Much better than I expected. Dark, brooding color, some modern touches on the attack but all that Sangiovese rides in to hold it all together with brightness and savory grip. Very easy to drink, even excellent in its way, but somehow forgettable in the final analysis.
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Jeudi soir pour notre souper mensuel au resto AVV La Suite de Sherbrooke avec les FOUDUVIN du club de l’Estrie. Beau super Toscan encore bien en forme. Pas mal textbook pour le profile de saveurs. Fait de 40% Montepulciano 40% Sangiovese 10% Marselan et 10% Alicante. Complexe et raffiné, des fruits noirs, du cuir, du tabac, du graphite et un peu de fumée. Je comprends le 95 pts donné par Galloni! Excellent.
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Purple, with a hint of brown. Leather on the nose. Tastes like a muddy old Sangiovese. Good with pasta and red sauce. (NB: don't cook Thomas Keller's 3 hour oven-roasted tomato sauce when it's 95 outside) No sign of fading. Enjoyed the 2010 more though
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Deep red color. Aromas of black cherries, tar and wood spices. Ripe, full bodied fruit in the mouth with excellent depth and length. Complex and long on the palate. Very fresh for a 16 year-old “entry” wine. Impressive!
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Similaire à mes autres, toujours aussi bon. Encore pas mal de fruit, un peu de terre et des épices. Les tannins sont fins et la finale bien longue est toute en finesse. EXCELLENT!
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Drunk with stewed ox-tail and beef cheek. Deep ruby/pale garnet with bricking at the rim. Slight clouding from sediment on second pour. A fragrant nose of black currants, blackberries and cherries, of moderate intensity. This intensity faded after a few minutes in the glass. Tannins were largely integrated but those still present had a bitter edge to them. Similar, but less obvious, fruits on the palate, which melded into more earthy, mineral and tannic elements quite quickly. Medium body and rather short on the finish. Overall it was smooth with some pleasant fruit, nicely balanced acidity and fully mature. It became more harmonious with time in the glass. However, the remaining tannins gave it an astringency that disturbed the texture. It lacked real complexity, evolution and length. The impression is of a crowd pleasing quaffer rather than a "vin de contemplation". There isn't enough left going on to believe that this will improve with further keeping - decline is more likely. So I would drink up.
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This bottle was singing! Still a dark garnet, it had classic red and black fruit notes that dominated, but with excellent depth and well integrated tannins. It threw a fair amount of sediment.
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Dark ruby, ruby with amber rim, + sediment; dark and red berries; bright; medium bodied; showing much better than 2006 Costanti though the latter may have been flawed
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Mieux que mes autres, super fruité et vibrant, complexe et bien équilibré. Cerises, anis, poivre et belle acidité juteuse sur une finale longue et suave. Impec.
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Much better impression of this bottle than my last one. Beautiful balance of fruit and tar and minerals, tannins in the right place for me. Very enjoyable bottle
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Silky smooth, medium bodied wine that is ready to go! May not be big enough for a juicy rare steak, but pairs nicely iwth pasta or pizza. Very good QPR.
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Still showing relatively firm tannins, but what beautiful purity of fruit. Will benefit from another 3-5 years of aging (maybe more?), but was a perfect pairing for a rare, eight-week dry aged NY prime striploin. Great texture and length. Glad to have more.
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20th Annual Lyon 10 Year Retrospective: The Mish Mash (Lyon Den): You probably have to add 4 points to any of my Italian wine notes. Barely ripe cherry, plum, mineral, and coffee notes. Slightly green acids but nice tannins to finish it off. MAYBE slightly better the next day, 89pts. No one thrilled on day 3. Drinking window: uhhhh, don't listen to me.
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Another very solid bottle. Full throttle aromatics as soon as the cork get pulled but takes on added dimensions of flavor within 30 minutes of decanting. Modern? hell yes, french wood sure, but that classic Tuscan mineral component is here on the finish. Deep and polished a beautiful wine. No rush but drinking great at a decade of age. Should be good for several more years. Not sure about further development but no complains as to what it offers.
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Brought to a dinner. Slow ox'ed for about 1h and drank without decant following the 2005 Altair. Dark fruit and some earth. Not as big or aromatic as the Altair, even a bit rustic in direct comparison. Integrated tannins. Good wine but I much prefer the red fruited and elegant style the Sangiovese grape can produce, and which one can still find in some traditionally made Brunellos.
