Double decanted this and let it stand for about an hour and a half before drinking. Pretty reticent on the nose with notes of pencil lead, a bit of tobacco, some oaky vanilla, and a hint of blackberries. Not a huge fan of this wine initially as there was very little fruit in the taste and the oak came screaming through on the back end of the palate. Tannins were on the mild side, and they gave the wine a bit of structure.

There was plenty of this left over the next day, so I came back to it. Quite a significant improvement. All of the earthy tar and tobacco flavors had softened and blended with the oak, and a bit more dark fruit came forward. It was well balanced and was showing several layers of flavors, and it was this experience saved this wine from getting just a "good" score. It was really quite nice on day two, and it is just screaming for a juicy steak to pair it with. However, I can't say it ever really wowed me, and while the QPR is quite high, something at this price point I would want to be ready to go from the pop and pour, and this just took too much work to get it to really show me all it had to offer. I'll probably pass on this next time around.

Drank from a 375. Popped this wine open 12 hours before the tasting and let sit with the cork in in the wine fridge over night. God, I love the nose on CdP, so rich and aromatic. Notes of black and white pepper, green peppers, currant, plums, and forrest floor. Even after 12 hours exposure to air, this still didn't seem quite ready for prime time. I was shocked at how soft and elegant this wine was. Most of my experience with CdP is with big, powerful, chewy wines that really try to knock your socks off, but this had all the same green pepper, plum, and earth flavors that I love in CdP, but just done in a softer style. All the flavors are very bright and youthful. The finish lasted a good 20-30 seconds with lingering flavors of plums and peppers. My one complaint is that I was getting a bit too much heat in the mid palate and on the finish, something was definitely not in balance there, but not overwhelmingly so.

This is just a baby and really needs a good 5-7 more years in hopes of the flavors developing and integrating a little better, and hopefully the heat from the alcohol will subside as well. Never-the-less, really excellent stuff and without a doubt my wine of the tasting.

Drank from a 375. Decanted for approximately 2 hours before drinking. This is the first Amarone that I can remember having, and it is definitely the first that I have made a note on, so I had no expectations for this wine. Shockingly, this was very Port-like on the nose with notes of raisins, prunes, cinnamon and sugar. I love the mouthfeel of this wine, so decadent and velvety smooth. Taste was initially on the sweet side, mirroring the nose. After some time in the glass, some really great soil and earth flavors began to come out of it, blending with the sweet fruits to create layer upon layer of flavor.

Still had some left over the next day, and I am so glad I did. The earth flavors continued to come through and really by this time the had put the sweet raisin flavors in the background on on the finish, rather than right up front and in your face. I really enjoyed this wine on day two and it was something that I could definitely get into. I could see this being a great pair with a light dessert of assorted chocolates (especially dark chocolate), and a great alternative to a fortified wine if you are looking for something on the lighter side of sweet.