3/24/2024 - guido23 Likes this wine:

Really loving this dry, lightly acidic rosato. Tiny, very gentle bubbles, and a flavor profile that complements just about anything.

3/24/2024 - guido23 Likes this wine:

Delicious, but felt a bit faded. Drink now!

5/7/2023 - guido23 Likes this wine:

Popped, decanted, and consumed oer two nights. Good, solid Brunello. Not much exceptional to report. Didn't fade and drank just as well the second night as the first.

4/29/2023 - guido23 Likes this wine:

Popped, decanted and poured. Drank well the first night, lots of cocoa on the palate and a deep, long finish. Not nearly as good the second night. Will try again in a few years.

3/27/2023 - guido23 wrote:

Decanted and poured. Pretty closed initially but really opened up after an hour. Very tannic, a little green on the palate. Really long finish. After
90 minutes, loads of cherry unleashed. Saved half the decanter for the following night and it was still drinking quite well. This wine is near peak but still has plenty of life left.

1/21/2023 - guido23 Likes this wine:

Delicious! Decanted and consumed over four hours. Opened up quickly and didn't fade. Drinking beautifully right now - need to find some more!

10/18/2022 - guido23 wrote:

Decanted for five hours.. Seemed pretty closed and muted.

7/23/2022 - guido23 Likes this wine:

Fading a bit relative to my previous review

7/5/2022 - guido23 wrote:

Way past its prime but still quite pleasant. Paired very well with spicy pizza.

5/21/2022 - guido23 Likes this wine:

Delicious right out of the bottle! Burnt caramel on the nose. More caramel on the palate, along with orange blossom. Viscous mouth feel with a lingering finish. Paired excellently with chicken livers. Will agree well drinking perfectly now.

5/20/2022 - guido23 Likes this wine:

Decanted and it took 2+ hours really to open up. Well worth the wait! Still young and will likely benefit from further aging.

4/30/2022 - guido23 wrote:

Vegetal. Nice finish.

4/23/2022 - guido23 Likes this wine:

Same notes as before - drinking beautifully right now.

2/5/2022 - guido23 Likes this wine:

Delicious

1/21/2022 - guido23 wrote:

Corked

1/16/2022 - guido23 Likes this wine:

Delicious, drinking well, and lots of life left. A real blockbuster!

1/14/2022 - guido23 Likes this wine:

Really delicious and drinking beautifully! Funny story: in the summer of 2010, I was running along Lake Geneva when I was overcome by a call of nature. I had to sneak into a vineyard along the shore and do my business there. As Lake Geneva is the source of the Rhone, in my own very small way, I fertilized these grapes!

12/24/2021 - guido23 Likes this wine:

This was good but a little underwhelming, fading quickly. It felt like there was more lurking underneath but, over five hours, it never fully came out.

12/10/2021 - guido23 Likes this wine:

Wow! Popped and poured (with a filter - lots of sediment) - good out of the gate but very quickly became great. Graphite and BBQ. Eternal finish. Wish I had had a full size bottle!

11/26/2021 - guido23 Likes this wine:

Didn't decant. Took 2+ hours to open up.

11/22/2021 - guido23 Likes this wine:

Decanted this time and consumed over ~3 hours. Everything is very subtle with this wine - not a blockbuster and a little tart before opening up but very pleasant.

10/9/2021 - guido23 wrote:

Briefly very spectacular. Pretty good before and after.

8/23/2021 - guido23 Likes this wine:

Much improved since four years ago! Drink now!

6/27/2021 - guido23 Likes this wine:

Acidic at first then mellowed with a beautiful nose and more balanced palate.

6/27/2021 - guido23 Likes this wine:

Rich brown, viscous, not too sweet, lots of floral on the nose and layered complexity on the palate - delicious!

5/1/2021 - guido23 wrote:

Moldy cork, which isn't a death nell but his was corked from the get go.

4/24/2021 - guido23 Likes this wine:

Thick and viscous, almost like a Sauternes. Tart, lots of green apple. Popped, poured, and it held up for hours. Lots of life left!

4/17/2021 - guido23 Likes this wine:

Chianti that thinks it's a Brunello. Blockbuster out of the gate. Very fruit forward on the palate with a floral nose. Delicious! Faded quickly though, so no need to over decant.

4/10/2021 - guido23 wrote:

Corked

4/4/2021 - guido23 Likes this wine:

Same as previous notes - rejoice, for this is still amazing! Perfect for our Easter lamb!

3/23/2021 - guido23 wrote:

Showed promise but faded really quickly

3/6/2021 - guido23 wrote:

Crumbly cork. Decanted two hours then consumed over four hours. Briefly showed some mellow blueberry and tannins before fading into vegetal mediocrity.

2/27/2021 - guido23 Likes this wine:

Decanted for two hours then consumed over four hours. At first I wasn't very sold on this but it really opened up during the second half of the bottle. Will improve for years to come. Very modern take on sangiovese!

