Based on the swell of recent positive reviews on this wine, I opened one of two remaining bottles I have with a plate of [Italian-assembled] cheese ravioli w/ olive-oil, mushrooms, and prosciutto. Nice combo. I found this 3rd bottle more to my liking than the prior two. It was certainly mature to overtly so, but this didn't detract from the well poised dark cherry flavors, great integration of aged tannins, and overall depth the wine presented equally over two nights of tasting. I didn't mark down detailed notes, and the only other meta info I can throw onto this description is to point out this was the first wine tasted after ~18 days dry whilst on island vacation. That's sure to affected my palate, perhaps in this case to the positive in reflecting on this wine.
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Brunello 2004 Horisontal (My House): Dark but young and clean cherry fruit with a lovely intensity and structured aftertaste. Showing some age with leather and tobacco. Very impressive wine and a big surprise in the tasting.
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Bottle opened at 5:00 PM, decanted at 6:00 PM, tasting began at 7:00 PM. Clear deep garnet red color. Lovely bouquet of cherries, blackberries, and their liqueurs; violets, leather, stony soil, hints of balsamic, cardamom and nutmeg. Similar on the palate, full body, seamless, balanced, smooth tannins, pleasant refreshing acidity. Outstanding with braised beef in tomato sauce with pasta.
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Evening session at ESBK. Drank in Grassl Cru. My bottle. High fill level. 3rd experience. Trying again after many years. Appearance is clear, pale intensity, ruby colour with thin garnet rim. Legs. Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of ripe red cherries, red plums. Developing. On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium+ alcohol (13.5%), fine high tannins, just about full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of ripe red cherries, red plums, red licorice, fine earth with a touch of leafiness + oregano herb. Long finish. Very good quality. Fine elegant nuance. Someone in the group mentioned Stella. Haha maybe not quite as good, but the direction is definitely there.
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[Initially without any decanting: viscous, peachy color, almost no aroma, very dry, tannic finish.]
1 hr decanted. Light almost peachy color, medium viscosity, strong ripe cherry, light watermelon, hints of leather, peppercorn aroma. Very Dry, mouth watering, strong frontal tannins even after 17 years. Great with fatty brisket & tomato sauce.
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A good bottle but with past experience with this producer and the heralded vintage, I was expecting a great bottle.
Vibrant deep red color with no discernable fading; hot nose with loads of ripe dark red fruit, sandalwood, and a hint of leather; fuller body with acidity dominating the tannins and flavors of cherry, leather, and spices.
Again a good wine but by no means a standout.
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Had Sicilian sautéed calamari, focaccia and the Poggio, last of my bottles. At 17 years of age, the cork was perfect, minimal nose, perfect brick color without much fade at edge, not much on the palate but underlying hints of fruit and savory were there. Decantered for 30 min before dinner and it started opening quickly. By the end of the meal, a nose of cherry and sandalwood, a palate and dark cherry, leather other savory flavors and tannins. Good acidity and alcohol level. Very balanced, very Brunello. Took a glass to the tv room to watch Stanley Tucci “Searching for Italy:Tuscany” (highly recommend to Italy food, wine and culture lovers). Have a third of a bottle left and I can tell it will be a blow out tomorrow. Will let you know. I think this wine is drinking great now and would last for a few more years in it’s window.
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Initially this showed quite a bit of fine leather and cigar humidor aromas. Smells nice.
Soft and ready to go. With air, the fruit emerged and some light tannin started to show. The wine is much riper and fruitier than I remember. A little more than I prefer, but overall this isn’t bad. Hard to say where this goes from here. I liked the last bottle seven years ago more than this one, but my tastes have also changed.
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As not unexpected, significant bottle to bottle variability at this age for this vineyard. This bottle had complexity that had disappeared from last bottle. Silky tannins shine . Flavors of cherries and blueberries. Wonderful !
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Delicious aromas of blackberries, clove l, saddle leather, tar, tobacco and plums. Nicely integrated tannins. Well balanced. Nice moderately long finish. A real treat.
