Coravin pour left in the glass and tasted over a couple hours. Slightly raisined with hints of tobacco, chocolate, vanilla but also nice depth of fruit like dark cherry and pomegranate. Very long finish. Lovely.
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Prior bottle was almost 15 months ago and this wine continues to show quite well. Black cherry, plum, earth and pretty spice notes on the nose. Between medium and full bodied with very expressive black cherry upfront, moving to darker black cherry and plum through the middle. Blackberry as well as lightly tart red and black cherry on the backside along with acidity and balanced tannins. Minerals, earth and lingering blackfruit through the finish. Over the years, this wine has gained in integration and expressiveness and seems to be more harmonious with each passing year. Drinking well at present, but in a fashion it should be able to maintain over the next few years. I'll certainly buy more if the opportunity presents.
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- Brick color with slow forming legs and aromas of blackberry, cherry, cedar and bacon. It's balanced and has flavours of blackberry, cherry and black pepper with a full body. Polished texture with a long finish - Decanted three hours. The wine needs air. It has cellared very well and can keep aging. Good fruit with long finish. Early on some tannins, but they fade.
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Prior bottle was close to 8 years ago and the wine has improved along the lines I'd hoped, fully justifying the score I initially gave it. Black cherry, plum, earth and spice notes on the nose. Almost full bodied (14% ABV) with really pretty black cherry notes upfront, adding depth through the middle along with plum and then lightly tart red cherry, fine grained tannins and acidity on the backside. Finishes with earth, minerals and lingering blackfruit qualities. I was completely wrong back in January 2014 that the wine was then at peak. Particularly through the mid-body, it's really opened up with the fruit gaining expression and the wine overall developing that beautiful, elegant black velvet quality that make brunello's distinctive. There's enough structure here as well as enough fruit that I expect this wine should be able to maintain this level for some time. I may save my next bottle for July or November 2022.
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Deep red with red brim. Pleasant, mature nose with notes of leather, underbrush and some almonds. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, mature, with soft tannins, good acidity and notes of leather, underbrush and just a touch of almonds.
Fully mature, no need to keep any longer. Drinks very well now, benefits from some air.
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Ruby colour when poured. Two hour decant. On the nose leather, tobacco, cherries. On the palate dark fruit, cherries, herbs, tobacco, some lasting oak hints. Elegant and quite smooth, with some lasting tannins. Not yet past its peak, but closing in. Very enjoyable.
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Poured ruby/rust. Deepened to dark red with 2 hour decant. Medium body, some red berries, cherry tartness along with some earthiness, herb, and minerality. Very nice with sous vide prome rib cut to 3 inch thickness and seared in wood burning oven.
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Quite orange-brown around edges, modest nose, nice acidity, some fruit, no noticeable tannins, good match for tomato based sauce. Content to have finished my case as I don't think this is getting better from here.
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We've been opening a bottle every few years, leaving us with the hope that this wine would eventually evolve. Finally, it has! And we only have a few bottles left now!
Decanting required. Powerful, deep, well balanced with elegant flavors. Dark fruits combine with big, balanced tannins, leather, slight oak. Long lingering finish.
Regular dinner group (@ JK): Beautiful bouquet with cedar, smoke and ripe dark berries. On the palate chocolate, cinnamon, firm acidity and round but slightly edgy tannin.
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Well made Brunello. Not the most powerful, but well balanced. Still quite young with round tannins . Cherries and leather. This was my 11th bottle over several years. 3 bottles left, no hurry. Can last to its 20th year.
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It came out of the bottle ready to party. On opening, the nose gave characteristics of a Barolo...bright cherry, earth maybe some cranberry. As it opened up, it still seemed youthful and shows many years of life to come. Drank this along side a 2003...what a different year! Such a great experience.
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Ok some of the reviews on this wine don’t fit my experience. This is still youthful and has not reached its peak. Quite tannic with a big structure that eases and smooths out with time in the glass. Flavors of red and black fruit, tobacco, herbs and touch of vanilla. A lot of potential to improve further.
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4th Saturday Brown Bagger (T&L's): Double blind. Older; dried tea leaf and red berry fruit. Cherry and red fruit on the palate. Adds aromas of orange peel and white currant. Has an acrid quality on the finish. In my mind Brunello would have more heft, so I guessed an old Chianti, '97-'99-ish.
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Purchased at winery. Opened and let it breath in bottle for 1.5 hrs. Very little bricking.....just some at the edges of the glass. Aromas of forest floor, cola and all spice. Supple on the mouth with light red cherries and mature raspberries....mostly red fruit flavors. Clean refreshing acidity somewhere between balsamic vinegar and red wine vinegar. Lots of sweet beautiful tannins with persistent mouth coating finish. Long after taste of 1-2 minutes.
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A bit too much alcohol heat. Tannins and acid are good but fruit seems not quite where it needs to be. Spicy with grippy tannins. Seems younger than it should be with not much in the way of secondary and tertiary development. May add more in a couple hours if we don't finish it soon.
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Friday at the LWS (Terre Rouge and others); 6/17/2017-6/19/2017 (Colonial Beverage, Chesterland Ohio): Pop and pour, this is drinking very well but I had hoped a bit better. Deep ruby in color. The nose has black cherries, slight black tea and a bit of spice. On the palate, this is juicy. Still young. Some tannins. Some depth and complexity. There is some upside potential here. Nice finish. Of course, it begs for food.
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This got much better on day 2 & 3! Gorgeous nose (A-/A), excellent palate (B++). Still a little bit tannic so likely to get better with a few more years in the cellar.
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Unlike the bottle I had a month ago, which was fresh and lively, the two opened this week seemed a bit tired, hinting at possible mistreatment (heat) somewhere in the supply chain. Curiously, all 3 came from the same auction lot. Perhaps simple bottle variation.
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Nicely aged, possibly hitting a peak. The nose is a bit hard to decipher with all the other aromas wafting through the kitchen. Seems like fruit, a hint of cedar, and some secondary development. On the palate, much the same, with the addition of a rich sweetness that comes across as lightly chocolate / sweet pipe tobacco. Enough acidity to keep things balanced. Not much in the way of tannins. I tend to agree with the overall drinking window here on CT, though I'd probably push it a couple of years beyond that. But, it's drinking extremely well now, and a definite QPR at the $38 tariff I paid.
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Russk. Whiners at Mustang Chianti Classico vs Brunello vs Vino Nobile among my top 8 out of about 23. Showing a lot of beautiful Earth and barnyard. A little Bx-like. Mature in a good way. Probably one of my top three of the night.
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85 is good, wine was good, but nothing special. previous bottle I had rated 92,(in 2011) quite a difference. The wine is still within it's drinking window?
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Reddish/garnet in color, dull sheen. Nice expressive aromas of cherries and darker berries, with some smokiness and earthiness. Develops some nice floral perfumes. Flavours show a nice elegant intensity. Medium weight wine, good acidity, medium to long finish. Very smooth and round, a bit of creaminess on the mid palate. Nice berry flavours and cherries on initial attack, drying silky tannins kick in with some black tea, spice and minerality on the finish. A really polished and balanced wine.
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2004 brunello (Tunstall): Nose of sour cherries and orange peel. Mature fruit flavours, drying tannins only on finish. Good long finish. Drinking now but with time in hand.
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This was a pleasure to drink. Popped and poured into the decanter and consumed from there. Very elegant structure, smooth tannins with an acidic kick. Fruit notes weren't over bearing, not a fruit bomb by any means. That would be my only criticism: just a hint more fruit would have put this over the top.
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This has really improved in three years. Complex nose with red berries and a hint of leather and tomatoes with herbs (but in a very delicious way). Quite long on the palate with a great balance. Good acidity, nice tannins and again some great Italian tomato salad (again, in a very good way).
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Un Brunello parfaitement a point. Toute en finesse mais qui ne manque pas d'ampleur par ses généreuses notes fuités de cerises sûres et de tabac blond. Une profondeur certaine. Une longueur qui le classe parmi mes Brunellos préférés.
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Initially very earthy and dusty, both on the nose and palate. After an hour+ of air time, this opened beautifully and became quite fruity. Very powerful aromas of earth, dried dark fruits, leather and spice fill the glass. Full-bodied, offering a generous mouthful of ripe, tangy cherry and strawberry fruit, with wonderful depth and focus. A lively acidity is the perfect complement to its abundant ripe fruit. The long, lip-smacking finish features attractive notes of oak, spice and mineral. A beautiful, old-school Brunello that leans ever-so-slightly to the Modern style, and is now in its prime drinking window. 50+5+12+17+8=92
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Dark Ruby with brick red hue showing its age. Elegant nose, dark plum, dark cherry, some earthy notes and subtle cedar oak. Drinking well now and it is still structured and robust on palate, displaying nuances of cherry, dried fruits, plums, leather and dried tobacco. It has a nice and solid mid-palate, finishes long with chewy tannins.
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A very satisfying Brunello, this was perfect with a lamb ragu over fresh pasta. Red fruit, some signs of secondary stages coming through, all with good acid and a hint of savoriness. In a great place right now.
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Mittleres rubinrot, die Nase eine Mischung aus vergehender roter Beerenfrucht, Zigarrenkiste und Leder; am Gaumen elegant, ausgewogen, reichlich nicht ganz feinkörnige, süße Tannine; langer, ausgewogener Abgang.
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Robe rubis moyen avec légère teinte tuilée sur le pourtour. Nez de chocolat, de cerise, de fines herbes et de cèdre. En bouche, cerise, balsamique, réglisse et chocolat. Belle longueur sur la griotte. Une belle surprise pour moi. J'attendais un vin qui s'essouffle, mais ce ne fut pas le cas.
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Decanted for two horus and then drank over 90 minutes with stuffed shells and meatballs; medium red and rust colors with bricking at the rim, similar to a 10-year tawny port; aromas of cherries, leather, toasted nuts; pleanty of cherry and plum flavors; dusty tannins on long, smooth finish that included cigar and dried fruit notes; definitely in its sweet spot
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A bright ruby red color with just a slight bricking at the rim. medium concentration and not overly extracted fruit.
The Nose was pronounced with stewed red and black fruit. Cherry and Casein. This bottle also has a very savory quality to it. There is tomato paste note.
The Palate is still lively (at least 5 years to go). A very structured acidity is the back bone and the tannin are medium. To my liking there is the same savory note of tomato.
I Really enjoyed this wine and I am glad I have others to try later. We did not drink this with food. I would however recommend a dish with tomato sauce that has been cooked and slowly reduced for hours (or day old spaghetti sauce.)
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Did not decant, but removed from the cellar and poured a glass a couple of hours before dinner. This is in a good place now. Smooth tannin, some black fruit. The colour is showing maturity too, with some bricking near the edge. Great wine tonight.
As a side note, the batch number on this one is L8 219. Last bottle I had from this batch was not as good. I'm thinking the bottle variation is not due to the different batches.
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Decanted and poured. Medium red in color. Lovely red berries on the nose and palate. A little closed upon opening, but quickly smoothed out with no harsh tannins. Long finish. Very nice - I'm glad I have a couple of more bottles.
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My impressions on this bottle were very similar to my 2013 tasting note. The wine was very enjoyable and in my opinion ready to drink. this bottle also had a bit of funk.
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Friday Night Double Blind Tasting $40+ (Bin 75): Dull crimson core with lots of color change, orangey rim; aged, nutty, tar, autumnal, red fruit; intense, well aged and in a great place, good acid and structure, long finish; tasty and interesting, WOTN.
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Robe assez évolué sur le disque, mais s'apparente à ce que j'aime comme robe d'un bon sangiovese.
