Stunning and amazing! Seriously one of the best wines of my entire collection. Classic Brunello with that earthly chalk finish. Lucious silky smooth dark cherry. Give it an hour to get started.
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Delightful! Perfect even after a one hour decant. Solid floral with limited sediment. Extremely smooth with zero tanins. Almost 25 years young and it remains a Winner.
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Dark garnet in color with minor clearing at the edges. Full, forward & attractive nose of ripe fruits aromas of cherries, blueberries & plums with overtones of earthy/dusty & floral notes, leather, tobacco, mushrooms, tar, cocoa, minerals, balsamic notes & a hint of cedar in the background. Full bodied with very good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, mature, ripe fruit flavors of cherries, blueberries & plums with mushrooms, minerals & herbs. Lingering smooth finish. Drinks quite well at present & at 24 years of age, it is at or near its peak of development, so drink up! Cork was stained on bottom 1/3 but intact; fill was above the shoulder in lower neck.
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Endless layers cherrywood, smoke, cigar, and a hint chalk. Yr. 2015 reportedly the end of drinkability, but this one has an age that remains open. Exceptional.
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Spectacular! Classic old age Brunello. Perfectly light floral with luscious dark cherry. Dry and chalky that screams Montalcino terrain. A great producer in a strong vintage= perfection.
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Subdued red colour with touch of brick; little cloudy. Forward nose of red fruit with forest floor complexity. It is the palate that carries the wine; tannins are resolved; elegant, still lots of sweet fruit nicely balanced by acidity and both carry to a long finish. Don’t wait, it is not getting any better.
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When initially opened it seemed to have lost a lot of fruit and had aged poorly but with extended aeration, more red berry fruit appeared and it was thoroughly enjoyable with the spare ribs. Fully resolved soft tannin, good acidity and a decent finish. Probably best to drink up although this bottle may not have been stored perfectly.
It keeps improving! A delightfully PERFECT Brunello with everything you might expect. The immediate floral bouquet followed by that Tuscan chalk which brings back every moment you have every spent there and all those wonderful memories from two decades past. Enjoy this great producer.
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Enjoyed this wine on an absolute level, but when I noted it's a $65 bottle I REALLY loved it. With minimal decanting, wine immediately delivered beautiful smoky, tobacco and baking spices with black cherries, plums and raisins - awesome balance, acidity and finish. Had not been drinking Brunellos but this wine brought me back into the genre. Going to find more of this!!
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decanted 30 min. still deep garnet, shading to a paler rim; morello cherry, balsam fir, a little weedy; med+ weight; restrained sour cherry, particularly herbaceous on palate, becoming excessively drying on finish after several hours. sound & consistent w/previous.
have liked most of the '99 brunellos of late, this was good at the table however not lamenting its status as the last bottle. completely mature at best.
veal chop w/lemon; corn 'cacio e pepe'; ladypeas & treviso
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Lat bottle. Come across fairly traditional and beginning to tire a little. Moderate bricking. The nose shows dark cherry, rosemary, leather, raisin, and some dusty earth. Fairly low intensity. Basically no tannin left, but some decent acid. Nice wine but not anything amazing.
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The wine definitely improved with some air time. It still had nice dark red fruit, and good acidity. However, it is in decline and I would recommend drinking your bottles sooner rather than later.
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This is another good, old bottle of Altesino Brunello. While it is getting old, it still has nice dusty cherry fruit, saddle leather, good acidity and a medium finish with some tannins that remain. So perhaps this will live for a while?
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This is still a good Brunello, but the fruit is really fading now. It does have a nice nose with Sangiovese fruit. On the palate the red fruit fades as it reaches the back of the palate. The tannins are smooth and the acidity is in check. It was time to drink this vintage a few years ago.
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This bottle was pretty good compared to some recent bottles that I have opened. It was in good condition with dusty cherry fruit and saddle leather and a medium finish. However, the fruit is fading and this vintage is in decline.
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Well, this is my 2nd bottle in as many days and I think this vintage is over the hill. The wine has been stored properly. The fruit has faded considerably and it has a hollow middle palate along with a short finish. It is certainly drinkable, but way past it’s prime.
