9/30/2021 - Kustjagr Likes this wine:

Drinking the first out of 6 bottles way too early. Supple and well rounded. The Cab gives this tannins and acidicity. The Syrah rounds it up and gives some fruit. Workable already, but needs a decade or so.to really shine, I assume.

3/4/2023 - Kustjagr Likes this wine:

Always been a fan of Faustino. Have so many in my cellar. This is a baby one, from 2011. Recent. Marked acidicity, supple tannins and limited tannins at this young age. Fruit is already gone. Need buy many of these for aging. Will improve.

8/10/2021 - Kustjagr Likes this wine:

Typical Brunello from a great vintage, though still too young. While the acidity, conserved red cherry, butterscotch and other Brunello tones start to be there, they are not fully developed at least yet. This is supported by the wine being red rather than brownish. Brunello meaning "small brown one". As a Brunello lover I take this and cherish it, but it is at best a mid range Brunello right now, an borderline at that. Will buy more to store them for at least a decade to see what happens.

12/22/2022 - Kustjagr Likes this wine:

Nicely done. Savory walnuts and bluish fruit. No edginess, well rounded. Expecting more character to show up with cellaring, so must buy more bottles for just that. At this point, still a bit understated but the price point is admittedly low also.

3/19/2022 - Kustjagr Likes this wine:

Has continued to develop over the years. Now quite aged for a Syrah. Even more well rounded than before, but perhaps lacking some of the earlier character and staying power. Still fruitY, but a tad bit downtoned. Nevertheless, still an epic wine, but may be starting its decline.

7/2/2020 - Kustjagr Likes this wine:

A big one. More red fruit than normally in a Syrah. And then flat out minerals. Hint of tobacco and smokey earth. Very penetrating and zippy. Modest tannins. A winner!

3/25/2022 - Kustjagr Likes this wine:

A bit pedestrian for a Faustino Gran Reserva. Or then just way too young. Lots of red fruit early on, surprisingly light and uneventful thereafter. No leathery cellar to mention. Little staying power. Ok, but nothing great presently. Missing that gran reserva angle for now. Super light on acidity. Might I even dare to call this a little watery for a Faustino gran reserva. The 2008 was better already years ago. EDIT: admittedly, a little better several hours after opening, but still essentially the same story.

12/29/2019 - Kustjagr Likes this wine:

As a huge Brunello fan, as a huge Banfi guy and having visited even the Banfi castle repeatedly, I must confess...this one is a little devoid of character. Super well rounded and nicely done. But with no edge whatsoever. The tannins are there, but depth is still missing. No fruit and very little of that Brunello "brownness". Too well rounded for a brunello. Though still beats even the best of Chianti.

12/31/2018 - Kustjagr Likes this wine:

Unexpectedly plain. As someone already said, not really a gran reserva. Certainly a tempranillo with some character, but all this oak must be to hide something. Maybe the operational word is...uneventful. As in plain.

UPDATE: bought a second bottle. Now, this one has the old world bouquet I was expecting. Stellar. Must be that I did not let the first bottle breath enough and/or it had not been properly cellared.

12/13/2019 - Kustjagr Likes this wine:

Meh. Nice early bouquet with a promise. But at the end, it being a Chianti comes through. Never tasted such a thing as a stellar Chianti. Don't think they exist. And the similar grape in Montalcino yields vastly better wines. This is a high end Chianti meaning that it is a rather average wine.

4/17/2020 - Kustjagr Likes this wine:

Does not really taste like a refined Rioja Gran Reserva from 2011. While there is a hint of earth, leather and bouquet, it is more the fruity tones that dominate. Could pass for an old syrah or something. Odd really. The tannins are still quite intact still it seem like. Maybe this just needs another 10 years in the bottle. Could turn into something great, or then not.

1/26/2021 - Kustjagr Likes this wine:

Even just a tad bit pomerolsque. Distinct berries. Candycane. Chocolate. Hints of vanilla. Powerful, yet sublime. Bright acidicity due to the 1000 feet elevation and phosphorus rich soil of the vineyard. Nicely done. A certain vague tartness is limiting for the experience.

4/4/2020 - Kustjagr Likes this wine:

Yet another bottle. This one is too powerful and zeisty to be enjoyed straight after uncorking. Absolutely requires decanting. After the decant, the wine is less jumpy and some fruitiness emerges. Pleasant nose. Strong tannins, particularly for a Syrah, but nicely integrated. So strong you can feel them in your teeth. Robust acidity. Some weak floral tones even, but purple fruit dominates, as it should in a syrah. Elderberry, raisin and the like. Personally more fan of the nearby grown K Vintners Milbrandt syrah, as it tends to be even fruitier and has slightly mellower tannins. Even then, this is a winner. With 12-13 years of cellaring potential. Very good for a syrah.

12/5/2022 - Kustjagr Likes this wine:

Meh, not as good as expected. Limited in character, but well rounded. Then again, we drank this with brief restaurant aeration only. Assume it never really had the time to open up properly.

7/11/2020 - Kustjagr Likes this wine:

Tasty. Well rounded. Funky combination of grapes with Cab, Merlot and Syrah. Rarely all in one bottle. Hint of floral tones, some purple fruit. Somewhat zippy tannins already at a baby age. Will let my remaining bottles sleep for 5-10 years more.

6/5/2021 - Kustjagr Likes this wine:

Not your typical Napa cab. Fruit, not tannins, forward. As a Merlot/Syrah lover, I like it though. Some tannins, but as said, more penetrating fruit. Some hints of smoke, but little oak. Different, but enjoyable as long as you do not expect a classic Napa cab.