Le nez est fermé un peu à l'ouverture mais se dégourdit assez rapidement. Le vin est sur la cerise, les petits fruits rouge, la réglisse, le cuir et un peu de prune et de balsamique. En bouche, il y a une bonne acidité qui mène le bal en attaque qui rend les fruits un peu suret, mais intéressants, un peu terreux, mais c'est tellement bon . Le milieu de bouche est ample et donne beaucoup. La finale est encore épicée mais un côté balsamique apparaît tranquillement. Le vin a été ouvert pour le vendredi soir. La dernière coupe prise le dimanche soir au souper avec veau et pasta Le vin était très succulent et accompagnait à merveille le souper. facilement un 90. cette maison produit de bons vins
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impeccable dès l'ouverture. mais à besoin de plus d'une heure pour s'ouvrir entièrement!! cerise, épices, cuir imprègne le délicieux parfum de ce vin!! En bouche, il s'amplifie en s'aérant!! très bien.
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PnVnD. After about 1-1/2 hours started drinking. Initially, as others have noted, it is rather light and focused on red fruits. However, I quite enjoyed these dried raspberry, strawberry, and cherry flavors. As it continued to air in the decanter (finished at 5 hours), it took on a more traditional BdM profile. So, the drinking experience consisted of two distinct wines: an initial, light, red fruit wine and, later, a more muscular, food-friendly mature BdM. I loved this combination. In another couple of years, this wine will probably become mostly the latter. The tannin level suggests that this will continue to age and develop gracefully. My 92 score is conservative, I think, and could have gone higher because I really enjoyed this.
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Rose and plum on the nose. Full bodied, but very smooth and fully integrated. Starts off as blackfruit based while the red cherry and strawberry in the middle become more and more prominent the longer the wine is open. The fruit is no longer bright, but is still showing extremely well. Picks up some earthiness and leather notes on the finish. Good length and structure on the finish. This wine is drinking at peak and while it may last several more years, it’s not going to get any better and should be drunk sooner rather than later for maximum enjoyment.
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Still one of my favorite brunellos. But the previous poster could be right, it gets already a little bit thin at the end, so I would also recommend to drink soon. But great typical nose. Food pairing: Tomahawk dry-aged steak and potato mash.
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First of two bottles and I will be opening the last within the year. Appears to be near its peak. Translucent brick color. The nose is rustic and bright. On the palate, it's a well-aged but a bit thin, with slightly bitter red cherry and good acidity. Might be past its better days, but a good example of a well-aged Brunello.
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In my opinion this wine has reached its maximum age. This bottle was good and, when allowed to open up a while, was enjoyable. It had the characteristics of a well aged Tuscan wine, with dried fruit and hints of earth. It also had a bit of funk which I attribute to a little oxidation. the cork was in good shape. I will drink another soon and see if the results are similar.
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Vinituri to decanter, to vinituri, to glass. Started drinking after about an hour. The 2004s are drinkable, but not quite ideal yet, and need a bit of air. I like the vintage, in a classy, disciplined way. Color on this one is a bit too red for Brunello, but beautiful. Complex nose: a bit green herbal with various floral nuances as it develops. Plenty of structure on the palate. Red cherry, a hint of strawberry. Medium bodied. This will never be "great", but it's solid and will hold up for years yet.
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Aerated with Vinturi and decanted for 5 hours. Aromas of red cherry, strawberry, plum, mocha, spice, earth and vanilla. A tart red fruit core with firm tannins leads to a long finish. Medium-to-full bodied with good acidic balance. Paired well with manicotti.
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Thought I would open this tonight instead of a chianti. During dinner I thought I was drinking chianti. Maybe this one was from the wrong batch. (L8 219)
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Enjoyed tonight at Zambrano Wine Cellar Fort Worth. This brunello was really good from the start but I imagined from the very beginning that 30 minutes of decanting would have done it some good.....and boy did it ever. The initial palate had a lot of raspberry and black cherry on the front with a nice cobweb middle, and a very supple, smooth finish. Honestly, the wine was ready to go from the pop and pour. But we enjoyed a couple of wines by the glass just waiting for this one to come out, and oh mama did it ever. Eventually this wine was a nice dark floral and black cherry bouquet on the nose, some very nice dark berry on the palate, starting there and moving towards a rather distinguishable nose in the mid-palate of age. Cobweb laiden blackberry and a little anise kind of showed up in the middle and was very pleasant. The finish was a little more full bodied than I thought it was going to be - but still in the medium range.........barely. The wine had what might appear to be a slightly tannic finish, but it was more ashy, almost as if you were tasting the remnants of the barrel they set on fire immediately after the wine vacated it (but it wasn't smoky...just ashy). Drank very well with a supreme pizza given that it had quite a bit going on. I think this wine is near the peak of its maturity, but probably has the ability to last another 7 years if aged correctly. Very nice wine.
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Tasted after opening and found it to be thin, which made me worried there wasn't much there. After a few hours it had opened up and filled out nicely, showing fruit and structure. Not spectacular but a very solid wine.
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PNP and left to develop in the glass for 1 hour. Crimson with some bricking towards the rim. Lovely complex aromatics of sour cherry, raspberry, sage, bell pepper, sandelwood, a hint of shoe polish, all accentuated by heavy wood shop aroma which fades with time and is replaced by cigar smoke. the palate enters strong with sappy fruit and toasty oak tannins, revealing this as a decidedly full bodied and modern BDM. Still has a few years left to integrate fully and become more balanced. the finish completes with chewy woody tannins, and a slight touch of heat. Overall, this is a well crafted modern BDM with nice complexity on the nose and palate. The use of new french barriques is very evident, but it has integrated somewhat succesfully into the fruit and is balanced with adequate acidity, so not a total fruit and oak bomb
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Soft nose of dark fruits, spices, earthy. Nothing exciting. Still lots of tannins, acidity. Calmed down after a couple hours and I would definitely decant two hours next time. Nice flavors of dark fruits, spices, smoke. A lot of people rate this wine highly but I just cannot get into it. Just not my style.
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A very interesting nose of what could only be described as a musty attic, with some raspberries showing through. The mouth feel was dominated by rough, rustic tannins and high acidity. There was not much noticeable fruit in this, leading to think this may have been flawed.
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This wine has improved dramatically since last tasted 18 months ago. Still needs up to an hour decant. The tannins have integrated and smoothed significantly, they are firm and attractive. On the palate, Red fruits, earthy, smoke. Nice lingering finish. This wine is now exceeding its original potential. Seems to be entering its prime drinking window. Another year or three can only benefit this wine.
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No contemporaneous tasting notes, but this was eveything I expect from a really good Brunello. It is tannic at first but opens up over the space after a couple of hours of decanting. Dusty red cherry and wild strawberry fruits and a great herbacious and spicy nose. Medium long finish. Just one bottle left. I wish I had more. Drinking well now, but properly cellared, it can easily go another 5-7 years.
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Ok, this just keeps getting better. However, it is not a pop and pour Brunello. It is very tannic right out of the bottle. After about 1/2 hour, it just rocks. I think it still has a few more years to do its thing.
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Lovely plum color with notes of strawberry and herbs de provence. Tannins are still very much alive as licorice, cherry and anise begin to emerge. A fabulous ingering finish which suggests this wine has a bright future. I believe this wine has been not been given the ratings it deserves.
Started out tannic like Brunello should be. After opened for 4-5 hours, seemed more like a lighter colored Super Tuscan. Decent complexity, interesting enough. Tar, roses, dark red fruit.
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Ventetiden værd - lækker brunello til prisen - blindsmagning: bordeaux-tendenser - god balance - desværre var dette sidste flaske, kunne sagtens have ligget et par år yderligere.
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Closed and a bit generic at first, but started developing some more complex notes after a couple hours. Nice balance of fruit, tannins and acidity. Good but not remarkable in any way. Time might change this, however.
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2004 Brunello di Montalcino (Scopri): Funky nose, a little cheesy, but also Brett affected? Doesn’t follow through to the palate completely, but still a little off. Seems like some really good, ripe fruit, decent length. Benefit of the doubt, not showing its best.
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Bright ruby red with a fragrant nose of bing cherry and forest loam. Smooth in the mouth with tastes of tart, rich cherries. Well-integrated tannins make this very appealing to drink. Delicious. The finish has solid length with ripe cherry, hints of oak overtones, and more earthiness. The balance of this wine is exquisite.
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Batch L8 217. Pop and pour. Some dark fruit with a little spice but very dense. I thought it might need air or more time but others thought it is what it is.
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Outstanding Brunello in my view. Medium deep color, cherries and dried fruit on the nose. Smooth at the start, opens up, complex secondary tastes, integrated tannins, long and silky textured aftertaste.
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Batch L8 213. This was much better than the bottle we drank last year. Some earthiness, some fruit, but no bitterness that the last bottle had. Went well with meatballs in tomato sauce.
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Nice, enjoyable Brunello. Smell: More strawberry-like than cherry-like, herbs, iron and liquorice. Taste well-balanced, but a bit sweeter than expected for a sangiovese. Hold for a couple of years more.
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Medium garnet color. Mostly black cherry and plum notes on the nose along with a little bit of underlying earthiness. Similar flavors on the palate with tart cherry and some cigar box flavors coming through. Medium+ acid, somewhat soft tannins and a juicy palate. I think this wine is in a good place right now. It may develop some more secondary flavors but there isn't enough tannin structure to keep this wine long term. Solid brunello but not a great qpr.
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Medium intensity ruby with a slight pale rim and pronounced legs. On the nose red cherries, vanilla, clove and cedar. In the mouth smooth tannins balancing the acidity. Medium bodied with good fruit. Quite long. This is an excellent wine, drinking now but will go a few more years yet.
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Garnet color, thin bouquet of dried fruit and soil. Flavors of dried cherry, mulch and herbal undertones all restrained. Fundamentally a solid wine but, based on peer reviews, I suspect our bottle did not fare well with our storage system.
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Wonderful nose of leather and earth and fruit on opening. Masculine wine but not overpowering. Drank over two days and just terrific, even on day 2. Terrific texture and, as others have noted, the tannins are softening. Enjoy! It paired beautifully with balsamic/olive oil-marinated pork tenderloin that was semi-blackened.
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rhlubarb, mineral, earth, oak, red currant; good acidity; day 1 tight and leaner; day 2 opened up a bit but still tight with mineral/slate, more open cherry; good with left over steak but still too young right now, esp on its own when the wood/tannins outlast the fruit.
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Was really rough going and awkward the first 2 glasses. Reading other comments and wondering if my bottle was slightly off because i decanted almost 90 minutes, and then drank slowly before, during and after dinner. Last glass was better and started displaying mushrooms, light strawberry and fall leaves, but not as good as I was hoping for when I pulled it.
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Wonderful nose with a good mix of ripe fruits, spices, herbs, secondary nuances and some nice matured notes. The palate was a little lean though, and acidic, seeking food accompaniment. Quite ready now and would be a good companion to some comfort pasta / pizza meal.
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Less oak than my prior bottles. More classic bRunello feel to it. Good dryness and sour cherries. Not a BIG Brunello, but certainly does the job when in mood for tuscan wine
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1 hour decant. Tannins softened noticeably during the decant period. Tasting notes consistent with 2/25/11, with the addition of spice and toasted oak on the nose and palate. New world style MdB with soft, firm tannins that is delicious. Paired beautifully once again with penne ala vodka.
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Agree with coreywb on 10/16/2011; nice floral notes, some cherry, soft rounded tannins. A light expression of BdM, good acidity for meal, overall a nice wine, not sure I agree with the QPR, this seems more Ch Classico. More notes on the next 2 bottles.
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Second bottle of this wine. Did not decant. Had with pasta and red sauce. Just as first bottle, a softer easier drinking Brunello. Nice floral notes, still some leather. Little sign of any tannins. Smooth, likable finish though not very long. All in all a very nice bottle of wine though not very representative of what usually comes out of Montalcino.
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Decanted and drank over several hours. Tart acidity up front with some mineral, soil, and light cherry notes. Secondary flavors emerged after about an hour. Really nice value Brunello.
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decanted and immediately drunk over 2 hrs; medium body; reticent sl tart primary red currant is secondary to the rhubarb, earth, and structure right now; good balance but needs time or longer decanting;
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Good color. Exquisite characteristic nose of burnt cherry, tar and tobacco. Burnt cherry and cedar on the palate, with expected tannic finish. Medium bodied. Really came to life with a big Bolognese sauce. Delicioso!