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Lovely profile, beautifully balanced, and perfect drinking now. A couple of hours to open out. Medium bodied. Elegant, not just for Brunello. 13.5%. Gently purple fruited, touch of clove. As I write the score seems low. Just lacks a little concentration but if it had it that might take something away.
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Decanted from a magnum at 1862. Fresh, earthy red with earthy notes on the nose and palate. If the nose is earthy, on the palate there is great red fruit, acidity and faint tannins on the finish. Nicely within its drinking window, should have 2-3 more years to go at least in this large format.
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Previous notes apply. Did not feel this wine is diminishing after 2 years since last tasting. Quintessential Sangiovese old world style I love. At dinner so not more notes and I apologize.
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Blood orange and amber in color with bricking. Cork was stained 60% through but came out in one piece. The nose is quite funky with stewed cherry and currants, mushroom, forest floor, leather/saddle, sweet stewed tomato, and pencil shavings. On the palate, it is lush with flavors of raspberry, Bing cherry, currants, game meat, red licorice, eucalyptus, toffee, toast, bell pepper, vanilla, heirloom tomatoes, leafy greens, and mushroom. Medium plus body with light tannins. Still has a lot of life and is an excellent example of an aged Brunello.
Very similar to the 2000 consumed last year, this was tight on opening but after about an hour the nose comes around to reveal cherries, rosemary, leather, forest floor, and smoke. The palate is mostly integrated with medium minus tannin and good moderate sour acid. An expression that comes across as leaning traditional.
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PNP at an evening research meeting. Great from the start, with increasing earthy leather notes over an hour. Must have been good because before I knew it, my last bottle was gone!
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16yrs is not even a problem for this bad boy. Rumbling on and looking fine. All you'd want and need from a Brunello. Dark cherry, anise, Leather, cigar box with dried cherry and mushroom sprinkled in. 3hr slow oxidation and then a 45min decant (had thrown good chunk of sediment). Tannins tuck you into bed and the fruit, tertiary characters ~1+min finish put you to sleep. Boom. Had with filet mignon.
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I decided to open this on a Sunday night while I would have time to savor it for the evening. The cork was over half impregnated with wine, but no signed of leakage - a quick smell (leather shop) and taste (woods and red fruit) and... the wine is good, whew... My first concern with bottles purchased at auction. Decanted and sampled over 4h.
This a strong aromatic and flavorful wine. Walk in to a saddle shop with oak trestle tables covered with red plums and cherries everywhere. The room has a dirt floor. That pretty much sums up the experience of this wine, over time the elements of the nose and palate experience have shifted a bit, now after 2 hours I'm getting more sour cherries than ripe red cherries upon opening. The finish is long and lingering. One of the most complex and intriguing wines I've tasted in a while.
At 3h, the flavors have shaken down to a woody oaky flavor and red cherries, delicious to be sure, but the complexity of the first two hours after opening is gone. Long decanting did not really improve this wine, even up to 4h.
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At dinner so notes minimal. Deep rich color and aromas of earth, leather, cherries. Good legs and structure on the glass. Smooth well integrated tannins with a good amount of acidity. Drinking younger than expected. Beautiful mouth feel, rich chocolate and cherries on the palate with a simple typical sangiovese finish. Still time left in this bottle.
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Pop 'n poured. I liked this bottle a little better than the last one. Notes of crushed flowers, saddle leather and dried cherries. The fruit is still coming through, but the tannins are very soft. Really nice, mature Brunello.
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The wine is of course very mature with a bright orange rim. It has notes of cedar, tobacco and dried cherries. Very nice to drink right now, but I would not hold back pulling corks if you have a few bottles to go.
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from .375 ml., purchased on release, stored impeccably. Decanted 30 minutes, a little past apex in this format. Dried sour cherries, sandlewood incense, dusty, loamy, tannins neatly resolved. Acidity relevant but not screaming, more evocative with food.
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Not as gorgeous as the 1997 that I had a few months ago, but you could definitely recognize the earthy palate with predominant mushrooms and leather notes.
