December 9, 2018 - Found this on closeout. Not a huge fan of Valdicava, but decided to give this a try thinking the Rosso couldn't possibly be as tannic/over-extracted as their Brunello.
Boy, was I wrong. Definitely not my style of Sangiovese. No finesse at all. A mouthful of dry, bitter wood tannins cover up any semblance of fruit, though there is a faint smell of cherry vanilla cola. Not my cup of tea. Was better on day 2.
January 2, 2018 - Really decent right out of the bottle but started to fall apart after about two hours in the decanter. Started out deep but nicely dry with balance. Finish was a bit short but a good wine for the price point. As it started falling apart, the tannins and acid started to get bitter and overshadow the fruit.
June 4, 2017 - Wow. On the nose, muted fruit and leather. On the palate, blackberry/respberry/current/leather/tobacco all beautifully merged, medium + body, medium acid, soft and silky tannins lead you to a long finish. One note, cork broke off halfway out so had to strain this one, lots of sediment.
August 31, 2016 - Was good on first night with some air. Fell apart on day 2. Dark wine with good acidity. Some smokey and ash notes.
August 9, 2015 - Nice but needed decanting of course. About 2 hours seemed to soften it up. Still can hold up to some more years. Stood up to some nice acidity in the tomatoes we had
June 11, 2014 - Very dark purple. Decanted 2 hours (unintentionally). There was moderate sediment in the bottle. Medium legs. Strong nose, dark-black acidic berries. The body is medium/full with a smooth mouth-feel. A bit hot and tight - even after the decant. Tastes of mineral, stoniness and tar. I thought it would loosen up a little more than it did. Served with a simple pasta/tomato sauce dish. Wonderfully complimented the food more so than just sipping. Definitely ready to drink now, though I might give my remaining bottles one more birthday.
January 10, 2014 - An intense ruby color. Plus intensity barnyard funk right out of the gate, which didn't blow off and barely dissipated. Not a fault—at least I don't think—but a peculiar rendering of Rosso di Montalcino; had I blind tasted, I would have confidently guessed Etna. Small red fruits, including maraschino cherry. Quite sweet. As a bottle of wine, it was enjoyable. But I was looking for a Rosso di Montalcino, and this experience was anything but. NOT RATED.
February 28, 2013 - very clean and well made. better than most chiantis in this price range
January 26, 2013 - This was my 3rd and final bottle. The first bottle was not good, and the 2nd and 3rd were far superior. Actually, the final bottle was fantastic. Still plenty of solid core sangiovese flavors. I think the '09 Valdicava RDM is tasting really good right now as well.
January 17, 2013 - PnP. Very easy drinker. The wine is all integrated at this point. Doubt it will improve. Dark purple color with fruit dominated nose. Medium body with fleshy feel. Smooth but short finish. Went well with red italian food.