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Poured into decanter and drank over 2h or so. Dark garnet. Slightly corked but drinkable and got a good idea of the wine. A fairly full bodied wine dominated by dark fruit, not a style I like too much. Fine to medium tannins, largely covered by the fruit. Not bad but not interesting enough to seek out. 90+
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A bit reduced on opening....decanted for 90 minutes and it blew off. Nose is so savoury....rosemary, blood, saline, dried flowers, tobacco, leather, dried cherry, iodine and cured meat. Palate is really polished....raspberry, cherry, leather, cedar, flowers, blood, iodine, bitter chocolate, graphite and rosemary. Finish is long, layered and lush....very complex and pretty wine. Almost classic
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Opened and served blind to my wife who guessed Sangiovese! First taste was of well aged Sangiovese, wet forest floor, and tart cherries bordering on sourness. After some time the sourness went away. Became fresh and lively with the wet forest floor in the background. Black cherries, pencil lead, definitely pencil lead, a hint of cinnamon and rosemary. Purity of fruit. Good acidity. Sediment in glass. Finishes with chocolate. Amazing that my wife and I had slightly different glasses and my glass had more of a chocolate finish. My glass was a Bordeaux style. Over the years I have learned that the shape of the wine glass does make a difference even though my (non wine snob!) friends have told me I am imagining things. Well I am glad I am imagining things because this wine was a great pleasure. This wine is in a great drinking window. Drank over 3 hours.
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Nicely structured, ie, balanced tannins, fruit-forward nevertheless. The acidic-sense offered a good offset for a Cranberry-based sauce on the Pork Roast. Nothing missing, decently lengthy finish, nicely tart finish on the palate, showing its 8-year old age (ie, still youthful).
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Superbe nez sur les cerises, l'encens, le tabac et les épices. En bouche, ample et velouté, un beau fruit pure et des tannins bien enrobés, très long. Excellent.
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Decanted for 1 hour. Dark ruby color with some garnet. Very unique nose of dark fruit (black cherries, blackberry jam), iodine, metal, soy sauce, graphite. On the palate there is mainly black fruit again, but also iodine, tobacco leaf, soy sauce, minerality (graphite). It's pretty full-bodied and very dense, but without any sense of heaviness. It has medium-high tannin that is still pretty present but ripe, medium-high acidity and very good length. A stunning and very impressive Eneo and probably just at the beginning of its drinking window... (94+)
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Enigmatic. I want to say Bordeaux but it isn't. Montalcino, no. Montepulciano... a little closer. Cool dark fruits, salami, black pepper, purple violets, coffee and spice. A touch of red currant too? Very fresh and lively. Very floral. Monolithic yet shifting. Medium bodied, strong fine drying tannin, great acid, long finish. My impression of this wine before opening was modern, but no. Its not fruit forward or rich or obvious or innocuous. Very interesting. Requires further study, perhaps in 3 years? The tannin is a bit sticky.
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Pretty much a polar opposite of the previous bottle, this was really enjoyable. Lots of black, freshly turned earth at first, with loads of iodine, ferrous, minerals and black licorice on the nose - for the first two glasses, anyway, and then it was as much about earthen tones as it was about fruit notes. Full-bodied palate is well-lifted, helping to keep the flavors more distinctive and fresh. Average persistence, but above-average complexity with tonight's bottle. Engaging, and pretty at times with some exotic red florals. On the whole, it was all about lovely symmetry: purity of fruit and sense of place. EtOH and tannins integrated now. Probably close to peak; another 18 months should put this in the sweet spot. 14,0% abv. recommended
Slow-O 4 hours, served non-blind.
https://italianwine.blog/
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Dark red. Great nose of graphite,stone and minerals. Needed 4 hours to fully open up and be at its best. Tart cherry initially, followed by minerals, and finishing with balanced tannins. Still young. Wish I had more , but my only bottle of 06.
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Fragrant italian nose, delicious palate of dark fruits, tobacco, and graphite minerals with fine grained, well integrated dusty tannins. It finishes long, smooth, and clean. Drinking well now and at $38 a great value.
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Un nez textbook Sangio...épices et fruits noirs. En bouche, très bel équilibre de l'ensemble. Des cerises noires avec un peu de poivre et de tabac, tannins/acidité en parfaite symbiose. Long, frais et digeste. EXCELLENT!
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Fairly closed early despite decanting. After opening really showed itscomplexity and longer fruit forward finish. Worth the wait and well matched for food. I would suggest at least 3-5 years before max potential
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Fantastic wine. Impressed with its smoothness, flavor and finish. Preferred wine of the evening. Agree with most comments already posted but feel 92 is too conservative relative to the way it drank and compared to other wines.
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Belle bouteille, plus classique que dans mes attentes. On sent l'effet d'un Sangiovese bien mûr sur l'ensemble, sans surextraction ni boisé appuyé. Belle longueur sur les épices et les fruits noirs, une belle découverte.
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Opaque reddish / purple in the glass, graphite on the rich nose, dense with prominent red and black fruits, good acidity, tannins are still prominent, a little too heavy and one dimensional right now for me, I will wait a few years before opening up another bottle
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A fantastic wine. Brooding, graphite, dark cherry, spice and expensive oak. Complex with crunchy acidity and fine grain tannin. Medium finish. Have to do a double take on the blend as quite surprised the blend is not your typical super tuscan. Highly recommended.
