8/14/2022 - Neecies Likes this wine:

Not elegant like the Pieropans, if that's your standard for Soave, but more throttle and body than most. Big flavors of quince, lemon and pineapple, with ample acidity.

10/4/2023 - Pontifax Likes this wine:

After having reviewed the '09, '12, '13 and '16 of this wine......a new vintage at my wine merchant for me.
On nose: lime curd, lanolin and smoke.
On palate: all above flavour notes clearly present, with distnct vanilla/ oak, dry almond marzipan, stony minerals, sea salt, tart quince and a ghost of barley sugar on the finish of this sleek full bodied wine, braced by firm acidity....light, ring gold in the glass.
Only 5 years old, with a fine future ahead....not as lush , or complex as the 2013......but 5 years in the cellar will make a difference....after a two hour decant, went well with fried oysters, french fries and cole slaw.
May rate a 93, down the road.

2/21/2024 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine:

Quite a lot of Chianti (Must & Lees, Warren Street): Nothing to contradict my previous note on this wine, and if anything the direct comparison against lots of equivalent bottles from good producers brought its quality into focus. There's a level of detail and delineation which sets it apart- a producer to follow closely

12/31/2023 - David J Cooper wrote:

A bit on the dark side for Sangiovese. Beautiful rich nose, black cherry, plums, unsmoked cigar, dried spices, and the forest. Delicious rich earthy black fruit and nutmeg flavours and a rich dry black fruit and tobacco finish.

Lots of everything here, definitely on the rich textured side of Chianti.

12/26/2023 - David J Cooper wrote:

I really enjoyed this. I tend toward the refreshing Grower Champagnes mostly but am starting to want more of this style.

Clear light yellow. Lots of green apple, lemon, with brioche and a bit of caramel. Lots of depth, lemon, mineral, green apple and spent yeast. Lovely dry finish.

11/3/2020 - darrenv Likes this wine:

I think this needs a few years. Nice big nose, dark fruits, but the mouthfeel is way out of balance. It's like someone calling you names. On the palate it's burnt assholes wrapped in electrical tape. I do have hope for it in a few years. For the money, it's great with something like pizza.

11/18/2023 - Bob H wrote:

Gorgeous - quintessential Chianti Classico, IMO. Tart red fruits on the nose and palate, good energy, youthful but also enjoyable. I have to admit that off this bottle, I am tempted to grab a Rancia from this vintage to check it out.

7/5/2023 - sastewart wrote:

Purchased on release and stored at 55 degrees. Oxidized.

7/25/2023 - David J Cooper wrote:

Darker than the 19. Not as fragrant or floral but more serious and earthy. Black cherry, berry, forest floor and warm earth. Dry structured earth black cherry flavours and a dry textured finish. Made to age.

5/23/2023 - David J Cooper wrote:

Nothing like the previous bottle. Dull nose, dried out flavours and acid finish. What happened?

4/30/2023 - Oechsle Likes this wine:

When a professional critic scores this 3 points from perfection and it falls Well short they do themselves a disservice. Makes me wonder if the Domaine poured the same wine to the critic that we the public get. Scoring this along the lines of an Ampuis or La La’s is just crazy talk. Their Wine Critic Guild ID Card should be temporarily suspended. Lol, Nose lacks perceivable fruit, dog paw, Mushroom (aka, wet cardboard), Lemon, Green peppercorns, mineral lift. On palate, tannins are still grippy and moisture wicking but, they are powdery fine and integrating. Starting to soften and loose some of its angles. Acidity better integrated then 5 years back but, still robust. Fruits beginning to peek through Black currant and morello cherry. Still dominated by gravelly terroir. Hints of smoke and cured meats. Muscular and full bodied this needs a rich fatty meal, roast leg of lamb or braised meats. Enjoyed over 2 days served with a slight chill. It’s in a good place right now to try if you have several bottles on hand otherwise give it another 2-3 years in cold storage. Purchased upon release and stored accordingly. Day 2 after vacuum cold storage acidity more pronounced and sharp with metallic taste developing. Generous amount of granular sediment… Na zdrowie

2/9/2023 - David J Cooper wrote:

Replacement for oxidized bottle. A little better but not very good.

2/9/2023 - David J Cooper wrote:

Did a check in after reading a couple of negative notes. I decanted for 90 minutes or so. My thoughts are this is right on track. Nice more acid driven fresh fruited CC. Definitely Hold if you want something more developed, but the future is bright.

1/26/2023 - JohnMcIlwain wrote:

Nice fruit, and not too much weight, but there seems to be some wood spice in with the Sangiovese rose dust and underbrush. Not obtrusive, but not exactly discreet either. Iron and sour cherry are in place and a wild strawberry perfume floats above the proceedings. This is recognizably Chianti Classico, but I’d hold for 2-3 years to let this knit. I like it pretty well, but I’ll withhold judgement. This may wake up and dazzle, yet; but today this is good and ticks the boxes rather than inspiring. I wouldn’t discount this, but maybe hold out on opening for a couple years. Very good with cannellini beans uccelletta with sausage and broccoli.

