9/17/2023 - benny-g Likes this wine:

This is a bit tricky. I can fully understand someone finding this too ripe and sweet, yet for me - and I am quite sensitive for overripe, sweet wines - it is just within the limit. What helps a great deal is the lovely aromatic florality; the kind I also appreciate in some primitivo wines from Puglia. Dark, perfumed, blueish floral. That is a taste I just happen too like. The fruit is hinting at ripe black- and blueberry.
There is a certain depth to this wine, with foresty, earthy and spicy notes as well as a hint of pepper on the back palate.
No need to store this for years, since acicity and tannins, while present, are certainly not imposing.
It is obviously a clear and for me valid choice of the producer to have one of their cannonau wines in a sweeter style, which is fully acknowledged on their website as "una decisa ma equilibrata dolcezza".

5/18/2023 - CMJ222 Likes this wine:

High acidity. Cherry, raspberry (classic nebbiolo tones). High tannins

2/11/2023 - lebo9968@gmail.com Likes this wine:

Promising old world nose. Doesn't follow through on the palate.

12/29/2022 - Shay.Aldriedge Likes this wine:

The producer who started Franciacorta designation. This is roughly 90/10 Chardonnay/Pinot noir.

Compared to the Majolini I opened a few months back, this is a bit more crisp. The best compliment I can give this wine is that it comes across as a non-descript champagne. It’s not overly fruity or too steely like some Franciacorta can be, it’s perfectly balanced for the style. No yeast. It’s fairly creamy, with peach, caramel dipped apple and a slightly brisk/savory finish (almond/walnut like, but not champagne-nutty). Semi-mineral driven finish. Good at the $30’ish price.

8/14/2021 - StephanC Likes this wine:

Lekker en evenwichtig

3/20/2022 - Niels Z Likes this wine:

Making pizzas outside with some friends. Thought I'd bring along an easy drinking Dolcetto to go along with the pure Italian food. A Dolcetto from one of my favourite winemakers in Piedmont in fact! Certainly a good pairing which was confirmed by my friends several times.

An elegant, fruity and straightforward wine, showing of pure red fruit flavours, cherry, strawberry. Aged for 50% on Slavonian oak but hardly noticeable. Low tannic levels overall.

2/9/2022 - benny-g Likes this wine:

This is absolutely ridiculous! To produce a wine of this quality and sell it for less than 7 euros!
This French white is truly astonishing in its fruity quality! No, it isn't the most complex wine, but the concentration is just fantastic. Highly intense fruity flavours of mature yellow plum and cherry, yellow as well, combine with gooseberry notes and a greenish edge and are topped by lovely zesty acidity. Mature in the way that the said fruits display their fully developed flavour profile without being sweet. Spices aren't absent either and there's even a mineral side to it. The mouth feel is rather waxy. This certainly isn't the driest of white wines, but will go perfectly well with fish and seafood. Just make sure not to be too careful in the seasoning.
Extreme QPR! I am ordering some more of this. The Guide Hachette 2022 categorises this as an "exceptional" wine. I couldn't agree more.

1/31/2022 - Paul852 Likes this wine:

A new batch for me. 100% 2014 (which I suppose makes it a vintage wine, but the producer doesn't "claim" it), 100% PN, disgorged 8 October 2019, dosage 5g/l.

This is quite different from the batch I tasted earlier (see notes below). It seems to me that the colour is darker and the character much more towards a red wine, presumably indicating more "bleed" time on the skins.

The palate is rather mineral, the fruit rather darker, and it seems to me a little austere overall.

This is still a very good wine, but I preferred the style of the earlier batch.

3/9/2021 - LeLP Likes this wine:

The week started (and continues) with a very approachable Nebbiolo!

This Langhe is more tannic then I expected, long decant helped. It’s even better on the second day.

Earthy and red fruit notes on the nose, with fresh pepper, tar, mushrooms, cherry and strawberry!

Palate is dry with velvety tannins. Belt leather, oak and licorice, for a short finish. Decent.

6/21/2021 - Mali Likes this wine:

Vielschichtiges dunkelfruchtiges Bukett mit fantastischer Tiefe und edler ätherischer Toastwürze. Im Geschmack dann überraschend transparent. Alles sitzt am rechten Fleck. Nichts bordet über. Tolle Frische bis in den langen energetischen Nachhall. Typische Würze. I like! 93-95

7/28/2021 - The Drunken Cyclist Likes this wine:

Retail $48. Syrah, Montepulciano, Cesanese. Big. Ass. Bottle. Gambero Rosso 2. You don't see a ton of wines from the Roma D.O.C. (at least I don't) which is comprised of many of the municipalities around the nation's capital. Unfortunately, however, Italian winemakers are incorporating more of these really heavy bottles, particularly for the upper-tier wines. That is a shame since it serves no purpose but increases the carbon footprint rather dramatically. As for the wine? A fairly dark crimson in the glass with dark berry fruit aromas, anise, some spice (black pepper, Christmas spice) and a minty earthiness. The palate is rather lush with fruit, but there is also considerable tartness to provide balance. While I am really enjoying this wine, I would be much more enthusiastic had the bottle weight not caused my spine to come out of alignment.

www.thedrunkencyclist.com

3/21/2021 - Caroline Tilton Likes this wine:

Get more

8/9/2020 - hajoha wrote:

Marengo Barolo 2019.
Fra fat (botti)
Juicy, og ren nese.
Utrolig ren og saftig frukt.
Silkeføre med fin fylde.
Fresh.
Lang med fine tanniner.
Nydelig vin. 91p

1/5/2020 - Joehans Likes this wine:

Excellent! Better than the big brother the Valpolicella Ripasso.

12/19/2020 - pg311066@gmail.com wrote:

Riserva 2013

3/19/2021 - benny-g Likes this wine:

Lighter in colour than I was expecting. I basically agree with previous tasting notes, even if the awarded scores are differing a bit. This wine is indeed very well balanced, clean and bright, but does lack some character and therefore identity. Red berries and a touch of wet forest floor are the main components. Still it does remain rather primary on the palate, but one cannot deny the very pleasant and sapid concentration.

2/16/2020 - pavel_p Likes this wine:

On Emirates flight. This is the 2013 Grand Vintage as per their wine list but would like to see the bottle to confirm as I was not aware that Moet had already released their 2013. Anyway drank the glass still on the ground and this is nice with a fine mousse and a touch of brioche joining the sweetish fruit. I like this, a fine Champagne and definitely better than the usual NV.

PS: Emirates is exclusive launch partner for Moët’s 2013 vintage

3/2/2021 - benny-g Likes this wine:

Nice. Good. Correct for a Tuscan sangiovese. Vibrant in colour, vibrant red fruit in the nose. Good red fruits on the palate at the correct ripeness. Give it some air to lose the sharpest, tart edges to develop friendly, soft flavours of a mix of red fruits in a near perfect balance. Gentle tannins are everpresent in the background. Nicely clean and crisp, but with just a mineral touch and a hint of moist forest flour, the complexity is modest. I am missing some more depth. Not impressive, but indeed a well made, somewhat generic sangiovese.

2/21/2021 - benny-g Likes this wine:

Unmistakably a very good nebbiolo wine, with its typical characteristics of fruits like blood orange, cherry, (not too ripe) raspberry and even some juicy plum, and florals like roses and violets and plenty of tannins, but it is a bit modest and restrained. It is a very good barbaresco with even a touch of sweetness in the start with a hint of vanilla and then the fruity acidity with perfumed flavours and constantly present tannins, giving a solid structure and palate drying finish. All together these provide a good complexity. Somehow it is holding back in abundance and exuberance, pleasing probably many, but seemingly not going all the way in its potential. Really very good, but short of excellence.
I should maybe add that for a price well below 25 euros one might be hard-pressed to find any better.

2/1/2021 - benny-g wrote:

I can understand why this would get high ratings in some international guides and competitions, but for me it misses the 90+ mark. Intensely concentrated with some black and mainly red fruit this feels overextracted, overdone. Fruits and acidity are there, but it is heavy, missing refinement. It seems to be an attempt to rival the overextracted southern Italian, jammy wines often praised nowadays for their pleasant character. Luckily in contrast to those this is not too sweet and does have a decent balance. It's just that it's all too much somehow. It has lost its varietal identity and does not have any elegance, but goes towards plump and voluptuous. A score of high eighties is still good, but it's not a 90+ wine for me.
Lets see how the remainder of the open bottle develops tomorrow. I might come back to this.

1/16/2021 - Sookin1 Likes this wine:

Really good wine at affordable price

11/7/2020 - peteramartens Likes this wine:

Deep dark garnet colour. Lots of ripe plum/blackberry aroma and a hint of earth. Smooth and slightly sweet initially but a nice hint of acidity and mild tannins. Finish is very dry and a bit of a port taste. High alcohol level but not really noticable. Paired fairly well with smoked/rubbed pork ribs.

11/18/2020 - Kashvino Likes this wine:

A good Brunello from Sonoma (not Montalcino). VJB is the reason we can get these good Italian wines right in California. The winery is a legacy to their son Victor. This wine is good introduction to the Brunello’s of Italy. This one has nose of raspberry and blueberry with touch of cherry. Balanced acidic tones flow well with this medium bodied wine. It pairs perfectly with Lasagna.

10/3/2019 - ElleS Does not like this wine:

Bit sharp

4/24/2020 - despore Likes this wine:

Very well made Classico, ripe red and black cherry, Tuscan herbs, light dust, well balanced, med plus finish. Nothing not to dislike and really good QPR.

9/2/2020 - Bezac wrote:

Excellent !

10/16/2020 - benny-g Likes this wine:

A modern, clear bottle label for a modern, clear Montepulciano wine. No frills, just straight quality as good as it could possibly be made. Mind you, give it time, a couple of hours or even a day to find its equilibrium. An unnatural, slightly chemical whiff is noticeably merely in the first sips immediately after opening. Give it time and you're rewarded with a great concentration of secondary red/blue berrie and plum fruity flavours in an excellent balance together with pleasing flower overtones and supported by a smooth tannic structure. Lovely!

11/4/2019 - Ben Christiansen wrote:

With a touch more rich fruit on the nose and spice. Same vineyard as that of the Amarone. 50 year old vines on average. It is a wine that they made before Ripasso was ever made. This goes deeply on the roots of the region. A touch of drying process of the grape. 25 days of drying, just a touch. first 10 days is just stems, the next 15 they only loos about 7% of the weight. THey want to give the valpolicealla the best engine it can have but keep drinkability. Aged longer as well. Good acidity. 2 years in 500 L french oak.

8/31/2020 - MS86 Likes this wine:

3.7. Hard to understand the 99 rating by Luca Maroni. This is a heavily extracted wine that is easy to hate but also a likely crowd pleaser.

Modest nose of blueberry, black plum, chocolate and oak.

In the mouth, this medium bodied wine feels out of balance with high acidity and 14% ABV that burns the throat.

Flavours of sweet black plum, raisin, blueberry, vanilla and chocolate.

Sweet plum and blueberry finish. The highlight of this wine.

6/10/2020 - GattopardoDiCefalu Likes this wine:

the best champagne I know in this range of price.
Quite sparkling but with thin bubbles
Right balance between acidity , fruit and sugar.

4/24/2018 - Yagil wrote:

Cerbaiona tasting (winery): BT
Odd dusty nose with toasted oak notes
dry, high acidity, high tannins, med body, elegant structure, more aggressive than the 2017 vintage, grass flavours, long finish
High potential

6/4/2020 - AusTxJim wrote:

For the price fantastic

8/11/2019 - Taddon wrote:

Dana likes as similar to NZ Cloudy Bay.
This is a Sauvignon.

5/24/2020 - benny-g Likes this wine:

Livons 's Friuli whites; 5/20/2020-6/1/2020: Since we travelled now little over one year ago to the north east corner of Italy, I have developed a renewed love for white wines, especially for the typical grapes of the Friuli area. I don't think you will find a lot of ribolla gialla and friulano vinyards in other parts of the country or even the wine world. It is still intriguing that the focus between Adriatic sea and the Alps is on whites.
The Solarco from Livon is a cuvee of both these grapes. The modest yellow fruit nose comes out in full on swirling, adding a surprising greenish touch. A sip fills the mouth with a basket of yellow fruits from apple to plum to citrus. Balance and concentration are great. Crisp, clean and clear. The finish is quite mineral and leaves you with a pleasant lemon and orange aftertaste.
Great with sushi, by the way.

Edit 2nd day: I had a bit left, which a day later developed some clear almondy bitterness in the finish. Wether that means we should drink it all on the first day, I don't know...

2/28/2020 - MaxWinery Does not like this wine:

Lite för surt för min smak

2/10/2020 - AWineForG wrote:

It was okay to me very linear was expecting just a tad bit more from this price point.

3/7/2020 - Vetzi wrote:

Quite sweet, flabby, and disappointing. Innocuous bubbly. His rosé and higher end offerings are immeasurably superior

5/23/2020 - Exquisitewoman wrote:

I want to buy this for myself

11/19/2019 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:

Complex aromatics of cherry, lipstick, pomegranate and dried flowers. It was delicate and fine-boned, with chalky tannins underpinning the fruit.

2/1/2020 - Savignonmom Likes this wine:

Fantastic expression of Valpoicella.

2/8/2020 - jjklund Likes this wine:

Very typical Valpolicella. I like the simplicity of the good taste.

5/22/2020 - benny-g wrote:

A touch of VA and a funky whiff don't give this one a favourable start. Luckily these are quickly overpowered by rich, (too) sugary red, dense fruits and sufficient, pleasant acids. Letting it rest for a while omits the lesser start, but unfortunately seems to concentrate the sweetness. The visible viscosity is also quite indicative of the latter, just short of cloying. Overall a just okay wine, with a good concentration, but, for me, a balance leaning to overripe, late harvest fruit and insufficient southern, Italian spirit.