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Fine quality of fruit and impressively consistent body. At once interesting and boring. Boring because it is quite one dimensional. But interesting because this one dimension seems to be a result of clever blending to ensure that the fruit and weight is very consistent from nose to mid-palate to finish.
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Slow-O 3 hours. Served double-blind, this went up against a similarly priced (and aged) Cdp and a WA Reserve Cab. I'm not much of a Cab drinker these days, but the WA Cab was the consensus favorite. While this offered up plenty of complexity and good purity of fruit, it all seemed somewhat formulaic and became mildly boring after the second glass. Much more new world than I prefer. Nonetheless, this will cellar well for short-mid term. 14,0% abv, drink thru 2018
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Opened, decanted, tasted and will enjoy the rest over the next few hours. The first impression is positive. Great black fruits on the nose with some graphite and mint. Nice plummy and black cherry flavors framed with good acidity and a slight red stone element. I understand this is a blend of 40% Montepulciano 40% Sangiovese, 10% Marselan and 10% Alicante. Will update notes after following this. So far: delicious.
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Decanted for 1.5 hrs prior...lovely wine, with more dark fruit character than you find in the typical supertuscan. Smooth polished tannins, with a lush, long finish. Drinking beautifully now, but this has the stuffing to be good for 7ral more years easily.
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Dark, dark color... hard to believe this is Sangiovese... nose was closed at first, but then became earthy, with pure red fruits. On the palate - dense(!) earthy, cocoa, nice acidity, tannic as well... should be good for many years, IMO. Not the best pizza wine - better with a red meat or sausage dish.
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This wine has gained weight with a year's cellaring. Pronounced morello cherry on the nose, this was silky smooth with rounding tannins easily able to support the luscious fruit. Simply, a fabulous wine!
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Rich, opulent, very modern-styled wine with plenty of tannic structure to support the fruit. Dense with berries and cocoa, no heat showing. Silky...actually very good, though really perhaps "too much" at present, and I have some question whether a wine with this kind of thick fruit will age well or whether when the character of the fruit (which is really it's primary feature at this point) changes, it might become less attractive? Difficult call on whether to drink now (for what it is), or wait...Nonetheless, it's pretty showy and spectacular right now.
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Decanted 1.5 hrs. Little sediment in bottle Colour:Deep dark inky red. Thick. Reminds me of a Leoville Barton or Las Cases Nose: Not getting a lot. Sour cherries not a lot of sweetness. Developing nicely in glass. Getting more black fruits in nose. Taste: Wow. Really unexpected burst of flavours. Lots of nice ripe (not overripe) fruit. Much more of the black fruits and cherries. Strong backbone and mouth coating tannins. THe flavours really reflect the dark inky colour. THis is really great and developing more and more in the glass. Worth all the driving done to find. Looking forward to letting the other bottles age for a few years.
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decanted. not developing as i had hoped. showed a little spoof. rigid backbone that lures you into thinking it will soften/evolve with age. i'm not so sure. about a third of the bottle private preserved. will follow up and score later. codicil: undrinkable last night. score based on open date.
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On opening - Nose - A detectable heaviness + some alcohol, but no fruit on the nose. May need decanting. Colour - Deep purple, no gradation. Palette - Medium full body. Tannic. Some fruit there (blackberry, blackcurrent). And an off flavour - can't put my on it. Score on openning - 88. But, after some time in the glass: much more fruit, less tannin. The off flavour became interesting. Rate as a 90 or 91 now. Slightly better after a day.
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Decanted and poured back into the bottle about an hour before dinner. Dark, inky color. Full bodied nose of cherries and spice. In the mouth, explosive dark fruits, licorice, cherries, and some leather - fine Italian leather. This is a full bodied wine that is more for sipping than dinner. Big and fruity and delicious.
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Still a young wine ... needs several hours of aeration to really open up . Wonderful aromas and flavours ... blackberry jam, blackcherries, tar, mint, earthiness, graphite (like a fine bordeaux) .......... full bodied, nice seam of powdery tannins, longish finish. What a great wine ....
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The angels sang!! Best of the best in Italian, the smell, the taste (pretty juicy to boot) and the heavenly experience are worth repeating over and over and over... who cares what we ate with it!!
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When first opened, a nose of spicy cherry which over time faded as notes of tobacco and leather emerged. Excellent middle and long finish. An outstanding wine.
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Really nice wine that evolved nicely over the evening. Started out quite tight and structured, but then became quite plush over an hour. Nose contains green herbs, liquorice, tar, black cherries, and purple flowers. Nicely structured palate with good fruit acidity, and abundant but pleasurable tannins. I liked this alot.
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this was opened upon delivery as i was curious having never before tasted a montepeloso. jammy on the nose, especially after several minutes. rich and full taste with harmonious components. this wine is best left alone for several years and has great potential.
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Purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of smoke, roasted meat,barnyard, currants, white pepper and plums. Flavors of plum, berries, currants and boyesenberries. Bright acidity, firm tannins, full bodied. Hold.
