Wow, this wine was absolutely superb. The cork was perfect, the sediment was very heavy, and the wine was sublime. While slowly decanting the wine, I poured it through a double paper coffee filters; the filters were heavily impregnated with sediment and the empty bottle's neck and base were caked as well. I let the wine air in the decanter for three hours before pouting. Cherry is the dominant taste, aged cherry that would go very, very well with red licorice or cherries covered with rich dark chocolate. The wine's fragrance is complex; the finish is layered and lingers; and the wine's tannins are nonexistent. I can't overstate how good this wine is.
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This wine has a lot of potential; however, it is young, too young to reveal its full flavor potential and rich, diverse fruit. Years from now, my family and i could grade this wine as a low-to-mid 90; right now, it is an 88.
My family and I drank two bottles of this wine over three days. The first bottle we drank over one and one-half days; the second over one evening. In both cases, we found that the wine was optimized with a two-to-three hour decant. Prior to two hours, the wine's tannins were too strong and, in some sense, dominated the taste and ran over the fruit; after three hours, the wine's fruit--which is very nice, by the way--starts to fall off.
If you drink the wine now (i.e., 2022 to 2025), pair it with food. In particular, we found that fatty cheese, fatty pork or chicken sausage, and fresh red cherries really helped the wine. That said, we did not have any classic Italian dishes and spicy tomato sauce available; if we did, this pairing would have worked really, really well!
Bottom Line: This wine is all about potential. My family and I have ten more bottles in our EuroCave. We won't touch these bottles for another five years. The next time we open a bottle, the wine will be ready. Its powerful fruit will become the dominant aspect of the wine, and the softened tannins will play an important supporting role.
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Very, very nice! We decanted the wine for two and one-half hours after pouring it through two paper coffee filters. In retrospect, the wine required four to five hours of decant time. The wine's bouquet was warm and inviting; its taste was smooth, multi-layered, and very complex. As the wine resided in our respective glasses, the wine's taste become even more enticing and complex. The spices, dark fruits, and freshness were intoxicating. Oh, to only have another bottle or, better yet, a magnum of this beautiful wine to once again share with great friends. Bottom Line: If you see this wine in a reputable store, don't hesitate to purchase and enjoy it!
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1998 Isole e Olena Cepparello Toscana IGT
1/2/2023 - ajabati Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wow, this wine was absolutely superb. The cork was perfect, the sediment was very heavy, and the wine was sublime. While slowly decanting the wine, I poured it through a double paper coffee filters; the filters were heavily impregnated with sediment and the empty bottle's neck and base were caked as well. I let the wine air in the decanter for three hours before pouting. Cherry is the dominant taste, aged cherry that would go very, very well with red licorice or cherries covered with rich dark chocolate. The wine's fragrance is complex; the finish is layered and lingers; and the wine's tannins are nonexistent. I can't overstate how good this wine is.
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2013 Castello di Ama Chianti Classico Gran Selezione San Lorenzo
7/31/2022 - ajabati Likes this wine: 88 Points
This wine has a lot of potential; however, it is young, too young to reveal its full flavor potential and rich, diverse fruit. Years from now, my family and i could grade this wine as a low-to-mid 90; right now, it is an 88.
My family and I drank two bottles of this wine over three days. The first bottle we drank over one and one-half days; the second over one evening. In both cases, we found that the wine was optimized with a two-to-three hour decant. Prior to two hours, the wine's tannins were too strong and, in some sense, dominated the taste and ran over the fruit; after three hours, the wine's fruit--which is very nice, by the way--starts to fall off.
If you drink the wine now (i.e., 2022 to 2025), pair it with food. In particular, we found that fatty cheese, fatty pork or chicken sausage, and fresh red cherries really helped the wine. That said, we did not have any classic Italian dishes and spicy tomato sauce available; if we did, this pairing would have worked really, really well!
Bottom Line: This wine is all about potential. My family and I have ten more bottles in our EuroCave. We won't touch these bottles for another five years. The next time we open a bottle, the wine will be ready. Its powerful fruit will become the dominant aspect of the wine, and the softened tannins will play an important supporting role.
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1994 Fattoria di Fèlsina Berardenga Fontalloro
2/23/2022 - ajabati wrote: 94 Points
Very, very nice! We decanted the wine for two and one-half hours after pouring it through two paper coffee filters. In retrospect, the wine required four to five hours of decant time. The wine's bouquet was warm and inviting; its taste was smooth, multi-layered, and very complex. As the wine resided in our respective glasses, the wine's taste become even more enticing and complex. The spices, dark fruits, and freshness were intoxicating. Oh, to only have another bottle or, better yet, a magnum of this beautiful wine to once again share with great friends. Bottom Line: If you see this wine in a reputable store, don't hesitate to purchase and enjoy it!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment