2/21/2024 - Pdxwinegeek wrote:

I can't say much that others below haven't said, but if like me, you like your wines just slightly on the young side so the acids are still present to complement fatty foods, the 2016 Produttori is ready for its close-up.

I've been drinking my bottles over the last year and only have a couple left. Of course I wish I bought more!

This is just perfectly balanced, with acids, integrated tannins and such a depth and intensity of flavor for a lighter-bodied wine, it exemplifies what makes barbaresco barbaresco.

Great with food. Roast chicken, roast pork, fatty pastas like carbonara or cacio e pepe, this complements them all superbly.

My single vineyard Produttoris await in the cellar. Maybe 2026?

2/21/2024 - Pdxwinegeek wrote:

To me, this is in a perfect place to present a mid-level barbaresco at its best. It is fairly light, but perfectly balanced, with subdued but quenching acids, subtle but still mildly lip-buzzing tannins, and the dark floral flavors that I find so complementary to food. It is a perfect pairing with a roast chicken or pork, or a fatty dish like pasta carbonara or cacio e pepe, but light enough to work with a veggie frittata. Maybe a little simple, but a good barbaresco from a great year at a decent price. Wish I'd bought more than 3 bottles.

2/7/2023 - Pdxwinegeek wrote:

the 2019 delivers the classic Valtellina profile: translucent in the glass, the flavor of rose-tinged cola & bitter cherry fruits, with a bracing rasp of acidity and tannins that sneak up on you. For me, it is perfectly balanced.

The 2019 may be a little thinner and less fruitful than prior vintages, but you don't buy this wine for a mouthful of berries. its a perfect companion to almost any meal or food pairing where the acid is appreciated to cut the richness of the meal.

3/16/2020 - Pdxwinegeek wrote:

Wow, I loved this wine, out of the bottle it almost looks like a rose it is so transparent, but the lack of color most certainly doesn't translate into a lack of flavor. I don't get the classic Piedmont Nebbiolo profile of roses & tar so much as a dusty red fruit profile, with tannins subdued but not MIA and the acid and fruit perfectly balanced for a thirst quenching quaff with some length.

They should put a picture of this in the dictionary next to "Pizza wine."

3/16/2020 - Pdxwinegeek wrote:

Decent but not great, I thought this tasted like a more New World approach, aka, too much oak, the wine is mature and ready to drink, and it shows decent typicity for sangiovese, but the classic sour cherry profile was muted, IMO by the oak. Don't think this will get any better.

There are much purer examples of Brunello out there than this, and you don't have to spend any more than $40 to get them.

8/12/2018 - Pdxwinegeek wrote:

This surprised me with its acidity and rasp at this stage, it was simple but was juicy and showed cool, stony dark fruits which made it a great accompaniment to dinner, very enjoyable and thirst-quenching for a 2012 pinot, well done Stoller!

3/8/2018 - Pdxwinegeek wrote:

bought a case of 375s some years back, started to sample some in last few months.

The first bottle I opened was seemingly way overripe/old, an unpleasantly (for me at least) strong taste of prunes and an unusual amount of sediment had me fearing for the whole case.

But the last two bottles have been very nice, more floral than fruity, with an undercurrent of of dark resin, and very fine-grained tannins leave your lips lightly buzzing as the lengthy flavor profile fades.

This wine will show you what the "roses & tar" descriptor means.

I would drink these now, I do not think it has the structure to last more than a few years, its peak is now.

2/18/2018 - Pdxwinegeek wrote:

Wow, I feel with the first of 6 bottles of the '08 Cannubio I cellared that I get for the first time a very good example of the classic "roses & tar" nebbiolo profile.

It is ready to drink, and very enjoyable, with a very floral nose, a brick red color and a very clean, pronounced and balanced dark floral flavor profile.

While I first thought that the tannins were so absent as to make the wine soft, the tannins do make their presence known on the back end, and they help the wine linger in the mouth for a good 30 seconds.

I doubt this is going to get much better, so drink if you got 'em.

2/5/2018 - Pdxwinegeek wrote:

This is quite good now, and even though it is still refreshing and you can still feel the fine tannins on your lips and gums for a moment, I do get the sense that it has reached the back half of its life and will become increasingly soft and slack as time goes on. However, I do like my wines younger and more acidic, so take that into account.