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Tuscan Treasures (Farpointe Cellar): The nose was very jammy. It had blackberry, cherry, pencil lead, and eucalyptus. The palate was very minty, but also had blackberry, cherry, and a lot of tar on the finish.
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What a pleasant surprise this wine was. I'm not an experienced Italian wine drinker, but this one really caught my attention. Each of us who tried it Friday evening at our wine retailer's tasting were very impressed with this wine. Nose and appearance were beautiful and enjoyable. Has a great balance of earthiness & minerality along with enough dark fruit to make this quite pleasurable to drink. We popped and poured (using a Vinturi) so, we did not allow it much time to breathe before enjoying. We all noticed that the wine improved by the minute as we swirled and tasted our way through it. I definitely believe this wine will improve with time (both trying now with decanting first and over several years if you decide to cellar). It is worth grabbing a few, trying one now and waiting to see how this wine improves with age. It has enough structure to last a long time in the cellar.
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This wine is a BABY. Wow, incredible inky purple color. Super dense. I had this wine back in Sept. with the Fabio at lunch in Suvereto where I really enjoyed but I have to say that I had a massive hangover so that may have dampened my experience. The nose is just incredible. Its all dark purple fruit like plums, blackberrys and mullberrys. Very exotic stuff going on in the glass. The palate is staining but the wines texture is incredible. Lots of very fine tannins as well as that great tuscan acid just keeps this wine together perfectly. For the price, this is one hell of a bottle of wine.
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3/10/2024 - Enfantterrible wrote: 92 Points
This is in an excellent spot. Big and rich with enough balance to be enjoyable. FWIW, I wouldn’t hold these too much longer
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2/25/2024 - blanquito wrote:
Much better than I expected. Dark, brooding color, some modern touches on the attack but all that Sangiovese rides in to hold it all together with brightness and savory grip. Very easy to drink, even excellent in its way, but somehow forgettable in the final analysis.
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11/26/2023 - acheng wrote: 91 Points
My last bottle. Drinking at peak but will hold well for at least a few more years.
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6/11/2023 - Enfantterrible wrote: 80 Points
Pruned. Drink up
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7/2/2022 - hsacks Likes this wine: 93 Points
Similar to the 2/7/22 bottle.
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6/18/2022 - maxima wrote: 92 Points
Jeudi soir pour notre souper mensuel au resto AVV
La Suite de Sherbrooke avec les FOUDUVIN du club de l’Estrie.
Beau super Toscan encore bien en forme.
Pas mal textbook pour le profile de saveurs.
Fait de 40% Montepulciano 40% Sangiovese 10% Marselan et 10% Alicante.
Complexe et raffiné, des fruits noirs, du cuir, du tabac, du graphite et un peu de fumée.
Je comprends le 95 pts donné par Galloni!
Excellent.
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6/12/2022 - redz wrote: 91 Points
Purple, with a hint of brown. Leather on the nose. Tastes like a muddy old Sangiovese. Good with pasta and red sauce. (NB: don't cook Thomas Keller's 3 hour oven-roasted tomato sauce when it's 95 outside) No sign of fading. Enjoyed the 2010 more though
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3/24/2022 - acheng wrote: 92 Points
Wonderful now. Great acidity backbone too.
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2/7/2022 - hsacks Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep red color. Aromas of black cherries, tar and wood spices. Ripe, full bodied fruit in the mouth with excellent depth and length. Complex and long on the palate. Very fresh for a 16 year-old “entry” wine. Impressive!
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2/2/2022 - maxima wrote: 91 Points
Similaire à mes autres, toujours aussi bon.
Encore pas mal de fruit, un peu de terre et
des épices. Les tannins sont fins et la finale
bien longue est toute en finesse.
EXCELLENT!
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2/21/2021 - Mon.Maultiere wrote: 89 Points
Drunk with stewed ox-tail and beef cheek. Deep ruby/pale garnet with bricking at the rim. Slight clouding from sediment on second pour. A fragrant nose of black currants, blackberries and cherries, of moderate intensity. This intensity faded after a few minutes in the glass. Tannins were largely integrated but those still present had a bitter edge to them. Similar, but less obvious, fruits on the palate, which melded into more earthy, mineral and tannic elements quite quickly. Medium body and rather short on the finish. Overall it was smooth with some pleasant fruit, nicely balanced acidity and fully mature. It became more harmonious with time in the glass. However, the remaining tannins gave it an astringency that disturbed the texture. It lacked real complexity, evolution and length. The impression is of a crowd pleasing quaffer rather than a "vin de contemplation". There isn't enough left going on to believe that this will improve with further keeping - decline is more likely. So I would drink up.
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3/10/2020 - skifree wrote: 93 Points
This bottle was singing! Still a dark garnet, it had classic red and black fruit notes that dominated, but with excellent depth and well integrated tannins. It threw a fair amount of sediment.