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The Argiano Brunello is a brilliant ruby hued wine with a pale meniscus and a medium body. The nose has solid aromatics, prominent roses, ripe bing cherry and vanilla. The texture is super silky to the point of creamy, very appealing in that regard. Tastes of ripe cherries and good length on the finish. A fine choice to accompany dinner and planning a trip to Italy.
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Much better this bottle than the previous. Still not the most fruit driven wine but lots of things going on an the structure and classic brunello characteristic were there. Good balance and medium-long finish. Enjoyed with some serious wine nerds an they gave their thumps up too.
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Decanted an hour. Very cherry, medium body, earthy, on the light side. Tannins full, slightly overwhelming the fruit. Overall, a nice drinking wine, just feel it could do better. (Doris 88. Nose of earth, cherries. Nice, but couldn't get to the 90's as others have)
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My last bottle. Decanted 1.5h. Very surprised how evolved this bottle is compared to the one 6 months ago. This looks, smells and tastes like a 10 year old Brunello. A lighter red now, and there is even a orange rim already appearing. The primary flavors on the palate have receded substantially and there is plenty of chocolate and some leather, now together with some fine tannins. Nice, medium plus finish. I still like this Brunello but based on this bottle (which was well stored!) would not think the drinking window will go beyond 2015. Left a glas in the bottle overnight in the fridge (no vacuum). All the fruit is gone but the tannins are still there, dustier than ever before. So would say drink now until 2015 or so.
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Not a pop and pour wine. Needs min 1.5 hrs in a decanter for this gem to open up. Beautiful cherry and leather nose with beautiful, elegant finish. This is proof of why Chianti's can never become Brunellos!
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Decanted 1/2 hour and could have used a little more. Different style of Brunello than I'm used to. Lighter and more refined. Only very small hint of earth or leather. Beautiful dark color and nose of cherries with maybe a little rose petal. Medium bodied with some tannins but quite drinkable now. Tannins are on softer side. Very nice finish. Look forward to tasting again in the future.
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Nothing particularly noteworthy - balanced, mid-to-full in the mouth, but not particularly complex - cherry on the palate and some earth on the finish, like a good Chianti Classico. Overpriced.
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Decanted 2 hours. This bottle was a little more substantial than the last with more dark berries and Sangiovese character. But still very light for a Brunello. Perfect match with Tre Fromaggi Crostoni.
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Note: I notice from my notes this is the second time I've tasted this wine, and both times I thought it was oxidized. The others are probably right that this isn't a unique bottle flaw, however I'm pretty sure its oxidized to some extent. Whether you consider it a fault in the wine is subjective. Were it in Musar I probably wouldn't mind. However here it seems out of place, and certainly not pleasant. For my palate, this wine (probably all bottles) is slightly faulted.
Back in '08 I tasted three other argiano wines at the Vias trade tasting, and one of them, the '04 solengo, smelled a bit oxidized. At the time I chalked it up to lingering effects of an oxidized wine I'd smelled earlier (it tends to stick in my palate), but now it seems like a slight coincidence that all three wines are from '04. Not statistically significant for sure, but enough to make me suspicious of Argiano's vinification style.
Note: Roy Richards' minority tasting note from World of Fine Wine: Roy Richards: Reductive and maybe faulty – revisit it. The dried out palate would tend to confirm this is corked, albeit slightly. Second bottle also in the same bitter vein, so probably TCA.
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Wine in Portland (Maine) (Portland, Maine): Thought the nose was interesting with warm spices, chocolate, plums, and red raspberries. Palate was dense with chocolate-covered-cherries, cigar, and caramel. Lots of tannins on the finish suggest a long life ahead of this wine. Too dense for my tastes - needless to say, I'm in the minority here.
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Decanted for 30 minutes. Cherry, currants, blackberry, vanilla and earthy notes on the nose. The dark fruit and tannins are integrated on the palate. Nice soft, smooth, dry finish. Good acidity. Paired nicely with penne ala vodka.
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Good nose of cherry and some earthy character. Hint of leather. Slightly light but excellent finish, good tannins and the distinctive character of Brunello comes through.
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Vi drakk den første flasken av denne vinen lørdag. Vinen var storslagen med nydelig frukt og silkemyke tanniner. Vi drakk den til kylling, risotto med traktkantareller og en frisk salat. Det var en perfekt match! Du fornemmer at dette er en særdeles vellaget vin der ingen av smakene tar overhånd, alt er veldig velbalansert og lekkert. Den var dekantert ca 1 t 30 min før servering. Jeg har tidligere drukket en del av deres reklassifiserte 2003 vin, Il Duemilatre. I denne sammenlikningen er det i hvertfall for meg helt klart at 2004 er "the real thing"! Dette er Brunello på sitt aller beste!
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Sangiovese tasting (Dhiraj's place): Rich ruby giving way to some brick at the edge of the glass. Black fruit on the nose with some heat initially that blew off with air. Black fruit on the palate with leather developing with time and a hint of salt. Low acidity. Med finish.
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Consistent th my previus note. Certainly in the very good range. But the oak overshadows the wine at this point. I'll wait a year with the next bottle the see if i the oak will be better integration at that time.
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Part of a two bottle wine rack incident, that broke both bottles, yet enough wine remained in each bottle to taste. Nice brunello, lighter than I expected. Unfortunately both bottles that broke would get 93 plus points from me, and neither were ready to drink.
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Consistent with previous bottle however only short 30 min decant this time. Drinks well until about 1h after opening, when some dry tannins become a bit to prominent. The wine however balances out very nicely again after about 2h. So would definitively recommend 2h+ decant at this point in time. Excellent!
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Purple, garnet color. The nose is very primary with cherries, tar, and earthy undertones. In the mouth, this wine has loades of red cherry with some earth and dusty tannins. The acidity is high and the tannins are a bit drying right now, but that is to be expected at this age. The finish is solid with the tannins constraining the cherries.
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Has this with Veal Saltimboca w/ parmigiana cheese. Paired very well. A simple , basic Brunello that is young, but satisfying. No fireworks, but consistent and rather good for a lower end Brunello. Should improve , but doubt I will have any left to find out :)
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Interesting nose of wet rock, rose petals and a hint of strawberry. Very subtle notes of strawberries with nice chalky tannins that held on for an elegant finish.
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Ruby core with slight orange/brown at the rim. Very pretty nose of lilacs, strawberry, and cellar dust. On the palate I get juicy strawberry, red raspbery, and some raisin. Firm tannins but not bitter at this point, very dry and smooth. Medium plus weight. Strawberries dominate the 30 second finish. Drinking very well now. L8 213 Vias Imports, NY, NY.
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Consistent with my prior note (though a bit less forceful, less finish), and tasting quite nice, though I would say its lighter in style than what I expect from brunello, and seems far more mature than you'd imagine for an 04. Def showing even a little brown on the color. For folks looking for info, this is L8213, in the US.
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Decanted and poured. This required airing to show it best. Initially the wine showed a tight, unyielding personality that gave way to an expressive bouquet and balanced palate. At times the wine did revert back becoming difficult with acidity dominating on the palate. This will require a couple of years to sort itself out; however, at times this provided a complex, nuanced wine. Imported by Vias Imports LTD. Lot # L8 213.
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I am still trying to understand this wine. Today we blindtasted two bottles of batch L8218 (Philpson's batch) against one bottle purchased i Germany (batch L8219). We could not find any differences, all three bottles were equally bad. I think Docwin1107 summed it up well: missing fruit, structure and weight. It would be nice if you add the batch numbers in the future reviews!
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I totally agree with others who bought this wine from Phillipson. This is definetely not brunello with argiano standards, not even rosso di montalcino. I will cellar it for another five years and see......
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Very soft and mature. A little brownish color. Dont think it should be kept for to long? Not really what i expected from a Brunello, made me think a little of a good Rioja with its soft red fruits paired with some oak vanilla.
One its own a very good wine, but still somewhat disapoints me
2h decant. Excellent Brunello (batch L8219), medium to full body, nicely integrated tannins, excellent balance as its structure is matched with slightly more present fruit than the other Brunello's I have had recently (01 Fanti, 01 Colombini, 02 Banfi, 04 San Filippo). I guess the wine could still improve a little within the next few years but is drinking very nicely now.
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In the same boat as "Barbalax" and "Liberoth". This my second bottle out of three from Philipson Wine which has not "performed". Not flawed, the nose was quite alright but the palate very awkward and disappointing - missing fruit, structure and weight.
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Nose: Definitely get like a smoked meat nose as well as some jammy/raisiny notes. Taste: Some dark cherry, a bit of an earthy taste with almost some minerals. Not nearly as tannic as I would have expected, definitely ready to drink now in my mind Smooth, medium body. Great finish. Very nice wine.
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2004 Brunello Tasting (Gentile's (Columbus, OH)): Mocha and tea leaves on the nose. Some orange peel and licorice. Good textures and spicing. Missing a middle though nice structures on the edges. Holds a good spot and nicely correct even if not deep enough.
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Drank with Joan and Denise at La Bastide Mediterranean dinner with trout, steak florentine, and italian sausage. The wine was lighter than I expected on pouring more of a burgundy color. It had a nice nose of cherries and strawberries. The wine had a nice medium intensity finish which lingered. I was hoping for more from this wine. It is drinking well now and shows no sign of decline and will will keep for a few more years. This wine seems to have a significant variation from bottle to bottle judging from the tasting notes. Based on this one bottle I would keep and eye on it for the next couple years and plan to drink by 2015.
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This has gotten better with age. Great color, wonderfully aromatic nose with cedar, violet and a bit of leather. Some cherry on the palate, tar, nice tannins. Smooth and silky. Drinking very well right now. Best of tasting comprared with 2004 il Poggione and Siro Pacenti.
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Aerated with Vinturi and needed another 90 minutes decant. This is a well structured, highly tannic mouth filling wine. Deep flavors of cherries and dark fruit fill the palate. Tannins remain in the mouth long after the wine. Long, fruit filled and tannic finish. Tightly wound -- will wait several more years before the next bottle is opened.
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Decanted about 2 hours prior to serving. Hints of musty earth on the nose that blew off pretty quickly. Dark fruit and berries on the palate. Decent finish. Clearly needs more time
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Showing nice complexity on nose - an earthy flinty thing going on. Good acidity, good fruit aromas. Lighter styled brunello, good acidity, not a powerhouse, but a good tasty brunello with complexity. A little smoky, nutty thing on the palate, with flintiness again. 90-91, I apprecicate this style.
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2004 Argiano Brunello di Montalcino - A very good brunello from an excellent vintage. Argiano is an established producer with a great track record. This wine was decanted approx. 45 min. before heading to the restaurant. Aeration was done using the Vinturi Aerator. Opened wine at restaurant and it sat for about another 45 min. Upon tasting, wine structure was very evident with a sweet and pungent aroma on the nose and a very full balanced mid palate that yells "I Have A Backbone".Excellent pedigree and you know right away, this wine is built to last. Finish lasted about 30 seconds. The wine improved as it sat in the glass.The tannin's smoothed out and the wine is not very fruit forward, which I liked. It was the perfect compliment to the veal dish I enjoyed. I would recommend a long decant, about 2 hours at this point. In 5 years, this wine will be even better. This is the wine to expand your favorite cab lover's tastes into other varietals. Second best Brunello I have had over the last 12 months (best being 98 Valdicava) HIGHLY RECOMMENDED A++
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This bottle is marked Philipson Wine in Denmark, which is a huge importer of wine to Scandinavia. This wine is very different from the reviews below, and I am almost certain that they have imported a different wine. It is thinner than the average Rosso di Montacino, with an artificia banana nose, short acidic taste. Quite pure anyhow, but not worth more than 82 points in my book.
