August 2, 2020 - very ripe strawberry and cherry; bramble; a bit burly; good fruit, but it fades quickly, leaving some heat and slightly bitter tannins (aggravated by a pulled pork sandwich with a slightly sweet sauce--a bad match). Likely past its prime.
May 6, 2013 - The 2005 drinks particularly better than this one. This wine is darker for sure. Uncorked to a BLACK cork with maybe 1mm cork bleed in certain parts of the bottle. Decanted for sediment (the 2005 had more). The nose initially was very metallic - very dark, not much berry. Lots of roasted fig and a hint of plum. After 20 minutes of decanting, this wine was served with a spicy chicken soup and did beautifully. The wine hit its stride about 45 minutes post decanting with a nice lovely medium to full bodied non-acidic palate of aged blackberry, dark baker's chocolate and a hint of smoke and vintage leather right up front, giving way to roasted fig and a hint of plum in the mid-palate and spice that carried this one to the finish. Well integrated. Not significantly tannic. Alone, this wine is an 87, with food I was almost tempted to give it a 90 because it did a great job of complementing and dancing with the soup instead of trying to crush it. The one thing I don't agree with is this ending date range....2012? Really? OK, so this one isn't young, but it's not done. It IS over the hill though, but not at the bottom of the curve by any means. I believe this one has another 3 years, but if you have a case of this you probably need to start drinking on it now. Drink by 2015.
September 23, 2012 - Ate with Pizza. Decent enough wine, but nothing to write home about.
May 5, 2012 - Had at a wine / food paring on cruise ship with Cioppino (Seafood stew). Excellent and smooth.
April 21, 2012 - Cherry. Intense. Sweet. Big. Chewy. All good.
December 4, 2011 - Enjoyed it with an Italian dish of slow cooked meat and sauce with pasta added late. Solid wine from Chianti that I enjoy on the palate and does not overwhelm or overimpress. I go to the terroir it must come from to pick up the flavors versus the fruit but I do that frequently with Tuscans. Oak stands out to me, I opened 3-4 hours ahead of drinking.
November 14, 2010 - Huge difference from 6 months ago. Very expressive on the nose with very good dark fruit. Carries to the initial taste with a bit of graphite and nice grip. Long finish. Fabulous with Beef round pot roast.
June 5, 2010 - I find this one to be clamped shut even after three hours. Almost non-existent bouquet with no fruit. Initial taste of spice, tar and chocolate - where is the fruit? However inconsistent, it has a nice mildly tannic very long finish that is quite nice. I expected more. Slightly better the next day
July 16, 2009 - Word must have gotten out about this wine because this was the second time I've had this in Washington D.C., this time at a completely different type of restaurant. This time at a much less pretentious place. It took a bit of time to open in the glass. Lots of earth and soil with a bit of tartness and good acidity. Quite enjoyable.
June 24, 2009 - This had quite a bit of sediment and by appearances, it could have passed for a much older wine. Fabulous nose of fruit, minerals, and earth. Nice blackberry, leather, and earth components in the mouth. Super smooth on the front end, with just a bit of bitterness and tannins on the back end that prevented this wine from being truly exceptional. Very enjoyable.