Tawny core with copper and burnt orange. An opulent, ethereal beauty showing high-toned complexity of black cherry, tea leaves, minty top notes, old saddle leather, balsam and clove. Beguiling and mesmerising and with such confident expression. The mouthfeel is sublime; fleshy and graceful, it dances across the palate yet is still solidly framed by sweet and supple tannins. This has energy and vitality at 22 years; right at the top of its glorious innings and feels like it can go for a good while longer. This is near perfection and I'm not sure Sangiovese gets a whole lot better than this.
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A gift, from years ago, from a friend and fellow CT member. On several previous occasions, this bottle had been selected but passed over for consumption. Not this time. Opened and decanted after about one hour. Consumed over the following four hours. Black/purple. Nose of plums. Concentrated, rich, balanced, with mature old world Italian aromas, secondary nuances. Fully mature. With some airing the tannins became harsher and with extended airing the fruit became noticeably sweeter, not to my taste. Still, a wonderful, balanced, mature Brunello. Drink up. (92-93).
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The Gang Drinks Blind (Mesa Verde Country Club in the OC): Served blind as part of a 2001 Italian flight. My notes are kind of sparse on this wine, as I probably was more focused on the Giacosa Falletto. For this Lisini, I jotted down the words 'ripish yet fresh' with some raisin', and 'least balanced of the three wines'. Not a great note here but figured I would log what I had written down.
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Excellent. Strong Red Cherry, grilled meat, eucalyptus? or similar. A touch of tomato, maybe tomato paste. One of the better bottles this year. No reason not to drink now. 93-94. Huge shmutz
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Tawny crimson in colour. A beautiful bouquet of aged Sangiovese, showing sour cherry, balsam, orange peel, leather and dried spices. Gorgeous complexity and unmistakably Brunello. The palate is still vibrant and fresh, with fleshy dark cherry and lavender notes; a lovely ripe fruit core even at this age, with firm and structured tannins and bright acidity. Feels like many years still ahead of this. In its prime - what a treat!
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Superlative, with amazing QPR. Gorgeous fruit-forward notes, like many Brunellos. Great structure, with notes of dark cherry, blueberry, and tobacco. Good length, such a pleasurable wine.
Good aged character from Sangiovese, but on the palate packed with a lot of strength and complexity. This is properly aged and suitable for people who enjoy the more powerful side of Sangiovese. At peak now and I will drink up the remaining bottles in the next few years. Darker version vs their normal Brunello. Better to pair with food, esp with steak! 15.5/20
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Warning: this wine needs at least a couple of hours to come around. The good news is that it remains at a high level for a very long time, the next day was maybe the best glass!
Medium ruby color with some amber at the rim. Initially strong balsamic notes and some hay. After a few hours ripe notes of plum and cherry with some herbs, red licorice and hints of coffee. Big and dense on the palate with smooth, mouth coating tannins, balanced acidity and ripe fruit. The finish is very long and echoes the initial aromas. This wine still has the structure to develop for quite some time but considering the ripe fruit notes and the integrated tannins I would only wait if I had several bottles left. Drink now - 2021
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Dark red/garnet colour, looks developed. Nose a bit balsamic and aged to start. Rather big structure to start with fruit subtle and not prominent. Medium+ tannin. After 3 hours the balsamic nose cleared up and more fruits emerged on both nose and palate. More on the black fruits, quite focused.
A rather big & muscular Brunello, full of muscle everywhere but not those intense/extracted type. Generally I love Brunello with more elegance but this is quite good too. Fully matured & ready, can keep though. 16/20
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Not decanted. This has completed the long arc from its bombastic youth in 2009 to absolute peak drinking. Mature and textured with a sweet black plum and chocolate notes on the finish. Drink now-2020 with a preference for now.
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Having tried this 4 years ago and really liked it (Papies 93) and then on a bad bottle so we are not sure if this one (same batch) is characteristic of the wine or just another poor show. Felt too sweet and difficult. We refrain from rating.
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Very interesting Brunello. Elegant nose of medium intensity but complex with cherry fruit, leather, sweet spice and balsamic notes but not easily discernible as Brunello. Mature but still developing. Palate was round, with smoothed-out tannins, harmonious and with great depth of flavor and lasting finish. At a very nice point to drink.
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Dark garnet. Ripe nose of dark cherries, aromatic herbs, plums, coffee and sweet spices. Med-full bodied, velvety-textured and round with moderate acidity and a long aftertaste. Not so typical, yet excellent and at a great stage to drink.
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Decanted briefly, but should have given it a few hours. A spectacular nose of caramel, balsamico, peat moss, black raisin, dry blackberry, and black plum. Palate is clamped down by acidity, still in a tight youthful phase, with black fruit edged by caramel popcorn and rust water flavors. Give it some more time and a solid decant. Drink 2016-2024.