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Decanted for 2 hours. Aromatics shifted throughout the 90 minute dinner between lilac, rose, strawberry, and raisin. Great depth here. Big on the palate with a long finish and yet light on its feet. I'm looking forward to seeing how this evolves in the bottle over the next 5-7 years.
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Single-blind tasting with Hiroko at Vintage Wines in San Diego. Solid red with orange at the rim. Bottle. bouquet, but I can't tell what it is. 84/100.
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The issue here is not whether this is a quality wine, because it is delicious and crowd pleasing. It is structured and tannic but the fruit is big and mouth-coating. The issue is at what price point do you buy this wine? In the $60+ range you are starting to stretch it, as I would much rather have that '04 Pintia I had the other night at $45. Penetrating nose, black fruits on the attack, goes down smoothly for an otherwise pretty rugged wine. Needs more time.
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This was my first '04 Brunello and i was expecting great things from this bottle but was quite disappointed. The wine had a great floral nose with nice notes of dark berries. However, the wine never really got going in the glass. Medium bodied with a smooth mouthfeel but lacking the intensity and structure i was expecting. The finish was also a little short and somewhat dry. Seems like a wine which needs a little time. Will buy this again and give it another try.
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Decanted for 1 1/2 hours. This is the best Brunello EVER from this producer. Nice amounts of charcol, berries and leather. It's quite fragrent overall and very balanced. The palate is silky and is mouth coating. What a finish and a great expression of Brunello. There's a perfect freshness to this wine. It's hard to not drink now, however, cellaring for 5- 10 years would be nice. Drink 2012 -
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Superclean, with beautiful dark fruits, crushed flowers and a lovely smokiness underneath. Full-bodied and very silky, and elegant, with a long, caressing finish. A real knockout. (Drink 2010-2020) - JD94
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Open cork in 4 hours and decanted 1 hour before drinking. The oak rather present at this point but otherwise lovely classic nose of leather, earth and cigarbox. Some sour cherry/ pulm action as well. More darker fruits coming through on the palate, good structure and firm but not unpleasant tannins on the back. Medium-full body, great long finish. Drinking well now with a couple of hours in the decanter but has the potential and structure to develop and last for at least a decade more. 91+
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This a really new world brunello, but very good if you can get it for less than $ 50 bones. Very silky smooth on the palate with a stony cherry palate, very long and nice.
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Via: The Big Red Tour (Boston, MA): 9/14/09: Lovely. Long, long finish. Great stuff, and I could drink this now, though I'd be more likely to sit on it for a few years or decade. 91-93
2/17/09: Beautiful nose. This is ready to go right now. Not sure how long before it shuts down. 90-92
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4/20/2024 - oldwines Likes this wine: 94 Points
Coravin pour left in the glass and tasted over a couple hours. Slightly raisined with hints of tobacco, chocolate, vanilla but also nice depth of fruit like dark cherry and pomegranate. Very long finish. Lovely.
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8/14/2023 - Grape_ape Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drank very well on pop and pour, and over about 2 hours. Ready to go - but at the same time still has a touch of youthful freshness to it
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4/8/2023 - TS wrote: 93 Points
This is only getting better with age. Drinking well now, but will stand furter ageing well. Lots of fruit left, with some tertiary development.
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2/12/2023 - RGCM Gananda Likes this wine: 92 Points
Prior bottle was almost 15 months ago and this wine continues to show quite well. Black cherry, plum, earth and pretty spice notes on the nose. Between medium and full bodied with very expressive black cherry upfront, moving to darker black cherry and plum through the middle. Blackberry as well as lightly tart red and black cherry on the backside along with acidity and balanced tannins. Minerals, earth and lingering blackfruit through the finish. Over the years, this wine has gained in integration and expressiveness and seems to be more harmonious with each passing year. Drinking well at present, but in a fashion it should be able to maintain over the next few years. I'll certainly buy more if the opportunity presents.
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1/15/2023 - ey1294 wrote: 92 Points
- Brick color with slow forming legs and aromas of blackberry, cherry, cedar and bacon. It's balanced and has flavours of blackberry, cherry and black pepper with a full body. Polished texture with a long finish - Decanted three hours. The wine needs air. It has cellared very well and can keep aging. Good fruit with long finish. Early on some tannins, but they fade.
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11/28/2021 - RGCM Gananda Likes this wine: 92 Points
Prior bottle was close to 8 years ago and the wine has improved along the lines I'd hoped, fully justifying the score I initially gave it. Black cherry, plum, earth and spice notes on the nose. Almost full bodied (14% ABV) with really pretty black cherry notes upfront, adding depth through the middle along with plum and then lightly tart red cherry, fine grained tannins and acidity on the backside. Finishes with earth, minerals and lingering blackfruit qualities. I was completely wrong back in January 2014 that the wine was then at peak. Particularly through the mid-body, it's really opened up with the fruit gaining expression and the wine overall developing that beautiful, elegant black velvet quality that make brunello's distinctive. There's enough structure here as well as enough fruit that I expect this wine should be able to maintain this level for some time. I may save my next bottle for July or November 2022.
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1/23/2021 - ZaphodB wrote: 89 Points
Deep red with red brim. Pleasant, mature nose with notes of leather, underbrush and some almonds. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, mature, with soft tannins, good acidity and notes of leather, underbrush and just a touch of almonds.
Fully mature, no need to keep any longer. Drinks very well now, benefits from some air.
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12/24/2020 - erhel Likes this wine: 92 Points
Ruby colour when poured. Two hour decant. On the nose leather, tobacco, cherries. On the palate dark fruit, cherries, herbs, tobacco, some lasting oak hints. Elegant and quite smooth, with some lasting tannins. Not yet past its peak, but closing in. Very enjoyable.
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11/21/2020 - nvk wrote:
Really nice
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5/23/2020 - Acohen Likes this wine: 91 Points
Good cherry that opened with sour notes but got darker and more bricklike over time with nice finish
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2/28/2020 - redwiner Likes this wine: 91 Points
Took quite a while, but a nice wine now.
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1/1/2020 - NeuroWine Likes this wine: 92 Points
Poured ruby/rust. Deepened to dark red with 2 hour decant. Medium body, some red berries, cherry tartness along with some earthiness, herb, and minerality. Very nice with sous vide prome rib cut to 3 inch thickness and seared in wood burning oven.
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9/24/2019 - SimonS wrote: 91 Points
Quite orange-brown around edges, modest nose, nice acidity, some fruit, no noticeable tannins, good match for tomato based sauce. Content to have finished my case as I don't think this is getting better from here.
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6/10/2019 - cliffkol wrote: 91 Points
Flavors of mature grapes, leather, wood. Tannins integrated, slightly tight, mouth filling wine.
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1/28/2019 - cliffkol wrote: 93 Points
We've been opening a bottle every few years, leaving us with the hope that this wine would eventually evolve. Finally, it has! And we only have a few bottles left now!
Decanting required. Powerful, deep, well balanced with elegant flavors. Dark fruits combine with big, balanced tannins, leather, slight oak.
Long lingering finish.
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1/12/2019 - Zweder wrote: 91 Points
Regular dinner group (@ JK): Beautiful bouquet with cedar, smoke and ripe dark berries. On the palate chocolate, cinnamon, firm acidity and round but slightly edgy tannin.
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12/23/2018 - TS Likes this wine: 92 Points
Well made Brunello. Not the most powerful, but well balanced. Still quite young with round tannins . Cherries and leather. This was my 11th bottle over several years. 3 bottles left, no hurry. Can last to its 20th year.
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11/9/2018 - stevenjstein Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still drinking well. Tart red/black fruit. Just a touch of noticeable oak.
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8/25/2018 - Two Winos Likes this wine: 92 Points
It came out of the bottle ready to party. On opening, the nose gave characteristics of a Barolo...bright cherry, earth maybe some cranberry. As it opened up, it still seemed youthful and shows many years of life to come. Drank this along side a 2003...what a different year! Such a great experience.
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8/11/2018 - KSWinegeek wrote: 92 Points
Leather, tobacco, cherries on the nose. Tart cherries flavors. Elegant, smooth and ready to drink now. Very nice wine.
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4/19/2018 - mclanew Likes this wine: 93 Points
Ok some of the reviews on this wine don’t fit my experience. This is still youthful and has not reached its peak. Quite tannic with a big structure that eases and smooths out with time in the glass. Flavors of red and black fruit, tobacco, herbs and touch of vanilla. A lot of potential to improve further.
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4/18/2018 - winepog wrote: 92 Points
Drinking very well. Slight funk, earthy with good fruit and aroma. Lovely wine.
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11/25/2017 - AllRed wrote: 87 Points
4th Saturday Brown Bagger (T&L's): Double blind. Older; dried tea leaf and red berry fruit. Cherry and red fruit on the palate. Adds aromas of orange peel and white currant. Has an acrid quality on the finish. In my mind Brunello would have more heft, so I guessed an old Chianti, '97-'99-ish.
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7/9/2017 - greidy wrote: 87 Points
Light pinot-like color, nose of mostly red fruits, not very balanced palate, high acidity. I was not very impressed.
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7/1/2017 - Matt_Vino Likes this wine: 94 Points
Purchased at winery. Opened and let it breath in bottle for 1.5 hrs. Very little bricking.....just some at the edges of the glass. Aromas of forest floor, cola and all spice. Supple on the mouth with light red cherries and mature raspberries....mostly red fruit flavors. Clean refreshing acidity somewhere between balsamic vinegar and red wine vinegar. Lots of sweet beautiful tannins with persistent mouth coating finish. Long after taste of 1-2 minutes.
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6/30/2017 - om42 Likes this wine: 90 Points
A bit too much alcohol heat. Tannins and acid are good but fruit seems not quite where it needs to be. Spicy with grippy tannins. Seems younger than it should be with not much in the way of secondary and tertiary development. May add more in a couple hours if we don't finish it soon.
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6/17/2017 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 92 Points
Friday at the LWS (Terre Rouge and others); 6/17/2017-6/19/2017 (Colonial Beverage, Chesterland Ohio): Pop and pour, this is drinking very well but I had hoped a bit better. Deep ruby in color. The nose has black cherries, slight black tea and a bit of spice. On the palate, this is juicy. Still young. Some tannins. Some depth and complexity. There is some upside potential here. Nice finish. Of course, it begs for food.
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6/8/2017 - europat55 wrote: 92 Points
This got much better on day 2 & 3! Gorgeous nose (A-/A), excellent palate (B++). Still a little bit tannic so likely to get better with a few more years in the cellar.
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4/15/2017 - vanpe003 wrote:
Unlike the bottle I had a month ago, which was fresh and lively, the two opened this week seemed a bit tired, hinting at possible mistreatment (heat) somewhere in the supply chain. Curiously, all 3 came from the same auction lot. Perhaps simple bottle variation.
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3/9/2017 - vanpe003 wrote: 93 Points
Nicely aged, possibly hitting a peak. The nose is a bit hard to decipher with all the other aromas wafting through the kitchen. Seems like fruit, a hint of cedar, and some secondary development. On the palate, much the same, with the addition of a rich sweetness that comes across as lightly chocolate / sweet pipe tobacco. Enough acidity to keep things balanced. Not much in the way of tannins. I tend to agree with the overall drinking window here on CT, though I'd probably push it a couple of years beyond that. But, it's drinking extremely well now, and a definite QPR at the $38 tariff I paid.
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2/11/2017 - RussK wrote: 92 Points
Russk. Whiners at Mustang Chianti Classico vs Brunello vs Vino Nobile among my top 8 out of about 23. Showing a lot of beautiful Earth and barnyard. A little Bx-like. Mature in a good way. Probably one of my top three of the night.
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1/24/2017 - michigan dogs Likes this wine: 85 Points
85 is good, wine was good, but nothing special. previous bottle I had rated 92,(in 2011) quite a difference. The wine is still within it's drinking window?
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1/10/2017 - Acohen Likes this wine: 90 Points
NIce dark and sour cherry with dry finish
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1/2/2017 - ctjared Likes this wine:
drinking very nicely
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12/27/2016 - waibeans Likes this wine: 91 Points
Kept in bottle and drank over 3 days. 2nd day was in its best form. Very enjoyable still.