12/31/2021 - Okanaganwine Does not like this wine:

Not as good as banrok station

10/22/2021 - David J Cooper wrote:

Way too early. I am not making a note because this was way too tight.

8/13/2022 - Neecies Likes this wine:

Mystified by all the poor scores--this must have had a lot of awkward phases. But if it did, it's not in one now. We've been sampling supermarket Italian reds over the past few weeks and this is far and away the winner so far. Unmistakably Italian and evolved at six years out with a warm dark red and black fruits, baking spice, raisins and canned tomato notes. Going back to the store we purchased this at and will buy all the remaining bottles.

7/4/2022 - David J Cooper wrote:

Clear light yellow with quite a bit of mousse. Lovely nose, bread dough, green apple, lemon zest and white flowers. Intense yeasty lemon curd and mineral flavours and a gorgeous long dry finish.

I would say this is grand cru quality for a decent price. Half the price of 07 Comtes.

7/22/2022 - David J Cooper wrote:

Oh so very, very oxidized.

5/23/2022 - karl.1480 Likes this wine:

Totally agree with Blair Curtis and David J Cooper.

6/4/2022 - fcxj wrote:

Oxidative style, not my thing.

5/18/2022 - VinoMomNola Does not like this wine:

This did not taste to me. I was under the impression Crianza is not supposed to age this long yet I bought it not too long ago. Rookie mistake, did not enjoy it.

2/8/2022 - Laz4wine wrote:

Well WTF so disappointing, similar to DJC...was this a Top 100 or some stupid rating to make me bet on buying 3 bottles? Decanted for nearly 2 hrs then served with chx parm w/pasta and it's pretty much a mess of a wine. The funky smells did blow off slowly, then wall of bitter dark choc, dry sour cherries and balsamic dominate the palate. Fruit is so dark/plummy and bitter it was tough to enjoy modestly w/o food on every sip. Acidic and chewy, this either is variation or outright poor quality as I don't expect 5 or 10 years is going to correct the situation here. NR as perhaps it got cooked, but I tend to doubt it from experience...unless it died in shipment. FFFF

1/17/2022 - David J Cooper wrote:

Clear light red with a bit of brown. Medium intense nose, earth, cherry, currants, nutmeg and a bit of old wood. Dry delicious earthy cherry and spice flavours. The finish was tannic but in a non aggressive sort of way.

I am very happy to drink this now. I am not sure it could get any better for my palate.

1/16/2022 - salarvcj Likes this wine:

Drank from a magnum with roast rib of beef. Decanted for two hours and then drank over the next two. Good but not very strong nose sharp red fruits and a little pepper. Medium dark red colour, nice balanced acidity and lovely integrated tannins. Almost Burgundian in nature and a very enjoyable Crozes-Hermitage

1/1/2022 - David J Cooper wrote:

Clear light gold. Fresh apricot, peach and baked apple nose Dry orchard fruit flavours and a slightly sweet rich finish.

7/19/2021 - sid_loves_wine Likes this wine:

My first from ARPEPE. Easily the best wine I've had from the Valtellina (with strong competition) and one of my top Nebbiolos overall.

Effortlessly aromatic nose with a burst of cherry- interestingly, it evokes both very bright/sour cherry as well as a hint of much richer luxardo cherry, without anything in between. Lots of floral tones, some rose petal but also violets, white flowers, and even wild herbs (mint, thyme). No typical "oak" note, although there's definitely a tiny note of fresh-cut wood, maybe cedar or even sandalwood, intriguing, but never competing with the fruit. Even more interesting is a subtle meaty tone, very much like salty charcuterie. Initially the nose felt simple and primary, but as the fruit tones relaxed in the glass, a ton of interesting nuance began to show.

Palate is a real stunner- the most understated tannin possible in young Nebbiolo (texturally felt like a slightly tannic Pinot Noir, with a gentle weight to it but never chalky or grippy.) Beautiful bright acidity that doesn't feel awkwardly tart- there's a very salty, savory meaty tone mingling with the tart fruit, while the ripeness and floral tones (all present on the palate too) coalesce to an ultra-harmonious and lingering finish.

It's harder for me to fall in love with Nebbiolo as often as PN, Syrah, many other noble grapes- often difficult to justify drinking young as they can be super-primary or even harsh, while aged examples can be out of my budget by the time they're ready. This was a real treat- very vivid, complex, and easily worth $45.

10/10/2021 - David J Cooper wrote:

Dark purple red. Warm nose cherry, plum and smoke. Slightly rich flavours, plum, black cherry and a bit of bar b que sauce. Not sweet but a bit of ripeness in the finish.

12/31/2020 - Neecies Likes this wine:

Gorgeous. Chardonnay flavors generous like a rich lemon curd with minerality, good concentration, perfect finish. Not 'austere' as someone else recently noted, just dry. Putting this on my shopping list--I want more.

3/3/2021 - scorbett Likes this wine:

Granny smith, chalk, seashell. Some hint of herbaceousness.

In Canada at least, it's hard to find a better chablis for the price. Firm status as one of my main weekday whites.

9/30/2021 - David J Cooper wrote:

Clear medium red. Medium light nose, black berry, warm currants, and a hint of funky rubber. Tight dry berry flavours and a balanced finish.