3/2/2019 - JWG wrote:

A gorgeous nebbiolo that is still young. It was delicious right at first, though hours later it had more depth and some underlying tannic bite that added a tingle. Nose was fruity, dark, earthy. Palate had more earthiness, leather, good acidity and later delicious tannic mouthfeel. Should get better over the next years.

4/24/2020 - benny-g Likes this wine:

Sitting on my roof terrace in the late afternoon spring sun, after a week of teleworking, sipping this Tuscan delight, I am realising I sold this one short in my first tasting note. It is, I repeat, a delight, a joy to smell and savour this excellently balanced and beautifully integrated sangiovese. Fruity and flowery aromas mixing with foresty and mineral tones all contribute to the experience in an intense way. 2016 must have been a good summer in Italy, since this has a lovely southern character. I am looking forward to combining this with the steak and asparagus the Flemish way that are on the menu this evening.

3/14/2020 - bevetroppo Likes this wine:

Several weeks ago I tasted an orange wine so revolting I hoped never to encounter another one from this pseudo-genre. A guest put some thought into bringing this bottle to my house and I felt obligated to wipe the slate and approach it with a fresh perspective.

The label seems to suggest it's Greek, but in all likelihood, Metamorphika is a fanciful coinage relating to its evolution in clay amphorae. It's made from 100% macabeu, but I have no idea on earth what the hyphenated Brisat refers to. It is not recognized as a grape by Jancis Robinson's Wine Grapes, and the only thing online with that name refers to an Indonesian satellite. I have no problem with flouting tradition in something so deliberately artsy, but it does not make the job of unpacking it any easier.

Yes, so it's fermented on the skins for 12 weeks in clay pots and then aged for 5 months in the same. In case the back label copy describing it's elevage isn't clear enough, the bottle is a marketer's dream and a conservationist's nightmare: a heavy, totally opaque clay-colored doorstopper that probably weighs three times more than a glass bottle, capped by a wax seal. You could probably kill this wine if subjected to excessive heat but there's no way it will suffer from exposure to light. Weirdly, it's almost impossible to tell how much is left in the bottle once you start pouring!

None of this necessarily bodes well for what is inside. Yet, it totally surprises on the upside. It's a dusky color that spans yellow and orange showing some bits in suspension. No filtration here. The nose offers notes of sweet Valencia orange (I made the Valencia part up because it's closest to Catalunya that I could think of), cream, honey, and a subtle earthy minerality. The mouthfeel is tender, with pleasant citrus fruit again verging towards orange/tangerine, with a good satisfying acid bite on the finish.

Net net, this is eminently drinkable, unusual and worthy of exploration. It may be overly precious in its packaging, but otherwise I could easily see it with a variety of tapas, nuts and cheeses. I guess I'm back in the orange game.

3/10/2020 - Homer Holland wrote:

Feudi di San Gregorio Società Agricola S.p.A., Cutizzi, Greco di Tufo, Greco di Tufo DOCG, Campania, Italy, 2017, 13%.
100% Greco di Tufo.
1 (750ml) purchased from WiB-205 on 05/16/2019.
Lot:
P177
0857
L S146513
EAN:
8022888760014
Feudi di San Gregorio Greco di Tufo 'Cutizzi' Campania 2017 is gemaakt van 100% greco di tufo, afkomstig van de beste wijngaard van het wijngoed.
Na zorgvuldige handmatige oogst en een strenge selectie van de beste druiven, werd het voorzichtig geperst en gefermenteerd bij een gecontroleerde, constante temperatuur.
Dit werd gevolgd door verschillende maanden ontwikkeling op de gist.

2/29/2020 - benny-g Likes this wine:

This is the result of an attempt to create a classic method southern Italian sparkler from the local falanghina, with the assistance of expertise from the Champagne region.
I must say San Gregorio is succeeding quite well in what it set out to do some years ago. I find lots of vanilla and yeasty notes in the nose accompanied by white/ yellow fruit. The corresponding palate adds some chalk, yellow apple with citrus and orange. The overall impression is quite refined, yet not very dry.
Different from champagne and franciacorta and that makes it interesting, but also somewhat difficult to assess.

8/6/2018 - UFGators Likes this wine:

This is pretty closed right now. Took a lot of decanting and time swirling in the glass to get it going. Easy drinking and without any hard edges. I will revisit in a couple of years. I don’t see James suckling 98 rating.

1/5/2020 - stet Likes this wine:

Nose: tons of underripe Granny Smith apple and fine yeast
Palate: pleasantly acid, again apple is dominant with some pear and stone fruit. Perlage Is fine, very dry for a brut
Finish: Yeast, dry, medium length

12/27/2019 - Biancorossofrizzante Likes this wine:

Really perfect!