Every bottle is a bit of a gamble and in this case I bought a horse that ended up fifth or sixth ie out of the money. Was I hoping to cash a nearly certain 18 to 1 ticket? Yes! A loss like this leaves you feeling bad thinking the odds were better than they were .
The actual wine in this bottle is past its prime but could still run a race. It just isn’t a win show of place.
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Long decant Dark purple, inky! Full bodied! Leather notes, dark berries. Iodine. Pencil lead. Dry, well balanced. Taste follows the nose. Nice age on this has tempered its power. Long finish. Drinking perfectly right now, but will last 5-10. Wish I had more.
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This continues to be such a fun and unique wine. It’s as if this wine was made to be a text book reference for Sangiovese and American Cab. The nose is quite expressive and just a little reductive giving Cherry Vanilla Coke, with dried leaves and some pencil lead. The pallet is surprisingly fresh for the age and follows the nose. The mouth feel is round and extracted with enough grip to carry fruit. Very nice finish that echos the nose with a surprise showing of cocoa nibs (as if the Sangiovese wanted to make sure that it’s presence is felt at the end). Fun wine. I’ll definitely buy more, but I will hold out for good vintages with several years of age.
8-17-8-9
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It's been 9 years since I tried my first bottle. Amazingly, I don't think this wine has budged. The same note I wrote then, still applies. "Med-full bodied. A delicious nose of briar fruits. Red and dark berries on the palate mixed with notes of leather, earth, and spice". It's very smooth, tannins mostly resolved. A tad sweet on the palate. Made in a more modern style. Drinking well now, but I imagine this wine will last at least another 5 years.
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I've cellared this bottle for nearly a decade, decanted for 1.5 hours. When Last tasted back in late 2012, I noted this was tannic, a bit rustic and disjointed. Tonight this bottle has ccome together quite nicely, still rustic, spicy, meaty, plenty of woody notes, black berry, dark currants, maybe in the early stages of its drinking window and should last for several years. 91/100
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Very neat wine. Upon opening, it was a bit unruly with a strong red meat/blood presence and some heat. After an hour in the decanter, it settled into an excellent (almost outstanding) wine. Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon are a truly complimentary blend. The nose was expressive and leaned a little more towards the Sangiovese up front - cherry, mint and tarragon notes. The depth of the nose expressed some of the Cab notes - pipe tobacco, oak and dusty dark fruit. The palette followed the nose with plush body and fine tannins. Adequate acidity with medium to long finish. Soooo good. 9-18-8-8
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PNP, at first taste a lot of black licorice and anise showing, after an hour or so dark plum, coffee, tobacco and earth notes came through. Still a bit of tannin to intergrate.
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Modern style with a fair amount of oak, especially initially on opening. Rich smooth fruit with a lot of body on the palate. Seems to be in a good place right now. I would probably drink these over the next 3 or so years. (2012 - 2015)
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Med deep to deep bl cherry red some signs of age - kinda iffy nose -bacon, sausage,quite a bit of oak - palate much better, but flavour profile suggests grapes were left to hang too long - there are some stewed, pruney flavours, and also quite woody - the lack of freshness and the really heavy oak really limits the potential - would've been better younger for the fruit - there are some nice licorice notes.
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Hadn't visited this one in quite some time, and figured I'd check in on it with Risotto night at the house. Night one it was a bit timid, but very smooth and structured; night two it has really opened up with some nice full palate of red fruits and baking spices. I'm usually a full-throttle red type of drinker, so this is a bit out of my normal drinker and at first it wasn't up to par, but realistically it is just a nice styled wine showing the Italian influence it has. I'd give it a range of 88-90 and say let it open up for a couple of hours and drink over next 3-4 years.
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This bottle was just right. Terrific nose, almost too good to drink. Soft, layered fruit and terroir on the palate. Silky finish. All we did was pop it and run it through a Vinturi.
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Popped and poured a small glass, liked the first taste, but didn't pay a lot of attention. Went to revisit after vacum sealing for several days (and it was indeed sealed) and it kind of just self destructed. Not sure what was going on here, but I sense a decline over the past two years.