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Sadly - this lady is on the downside of mature. if you are a fan of very old claret, you'll probably still like this. amber edges. herbs, dried cherries and mature oak on the nose. The palate has very mature dark fruits, a bit thin, with spices and a little forest floor. Short finish, with a layer of acid. An honorable goodbye to what was once a terrific wine. If you have any left, drink up (and have a back-up ready!)
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This wine is few years past peak. I think was 94 points, 3 years ago. Tannins totally smoothed out. Notes of dark cherries & herbal spices. The fruit flavors are fading and being replaced by insipidness.
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Over a year and a half since I last tried a bottle. Opened and let slow ox for an hour and then decanted through a vinturi and let sit for another hour or so while we prepared dinner. Meatballs and gravy for my wife and roast chicken for me. The nose was plum and leather. The palate was dark plums, leather and tobacco. The finish was moderate in length.
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Medium garnet color. Wonderfully complex nose of plum, black cherry, espresso and cocoa with minor tobacco/leather. Flavors of cranberry and currant with medium finish. Quite lively and pretty fruit - drinking well and very enjoyable.
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Decanted 30 minutes to open up. Expressive nose of earth, undergrowth and red fruit. Palate of pomegranate, cranberry, woody undergrowth, leather, tar. Finish is long and deep with a lot of woody characteristics emerging. Very solid and complex wine.
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Wonderful red fruit, tobacco and aged leather combine to create this beautiful brunello. Excellent depth and texture. This wine talks to your soul throughout the entire bottle. An enjoyable yet an intellectual wine at the same time. Great juice!
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Opened about two hours before pouring a glass. Up front aromas of black berry, tobacco, and cedar. Drank over the couple hours and the bottle continued to open up. Dark garnet color and overall very nice bottle.
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After a recent tasting/note on this I decided to use most of the rest of my bottles for a friend’s engagement party. Slightly bricked, translucent light to medium garnet.Nose is earthy, tart cherry, mushroom. Palate is a little thin but pleasant enough with some richer cherry and some chocolate on the finish. Solid wine, just not that impressive or memorable. Pretty much consistent with the previous, lengthy note. Of the 4 bottles opened, 2 were definitely a touch younger looking and tasting, perhaps warranting a slightly higher rating...90-91?
P.S. The better bottles here were quite a bit more interesting today. One taste I had with blue cheese was really a perfect combination, the flavor of the cheese exploded when you added the wine. Quite interesting and delicious.
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Decanted for one hour. Aromas of black cherry, tobacco, dried herbs and forest floor. Black cherry, tobacco, spice and forest floor on the palate. Fruit forward finish with good length. Medium to full bodied. Served with wood fired pizza.
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I was spurred to try my first bottle of this from a 6-pack purchased on release by a tasting note from Z_WILLUS_D on this wine. I decanted it at 3:30pm and tasted it multiple times over the next 6 hours as well as a little saved for the next day. At first right after PnP it is a light to medium translucent garnet as a fairly traditional Brunello should be with a visibly bricked edge. The nose was distinctly but lightly sweet cherry and milk chocolate. Palate had vanilla, chocolate, cherry, tobacco and some cedar. The finish was short and a bit tart. Overall a light to medium bodied wine. At the 2 hour point it had added only a little depth with some additional plum fruit and minty licorice, finish was still short but a bit more rich. At the 3 hour point it was more meaty with the fruit fading a bit. At 4 hours it had developed a medicinal nose and flavor and seemed to close down. We had this with some braised short ribs and mashed potatoes, with which it was just OK. At 11am the next day the nose had a whiff of varnish and that medicinal element with a more tart cherry flavor as well as a more elegant texture but still a rather short finish. Others have expressed some disappointment with this wine and I can see why. This has some interesting elements but never seemed to come together at the same time and there is nothing really unique or elegant about it. Probably best around 3 hours after decanting and the numerical score reflects it at its best. Is this worth the ~$50 I paid for it 12 years ago?... probably not... For me this had been purchased with the intent of saving for my daughter who was born in 2004, I think it may be more “together” at some point in the future, but I will likely gift some of these and keep one or 2 to see if that is true.
