Very smooth but plenty of structure still. Plenty of fruit, too: morello cherry and plum. A hint of licorice. Not as complex as I had hoped, but quite good.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Double-decanted before I walked over, I was a little worried about VA and a pruney note when decanting, but that was gone by time we drank. Black cherries and plums, earth, leather. A bit of tannin remaining. B
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very nice on the first night, but kind of over-the-hill by the 2nd night. I recommend not saving this wine any longer, if you've been holding on to it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Cork a little crumbly, and I was concerned at first as there were some hints of VA and pruniness coming off bottle. But with 10 minutes of air everything was hunky dory. Ripe kirschy red fruit, some black plum, leather. Tannins still there, but not as overt as when wine was released. Drinking well and I;d expect to hold up well for several years. B+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Consistent with previous notes. Although this is probably on the downhill slope, it's still a very pleasing, nicely aged bottle of wine. Lots of leather and earthy secondary flavors, fading fruit, wrapped up in a silky package.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Vecchia Roma. Acid had settled down a lot since 2006, now with excellent balance, a bit of earth and leather and secondary black fruit flavors. Good with rack of lamb. Drink or hold.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
After 20 minutes this blossomed -- mature, elegant, very floral aromatics with some caramel and baking spice, scorched earth, rainwater, mildly stewed red and blue fruits. Good palate weight with high acidity. Finishes well. Drink up, and enjoy with food, this is a pretty nice bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A bit long in the tooth -- somewhat shrill acid. Otherwise decent quality aged Aglianico. I'll try another bottle before passing judgement, but based on just this one sample I'd say a) drink up and b) don't buy more...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Right out of the bottle this was showing some reduction issues, but after decanting for only a few minutes this blew off quite nicely. The nose developed rather quickly as we sipped with some great Artisan pizza. The nose offered upfront volcanic strawberry stones and cherry liqeur, also brushed leather, charred rocks and hits of blood. If it weren't for the high toned fruit notes I would have expected the wine to taste black, even though the color was an amber cherry color. On the palate there was vibrant acidity that I found pleasant and great with the food- notes of raspberry, candied tangerine, and more cherry liqeur on the palate. There were some firm but non aggressive tannins that were very enjoyable paired against the lively acidity. The finish was long and bright leaving your mouth fresh and ready to eat more, almost like a sophisticated sorbet. This bottle did seem a tiny bit oxidized, but it wasn't enough to ruin my enjoyment. The wine seems to be in a slightly awkward stage at the moment though. It's hard to tell if it's not going to improve, or needs a serious hibernation. This could be a gamble. For now the acid and tannic components seem to be overshadowing some of the delicate nuances a bit too much (regardless of how nicely paired I mentioned they were earlier), but maybe they'll learn to get along again given a few more years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A nice wine, but not as a big as I expected.leather and cherry on a subdued nose.Earth, plum and leather on the palate. I don't find the tannins that others have in this wine and I think it's time to drink up.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nose offers up tar, leather, anise...perhaps a bit of chocolate but I can't be sure. Decanted. The wine still seems extraordinarily tannic--but the fruit is there and quite tasty. I understand how this wine is called "The Barolo of the South". It'll certain age for some time; hopefully the tannin will soften and let some of that captive fruit out.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This was very earthy and organic in the nose. Light body, forward fruit, with a smooth finish. Definitely opened up as we let it sit in our glasses for quite some time. Paired well with the traditional pasta and tomato sauce we drank it with.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The nose had the same animal character it showed at the wine shop, but straight from the bottle, this is secondary to more youthful notes of cherry and anise. Very bright on the palate; despite the primal, aged flavors, there's a lot of acidity here, and a fair amount of tannin. I've been nursing this for about five hours now, and the changes are very nice. The fruit has faded-- replaced by a deeper, earthier floral profile-- and the musk is more pronounced.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
(Kathy, Brian, Jill, Chris) LOVE the aglianico. This has a nice antiquey quality to it --- leathery, cherry liquer, animal fur and earthy. Still has some nice acidity and is the perfect foil for the Braciolona rolling stasera.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
8/3/2016 - acorelli Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very smooth but plenty of structure still. Plenty of fruit, too: morello cherry and plum. A hint of licorice. Not as complex as I had hoped, but quite good.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/22/2014 - DaleW wrote:
Double-decanted before I walked over, I was a little worried about VA and a pruney note when decanting, but that was gone by time we drank. Black cherries and plums, earth, leather. A bit of tannin remaining. B
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/24/2012 - JJKinch wrote: 91 Points
Well evolved. Nice cherry fruit, acidity, lingering finish. Well integrated - seamless, slight tar, slight spice, almost light. Really enjoyable.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/22/2010 - jkwatson wrote: 89 Points
