7/30/2023 - wmccone54 wrote:

Given the wet and rainy 2014 vintage in Italy, I’ve gone out of my way to avoid Italian reds from this year, mostly because the few I’ve tried, so far, have been quite diluted. To the contrary, this was very good and far exceeded my expectations.

Poured into a decanter prior to enjoying with sautéed chicken, penne, mushrooms and tomato based red sauce. Clear, deep ruby color. Perfumed aromatics, dusty red fruits, tobacco, and leather; there’s enough concentration and structure to provide deep flavors and balance. Finishes very long. In development; should provide pleasurable drinking though 2029. Superior to any other red I’ve enjoyed from this vintage to date.

1/14/2023 - mcromain1021 Likes this wine:

Ripe melon, lemons, vanilla and grass notes. Drank over 2 days and day 2 was better as this continued to open up. I also enjoyed day 2 more as I did not refrigerate, but kept it at 55 degrees and the warmer temp coaxed out more of the aromas. This will benefit from 2-3 more years of rest, but very good now.

1/12/2022 - Dionysusx Likes this wine:

This wine continues to shine with its spicy zest. It has taken on a creamier texture that carries through the finish, blending harmoniously with the pepper and mineral tones. Phenomenal wine, especially considering the price. This is a new favorite Chianti.

12/4/2021 - davidandrose wrote:

After the fact so no detailed notes; delivers what you expect from a wine that’s 50k+ cases, unless (as others note) it’s been 10 years since you last tried their Napa Cab.

Fruit driven without a lot of nuance or depth. Reasonable wine, but there’s A LOT at this price point that outperforms this.

7/2/2020 - mcromain1021 Likes this wine:

Floral notes. Raspberry blackberry notes. Could have benefited from a short decant, but did not happen this time. Pleasing and good QPR. Drink or hold.

10/9/2021 - mcromain1021 Likes this wine:

Very nice Super Tuscan. Predominantly Sangiovese with Merlot and Cabernet. Remarkably smooth with soft and supple tannins. Cherry, mushroom, strawberry notes. Drink now or hold. At around $25, very good QPR. Cheers!

9/30/2021 - mcromain1021 Likes this wine:

Very enjoyable Shiraz. Penfolds seems to hit the mark even at the lower price points. While not cheap at over $30, packs a good punch with notes of blackberry, tar, and mushrooms. Drink or hold.

8/15/2021 - mcromain1021 Likes this wine:

Bottle #2 of 6. I just looked at my last review from 2019, and I feel like this took a step back and needs to sleep further. Day 1, really austere and biting tannins. Drank part 2 the next day with a 2 hour decant and things smoothed out considerably. Seeing tremendous potential here, but I am not loving this in its current state. Will layoff until 2023 i think...

8/11/2021 - MarcPal Likes this wine:

Opened last night, was quite closed at first but opened up nicely after decating for an hour. I was happy with it, although it could benefit from a few years in the bottle as the tannins are still quite present. I was disappointed with the 2014 vintage, however the 2016 is similar to the 2013 which i had loved. Would definitely buy more!

4/17/2021 - moods wrote:

Still too young, opened up much more on day 2. Tasted alongside 2004, 2010, and 2015, and could identify its place in terms of age. You could certainly enjoy it now with its sour cherry and earth notes, and lively fruit palate. Would decant. Otherwise I'd give it up to another 10 years or so.

4/22/2021 - Siwink57 Likes this wine:

Solid representation of the region and very balanced. Great QPR for a 2016 Reserva. Needs 3 hours of air to reach its full potential. 4.1 stars.

3/18/2021 - D'Yquembe Mutumbo wrote:

Excellent QPR, this wine is better than it needs to be. Lovely cherries, dark fruit, sweet spice, and a surprisingly assertive mineral backbone that pulls this together. I bought a case; I wish I had gotten 3!

1/29/2021 - SteelyMon Likes this wine:

Must decant at least 3.5 hours to get where you want to be with this one. I have 400 young BDM in my new cellar, mostly 2013's and 2015's, and expecting good things. This was my best experience in last few months as I am tracking the maturation of my babies!

1/13/2021 - Jonathan T Likes this wine:

I know I'll probably get flamed for giving this wine a higher score than everyone else. But in my defense, Antonio Galloni, a reviewer I respect for Italian wines, and has 1000% more knowledge about wine and Italy i than I will ever know, gave this a 95. Also, it is a little stylistic preference as this wine has a funky, mushroomy, truffly nose with hints of tobacco and charred rosemary that brings me to my knees, but might not be in everyone's wheelhouse. This super-tuscan wine clearly has its personality from sangiovese while the merlot and cabernet just give it some additional weight and structure. I think wild boar bolognese with a little shaved pecorino would be the perfect pairing for this wine.

12/8/2020 - jackstraw Likes this wine:

Really tasty and enjoyable - probably gets better with age but pretty darn good right now

11/7/2020 - noni15 Likes this wine:

I tried this wine 6 years ago and I scored 93 pts., I advised to hold it for a few more years to really enjoy this wine, I could not be more right....I am scoring this wine a solid 95 pts., tannins smoothed and integrated wonderfully, currant, mocha, and violets all over. I truly do not get the controversy about this wine, some reviewers scored this wine 80 ish pts., I do not get it....what I am tending to think is that this wine had multiple batches that were stored /fermented differently and therefore some bottles are so different from my bottles, honestly Caymus is one of the most respected wineries in Napa...hard to believe that they did not discard the bad batches....anyways, this is the beauty of this website we all pitch in our reviews and experiences ...