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It took this wine a while to open up. The first hour or two, I was not impressed. It was closed and very primary. But after a couple of hours, I began to really like it. Red fruits, dried fruits, but the acidity came through making a little more lean than I would like. Still a nice Brunello.
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From 375, this bottle is quite advanced compared to the last and is fully mature, fruit is fading. Nice but I might have preferred it a year or two back. From 750, probably right in it's prime.
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now is a good time to drink this, won't improve and I think it's peak in performance won't last very long, but is really great stuff, explosive nose and a very intense middle part, followed by a spicy aftertaste, excellent Brunello at the right age
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Pour and drank. Dried cherries and tobacco on the nose. Dried fruit continued into mid and late palate. Smooth mature tannins and a great finish. I didn't catch all the spice that others mentioned. Went great with spicy Italian sausage stew. Started to lose it after a couple hours so it may be nearing its' peak (or is there right now). I think my tendency is to age my Brunello's a little too long but I think I hit this one just right (at least for my taste).
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DAWGS December 2010 - Champagne et. al.: Tasted non blind. Opened and served immediately. Garnet to perhaps dark garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of rose petals, berries, cherries and a hint of smoke. Flavors of berries and cherries. Bright acidity, medium to firm tannins, medium to full bodied. Drink or hold. 92-93?
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Drank along with the '03 Altesino Montesoli a couple nights ago. 03 was straight ruby while the 99 had some brick to it. 03 started more closed with more tannin. As the night wore on the 2 were virtually indistinguishable, but I liked the '99 just a hair better. In addition to the black fruit, it had some dried fruit on the nose and on the back of the palate. Medium finish Seemed like a drink now.
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A bit modern and flashy, but solid core of black cherry fruit and some lingering notes of leather and spice, just a bit of vanilla. Seemed to be drinking well now (though maybe not so much in 750). I liked but did not love, but I was really tired and that might have taken a + off this for me, B
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Rich, with a hint of brett, good acidity, a slightly bitter finish. Cherry, leather and spice (cinnamon, nutmeg), with a hint of barnyard. Quite good, if not exceptional. Would have been even better with food (our problem, not the wines).
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This wine has a rating of 91 points by wine spectator. In truth, I am not certain how much we paid for this wine because I did not see the bill. It was a good italian wine and we all enjoyed it very much. I would purchase this again.
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Explosive on the nose. Pure, medium bodied, no wood showing. Lots of dried red fruits, leather, blood, warm earth, some farminess. Not tremendously complex or concentrated but admirably flawless and highly enjoyable. Great typicity, great Brunello. Drinking well now though not completely mature. Bright future ahead.
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Enjoyed this wine with a professional sommelier at Angelini Osteria, who preferred it over the Burgundy that he brought to dinner. Needs about 1 hour to truly appreciate this wine. Still a noticeable bit of acid on the finish. Drinking great now, but intrigued by where this wine will be in a couple of years.
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Opened about 30 minutes prior to a pasta dinner with Italian sausage, bell peppers and tomato/basil sauce. Deep, yet translucent maroon in color. Typical Brunello notes of cherry, cranberry, earth and mineral. More of the same on the palate with the red fruits perfectly balanced with the mineral/herb notes. Went great with the food, but on its own was still quite tannic. We drank this over the course of 2 hours and the tannins didn't seem to settle, but neither did the fruit... a very good sign of things to come. A long, but mouth drying finish. Solid now, and will probably benefit with an additional year or two in the cellar. (I think I'll hold off on my next one until 2009, so it'll have 10 years on it). 90-92 points, with an increase likely once the tannins integrate. Don't rush on these.
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Medium-ruby colour. Aromas of mint, cinnamon, red plums, and currant. Medium-bodied, with leather, earth, herbs, and currant. Moderate finish, 30-35s, with red fruit and earth notes. Quite young.
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Altesino's basic Brunello is certainly more on the traditional side than the modern. The wine has a dark, chewy character with a rather interesting note of cranberry. Even after two days open, the wine showed no signs of oxidation. A very well structured wine that will require time to mature. 90-91
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Heritage: Classic Brunello; Grt. overall power and strength, prune/tar notes, intense, rich; full bod, hefty earth/tar mth w/some good a’s too. Should age well another 5 years.