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WLTV Offline - Best of WA Tasting (Russell's, Bothell, WA): The nose of this wine had currant and plum aromas with a light note of herbs. The palate had plum and some red fruit flavors with nuances of earth and licorice. This wine was medium to full bodied, but didn't have as much depth as you would expect from a Super Tuscan. I don't think that the attempts to emulate the Super Tuscan style in WA are going to be much to my liking. This wine was fine as a starter to a bunch of other WA reds this evening, because I really think it would have gotten lost in the mix once some of the WA wines made with Bordeaux varietals start showing up.
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A Washington 'super-tuscan' worth noting. Drank over 3 nights, and kept evolving. Med-full bodied. A delicious nose of briar fruits. Red and dark berries on the palate mixed with notes of leather, earth, and spice. Excellent with pasta. Drinking well now, but still has plenty of life.
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Delicious. Dark red fruit, smoky chocolate, vanilla/oak on the nose. Full-bodied on the palate, bordering on fruit forward, with enough acidity to give it balance. Not a wine for those who are shy about oak. Not much in the way of tannins. No rush to drink these, but I don't get the sense they will be great long-term agers. I probably won't open another one for 12-24 months, but don't expect to have any left by 2025, which is RP's outside window.
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A beauty of a wine, drinking much better now than 18 months ago. A bit of doughy yeast on the nose when first opened up. On the palate, dark fruit, cassis, tobacco and vanilla, with all of these starting to integrate. Fine tannins on the finish. No rush to drink this, but it is quite tasty now.
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After waiting on this wine for several years we finally pulled the cork. This is a wonderful wine with the blend of sangiovese, cab and syrah well-integrated and in harmony. A little oak right after opening but this soon moved to the background. Not a big, showy wine but delightful to drink with food. We actually paired with grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato bisque soup one night and turkey tenderloins in a pomegranate glaze served over roasted fennel on day two. Wine paired wonderfully with both dishes. Most of the scores on this wine came from 2007 and that was simply too soon to drink. Will probably improve over the next 3-4 years.
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Clean, moderate intensity of youthful aromas: black currants, black and red cherries, little mint and rosemary, some stone. There's also some alcoholic sting here.
Dry, mod+ acid, med-full body, med+ ripe tannins, med+ intensity, quite lifted flavours of black fruits, cherries, herbal elements and some licorice at end. Long lingering juicy finish.
VG quality - this wines shows great promise, but needs time to integrate. Leave for 5 years (try again 2012).
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Opened and poured....decent but not complex. One day later, quite an evolution. Gained significant depth and complexity the second day. A little short on the nose, but more than makes up for it on the palate, which is rich, full-bodied, complex and long on the finish. Though 35% cabernet, the Sangiovese (35%), Barbera and Syrah seem to contribute the character. A unique wine that I can't quite pin down to a geography. Reminds me of some good blends from Italy, Australia and South Africa. I wouldn't pick this as Washington State if I was drinking this blind.
Update: still holding up well the 3rd day, with the "vanilla core" described by the winery in full evidence. Very smooth and elegant.
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12/24/2022 - NoWineWiz wrote: 87 Points
I think I waited too long. Not bad, just missing some of the excitement.
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3/12/2022 - bgdau wrote: 88 Points
Every bottle is a bit of a gamble and in this case I bought a horse that ended up fifth or sixth ie out of the money. Was I hoping to cash a nearly certain 18 to 1 ticket? Yes! A loss like this leaves you feeling bad thinking the odds were better than they were .
The actual wine in this bottle is past its prime but could still run a race. It just isn’t a win show of place.
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8/8/2020 - Genghis88 wrote: 91 Points
Long decant
Dark purple, inky! Full bodied!
Leather notes, dark berries. Iodine. Pencil lead.
Dry, well balanced. Taste follows the nose. Nice age on this has tempered its power. Long finish. Drinking perfectly right now, but will last 5-10. Wish I had more.
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8/25/2019 - CO_Roots13 wrote: 92 Points
This continues to be such a fun and unique wine. It’s as if this wine was made to be a text book reference for Sangiovese and American Cab. The nose is quite expressive and just a little reductive giving Cherry Vanilla Coke, with dried leaves and some pencil lead. The pallet is surprisingly fresh for the age and follows the nose. The mouth feel is round and extracted with enough grip to carry fruit. Very nice finish that echos the nose with a surprise showing of cocoa nibs (as if the Sangiovese wanted to make sure that it’s presence is felt at the end). Fun wine. I’ll definitely buy more, but I will hold out for good vintages with several years of age.
