very ripe strawberry and cherry; bramble; a bit burly; good fruit, but it fades quickly, leaving some heat and slightly bitter tannins (aggravated by a pulled pork sandwich with a slightly sweet sauce--a bad match). Likely past its prime.
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The 2005 drinks particularly better than this one. This wine is darker for sure. Uncorked to a BLACK cork with maybe 1mm cork bleed in certain parts of the bottle. Decanted for sediment (the 2005 had more). The nose initially was very metallic - very dark, not much berry. Lots of roasted fig and a hint of plum. After 20 minutes of decanting, this wine was served with a spicy chicken soup and did beautifully. The wine hit its stride about 45 minutes post decanting with a nice lovely medium to full bodied non-acidic palate of aged blackberry, dark baker's chocolate and a hint of smoke and vintage leather right up front, giving way to roasted fig and a hint of plum in the mid-palate and spice that carried this one to the finish. Well integrated. Not significantly tannic. Alone, this wine is an 87, with food I was almost tempted to give it a 90 because it did a great job of complementing and dancing with the soup instead of trying to crush it. The one thing I don't agree with is this ending date range....2012? Really? OK, so this one isn't young, but it's not done. It IS over the hill though, but not at the bottom of the curve by any means. I believe this one has another 3 years, but if you have a case of this you probably need to start drinking on it now. Drink by 2015.
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Enjoyed it with an Italian dish of slow cooked meat and sauce with pasta added late. Solid wine from Chianti that I enjoy on the palate and does not overwhelm or overimpress. I go to the terroir it must come from to pick up the flavors versus the fruit but I do that frequently with Tuscans. Oak stands out to me, I opened 3-4 hours ahead of drinking.
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Huge difference from 6 months ago. Very expressive on the nose with very good dark fruit. Carries to the initial taste with a bit of graphite and nice grip. Long finish. Fabulous with Beef round pot roast.
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I find this one to be clamped shut even after three hours. Almost non-existent bouquet with no fruit. Initial taste of spice, tar and chocolate - where is the fruit? However inconsistent, it has a nice mildly tannic very long finish that is quite nice. I expected more. Slightly better the next day
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Word must have gotten out about this wine because this was the second time I've had this in Washington D.C., this time at a completely different type of restaurant. This time at a much less pretentious place. It took a bit of time to open in the glass. Lots of earth and soil with a bit of tartness and good acidity. Quite enjoyable.
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This had quite a bit of sediment and by appearances, it could have passed for a much older wine. Fabulous nose of fruit, minerals, and earth. Nice blackberry, leather, and earth components in the mouth. Super smooth on the front end, with just a bit of bitterness and tannins on the back end that prevented this wine from being truly exceptional. Very enjoyable.
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An exceptionally good value Italian red. Claiming to be a "Baby Super Tuscan," this one outclasses many of its higher-priced competitors. Made from 85% Merlot and 15% Cab, this wine exhibited expressive plum and cassis aromas. Restrained palate of currants, bitter herbs, and blackberry with a bitter black tea finish. Has at least 1-3 more years in it. What a great find.
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Drank at Terra Gusta in Chicago to accompany the fantastic home-made pasta. Wine was a little tight and young, but opened up after decanting and a little time. Very nice deep wine with a dark ruby color.
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Wow. Had this at Josef's in Rockford. At restaurant prices it was priced ok ($32), and for a pretty much everday sort of wine it was rather good. I had it with grouper, while my wife had some ahi tuna. It was a decent little wine. Lots of oak, very bordeaux like. 85% Merlot, 15% Cab Sauvignon. Enjoyed this thoroughly. I had two bottles.
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Wow. Had this at Josef's in Rockford. At restaurant prices it was priced ok ($32), and for a pretty much everday sort of wine it was rather good. I had it with grouper, while my wife had some ahi tuna. It was a decent little wine. Lots of oak, very bordeaux like. 85% Merlot, 15% Cab Sauvignon. Enjoyed this thoroughly.