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Brunello Di Montalcino (Vino, NYC): ($61) earthy nose with some fruit. high tannins cherry on the palate; nice long finish good aging potential; not ready yet.
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Tasted unblinded at the Vintage Wines, Ltd. wine bar. Bright disc. Deep ruby robe with red rim. Despite aeration in the glass for more than one hour, the nose was closed and showed a hint of TCA. Full-bodied on the palate, with high acidity and coarse tannins. The flavors are subdued. It is quite possible that this wine has shut down, but it is also possible that this tasting was the result of a flawed bottle. For that reason, I have not assigned a score to this wine. The proprietor of Vintage Wines, Ltd. did not feel that the wine was corked, and accordingly a second bottle could not be tasted. Unless I were to have the opportunity to taste this wine again, I would not risk purchasing it.
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12/7/2023 - Eric wrote: 92 Points
Sheesh, explosive, stunningly fresh, powerful, quite big, amazingly big for a nearly 25 year old Brunello. Love where this is heading.
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10/15/2023 - Nerdy Earth Boy Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wow
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10/15/2023 - Nerdy Earth Boy Likes this wine: 97 Points
Stunning and amazing! Seriously one of the best wines of my entire collection. Classic Brunello with that earthly chalk finish. Lucious silky smooth dark cherry. Give it an hour to get started.
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4/10/2023 - Nerdy Earth Boy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Delightful! Perfect even after a one hour decant. Solid floral with limited sediment. Extremely smooth with zero tanins. Almost 25 years young and it remains a Winner.
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1/10/2023 - Vinnut Likes this wine: 91 Points
Dark garnet in color with minor clearing at the edges. Full, forward & attractive nose of ripe fruits aromas of cherries, blueberries & plums with overtones of earthy/dusty & floral notes, leather, tobacco, mushrooms, tar, cocoa, minerals, balsamic notes & a hint of cedar in the background. Full bodied with very good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, mature, ripe fruit flavors of cherries, blueberries & plums with mushrooms, minerals & herbs. Lingering smooth finish. Drinks quite well at present & at 24 years of age, it is at or near its peak of development, so drink up! Cork was stained on bottom 1/3 but intact; fill was above the shoulder in lower neck.
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6/22/2022 - Nolch Likes this wine: 99 Points
Endless layers cherrywood, smoke, cigar, and a hint chalk. Yr. 2015 reportedly the end of drinkability, but this one has an age that remains open. Exceptional.
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1/29/2022 - Nerdy Earth Boy Likes this wine: 95 Points
Spectacular! Classic old age Brunello. Perfectly light floral with luscious dark cherry. Dry and chalky that screams Montalcino terrain. A great producer in a strong vintage= perfection.
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1/21/2022 - Milos Likes this wine: 92 Points
Subdued red colour with touch of brick; little cloudy. Forward nose of red fruit with forest floor complexity. It is the palate that carries the wine; tannins are resolved; elegant, still lots of sweet fruit nicely balanced by acidity and both carry to a long finish. Don’t wait, it is not getting any better.
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12/9/2021 - Nolch Likes this wine: 85 Points
Improved with long decanting but floral notes remained subdued and tannins were soft. This bottle was somewhat past prime.
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1/18/2020 - DemonC2H5OH wrote: 89 Points
When initially opened it seemed to have lost a lot of fruit and had aged poorly but with extended aeration, more red berry fruit appeared and it was thoroughly enjoyable with the spare ribs. Fully resolved soft tannin, good acidity and a decent finish. Probably best to drink up although this bottle may not have been stored perfectly.
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12/23/2019 - Nerdy Earth Boy Likes this wine: 93 Points
It keeps improving! A delightfully PERFECT Brunello with everything you might expect. The immediate floral bouquet followed by that Tuscan chalk which brings back every moment you have every spent there and all those wonderful memories from two decades past. Enjoy this great producer.
