2/19/2018 - Cailles wrote:

Drunk over three nights. First night: so many special aromas popping out of the glass. Never had a wine with such a dark, volcanic soul. Around a dark fruit core lots of ash, smoke, coal, stone and some herbal aromas. But the wine was not in balance and the tannins were rather harsh. Day two showed some improvements but day three brought the real treat. Burgundian complexity with ash, smoke, wet slate, cedar wood, beef jerky and other meaty aromas, red and dark fruits, some dried herbs. Much better integrated and smooth. Full bodied with high aroma intensity, good freshness and a long finish. This wine needs several hours of air (8+) or better wait for some years. On an intellectual level it was a great wine (96? 97?) but not my favorite aroma profile, i.e. not total hedonistic pleasure. 94 points for the great day 3 experience.

3/19/2018 - Eric Guido Likes this wine:

Here I found a gorgeous expression of power, complexity and refinement. The nose showed black raspberry with savory herbs, giving way to layers of cedar, cherry wood, mulled apple and crushed stone. On the palate, I found a silky textures with lifting acidity as zesty blackberry and balsamic spices washed across the senses leaving a complex web of tannin in their wake. It was remarkably balanced and spicy, showing lingering black fruits and hints of fine tannin on the long, long finish. It’s a classic in the making.

8/27/2017 - bps2266 wrote:

ever evolving over six hours. deep, rich, dark crimson color. crazy nose. sage, cypress, ash, stainless steel, smoke, spearmint, fennel, dark plum, rhubarb, mushroom, bittersweet chocolate, and wild flowers. palate with strong acidity buoying a full body. flavors unrolled from cranberry and pomegranate to blackberry, stone, sassafras, licorice, bay leaf, oregano, and wild herbs. plenty of tannins and a long, dry finish. elegant. can easily go 20 years. a real wine nerd wine. in a good way.

addendum-
man that is really an amazing bottle. next time try it with mushrooms, pecorino, or dark bird.

2/16/2016 - texanoblues Likes this wine:

Deep, intense crimson, with black center and clear in the glass. Open and aromatic nose with: black plum, black berry, violet, fresh forest, and prominent volcanic minerality. Same notes on palate. Generally, tart and slightly under-ripe in the mouth. Exquisite texture, very firm, yet silky. Intensely concentrated, but never flabby or dense. Very, very long finish, which gradually fades to pure volcanic ash. Wow!

A tremendous and profound expression of 'terroir'.

Magnificent bottle. 98pts.

8/17/2017 - Motz wrote:

Opened this bottle the day after opening a 2008 Pontet-Canet, and tasted it over three days, two alongside the P-C. Intensely bloody bouquet for the first hours, with camphor, peppers, peat bog, unsweetened dark chocolate, rawhide, graphite, ash, and coal notes building with air. Firm, with mind-bending tension. Tremendous saturation, penetrating acids, and bracing tannins star in the complete mouthfeel. Brawny yet lifted, bordering on explosive, finish. Camphor, pyrazines, and ash stood out on the second day, along with the addition of a diamond hard black and purple berry element. The wine shed all vestiges of prettiness on the third day, revealing its volcanic depth. A young, terroir driven wine that should continue to evolve for another decade. Likely to peak between 2035 and 2040. Stupendous! 97-98.

9/17/2016 - olddominion wrote:

Drinking over 3 days. The additional year of bottle age is revealing since I last tasted. Upon opening the wine had the austere leaness of TB. Day 3 was the eye opener..warm sweet black cherry fruit transitions to the medium high acid pitch and rustic tannins that well done Red Mtn wines present. But it was the fact that fruit, on day 3, became overwhelmingly delightful w great acid reveals that this wine is indeed a sleeper. So well balanced now. Has a good 10 year window left

8/16/2015 - Motz wrote:

Tropical (acerola, prickly pear), citrus (blood orange, kumquat), and red fruited (plum and raspberry). Bold, rich, juicy, tangy, balanced, delicious!