1/16/2021 - Kustjagr Likes this wine:

New world merlot, of which I am fan, can never even approach these Pomerols. Instead of blunt fruit, this one has density, staying power, acidicity and complexity at an entirely different level. While that one movie gave US West Coast merlot a bad name, many of the best wines in the world are pomerols made out of merlot. This one is a little on the young side still, but already a delight.

6/11/2021 - Kustjagr Likes this wine:

Very good, nicely done. A delightful Ribera del Duero. The extra minerality one expects in a reserva is present, as are the tannins.

10/23/2021 - tmagsmaken wrote:

This wine is powerful and flexes its muscles immediately with an expansive nose of candied fruit (Haribo), sweet spice, tobacco and leather. It also has an initial hint of dust or ash that I often find in Zinfandel. (Thank you Kustjagr for pointing out Primitivo is actually the same grape as Zinfandel)
After this intro, you are bracing yourself for a bombastic and alcoholic taste. However, while it is seriously full-bodied, it is remarkably balanced and refined. Low to medium acidity, off-dry with medium but integrated tannins, high in alcohol but that does not stand out. Good finish.
Overall, this type of wine is not my personal favorite but I can only be impressed by the combination of power and balance this wine has to offer. Fair value for money given its quality (20 GBP in bond)

5/15/2021 - Kustjagr Likes this wine:

A lower end Super Tuscan primarily from Merlot and Cabernet, but also some Sangiovese, grapes. Not a fan of sangiovese, which brings that tart tomato red fruit flavor. Thankfully, the Chianti taste is very faint only. Well rounded with somewhat zippy tannins. Not a lot of character, but clearly a well made wine.

4/1/2021 - Radboy wrote:

This was a little disappointing. Fruit forward style that is the “in thing” in Napa these days. Polished but lacking depth and nuance. I think Washington State merlots are more provocative.

8/11/2020 - Kustjagr Likes this wine:

Nice value. Certainly intriguing. Not fruit forward at all. Not a very typical WA syrah in that regard. Very, very dark. Peppery. Blackberryish. Some tannins and good acid. Probably better with food.

2/13/2021 - Kustjagr Likes this wine:

Rock solid WA cab. Dark druit, olives, coffee, oak and a hint of pencil flakes. Promising moderately zippy tannins. Decent acidicity. Obviously still a baby wine but likely with OK cellaring potential for up to a decade. Likely to reach at least 92-93 range over time. Hard to beat at this price point.

9/6/2019 - Kustjagr Likes this wine:

Hello other raters? This is a standout Ribera del Duero Tempranillo. Just a standout. Old world classiness. Stellar acidicity. No fake oakiness. Well integrated tannins, sophisticated bouquet and earthiness. This is a class act. You rate this below 90 and it just shows that you are a clueless hick. Got a Grand Reserva of this aging in my cellar.

12/6/2020 - Kustjagr Likes this wine:

My default wine in this world. Have had like maybe 20-30 bottles of this vintage. Some 50 in the car still. Want to order more. This is the standard, against which I compare other wines. There of course are far better ones,.but the QPR is phenomenal
.

12/31/2019 - Kustjagr Likes this wine:

Unmistakably an Amarone. Delightful aromas on the nose. Medium tannins, subtle oak and well rounded fruit. Coffee. Black tea. Hints of chocolate. All well integrated. Not a huge Amarone fan, but have to admit that this beats the Brunello yesterday (Banfi, Brunello di Montalcino 2013).

8/28/2019 - Kustjagr Likes this wine:

A pleasant surprise. Never had any wine from Uruguay before. This one was a little pushy at first, but on the second day...very nice. Super well rounded and very well developed for such a baby wine. If this has any aging potential, this might be a steal. The fruity is there, yes, blueberry, but not dominating. As are the tannins. Really impressed. This winery was rated THE top new world winery in the New World in 2018 by the Wine Enthusiast. New World of course covering all of the US, South Africa, Australia, South America and so on. This quality, at this price point, at this baby stage for the wine ... I believe that. Try a bottle!

2/17/2019 - Kustjagr wrote:

Lovely merlot. Have visited the winery in person too. Yummy straight out of the bottle. A bit uneventful on the palate, but the acidic finish with fruit and tannins is a delight. Super solid merlot. Not a fruitbomb. Elegant. Better and longer finish than almost all cabs. Preiswert!

1/30/2020 - bobadopolis Likes this wine:

I'm feeling a little euphoric tonight, so perhaps I'm unable to be objective, but I am absolutely loving this wine. Perfectly young, unabashedly fruit forward, but with a modicum of restraint that forces you to take this wine seriously. Well balanced, and there is an underlying earthy backbone that holds everything together. The QPR on this bottle is frankly absurd. I am extremely impressed.

2/16/2018 - pavinee.paulsness@gmail.com wrote:

My review is pretty much the same as the fellow from Finland, where could you have so much fun for $10

11/19/2019 - citizen1 Likes this wine:

Agree with prior poster that it needs time to open up. Odd because last time I tried it (over a year ago) I did not think that - perhaps it's in a closed phase?

1/19/2019 - Kustjagr Likes this wine:

All those centuries of history show. This winery was established in 1685. And you can taste it. Super well integrated tannins, no excess oak at all. The fruit is present, but not offensive. Something complex, like sandalwood. Really long velvety finish. A winner.

12/17/2017 - TheMounty Likes this wine:

Good fruit, nice mouth feel, a little flabby. Good but forgettable, non-descript.