8-17-8-9
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8/12/2018 - wine4ever Likes this wine: 92 Points
It's been 9 years since I tried my first bottle. Amazingly, I don't think this wine has budged. The same note I wrote then, still applies. "Med-full bodied. A delicious nose of briar fruits. Red and dark berries on the palate mixed with notes of leather, earth, and spice". It's very smooth, tannins mostly resolved. A tad sweet on the palate. Made in a more modern style. Drinking well now, but I imagine this wine will last at least another 5 years.
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1/13/2017 - wineshaman wrote:
I've cellared this bottle for nearly a decade, decanted for 1.5 hours.
When Last tasted back in late 2012, I noted this was tannic, a bit rustic and disjointed. Tonight this bottle has ccome together quite nicely, still rustic, spicy, meaty, plenty of woody notes, black berry, dark currants, maybe in the early stages of its drinking window and should last for several years. 91/100
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7/8/2015 - bugdoced Likes this wine: 91 Points
this has hit a lovely drinking window with integrated fruit in a bordeaux and/or tuscan style
a treat for sure
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7/27/2014 - CO_Roots13 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very neat wine. Upon opening, it was a bit unruly with a strong red meat/blood presence and some heat. After an hour in the decanter, it settled into an excellent (almost outstanding) wine. Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon are a truly complimentary blend. The nose was expressive and leaned a little more towards the Sangiovese up front - cherry, mint and tarragon notes. The depth of the nose expressed some of the Cab notes - pipe tobacco, oak and dusty dark fruit. The palette followed the nose with plush body and fine tannins. Adequate acidity with medium to long finish. Soooo good.
9-18-8-8
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10/20/2013 - wadcorp Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very fragrant nose of ripe berries. Notes of cherry, vanilla, tart cranberry, anise, spice box, with tannins that are still surprisingly sharp.
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11/16/2012 - saxual wrote: 93 Points
Our first "La Fontana" date. Great wine
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10/20/2012 - wineshaman wrote: 88 Points
PNP, at first taste a lot of black licorice and anise showing, after an hour or so dark plum, coffee, tobacco and earth notes came through. Still a bit of tannin to intergrate.
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5/29/2012 - treaganjr wrote: 93 Points
Enjoyed by all.
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5/14/2012 - vanpe003 wrote: 92 Points
Modern style with a fair amount of oak, especially initially on opening. Rich smooth fruit with a lot of body on the palate. Seems to be in a good place right now. I would probably drink these over the next 3 or so years. (2012 - 2015)
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11/6/2011 - winot wrote: 88 Points
Med deep to deep bl cherry red some signs of age - kinda iffy nose -bacon, sausage,quite a bit of oak - palate much better, but flavour profile suggests grapes were left to hang too long - there are some stewed, pruney flavours, and also quite woody - the lack of freshness and the really heavy oak really limits the potential - would've been better younger for the fruit - there are some nice licorice notes.
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9/10/2011 - rremiker wrote: 91 Points
Highly enjoyable, drinking very well right now.
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5/22/2011 - Hollowine wrote:
Hadn't visited this one in quite some time, and figured I'd check in on it with Risotto night at the house. Night one it was a bit timid, but very smooth and structured; night two it has really opened up with some nice full palate of red fruits and baking spices. I'm usually a full-throttle red type of drinker, so this is a bit out of my normal drinker and at first it wasn't up to par, but realistically it is just a nice styled wine showing the Italian influence it has. I'd give it a range of 88-90 and say let it open up for a couple of hours and drink over next 3-4 years.
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5/6/2011 - curtispomeroy wrote: 88 Points
We had this wine two years ago and liked it quite a bit. Tonight it was boring and uninspired.
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4/1/2011 - jrglm Likes this wine: 92 Points
This bottle was just right. Terrific nose, almost too good to drink. Soft, layered fruit and terroir on the palate. Silky finish. All we did was pop it and run it through a Vinturi.
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3/2/2011 - ilovelouie wrote:
Drinkable now. Very good
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2/1/2011 - grapemaven wrote: 88 Points
Popped and poured a small glass, liked the first taste, but didn't pay a lot of attention. Went to revisit after vacum sealing for several days (and it was indeed sealed) and it kind of just self destructed. Not sure what was going on here, but I sense a decline over the past two years.
