3/30/2013 - Oldworldwines Likes this wine:

Wow! Part of a once in a lifetime weekend spent with Vincenzo Abbruzzese at Valdicava tasting 15 different vintages of Valdicava Brunello and Valdicava Madonna del Piano and this was for me the wine of the weekend. Brilliant nose of perfectly balanced earth and fruit in a perfect drinking window. Cassis, lead pencil, and other dark fruits emanate from the glass. This wine opens beautifully in just a short time in the decanter. Looking down on Valdicava from Montalcino drinking this wine is one of my most special wine memories. If you can find this wine buy all you can get and thank me later. This wine will last many more years (although is perfect right now) and the general longevity of Valdicava Brunello is incredible.

6/5/2012 - Oldworldwines wrote:

I opened the bottle I received from a friend with little expectation of the wine still being any good. I was pleasantly surprised as I found only slight bricking and a general color of a wine half its age. The nose was a touch muted but still had classic cabernet overtones. The tannins were fully integrated. More red fruit than dark fruit with just a hint of green pepper. The pepper was not at all unpleasant and reminded me of the normal greeness found in Italian merlot. Not an overly complex wine but very cool nonetheless. This was the transition year at Shafer and this was the only wine labeled cabernet reserve they made to my knowledge. I kept the empty bottle.

6/5/2012 - Oldworldwines wrote:

Wow. I had two bottles of this last night and I'm still tasting it. Both bottles were in terrific shape and the wine has many years of life left even though it tastes fantastic right now. The bottles were remarkably consistent for such an old wine. Color was a dark ruby red with no signs of being on the down swing. Classic style Barolo with earth and sour cherry as the prominent smells and tastes. Well balanced with an elegant mouth feel. As with all Conterno these days it isn't cheap but I feel it was worth every penny.

5/10/2012 - Oldworldwines wrote:

Tasted with Giovanni Manetti and we both agreed this is the best young Flaccianello in many years if not ever. Reminiscent of the 2001 but even more balanced with fine tannins. The nose is off the charts and is although it is distinctly Sangiovese in character, with cherry and earth, it reminds me of a great young Bordeaux in that you don't even have to taste the wine to know it is special. The superb balance of this wine even at this young stage made it remarkably approachable for a wine that will improve for decades. Of course there are still some pieces of this beauty that will only harmonize perfectly with age and I look forward to it possibly warranting an even higher score in the future but this is a special vintage of a wine with one of the best pedigrees in Tuscany. The mouth feel is balanced with beautiful fruit upon entry, an impressive mid palate of darker fruits, and a long finish with fine tannins and just the right amount of grip. I'm buying cases not bottles.