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11/7/2016 - johnnyo wrote: 92 Points
Drinking beautifully right now.
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10/9/2016 - bobby a Likes this wine: 90 Points
Still has time to go,needs a long decant.
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8/26/2016 - sharonandroland Likes this wine: 92 Points
Lots of cedar, Chinese spice, tomato, sour cherries.
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8/12/2016 - OttawaB Likes this wine: 93 Points
Reddish/garnet in color, dull sheen. Nice expressive aromas of cherries and darker berries, with some smokiness and earthiness. Develops some nice floral perfumes.
Flavours show a nice elegant intensity. Medium weight wine, good acidity, medium to long finish. Very smooth and round, a bit of creaminess on the mid palate. Nice berry flavours and cherries on initial attack, drying silky tannins kick in with some black tea, spice and minerality on the finish. A really polished and balanced wine.
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1/1/2016 - SimonS wrote: 92 Points
2004 brunello (Tunstall): Nose of sour cherries and orange peel. Mature fruit flavours, drying tannins only on finish. Good long finish. Drinking now but with time in hand.
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12/24/2015 - waibeans Likes this wine: 92 Points
This was a pleasure to drink. Popped and poured into the decanter and consumed from there. Very elegant structure, smooth tannins with an acidic kick. Fruit notes weren't over bearing, not a fruit bomb by any means. That would be my only criticism: just a hint more fruit would have put this over the top.
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12/23/2015 - mmh wrote: 91 Points
This has really improved in three years. Complex nose with red berries and a hint of leather and tomatoes with herbs (but in a very delicious way). Quite long on the palate with a great balance. Good acidity, nice tannins and again some great Italian tomato salad (again, in a very good way).
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11/14/2015 - pot20 wrote: 90 Points
Un Brunello parfaitement a point. Toute en finesse mais qui ne manque pas d'ampleur par ses généreuses notes fuités de cerises sûres et de tabac blond. Une profondeur certaine. Une longueur qui le classe parmi mes Brunellos préférés.
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10/31/2015 - jwolf99 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Notes consistent with previous bottle
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8/17/2015 - Wine Poor wrote: 90 Points
My last bottle was good one!
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7/18/2015 - redknife Likes this wine: 93 Points
Took to Fontana for 4th of July
No formal notes, short decant drinking beautifully with life ahead
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6/21/2015 - Blacksmith450 wrote: 91 Points
Brunello exemplaire comme équilibre, 2004 est un très beau millésime.
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5/30/2015 - Bam_Man Likes this wine: 92 Points
Initially very earthy and dusty, both on the nose and palate. After an hour+ of air time, this opened beautifully and became quite fruity. Very powerful aromas of earth, dried dark fruits, leather and spice fill the glass. Full-bodied, offering a generous mouthful of ripe, tangy cherry and strawberry fruit, with wonderful depth and focus. A lively acidity is the perfect complement to its abundant ripe fruit. The long, lip-smacking finish features attractive notes of oak, spice and mineral. A beautiful, old-school Brunello that leans ever-so-slightly to the Modern style, and is now in its prime drinking window.
50+5+12+17+8=92
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5/22/2015 - hkm520240 wrote: 91 Points
Dark Ruby with brick red hue showing its age. Elegant nose, dark plum, dark cherry, some earthy notes and subtle cedar oak.
Drinking well now and it is still structured and robust on palate, displaying nuances of cherry, dried fruits, plums, leather and dried tobacco. It has a nice and solid mid-palate, finishes long with chewy tannins.
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4/22/2015 - Kris G wrote: 89 Points
it shows the typical rather strong acidity of the vintage, it's entering its drinking window
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3/26/2015 - jsteach Likes this wine: 93 Points
Lots of red fruit ,sweet notes of tobacco, leather and spices, elegant, long finish,
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3/15/2015 - pinoteer Likes this wine: 93 Points
Still drinking very well. Just wonderful. Elegance with lots of red fruit, some cedar, leather and cigar. Classic BdM for me.
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1/25/2015 - wirelesswine wrote: 92 Points
A very satisfying Brunello, this was perfect with a lamb ragu over fresh pasta. Red fruit, some signs of secondary stages coming through, all with good acid and a hint of savoriness. In a great place right now.
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1/24/2015 - wurzel68 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Mittleres rubinrot, die Nase eine Mischung aus vergehender roter Beerenfrucht, Zigarrenkiste und Leder; am Gaumen elegant, ausgewogen, reichlich nicht ganz feinkörnige, süße Tannine; langer, ausgewogener Abgang.
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1/24/2015 - pomelo Likes this wine: 93 Points
Robe rubis moyen avec légère teinte tuilée sur le pourtour. Nez de chocolat, de cerise, de fines herbes et de cèdre. En bouche, cerise, balsamique, réglisse et chocolat. Belle longueur sur la griotte. Une belle surprise pour moi. J'attendais un vin qui s'essouffle, mais ce ne fut pas le cas.
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1/18/2015 - jwolf99 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted for two horus and then drank over 90 minutes with stuffed shells and meatballs; medium red and rust colors with bricking at the rim, similar to a 10-year tawny port; aromas of cherries, leather, toasted nuts; pleanty of cherry and plum flavors; dusty tannins on long, smooth finish that included cigar and dried fruit notes; definitely in its sweet spot
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1/1/2015 - FlatWater Likes this wine: 91 Points
A bright ruby red color with just a slight bricking at the rim. medium concentration and not overly extracted fruit.
The Nose was pronounced with stewed red and black fruit. Cherry and Casein. This bottle also has a very savory quality to it. There is tomato paste note.
The Palate is still lively (at least 5 years to go). A very structured acidity is the back bone and the tannin are medium. To my liking there is the same savory note of tomato.
I Really enjoyed this wine and I am glad I have others to try later. We did not drink this with food. I would however recommend a dish with tomato sauce that has been cooked and slowly reduced for hours (or day old spaghetti sauce.)
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12/31/2014 - 560 B&W Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted. Nice balance. Ready but has at least 5 years in it. 14%
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12/25/2014 - Uncle John wrote: 91 Points
Similar notes to last Christmas. Next to the 01 Barbi this was just a tad behind.
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12/21/2014 - Wine Poor Likes this wine: 92 Points
Did not decant, but removed from the cellar and poured a glass a couple of hours before dinner. This is in a good place now. Smooth tannin, some black fruit. The colour is showing maturity too, with some bricking near the edge. Great wine tonight.
As a side note, the batch number on this one is L8 219. Last bottle I had from this batch was not as good. I'm thinking the bottle variation is not due to the different batches.
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12/8/2014 - joefel Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted and poured. Medium red in color. Lovely red berries on the nose and palate. A little closed upon opening, but quickly smoothed out with no harsh tannins. Long finish. Very nice - I'm glad I have a couple of more bottles.
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11/22/2014 - sethmill wrote: 92 Points
Tannins well-integrated, very tasty with pasta with veal, --this is ready to drink now
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11/5/2014 - 560 B&W wrote: 92 Points
Drinkable now, although probably should have decanted
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9/5/2014 - pjbeans Likes this wine: 90 Points
Drink or hold for a bit. Vibrant acidity, on the lighter side for Brunello with red fruits and integrated tannins
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7/27/2014 - brich wrote: 90 Points
Needs time once corked. There are way better Brunellos at this price point.
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7/15/2014 - ckilpatrick wrote: flawed
Very disappointed, 2nd bad bottle, afraid all 4 are cooked
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7/13/2014 - Moko_hk wrote: 89 Points
Not a great BDM, only moderate in nose and mouth
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6/20/2014 - Redteeth wrote:
My impressions on this bottle were very similar to my 2013 tasting note. The wine was very enjoyable and in my opinion ready to drink. this bottle also had a bit of funk.
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4/18/2014 - Rezy13 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Friday Night Double Blind Tasting $40+ (Bin 75): Dull crimson core with lots of color change, orangey rim; aged, nutty, tar, autumnal, red fruit; intense, well aged and in a great place, good acid and structure, long finish; tasty and interesting, WOTN.
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4/14/2014 - Frank&Steph wrote: 90 Points
Bu en fds ce vin encore une fois:
Robe assez évolué sur le disque, mais s'apparente à ce que j'aime comme robe d'un bon sangiovese.
Le nez est fermé un peu à l'ouverture mais se dégourdit assez rapidement. Le vin est sur la cerise, les petits fruits rouge, la réglisse, le cuir et un peu de prune et de balsamique.
En bouche, il y a une bonne acidité qui mène le bal en attaque qui rend les fruits un peu suret, mais intéressants, un peu terreux, mais c'est tellement bon . Le milieu de bouche est ample et donne beaucoup. La finale est encore épicée mais un côté balsamique apparaît tranquillement. Le vin a été ouvert pour le vendredi soir. La dernière coupe prise le dimanche soir au souper avec veau et pasta Le vin était très succulent et accompagnait à merveille le souper.
facilement un 90. cette maison produit de bons vins
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3/20/2014 - ed-d wrote: 90 Points
A lot of deep flavors here but the Sangiovese acidity really overpowers the wine at this stage. Hold for a few years.
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2/3/2014 - Frank&Steph wrote: 90 Points
impeccable dès l'ouverture. mais à besoin de plus d'une heure pour s'ouvrir entièrement!! cerise, épices, cuir imprègne le délicieux parfum de ce vin!! En bouche, il s'amplifie en s'aérant!! très bien.
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2/1/2014 - pinoteer Likes this wine: 92 Points
PnVnD. After about 1-1/2 hours started drinking. Initially, as others have noted, it is rather light and focused on red fruits. However, I quite enjoyed these dried raspberry, strawberry, and cherry flavors. As it continued to air in the decanter (finished at 5 hours), it took on a more traditional BdM profile. So, the drinking experience consisted of two distinct wines: an initial, light, red fruit wine and, later, a more muscular, food-friendly mature BdM. I loved this combination. In another couple of years, this wine will probably become mostly the latter. The tannin level suggests that this will continue to age and develop gracefully. My 92 score is conservative, I think, and could have gone higher because I really enjoyed this.
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1/3/2014 - RGCM Gananda Likes this wine: 92 Points
Rose and plum on the nose. Full bodied, but very smooth and fully integrated. Starts off as blackfruit based while the red cherry and strawberry in the middle become more and more prominent the longer the wine is open. The fruit is no longer bright, but is still showing extremely well. Picks up some earthiness and leather notes on the finish. Good length and structure on the finish. This wine is drinking at peak and while it may last several more years, it’s not going to get any better and should be drunk sooner rather than later for maximum enjoyment.
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12/30/2013 - ctjared wrote:
Solid Brunello.
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12/25/2013 - Uncle John wrote: 92 Points
this Brunello is drinking quite well now. No decant just opened and enjoyed the nice fruit balanced acidity and smooth tannins.
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12/8/2013 - theflow77 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Still one of my favorite brunellos. But the previous poster could be right, it gets already a little bit thin at the end, so I would also recommend to drink soon. But great typical nose. Food pairing: Tomahawk dry-aged steak and potato mash.
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12/6/2013 - ewsds wrote: 90 Points
First of two bottles and I will be opening the last within the year. Appears to be near its peak. Translucent brick color. The nose is rustic and bright. On the palate, it's a well-aged but a bit thin, with slightly bitter red cherry and good acidity. Might be past its better days, but a good example of a well-aged Brunello.
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12/2/2013 - Redteeth wrote:
In my opinion this wine has reached its maximum age. This bottle was good and, when allowed to open up a while, was enjoyable. It had the characteristics of a well aged Tuscan wine, with dried fruit and hints of earth. It also had a bit of funk which I attribute to a little oxidation. the cork was in good shape. I will drink another soon and see if the results are similar.