10/10/2020 - mcromain1021 Likes this wine:

Had this as part of a 6 bottle blind 2015 Brunello tasting that I hosted. Great fun. Wines tried besides the Salicutti were: Caprili, Castiglion del Bosco, Ciacci 'Pianrosso', Costanti, and Fossacolle. Opened 60-90 before first taste. This happened to be the 3rd wine I tried and i was struck by body of this compared to the others I had prior. Earth, mushroom, meat notes. Tannins were not overpowering, but this needs to sit and should be great in 5-7 years. For me this was 3rd out of the 6 we tried. Hold.

8/1/2020 - mcromain1021 Likes this wine:

Can a Pinot Gris be beefy? Apparently it can. More body and fullness from a Pinot Gris than I had expected and/or experienced in the past. Pears, apples, mushroom notes. This got a bit better on day 2 and I can see this lasting another 5 years or so.

6/14/2020 - mcromain1021 Likes this wine:

I think this could have had more potential and am suspicious about the storage as I bought 3 bottles on Winebid. Not saying Winebid is at fault as physically bottles were in good shape with good fill, just saying these seemed more aged than other Brunello I have had at this age in the past. Bottle 1 was borderline corked, bottle 2 was corked and bottle 3 was good. Brownish in color did not detract from taste. Chocolate, caramel, earth notes. Medium bodied finish. Drink now.

12/29/2019 - mcromain1021 Does not like this wine:

Just like my other bottle, this was just strange to me. Syrupy and real pronounced fruits, almost sweet. Almost felt like drinking a Yellow Tail. Maybe it was the vintage? I have had this wine in the past and found it to be a great QPR. This one is just don't get.

6/9/2020 - Motz wrote:

Healthy Coravin pour, tasted over an hour or so, alongside the same vintage Produttori del Barbaresco.

First, a public service message! All who fear soul-destroying tannins should A) pop and pour this and enjoy it with a quick meal, or B) not contemplate opening a bottle for at least 25 years.

This power-bomb over achieves in every measurable category, including price!

It offers an enthralling bouquet and profile of red, purple, and black fruits and berries, in all states of preparedness (fresh, potpourri, candied, etc.), along with blood orange preserves, muddled rose petals, tar, and the ever-lovin' rock and mineral earth! Great day in the...as I write this...afternoon! Wow!

From the wine's first gasp of air, no more than 20 minutes elapsed until massive, crushed rock and metallic ore tannins began swarming in Mongol and Magyar mounted-archer-like battle formations. And yet, the wine tasted so good, and delivered so much range and depth, I could not keep from re-subjecting myself to additional tannin punishment. In this way, the experience put my mind to enjoying Indian fare, which though it can blister the palate, and positively requires sitting on an ice block for a half hour after completing the morning biz...tastes too good to stop eating.

Tannin presence aside, this splendidly balanced wine also sports high acid, which prevents any sensation of heaviness.

Nothing less than a thirty year wine from today...it rocked my world...and will likely rock yours too. Evocative, riveting, delicious!!! 95-96...97?

5/12/2019 - Eric Guido Likes this wine:

The nose on the 2016 Castiglione is stunningly dark and alluring, as it draws me closer to the glass. Here I'm finding notes of crushed strawberry, with wild herbs, orange-spiced tea, smoke, licorice, and hints of white pepper. Its silky textures flood the senses with a mix of ripe red and blue fruits along with sweet herb tones, which are complimented by zesty acids and saturating minerality. Yet through it all, fine tannins slowly mount with each sip, leading to a structured finale, as mineral-infused sweet cherry resonates amidst hints of tobacco and cedary spice.

The 2016 Castiglione is a total rock star, and amazing at this price point.

1/18/2020 - mcromain1021 Likes this wine:

Brought to a BYOB. Opened and sat 30 min before diving in. Deep purple in color. Blackberries, currants, mushrooms and earth tones. A bit 'grapey' with first glass, but that was no problem for me. This was fantastic and could probably last 2-3 more years or so, but seems in peak window now.

2/26/2018 - Winowhyno Likes this wine:

A nice Brunello and a decent deal at $31.00

1/21/2017 - MattB72 wrote:

Just not that good or interesting

1/25/2017 - MarkWhite Likes this wine:

Classic rubyesque Brunello in many ways from its appearance from the bottle, to the classic tart cherry and minerally aromas, to the slight astringent nature at this stage of development, and its lively flavor profile of red cherry and strawberries, in this case with hints of soil and minerality that evolved into an interesting complexity. A bit on the astringent side with fine acids and tannins that compliment the flavor and make for a fine, medium length finish. A very good, and interesting Brunello, that is not great but should improve nicely over the next five years.

6/24/2016 - Eric Guido Likes this wine:

Maybe a sign of great things to come with the 2013 vintage, Voerzio’s Langhe Nebbiolo is simply gorgeous. The nose was intense with sweet and spicy floral tones, mineral-infused cherry, cedar and a hint of undergrowth. On the palate, I found silky textures with a pure mix of red fruits. Cranberry, strawberry and sometimes cherry, all made an appearance, with a coating of fine tannin that saturated the senses. It finished dry and youthfully firm, flexing its tannic muscle with lasting notes of dried cherry.

8/14/2016 - thunberg wrote:

Medium red, coffee, dried leaves, dark cherries and black currants. m+ acidity and m+ tannins. On the palate some more earthy notes, nougat(?), fresh blueberries (european). Long dry and somewhat warm aftertaste.
On its own 86p, together with risotto 89p.
Compared to earlier tasted vintages more earthy notes will probably develop if left in cellar a couple of years. Will improve.

4/27/2015 - nectar14 Likes this wine:

Drank a couple months ago. I recall a really classy wine, fresh and silky, with good red fruit, supporting acidity, but just a bit shorter than I might have expected on the finish. Going to wait a bit, perhaps 5-7 yrs on my next one.