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Nose was very medicinal and palate was very tight upon opening, but the improvement over the next three or four hours was remarkable. Gorgeous tannins and mouthfeel with pleasant, easy flavors and aromas.
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This is a nice Tuscan blend. Medium, dark color. Nose of cherry, and blackberry. Medum mouthfeel. A bit tannic, but well balanced with a slight acidity. Medium finish.
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Don’t bother. I usually like super Tucsons but this was a very simple wine. Light with not much body. Had chocolate, black current and dark cherries on the nose. Kind of thin wine for a sangovisse. The palate was short and not exciting at all. Some berries and black pepper with green peppers. Not much to say on this one. Not worth the try.
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Tasted at Sam's in Chicago. Met the winemaker, Lawernce Cronin. That said, the wine speakes for itself with flavors of cherry and chocolate with a finish that hints of black pepper. A very rich wine at this price point. Even the store manager let out a little wow after tasting this gem. So maybe it won't rival a $70 bottle, but I'd put it against something around $45 and bet it would put up a good fight. The winemaker suggested thirty minutes to 1 hour of decanting, or aeration prior to drinking.
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8/2/2020 - wabi47 Does not like this wine: 84 Points
very ripe strawberry and cherry; bramble; a bit burly; good fruit, but it fades quickly, leaving some heat and slightly bitter tannins (aggravated by a pulled pork sandwich with a slightly sweet sauce--a bad match). Likely past its prime.
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5/6/2013 - mflesh wrote: 89 Points
The 2005 drinks particularly better than this one. This wine is darker for sure. Uncorked to a BLACK cork with maybe 1mm cork bleed in certain parts of the bottle. Decanted for sediment (the 2005 had more). The nose initially was very metallic - very dark, not much berry. Lots of roasted fig and a hint of plum. After 20 minutes of decanting, this wine was served with a spicy chicken soup and did beautifully. The wine hit its stride about 45 minutes post decanting with a nice lovely medium to full bodied non-acidic palate of aged blackberry, dark baker's chocolate and a hint of smoke and vintage leather right up front, giving way to roasted fig and a hint of plum in the mid-palate and spice that carried this one to the finish. Well integrated. Not significantly tannic. Alone, this wine is an 87, with food I was almost tempted to give it a 90 because it did a great job of complementing and dancing with the soup instead of trying to crush it. The one thing I don't agree with is this ending date range....2012? Really? OK, so this one isn't young, but it's not done. It IS over the hill though, but not at the bottom of the curve by any means. I believe this one has another 3 years, but if you have a case of this you probably need to start drinking on it now. Drink by 2015.
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9/23/2012 - Bakeman Likes this wine: 88 Points
Ate with Pizza. Decent enough wine, but nothing to write home about.
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5/5/2012 - GT Poquoson Likes this wine: 92 Points
Had at a wine / food paring on cruise ship with Cioppino (Seafood stew). Excellent and smooth.
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4/21/2012 - Solange wrote: 94 Points
Cherry. Intense. Sweet. Big. Chewy. All good.
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12/4/2011 - MK62 wrote: 91 Points
Enjoyed it with an Italian dish of slow cooked meat and sauce with pasta added late. Solid wine from Chianti that I enjoy on the palate and does not overwhelm or overimpress. I go to the terroir it must come from to pick up the flavors versus the fruit but I do that frequently with Tuscans. Oak stands out to me, I opened 3-4 hours ahead of drinking.
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11/14/2010 - LEXKYWINE wrote: 90 Points
Huge difference from 6 months ago. Very expressive on the nose with very good dark fruit. Carries to the initial taste with a bit of graphite and nice grip. Long finish. Fabulous with Beef round pot roast.
