Color: deep dark purple with viscous legs Nose: medium/full intensity. Complex rich dried fruits and berries. Some leather and smoke. Continued to open in the glass... wonderful evolution! Body/flavor: Medium/full body; lots of dried fruit, minerality, and competing notes of dark fruit preserves. Well balanced... quiet tannins and alcohol. Aftertaste: Lingering finish.
Oh did it go well with roast turkey. Probably at or just beyond its peak, so recommend drinking now!
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Last one of this. I suppose I like this one a bit more than the bottle i had last year (in the sense that it is a big more endowed with dark fruits) but boy is this a rustic/masculine wine. Teeth rattling tannins, tar, tobacco, tea leaves, and black dirt. This doesnt give a lot of pleasure.
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Enticing nose of chocolate-mocha-earth, but the palate gives less pleasure, with quite a bit of tannic grip. Lots of Anglianico tar and muted cherry fruit. A lot of substance to this wine, but it tastes out of balance and I don't think it is likely to improve.
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7 years in the box. I have amassed a small ocean of aglianico that I need to start getting in to. Muted nose of dark fruits and tar. In the mouth the overwhelming impression is one of rusticity. Chewy, teeth-staining, bulls blood sort of wine. Leather, decaying leaves, tar, and a hint (just a hint) of black cherry. Very drying. Masculine. This wine would taste great in some ancient cellar on a cold gray night at a farm in Basiliicata; here in Silicon Valley on a lovely Friday evening, it just tastes dirty and kinda old. I think Rimmerman oversold this one.
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Big powerful, a little rustic with nice grip. Although this wine is 14 years on (and calmed down a bit) it still has ageing potential. I didn't find any of the over ripe or port like tendencies others wrote about but the older this wine gets the more convinced I am that it will never be anything other than "rustic" (which isn't necessarily a bad thing).
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On opening stewed dark fruit and earth dominated nose. This blew off after 30 minutes. Aged Blackberry, plum, prune, earth, wood, smoke, raisin, rich with good length and very smooth integrated tannins. Balanced acidity, and with air fruit gained freshness to go with the aged core. Good length. As others note, time to drink up.
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Nose of chocolate and raspberry cordial; almost port like. There are some conifers and raisins in there too. Oak and tannins are noticeably more integrated than a bottle I opened almost two years ago; still there but not cloying. Nice long finish. Still some upside on the tannins integrating but the fruit is a bit stewed and I think it may become more port like with further aging.
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Decanted three hours. This bottle had a really unique nose of minerals, smoke, and dark sour fruits. Poured dark garnet. On the palate this was extremely interesting with layers of dark sour fruit, volcanic minerals, and oak which is almost fully integrated. Something about the wine is elegant despite what a huge wine it is. The finish is long and still particularly tannic, so this wine needs food or much more time. Only just entering its drinking window, so could see this getting much much better with more time in bottle.
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Big grippy tannic wine even at 11 years young, it cut through the BBQ'd seasoned baby back ribs with aplomb!
Dark fruit, earth, tannins just beginning to soften, big finish if perhaps a little chunky chunk with lots of oak showing. Definitely a wine to cellar for longer unless you like vigor and attack over suave and smooth. Either way it works with this wine!
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Still had some noticable oak and strong tannins. The oak integrated better on day two and still had plenty of fruit. Think I'll sit on my next bottle for some years.
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Second time having this wine from this vintage, and this was beautiful. Big and tannic with loads of pepper, leather, dried savory herbs, blackberry, elderberry, and plum.
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A deep, dark-fruited, brooding wine with notes of licorice, pepper and smoke. The tannins are still quite prominent, so I would recommend holding in the cellar for a bit more time, but this is still quite drinkable with food and a healthy decant. A serious, youthful, layered wine.
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Another excellent bottle, with deep, dark fruits, such as plums and blackberry. Accents of violets and licorice as well. The tannins are still prominent, but accessible. Delicious now, but this can hold.
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Dark and rich with intense tannins and complexity. On a lark, I had my guests blind taste test this against Black Box Cabernet. The boxed wine won. Perhaps that says more about my guests than the wine, but, still, worth noting.
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Someone wrote: Rich, dark, brooding. I couldn't have said it better myself. Except it maybe hiding something. I was impressed but this wine required serious meditation, nothing jumped out and said "Look at me", instead it was more like, "respect me, for I know something you don't." I tasted dark fruits probably cherries, framed by a heavy consistent undertow of smoke and rolling surf, interestingly the tannins were either dissolved or so integrated. This wine, to my palate, has a lot of time left and I would not at all be surprised if in the future it brooded less and surprised more. Big thumbs up. Kind of perfect for halloween. The Don Corleone of Aglianico. Kiss its ring!
