4/1/2024 - Macdog wrote:

The first bottle I had of this 2 years ago was better than this one. Serious wine. A bit too serious for me! Some alcohol on the p. Better after quite a lot of air. Interesting and nice with Comte.

3/9/2024 - Macdog Likes this wine:

I enjoyed this wine more than I expected (and more than the 2014 gevrey drank alongside). Would prob buy again at the right price.

3/9/2024 - Macdog Likes this wine:

Decent and I enjoyed it but I actually preferred the morey to my surprise. Perhaps drunk too soon.

3/9/2024 - Macdog Likes this wine:

Good wine. 2 cases drunk. Very pleased with the QPR and did what it was supposed to for pnp red burg.

2/15/2024 - Macdog Likes this wine:

Pnp lovely and great qpr
Light but enough stuffing
Classic barolo on n and p

12/31/2023 - Macdog Likes this wine:

Likeable and decent and drinking well now but no rush (from mag) best after an hour of slow ox

12/31/2023 - Macdog Likes this wine:

Drinking nicely no rush vv enjoyable and good at its level

12/27/2023 - Macdog Likes this wine:

Great bottle of wine. Not the best ever claret or lynch but just so solidly great. Interesting on n and p, cool on the p. Graphite. Dark, blue, red fruit. Shame lynch is as expensive as it is.

12/24/2023 - Macdog Likes this wine:

Drink now. What a gift. Everything great about claret rolled into a bottle. Not from a heralded year so one wonders what a great vintage would do. If it weren’t so expensive I’d buy some and see…

2/15/2024 - Macdog Likes this wine:

Present from Ross. Was absolutely great after 2-3 hrs of air. Hold other bottles for 3-5 years for some development upside.

11/14/2023 - Macdog Likes this wine:

Very likeable - more so than the hermitage drank next to it which was also excellent. Classic CNDP on p. Some brunt rubber/neoprene in it. Really enjoyed. 1 btl left and will be held .

10/31/2023 - Macdog Likes this wine:

V likeable Neb. A bit smoother and 'made' than the equivalent from Luigi Oddero which is a bit lighter. I really enjoyed it and will enjoy drinking the rest of the case. Didnt need decanting or air - fine to pnp. Does what langhe neb should. Drinking now. V good qpr.

10/31/2023 - Macdog Likes this wine:

I agree with DF162 below. Fierce acidity on opening, but glass 1 decent nonetheless. A glass on day 2 was superb and stood up against much more expensive and older wines. By day 3 starting to be a bit too choclatey. So, 2 hr decant looks about right. Works best with food but also good on its own. Crowd pleasing but sufficiently serious (after decanting). Good QPR.

10/24/2023 - Macdog Likes this wine:

Sarasto’s review below accurate.
Really decent wine. Rose on n. Light red in glass. Solid red, blue and dark red fruit on p. Nice balance and length. Drying tannin on finish.
I enjoyed it and would buy again.

10/20/2023 - Macdog Likes this wine:

Great quality and good qpr. Light and nice without food. Dense, brambly , dark red and blue fruit on p. V nice. Will buy more.

10/20/2023 - Macdog Likes this wine:

V good p n p would buy more. Good qpr . Light enough without food but sufficiently full and intersting. Stands up well with roast/gravy etc.

10/5/2023 - Macdog Likes this wine:

Some violets and florality on the nose. Dark cool fruit on p. Rich and moreish on the p. Good balance and nice length. Perhaps missing a bit of the energy I was expecting. Really likeable and enjoyable.

9/29/2023 - Macdog wrote:

Better with food

9/17/2023 - Macdog Likes this wine:

Superb wine and superb qpr. Great on opening but put in weight in the decanter so I’d recommend 30 mins plus of air. Likeable and enjoyable but also with seriousness and pedigree. Interstsing and complex. Red cherries on the n and dark red fruit on p. Great length for the price point. Drinking now (perhaps near optimal) but no rush.