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Rusty garnet, lively and beautiful. Lots of wood, spices, truffles and red fruit on the nose. Almost elegant on the palate, fruity, fresh, round with drying but round tannins. Long & fine, now rush to drink this, now - 2020+
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Cloudy, dark, deep garnet. The nose was very slow to open, clean, soft, elegant, gaining complexity. Red fruit, hints of vanilla, strawberries, balsamico. Fruity palate, very tasty, well shaped, nicely textured, with good, juicy acidity, black berries, tar. Very long, moderately spicy, a touch peppery on the finish. Spicy aftertaste with black fruit. Beautiful wine! Very long, classy, just starting to get some complexity and should only improve.
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Athens Wine Event, August 2012; 8/25/2012-8/26/2012 (Athens, Greece): Decanted for 30 minutes and consumed over 1 hour The wine has a lovely balance and elegance and piruty of fruit unlike what one enounters in many of the top cuvees/riservas in the area. Light on the nose with mild oaky notes, a bit of dark fruit, cherry. On the Palate it has quite a bit of strength but the oak is almost integrated and the elegance shines. Still at the start of its drinking window this can easily last 10yrs more and one to look for. very good 93-94
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Brilliant Brunello. Black earth, cassis, blackberry liqueur on the nose. Roasted plum, bramble, iron and black cherries on the mouth. 5-10 cellar years will find a more evolved and approachable wine.
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Un po' fegatoso, un briciolo troppo evoluto. Dopo un po' si gioca quasi tutto sulla prugna secca, la bocca un po' troppo vuota ma nel complesso non male
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A sweet, complex nose with black cherry, dark chocolate, creamy custard, and a component similar to the plastic in an inflatable beach ball. Rich and silky on the palate with bitterness on the back end. Too young, but pretty good.
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Purchased/Tasted in Montalcino: Great dark ruby color with a nose of cherry, blackberry, vanilla, cedar. Huge body with very big, mouth-drying tannins and very good balance. Long finish with spice showing up near the end. Pricey, but very good. foodandwineblog.com
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6/29/2023 - Phenol73 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Tawny core with copper and burnt orange. An opulent, ethereal beauty showing high-toned complexity of black cherry, tea leaves, minty top notes, old saddle leather, balsam and clove. Beguiling and mesmerising and with such confident expression. The mouthfeel is sublime; fleshy and graceful, it dances across the palate yet is still solidly framed by sweet and supple tannins. This has energy and vitality at 22 years; right at the top of its glorious innings and feels like it can go for a good while longer. This is near perfection and I'm not sure Sangiovese gets a whole lot better than this.
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12/25/2021 - D_RICH wrote: 93 Points
A gift, from years ago, from a friend and fellow CT member. On several previous occasions, this bottle had been selected but passed over for consumption. Not this time. Opened and decanted after about one hour. Consumed over the following four hours. Black/purple. Nose of plums. Concentrated, rich, balanced, with mature old world Italian aromas, secondary nuances. Fully mature. With some airing the tannins became harsher and with extended airing the fruit became noticeably sweeter, not to my taste. Still, a wonderful, balanced, mature Brunello. Drink up. (92-93).
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5/8/2021 - Frank Murray III wrote:
The Gang Drinks Blind (Mesa Verde Country Club in the OC): Served blind as part of a 2001 Italian flight. My notes are kind of sparse on this wine, as I probably was more focused on the Giacosa Falletto. For this Lisini, I jotted down the words 'ripish yet fresh' with some raisin', and 'least balanced of the three wines'. Not a great note here but figured I would log what I had written down.
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12/13/2020 - BrunelloBob wrote: 94 Points
Excellent. Strong Red Cherry, grilled meat, eucalyptus? or similar. A touch of tomato, maybe tomato paste. One of the better bottles this year. No reason not to drink now. 93-94.
Huge shmutz
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8/17/2020 - Phenol73 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Tawny crimson in colour. A beautiful bouquet of aged Sangiovese, showing sour cherry, balsam, orange peel, leather and dried spices. Gorgeous complexity and unmistakably Brunello. The palate is still vibrant and fresh, with fleshy dark cherry and lavender notes; a lovely ripe fruit core even at this age, with firm and structured tannins and bright acidity. Feels like many years still ahead of this. In its prime - what a treat!
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5/30/2020 - Warren23 wrote: 92 Points
Superlative, with amazing QPR. Gorgeous fruit-forward notes, like many Brunellos. Great structure, with notes of dark cherry, blueberry, and tobacco. Good length, such a pleasurable wine.
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1/22/2019 - derekastoria Likes this wine:
Good aged character from Sangiovese, but on the palate packed with a lot of strength and complexity. This is properly aged and suitable for people who enjoy the more powerful side of Sangiovese. At peak now and I will drink up the remaining bottles in the next few years. Darker version vs their normal Brunello. Better to pair with food, esp with steak! 15.5/20
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12/24/2016 - Jochems Likes this wine: 93 Points
Warning: this wine needs at least a couple of hours to come around. The good news is that it remains at a high level for a very long time, the next day was maybe the best glass!
