June 14, 2023 - Gave this a couple of hours to open up. No decant. Really came around as we started the meal focused around a Porterhouse steak and getting as close to Steak Fiorentina as possible here. Had tobacco, red and black berries, with some dustiness on the finish. Great body and a clean finish. Excellent wine and in it's moment now.
August 14, 2022 - Wonderful
November 12, 2021 - (tasted blind) Gorgeous nose, classic tobacco, leather and cherries, hints of vanilla. Full bodies with perfect balance, lengthy tannins. I was worried based on other notes here that it was past its prime, but this bottle was not. May not got better, but wonderful tonight and for the near term
November 5, 2021 - Big, dark and chewy. Not a subtle wine, but tasty.
May 19, 2021 - 9th bottle over the last seven years, and this wine is continuing on its gradual downward slope. The first few bottles in 2014/2015 were simply superb, after that half of the bottles oxidative, and the rest moving from the outstanding 95 point range towards 90 as the beautifully deep fruit is shed while a fairly robust and drying tannin structure remains. While the wine gains weight with more air, and reaches eventually nice balance, its overall just a litte too lean now.
If there was not this oxidative note lurking around the corner as is so often the case for Brunello beyond the 20 year mark, I would say hold for a few more years for the tannins to soften, but given Sangiovese's inclination to oxidize, can only recommend to drink up with a little bit of time in the decanter. Still an excellent Brunello and around 92-93 today.
December 25, 2020 - Still dark garnet in the glass with just barely some signs of age on the rim. Beautiful nose after 45 minutes with some cedar/Spice/red fruit and a little smokiness and herbs. Full body, still some tannin and acid is perfectly balanced right now. Ripe but not overripe fruit and great balance right now. This has some life left but I would drink now as it seems to be right in its peak window. Beautiful wine.
November 30, 2020 - Good fruit, savory characters, had with wild boar ragu and it was delightful. Probably not a long life left.
June 13, 2020 - Last bottle from an OWC drunk over the last 2 years. This has really been hit and miss, half of the bottles were oxidative, and the other 3 fresh and with many years of drinking ahead like this one. Still a dark garnet in the glass with no browning at all towards a clear rim. On the palate this is beautifully balanced with great but not overdone freshness of the Sangiovese and still fairly juicy fruit. Not showing any of the overripeness I have seen from this estate in the Southern cluster in Montalcino in recent (warmer) years. Medium (-) tannins still providing good structure.
Works great with food but also on its own. If anything to criticize here, is that the wine seems to have lost a lot of the fruit it was showing 5 or 6 years ago - and while this is wonderfully balanced now, it does not come across as particularly deep or aromatic. The other concern, are of course those 3 oxidized bottles from the same case. Will open my second case soon...
April 17, 2020 - 4th bottle over the last 18 months from the same case. 2 were oxidative, 2 were great. This unfortunately falls into the former camp. Drinkable but far from the 94 or 95 points I gave the two correct bottles. Would strongly recommend to drink these bottles now as you are facing a 50-50 chance, and the odds are not evolving in your favor.
My personal rule is that even great vintages of BdM start to decline after year 15, with perhaps the exception of the super stars of BdM like Soldera or Biondi Santi, and the very structured 2006 vintage, which unlike 2010 still seems to need more time in bottle.
April 3, 2020 - Stellar! Still plenty in the tank here but good god hard to imagine a Brunello getting much better than this.