December 7, 2019 - Deep red, dense and full bodied. Black cherry, cherry, earth, wood, a bit of smoke. Moderate tannin, pretty much in line with the full body and deep fruit. Still with that the fruit had some freshness and the palate was nicely alive. Actually reminded me of some weightier Barberas. A food wine for sure, and it was served with pan fried pork chops. I'd say time in bottle has been good for this, and still has some years ahead of it.
September 24, 2016 - Vinefera Imports Tasting (Giovanni): This is still drinking young. Very accessible and easy to drink. Black raspberries, some tar and smoke. Quite interesting. There are some tannins especially on the back end. Seems to have plenty of life left. Very good.
July 11, 2016 - This is my last bottle and I am adjusting my rating to 87. It is definitely an interesting wine and I was happy to experience the Piedirosso grape which I was not familiar with. It has a good flavor, just a bit too much on the fruit-sweet side for my taste. New world wine lovers may find this more enjoyable.
May 26, 2016 - Still very dark, but seemed to have lost a little of its character together with the rough edges, very tasty though with well balanced acidity to balance the dark plum and currant fruit.
January 29, 2016 - A nice expression of what I think is a New World Italian wine. Very dark in the glass and the overall tasting experience mirrors the visual impressions. Dark fruit and smooth integrated tannins. Paired with Chicken Diandria from Melonie's. A delicious accompliment to our meal. Overall, I would tend to agree with most of the other assessments of this wine. A nice under $20 Friday night wine. Very good and money well spent.
January 8, 2016 - Kind of different than what I was looking for in an Italian wine but it has its charms. Doesn't really strike me as particularly "old world", as it seems to polished (smooth, silky, almost as if micro oxygenated?) and fruit sweet. Very brambly dark fruit like blackberry. Does not have a whole lot of tannin presence, so I would not pair this with steak. Kind of a tough call for food, certainly good with dark chocolate but maybe just best enjoyed as a tasty sipper on its own. Fresh and compelling, nicely rounded now and everything has integrated well. Not showing signs of age creeping in now, but I don't think I would hold much longer. 1 more bottle left.
January 1, 2016 - Deep teeth stainer. Herbal, heavy extraction, medium tannins.
June 22, 2015 - Served with grilled steak, sauteed wild mushrooms/garlic/balsamic on greens. Decanted 1 hour before meal. Lively red fruit, blackberry too, fresh and aged notes. Earth and wood. Bit of tannin, nice acidity. Seems ready to go. Perfect with meal. Enjoyable, just different enough...
June 18, 2015 - Best showing yet. Meaty blackberry smoke bramble. We had it with an anchovy pizza, but it would be great with something bigger/darker/gamier.
June 1, 2015 - Fantastic smell. Like burning sweet spices, incense, smoked chile -- a smoky scent. Carries into the mouth -- but paler. Red fruit also in the mouth. Medium tannins. Medium finish.