August 12, 2023 - Dinner at Old Holland Rd. Drank in Kvetna glass.
Surprisingly good and enjoyable.
Appearance is clear, deep intensity, ruby colour. Legs.
Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of chocolate, dark plums, spices, dried dark red cherries, earth and truffle with air.
On the palate, dry, medium+ acidity, high alcohol (15%), smooth resolving high tannins, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of sour red cherries, dark red cherries, sweet spices, chocolate, sweet plums. Long finish.
Very good quality. Surprisingly good in a big extracted (but not overly so) way. Oak nicely integrated into chocolate already.
May 7, 2023 - Popped, decanted, and consumed oer two nights. Good, solid Brunello. Not much exceptional to report. Didn't fade and drank just as well the second night as the first.
July 4, 2021 - drank from magnum. In a good spot now. Takes an hour to open up and settle in. Not extremely complex but solid wine.
March 31, 2021 - Mid garnet to the mahogany/bricking rim.
Savoury bouquets with umami tones, stewed strawberry, Xmas spices and super-ripe fruits. The intensity grows with liquorice, Christmas cake and more as the wine opens. Warming.
An appealing entry with an array of ripe fruits: raisins, dried fruits & olives and redcurrants, some blackberry compote, and liquorice. Whilst there is fruit sweetness, a reasonable line of fresh acidity keeps the wine upright along with dense, firm tannins.
However, as it unfolded, the wine felt a little ponderous, quite muscular, and the jam sweetness made it a little cumbersome. The fruit is also a little dried out. Good not great.
December 12, 2020 - Superb Sangiovese. Delicious crisp finish great with pepper jack cheese.
December 3, 2020 - Very solid Brunello, quite a bit of power but also so extended on account of the bottle age. Showing well. I think Brunellos can benefit from even more age though - about 17 years from vintage is a sweet spot.
March 26, 2020 - I’ve had this bottle in the cellar for at least 8 years. The cork looked like it came from the 2015 vintage. Aside from the heavy dose of abrasive tannin on the finish, this wine has come long way over the years. After a 2 hour decant and some delicious Italian pizza, it made for a perfect paring.
August 26, 2019 - Didn't decant this as our Airbnb in San Gimignano had nothing to decant with (the horror - must remember to write a strongly worded letter to the Telegraph when home). Instead started this from the cork pull and let it evolve over the night. Spiced rum and raisin nose. Sour cherries, stewed blueberries, vanilla and burnt sugar on the palette, far from the tannic austerity I've come to expect of Brunellos. Secondaries of gunpowder, dare I say, Truffle? This is marvellous and complex stuff with a perfumed finish that tingles and evolves long after the swallow.
Edit Sept 4th- I now realise, foolishly, that the “not quite Brunello” flavour in this was probably from some “not quite Brunello” Cabernet Sauvignon that snuck into the blend here - an accusation correctly levelled at Banfi in the mid-00s. Still tasty wine though.
June 20, 2019 - Medium to deep ruby appearance.
Pronounced and evolving aroma of concentrated fruit liqueur- raspberry and blackberry, baking spice and vanilla.
Medium body with medium plus acidity and well integrated tannins. Lots of similar flavor characteristics on the palate (where its obvious they were not shy with the oak). Still fresh with a medium plus finish.
On the "international" side of Brunello in terms of style but very well done. Will easily last for another 10-15 years in a cold cellar.
Interesting as another bottle of this cuvee-also purchased on release and drank about 6 months ago- was cooked, so beware bottle variation.
May 6, 2019 - Yummy and seemingly underrated! There be fiery cherry in here but the fire is very balanced. Decent finish. A bit too much alcohol on the nose. I have another bottle and will see if that alcohol burns off a bit over time.