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5/11/2019 - dafmd Likes this wine: 91 Points
Dark ruby, ruby with amber rim, + sediment; dark and red berries; bright; medium bodied; showing much better than 2006 Costanti though the latter may have been flawed
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12/7/2018 - acheng wrote: flawed
Badly corked!
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9/22/2018 - maxima wrote: 92 Points
Mieux que mes autres, super fruité et vibrant, complexe et bien
équilibré. Cerises, anis, poivre et belle acidité juteuse sur une
finale longue et suave. Impec.
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9/22/2018 - Enfantterrible wrote: 91 Points
Much better impression of this bottle than my last one. Beautiful balance of fruit and tar and minerals, tannins in the right place for me. Very enjoyable bottle
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5/7/2018 - OttawaB Likes this wine: 91 Points
Wonderful wine. Last bottle. Aromas of dark berries, forest floor, herbs. Repeat on the flavours .... lush, medium to full bodied.
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10/2/2017 - sethboy23 wrote: 94 Points
Just awesome
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6/3/2017 - Al-Vino Likes this wine: 92 Points
Silky smooth, medium bodied wine that is ready to go! May not be big enough for a juicy rare steak, but pairs nicely iwth pasta or pizza. Very good QPR.
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6/2/2017 - Enfantterrible wrote: 87 Points
Big rich modern, new world-y. Not bad but not my preferred style
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2/11/2017 - futronic wrote: 93 Points
Still showing relatively firm tannins, but what beautiful purity of fruit. Will benefit from another 3-5 years of aging (maybe more?), but was a perfect pairing for a rare, eight-week dry aged NY prime striploin. Great texture and length. Glad to have more.
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11/6/2016 - Grinner wrote: 88 Points
20th Annual Lyon 10 Year Retrospective: The Mish Mash (Lyon Den): You probably have to add 4 points to any of my Italian wine notes. Barely ripe cherry, plum, mineral, and coffee notes. Slightly green acids but nice tannins to finish it off. MAYBE slightly better the next day, 89pts. No one thrilled on day 3. Drinking window: uhhhh, don't listen to me.
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3/25/2016 - bon vivant wrote:
Another very solid bottle. Full throttle aromatics as soon as the cork get pulled but takes on added dimensions of flavor within 30 minutes of decanting. Modern? hell yes, french wood sure, but that classic Tuscan mineral component is here on the finish. Deep and polished a beautiful wine. No rush but drinking great at a decade of age. Should be good for several more years. Not sure about further development but no complains as to what it offers.
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2/8/2016 - pavel_p wrote: 91 Points
Brought to a dinner. Slow ox'ed for about 1h and drank without decant following the 2005 Altair. Dark fruit and some earth. Not as big or aromatic as the Altair, even a bit rustic in direct comparison. Integrated tannins.
Good wine but I much prefer the red fruited and elegant style the Sangiovese grape can produce, and which one can still find in some traditionally made Brunellos.
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1/7/2016 - FLI Likes this wine: 89 Points
Had a bit of zin quality. Very berry/new world.
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11/7/2015 - pavel_p wrote: flawed
Poured into decanter and drank over 2h or so. Dark garnet. Slightly corked but drinkable and got a good idea of the wine. A fairly full bodied wine dominated by dark fruit, not a style I like too much. Fine to medium tannins, largely covered by the fruit. Not bad but not interesting enough to seek out. 90+
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8/9/2015 - Louvin Likes this wine: 92 Points
Needed an hour min. to express deeply flavored dark berry/cherry notes with sufficient tannins to have this live well into the future, nice acid mix.
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6/1/2015 - Dave Canada wrote: 94 Points
A bit reduced on opening....decanted for 90 minutes and it blew off.
Nose is so savoury....rosemary, blood, saline, dried flowers, tobacco, leather, dried cherry, iodine and cured meat.
Palate is really polished....raspberry, cherry, leather, cedar, flowers, blood, iodine, bitter chocolate, graphite and rosemary.
Finish is long, layered and lush....very complex and pretty wine. Almost classic
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5/9/2015 - happytom wrote: 92 Points
Opened and served blind to my wife who guessed Sangiovese! First taste was of well aged Sangiovese, wet forest floor, and tart cherries bordering on sourness. After some time the sourness went away. Became fresh and lively with the wet forest floor in the background. Black cherries, pencil lead, definitely pencil lead, a hint of cinnamon and rosemary. Purity of fruit. Good acidity. Sediment in glass. Finishes with chocolate. Amazing that my wife and I had slightly different glasses and my glass had more of a chocolate finish. My glass was a Bordeaux style. Over the years I have learned that the shape of the wine glass does make a difference even though my (non wine snob!) friends have told me I am imagining things. Well I am glad I am imagining things because this wine was a great pleasure. This wine is in a great drinking window. Drank over 3 hours.
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12/28/2014 - stufis wrote: 89 Points
Nicely structured, ie, balanced tannins, fruit-forward nevertheless. The acidic-sense offered a good offset for a Cranberry-based sauce on the Pork Roast. Nothing missing, decently lengthy finish, nicely tart finish on the palate, showing its 8-year old age (ie, still youthful).
