October 29, 2022 - Deep garnet colour, quite opaque. Forward nose of ripe red fruit, floral and forest floor notes Leather notes in the background. The leather note completely cleaned up over about an hour. The palate showed some tannins and structure a that smoothed out over about an hour as the wine put on weight. Beautiful clean dark red fruit, minerals on the palate leading to an intense long finish. So enjoyable now and I do not think it is getting any better.
August 27, 2022 - Dark reddish garnet in color with some clearing at the edges. Full, fragrant & attractive nose of ripe fruit aromas of cherries, blueberries & plums with overtones of earthy/dusty & floral notes, spices, tobacco, leather, minerals, herbs a hint of cedar. Full bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, ripe fruit flavors of cherries, cranberries & plums with spices, dried herbs, minerals & a hint of oak. Lingering smooth finish. Drinks quite well with decanting & airing. At 25 years of age, it is at its peak & I doubt any further development would occur from additional aging. Cork was clean & intact; file was at lower neck. A beautiful, aged Brunello!
December 24, 2021 - over the hill
April 8, 2021 - The rating reflects what we most likely missed. There were still hints of dark berries, some leather and some black pepper on the end. Color was still there. Very little dreg, surprisingly.
December 17, 2020 - On the gentle downslope. On the nose it was tertiary, showing damp forest floor. Aged Brunello notes of tobacco and tea leaves, and the fruit was a little too dried and stewed for my liking.
January 31, 2020 - 1 hour in the glass- wow- quintessential aged Brunello- everything you’d expect- perfect balance and a nice finish- certainly in its prime and should hold here for another 3-5 years. No sense in waiting on these. In a great spot now.
November 2, 2017 - Amazing. Every ‘97 Brunello I open, I question whether it has held up. Superb balance. No signs of rolling over. Ample fruit, light tannins.
October 21, 2017 - This bottle was better than the one I had in February. It was softer and fresher and had better balance. Plenty of ripe red and dark fruits that was not overwhelmed by acidity. Very nice.
August 11, 2017 - Was worried about the age, but corked popped, great nose, full body, some fruit and mellow tannins. A pleasant surprise!
March 15, 2017 - Plummy and ripe. Very, very meaty. Almost bloody. There is a really clear, really attractive savory note to this one. The palate is dark and full. Teriyaki beef. Acid is still powerful for the richness on the palate. Really tasty.