December 6, 2023 - The wines of Biondi Santi, with Federico Radi (Zoom tasting): Wine 3: Tasting sample mailed by a wine retailer for a video tasting with Federico Radi, Viticulture and Winemaking Director at Biondi Santi. 14.5% ABV. Medium to dark garnet colour. The most floral of the three wines. The floral notes are joined by dark fruit, light chocolate, light earth, complex spice notes, light tobacco, some sandalwood, and balsamic notes, with good acidity, dry, grippy, slightly rustic tannin, and very good length. The wine is a little austere at this point, but it keeps developing as it is breathes in the glass, and it really grew on me. I can see it pairing well with food already. That said, the wine is still way too young for enjoying it on its own. It should be interesting (and rewarding) to watch this age and mellow. 93(+)(?)
October 24, 2023 - Tasting: My number 3 in a Brunello tasting of 7 wines.
December 16, 2022 - HDH auction at avec River North (Chicago, IL): Absolutely fantastic. Intense herbal notes, with floral and earthy tones as well. Simultaneously bright and very intense and complex; much larger scaled than the straight up regular BdM, and drinking very nicely, even if it is far, far too young. Well made sangiovese with a very clean fruit profile. Can't see this turning muddy ever.
November 16, 2022 - Lovely perfumed nose. Berries, star anise, touches of orange and brambles. Palate red and dark fruits, some warm brambly pie notes. Earthiness that I agree with critics is rather ferrous. Deep, complex and vibrant in its youth. Exciting.
Sample tasting - no score given but I know this will be excellent with more time to mature. Score range 93-96.
August 4, 2022 - Tasted at Il Greppo, bottle opened in advance
Generous nose of blueberry, wild strawberry, a balsamic note, cherry, nail polish, black pepper, sichuan pepper, worn leather and cigar box.
Full bodied with a round mouthfeel, plenty of tannins, though they are fine, no rusticity. Crunchy red fruits, grouse blood, bacon fat, dried mushrooms.
All elements very clean. Though not as precise as the 16 Annata, this is just a totally different style. Richer style, the vintage shines through, though I´m impressed with how they managed to reign in the energy, keeping it from being too fruit forward. Also very happy with the quality of the tannins and the freshness still being in the forefront.
Fantastic wine, though for the long haul, the 16 Annata seems to me a superior choice.
April 19, 2022 - Più potenza rispetto alle riserve passate ma senza togliere nulla all'eleganza. Da seguire l'evoluzione nel tempo di questa riserva e vedere cosa sarà in grado di darci.
April 3, 2022 - 8 Vintages of Biondi Santi Riserva 1975-2015: Great opportunity to learn about Biondi Santi and taste 8 Riserva vintages with technical director Frederico Radi. I see why people are intrigued by these wines: they are all about finesse and freshness, with high quality tannins (which still require long ageing to fully melt) and a high and but high quality acidity. Puristic but austere. I don‘t think the balance and the complexity are up there with the best fines wines. And I don’t find enough (or much) hedonistic charm in these wines (there is not enough fruit, especially considering that you should to age these wines 30, 40, 50 years). Don‘t get me wrong, these are good wines just not on the level one would expect given the reputation (or market prices).
TN: Medium- intense nose with quite ripe fruit, minerality, herbs. On this nose the balance between sweet fruit and earthy elements is better than in the other vintages. Same profile on the palate with ripe, red dark berries, some blue berries, lots of minerality, herbs. Very high freshness, a bit acidic, the tannins are a touch furry. Overall this is good but without any exceptionalism. A touch of creaminess, the complexity and the quality of tannins are not on par with the best fine wines. 92 pts
April 2, 2022 - Tasted at the Matter of Taste Zurich Biondi Santi Masterclass (8 of the 41 Riservas ever made). Sugar-coated red berries award this with a very alluring, sexy character. Not much of dried tomatoes as I found other recent vintages, in fact a much fresher herbal overlay, not minty like 1985, more dried laurels. Youthful and wild palate but balance came across better than in previous vintages. Tannins that felt softer in nature, even if they still had a lot of grip.
March 30, 2022 - Incredible opportunity to taste yet another Riserva of Biondi Santi and what a fortunate evening to compare this glorious vintage with legendary Soldera. Complex and delicate aroma of fragrant roses, dried cherries, earth, cranberries, dried orange peel, oaky spices, rose-hip, tobacco. Medium body, complex, elegant and concentrated. Fruit felt very focused and delicate with saline touches, smooth and velvety texture, bright harmonious acidity, polished well structured tannins, everlasting finish.
March 26, 2022 - Wonderful nose, lots of ripe fruit, beautiful finish. Like liquid silk.