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11/17/2013 - Ricky B wrote:
Excellent full body wine
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10/21/2013 - Alcontd Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted for 1 1/2 hrs/ Soft tannins, rasberry, black cherry and some mushroom. Great with a lasagna.
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9/21/2013 - BrunelloBob wrote: 90 Points
Vinituri to decanter, to vinituri, to glass. Started drinking after about an hour. The 2004s are drinkable, but not quite ideal yet, and need a bit of air. I like the vintage, in a classy, disciplined way. Color on this one is a bit too red for Brunello, but beautiful. Complex nose: a bit green herbal with various floral nuances as it develops. Plenty of structure on the palate. Red cherry, a hint of strawberry. Medium bodied. This will never be "great", but it's solid and will hold up for years yet.
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9/21/2013 - kenny pacino wrote: flawed
Corked or summat. Gutted.
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8/30/2013 - hoservin wrote: 92 Points
Aerated with Vinturi and decanted for 5 hours. Aromas of red cherry, strawberry, plum, mocha, spice, earth and vanilla. A tart red fruit core with firm tannins leads to a long finish. Medium-to-full bodied with good acidic balance. Paired well with manicotti.
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8/6/2013 - Wine Poor wrote: 88 Points
Thought I would open this tonight instead of a chianti. During dinner I thought I was drinking chianti. Maybe this one was from the wrong batch. (L8 219)
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7/1/2013 - mflesh wrote: 92 Points
Enjoyed tonight at Zambrano Wine Cellar Fort Worth. This brunello was really good from the start but I imagined from the very beginning that 30 minutes of decanting would have done it some good.....and boy did it ever. The initial palate had a lot of raspberry and black cherry on the front with a nice cobweb middle, and a very supple, smooth finish. Honestly, the wine was ready to go from the pop and pour. But we enjoyed a couple of wines by the glass just waiting for this one to come out, and oh mama did it ever. Eventually this wine was a nice dark floral and black cherry bouquet on the nose, some very nice dark berry on the palate, starting there and moving towards a rather distinguishable nose in the mid-palate of age. Cobweb laiden blackberry and a little anise kind of showed up in the middle and was very pleasant. The finish was a little more full bodied than I thought it was going to be - but still in the medium range.........barely. The wine had what might appear to be a slightly tannic finish, but it was more ashy, almost as if you were tasting the remnants of the barrel they set on fire immediately after the wine vacated it (but it wasn't smoky...just ashy). Drank very well with a supreme pizza given that it had quite a bit going on. I think this wine is near the peak of its maturity, but probably has the ability to last another 7 years if aged correctly. Very nice wine.
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6/25/2013 - wilsp wrote: 91 Points
Tasted after opening and found it to be thin, which made me worried there wasn't much there. After a few hours it had opened up and filled out nicely, showing fruit and structure. Not spectacular but a very solid wine.
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6/21/2013 - mattias_hansen@hotmail.com Likes this wine: 91 Points
PNP and left to develop in the glass for 1 hour. Crimson with some bricking towards the rim. Lovely complex aromatics of sour cherry, raspberry, sage, bell pepper, sandelwood, a hint of shoe polish, all accentuated by heavy wood shop aroma which fades with time and is replaced by cigar smoke. the palate enters strong with sappy fruit and toasty oak tannins, revealing this as a decidedly full bodied and modern BDM. Still has a few years left to integrate fully and become more balanced. the finish completes with chewy woody tannins, and a slight touch of heat. Overall, this is a well crafted modern BDM with nice complexity on the nose and palate. The use of new french barriques is very evident, but it has integrated somewhat succesfully into the fruit and is balanced with adequate acidity, so not a total fruit and oak bomb
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6/16/2013 - cliffkol wrote: 89 Points
Soft nose of dark fruits, spices, earthy. Nothing exciting. Still lots of tannins, acidity. Calmed down after a couple hours and I would definitely decant two hours next time. Nice flavors of dark fruits, spices, smoke. A lot of people rate this wine highly but I just cannot get into it. Just not my style.
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5/21/2013 - AWBryce Does not like this wine: 88 Points
A very interesting nose of what could only be described as a musty attic, with some raspberries showing through. The mouth feel was dominated by rough, rustic tannins and high acidity. There was not much noticeable fruit in this, leading to think this may have been flawed.
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5/17/2013 - Redteeth wrote:
This bottle was decanted and was excellent. This wine is drinking very nicely right now.
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4/5/2013 - cliffkol wrote: 92 Points
This wine has improved dramatically since last tasted 18 months ago. Still needs up to an hour decant. The tannins have integrated and smoothed significantly, they are firm and attractive. On the palate, Red fruits, earthy, smoke. Nice lingering finish. This wine is now exceeding its original potential. Seems to be entering its prime drinking window. Another year or three can only benefit this wine.
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3/24/2013 - StainedGlass wrote: 92 Points
No contemporaneous tasting notes, but this was eveything I expect
from a really good Brunello. It is tannic at first but opens up over the space after a couple of hours of decanting. Dusty red cherry and wild strawberry fruits and a great herbacious and spicy nose. Medium long finish. Just one bottle left. I wish I had more. Drinking well now, but properly cellared, it can easily go another 5-7 years.
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3/11/2013 - crazedmountainbiker Likes this wine: 91 Points
let breathe for about 4 hrs, just about right
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2/15/2013 - brich Likes this wine: 92 Points
Ok, this just keeps getting better. However, it is not a pop and pour Brunello. It is very tannic right out of the bottle. After about 1/2 hour, it just rocks. I think it still has a few more years to do its thing.
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1/31/2013 - Wine Nut wrote: 93 Points
Lovely plum color with notes of strawberry and herbs de provence. Tannins are still very much alive as licorice, cherry and anise begin to emerge. A fabulous ingering finish which suggests this wine has a bright future. I believe this wine has been not been given the ratings it deserves.
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12/26/2012 - 4iron wrote: 92 Points
Started out tannic like Brunello should be. After opened for 4-5 hours, seemed more like a lighter colored Super Tuscan. Decent complexity, interesting enough. Tar, roses, dark red fruit.
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12/26/2012 - tmadsen wrote: 90 Points
Ventetiden værd - lækker brunello til prisen - blindsmagning: bordeaux-tendenser - god balance - desværre var dette sidste flaske, kunne sagtens have ligget et par år yderligere.
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12/25/2012 - Halvo wrote: 86 Points
Needed a lot of air but then wasn't that good - very disappointing QPR
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12/21/2012 - mmh wrote: 89 Points
Closed and a bit generic at first, but started developing some more complex notes after a couple hours. Nice balance of fruit, tannins and acidity. Good but not remarkable in any way. Time might change this, however.
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11/27/2012 - crazedmountainbiker wrote: 91 Points
needed very little time to open up - don't wait to pop this one. very drinkable. tasted great with pad thai...now why did I pair those?
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11/22/2012 - bendid wrote: flawed
2004 Brunello di Montalcino (Scopri): Funky nose, a little cheesy, but also Brett affected? Doesn’t follow through to the palate completely, but still a little off. Seems like some really good, ripe fruit, decent length. Benefit of the doubt, not showing its best.
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11/11/2012 - yeti575rider wrote: 90 Points
Pretty decent brunello but didn't really excite me. Sour cherry with a bit of earth and cigar box. Still some tannins there which softened on day 2.
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11/4/2012 - The Kokopelli wrote: 91 Points
Bright ruby red with a fragrant nose of bing cherry and forest loam. Smooth in the mouth with tastes of tart, rich cherries. Well-integrated tannins make this very appealing to drink. Delicious. The finish has solid length with ripe cherry, hints of oak overtones, and more earthiness. The balance of this wine is exquisite.
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10/5/2012 - PSUSteve wrote: 88 Points
Batch L8 217. Pop and pour. Some dark fruit with a little spice but very dense. I thought it might need air or more time but others thought it is what it is.
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9/23/2012 - Karlaar wrote: 92 Points
Outstanding Brunello in my view. Medium deep color, cherries and dried fruit on the nose. Smooth at the start, opens up, complex secondary tastes, integrated tannins, long and silky textured aftertaste.
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9/17/2012 - Wine Poor wrote: 91 Points
Batch L8 213. This was much better than the bottle we drank last year. Some earthiness, some fruit, but no bitterness that the last bottle had.
Went well with meatballs in tomato sauce.
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9/3/2012 - mrumilly wrote:
Very good, has a loong finish and lots of structure
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8/9/2012 - brich wrote: 91 Points
Very nice. Needs to be opened well in advance.
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8/8/2012 - SacramentoCharlie wrote: 91 Points
Raspberries with some rustic iron notes. Very good acidity making it juicy and lush on the palate.
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7/24/2012 - wabi47 wrote: 90 Points
medium body; red currant, cranberry, rhubarb and earth with prominent acidity/mineral finish; still tight even after a 1hr decant
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7/6/2012 - klino wrote: 89 Points
Nice, enjoyable Brunello. Smell: More strawberry-like than cherry-like, herbs, iron and liquorice. Taste well-balanced, but a bit sweeter than expected for a sangiovese. Hold for a couple of years more.
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5/25/2012 - Rich S wrote: 90 Points
Medium garnet color. Mostly black cherry and plum notes on the nose along with a little bit of underlying earthiness. Similar flavors on the palate with tart cherry and some cigar box flavors coming through. Medium+ acid, somewhat soft tannins and a juicy palate. I think this wine is in a good place right now. It may develop some more secondary flavors but there isn't enough tannin structure to keep this wine long term. Solid brunello but not a great qpr.
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4/21/2012 - Fat cat wrote: 91 Points
Medium intensity ruby with a slight pale rim and pronounced legs. On the nose red cherries, vanilla, clove and cedar. In the mouth smooth tannins balancing the acidity. Medium bodied with good fruit. Quite long. This is an excellent wine, drinking now but will go a few more years yet.
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4/14/2012 - bbakove wrote: 87 Points
Garnet color, thin bouquet of dried fruit and soil. Flavors of dried cherry, mulch and herbal undertones all restrained. Fundamentally a solid wine but, based on peer reviews, I suspect our bottle did not fare well with our storage system.
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4/7/2012 - Tetherton wrote: 93 Points
Wonderful nose of leather and earth and fruit on opening. Masculine wine but not overpowering. Drank over two days and just terrific, even on day 2. Terrific texture and, as others have noted, the tannins are softening. Enjoy! It paired beautifully with balsamic/olive oil-marinated pork tenderloin that was semi-blackened.
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3/30/2012 - 2Travel wrote:
No notes, but nice wine.
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2/26/2012 - Levinsb wrote: 89 Points
Thin, delicate for a brunello. Nicely balanced but a bit too subtle for me.
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2/17/2012 - Rollerball wrote: 93 Points
Vibrating tar and licoriced berries; very exciting and masculine. 93 is what we expect of this down the line (if not quite yet).
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2/14/2012 - Matt T wrote: flawed
Possibly corked. Not horribly flawed and certainly drinkable, but not right.
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1/22/2012 - Texas Pete wrote: 90 Points
Drank over two days. Great nose, good balance of tannins, minerality and dark fruit. Goes very well with food that matchs its boldness.
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1/14/2012 - msilver wrote: 90 Points
Decant for more than two hours. Drank over following two hours and it continued to improve. Great nose, dark berry, dried fruit. Nice bottle.
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1/5/2012 - wabi47 wrote: 88 Points
rhlubarb, mineral, earth, oak, red currant; good acidity; day 1 tight and leaner; day 2 opened up a bit but still tight with mineral/slate, more open cherry; good with left over steak but still too young right now, esp on its own when the wood/tannins outlast the fruit.
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12/25/2011 - bway_wine wrote: 84 Points
Was really rough going and awkward the first 2 glasses. Reading other comments and wondering if my bottle was slightly off because i decanted almost 90 minutes, and then drank slowly before, during and after dinner. Last glass was better and started displaying mushrooms, light strawberry and fall leaves, but not as good as I was hoping for when I pulled it.
