12/18/2023 - swapdoc Does not like this wine:

Raisiny and tired.

12/12/2023 - swapdoc wrote:

Fragile, fading. Might be an off bottle.

11/6/2023 - swapdoc wrote:

Tastes of ageing yet under-ripe fruit tinged with some green tannins. Aromatically subdued as well, smelling of autumn leaves and tea.

6/22/2023 - swapdoc wrote:

Drank after a short decanting. Full bodied, savory; a hint of over ripe fruit in the finish.

11/13/2022 - swapdoc wrote:

Expected a more oxidized Jura style chardonnay. Found instead an elegant expression of unoaked Chardonnay that envoked Burgundy, perhaps less rich and fleshy but delicious overall. Lovely discernable notes of ripe apples, white flowers, hint of tropical fruits and bees wax. Good.

10/31/2022 - swapdoc wrote:

Excessive wood influence. Touch heavy; lacked tension, sense of place, and structure.

9/20/2022 - swapdoc Likes this wine:

Enjoyed drinking this tonight. Aromatic, elegant, balanced and and complex wine.

7/3/2022 - swapdoc wrote:

Muted nose, off-dry semillon touch, short finish. Mediocre.

4/6/2022 - swapdoc Likes this wine:

A tasty, nuanced Brunello. Wood accent is noticeable, particularly on day 2, touch of walnut. One of few recent instances where this oak accent enhanced the overall taste. The wine is fresh and balanced; no hint here of stewed, jam-like fruit -- in fact wanted it a bit sweeter in the finish. Nice balance, acidity, deft flavoring. A Lovely effort.

3/6/2022 - swapdoc Does not like this wine:

Same raisiny aroma as when tasted in 2015. Over ripe fruit. This wine was selling at a discount in '15 for now obvious reasons.

1/28/2022 - swapdoc Likes this wine:

Vibrant, juicy, high acid, cidery, not too sweet fruit accented by a touch of grapefruit pith like bitterness. Very savagnin like, hint of oxidation, lemon, taste of prolonged skin contact, yet elegant. Fresh, unique, liked it a lot.

11/10/2021 - swapdoc Likes this wine:

Drinking well now. Complex ripe fruit, acidity and perfect overall balance. Really enjoyable now, may improve still.

11/8/2021 - swapdoc wrote:

Modern barolo, dark fruit, some wood, bit heavy and stogy. Never quite opened up, best after a few hours of aeration. Possibly may find a better balance after a few more years of cellaring.

11/8/2021 - swapdoc wrote:

Blue fruit, cocoa, hint of vanilla. Cab taste with some earthiness and wood. Medium acidity, long finish. Average overall now; balance and complexity may improve with another year or two in the bottle. Wait/drink.

11/3/2021 - swapdoc wrote:

Bright, tasty fruit from a pristinely cellared bottle. Comes through as vibrant, fruit forward wine, with plenty of supporting residual tannins present still. Cranberry tart, clove, hint of earthiness. Can improve in the bottle still.

11/3/2021 - swapdoc wrote:

Needs air and time to open. Still tannic in the finish; the fruit shows traditional bold zesty and tart nebbiolo flavors but also shows a streak of stewed plum -- a reminder of the searing 2003 summer. With time, this flaw may become more apparent.

10/16/2021 - swapdoc Likes this wine:

Enjoyed this wine yet again. The fruit is ripe and a bit rustic, a welcome change from a number of more polished Brunello wines I've tasted recently. Aroma shows earthy, smoky touches in addition to the barique influenced baking pastry-like sweetness. Still evolving, no hurry here.

9/27/2021 - swapdoc wrote:

Sweetness and aroma of a ripe nebbiolo is almost entirely hidden by the wood influenced notes of oak, celery root. The wine is still tannic with sleepy or smothered fruit, wait. Loved the barolo boys' story, not so much the wines it inspired. Hope someday to see the pendulum returning back toward the fruit forward, less wood manipulated wines.

9/17/2021 - swapdoc Does not like this wine:

Floral, perfumed, oak influenced wine, youthful still and tannic. Volatile aroma of stems; taste of strawberry, celery. Wood treatment added a slick, perfumed characteristic. An average modern expression of barolo; a cheap cork tells you what the producer thought of this effort.

4/27/2021 - swapdoc wrote:

Opened a bit lean, fleshed out with air. A classical nose, just the right balance between earthy and fruity profile; a taste highlights strawberry and leather notes. More harmonious and fuller on the second day, but the the fruit still comes of as under ripe. A good rosso, but just that.

5/23/2021 - swapdoc Does not like this wine:

A mature wine, drinking older than it is. Wood tannins in the finish. An over-barriqued wine that over-promises in its youth but ultimately under-delivers on fruit, typicity and balance.

5/14/2021 - swapdoc Likes this wine:

Fresh fun wine; chenin blanc like acidity and sweetness. Lemon sorbet/peach like taste, long finish. Steers clear of a grassy and grapefruit savignon blanc comparison, unique in its own way. Good.

2/7/2021 - swapdoc Likes this wine:

Oxidative notes, elegant fruit and acidity in the finish. Balanced and delicious, a typical Jura expression of chardonnay. Orange wine like grape skin aroma, tangerine rind oils, off sweat, energetic and fresh. Good.

3/20/2021 - swapdoc wrote:

Currants, flowers; mineral, long finish. Full bodied, strikes a good balance between ripeness and chenin acidity. Good.

2/20/2021 - swapdoc wrote:

Floral, off-dry yet mineral and refreshing. Honey suckle aroma, taste of peach, white fruit. Goes with chicken, meaty fish. A good summer wine.