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11/7/2019 - Som-Geo Likes this wine: 94 Points
Enjoyed this wine on an absolute level, but when I noted it's a $65 bottle I REALLY loved it. With minimal decanting, wine immediately delivered beautiful smoky, tobacco and baking spices with black cherries, plums and raisins - awesome balance, acidity and finish. Had not been drinking Brunellos but this wine brought me back into the genre. Going to find more of this!!
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8/30/2019 - pigdaddy wrote: 88 Points
decanted 30 min. still deep garnet, shading to a paler rim; morello cherry, balsam fir, a little weedy; med+ weight; restrained sour cherry, particularly herbaceous on palate, becoming excessively drying on finish after several hours. sound & consistent w/previous.
have liked most of the '99 brunellos of late, this was good at the table however not lamenting its status as the last bottle. completely mature at best.
veal chop w/lemon; corn 'cacio e pepe'; ladypeas & treviso
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6/27/2019 - europat55 wrote: 91 Points
Nose: A- Palate: B+/B++
My #4, Group's #7 (89 pts). Tasted blind in a flight of Altesino Brunellos from 1988-2001
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6/16/2019 - Wine Canuck wrote: 91 Points
Lat bottle. Come across fairly traditional and beginning to tire a little. Moderate bricking. The nose shows dark cherry, rosemary, leather, raisin, and some dusty earth. Fairly low intensity. Basically no tannin left, but some decent acid. Nice wine but not anything amazing.
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5/30/2019 - Jukkaryt Likes this wine:
Yes
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1/29/2019 - JM_MadTown Likes this wine: 89 Points
The wine definitely improved with some air time. It still had nice dark red fruit, and good acidity. However, it is in decline and I would recommend drinking your bottles sooner rather than later.
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11/28/2018 - JM_MadTown Likes this wine: 88 Points
This is another good, old bottle of Altesino Brunello. While it is getting old, it still has nice dusty cherry fruit, saddle leather, good acidity and a medium finish with some tannins that remain. So perhaps this will live for a while?
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11/19/2018 - JM_MadTown wrote: 88 Points
This is still a good Brunello, but the fruit is really fading now. It does have a nice nose with Sangiovese fruit. On the palate the red fruit fades as it reaches the back of the palate. The tannins are smooth and the acidity is in check. It was time to drink this vintage a few years ago.
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10/31/2018 - JM_MadTown Likes this wine: 90 Points
This bottle was pretty good compared to some recent bottles that I have opened. It was in good condition with dusty cherry fruit and saddle leather and a medium finish. However, the fruit is fading and this vintage is in decline.
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10/18/2018 - JM_MadTown wrote: 82 Points
Well, this is my 2nd bottle in as many days and I think this vintage is over the hill. The wine has been stored properly. The fruit has faded considerably and it has a hollow middle palate along with a short finish. It is certainly drinkable, but way past it’s prime.
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12/18/2017 - Cofxc Likes this wine: 90 Points
Lovely profile, beautifully balanced, and perfect drinking now. A couple of hours to open out. Medium bodied. Elegant, not just for Brunello. 13.5%. Gently purple fruited, touch of clove. As I write the score seems low. Just lacks a little concentration but if it had it that might take something away.
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2/4/2017 - adamcellar wrote: 92 Points
Excellent. Full bodied, smooth and integrated.
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12/31/2016 - TXRhoneRanger wrote: 96 Points
Just in the perfect spot right now. Simply lovely.
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8/23/2016 - skurtz Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted from a magnum at 1862. Fresh, earthy red with earthy notes on the nose and palate. If the nose is earthy, on the palate there is great red fruit, acidity and faint tannins on the finish. Nicely within its drinking window, should have 2-3 more years to go at least in this large format.
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5/30/2016 - BillyT wrote: 91 Points
Previous notes apply. Did not feel this wine is diminishing after 2 years since last tasting. Quintessential Sangiovese old world style I love. At dinner so not more notes and I apologize.
