December 2, 2021 - Tenuta del Terricco Lupicaia, alc 13.5%. Earthy nose. Well stuffed with juicy Cabernet characteristics. Resolved tannins. Drinks like a five Right Bank BDX
August 26, 2018 - One Fun-Filled Afternoon Spent Poolside with Friends (Los Olivos, CA): Just a stellar wine. Possibly the best QPR red of my life, with each bottle topping the last. This has no right to be such a profound and complex bottle. Cassis, blackberry, some cherry, beautifully balanced. Sweet tannins emerge on the mid-palate and carry into the lengthy finish.
May 8, 2018 - High-quality Italian wines tasting (Yagil's home): P&P
clear, deep purple
clean, profound tertiary dark fruits (sweet) aromas, leather, oak-vanilla, coffee, tobacco
dry, high tannins, high acidity, full body, rich dark fruits flavours, excellent structure & complexity, wonderful 'Bordeaux' style wine,
long quality finish
February 10, 2018 - Rich and dense but beautifully balanced. Soft and powdery notes of luxurious wood, dark fruit, balsamic nuances, creamy chocolate and caramel. Sweet tobacco, too.
Such a wonderful wine, and showing how good the 97-vintage and the winemaking team (maiden vintage!) was.
November 14, 2017 - Texas Wine School Kings of Italy Class. This is a remarkably age-worthy Cabernet Sauvignon, Merot and Petit Verdot blend. It was decanted for an hour and a half and actually was better after 4.5 hours. Medium (+) ruby with a hint of garnet on the rim. Ripe black fruit, dark chocolate, forest floor and well balanced, with medium (+) acidity, tannins and alcohol. It is still drinking beautifully and will continue to do so through 2022. This was one of the top 3 favorite wines of the class. WS 93 upon release.
November 8, 2017 - An exquisite Bordeaux blend, we were very impressed with this. Lots of fruit still present and plenty of tannins and acidity as well. Oak is also very prominent.
February 14, 2015 - Opened for three hours and decanted for about an hour.
Bricked with slight orange rim. Nose is muted but there is some leather and earth.
Tannins and acidity are in perfect harmony. Still some fruit mostly cherry and some forest floor. Really coats the mouth but just a medium finish of earthy flavors and just a little eucalyptus that lingers.
There is a richness to the wine but paradoxically it is just a little thin on the flavor profile.
There was a little discussion on first taste concerning it being corked. I didn't think so although it was a little musty on first sip. I thought it blew off quickly but not everyone was agreed.
My advice would be to drink up soon.
October 8, 2014 - Clear, dark brick red (belies its age), wide orange rim. Clean nose, sour cherries, herbs, eucalyptus, animal notes. Full palate, very soft, tannins beautifully integrated, fruits still quite evident, long finish. This was possibly even better than the first bottle (see note from October last year). Drinking beautifully now, doubt this will improve further, but no hurry to drink.
April 21, 2014 - EWS Best of Bolgheri (blind tasting) (New York Vintners): A little bricking. Spicy cherry; inhale the aged nuances; reticent animal nose; lots of nice drive though the fruit itself has faded some.
Bolstered by a comforting saline symphony on the finish, echoing sweet and bitter.
April 12, 2014 - Tuscany Wine Club (Our apt): Popped and poured originally. Upon first drinking, it was a bit tight - I'd recommend at least a few hours open in the bottle or a decant. This was quite possibly one of the most controversial wines of the night. It was the oldest that we drank and seemed to be either a favorite or the bottom of the pile (for my tastes it was one of the top). It absolutely had a depth of flavor that evolved throughout the palette. Like many of the Sangiovese blends I get a fair amount of funk going on (the mushrooms, band aids, etc.). A touch of cough syrup, but not overpowering like some of the later wines. There's also a hint of smoke. Not really fruity which might have been the turnoff for some, but the myriad of other flavors worked very well without it (for me).