9/17/2023 - Macdog Likes this wine:

These are delicious, crowd pleasing, fun and friendly but with enough seriousness to go with a variety of dishes on a variety of occasions. Can p n p but better after 30 mins of air . I’d been trying to keep at least half a case for 10 years plus but sadly now only have 1 left… opening one btl has never been enough.

9/17/2023 - Macdog Likes this wine:

This was great. Serious Tuscan Merlot. Complex, quite powerful, and long. Drink or hold. I’d try the next one in 5-7 years. Much deeper and darker than expected (I expected more plush red fruit). Opened and slow ox in cellar for 3 hours then splash decant to drink after about 20 mins - kept improving but showed superbly - I’d do this again because I wouldn’t want to break the structure down much more than this.

9/10/2023 - Macdog Likes this wine:

I really enjoyed this. Good QPR. Drinking now - no rush but I’m not sure this is a long haul wine and frnakly might as well be enjoyed. Best after a short decant.

9/10/2023 - Macdog Likes this wine:

Delicious. Good body and length. Best with crab linguine. Maybe too much body for caprese salad.

9/10/2023 - Macdog Likes this wine:

Great QPR. Fun easy going very nice Tuscan fun. Best after 30-40 mins in a decanter.

9/5/2023 - Macdog Likes this wine:

This comes with a Roagna price tag. Good but not great, but I think that is probably barbera. At the top end of barbera that I’ve had. I enjoyed it and would buy it again but let’s not kid - it’s not good value in the barbera market. Crowd pleasing as barbera can be. Some Roagna hallmarks in the balance and presentation - the wine making skill is evident. Perhaps a little odd in the N but that blew off. Soft tannins red and blue fruit. Likeable but not long. Lacks some energy and interest. Went nicely with truffle ravioli. Elio grasso’s barbera is comparable for quality. I expected a bit more given I’d had the Roagna dolcetto recently and was amazed what they had done with that grape. I didn’t decant but did pour into glasses and allow to breathe. Didn’t see noticeable improvement across the few hours that we drank it. I don’t know my narendra vintages so no idea if this is a major or minor year.

8/25/2023 - Macdog Likes this wine:

Drinking nicely, I doubt any further upside albeit the sweet fruit might fade a bit. No rush - next bottle in 2024. Try a 2010 next.
Good QPR if you like VS's HB style. Echoes of the grand vin. Sweet red fruit with a bit of blue fruit. Best at cellar temp after a few hours in the decanter. Crowd pleasing.

8/22/2023 - Macdog Likes this wine:

I really like this. Fresh. Light (alpine?) notes across a barolo profile but with a dense and dark core. Not massively complex but sufficiently intersesting. Keep in view the price point here - it’s still v good! The last 3 notes below, whilst different, do tell the slightly confusing story of this wine. The 4th note below, with an 88 point score, is an outlier and seems anamolous - can be discounted /disregarded. This drinks very nicely now. Everything is neatly balanced. There is a core of quality, deep, dark blue fruit that is likely to evolve over time. Will it improve? I am not sure I know. I think that this comes down to how you like your wine. I will err on the side of caution (and positivity) and hold the last 8 bottles for a while. Good QPR. (The ‘18 looks like it will lose the good qpr tag and price against barolo…). It misses the elevation, complexity, and length of a great wine but it only cost £40 and should be judged accordingly.

8/22/2023 - Macdog Likes this wine:

Really good after 2-3 hours in decanter and at cellar temp. I was p n p’ing these but sadly now I’ll have to let them breathe or hold the remaining bottles. Stood up well after a 2014 grattamacco with bbq’d butterflied leg of lamb.

8/22/2023 - Macdog Likes this wine:

Great QPR. Served (inadvertently) blind to rob and dad - is it a bdx or is it something else? A light herbal, sun kissed character points to a super Tuscan. I’d hold them if I hold more. I wonder what it’s like in a good year…?