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3/6/2016 - ZachF88 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Blood orange and amber in color with bricking. Cork was stained 60% through but came out in one piece. The nose is quite funky with stewed cherry and currants, mushroom, forest floor, leather/saddle, sweet stewed tomato, and pencil shavings. On the palate, it is lush with flavors of raspberry, Bing cherry, currants, game meat, red licorice, eucalyptus, toffee, toast, bell pepper, vanilla, heirloom tomatoes, leafy greens, and mushroom. Medium plus body with light tannins. Still has a lot of life and is an excellent example of an aged Brunello.
https://feinwein.wordpress.com/2016/03/06/tasting-1999-altesino-brunello-di-montalcino/
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1/27/2016 - Wine Canuck wrote: 92 Points
Very similar to the 2000 consumed last year, this was tight on opening but after about an hour the nose comes around to reveal cherries, rosemary, leather, forest floor, and smoke. The palate is mostly integrated with medium minus tannin and good moderate sour acid. An expression that comes across as leaning traditional.
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11/21/2015 - JuliannaDHS Likes this wine: 91 Points
This reminds me why I love aged Brunello. There's dark cherry, leather, and earthy aromas and flavors. The long finish seals the deal.
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10/2/2015 - AleksanderDye Likes this wine: 90 Points
Fortsatt en del tanniner. God mørk frukt, noe lær og hint av tobakk. God balanse og lengde. Mye intens smak og god konsentrasjon
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9/11/2015 - skurtz Likes this wine: 91 Points
PNP at an evening research meeting. Great from the start, with increasing earthy leather notes over an hour. Must have been good because before I knew it, my last bottle was gone!
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1/31/2015 - DBunk Likes this wine: 96 Points
16yrs is not even a problem for this bad boy. Rumbling on and looking fine. All you'd want and need from a Brunello. Dark cherry, anise, Leather, cigar box with dried cherry and mushroom sprinkled in. 3hr slow oxidation and then a 45min decant (had thrown good chunk of sediment). Tannins tuck you into bed and the fruit, tertiary characters ~1+min finish put you to sleep. Boom. Had with filet mignon.
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1/22/2015 - Nerdy Earth Boy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Earthy, floral smooth and chalky. I love aged Brunello! Always works for me.
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10/28/2014 - skurtz Likes this wine: 91 Points
PnP at a client dinner. Musty, leathery with dark fruit. Still in its drinking window.
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4/13/2014 - Nerdy Earth Boy Likes this wine: 92 Points
A beautiful classic Brunello. Plenty of aging left w this vintage. Earthy and smooth
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3/23/2014 - skurtz Likes this wine: 92 Points
I decided to open this on a Sunday night while I would have time to savor it for the evening. The cork was over half impregnated with wine, but no signed of leakage - a quick smell (leather shop) and taste (woods and red fruit) and... the wine is good, whew... My first concern with bottles purchased at auction. Decanted and sampled over 4h.
This a strong aromatic and flavorful wine. Walk in to a saddle shop with oak trestle tables covered with red plums and cherries everywhere. The room has a dirt floor. That pretty much sums up the experience of this wine, over time the elements of the nose and palate experience have shifted a bit, now after 2 hours I'm getting more sour cherries than ripe red cherries upon opening. The finish is long and lingering. One of the most complex and intriguing wines I've tasted in a while.
At 3h, the flavors have shaken down to a woody oaky flavor and red cherries, delicious to be sure, but the complexity of the first two hours after opening is gone. Long decanting did not really improve this wine, even up to 4h.
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11/10/2013 - BillyT wrote: 90 Points
At dinner so notes minimal. Deep rich color and aromas of earth, leather, cherries. Good legs and structure on the glass. Smooth well integrated tannins with a good amount of acidity. Drinking younger than expected. Beautiful mouth feel, rich chocolate and cherries on the palate with a simple typical sangiovese finish. Still time left in this bottle.
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8/16/2013 - JM_MadTown Likes this wine: 90 Points
Pop 'n poured. I liked this bottle a little better than the last one. Notes of crushed flowers, saddle leather and dried cherries. The fruit is still coming through, but the tannins are very soft. Really nice, mature Brunello.
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8/9/2013 - JM_MadTown Likes this wine: 89 Points
The wine is of course very mature with a bright orange rim. It has notes of cedar, tobacco and dried cherries. Very nice to drink right now, but I would not hold back pulling corks if you have a few bottles to go.