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6/19/2010 - last chance wrote: 89 Points
WLTV Offline - Best of WA Tasting (Russell's, Bothell, WA): The nose of this wine had currant and plum aromas with a light note of herbs. The palate had plum and some red fruit flavors with nuances of earth and licorice. This wine was medium to full bodied, but didn't have as much depth as you would expect from a Super Tuscan. I don't think that the attempts to emulate the Super Tuscan style in WA are going to be much to my liking. This wine was fine as a starter to a bunch of other WA reds this evening, because I really think it would have gotten lost in the mix once some of the WA wines made with Bordeaux varietals start showing up.
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12/26/2009 - wine4ever wrote: 91 Points
A Washington 'super-tuscan' worth noting. Drank over 3 nights, and kept evolving. Med-full bodied. A delicious nose of briar fruits. Red and dark berries on the palate mixed with notes of leather, earth, and spice. Excellent with pasta. Drinking well now, but still has plenty of life.
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10/18/2009 - vanpe003 wrote: 92 Points
Delicious. Dark red fruit, smoky chocolate, vanilla/oak on the nose. Full-bodied on the palate, bordering on fruit forward, with enough acidity to give it balance. Not a wine for those who are shy about oak. Not much in the way of tannins. No rush to drink these, but I don't get the sense they will be great long-term agers. I probably won't open another one for 12-24 months, but don't expect to have any left by 2025, which is RP's outside window.
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7/27/2009 - grapemaven wrote: 92 Points
What adifference a few years make! Lots of vanilla and cassis- big, smooth rich - I'm glad I have three more bottles.
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4/11/2009 - vanpe003 wrote: 92 Points
A beauty of a wine, drinking much better now than 18 months ago. A bit of doughy yeast on the nose when first opened up. On the palate, dark fruit, cassis, tobacco and vanilla, with all of these starting to integrate. Fine tannins on the finish. No rush to drink this, but it is quite tasty now.
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4/3/2009 - curtispomeroy wrote: 91 Points
After waiting on this wine for several years we finally pulled the cork. This is a wonderful wine with the blend of sangiovese, cab and syrah well-integrated and in harmony. A little oak right after opening but this soon moved to the background. Not a big, showy wine but delightful to drink with food. We actually paired with grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato bisque soup one night and turkey tenderloins in a pomegranate glaze served over roasted fennel on day two. Wine paired wonderfully with both dishes. Most of the scores on this wine came from 2007 and that was simply too soon to drink. Will probably improve over the next 3-4 years.
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5/26/2008 - CO CHRIS wrote:
good. nothing remarkable.
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11/24/2007 - thenapalist wrote: 88 Points
Extremely boring and uneventful wine. At $45, it's overpriced by about about $20.
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10/19/2007 - WineShar wrote:
Clear, deep ruby core, fading gradualy to rim.
Clean, moderate intensity of youthful aromas: black currants, black and red cherries, little mint and rosemary, some stone. There's also some alcoholic sting here.
Dry, mod+ acid, med-full body, med+ ripe tannins, med+ intensity, quite lifted flavours of black fruits, cherries, herbal elements and some licorice at end. Long lingering juicy finish.
VG quality - this wines shows great promise, but needs time to integrate. Leave for 5 years (try again 2012).
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9/19/2007 - vanpe003 wrote: 88 Points
On opening - tight, closed, not compelling. Will check back in a day to see if the progression matches the last bottle, which blossomed on day 2.
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3/30/2007 - dawgdaze wrote: 88 Points
Not that impressed!
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1/20/2007 - vanpe003 wrote: 93 Points
Opened and poured....decent but not complex. One day later, quite an evolution. Gained significant depth and complexity the second day. A little short on the nose, but more than makes up for it on the palate, which is rich, full-bodied, complex and long on the finish. Though 35% cabernet, the Sangiovese (35%), Barbera and Syrah seem to contribute the character. A unique wine that I can't quite pin down to a geography. Reminds me of some good blends from Italy, Australia and South Africa. I wouldn't pick this as Washington State if I was drinking this blind.
Update: still holding up well the 3rd day, with the "vanilla core" described by the winery in full evidence. Very smooth and elegant.
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12/19/2006 - last chance wrote: 92 Points
Currant nose with consistent flavors. This was a big, bad, brooding wine that still managed to be smooth with a good finish. Really nice stuff.
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