouth is very rich, sweet with glycerin but still dry. Same black fruits are present in finish, but tannins are soft on a velvety body. Oh my, this is so gratifying. Finish is still dominated by fruit and goes on for 45+ seconds. 70% dark cocoa. Great! Drink now - 2016+. Very pleasurable. Schrader-like quality with total balance.
DECANT: 0-6 hours GLASS USED: Bordeaux TASTE: 9.4- OTHER: COST: 80 VALUE: 9.3 PREVIOUSLY TASTED: TRY AGAIN: now - 2016 PAIRING: Inquiries can be addressed to troypeterson@usa.net ---
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A bit raw the first night, it developed beautifully on the second day with sweet berry notes and velvety texture, then fell apart one day later. Probably best with an hour of decanting over the next year or two.
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I was pretty disappointed in this. Started off quite restrained with a very modest nose and a medium bodied, slightly sweet but very laid back flavor profile. As the evening progressed, it developed an off note of iodine in both the nose and palate that really detracted from the wine. I have two more and will try one soon to see if this was an off bottle.
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Opened for 30 min. decanted and consumed over the next two hours - at the completion of dinner. What a great wine. My very first taste of Buccella. It was everything that I had hoped it would be. The very first of three 2002's, with three 2003's and three 2004's also in the cellar. Good, tight cork with deep dark fine crystal residue. Very little sedimentation in the strainer, yet ultra-fine particles were noticed in my glass during the final sips. A color so deep and dense that it was a surprise to find the texture so light on the palate. An exquisite floral/fruity nose. Very strong plum-prune-berry flavor, not unlike a great Australian Shiraz. The finish may be the best part - minerals, oak and fruit melded together. Great structure and complexity. A little more age would cut down the acidity and reduce the tannins. However, this is a great drink now. Oh, the bottle is a great keep - uniquely labeled with a wax seal, very heavy - sim to a Darioush bottle.
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2/4/2022 - soyhead wrote:
nose- deep, dark, cassis, brooding
mouth - unctuous and mouthcoating, this wine has a dense wall of concentrated fruit veering to the cocoa and charcoal spectrum. i can only imagine what it might have tasted like 20 year ago on release. Still a tannic beast, and something deep down in my palate memory made me thing of some hundred acres i have had (all quite some while ago BTW). interestingly parker in his review said the same. this wine can last another twenty years i suspect, easily
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10/26/2021 - Coach C. Likes this wine: 91 Points
Downgraded from prior tasting notes in the last 4 months mainly due to the vanilla/oak notes. Also the structure was very good, not excellent - acidity threw it off for me.
Blueberry, black currant, fair amount of vanilla, spice, leather and chocolate.
A lovely wine, don’t get me wrong/.
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9/26/2021 - Coach C. Likes this wine: 94 Points
Medium/dark ruby. Dried black fruit, black pepper and white chocolate on the nose. Full bodied, almost jammy on the palate. I’d peg this in the first half of its ideal drinking window. Enough tannins to suggest it can age some more. Drinking very well. This was bottle 3/6 and I’ll be on the lookout for more given price to age is decent value
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8/13/2021 - Coach C. Likes this wine: 93 Points
Impressive dark, inky color for a 19 year old wine. Bold, yet a mature and silky profile. The black fruit, while hard to ignore for a wine of this style, has softened and notes of chocolate, leather and vanilla are very much present. Soft tannins, very long finish. This wine is very smooth and is in it’s prime drinking window. After drinking side by side with a 2012 I’m a bigger fan of this wine.
Edited 8/19/21 after drinking another bottle next to a 2012 vintage.
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7/7/2018 - cpl100n Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark fruit forward lot of life 2 hour decant
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4/1/2017 - Barnaby33 wrote:
I suppose with taste there is no argument, but this was not to my taste. It was a goopy over the top over extracted fruit bomb. If you like the Parker deluxe style, this is it on steroids. For 100 dollars I felt duped.
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1/14/2016 - Geaux Tigers Likes this wine: 95 Points
Much better than bottle 1. Dark purple, thick and chewy. Tannins fully integrated and subsided. Perfect hints of oak and red, blue and black fruit on the nose with some perfume. Palate was blue and red fruit with acid at near ideal levels. Some oak, but in harmony with fruit.
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1/8/2016 - Geaux Tigers wrote: 91 Points
Pencil shavings, cedar box, mocha and chocolate dominated on the nose and palate with a medium finish. Expected a lot more fruit from a Coombsville wine. On the downward part of the curve, drink me if you got em.
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8/16/2015 - DTWOB Likes this wine: 93 Points
Last of three bottles. In addition, I had a vertical of Buccella from this, their first release (2002) to the latest release, 2011. But then, wine was meant to drink, so my wife and I shared the bottle to celebrate our son's 40th and my 65th birthdays. This wine has aged very well and has not really changed that much since my first tasting of the wine eight years ago. The nose and fruit is clean, distinctive and pronounced. The tannins and acidity have softened slightly. The backbone and overall structure is fantastic. I would dare say this wine will keep another 30 years! So, the 2003 and the rest of my remaining vertical is very safe. I keep my Buccella wines in a single, undercounter style, 36 bottle capacity wine cooler set at 59F in a corner of my basement.