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12/11/2011 - sfqwino wrote: 90 Points
Wonderful nose with a good mix of ripe fruits, spices, herbs, secondary nuances and some nice matured notes. The palate was a little lean though, and acidic, seeking food accompaniment. Quite ready now and would be a good companion to some comfort pasta / pizza meal.
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12/4/2011 - antelope wrote: 90 Points
Still young. Pleasant nose but rather light bodied. Will keep the other for a while.
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11/21/2011 - boodra wrote: 89 Points
Less oak than my prior bottles. More classic bRunello feel to it. Good dryness and sour cherries. Not a BIG Brunello, but certainly does the job when in mood for tuscan wine
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11/18/2011 - hoservin wrote: 91 Points
1 hour decant. Tannins softened noticeably during the decant period. Tasting notes consistent with 2/25/11, with the addition of spice and toasted oak on the nose and palate. New world style MdB with soft, firm tannins that is delicious. Paired beautifully once again with penne ala vodka.
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10/19/2011 - cliffkol wrote: 89 Points
see prior notes. Tannins are softening a bit. Nice medium bodied brunello.
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10/16/2011 - winetennis wrote:
Agree with coreywb on 10/16/2011; nice floral notes, some cherry, soft rounded tannins. A light expression of BdM, good acidity for meal, overall a nice wine, not sure I agree with the QPR, this seems more Ch Classico. More notes on the next 2 bottles.
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10/16/2011 - coreywb Likes this wine: 91 Points
Second bottle of this wine. Did not decant. Had with pasta and red sauce. Just as first bottle, a softer easier drinking Brunello. Nice floral notes, still some leather. Little sign of any tannins. Smooth, likable finish though not very long. All in all a very nice bottle of wine though not very representative of what usually comes out of Montalcino.
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9/20/2011 - Jmartin wrote:
Don't know if it will get better but it is drinking beautifully now.
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9/7/2011 - Matt T wrote: 93 Points
Decanted and drank over several hours. Tart acidity up front with some mineral, soil, and light cherry notes. Secondary flavors emerged after about an hour. Really nice value Brunello.
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8/28/2011 - wabi47 wrote: 89 Points
decanted and immediately drunk over 2 hrs; medium body; reticent sl tart primary red currant is secondary to the rhubarb, earth, and structure right now; good balance but needs time or longer decanting;
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8/26/2011 - vino_per_tutti wrote: 90 Points
Good color. Exquisite characteristic nose of burnt cherry, tar and tobacco. Burnt cherry and cedar on the palate, with expected tannic finish. Medium bodied. Really came to life with a big Bolognese sauce. Delicioso!
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8/26/2011 - The Kokopelli wrote: 92 Points
The Argiano Brunello is a brilliant ruby hued wine with a pale meniscus and a medium body. The nose has solid aromatics, prominent roses, ripe bing cherry and vanilla. The texture is super silky to the point of creamy, very appealing in that regard. Tastes of ripe cherries and good length on the finish. A fine choice to accompany dinner and planning a trip to Italy.
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8/12/2011 - afalk wrote: 89 Points
Nice structure, cherry, chocolate, hints of leather, smooth finish. Still a little young, make sure to decant for an hour.
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8/10/2011 - More Cow Bell ! wrote: 88 Points
Good structure, good fruit, smooth finish. Maybe a little young yet, finished very well over the course of 1 hour.
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8/5/2011 - michigan dogs wrote: 92 Points
reinforced my opinion of brunello's. Great nose, nice flavor, actually showing some brickish coloring, but wine was great.
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8/5/2011 - docvin1107 wrote: 91 Points
Much better this bottle than the previous. Still not the most fruit driven wine but lots of things going on an the structure and classic brunello characteristic were there. Good balance and medium-long finish. Enjoyed with some serious wine nerds an they gave their thumps up too.
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8/2/2011 - STEVEN@WINECELLARCLUB.COM wrote: 91 Points
NEEDED 1 HR TO OPEN UP. TANNIC. GREAT UNDERLYING FRUIT
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7/11/2011 - cliffkol wrote: 89 Points
Decanted an hour. Very cherry, medium body, earthy, on the light side. Tannins full, slightly overwhelming the fruit. Overall, a nice drinking wine, just feel it could do better. (Doris 88. Nose of earth, cherries. Nice, but couldn't get to the 90's as others have)
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7/3/2011 - pavel_p wrote: 92 Points
My last bottle. Decanted 1.5h. Very surprised how evolved this bottle is compared to the one 6 months ago. This looks, smells and tastes like a 10 year old Brunello. A lighter red now, and there is even a orange rim already appearing. The primary flavors on the palate have receded substantially and there is plenty of chocolate and some leather, now together with some fine tannins. Nice, medium plus finish. I still like this Brunello but based on this bottle (which was well stored!) would not think the drinking window will go beyond 2015.
Left a glas in the bottle overnight in the fridge (no vacuum). All the fruit is gone but the tannins are still there, dustier than ever before. So would say drink now until 2015 or so.
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6/17/2011 - Al-Vino wrote: 92 Points
Not a pop and pour wine. Needs min 1.5 hrs in a decanter for this gem to open up. Beautiful cherry and leather nose with beautiful, elegant finish. This is proof of why Chianti's can never become Brunellos!
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6/8/2011 - ccken wrote: 92 Points
medium dark cherry, elegant bouquet, medium bodied, balance with sweet savour mineral finish
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6/5/2011 - ccken wrote:
Medium dark cherry, elegant bouquet, medium bodied, balance and mature with sweet mineral finish.
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6/3/2011 - coreywb Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted 1/2 hour and could have used a little more. Different style of Brunello than I'm used to. Lighter and more refined. Only very small hint of earth or leather. Beautiful dark color and nose of cherries with maybe a little rose petal. Medium bodied with some tannins but quite drinkable now. Tannins are on softer side. Very nice finish. Look forward to tasting again in the future.
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5/15/2011 - tmoritz1 wrote: 88 Points
Nice nose of cherry but a bit thin. Medium finish. Shallow finish.Somewhat disapointing and overrated
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5/14/2011 - jcbrand wrote: 91 Points
Got better and better with air.
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4/18/2011 - mas01950 wrote: 85 Points
Nothing particularly noteworthy - balanced, mid-to-full in the mouth, but not particularly complex - cherry on the palate and some earth on the finish, like a good Chianti Classico. Overpriced.
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4/17/2011 - gharbour Likes this wine: 89 Points
Decanted 2 hours. This bottle was a little more substantial than the last with more dark berries and Sangiovese character. But still very light for a Brunello. Perfect match with Tre Fromaggi Crostoni.
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3/5/2011 - gtonn wrote: 91 Points
sour cherries, leather on the nose. Pleasant finish, but nothing complicated.
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2/28/2011 - RajivAyyangar wrote: flawed
The Portland Crew with Tooch (Kirk's Place): Med garnet. Oxidized.
Note: I notice from my notes this is the second time I've tasted this wine, and both times I thought it was oxidized. The others are probably right that this isn't a unique bottle flaw, however I'm pretty sure its oxidized to some extent. Whether you consider it a fault in the wine is subjective. Were it in Musar I probably wouldn't mind. However here it seems out of place, and certainly not pleasant. For my palate, this wine (probably all bottles) is slightly faulted.
Back in '08 I tasted three other argiano wines at the Vias trade tasting, and one of them, the '04 solengo, smelled a bit oxidized. At the time I chalked it up to lingering effects of an oxidized wine I'd smelled earlier (it tends to stick in my palate), but now it seems like a slight coincidence that all three wines are from '04. Not statistically significant for sure, but enough to make me suspicious of Argiano's vinification style.
Note: Roy Richards' minority tasting note from World of Fine Wine:
Roy Richards: Reductive and maybe faulty – revisit it. The dried out palate would tend to confirm this is corked, albeit slightly. Second bottle also in the same bitter vein, so probably TCA.
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2/28/2011 - tooch wrote: 86 Points
Wine in Portland (Maine) (Portland, Maine): Thought the nose was interesting with warm spices, chocolate, plums, and red raspberries. Palate was dense with chocolate-covered-cherries, cigar, and caramel. Lots of tannins on the finish suggest a long life ahead of this wine. Too dense for my tastes - needless to say, I'm in the minority here.
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2/25/2011 - hoservin wrote: 92 Points
Decanted for 30 minutes. Cherry, currants, blackberry, vanilla and earthy notes on the nose. The dark fruit and tannins are integrated on the palate. Nice soft, smooth, dry finish. Good acidity. Paired nicely with penne ala vodka.
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2/19/2011 - GuruofAV wrote: 92 Points
Very young, Full bodied with a long finish. Delicious.
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1/30/2011 - tmoritz1 wrote: 92 Points
Good nose of cherry and some earthy character. Hint of leather. Slightly light but excellent finish, good tannins and the distinctive character of Brunello comes through.
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1/21/2011 - petterib wrote: 94 Points
Vi drakk den første flasken av denne vinen lørdag. Vinen var storslagen med nydelig frukt og silkemyke tanniner. Vi drakk den til kylling, risotto med traktkantareller og en frisk salat. Det var en perfekt match! Du fornemmer at dette er en særdeles vellaget vin der ingen av smakene tar overhånd, alt er veldig velbalansert og lekkert. Den var dekantert ca 1 t 30 min før servering. Jeg har tidligere drukket en del av deres reklassifiserte 2003 vin, Il Duemilatre. I denne sammenlikningen er det i hvertfall for meg helt klart at 2004 er "the real thing"! Dette er Brunello på sitt aller beste!
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1/16/2011 - dkoontz wrote: 90 Points
Sangiovese tasting (Dhiraj's place): Rich ruby giving way to some brick at the edge of the glass. Black fruit on the nose with some heat initially that blew off with air. Black fruit on the palate with leather developing with time and a hint of salt. Low acidity. Med finish.
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1/16/2011 - benny wrote: 92 Points
More subtle than most Brunello's. As you sip it sinks in.
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1/5/2011 - wallstreet wrote:
Decent bottle, but in all honesty, I think you can get the same quality for around $20-$25.
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12/27/2010 - Texas Pete wrote: 90 Points
Nice expression of Brunello went well with dinner.
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12/20/2010 - lundtech wrote: 84 Points
well, find an other wine
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12/19/2010 - boodra wrote: 88 Points
Consistent th my previus note. Certainly in the very good range. But the oak overshadows the wine at this point. I'll wait a year with the next bottle the see if i the oak will be better integration at that time.
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12/18/2010 - Jmartin wrote: 92 Points
Really nice wine. First of the 2004 Brunellos we bought that I've had. Hope the others are in this same mold.
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12/10/2010 - 4iron wrote: 93 Points
Part of a two bottle wine rack incident, that broke both bottles, yet enough wine remained in each bottle to taste. Nice brunello, lighter than I expected. Unfortunately both bottles that broke would get 93 plus points from me, and neither were ready to drink.
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12/9/2010 - pavel_p wrote: 92 Points
Consistent with previous bottle however only short 30 min decant this time. Drinks well until about 1h after opening, when some dry tannins become a bit to prominent. The wine however balances out very nicely again after about 2h. So would definitively recommend 2h+ decant at this point in time. Excellent!
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12/5/2010 - Lord Rayas wrote: 88 Points
DWB Breakfast League annual dinner (Orchid Room): pleasant notes of tobacco and leather, however a bit weak for a brunello in terms of perfume and intensity.
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11/21/2010 - Meerlust wrote: 88 Points
Purple, garnet color. The nose is very primary with cherries, tar, and earthy undertones. In the mouth, this wine has loades of red cherry with some earth and dusty tannins. The acidity is high and the tannins are a bit drying right now, but that is to be expected at this age. The finish is solid with the tannins constraining the cherries.
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10/15/2010 - wallstreet wrote:
Has this with Veal Saltimboca w/ parmigiana cheese. Paired very well. A simple , basic Brunello that is young, but satisfying. No fireworks, but consistent and rather good for a lower end Brunello. Should improve , but doubt I will have any left to find out :)
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10/9/2010 - dblbogey wrote: 91 Points
Interesting nose of wet rock, rose petals and a hint of strawberry. Very subtle notes of strawberries with nice chalky tannins that held on for an elegant finish.
