June 21, 2019 - Bought several bottles 15+ years ago from the old Sam's during one of its warehouse sales--probably around 20/b. Decanted with heavy sediment. Almost opaque with hint of amber edge; prunes and some old leather on the nose and following on the body, good mouthfeel, portlike, past prime, better with food, esp. full-flavored cheese. Notes from last bottle tried 10 years ago say this was very good then. Stored horizontally in a cool, dark basement since purchase. My evaluation: I've stopped giving scores on a "100-point scale" as I've become less convinced that they can be meaningful to others. I use a 4-category scale (perhaps with +/-)--not including flawed--which runs outstanding/notable/drinkable/poor. I considered this notable- when considering quality, age, and price.
September 23, 2011 - 11 Years old and I'm surprised how young this wines seems to be. Lots of ripe and stewed fruits, big body, well extracted, soft tannins, needs some air to show its fully fruitiness, christmas cake, raisins, candied orange peel, plums, cinnamon - winterwonderland.
June 6, 2010 - Vini Rossi-L'Ultimo Piano (Asti Trattoria): Overall the second favorite wine in a flight of five Siciliani tre bicchieri, this wine had a lot of black cherry and dried fruit character. A well-made wine, it was quite ripe and extracted, and had good balance, though lacked some adicity. A Christmas wine, with syrupy and extracted flavors of chocolate-covered cherries, stewed fruits, ginger, plums, and raisins--perhaps mince-meat pie with dried cherries. A good finish.
May 22, 2009 - concentrated dark inky purple. alcohol wood and dark fruit and spice. WS 90 in 2004. Bright vibrant dark fruit. Good concentration and firm tannins. Very modern yet distinctively Italian.
October 9, 2005 - Nero d'Avola is grape variety I truly enjoy, and this one continues this trend very well. Lovely yet elegant aromas of spices, ripe fruits and minerals with a touch of pepper in the background. Taking a sip surprised me greatly: huge concentration of very ripe fruit loaded with minerals. Lovely and solid structure that seems to be able to handle the expressive fruitiness, providing a nice balance between old and new world style. Interesting array of flavors with lovely elegant sweetness coming in at the end. Slick balance with integrated tannins that could use more cellar time to soften. With the levels offered now, this one should cellar nicely till 2010 and improve very well till then. I believe it will unveil a more complex experience at that point, that seems to be hidden right now by the masses of young concentrated sweet fruit. A lovely solid example of what Nero d'Avola is all about.
November 28, 2004 - This Nero D'avola came with a bigger reputation than the character I discovered. A nice bottle of wine, without doubt but rather indescript and generic, lacking in individuality or character. I will try the lower level wine of this producer, simply known by the grape type to see what justification there is for the double price.