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12/4/2014 - maxima wrote: 92 Points
Superbe nez sur les cerises, l'encens, le tabac et les épices.
En bouche, ample et velouté, un beau fruit pure et des tannins bien enrobés, très long. Excellent.
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9/14/2014 - NostraBacchus Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted for 1 hour. Dark ruby color with some garnet. Very unique nose of dark fruit (black cherries, blackberry jam), iodine, metal, soy sauce, graphite. On the palate there is mainly black fruit again, but also iodine, tobacco leaf, soy sauce, minerality (graphite). It's pretty full-bodied and very dense, but without any sense of heaviness. It has medium-high tannin that is still pretty present but ripe, medium-high acidity and very good length. A stunning and very impressive Eneo and probably just at the beginning of its drinking window... (94+)
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8/28/2014 - kdsipe wrote: 92 Points
Enigmatic. I want to say Bordeaux but it isn't. Montalcino, no. Montepulciano... a little closer. Cool dark fruits, salami, black pepper, purple violets, coffee and spice. A touch of red currant too? Very fresh and lively. Very floral. Monolithic yet shifting. Medium bodied, strong fine drying tannin, great acid, long finish. My impression of this wine before opening was modern, but no. Its not fruit forward or rich or obvious or innocuous. Very interesting. Requires further study, perhaps in 3 years? The tannin is a bit sticky.
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7/28/2014 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:
Pretty much a polar opposite of the previous bottle, this was really enjoyable. Lots of black, freshly turned earth at first, with loads of iodine, ferrous, minerals and black licorice on the nose - for the first two glasses, anyway, and then it was as much about earthen tones as it was about fruit notes. Full-bodied palate is well-lifted, helping to keep the flavors more distinctive and fresh. Average persistence, but above-average complexity with tonight's bottle. Engaging, and pretty at times with some exotic red florals. On the whole, it was all about lovely symmetry: purity of fruit and sense of place. EtOH and tannins integrated now. Probably close to peak; another 18 months should put this in the sweet spot. 14,0% abv. recommended
Slow-O 4 hours, served non-blind.
https://italianwine.blog/
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7/4/2014 - rustyRudy Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark red. Great nose of graphite,stone and minerals. Needed 4 hours to fully open up and be at its best. Tart cherry initially, followed by minerals, and finishing with balanced tannins. Still young. Wish I had more , but my only bottle of 06.
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5/26/2014 - Wali183 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Kräftige dunkle Farbe. Dunkle Beeren, wunderbare Würze und Tiefe. Vollmundig, lang, es fehlt die ganz große Harmonie, etwas säurebetont und unrund.
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4/7/2014 - suarezd wrote: 87 Points
Not enough there for me.
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1/26/2014 - bullmrkt Likes this wine: 92 Points
Fragrant italian nose, delicious palate of dark fruits, tobacco, and graphite minerals with fine grained, well integrated dusty tannins. It finishes long, smooth, and clean. Drinking well now and at $38 a great value.
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12/10/2013 - maxima wrote: 91 Points
Un nez textbook Sangio...épices et fruits noirs.
En bouche, très bel équilibre de l'ensemble. Des cerises noires avec un peu de poivre et de tabac, tannins/acidité en parfaite symbiose.
Long, frais et digeste.
EXCELLENT!
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8/6/2013 - sethboy23 wrote: 90 Points
Fairly closed early despite decanting. After opening really showed itscomplexity and longer fruit forward finish. Worth the wait and well matched for food. I would suggest at least 3-5 years before max potential
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7/4/2013 - Zumboto wrote: 94 Points
Fantastic wine. Impressed with its smoothness, flavor and finish. Preferred wine of the evening. Agree with most comments already posted but feel 92 is too conservative relative to the way it drank and compared to other wines.
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6/25/2013 - ludwigbpm wrote: 92 Points
Belle bouteille, plus classique que dans mes attentes. On sent l'effet d'un Sangiovese bien mûr sur l'ensemble, sans surextraction ni boisé appuyé. Belle longueur sur les épices et les fruits noirs, une belle découverte.
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4/5/2013 - Federsin wrote:
Opaque reddish / purple in the glass, graphite on the rich nose, dense with prominent red and black fruits, good acidity, tannins are still prominent, a little too heavy and one dimensional right now for me, I will wait a few years before opening up another bottle
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1/13/2013 - acheng wrote: 93 Points
A fantastic wine. Brooding, graphite, dark cherry, spice and expensive oak. Complex with crunchy acidity and fine grain tannin. Medium finish. Have to do a double take on the blend as quite surprised the blend is not your typical super tuscan. Highly recommended.
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12/23/2012 - JSOL wrote: 91 Points
Fine quality of fruit and impressively consistent body. At once interesting and boring. Boring because it is quite one dimensional. But interesting because this one dimension seems to be a result of clever blending to ensure that the fruit and weight is very consistent from nose to mid-palate to finish.