4/25/2021 - swapdoc wrote:

Taste of strawberry, hint of orange zest, strawberry and struck match aroma. Light body, silky, some heat in the finish. Subtle accent of spicy Allier wood. Good typicity. Drinking well now, will improve with another year in a bottle.

4/4/2021 - swapdoc Does not like this wine:

Tired, dull, raisiny. Over-baked, over-barriqued, over-done.

4/3/2021 - swapdoc Likes this wine:

This time around, the dark cherry based sweetness of aged merlot stood out more than the mature cab notes. Elegant and surprisingly agile, not showing any degradation. Classy and good.

3/30/2021 - swapdoc wrote:

Well aged, balanced and smooth bordeaux. Dark cherry fruit; tomato leaf and cedar finish. Tannins are fully integrated. Simple yet elegant now, a far cry from an undrinkable tannic mess of 20 yrs ago.

3/13/2021 - swapdoc wrote:

Medium to high acidity, slightly tannic still. The fruit lost most of its freshness yielding to a palate dominated by cedar, leather and earth tones. Aromatically restrained. A food wine now.

2/23/2021 - swapdoc Likes this wine:

Tasted blind. Ripe green apple fruit reminiscent of Macon chardonnay with some tropical notes as well, medium bodied, little if any oak; shows well at room temperature. The chenin acidity and off-sweet gooseberry flavor balance out the fruit, but are less accented than would have expected from a Loire chenin. Instead of an French chardonnay from a warm vintage, turned out a ripe chenin from a hot continent.

11/26/2020 - swapdoc wrote:

Ruby/garnet color, no hint of rusting. Vegetative tomato leaf aroma with cedar and some dark cherry. Dominant aged cab taste of tomato leaf; acidic long finish with some residual sweetness. Touch of heat in the finish with some residual tannins as the aged fruit yields to an overall lean mouthfeel. Elegant and mature overall.

11/20/2020 - swapdoc Likes this wine:

Floral, elegant, delicious wine. Understated sweetness of fruit, complexity and minerality reminded me of a premier cru Chablis while veering toward orchard fruit tones in the finish. Elegant and balanced. Very good.

11/25/2020 - swapdoc wrote:

All about acidity at this time. Purity of fruit is unmistakable, a bit lean now. Never thought I'd say this about barbera, but this one is still closed now. Wait.

11/21/2020 - swapdoc wrote:

More mature full bodied wine, some wood and older fruit apparent. Still balanced, though comes off as less fresh and nuanced.

11/23/2020 - swapdoc Likes this wine:

A balanced, aromatic, powerful yet balanced 'brunello'. Declassified '14 fruit, elegant yet full bodied despite the vintage. An unmistakable Val d'Orcia earthy accent, medium acidity, layers or red/blue fruit tinged with savory accents. Very good now.

11/9/2020 - swapdoc Does not like this wine:

An oaked, wood flavored wine. A dominant oak barrel aroma smothered all but a hint of the full ripened nuanced nebbiolo. A heavy handed use of wood, even for a riserva; made me question the whole concept of extra ageing of the fragrant nebbiolo. Would wait here and hope for a better overall balance.

11/12/2020 - swapdoc wrote:

A cab-dominant wine palate. Aromas of a tomato leaf, leather, cedar; mostly savory palate with some currant and cherry sweetness in the finish. The maturing fruit highlights the wine's acidity. No need to wait.

11/14/2020 - swapdoc wrote:

From a magnum. More traditional in style than prior bottles. Slight rusty tinge; a maturing wine but not at peak yet. Savory flavors, earthiness and potpourri come through rather than a sweet cherry. Long and mineral. A hearth fire ambers highlighted smoky, woody and honey aromatics of this wine. Needs another year or two to fully integrate. Good.

9/5/2020 - swapdoc wrote:

Candy-like sweetness. Missed tension and balance.

9/1/2020 - swapdoc wrote:

Lemon verbena aroma, honey candy, spicy pinot blanc notes. Fuller mouthfeel, lower acid; a ripe warm vintage expression of gruner veltiner.

7/20/2020 - swapdoc wrote:

Average barolo; the fruit lacked complexity and freshness.

7/23/2020 - swapdoc wrote:

Big wine, high acid, earthy, dark fruit, a meat wine. Unmistakably Italian. Prominent oak aroma and too much of it. Unbalance, should be better with food.

7/21/2020 - swapdoc wrote:

Too much oak. A popsicle.

8/19/2020 - swapdoc wrote:

Big, energetic brunello, dark fruit, earthy notes. Medium acid, good overall balance. Correct profile yet seems a touch closed still, did not wow. Wait.

9/1/2020 - swapdoc wrote:

Similar profile as last tasting. More approachable, less structured. Sangiovese California style.

8/7/2020 - swapdoc wrote:

Baked strawberry; the fruit is muddled. Overall, the wine comes through as imprecise and lacking freshness; high alcohol finish.

7/24/2020 - swapdoc wrote:

Better on the second day or with a long decant. More viscous, expressive, knit together. Baked jammy strawberry fruit, floral aroma with some oak still on the nose, sweet overall but a bit tired. Didn't taste the expressive high altitude fruit, freshness, place. Either the virus messes up one's palate, or just finding many aged Italians lately quite underwhelming.

4/29/2020 - swapdoc wrote:

Came off as polished, aromatically restrained and a bit hot. The fruit lacked sweetness. The wine finished with a slight wood tinged bitterness. Never truly showed the beauty of nebbiolo.

5/2/2020 - swapdoc wrote:

A correct brunello nose on open, fruit forward. Acidity begins to dominate with air, highlighting leather, plums. Second day -- could be an aged barolo. Would wait to drink another year and then enjoy at a single setting.