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Aglianico to me often seems more about the nose than the palate. This one is no different. Interesting smoke, Asian spice, hoisin sauce and black cherry aromas. But delivering nothing but cocoa and mouth-drying tannins on the palate, with zero fruit or really anything else, and not in a particularly pleasant way. It feels like this wine needs another 10 years, but I'm not sure it would make any difference. I think I just don't get these obscure Old World Italian varietals.
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A monster of a wine, with dark, ripe fruit, cocoa and damp soil. A bit blocky right now with severe tannins, but this seems to have the stuffing and structure for aging. UPDATE: On day two, the tannins softens and the fruit, licorice and black pepper notes popped out. Really lovely.
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Opened about two hours prior to tasting. Pours a dark purple. There's a ton of ripe, black fruit on the nose, plus earth/dust, dark chocolate, and hints of anise. On the palate it's big and tannic, a real monster, but has fantastic depth and concentration. Blackberry, plum, black cherry mix with tobacco, dusty soil, hints of anise, and baking chocolate. Definitely young but I could see this becoming something awesome with several more years of age.
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12/25/2022 - OldwineinVT Likes this wine: 90 Points
Garagiste selection 14% ABV
Color: deep dark purple with viscous legs
Nose: medium/full intensity. Complex rich dried fruits and berries. Some leather and smoke. Continued to open in the glass... wonderful evolution!
Body/flavor: Medium/full body; lots of dried fruit, minerality, and competing notes of dark fruit preserves. Well balanced... quiet tannins and alcohol.
Aftertaste: Lingering finish.
Oh did it go well with roast turkey. Probably at or just beyond its peak, so recommend drinking now!
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11/3/2022 - Neurowine1 Does not like this wine:
Last one of this. I suppose I like this one a bit more than the bottle i had last year (in the sense that it is a big more endowed with dark fruits) but boy is this a rustic/masculine wine. Teeth rattling tannins, tar, tobacco, tea leaves, and black dirt. This doesnt give a lot of pleasure.
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12/12/2021 - jayw wrote:
Enticing nose of chocolate-mocha-earth, but the palate gives less pleasure, with quite a bit of tannic grip. Lots of Anglianico tar and muted cherry fruit. A lot of substance to this wine, but it tastes out of balance and I don't think it is likely to improve.
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5/21/2021 - Neurowine1 Does not like this wine:
7 years in the box. I have amassed a small ocean of aglianico that I need to start getting in to. Muted nose of dark fruits and tar. In the mouth the overwhelming impression is one of rusticity. Chewy, teeth-staining, bulls blood sort of wine. Leather, decaying leaves, tar, and a hint (just a hint) of black cherry. Very drying. Masculine. This wine would taste great in some ancient cellar on a cold gray night at a farm in Basiliicata; here in Silicon Valley on a lovely Friday evening, it just tastes dirty and kinda old. I think Rimmerman oversold this one.
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4/15/2021 - UpfromtheCellar wrote: 90 Points
Big powerful, a little rustic with nice grip. Although this wine is 14 years on (and calmed down a bit) it still has ageing potential. I didn't find any of the over ripe or port like tendencies others wrote about but the older this wine gets the more convinced I am that it will never be anything other than "rustic" (which isn't necessarily a bad thing).
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5/23/2020 - wayfarer Likes this wine: 90 Points
On opening stewed dark fruit and earth dominated nose. This blew off after 30 minutes. Aged Blackberry, plum, prune, earth, wood, smoke, raisin, rich with good length and very smooth integrated tannins. Balanced acidity, and with air fruit gained freshness to go with the aged core. Good length. As others note, time to drink up.
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9/13/2019 - UpfromtheCellar wrote: 90 Points
Smooth, savory, big mouth feel. Dark fruits. Enough acids to keep it going strong. Very nice.
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6/19/2019 - mercurius wrote: 92 Points
Nose of chocolate and raspberry cordial; almost port like. There are some conifers and raisins in there too. Oak and tannins are noticeably more integrated than a bottle I opened almost two years ago; still there but not cloying. Nice long finish. Still some upside on the tannins integrating but the fruit is a bit stewed and I think it may become more port like with further aging.
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4/7/2019 - travelin.mikeyt wrote: 92 Points
Stunning at this point. Drink up!! With a two hour decant it opened up and was perfect for pairing with Italian food. Love it. Wish I had more.