Not sure if it was me or the wine, just not very exciting until the last glass.

8/28/2021 - Neecies Likes this wine:

Alvin's. Ripe nose, dark chocolate. On the palate, more ripe than bright, lacks acidity.

8/9/2021 - Loathesome Likes this wine:

Funnily enough agree with Mr. Cooper and always feel the Rosso needs a few weeks of just sitting in the rack. I have had most of the last 7-10 vintages and often disappointed with first first bottle but they seem to get better in a short period of time after that. This has excellent spice fruit, good acidity, mid weight and a nice length. Typical well defined Sangiovese from Sesti.

7/1/2021 - David J Cooper wrote:

Clear medium red. Cassis, warm earth, cherry and a hint of oak. Dry tasty cassis and red fruit and a dry tannic finish.

I bought 2 of these each with a giant Riedel Winewings glass for $41 Canadian. It was more of an experiment than anything else. We actually enjoyed the glasses and did not hate the wine.

9/6/2008 - Frank Murray III wrote:

9/6/08 OC Wine Dinner (Nesai In Newport Beach, CA): Seemed a little dull. I admit, I am not an experienced champagne drinker but it seemed to lack complexity and reminded me more of a Martinelli apple cider than a champagne--not as sweet but that apple flavor.

7/2/2021 - David J Cooper wrote:

Clear medium red with browning. Fairly intense green pepper, thyme and cassis nose. Dry red fruit and green herb flavours and a very nice balanced long finish.

Younger bottles seemed a bit disjointed and too intense, this is very nice.

5/25/2021 - Sean Tay wrote:

Yeast, lemon, grapefruit, mineral. High acidity, unfortunately it was not served cold enough and hence affecting the taste. Using the right glasses is important as well.

5/1/2021 - David J Cooper wrote:

Deep red. Medium intense nose, black berry, tar, and plum nose. Delicious slightly meaty dark fruit flavours and a nice balanced grippy finish.

Fun to drink.

4/23/2021 - Milos wrote:

Classic young Beaucastel; ripe fruit with lots of complexity; firm ripe tannins. Drank over 3 days and lots of life left at the end.

4/2/2021 - David J Cooper wrote:

Medium red. Lovely elegant floral notes open up to spicy cassis and cherry. Dry spicy red fruit flavours and a long dry finish.

Very nice wine. At this point there is no cedar box or earthiness just pure fresh fruit and flowers.

3/31/2021 - cannym Likes this wine:

Ruby, some browning to edge. A real Tondonia in a minor key. Good complexity, with cherry, raspberry and cranberry fruits. Then something smoky, aromatic spices, furniture polish, old church interiors. And more. Simply less concentration and intensity than a Tondonia. Tons of acidity. Medium length. Excellent value.

3/17/2021 - David J Cooper wrote:

Clear bright pink. Intense fresh cherry, spice and berry nose. Delicious dry red fruit and spice flavours and a beautiful dry cherry finish.

Everything you could want from a Rose.

12/13/2020 - David J Cooper wrote:

This is a note for 2 bottles of this bought a couple of days ago. These bottles seemed dried out and less interesting then previous bottles.

Medium red. Nice spicy red cherry and forest floor nose. Dry red cherry flavours and a very dry acid forward finish.

3/16/2021 - David J Cooper wrote:

Maybe a bad bottle. Flabby and oxidized.

2/12/2021 - David J Cooper wrote:

Blind next to Fontodi CC same vintage.

Clear medium red. Forest floor, black cherry, sage and black currant. Dry earthy cherry and herb flavours and a dry tannic finish.

More interesting and a bit less solar then the Fontodi. Definitely my favourite of the 2.

3/3/2021 - Neecies Likes this wine:

Holding back when first opened on Saturday, but fully realized yesterday (Tuesday) with all the raisin-y stuff we love about Tuscan sangiovese. These should cellar well for years.

2/21/2021 - David J Cooper wrote:

Clear medium garnet. Medium minus intensity both in the nose and mouth. Black berry, cured meat and some warm spice. Nothing particularly peppery or wild. It finishes as it started just a bit underwhelming.

2/13/2021 - diggydan wrote:

The more I drink the less I like LdH. The highs are high but the wines are too inconsistent (yea, I know). This bottle, while not bad, has none of the "brilliant bright red" fruit in a bottle from less than 3 years ago.

1/29/2021 - df1962 wrote:

PnD let air for 2hrs.

Consistent with previous. Complex and subtle. So delicious.

1/18/2021 - HowardNZ Likes this wine:

A brilliant Nebbiolo - supposedly from a lesser Barbaresco vintage - nothing floral or sweet, all grounded and savoury. A bouquet of red cherries and plums, melted road tar, menthol, damp peaty soil and dried herbs. On palate, still quite coiled and tight but open enough to be enjoyed now. Ovello typicity. Earthy with underbrush, plush red cherries - some sour - and plums, soy, sottobosco and creosote. Piercing but not aggressive acidity. Structured, full and dense. The tannic grip on the quite long finish suggest this Ovello should be even better from 2024+.