Vinous

• By Stephen Tanzer
  July/August 2008, IWC Issue #139 (link)

  (Terralsole Brunello di Montalcino) Subscribe to see review text.

Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  12/20/2010 (link)

  (Terralsole Brunello) UPDATE: Geraldine Allard Just a quick update on the Geraldine Allard art – it left Paris a few days ago and is due in Seattle shortly. Here is a photo taken as she painted the final canvas: http://bit.ly/fKfvzJ To all of you that supported her work, she is deeply appreciative. We apologize the Series A sold out so quickly (all of the paintings were gone within a few hours) - she has no plans to do a Series B at this time. Enjoy the holiday season! - Jon Rimmerman ********************* Holiday Pick-Up Hours Garagiste pick-up schedule for the next two weeks – please let Sarah know your desired dates as far in advance as possible: sarah@garagistewine.com Email offers will continue to go out during the closed period but not on a daily basis. Tuesday Dec 21st – 11-2 (we are closing early for our annual employee party known as the “warehouse Olympics”) Weds Dec 22nd – 11-6 Thurs Dec 23rd – 11-6 Friday Dec 24th – 11-2 Saturday Dec 25th – Closed Sunday Dec 26th – Closed Monday Dec 27th – Closed Tuesday Dec 28th – Closed Wednesday Dec 29th – 11-6 Thursday Dec 30th – 11-6 Friday Dec 31st – 11-3 Saturday Jan 1st – Closed We will reopen for business on Wednesday January 5th Thank you! ************************** Brunello Holiday Special Dear Friends, If you are looking for an unusually well-priced bottle of nobility, look to the world of Brunello where more bargain deals abound than at any other time I can recall. Why? At some point, the economy takes its toll on every wine region – the perceived upper tier of each growing district may skate by relatively intact but it’s the list of entities just under the cut-off of what I’ll call the “consumer’s comfort zone” that have idle wine left on their hands. This has nothing to do with quality and everything to do with a limited amount of consumer resources being distributed to a relatively small list of safe options. This causes a ripple effect where the highest scored/”best” vintages find their way into cellars and gullets but a trove of fine wine goes untasted and becomes idle. Which brings us to today's offer. After your support of the 2000 Terralsole Brunello a few weeks ago, Mario Bollag (the owner) asked if I’d taste another vintage blind to see if I liked it as much (or better) than the 2000. I obliged and tasted two bottles to be sure – both had stunning aromatics and were nearly resolved on the palate. They were a joy to drink with complex whiffs and Bordelaise palate tones (and an engaging satiny weight) - both bottles were a perfect match for poultry. I also tried one of the bottles the second night with more robust fair and the acidity and tobacco/plum notes cut through the grilled flank steak with ease. I wasn’t sure of the vintage but the evolution made me guess both were 1998? Wrong. How about 2003. 2003? That’s why we need to taste the wine, not just read about it. Mario was open about his conundrum – the wine received a less than stellar score from the Wine Spectator and it’s from a perceived “off” year that is evolving faster than 2004 – that adds up to back-stock without a home. He didn’t want to discount the wine because anyone that tastes it will agree the wine simply required bottle age to blossom. What to do? If you read the review below, the key to the verbiage is the phrase “needs to open” (boy has it ever). This is a wine that will never be a blockbuster on the palate but its delicious, medium bodied structure gives it an appeal that reflects a certain upper-crust character of old-school Bordeaux – something like 1985 St Julien meets 2003 Brunello. For , it’s one of the better buys I’ve come across this season, thus the Holiday Special designation: The moral of our story is a very expensive wine that required 2-3 years in the bottle to show its worth but the market has no patience. In a “what have you done for me lately” world, a $60-90 wine that was compact on release is now singing a siren’s tale circa 2010 and... It’s . VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED as a regal drinking experience that is in a beautiful place right now. My guess is that it will continue to evolve for another 1-3 years and hold for up to 5-6. Make sure to decant at least 1-2 hours if you drink the wine this year. Guilt-free Brunello that is near peak? Here goes... FIRST COME FIRST SERVED up to 36/person until we run out. This parcel has impeccable provenance directly from the source: 2003 Terralsole Brunello di Montalcino - (compare at $60-90) To order: niki@garagistewine.com This parcel is set to arrive in 2-3 weeks (please check OARS for local pick up after Jan 20th). It will ship during the Spring shipping season. Out of state orders will be held for free under ideal storage conditions (56 degrees/70%humidity) until shipping is possible. Locals may pick up at their leisure. For current local pick up and arrival/ship information, please see your OARS link below (at the bottom of this offer) - don’t know how to access your OARS? Simply click the link and see your account. You can also paste the link into your browser. If you are having trouble with your link or your account, please contact: support@garagistewine.com NO SALES TO RETAILERS OR WHOLESALERS Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Italy8871 Click here to view the status of your orders in O.A.R.S.