Now, it is well balanced and still juicy, with dark and spicy red fruits and no obvious presence of oak. Drink now and enjoy.

9/7/2017 - Pdxwinegeek wrote:

Excellent, the wine feels alive in your mouth, it is so juicy but with a savory bite and substantial mouthfeel, it definitely shows a saline and mineral character, and you only notice the fine-grained tannins after the wine's other flavors have faded.

9/5/2017 - Pdxwinegeek wrote:

Coravinned two glasses for dinner, this is ready to drink and I can't see it getting much better. Its very well balanced, still juicy with good acidity, the bouquet is not much, maybe a little forest floor/mushroom, but in the mouth its mostly dark fruits, cassis, with very fine-grained tannins giving this wine some persistence, not sure you can expect much more out of a fifth growth in this vintage, its a good solid, enjoyable example of bordeaux, eminently drinkable, without being very complex

8/29/2017 - Pdxwinegeek wrote:

For the price, this provides a very good example of what aged Nebbiolo can be, and this wine was cleaner and purer than the prior bottles noted below.

4/24/2017 - Pdxwinegeek wrote:

Still very good, I bought a case of 375's, and just drank my last bottle.

As consistent a case as I have bought, this is not the kind of wine you discuss or ponder, but what it is is a fine balance of fruit, acid and tannin, with good length and all sorts of dark savory flavors to balance out the bright red fruit. It is at once thirst quenching (if served at cellar temps), great with food and enjoyable on its own.

2/23/2017 - Pdxwinegeek Likes this wine:

This was excellent, its light in body but the balance between fruit, acids, tannin and savory, dark secondary flavors is superb, good length although its not a blockbuster by any means, it didn't have the time on oak that most Brunellos do and its better for it, just a really clean and concentrated expression of Sangiovese..

Yes, its as expensive as a Brunello, but like Cerbaiona and Costanti, Salicutti's Rosso is a classier, purer expression of the varietal than most Brunellos

1/17/2017 - Pdxwinegeek wrote:

In a good place right now, flavors of dark fruit with notes of tobacco and graphite with enough acid and mellow tannins to give it some juiciness and length

1/14/2017 - Pdxwinegeek wrote:

Wow, a rich mouthful of garrique, I have not had many wines from the south Rhone valley recently, and compared to the more acidic and medium-bodied Italian wines I have been favoring of late, this was great on a cold winter night as a nightcap. It was well-balanced and tasted of dark fruits and savory herbs. It still had enough acids to keep it juicy and light (enough), the tannins were unobtrusive, and it had decent length. A little burly, but typical for the region, very good for the price and still in a good drinking window.

This maker has been a very consistent source of good rhone wine for me over the years.

11/13/2016 - Pdxwinegeek wrote:

this was really good, with a transparent garnet quality poured in the glass, it was light bodied but its palate had a nice tensile strength from fine grained tannins and the relatively high alcohol, with tastes of dark red fruit and spices. Well made and drinking well now if served with food.

11/5/2016 - Pdxwinegeek wrote:

Light, bright and pretty darn enjoyable, this Rosso shows excellent sangiovese typicity with a fruit forward sour cherry profile.

11/1/2016 - Pdxwinegeek wrote:

similar to my earlier note, this is good with food, it definitely shows the bouquet and flavor profile of nebbiolo, but is a little thin and acidic to get to very good much less great...do not think it will improve, its not dominant tannins that are holding it back, its just a little thin

10/26/2016 - Pdxwinegeek wrote:

interesting and quite nice if you like wines with a lighter body and a cool, bitter flavor profile, I almost want to say I taste graphite but do not be misled that this is anything like a bordeaux, this tastes of light red fruit with a cool minerally tension that makes it very refreshing and more complex than your typical pizza wine...just another unusual Italian varietal that is worth trying

10/25/2016 - Pdxwinegeek wrote:

DiggyDan below basically describes my experience, juicy but with a minerally complexity that makes it very good.

10/24/2016 - Pdxwinegeek wrote:

I liked this for what it was, a well balanced, medium-bodied midweek drinker, to have with dinner.

by now the acids and tannins are minimal, but it still tastes of fresh red fruits.