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10/28/2014 - TastesGoodToMe Likes this wine: 94 Points
The wife always wants Buccella on her Bday. Cork snapped in half upon opening - got nervous, but wine was perfect. Decanted 4 hours, re-bottled and took to restaurant. Teeth staining, almost black in the glass and thick. Currant, blackberry, cassis, blueberry and some licorice. 90 second finish. The perfect compliment to our perfectly cooked steaks. This wine has several good years left - but why wait when it is drinking so good right now. Not going to get any better. Sadly, my last of the '02.
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5/25/2013 - TastesGoodToMe Likes this wine: 94 Points
Love Buccella. This wine is full throttle on all fronts - starting with the 10 pound bottle, which leads to a pour that reveals black lushness in the glass, to the nose that is intoxicating to me like a pheromone is to an insect in the Spring, on finally to that big, thick mouthfeel that coats your entire palate and lasts for 45 to 60 seconds. Such a slutty wine. I can't resist. I want more...
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3/23/2013 - MJTed Likes this wine: 94 Points
My last bottle. Wish I had more. Flashy and fat with a big attack of blackcurrant, blueberry and cassis. Great balance and oak integration. Follows through the midpalate with layers of licorice, mint and kirsch. All there is to love about big Napa cab done right.
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1/1/2013 - tp096255 Likes this wine: 94 Points
So putting everyone on notice that from this note forward unless I score a wine in the 9.2+ range or above, I will probably not be posting a detailed tasting note. Too little time.
---
COLOR: Opaque garnet with garnet rim
NOTE: Lovely mélange of blackberry liqueur, wet limestone, black cherry compote, Saigon cinnamon and crème fraiche. Just beautiful and fresh. Mouth is very rich, sweet with glycerin but still dry. Same black fruits are present in finish, but tannins are soft on a velvety body. Oh my, this is so gratifying. Finish is still dominated by fruit and goes on for 45+ seconds. 70% dark cocoa. Great!
Drink now - 2016+.
Very pleasurable. Schrader-like quality with total balance.
DECANT: 0-6 hours
GLASS USED: Bordeaux
TASTE: 9.4-
OTHER:
COST: 80
VALUE: 9.3
PREVIOUSLY TASTED:
TRY AGAIN: now - 2016
PAIRING:
Inquiries can be addressed to troypeterson@usa.net
---
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11/1/2012 - tp096255 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Great stuff. Getting more if I can find it below $100/bottle.
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5/26/2012 - toddster wrote:
silky smooth superb fruit
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10/6/2011 - Topper wrote: 90 Points
A bit raw the first night, it developed beautifully on the second day with sweet berry notes and velvety texture, then fell apart one day later. Probably best with an hour of decanting over the next year or two.
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9/2/2011 - flashvictor wrote: 93 Points
Big cab with dark, sweet fruit but plenty of tannin to keep sweetness in check. Drinking at plateau currently.
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4/15/2011 - Hbgsurgeon wrote: 95 Points
Wow
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6/24/2010 - MJTed wrote: 93 Points
Big and beautiful with explosive nose of blue fruit, and a fleshy palate- currant, mint and licorice. Great finish and lots of life.
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4/10/2010 - Share 67 wrote: 95 Points
Devine
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3/12/2010 - DTWOB Likes this wine: 90 Points
With Tom and LInda at the Old Stone Inn - seemed a little thin, but great flavor!
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8/4/2009 - pikemasterflash wrote: 84 Points
Waited a long time to try this one and was utterly disappointed. Next time I run out of pancake syrup I am going to use this one.
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2/19/2009 - Topper wrote: 87 Points
I was pretty disappointed in this. Started off quite restrained with a very modest nose and a medium bodied, slightly sweet but very laid back flavor profile. As the evening progressed, it developed an off note of iodine in both the nose and palate that really detracted from the wine. I have two more and will try one soon to see if this was an off bottle.
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1/19/2009 - shaferguy91 wrote: 92 Points
Decanted 2 hours. First Buccella that I've ever had and it was delicious.
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11/3/2008 - carlwhat wrote:
big fat delicious cab. concentrated without any herbal elements.... a bomb...
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5/27/2008 - Phin wrote: 95 Points
Consistent.
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11/22/2007 - Phin wrote: 95 Points
Decanted 2 hours. Huge concentrated throughout with long finish. A touch of bright fruit buried in the rich wave.
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9/21/2007 - DTWOB Likes this wine: 93 Points
Opened for 30 min. decanted and consumed over the next two hours - at the completion of dinner. What a great wine. My very first taste of Buccella. It was everything that I had hoped it would be. The very first of three 2002's, with three 2003's and three 2004's also in the cellar. Good, tight cork with deep dark fine crystal residue. Very little sedimentation in the strainer, yet ultra-fine particles were noticed in my glass during the final sips. A color so deep and dense that it was a surprise to find the texture so light on the palate. An exquisite floral/fruity nose. Very strong plum-prune-berry flavor, not unlike a great Australian Shiraz. The finish may be the best part - minerals, oak and fruit melded together. Great structure and complexity. A little more age would cut down the acidity and reduce the tannins. However, this is a great drink now. Oh, the bottle is a great keep - uniquely labeled with a wax seal, very heavy - sim to a Darioush bottle.
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3/25/2007 - brewking wrote: 92 Points
absolutely terrific - wish i had more!
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12/18/2006 - Parksmd wrote:
Had with Jeff completion of cellar
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10/29/2005 - texaswino wrote:
First bottle of my 3 pack. Very disappointed, pretty badly corked. Hope the other two are OK. :-(
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