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12/18/2012 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com wrote: 92 Points
95 POINT HOLIDAY DOUBLE BLIND DINNER @ Le Provencal; 12/18/2012-12/19/2012 (Le Provencal, Miracle Mile, Coral Gables,FL): - Violet color with medium forming legs. It's balanced with a medium/full body. Polished texture with a medium finish - Al's wine.
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8/19/2012 - Chrisw97 wrote: 93 Points
Pleasantly surprised. Sweet Tanins and mid weight body. Red fruit, dried flowers.Drinks well now.
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7/19/2012 - GPW wrote:
PnP. Lots of stuffing, but the fruit is too baritone -- almost passito -- for my tastes. Let's see what air does to it.
Surprisingly, E, who normally dislikes dried fruit flavor notes more than I, pronounced this "excellent."
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6/24/2012 - Tim Heaton wrote:
Slow-O 3 hours. Served double-blind, this went up against a similarly priced (and aged) Cdp and a WA Reserve Cab. I'm not much of a Cab drinker these days, but the WA Cab was the consensus favorite. While this offered up plenty of complexity and good purity of fruit, it all seemed somewhat formulaic and became mildly boring after the second glass. Much more new world than I prefer. Nonetheless, this will cellar well for short-mid term. 14,0% abv, drink thru 2018
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6/3/2012 - t_moderne wrote: 92 Points
Opened, decanted, tasted and will enjoy the rest over the next few hours. The first impression is positive. Great black fruits on the nose with some graphite and mint. Nice plummy and black cherry flavors framed with good acidity and a slight red stone element. I understand this is a blend of 40% Montepulciano 40% Sangiovese, 10% Marselan and 10% Alicante.
Will update notes after following this. So far: delicious.
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3/11/2012 - OttawaB wrote: 92 Points
Same notes as before .... but a touch below in quality. Still an excellent wine.
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12/14/2011 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com wrote: 92 Points
Brown Bag 95+ Holiday Wine Dinner at Two Chefs(Double Blind); 12/13/2011-12/14/2011: - Purple color with fast forming legs and aromas of blackberry and black pepper. It's balanced and has flavours of black olive and blackberry with a medium/full body. Polished texture with a long finish - Al's wine. Definitely Italian.
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8/12/2011 - g-mango wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for 1.5 hrs prior...lovely wine, with more dark fruit character than you find in the typical supertuscan. Smooth polished tannins, with a lush, long finish. Drinking beautifully now, but this has the stuffing to be good for 7ral more years easily.
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7/5/2011 - Pugs wrote: 92 Points
Drank at Michael Connolly's brown bag blind tasting, old world under 100 sgd. i liked it a lot, but i think the amarone took the WOTN.
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7/2/2011 - ccsargent wrote: 93 Points
Dark, dark color... hard to believe this is Sangiovese... nose was closed at first, but then became earthy, with pure red fruits. On the palate - dense(!) earthy, cocoa, nice acidity, tannic as well... should be good for many years, IMO. Not the best pizza wine - better with a red meat or sausage dish.
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4/10/2011 - robw Likes this wine: 94 Points
This wine has gained weight with a year's cellaring. Pronounced morello cherry on the nose, this was silky smooth with rounding tannins easily able to support the luscious fruit. Simply, a fabulous wine!
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3/28/2011 - Employee500 wrote: 93 Points
Rich, opulent, very modern-styled wine with plenty of tannic structure to support the fruit. Dense with berries and cocoa, no heat showing. Silky...actually very good, though really perhaps "too much" at present, and I have some question whether a wine with this kind of thick fruit will age well or whether when the character of the fruit (which is really it's primary feature at this point) changes, it might become less attractive? Difficult call on whether to drink now (for what it is), or wait...Nonetheless, it's pretty showy and spectacular right now.
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3/26/2011 - roblise wrote: 90 Points
Excellent wine.
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2/6/2011 - Tag01 wrote: 93 Points
Decanted 1.5 hrs. Little sediment in bottle
Colour:Deep dark inky red. Thick. Reminds me of a Leoville Barton or Las Cases
Nose: Not getting a lot. Sour cherries not a lot of sweetness. Developing nicely in glass. Getting more black fruits in nose.
Taste: Wow. Really unexpected burst of flavours. Lots of nice ripe (not overripe) fruit. Much more of the black fruits and cherries. Strong backbone and mouth coating tannins. THe flavours really reflect the dark inky colour. THis is really great and developing more and more in the glass. Worth all the driving done to find. Looking forward to letting the other bottles age for a few years.
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12/16/2010 - roblise wrote: 88 Points
I did not let it decant this time around and therefore it was much too closed up to impress me and my guests!!
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10/31/2010 - jeff nowak wrote: 88 Points
decanted. not developing as i had hoped. showed a little spoof. rigid backbone that lures you into thinking it will soften/evolve with age. i'm not so sure. about a third of the bottle private preserved. will follow up and score later. codicil: undrinkable last night. score based on open date.
