2010 Antonio Vallana e Figlio Spanna Cuvee Bernardo Vallana

Community Tasting Notes (44) Avg Score: 89.6 points

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  1/30/2024 - bps2266 wrote:

  this one is a break from standard notes to editorialize. the wine is dark cherry bass notes with mint and tar on a lithe and elegant black tea chassis. but this type of bottle is sort of the point of studying and applying an academic approach to wines. the qpr on this wine is just through the roof. stepping back this is a relatively cheap bottle from a less publicized region born of an outstanding vintage. 14 years out it is drinking incredibly well. but this is a toyota, not a lexus. it’s not singular, not incredibly deep or focused, not super complicated, and not imminently chuggable. there’s a price point that comes with that kind of sex appeal and this is not it. but it knows what it is, is comfortable in it’s own skin, and drinks well on it’s own or with all sorts of food. it just grooves. it’s the equivalent of finding a great song on 45 in the dollar bin. it has a time and place and benefits from the element of surprise. this is not the kind of wine that will please the masses or be featured on every playlist, but when you open it up and start a glass it becomes obvious that there’s a significant increase in quality compare with other bottles in this lane. if you pop it for the right crowd it will bring people around to snap pictures of the label and ask where they can find it. that is why many “qpr” wines can outperform their more pricey counterparts. anyways these kind of bottles are so fun and validate the pursuit of top quality wines by reminding us that you can also find amazing gems in the lower rungs.

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  10/16/2023 - MrOctoberfest Likes this wine:

  One of my prior notes complained about the “cheap” synthetic cork that closed this wine. After 12 bottles, every single one of these has been wonderful, and if you look at the cork in the mouth of the blue hippo in one of the pictures for this wine, the seal looks like it did back in 2016. Diam is awesome, and hats off to Vallana for being an early adopter.
  
  The wine is still youthful, with flavors and aromas consistent with more expensive wines from Boca and Gattinara. This wine is a QPR champ and should outlast anyone born before the Carter administration.

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  9/20/2023 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:

  PnP that's firmly in its preferred window; clearly has another decade+ at a high level. Medium-bodied, slight browning at the rim. With 90 minutes of air, the intensity of aromas significantly improved. In the first moments after the cork was removed there was an overwhelming tomato leaf, soil, barn, etc. thing going on that would have dissuaded many. But, after twenty minutes of aeration in wide bottom decanter, it began to come together. If I had it to do over, and if this bottle is representative, I'd give this 2 hours of aeration in decanter. Very glad to have several more in the cellar. Even if there's just 12,5% abv, there's nothing blowsy or timid about this drop. Bravo. highly recommended
  
  https://www.ItalianWine.blog

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  2/27/2023 - AlphaMikeFoxtrot Likes this wine: 94 Points

  Red cherry, black truffle, cardamom, fenugree, cumin, bitter herbs (as in Amaro) on the nose. Very fruit backward with a great intensity of aromas. The palate adds blood and roasted meat but keeps every flavor from the nose. It feels like the non fruit flavors surround the fruit flavors if that makes sense.
  
  Medium body, medium + acid with some very nice and very much present medium tannin at 13 years old. The minute + long finish feels like it goes on and on and on. While this can age 5-10 more years easily, it is absolutely singing right now.

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  2/1/2021 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:

  Raring to go after 2 hour in wide bottom decanter. That said, I'll wait another 2-4 years before the next one. An insane value; highly traditional styling. The last few drops were the best/most complex. Lovely. highly recommended+
  
  http://www.italianwine.blog

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