Community Tasting Note

• JohnMcIlwain Likes this wine:

  December 11, 2022 - From the more ambitious era of Fontodi (new oak and some Cabernet Sauvignon, I seem to recall). The 2004 has a scarlet/magenta robe with some bricking. With the age and Cabernet presence, decanted for sediment (a wise decision, as there’s plenty of schmutz at the bottom of the bottle).
  The nose is finally beginning to integrate the cooperage, with hints of coffee and spice on the periphery of the dark fruits and green olive (in a good way) aromas. This is still a bit more cedar-y and cassis lead for my taste; you have to squint to find the Morello cherry and underbrush, though the ferruginous undercurrent is mercifully intact. The finish is persistent and has some lift, but the overall impression is still more bifurcated that harmonious at this point; is this a Chianti or is this a Super-Tuscan? That said, this is far more knit—and frankly enjoyable—than the last bottle I opened with herbaceous charm and fresh acidity. Enjoyed with a faux Sunday gravy of sausages and leftover pork rib ragu. (Shockingly, all my Aglianico is in storage, it turns out.) Now if you find the presence of French varieties an anathema like my former employer Jamie, this won’t be your cup of tea. If you are patient and sitting on a few bottles, another couple of years may still yield something interesting, if not sublime. Re-buy? Probably not, but I don’t know as my last couple bottles need to be shuffled off to WineBid either.

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