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8/30/2018 - JeremyBernton Likes this wine: 90 Points
Really 90+
Decanted three hours. This bottle had a really unique nose of minerals, smoke, and dark sour fruits. Poured dark garnet. On the palate this was extremely interesting with layers of dark sour fruit, volcanic minerals, and oak which is almost fully integrated. Something about the wine is elegant despite what a huge wine it is. The finish is long and still particularly tannic, so this wine needs food or much more time. Only just entering its drinking window, so could see this getting much much better with more time in bottle.
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8/6/2018 - UpfromtheCellar wrote: 89 Points
Big grippy tannic wine even at 11 years young, it cut through the BBQ'd seasoned baby back ribs with aplomb!
Dark fruit, earth, tannins just beginning to soften, big finish if perhaps a little chunky chunk with lots of oak showing. Definitely a wine to cellar for longer unless you like vigor and attack over suave and smooth. Either way it works with this wine!
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1/15/2018 - mercurius Likes this wine: 93 Points
Still had some noticable oak and strong tannins. The oak integrated better on day two and still had plenty of fruit. Think I'll sit on my next bottle for some years.
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12/11/2017 - bkc1428 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Second time having this wine from this vintage, and this was beautiful. Big and tannic with loads of pepper, leather, dried savory herbs, blackberry, elderberry, and plum.
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9/29/2016 - travelin.mikeyt wrote: 91 Points
What others have said, but I'd add that the second day with it breathing it became vegetal, which was interesting.
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4/5/2016 - mdefreitas wrote: 92 Points
A deep, dark-fruited, brooding wine with notes of licorice, pepper and smoke. The tannins are still quite prominent, so I would recommend holding in the cellar for a bit more time, but this is still quite drinkable with food and a healthy decant. A serious, youthful, layered wine.
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3/9/2016 - mdefreitas wrote: 92 Points
Another excellent bottle, with deep, dark fruits, such as plums and blackberry. Accents of violets and licorice as well. The tannins are still prominent, but accessible. Delicious now, but this can hold.
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11/26/2015 - MaineMark wrote: 90 Points
Dark and rich with intense tannins and complexity.
On a lark, I had my guests blind taste test this against Black Box Cabernet. The boxed wine won. Perhaps that says more about my guests than the wine, but, still, worth noting.
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10/31/2015 - Ideasthatstick Likes this wine:
Someone wrote: Rich, dark, brooding. I couldn't have said it better myself. Except it maybe hiding something. I was impressed but this wine required serious meditation, nothing jumped out and said "Look at me", instead it was more like, "respect me, for I know something you don't." I tasted dark fruits probably cherries, framed by a heavy consistent undertow of smoke and rolling surf, interestingly the tannins were either dissolved or so integrated. This wine, to my palate, has a lot of time left and I would not at all be surprised if in the future it brooded less and surprised more. Big thumbs up. Kind of perfect for halloween. The Don Corleone of Aglianico. Kiss its ring!
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9/26/2015 - BBencz wrote:
Aglianico to me often seems more about the nose than the palate. This one is no different. Interesting smoke, Asian spice, hoisin sauce and black cherry aromas. But delivering nothing but cocoa and mouth-drying tannins on the palate, with zero fruit or really anything else, and not in a particularly pleasant way. It feels like this wine needs another 10 years, but I'm not sure it would make any difference. I think I just don't get these obscure Old World Italian varietals.
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6/5/2015 - j.a.price.trucking wrote: 89 Points
Ripe, rich, dark and brooding. Cocoa powder.
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5/10/2015 - mdefreitas wrote: 92 Points
A monster of a wine, with dark, ripe fruit, cocoa and damp soil. A bit blocky right now with severe tannins, but this seems to have the stuffing and structure for aging. UPDATE: On day two, the tannins softens and the fruit, licorice and black pepper notes popped out. Really lovely.
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5/2/2015 - silton Likes this wine:
No formal notes. Decanted ~5 hours and showed well. Good value on a classy Aglianico.
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11/15/2014 - ucbeau Likes this wine:
Opened about two hours prior to tasting. Pours a dark purple. There's a ton of ripe, black fruit on the nose, plus earth/dust, dark chocolate, and hints of anise. On the palate it's big and tannic, a real monster, but has fantastic depth and concentration. Blackberry, plum, black cherry mix with tobacco, dusty soil, hints of anise, and baking chocolate. Definitely young but I could see this becoming something awesome with several more years of age.
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10/24/2014 - ManhattanBeach wrote:
Bettane+Desseauve London 2014 (Saatchi Gallery, London): Selection of the oldest parcels. More tannic and heavier.
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