2/20/2021 - guido23 Likes this wine:

Decanted for 1.5 hours then consumed over 6 hours. Graphite nose, bright red fruit palate, enticing undercurrent of mushroom. Tightly integrated tannins. This was briefly a real blockbuster but then faded quickly and became overly acidic. I *think* this is a 93+ pointer that will improve its stamina over time - but only time will tell!

2/6/2021 - guido23 Likes this wine:

This wine has gotten better and better with age. Really vibrant and robust. Woodsy nose. So powerful on the palate! Lots of tannins with room for a little more gentleness - still, very well integrated. No decant necessary with this one and still lots of life left.

1/9/2021 - guido23 Likes this wine:

Decanted, poured, and consumed immediately. Really luscious. Velvety texture. Pencil shavings and mushroom on the nose at first, evolving to tart balsamic. Pretty fiery on the palate but tannins are pleasant. Long, undulating finish. Peaked at a 93 but faded quickly so I docked it a point.

12/19/2020 - guido23 Likes this wine:

TLDR: this wine is still very, VERY strong! Popped, decanted, and poured. Initially there was a fragrant nose but the palate was inscrutable; there was clearly some dark, brooding power lurking just underneath the surface with a long, warm finish. Half an hour later I would describe the nose as smelling "thick." Tingly black cherry started coming out on the palate and you could tell that this wine is still a blockbuster! One hour in there was lush red fruit on the nose and hot cherries on the palate with gorgeous, silky tannins. Two hours in there were lots of pencil shavings on the nose and the mouthfeel was undulating. Five hours in it started to fade a bit - a little more astringent - but but still delicious with lots of clove. I have previously rated this wine 93-94 but, after drinking it for eight years, I have to conclude that it is one of the best wines I have ever tasted so am adjusting its score up to 99.

12/12/2020 - guido23 Likes this wine:

Vegetal nose at first, but much more interesting palate. Opened up quickly to ephemeral cherry, anise, and glove. Pleasant drinking. Possibly past peak.

12/8/2020 - guido23 Likes this wine:

Decanted 1.5 hours then drank half the bottle over three hours. Plenty of rose and cherry on the nose but awfully closed/tight/lean on the palate. 90-91 points. Stoppered the decanter and reopened 24 hours later - WHAT A DIFFERENCE! Lush cherry with gentle fire and a long finish. 93 pts and I suggest a long decant.

11/26/2020 - guido23 Likes this wine:

Decanted 2 hours then consumed over two nights. Very subtle, just like the Queen of Wines should be. Lots of tar. Nothing here to blow your socks off but an excellent value.

5/5/2020 - guido23 Likes this wine:

WOW! What a phenomenal bottle that completely surprised us! Popped, poured, and consumed over 24 hours. Immediately accessible. Etherial nose of orange blossom and coriander. Rich, but refined, palate of orange caramel with a medium finish - a little shorter the second night. Seriously good stuff that right now is going toe-to-toe with the best Sauternes--but will it hold up as long as they do? Time will tell, but we intend to find out!

4/18/2020 - guido23 Likes this wine:

Decanted then consumed over five hours. Right off the bat, a hell of a nose of bright red fruit. Very tannic but not abrasive. Tastes young and delicious but raw. Improved and softened over time but not close to it's peak. My favorite valdicava since 2001.

4/16/2020 - guido23 Likes this wine:

Decanted and consumed over five hours. Initially very green and vegetal with surprising themes of plum. As it opened up, it became pleasant - but not that interesting on the palate. The real story here were the tannins: very subtle and well integrated, almost more of an undercurrent. The finish extended as the wine opened up.

4/5/2020 - guido23 Likes this wine:

Initially very interesting but faded quickly; will try another bottle and judge from there.

4/5/2020 - guido23 Likes this wine:

Decanted for 2+ hours but this is still a baby. I strongly encourage a long decant and think this has many more years left in it than advertised.

3/30/2020 - guido23 Likes this wine:

Decanted and consumed over 30 hours. Initially VERY oaky with lots of tannins - but not unpleasantly so. After one hour, cherry made itself known. After three hours, this took on a classic Brunello profile, but very boldly so. After 25 hours, it was still obviously Brunello, but much more sedately so. Gentle, integrated tannins over a long finish.

3/24/2020 - guido23 Likes this wine:

Bing cherries with a metallic edge. Infinite finish. Decanted and consumed over three days - kept getting better.

3/22/2020 - guido23 Likes this wine:

Muted, subtle - a little barn funk

3/22/2020 - guido23 Likes this wine:

Chocolate covered blueberries

3/21/2020 - guido23 Likes this wine:

Decanted immediately and began consuming after 30 minutes: inky black, raw beef on the palate with spicy tannins - medium-long finish. 1:15: rose petals on the nose and light cherries on the palate. 3 hours: deep and rich; the fruit has transformed from bright red to dark purple with a metallic edge. 5 hours: cloves and chocolate emerging. My conclusion: just entering the drinking window. Wasn't as blown away by this bottle as I would have hoped but will try it again in a few years.