For a $55 wine that I carefully "cellared" for the past 10-years, it's hard not to feel a bit let down by this wine. The nose is not so distinguishable from most of the 10-15 year old ~$20 Italian wines I've drunk, and apart from a fully mature textural mouthfeel, this lacks the structure and depth to stand apart. Based on this bottle, I would agree with others that this should be drunk sooner than later.
Fully developed ripe fruit with softened tannins and secondary flavors. Mildly imbalanced with alcohol, but still pleasant. At the peak. Drink up, the wine does not have enough stuffing to go to tertiary flavors.
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This was my first bottle of this wine from 2004. Decanted vigorously and tasted after 90 minutes. Drank over 3 hours and it was still improving. Color was rich and showed some maturity, but totally red and had a nice ruby luster. Nose was ripe with red fruit, some spice and cedar. In the mouth, the wine was firm, seemed young for 15 years. Tannins were firm but well integrated, and seemed in relatively good balance with the fruit, which was not consistent with other reviewers experience. It had a masculine nature vs. some other vintages that have greater fruit extraction. Paired well with a Piedmontese bone in rib eye off the grill. The wine cut cleanly through the fat and the dried cherry, dust, menthol and other red fruits were framed by firm mouthfeel and lengthy finish. This wine is entering its window of drinking pleasure. Although it might last for a couple decades, I will be drinking the rest of this case over the next five years.
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When I opened the bottle and took a sip I was sure it was bad. Left it for two and a half hours and came back to a really nice bottle of wine. There is fruit but not as pronounced as it had been. It seems to have entered a phase where it is showing what it has underneath. While there are berries in front they are quickly overpowered by tobacco, leather and wood flavors along with some mocha. At first the finish just tailed off but after being opened for four hours or so that component kicked in as well and was moderate to long. To sum it up in my opinion this wine is a nicely aged brunello and really still needs a four or five hour decant.
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The wine continues to improve with time, but it’s trajectory is not toward anything profound or even very good. Modern, big, with sweet wood and some drying tannin, with a dusty body. Medium acidity, chewy tannin, full body, but lacking richness of fruit (or it’s too buried under the wood).
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A very good Brunello that was drinking quite well. Classic dark, full tasting berries. Drank Oct 10 with SB Wine Club at Bellini in NYC. Unfortunately it came after a 1998 Ruchet that was outstanding and an 09 Rodney Strong Symmetry that was drinking perfectly too.
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After being disappointed in 2015, this bottle showed beautiful, fruit, texture and a complex finish after decanting. Saved a glass over night and it was dramatically better. Need to hold off drinking the next bottle.
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Wonderful red fruit, tobacco and leather. Great texture and layers. There is good excitement going on here. There is still five to ten years of enjoyment left in this wine.
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Allowed to breathe in glass one hour. Clear deep dark garnet color. Attractive bouquet of baked cherry tart, cherry cordial, blackberries, leather, charcoal, cardamom, nutmeg, grilled herbs, with hints of balsamic and stony soil. Similar on the palate, full body, balanced acidity, civilized mouth-coating tannins. Improved with air and held up fine under vacuum stopper in refrigerator over four days. Seems to be at early maturity with many good years ahead.
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Last of my bottles, drank over two days. Tart cherries on nose and palate. This had mellowed since my last bottle (no astringency) and was similar to my first tasting. This is balanced, subtle with some complexity. Short to medium finish--a good food wine.
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I was trying to figure out why it left me disappointed, but thanks to people notes I was reminded that it was Suckling ratting that inspired me to buy in the first place. Nothing wrong with the wine, but it shows its age without much fruit and with very little complexity developed.
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Opened and poured. Excellent wine - well integrated, with some secondaries showing. A little musk and barn at the beginning, but blew off. Decent fruit, cherry predominant, with some leathery components and floral elements as well. Neutral and medium to full bodied, there's decent fruit and acidity to ride the night. A nice bottle, nothing to detract and held up after a day or two under vac-u-vin. I would say at peak for sure.
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This wine is a power house. As some of the reviewers mentioned upon opening this wine is astringent, reserved and flat. After 5 hours of decanting it finally started showing its fruit, aromas and complexity. Every passing hour it kept getting better. The nose is very rustic with sour cherries dominant on the nose. Some leather and soil components also. In the mouth, the wine is medium body with great acid structure. Typical high quality sangiovese taste profile with a lingering finish. I have to admit the finish is shorter than I was expecting. The over all mouth feel is very balanced though. This is a great food wine. I disagree with some of the earlier reviewers that this wine is on a decline. I think it is going through its awkward phase and not showing the full potential. I have another bottle in the cellar that I will be opening in another 10-15 years.
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Owned and stored in a temperature controlled cellar for years. Opened to serve with a homemade spaghetti. Lots of bricking, muted aromas even after several hours of air. On the palate, sour cherry notes, dried herbs, flabby, and zero finish. Modestly drying tannin. This wine is flat as a board.
This wine was totally overwhelmed by the sauce. Can't say I'm disappointed this was my last bottle. This wine was a regular disappointment.
Another vastly overrated James Suckling wine. I don't ever buy Suckling rated wines, and this is a reminder of why.
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At the cusp of full maturity in color and all, just where nanette likes it. Tertiary and leather on the nose with vibrant sophistication and a brightness for food. Sweet fresh cherries and tannins perfectly present but melted. Ideal now-2020.
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Layers upon layers of complexity. Wonderful red fruit notes, leather and an X factor that I am struggling to find words to describe. Really amazing juice.
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Opened chilled let rest 1 hr then decanted. Drank with swordfish dinner. Started out muted, but kept expanding till gone. Vibrant, aromatic, balanced, with all in harmony. We were blown away.
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Opened and let sit for a while. There is fruit with a touch of tobacco on the nose, the palate is mixed black and red berries, cherry, tobacco and mocha. The finish was of moderate length and smooth. Served alongside a plate of short ribs.
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Dark red, brown edges --- Nose hazelnut, earthiness, sour cherry, almond, a hint of elegnat wood notes--- Palate acidic, tart, fruity, bursting, so much life in it, cherries --- Finishes medium long on fruitiness, tartness and this charming agressiveness. Very nice and captivating vine, is it 4, 6 or 12 years? So much vibrancy.
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Deep, expansive coffee and plush black raspberry. Supple mouth feel. Playing the long game with balance. Shooting a cluster of cushioned arrows in every direction.
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Served this with lasagne. This was aromatic with violets, dried herbs, leather, and black raspberry. Good acidity on the entry that worked well with the lasagne. The tannins are pretty dry through the mid palate.
On the palate this has tobacco, black raspberry, dried herbs, and black cherry. This finishes with a hint of orange peel, though the finish does not carry through with any length.
Better than a bottle consumed about 12 months ago. Everyone enjoyed the wine but it did not offer anything special.
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MUST decant for several hours. Only then, the nose, the palate, and the finish are truly outstanding examples of Brunello di Montalcino at its pinnacle. Their are many years of enjoyment still ahead for Castellare.
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It is delicious to drink now, Very well balanced, racy and juicy, plum, berries, fig, stimulating all sensors, couldn't put down the glass, well integrated tan is, super smooth, lovely and long lasting finish. Super!
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Had with homemade pizza. Following some sinus treatments earlier in the day and sinus surgery a few weeks before, I'm still somewhat aromatically and taste challenged, but by the end of the meal, this was starting to resonate beautifully. It had been decanted for several hours by then. For me, this is classic BdM, with delicious dried red fruit flavors and secondary notes of leather, tobacco, and spices.
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Took other trackers advise and opened around 4 hours before we went to dinner. The nose was dark fruit and chocolate, the palate was berries, tobacco, cedar and mocha. The finish was long and smooth.
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Exquisite. BUT do NOT PnP this wine. It has at least a decade more of full life ahead. Anything less than three hours of decant now wastes it. If you are willing to wait, the alcohol burns off, revealing the intense varietal character that awaits you, all underlaid by irresistible power that does not diminish in the least over time. The deep complexity and immediate impact of this Brunello stands with the best. A true exemplar.
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From memory, took to Vintage a few weeks ago. Stewed fruits and a bit over the top on the alcohol. Not bad wine per se, but definitely not really identifiable as Brunello. Drink em if you got em.
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PnP. Brought to a tapas restaurant. Stewed fruits, sage, pepper. In your face intensity with the alcohol showing its edge. Strong finish. Definitely a food wine.
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Raspberry and cherry on the nose, but nowhere near as intense as my prior bottle (Dec 2015). Medium bodied and fully integrated and balanced. Different from my prior bottle as this one was much more accessible from the start and was not as overtly fruit driven. Same enticing mix of black and red cherry upfront with acidity and mineral notes swirling throughout and slighter deeper blackfruit behind (raspberry and plum). Acidity helps it brighten into the finish and it ends on notes of minerals and light earth. Agree with other reviewers that this wine is at peak. Still has enough acidity-based structure to make it interesting while the fruit through the middle is showing beautifully. While it should have several years at this level, don't miss it as it won't show any better than how it is currently.
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I think this wine is at its peak now. First glass popped and poured and then let the bottle slow-ox for 4 hours.
The first glass was already immediately open for business and very much classic Brunello: dark fruit, leather, smooth body and loooong finish.
After a few hours the wine has gained a bit of complexity and evolved from good (~90 pts) to great (93pts): Light ruby color with some amber at the rim. Full aromas of dark cherry and blackcurrant with some leather/tobacco evolving with hints of red licorce and hay. Full bodied with nicely integrated tannins that are silky smooth and mouth coating. The fresh acidity balences out nicely and keeps the palate lively. The finish is very, very long and seems to lingering for minutes.
The best bottle of this wine I've had to date. It only lacks some complexity to make it to 95 or beyond. Given that some tertiary aromas are developing and that the wine is well integrated I would say: drink now.
Reading other notes on this wine I suspect that there is a bit of bottle variation at play. Two remarks regarding some of the less good experiences with this wine: - my bottles have been stored unde controlled conditions since release. - I would never decant a Brunello, this will often give it a short peak and have it turn to flat and lifeless quite quickly. Better use slow-ox (let it sit in the bottle for several hours after opening and pouring into the neck.
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Faded quickly after a three hour decant. Could be the way it was handled prior to purchase. Definitely not my cellar, where 1970 wines remain in pristine condition. Next bottle will be given maybe fifteen minutes to breath, and we'll keep our fingers crossed.
Decanted, and drank over three hours. Dark fruited herbal nose. Medium body, with dark berries and plums, tingly wood tannin, sandalwood, and plum. Not very expressive, and fairly simple. Not a bad wine, but far from being worth $50.
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First bottle of this wine. Opened this to serve with manicotti and Italian sausage in marinara sauce. This was not decanted, and while offering dried herbs, a little sous bois, and leather, this was not bursting with aromatics. Compared to a 2004 La Togata BdM tasted in the last six months, this was nowhere close to the aromatics of that bottle. On the palate, this started with some sour/tart cherry and bay leaf. The tannins are modesty dry, and the acidity on this was not what I expected. I found the wine flabby overall. The finish was also somewhat flat and really did not have anything unique or special.
I am shocked this was rated 96 by WS (probably Suckling). Perhaps this needs more air time, but the first glass did not give a good representation of 2004.