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7/27/2013 - curtr Likes this wine: 91 Points
Sadly my last bottle of this very nicely balanced wine. Still holding together and could last atleast 2 more years.
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6/28/2013 - curtr wrote: 91 Points
Decant 1.5 hours.
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6/20/2013 - pigdaddy wrote: 89 Points
from .375 ml., purchased on release, stored impeccably.
Decanted 30 minutes, a little past apex in this format. Dried sour cherries, sandlewood incense, dusty, loamy, tannins neatly resolved. Acidity relevant but not screaming, more evocative with food.
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2/24/2013 - europat55 wrote: 91 Points
Not as gorgeous as the 1997 that I had a few months ago, but you could definitely recognize the earthy palate with predominant mushrooms and leather notes.
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2/15/2013 - JM_MadTown Likes this wine: 90 Points
It took this wine a while to open up. The first hour or two, I was not impressed. It was closed and very primary. But after a couple of hours, I began to really like it. Red fruits, dried fruits, but the acidity came through making a little more lean than I would like. Still a nice Brunello.
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12/10/2012 - curtr wrote: 91 Points
At peak now. 1 hour decant needed. Bold, rich & balanced.
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11/21/2012 - pbjosh wrote:
From 375, this bottle is quite advanced compared to the last and is fully mature, fruit is fading. Nice but I might have preferred it a year or two back. From 750, probably right in it's prime.
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2/23/2012 - curtr wrote: 91 Points
Very nice deep wine. Fully drinkable now.
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6/19/2011 - Kris G wrote: 93 Points
now is a good time to drink this, won't improve and I think it's peak in performance won't last very long, but is really great stuff, explosive nose and a very intense middle part, followed by a spicy aftertaste, excellent Brunello at the right age
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12/28/2010 - LCHammer wrote: 92 Points
Pour and drank. Dried cherries and tobacco on the nose. Dried fruit continued into mid and late palate. Smooth mature tannins and a great finish. I didn't catch all the spice that others mentioned. Went great with spicy Italian sausage stew. Started to lose it after a couple hours so it may be nearing its' peak (or is there right now). I think my tendency is to age my Brunello's a little too long but I think I hit this one just right (at least for my taste).
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12/22/2010 - wineismylife Likes this wine: 92 Points
DAWGS December 2010 - Champagne et. al.: Tasted non blind. Opened and served immediately. Garnet to perhaps dark garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of rose petals, berries, cherries and a hint of smoke. Flavors of berries and cherries. Bright acidity, medium to firm tannins, medium to full bodied. Drink or hold. 92-93?
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8/27/2010 - agirlandherglass wrote: 90 Points
nice chocolate nose
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8/22/2010 - dkoontz wrote: 91 Points
Drank along with the '03 Altesino Montesoli a couple nights ago. 03 was straight ruby while the 99 had some brick to it. 03 started more closed with more tannin. As the night wore on the 2 were virtually indistinguishable, but I liked the '99 just a hair better. In addition to the black fruit, it had some dried fruit on the nose and on the back of the palate. Medium finish Seemed like a drink now.
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7/21/2010 - KingSlacker999 wrote: flawed
Corked
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2/26/2010 - 1961Vintage wrote: 93 Points
simply outstanding. layers of great fruit, well balanced...
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10/3/2009 - DaleW wrote:
A bit modern and flashy, but solid core of black cherry fruit and some lingering notes of leather and spice, just a bit of vanilla. Seemed to be drinking well now (though maybe not so much in 750). I liked but did not love, but I was really tired and that might have taken a + off this for me, B
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1/20/2009 - Employee500 wrote: 91 Points
Rich, with a hint of brett, good acidity, a slightly bitter finish. Cherry, leather and spice (cinnamon, nutmeg), with a hint of barnyard. Quite good, if not exceptional. Would have been even better with food (our problem, not the wines).
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12/13/2008 - pwarms wrote:
Enjoyed at Mekograno with boar bolognese and deconstructed chicken parm. Seems near the end of its window.