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10/9/2010 - Tuffdawg wrote: 92 Points
Ruby core with slight orange/brown at the rim. Very pretty nose of lilacs, strawberry, and cellar dust. On the palate I get juicy strawberry, red raspbery, and some raisin. Firm tannins but not bitter at this point, very dry and smooth. Medium plus weight. Strawberries dominate the 30 second finish. Drinking very well now. L8 213 Vias Imports, NY, NY.
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10/6/2010 - RajivAyyangar wrote: flawed
WineWise Tasting at Restaurant Grace - Host: Melanie Bolduc (Grace): Med+ garnet. N: OXIDIZED. Smells like deep, ripe, dark fruit underneath the faint bruised apple figginess. P: smooth, powerful, integrated med tannins, ripe fruit. $57
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9/28/2010 - oog wrote: 91 Points
Consistent with my prior note (though a bit less forceful, less finish), and tasting quite nice, though I would say its lighter in style than what I expect from brunello, and seems far more mature than you'd imagine for an 04. Def showing even a little brown on the color. For folks looking for info, this is L8213, in the US.
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9/26/2010 - sehill wrote: 91 Points
Decanted and poured. This required airing to show it best. Initially the wine showed a tight, unyielding personality that gave way to an expressive bouquet and balanced palate. At times the wine did revert back becoming difficult with acidity dominating on the palate. This will require a couple of years to sort itself out; however, at times this provided a complex, nuanced wine. Imported by Vias Imports LTD. Lot # L8 213.
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9/25/2010 - Barbalax wrote:
I am still trying to understand this wine. Today we blindtasted two bottles of batch L8218 (Philpson's batch) against one bottle purchased i Germany (batch L8219). We could not find any differences, all three bottles were equally bad. I think Docwin1107 summed it up well: missing fruit, structure and weight. It would be nice if you add the batch numbers in the future reviews!
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9/19/2010 - wallstreet wrote:
Nice wine for the price. Always pleases but it is one dimensional at the moment
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8/29/2010 - markopf wrote: 89 Points
Slightly tanic and a little brownish. I would agree with boodra, it reminds me also of a Rioja and not a Brunello.
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8/21/2010 - tmadsen wrote:
I totally agree with others who bought this wine from Phillipson. This is definetely not brunello with argiano standards, not even rosso di montalcino. I will cellar it for another five years and see......
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8/9/2010 - boodra wrote: 88 Points
Very soft and mature. A little brownish color. Dont think it should be kept for to long? Not really what i expected from a Brunello, made me think a little of a good Rioja with its soft red fruits paired with some oak vanilla.
One its own a very good wine, but still somewhat disapoints me
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8/8/2010 - CobraKahn wrote: 91 Points
Very good wine, weighty, a little bit tannic - wait a few more years for the second bottle.
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7/31/2010 - Torgeirloge@hotmail.com wrote: 92 Points
Hos Myhre. God og fyldig. Meget god.
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6/19/2010 - pavel_p wrote: 92 Points
2h decant. Excellent Brunello (batch L8219), medium to full body, nicely integrated tannins, excellent balance as its structure is matched with slightly more present fruit than the other Brunello's I have had recently (01 Fanti, 01 Colombini, 02 Banfi, 04 San Filippo). I guess the wine could still improve a little within the next few years but is drinking very nicely now.
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6/17/2010 - docvin1107 wrote:
In the same boat as "Barbalax" and "Liberoth". This my second bottle out of three from Philipson Wine which has not "performed". Not flawed, the nose was quite alright but the palate very awkward and disappointing - missing fruit, structure and weight.
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6/17/2010 - oog wrote: 93 Points
Nose: Definitely get like a smoked meat nose as well as some jammy/raisiny notes. Taste: Some dark cherry, a bit of an earthy taste with almost some minerals. Not nearly as tannic as I would have expected, definitely ready to drink now in my mind Smooth, medium body. Great finish. Very nice wine.
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6/8/2010 - AndrewSGHall wrote:
2004 Brunello Tasting (Gentile's (Columbus, OH)): Mocha and tea leaves on the nose. Some orange peel and licorice. Good textures and spicing. Missing a middle though nice structures on the edges. Holds a good spot and nicely correct even if not deep enough.
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5/28/2010 - benny wrote: 92 Points
Venturi'd three times. Needed it. Great wine. At first seemed a bit light but with a little time opened up and the colour darkened.
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5/19/2010 - gharbour Likes this wine: 88 Points
Drank with Joan and Denise at La Bastide Mediterranean dinner with trout, steak florentine, and italian sausage. The wine was lighter than I expected on pouring more of a burgundy color. It had a nice nose of cherries and strawberries. The wine had a nice medium intensity finish which lingered. I was hoping for more from this wine. It is drinking well now and shows no sign of decline and will will keep for a few more years. This wine seems to have a significant variation from bottle to bottle judging from the tasting notes. Based on this one bottle I would keep and eye on it for the next couple years and plan to drink by 2015.
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4/23/2010 - liberoth wrote:
I tend to agree with Barbalax - the Argiano Brunello 2004 bought at Philipson's in Denmark is definitely NOT a 92+ wine. I wonder what's going on ...
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4/8/2010 - JohnBlueLabel wrote: 92 Points
This has gotten better with age. Great color, wonderfully aromatic nose with cedar, violet and a bit of leather. Some cherry on the palate, tar, nice tannins. Smooth and silky. Drinking very well right now. Best of tasting comprared with 2004 il Poggione and Siro Pacenti.
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3/26/2010 - JacobSorensen wrote: 91 Points
Excellent Brunello, peber in the nose and taste, delicate flavour.
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3/6/2010 - cliffkol wrote: 91 Points
Aerated with Vinturi and needed another 90 minutes decant. This is a well structured, highly tannic mouth filling wine. Deep flavors of cherries and dark fruit fill the palate. Tannins remain in the mouth long after the wine. Long, fruit filled and tannic finish. Tightly wound -- will wait several more years before the next bottle is opened.
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3/4/2010 - cvvhrn wrote: 92 Points
Decanted about 2 hours prior to serving. Hints of musty earth on the nose that blew off pretty quickly. Dark fruit and berries on the palate. Decent finish. Clearly needs more time
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2/4/2010 - amateurwino wrote:
Showing nice complexity on nose - an earthy flinty thing going on. Good acidity, good fruit aromas. Lighter styled brunello, good acidity, not a powerhouse, but a good tasty brunello with complexity. A little smoky, nutty thing on the palate, with flintiness again. 90-91, I apprecicate this style.
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1/14/2010 - wallstreet wrote:
2004 Argiano Brunello di Montalcino - A very good brunello from an excellent vintage. Argiano is an established producer with a great track record. This wine was decanted approx. 45 min. before heading to the restaurant. Aeration was done using the Vinturi Aerator. Opened wine at restaurant and it sat for about another 45 min. Upon tasting, wine structure was very evident with a sweet and pungent aroma on the nose and a very full balanced mid palate that yells "I Have A Backbone".Excellent pedigree and you know right away, this wine is built to last. Finish lasted about 30 seconds. The wine improved as it sat in the glass.The tannin's smoothed out and the wine is not very fruit forward, which I liked. It was the perfect compliment to the veal dish I enjoyed. I would recommend a long decant, about 2 hours at this point. In 5 years, this wine will be even better. This is the wine to expand your favorite cab lover's tastes into other varietals. Second best Brunello I have had over the last 12 months (best being 98 Valdicava) HIGHLY RECOMMENDED A++
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1/13/2010 - Serge Birbrair wrote:
Long finish and enjoyable, dark chocolate notes, perfect balance and definitely has an "oomph" factor. Alan has more and I am very happy about it.
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1/8/2010 - Barbalax wrote:
This bottle is marked Philipson Wine in Denmark, which is a huge importer of wine to Scandinavia. This wine is very different from the reviews below, and I am almost certain that they have imported a different wine. It is thinner than the average Rosso di Montacino, with an artificia banana nose, short acidic taste. Quite pure anyhow, but not worth more than 82 points in my book.
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12/27/2009 - monkeylug wrote: 91 Points
Concentrated raisin, dried cherry and spice. Too young to be drinking now, but should be decanted if you do.
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12/21/2009 - rdesmeul wrote: 95 Points
Amazing after 2 days.
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12/19/2009 - vinosean wrote:
Decanted for 2 hours. Aromatics shifted throughout the 90 minute dinner between lilac, rose, strawberry, and raisin. Great depth here. Big on the palate with a long finish and yet light on its feet. I'm looking forward to seeing how this evolves in the bottle over the next 5-7 years.
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12/18/2009 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine: 84 Points
Single-blind tasting with Hiroko at Vintage Wines in San Diego. Solid red with orange at the rim. Bottle. bouquet, but I can't tell what it is. 84/100.
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12/9/2009 - JimHow wrote: 91 Points
The issue here is not whether this is a quality wine, because it is delicious and crowd pleasing. It is structured and tannic but the fruit is big and mouth-coating.
The issue is at what price point do you buy this wine? In the $60+ range you are starting to stretch it, as I would much rather have that '04 Pintia I had the other night at $45.
Penetrating nose, black fruits on the attack, goes down smoothly for an otherwise pretty rugged wine.
Needs more time.
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11/18/2009 - Yamadori wrote:
This was my first '04 Brunello and i was expecting great things from this bottle but was quite disappointed. The wine had a great floral nose with nice notes of dark berries. However, the wine never really got going in the glass. Medium bodied with a smooth mouthfeel but lacking the intensity and structure i was expecting. The finish was also a little short and somewhat dry. Seems like a wine which needs a little time. Will buy this again and give it another try.
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11/1/2009 - Matt Scott wrote: 95 Points
Decanted for 1 1/2 hours. This is the best Brunello EVER from this producer. Nice amounts of charcol, berries and leather. It's quite fragrent overall and very balanced. The palate is silky and is mouth coating. What a finish and a great expression of Brunello. There's a perfect freshness to this wine. It's hard to not drink now, however, cellaring for 5- 10 years would be nice. Drink 2012 -
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10/17/2009 - jeffm_fla wrote: 93 Points
Nice wine. Drank it at the same dinner as 2006 Caymus Special -- and it still came off well. Great with food. 93+ rating
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10/16/2009 - Badamf wrote: 77 Points
Appearance: Clear light ruby
Nose: Dark fruits, strawberry
Palate: Bit young, great acidity
Overall: Needs more time to develop and intergrate.
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9/8/2009 - InternationalWineReport wrote: 94 Points
Superclean, with beautiful dark fruits, crushed flowers and a lovely smokiness underneath. Full-bodied and very silky, and elegant, with a long, caressing finish. A real knockout. (Drink 2010-2020) - JD94
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5/14/2009 - docvin1107 wrote: 91 Points
Open cork in 4 hours and decanted 1 hour before drinking. The oak rather present at this point but otherwise lovely classic nose of leather, earth and cigarbox. Some sour cherry/ pulm action as well. More darker fruits coming through on the palate, good structure and firm but not unpleasant tannins on the back. Medium-full body, great long finish. Drinking well now with a couple of hours in the decanter but has the potential and structure to develop and last for at least a decade more. 91+
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5/7/2009 - jwsmith wrote: 93 Points
This a really new world brunello, but very good if you can get it for less than $ 50 bones. Very silky smooth on the palate with a stony cherry palate, very long and nice.
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4/29/2009 - LPskeleton wrote: 90 Points
consumed at trade tasting, no note taken
big tannic and robust needs time.
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2/17/2009 - hutch wrote: 92 Points
Via: The Big Red Tour (Boston, MA): 9/14/09: Lovely. Long, long finish. Great stuff, and I could drink this now, though I'd be more likely to sit on it for a few years or decade. 91-93
2/17/09: Beautiful nose. This is ready to go right now. Not sure how long before it shuts down. 90-92
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