Very nice on the first night, but kind of over-the-hill by the 2nd night. I recommend not saving this wine any longer, if you've been holding on to it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/28/2010 - DaleW wrote:
Cork a little crumbly, and I was concerned at first as there were some hints of VA and pruniness coming off bottle. But with 10 minutes of air everything was hunky dory. Ripe kirschy red fruit, some black plum, leather. Tannins still there, but not as overt as when wine was released. Drinking well and I;d expect to hold up well for several years. B+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/1/2009 - Brix wrote: 88 Points
Consistent with previous notes. Although this is probably on the downhill slope, it's still a very pleasing, nicely aged bottle of wine. Lots of leather and earthy secondary flavors, fading fruit, wrapped up in a silky package.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/13/2008 - cweiss wrote:
Vecchia Roma. Acid had settled down a lot since 2006, now with excellent balance, a bit of earth and leather and secondary black fruit flavors. Good with rack of lamb. Drink or hold.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/26/2008 - pbjosh wrote: 90 Points
After 20 minutes this blossomed -- mature, elegant, very floral aromatics with some caramel and baking spice, scorched earth, rainwater, mildly stewed red and blue fruits. Good palate weight with high acidity. Finishes well. Drink up, and enjoy with food, this is a pretty nice bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/10/2008 - pbjosh wrote:
A bit long in the tooth -- somewhat shrill acid. Otherwise decent quality aged Aglianico. I'll try another bottle before passing judgement, but based on just this one sample I'd say a) drink up and b) don't buy more...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/10/2008 - LeifErik wrote: 89 Points
Right out of the bottle this was showing some reduction issues, but after decanting for only a few minutes this blew off quite nicely. The nose developed rather quickly as we sipped with some great Artisan pizza. The nose offered upfront volcanic strawberry stones and cherry liqeur, also brushed leather, charred rocks and hits of blood. If it weren't for the high toned fruit notes I would have expected the wine to taste black, even though the color was an amber cherry color. On the palate there was vibrant acidity that I found pleasant and great with the food- notes of raspberry, candied tangerine, and more cherry liqeur on the palate. There were some firm but non aggressive tannins that were very enjoyable paired against the lively acidity. The finish was long and bright leaving your mouth fresh and ready to eat more, almost like a sophisticated sorbet. This bottle did seem a tiny bit oxidized, but it wasn't enough to ruin my enjoyment. The wine seems to be in a slightly awkward stage at the moment though. It's hard to tell if it's not going to improve, or needs a serious hibernation. This could be a gamble. For now the acid and tannic components seem to be overshadowing some of the delicate nuances a bit too much (regardless of how nicely paired I mentioned they were earlier), but maybe they'll learn to get along again given a few more years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/6/2008 - br wrote:
ouch! harsh, out of balance acidity and thin. has some interest on the nose but it takes a brave soul to drink a glass of this.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/6/2008 - greenwalter wrote: 88 Points
More enjoyable than the '98. Somewhat soft and needing more acidity at this point.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/15/2007 - cos82 wrote: 88 Points
A nice wine, but not as a big as I expected.leather and cherry on a subdued nose.Earth, plum and leather on the palate. I don't find the tannins that others have in this wine and I think it's time to drink up.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/10/2007 - firstelder wrote: 89 Points
Nose offers up tar, leather, anise...perhaps a bit of chocolate but I can't be sure. Decanted. The wine still seems extraordinarily tannic--but the fruit is there and quite tasty. I understand how this wine is called "The Barolo of the South". It'll certain age for some time; hopefully the tannin will soften and let some of that captive fruit out.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/31/2007 - mdavis wrote:
Lots of acid and tannin, but lacking integration and harmony. Can age, but I wonder if it will ever be balanced.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/29/2006 - awinestory wrote:
Spicy with notes of cedar and cloves, this bright ruby red, fruit-forward wine emerged bright and fresh.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/4/2006 - buddy22 wrote: 86 Points
This was very earthy and organic in the nose. Light body, forward fruit, with a smooth finish. Definitely opened up as we let it sit in our glasses for quite some time. Paired well with the traditional pasta and tomato sauce we drank it with.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/11/2006 - Brix wrote: 90 Points
The nose had the same animal character it showed at the wine shop, but straight from the bottle, this is secondary to more youthful notes of cherry and anise. Very bright on the palate; despite the primal, aged flavors, there's a lot of acidity here, and a fair amount of tannin.
I've been nursing this for about five hours now, and the changes are very nice. The fruit has faded-- replaced by a deeper, earthier floral profile-- and the musk is more pronounced.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/27/2006 - lorenzo wrote: 90 Points
(Kathy, Brian, Jill, Chris)
LOVE the aglianico. This has a nice antiquey quality to it --- leathery, cherry liquer, animal fur and earthy. Still has some nice acidity and is the perfect foil for the Braciolona rolling stasera.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment