4th Saturday Group brown bagger (Mark & Rochelle's): Opens with a hint of dried field straw, with red fruit, herb and dried leaves. Medium-bodied with integrated tannins and flavors of mixed fruit, dried herbs and baking spices. Good underlying acidity. Has a nice old world quality- very good, but I don't think it's Bordeaux.
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This wine needed about 4 hours of decanting before it came together, but once it did, it was very nice. Smoke and slate on the nose, then raison on the palate with tart cherry/raspberry fruits and chocolate (more so on day 3), followed by bitter almond and orange peel. Classic Amarone.
This wine was a little rough around the edges and not very easy to get to its maximum drinking capacity: without the right amount of air (either too little or too much) this wine had a little too much acid and a thin texture. This is definitely an old school Amarone style.
I was disappointed that this wine did not hold up to the roast pork with brandy and prune sauce, however, it was a beautiful/perfect match with robusto, dried fruit (figs, cranberries, apricots), and honey. It was also a great match with roast chicken. When pairing, think Pinot rather than Cabernet. In the end, I might have liked this better as a sipping wine with cheese than as a dinner/food wine.
This drank very well on days two and three after being stored in air tight bottles and poured into the glass for 30 minutes before consuming. This wine was a bit finicky and its rusticity meant that it was difficult to drink every sip at its maximum drinking capacity, but it was a beautiful wine when I got it right. I would be happy to drink more of it.
I’d say that this wine was drinking fine now, but I suspect it might have been better if I had waited even longer.
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Birthday at Bourbon Steak (Washington, DC): Nose smells of dust, dried cherries and cranberries, prunes, bitter dark chocolate, wild herbs, river bed. Palate is the same, but with the addition of nutmeg, allspice, and other baking spices, especially in the mid-palate. Not remotely syrupy or overripe. Surprising minerality and acidity. Elegant. A great Amarone.
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Rich and rasiny but not without balance. In fact, maybe more balance than I expected. Or more liveliness than one might want. And a touch of heat on the back end. Just opened, we shall see where it goes.
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7/25/2015 - AllRed wrote: 93 Points
4th Saturday Group brown bagger (Mark & Rochelle's): Opens with a hint of dried field straw, with red fruit, herb and dried leaves. Medium-bodied with integrated tannins and flavors of mixed fruit, dried herbs and baking spices. Good underlying acidity. Has a nice old world quality- very good, but I don't think it's Bordeaux.
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3/17/2014 - jkscully Likes this wine:
This wine needed about 4 hours of decanting before it came together, but once it did, it was very nice. Smoke and slate on the nose, then raison on the palate with tart cherry/raspberry fruits and chocolate (more so on day 3), followed by bitter almond and orange peel. Classic Amarone.
This wine was a little rough around the edges and not very easy to get to its maximum drinking capacity: without the right amount of air (either too little or too much) this wine had a little too much acid and a thin texture. This is definitely an old school Amarone style.
I was disappointed that this wine did not hold up to the roast pork with brandy and prune sauce, however, it was a beautiful/perfect match with robusto, dried fruit (figs, cranberries, apricots), and honey. It was also a great match with roast chicken. When pairing, think Pinot rather than Cabernet. In the end, I might have liked this better as a sipping wine with cheese than as a dinner/food wine.
This drank very well on days two and three after being stored in air tight bottles and poured into the glass for 30 minutes before consuming. This wine was a bit finicky and its rusticity meant that it was difficult to drink every sip at its maximum drinking capacity, but it was a beautiful wine when I got it right. I would be happy to drink more of it.
I’d say that this wine was drinking fine now, but I suspect it might have been better if I had waited even longer.
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6/23/2011 - davidwhitedc wrote: 91 Points
Birthday at Bourbon Steak (Washington, DC): Nose smells of dust, dried cherries and cranberries, prunes, bitter dark chocolate, wild herbs, river bed. Palate is the same, but with the addition of nutmeg, allspice, and other baking spices, especially in the mid-palate. Not remotely syrupy or overripe. Surprising minerality and acidity. Elegant. A great Amarone.
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5/18/2011 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Rich and rasiny but not without balance. In fact, maybe more balance than I expected. Or more liveliness than one might want. And a touch of heat on the back end. Just opened, we shall see where it goes.
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