As a Europhile, I was pleasantly surprised by this Southern Oregon product. Not complex, but pleasant.

9/19/2016 - Pdxwinegeek wrote:

balanced juicy and tasty overall, at its peak such as it is, and good QPR.

9/13/2016 - Pdxwinegeek wrote:

One of the most balanced and enjoyable wines I have had lately, it was crunchy and pure with a perfect combination of acids, fruit and length, not sure this will get any better, drink 'em if you got 'em...

9/11/2016 - Pdxwinegeek wrote:

what to say that hasn't been said? Every bottle of the 6 I bought several years back has been a balanced expression of classic Rioja Reserva, the consistency bottle to bottle has been amazing, La Rioja Alta is one of the most reliable producers I have experienced, the 2001, the 2004 and now the 2005 have all been classic experesssions of the grape and the region, and have all been consistently excellent bottle to bottle

9/6/2016 - Pdxwinegeek wrote:

very nice, medium weight, long & savory, with bright red fruits, it is quite tart still, maybe more time will turn the tartness dial down a little and allow the fruit to move forward, a lot of power and length for the weight...

8/14/2016 - Pdxwinegeek wrote:

still drinking so nicely, has maybe slightly mellowed and lost a touch of acidity and juiciness over last year, but still exemplary for a Rosso, it offers a deep streak of tangy, dark cherry flavors, and lingers in the mouth for a considerable amount of time.

5/29/2016 - Pdxwinegeek wrote:

still a little young, right out of the bottle it came across as tannic and thin with a fleeting secondary impression of fragrant fruit, but it fleshed out over 3 hours, the fruit and, dare I say it, tar & roses, came more to the fore, the bouquet is classic barb, I have high hopes for my other 5 bottles, if I can wait 3-5 years these may reach their full potential as a solid example of the varietal, which is the most you can probably expect....

4/20/2016 - Pdxwinegeek wrote:

I thought this was excellent, great QPR, I was worried that a 2009 crianza would be tired by 2016, but it was fresh and rounded, there was still enough acidity to make this a good food wine, and its flavor profile was that of rounded dark fruit.

Not much tannins present, and there was wasn't much length, but that is what the Gran Reservas are for.

This was a Crianza, and this was exactly the kind of wine I remember so fondly from my days wandering the pinxtos bars in San Sebastian, balanced, good with food, and inexpensive.

2/25/2016 - Pdxwinegeek wrote:

like it, bouquet a little odd for sangiovese, quite phenolic, but balanced w/ fine tannins, subdued red fruits and nice persistence.

Drink up.

2/18/2016 - Pdxwinegeek wrote:

This was quite good, I had no idea what to expect, but it was brambly and well-balanced, medium bodied, moderate tannins, and with tart dark fruits. Like so many of Italy's better known varietals, a terrific food wine

1/28/2016 - Pdxwinegeek wrote:

really interesting and good, don't know what I was expecting, but this was one of the most savory red wines I have tasted, the note of green pepper is still present in the mid-palate, but it is blended into a melange of savory flavors, wine is fresh and well balanced and the note of dark fruit comes out on the longish finish...

1/23/2016 - Pdxwinegeek wrote:

Not a profound or subtle wine, but a well balanced exemplar of its terroir, with loads of garrique and dark fruit, this is Southern Rhone all the way...

1/3/2016 - Pdxwinegeek wrote:

Glad I waited...the bouquet was earthy, and it was savory and tangy, with decent red fruit, good acid and subdued tannins, for once I feel as if I opened a bottle at its peak, this was very good for a village wine...

12/12/2015 - Pdxwinegeek wrote:

Decent entry level Brunello drinking well now, drank 2 nights ago, no detailed notes but I like it thought it ready to drink.

11/29/2015 - Pdxwinegeek wrote:

Not as juicy or energetic as prior bottle, still a well balanced enjoyable food wine

11/29/2015 - Pdxwinegeek wrote:

Drank at TG, with a variety of other wines, so impression was somewhat unfocused, but came across as fruitier and simpler than my prior bottles, still good

11/3/2015 - Pdxwinegeek wrote:

First experience with this varietal, and I really like it.