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9/9/2008 - marchdreamer wrote: 88 Points
This wine has a rating of 91 points by wine spectator. In truth, I am not certain how much we paid for this wine because I did not see the bill. It was a good italian wine and we all enjoyed it very much. I would purchase this again.
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4/23/2008 - pbjosh wrote: 92 Points
Explosive on the nose. Pure, medium bodied, no wood showing. Lots of dried red fruits, leather, blood, warm earth, some farminess. Not tremendously complex or concentrated but admirably flawless and highly enjoyable. Great typicity, great Brunello. Drinking well now though not completely mature. Bright future ahead.
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12/26/2007 - bsieve wrote: 93 Points
Outstanding. Smooth, balanced, delicious. Paired beautifully with prime rib. Highly recommended.
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11/15/2007 - chetlee wrote: 92 Points
Enjoyed this wine with a professional sommelier at Angelini Osteria, who preferred it over the Burgundy that he brought to dinner. Needs about 1 hour to truly appreciate this wine. Still a noticeable bit of acid on the finish. Drinking great now, but intrigued by where this wine will be in a couple of years.
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7/3/2007 - mwagner7700 wrote: 91 Points
Opened about 30 minutes prior to a pasta dinner with Italian sausage, bell peppers and tomato/basil sauce. Deep, yet translucent maroon in color. Typical Brunello notes of cherry, cranberry, earth and mineral. More of the same on the palate with the red fruits perfectly balanced with the mineral/herb notes. Went great with the food, but on its own was still quite tannic. We drank this over the course of 2 hours and the tannins didn't seem to settle, but neither did the fruit... a very good sign of things to come. A long, but mouth drying finish. Solid now, and will probably benefit with an additional year or two in the cellar. (I think I'll hold off on my next one until 2009, so it'll have 10 years on it). 90-92 points, with an increase likely once the tannins integrate. Don't rush on these.
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9/20/2006 - buckeye76 wrote: 92 Points
RICH FRUIT IN THE NOSE AND FLAVOR, WITH NICE COMPLEXITY, AND A LONG SMOOTH FINISH.
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11/19/2005 - futronic wrote: 88 Points
Medium-ruby colour. Aromas of mint, cinnamon, red plums, and currant. Medium-bodied, with leather, earth, herbs, and currant. Moderate finish, 30-35s, with red fruit and earth notes. Quite young.
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10/3/2005 - jarvisdrinker wrote:
Bad bottle. Absolutely nothing left to it. Dumped down the drain.
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2/13/2005 - D. Fulton wrote: 91 Points
Altesino's basic Brunello is certainly more on the traditional side than the modern. The wine has a dark, chewy character with a rather interesting note of cranberry. Even after two days open, the wine showed no signs of oxidation. A very well structured wine that will require time to mature. 90-91
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1/8/2005 - peternelson wrote: 90 Points
Heritage: Classic Brunello; Grt. overall power and strength, prune/tar notes, intense, rich; full bod, hefty earth/tar mth w/some good a’s too. Should age well another 5 years.
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10/5/2004 - 97mjr wrote:
Brunello Di Montalcino (Vino, NYC): ($61) earthy nose with some fruit. high tannins cherry on the palate; nice long finish good aging potential; not ready yet.
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9/24/2004 - La Cave d'Argent wrote:
Tasted unblinded at the Vintage Wines, Ltd. wine bar. Bright disc. Deep ruby robe with red rim. Despite aeration in the glass for more than one hour, the nose was closed and showed a hint of TCA. Full-bodied on the palate, with high acidity and coarse tannins. The flavors are subdued. It is quite possible that this wine has shut down, but it is also possible that this tasting was the result of a flawed bottle. For that reason, I have not assigned a score to this wine. The proprietor of Vintage Wines, Ltd. did not feel that the wine was corked, and accordingly a second bottle could not be tasted. Unless I were to have the opportunity to taste this wine again, I would not risk purchasing it.
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7/9/2004 - mwagner7700 wrote:
Had this at the winery...
Garnet in color. Aromas of dark cherry, red fruit and violets. A little muted. Not as complex as Costanti, still good. 91-93 points.
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