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6/5/2010 - LEXKYWINE wrote: 86 Points
I find this one to be clamped shut even after three hours. Almost non-existent bouquet with no fruit. Initial taste of spice, tar and chocolate - where is the fruit? However inconsistent, it has a nice mildly tannic very long finish that is quite nice. I expected more. Slightly better the next day
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7/16/2009 - Matt T wrote: 90 Points
Word must have gotten out about this wine because this was the second time I've had this in Washington D.C., this time at a completely different type of restaurant. This time at a much less pretentious place. It took a bit of time to open in the glass. Lots of earth and soil with a bit of tartness and good acidity. Quite enjoyable.
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6/24/2009 - Matt T wrote: 90 Points
This had quite a bit of sediment and by appearances, it could have passed for a much older wine. Fabulous nose of fruit, minerals, and earth. Nice blackberry, leather, and earth components in the mouth. Super smooth on the front end, with just a bit of bitterness and tannins on the back end that prevented this wine from being truly exceptional. Very enjoyable.
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12/16/2008 - drdebs wrote: 91 Points
An exceptionally good value Italian red. Claiming to be a "Baby Super Tuscan," this one outclasses many of its higher-priced competitors. Made from 85% Merlot and 15% Cab, this wine exhibited expressive plum and cassis aromas. Restrained palate of currants, bitter herbs, and blackberry with a bitter black tea finish. Has at least 1-3 more years in it. What a great find.
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9/10/2008 - PackerJon wrote: 90 Points
Drank at Terra Gusta in Chicago to accompany the fantastic home-made pasta. Wine was a little tight and young, but opened up after decanting and a little time. Very nice deep wine with a dark ruby color.
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9/6/2008 - Steve Jones wrote: 90 Points
Wow. Had this at Josef's in Rockford. At restaurant prices it was priced ok ($32), and for a pretty much everday sort of wine it was rather good. I had it with grouper, while my wife had some ahi tuna. It was a decent little wine. Lots of oak, very bordeaux like. 85% Merlot, 15% Cab Sauvignon. Enjoyed this thoroughly. I had two bottles.
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9/6/2008 - Steve Jones wrote: 90 Points
Wow. Had this at Josef's in Rockford. At restaurant prices it was priced ok ($32), and for a pretty much everday sort of wine it was rather good. I had it with grouper, while my wife had some ahi tuna. It was a decent little wine. Lots of oak, very bordeaux like. 85% Merlot, 15% Cab Sauvignon. Enjoyed this thoroughly.
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8/23/2008 - pgm wrote: 85 Points
Pop and pour at a restaurant with friends.
Pretty average, with some round cherry notes, and slightly unbalanced sourness. But pleasant enough.
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6/10/2008 - MarcInDSM wrote: 91 Points
Nose was very medicinal and palate was very tight upon opening, but the improvement over the next three or four hours was remarkable. Gorgeous tannins and mouthfeel with pleasant, easy flavors and aromas.
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5/2/2008 - Blue Shorts wrote: 89 Points
This is a nice Tuscan blend. Medium, dark color. Nose of cherry, and blackberry. Medum mouthfeel. A bit tannic, but well balanced with a slight acidity. Medium finish.
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4/4/2008 - bjohnson350 wrote: 85 Points
Don’t bother. I usually like super Tucsons but this was a very simple wine. Light with not much body. Had chocolate, black current and dark cherries on the nose. Kind of thin wine for a sangovisse. The palate was short and not exciting at all. Some berries and black pepper with green peppers. Not much to say on this one. Not worth the try.
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3/6/2008 - PackerJon wrote: 91 Points
Tasted at Sam's in Chicago. Met the winemaker, Lawernce Cronin. That said, the wine speakes for itself with flavors of cherry and chocolate with a finish that hints of black pepper. A very rich wine at this price point. Even the store manager let out a little wow after tasting this gem. So maybe it won't rival a $70 bottle, but I'd put it against something around $45 and bet it would put up a good fight. The winemaker suggested thirty minutes to 1 hour of decanting, or aeration prior to drinking.
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