It is fairly transparent to look at, and light in both alcohol (12.5%) and mouthfeel.

It tastes primarily of very sour red fruits with a hint of cola, but it had surprisingly fine-grained tannins and grip for a wine with such a light color and mouthfeel.

The tastes lingered longer in the mouth than you would have thought for an inexpensive light PnP wine such as this.

10/26/2015 - Pdxwinegeek wrote:

From a 375, balanced and enjoyable, but a little oaky and muddled to score higher, flavors were not very clear or precise, think the oak/tannins will resolve with 3-5 years, not sure time will improve its clarity however...

10/23/2015 - Pdxwinegeek wrote:

Decent and typical Rioja Crianza, good balance between the dark fruits and the limited barrel aging, drinkable and good with food, it does what it was made to do...

10/21/2015 - Pdxwinegeek wrote:

A decent Rosso that transparently displays the classic Sangiovese characteristics of sour cherry flavors with enough acid and tannins to provide balance and bite, but this was a little thin and simple to warrant a higher score, still a dependable mid-week choice to have with pizza or pasta...

9/14/2015 - Pdxwinegeek wrote:

Very nice, I have little experience with top quality N Rhone wines, and am not a fan of syrah-based wines in general, but this has everything I love in wines, it is balanced, long and pure.

I even taste the classic S. France garrique, but it is filtered through multiple layers of flavor and a smooth, silky texture that it is just an impression of garrique, not the dominant note.

9/4/2015 - Pdxwinegeek wrote:

really nice as a pop-n-pour, aromas of fresh-picked red fruits together with notes of some kind of field/grass/vegetal leanness, those same bright red fruits were prominent when tasted, but the overall balance, minerality and acidity, and length were a pleasant surprise.

In a great spot now.

8/28/2015 - Pdxwinegeek wrote:

this is quite good, a mellow tempranillo in its prime, beautifully balanced between its fruit, acid, and tannin.

8/24/2015 - Pdxwinegeek wrote:

This has improved since my last bottle....the tannins are now subdued enough to not overwhelm but provide a pleasant tannic grip...the body is more substantial than a typical barb, and the fruit is a little muddied and rough, maybe due to more oak than I prefer, but this bottle was well- balanced and enjoyable, it was clearly barbaresco even if the it did not present the classic barb flavors in a clear or pure manner.

8/3/2015 - Pdxwinegeek wrote:

Opened by mistake, thought it was a basic Felsina 2012 CC bottling, not the '10 Riserva.

Its good, nicely balanced with some concentration and length. The tannins are still obvious but not rough, if you like a little tannic grip this is ready to drink now.

Still, I can't help but compare this to two Rosso Di Montalcinos I am currently working my way through, the 2010 Le Chiuse and the 2011 Conti Constanti. They are about the same price point (the Costanti is $10 more).

I have to say I miss the purity of the Rossos, the laser-like sour cherry flavours from Sangiovese that this Chianti has sacrificed a little bit in order to achieve a darker, heavier profile through barrel-aging, blending with non-Sangiovese grapes, or both.

7/14/2015 - Pdxwinegeek Likes this wine:

Really showing well, to get this kind of balance, concentration and length out of a $20 wine is rare. It is like a a good Rosso de Montalcino on steroids, I do not know what blending or barrel aging Felsina did with this standard classico vintage, but it exemplifies the sour cherry, acidic profile of the Sangiovese grape while adding weight and complexity.

6/10/2015 - Pdxwinegeek wrote:

consistent with 6-2 note.

6/2/2015 - Pdxwinegeek Likes this wine:

First bottle from case came off as a little muddy and unsettled, second one was much better, esp. a day or two after opening.

Well balanced, the sweet fruit offset by moderate tannins, this has a darker, smokier profile than the Rosso di Montalcino I usually drink, you don't get as much of the sour cherry flavors as you do with good rosso, but in return you have darker fruits and a weightier mouthfeel from what seems like some barrel aging.

This will probably improve for a year or two.

6/1/2015 - Pdxwinegeek wrote:

Really good, was entertaining friends so did not take down specific tasting notes, but the years in the bottle definitely provided a balance and smoothness, but it still tasted fresh and vital, it was enjoyed by all.

Only one bottle left....