8/17/2023 - Macdog Likes this wine:

Enjoyable and nothing wrong with it but there are other wines at this level and price point that I would buy ahead of it. Fair value in the sale at c£20/btl but above that I’d have been a little underwhelmed.

8/17/2023 - Macdog Likes this wine:

This was good but not as good as my last note. Perhaps not decanted for long enough (or at all coming to think of it!).

8/17/2023 - Macdog wrote:

Bottle 2 of 2. Decent and had some interest hidden away in it. I liked it but wouldn’t seek this producer out again. Fairly consistent tasting to my last note.

8/17/2023 - Macdog Likes this wine:

Superb with crab linguine. If it was straightforward to buy more then I would but it isn’t. V good QPR.

8/17/2023 - Macdog Likes this wine:

This was a step up from the estate (‘19) but I’m not sure I necessarily prefer it. Richer and more buttery and more of a mouthful. Not sure id be any rush to drink up any remaining bottles in fact I’d probably hold them. Has the same sort of flint, lime pith nose as the estate which eventually pretty much blows off. Needed about half an hour to show properly. Very good QPR.

8/17/2023 - Macdog Likes this wine:

Super with crab linguine

8/17/2023 - Macdog Likes this wine:

Classic claret with pleasant sweet fruit

8/17/2023 - Macdog Likes this wine:

Great on day 1 and even better on day 2 after a night in the fridge. Drunk on Brancaster beach. Perfect temp about 30 mins out of fridge.

8/1/2023 - Macdog wrote:

this was good. maybe a bit meaty. i would buy again at the right price <£50

8/1/2023 - Macdog Likes this wine:

excellent. finessed and linear and powerful. dark core of fruit but with lift. super with ossobuco . wish i had a few more. good value

8/1/2023 - Macdog Likes this wine:

Superb barolo lite . 2 hrs open at cellar temp best but great as a p n p and develops in glass.

8/1/2023 - Macdog Likes this wine:

Just a little bit flat with truffle tagliolini . Lightly of Burnt oranges . Not much life left? Worst / least good bottle so far. Hold last bottle of 6 as a test.

8/1/2023 - Macdog Likes this wine:

Excellent barbera. Deep and dark but nicely balanced by sweet purple/dark fruit. Good acidity/freshness. Nice length. Low tannin. I agree with Caroline titlon’s note below.

8/1/2023 - Macdog Likes this wine:

Delicious now but will clearly hold

8/1/2023 - Macdog Likes this wine:

Dolcetto finessed by Roagna greatness

8/1/2023 - Macdog Likes this wine:

I liked this and the note immediately below describes it very well. Hallmarks of the producer and decent enough. '14 was tough but not that bad! Not decanted, improved in glass - next time open early and leave to stand in bottle in cellar for an hour or so. Drank before the 1967.

8/1/2023 - Macdog Likes this wine:

Too early. Hold.

7/31/2023 - Macdog wrote:

either stewed or just not very good. not rated.

7/31/2023 - Macdog wrote:

This was ok. Decent enough. Powerful. Not as good as the more recent vintages of albasani I have tried. These Piero Busso wines are quite expensive c£60/btl but this was £35/40 per btl so perhaps that explains it!

7/31/2023 - Macdog Likes this wine:

I enjoyed this but it’s probably the other end of the style of barolo that I like because I thought it was probably quite heavy on the oak. Either way it had a powerful coil of dark fruit. I dont think there’s any rush to drink but I think this may have been better drink earlier. Tricky to know where to drink barolo because I don’t think it’s aging trajecotry/profile is the same as bdx.

7/31/2023 - Macdog Likes this wine:

A really interesting experience. Obviously mature! But by no means falling apart. It was all still there. Not decanted but did improve in the bottle and in the glass. I thought about buying another bottle but I think this is best drink as a one off.