Medium ruby color with some amber at the rim. Initially strong balsamic notes and some hay. After a few hours ripe notes of plum and cherry with some herbs, red licorice and hints of coffee. Big and dense on the palate with smooth, mouth coating tannins, balanced acidity and ripe fruit. The finish is very long and echoes the initial aromas.
This wine still has the structure to develop for quite some time but considering the ripe fruit notes and the integrated tannins I would only wait if I had several bottles left. Drink now - 2021
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9/13/2016 - derekastoria Likes this wine:
Dark red/garnet colour, looks developed. Nose a bit balsamic and aged to start. Rather big structure to start with fruit subtle and not prominent. Medium+ tannin. After 3 hours the balsamic nose cleared up and more fruits emerged on both nose and palate. More on the black fruits, quite focused.
A rather big & muscular Brunello, full of muscle everywhere but not those intense/extracted type. Generally I love Brunello with more elegance but this is quite good too. Fully matured & ready, can keep though. 16/20
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7/4/2016 - Giggs wrote: 95 Points
Not decanted. This has completed the long arc from its bombastic youth in 2009 to absolute peak drinking. Mature and textured with a sweet black plum and chocolate notes on the finish. Drink now-2020 with a preference for now.
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5/29/2016 - Papies wrote:
Having tried this 4 years ago and really liked it (Papies 93) and then on a bad bottle so we are not sure if this one (same batch) is characteristic of the wine or just another poor show. Felt too sweet and difficult. We refrain from rating.
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12/15/2015 - Stefanos T. Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very interesting Brunello.
Elegant nose of medium intensity but complex with cherry fruit, leather, sweet spice and balsamic notes but not easily discernible as Brunello. Mature but still developing.
Palate was round, with smoothed-out tannins, harmonious and with great depth of flavor and lasting finish.
At a very nice point to drink.
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12/14/2015 - Yiannis Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark garnet. Ripe nose of dark cherries, aromatic herbs, plums, coffee and sweet spices. Med-full bodied, velvety-textured and round with moderate acidity and a long aftertaste. Not so typical, yet excellent and at a great stage to drink.
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1/30/2015 - Papies wrote: flawed
From the cloudy colour, to the maderised nose to an undrinkable palate... such a shame...
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8/29/2014 - Giggs wrote: 93 Points
Decanted briefly, but should have given it a few hours. A spectacular nose of caramel, balsamico, peat moss, black raisin, dry blackberry, and black plum. Palate is clamped down by acidity, still in a tight youthful phase, with black fruit edged by caramel popcorn and rust water flavors. Give it some more time and a solid decant. Drink 2016-2024.
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10/5/2013 - rossi.wine wrote: 93 Points
Rusty garnet, lively and beautiful. Lots of wood, spices, truffles and red fruit on the nose. Almost elegant on the palate, fruity, fresh, round with drying but round tannins. Long & fine, now rush to drink this, now - 2020+
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1/15/2013 - igaf wrote:
Cloudy, dark, deep garnet. The nose was very slow to open, clean, soft, elegant, gaining complexity. Red fruit, hints of vanilla, strawberries, balsamico. Fruity palate, very tasty, well shaped, nicely textured, with good, juicy acidity, black berries, tar. Very long, moderately spicy, a touch peppery on the finish. Spicy aftertaste with black fruit. Beautiful wine! Very long, classy, just starting to get some complexity and should only improve.
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11/24/2012 - Pavan wrote: 94 Points
Great wine. Still fresh with plenty of fruit and a very long finish
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8/24/2012 - Papies wrote: 93 Points
Athens Wine Event, August 2012; 8/25/2012-8/26/2012 (Athens, Greece): Decanted for 30 minutes and consumed over 1 hour
The wine has a lovely balance and elegance and piruty of fruit unlike what one enounters in many of the top cuvees/riservas in the area. Light on the nose with mild oaky notes, a bit of dark fruit, cherry. On the Palate it has quite a bit of strength but the oak is almost integrated and the elegance shines. Still at the start of its drinking window this can easily last 10yrs more and one to look for. very good 93-94
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7/14/2011 - Fulcrum wrote: 95 Points
Brilliant Brunello. Black earth, cassis, blackberry liqueur on the nose. Roasted plum, bramble, iron and black cherries on the mouth. 5-10 cellar years will find a more evolved and approachable wine.
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5/1/2010 - Jossik wrote: 85 Points
Un po' fegatoso, un briciolo troppo evoluto. Dopo un po' si gioca quasi tutto sulla prugna secca, la bocca un po' troppo vuota ma nel complesso non male
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4/3/2009 - Giggs wrote: 95 Points
A sweet, complex nose with black cherry, dark chocolate, creamy custard, and a component similar to the plastic in an inflatable beach ball. Rich and silky on the palate with bitterness on the back end. Too young, but pretty good.
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11/14/2007 - foodandwineblog wrote: 95 Points
Purchased/Tasted in Montalcino: Great dark ruby color with a nose of cherry, blackberry, vanilla, cedar. Huge body with very big, mouth-drying tannins and very good balance. Long finish with spice showing up near the end. Pricey, but very good. foodandwineblog.com
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