3/4/2015 - olddominion wrote:

Tasted at a Wine Tasting lunch w Winemaker Aldo. Wow. Elegance w strength. Floral w a little sweet cherry on the nose. Also caught a touch of herb. Almost alfalfa like. On the palate..nothing but pleasure. Sweet and tart cherry and then Bang...dusty, very fine tannins that sucked my cheeks off, but in a pleasurable way. Probably the most refined I have encountered. What a finish. What a pleasure.

4/6/2015 - Motz wrote:

Bought a bottle of this mind-bending elixir at the estate after tasting a flight of 11 Rieslings. Drank it over three days, and it rules! Power, finesse, texture, perfect balance, incredible finish. 93-94.

2/4/2015 - Motz wrote:

Wonderfully appealing, especially by the second day. This bottle imparted terroir elements reminiscent of Beychevelle. Very nicely crafted, with great grip and texture. 93-94.

10/22/2014 - bajayngo wrote:

Not a good experience for me on this wine. Had some hallmark Rhone notes of sagebrush, anise and earth but there was an overwhelming musk and a good dose of brett. Those notes grew with time in the bottle and a decant. Bummer with the value and having enjoyed previous vintages.

11/1/2014 - bajayngo wrote:

A good dose of beef broth, brett, anise and earth. Very wild stuff but some juicy fruit on the palate then finishes with more of the meaty notes. Great Value at $12.99

11/11/2014 - bajayngo wrote:

Such a stunning bottle of wine. Beautiful amber in the glass, the nose revealed honey, flowers, wax, orange marmalade, hints of herbs and a slight oxidations that adds complexity. Was traditional waxy, pith and fruit on the palate. Just got better and better with more time in the glass.

1/6/2014 - junglejuice wrote:

This wine comes from a fascinating vineyard on the side a volcano in Campania and is simply incredible. Potential infanticide, to be sure, but the wine was, as my buddy put it, 'stupid good' on this day and will likely be mind boggling in the future. For my palate, it is just about everything I could want in a young wine.

The nose was reserved upon first opening but blossomed, as did the palate, with 4-5 hours of air. Notes of herbacious dark cherry, blackberry, smoked mint and tar are repeated on the palate and sail for an incredibly long finish. The tannin, while certainly present, were not nearly as abrasive or intense as I had anticipated and did not dominate your face like many young Aglianico can. Tasting the potential here was exhilarating. While this wine is stellar now with a long decant, I would hold off for 10 years and expect your mind to be boggled.

11/10/2014 - olddominion wrote:

Left Bank earth on the nose. Dark berry, cassis, moving to the earth elements of stone. Oak is present. Good acid/tannic balance. Nice grip. will wait and see what it holds for tomorrow.

11/10/2014 - olddominion wrote:

Been drinking this for 3 days. Excellent. I went back and bought another bottle or 4. At this price??? A little tight on the nose..but then.. Dark sweet fruits that are followed with a rocky, dusty, firm tannic backbone. This is a big, bold wine that delivers. On day 3 it was just as good as day 2. Tannins being a little more pronounced but the balance is still there. This is a fun wine and I'm having fun experiencing it. TGOT is correct. I'm confused at the low ratings on this pleasure trip. 93-94

3/8/2014 - bignbold Likes this wine:

I am doing a follow-up review. I'm a little surprised at some of the mid-upper 80s scores that this is receiving. A group of us has put the 2010 Retout up against some $40-50 Bordeaux wines that receive 91-93 ratings and the Retout has come out the winner. I've since bought more, and my friend bought 11 cases. For an "everyday" price of $16-19, I have yet to find another wine that is as good, even in the $30-50 range.

Beware: The 2011 Retout is nowhere near as good as the 2010.

2/27/2014 - kevin23610 Likes this wine:

I'll go 93, since people seem to be bashing it for being on the WS top 100. I felt this wine, for the price, is a fantastic buy. Dark purple, complex and full bodied. Notes of dark fruits, black cherry, tobacco, currants, plum and slight pepper. Drinks very well now (albeit a bit aggressive) and will do well in a cellar for a few years. At $20 a bottle, I'll go grab a case and stick it in the cellar and forget about it for a while.

Not all great tasting wines have to come from 1st or 2nd growth chateaus people. Lower the snobbery a bit, you may actually discover some other good wines.