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10/30/2010 - Jhcwine Likes this wine: 91 Points
On opening - Nose - A detectable heaviness + some alcohol, but no fruit on the nose. May need decanting. Colour - Deep purple, no gradation. Palette - Medium full body. Tannic. Some fruit there (blackberry, blackcurrent). And an off flavour - can't put my on it. Score on openning - 88. But, after some time in the glass: much more fruit, less tannin. The off flavour became interesting. Rate as a 90 or 91 now. Slightly better after a day.
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10/25/2010 - t_moderne wrote: 91 Points
Decanted and poured back into the bottle about an hour before dinner. Dark, inky color. Full bodied nose of cherries and spice. In the mouth, explosive dark fruits, licorice, cherries, and some leather - fine Italian leather. This is a full bodied wine that is more for sipping than dinner. Big and fruity and delicious.
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10/2/2010 - OttawaB wrote: 94 Points
Still a young wine ... needs several hours of aeration to really open up . Wonderful aromas and flavours ... blackberry jam, blackcherries, tar, mint, earthiness, graphite (like a fine bordeaux) .......... full bodied, nice seam of powdery tannins, longish finish. What a great wine ....
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9/19/2010 - roblise wrote: 94 Points
The angels sang!! Best of the best in Italian, the smell, the taste (pretty juicy to boot) and the heavenly experience are worth repeating over and over and over... who cares what we ate with it!!
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9/7/2010 - Double-A Likes this wine: 90 Points
Wild berry, smoke and floral nose. Brilliant, fresh palate with vibrant fruit flavours; firm tannins and great ageing potential.
4/5
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4/3/2010 - robw Likes this wine: 94 Points
When first opened, a nose of spicy cherry which over time faded as notes of tobacco and leather emerged. Excellent middle and long finish. An outstanding wine.
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11/6/2009 - sadiebear wrote: 90 Points
drank before its prime....ugh.
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10/29/2009 - Haltermr wrote: 92 Points
Really nice wine that evolved nicely over the evening. Started out quite tight and structured, but then became quite plush over an hour. Nose contains green herbs, liquorice, tar, black cherries, and purple flowers. Nicely structured palate with good fruit acidity, and abundant but pleasurable tannins. I liked this alot.
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10/24/2009 - robw wrote: 93 Points
this was opened upon delivery as i was curious having never before tasted a montepeloso. jammy on the nose, especially after several minutes. rich and full taste with harmonious components. this wine is best left alone for several years and has great potential.
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9/19/2009 - wineismylife wrote: 92 Points
WIML92-93
Tasted September 19, 2009 at a retail tasting.
Purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of smoke, roasted meat,barnyard, currants, white pepper and plums. Flavors of plum, berries, currants and boyesenberries. Bright acidity, firm tannins, full bodied. Hold.
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9/19/2009 - mmurry wrote: 93 Points
Tuscan Treasures (Farpointe Cellar): The nose was very jammy. It had blackberry, cherry, pencil lead, and eucalyptus. The palate was very minty, but also had blackberry, cherry, and a lot of tar on the finish.
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8/21/2009 - jim_crane wrote: 93 Points
Wow! Thick and juicy with well-integrated tannins. Fruit flavors follow the dusty nose. Long, full finish with excellent grip.
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4/29/2009 - jeff nowak wrote: 91 Points
tannic, somewhat autere, but interesting. young and full of potential, fine components. needs to develop.
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2/13/2009 - bmilesfl wrote: 93 Points
What a pleasant surprise this wine was. I'm not an experienced Italian wine drinker, but this one really caught my attention. Each of us who tried it Friday evening at our wine retailer's tasting were very impressed with this wine. Nose and appearance were beautiful and enjoyable. Has a great balance of earthiness & minerality along with enough dark fruit to make this quite pleasurable to drink. We popped and poured (using a Vinturi) so, we did not allow it much time to breathe before enjoying. We all noticed that the wine improved by the minute as we swirled and tasted our way through it. I definitely believe this wine will improve with time (both trying now with decanting first and over several years if you decide to cellar). It is worth grabbing a few, trying one now and waiting to see how this wine improves with age. It has enough structure to last a long time in the cellar.
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1/27/2009 - djdaqm wrote: 92 Points
Waaaaaaay too young for my taste at the moment, but with a lot of potential.
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1/15/2009 - Johann Von Mastiff wrote: 94 Points
This wine is a BABY. Wow, incredible inky purple color. Super dense. I had this wine back in Sept. with the Fabio at lunch in Suvereto where I really enjoyed but I have to say that I had a massive hangover so that may have dampened my experience. The nose is just incredible. Its all dark purple fruit like plums, blackberrys and mullberrys. Very exotic stuff going on in the glass. The palate is staining but the wines texture is incredible. Lots of very fine tannins as well as that great tuscan acid just keeps this wine together perfectly. For the price, this is one hell of a bottle of wine.
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