Poured through aerator and into decanter and let sit for 2 hours; nose remained fairly muted except for dried fruits, but flavors of ripe berries, leather and tobacco showed nicely once it opened up about half way thru drinking over the course of 2 hours; vanilla notes on long, smooth finish
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Raspberry and plum, almost prune on the nose. Above medium bodied, and spectacularly smooth and silky. When first opened, this presented as a deep, rich, nearly fruit forward wine - a hyper-modern representation of brunello; all primary fruit and no secondaries. But after being open about four hours, it evolved nicely into a very pretty wine, but recognizably brunello. Black raspberry upfront with brighter and more tart red cherry swirling in the background. Also plenty of plum and other dark fruit notes as it approaches the finish. Tannins are fully integrated, but add nice length of the finish where the wine shows hints of tobacco, minerals and leather. Overall, this feels like a really dense, rich brunello that has fully integrated and the fruit is at its most expressive as everything was open and showing. Right now this wine is drinking beautifully and while I don't expect further improvement, it has the fruit and structure to stay at this level for several more years. I have one left and plan to purchase some more, but will probably drink them all by 2018 to get the most out of this stage.
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I think i had an eyeopener with this wine, as i had it over 2 nights, first evening i decanted 1/2 the bottle for 1,5 hours and the wine was okay but not as i had expected....it was refined-with some licorice notes but also fresh notes....not really much more..it was good but not that good. The 2nd. evening the nose had evolved wonderfully with clear notes of tobacco and licorice the taste was also more pronounced. So i goes it should maybe have been decanted for something like 4-5 hours to hit the best...am no expert in this as Brunello Di Montalcino is not what i have tried a load of. Tha glass was Zalto Bordeaux.
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To be honest, this is my fourth bottle, because when I opened my first bottle a year after release, it allready showed an orange hue, which lead me to be believe it was already reaching maturaty which certainly is strange given that even for a modern made Brunello you need at least 6-7 years. It was pretty closed up however and so after the third bottle I just left it to hopefully develop further. Wind the clock now four year later and.... Upon opening it showed a lot, in terms of red fruit, some leather, tar/licqorice, but this quickly subsided. It's a cherry red, no orange in sight, medium bodied , kinda feminine Brunello. Tannins are soft, but they already were.Two hours in I get subdued fruit, something like wet paper. I think its a good bottle of wine, but a bit elusive and very subdued. I tend to agree with the others that it won't change much more. Upon release I think Suckling gave it 96 or 98 points...a bit on the high side as far as I am concerned.
Vibrant ruby with light brick rim; rather subdued nose, dried cherry, burnished leather, brown suace, slight caramel; soft entry, medium body, moderate (+) tannins softening up with time; sour cherry/plum in the mid-palate; moderate length. for a 2004, this is in great shape, but it just doesn't have the complexity that it should; decent wine with rosemary chicken with olives but a bit thin and unremarkable. Drink up. this is not going anywhere. Not that it's past prime, to the contrary, but I don't think it will improve with age. Hard to reconcile with my previous note in 2013 though. May be bottle variation.
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Disappointing for a wine rated so highly. After decanting tannins were present but tame, there was very subtle complexity, limited fruit and finish. I bought some of this wine from 2 different sources and upon close examination the labels have subtle differences and even the glass bottles are different. Seems odd for a 3000 case production. Can't help but wonder about bottle/lot variances or even possible counterfeiting? Anyone have any insight?
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Needs about 2 hours decant and beautifully integrated . Cherries, mild leather, earthy notes, mild to moderate tannins . Excellent place and will probably be fine for next five years
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First bottle in almost 3 years from a half case purchased in early 2010. Brought with us to Vintage on Fifth - Crystal River, FL ($15 corkage). The cork was intact, but completely soaked up its entire length - not a good sign. My initial sip seemed fine, but I soon detected a faint, but clearly noticeable note of Worcestershire on the finish. Bummer. Although this was slightly corked, it was still very drinkable and actually enjoyable after an hour or so. A testament to what a great wine this is. So much delicious, tangy cherry and raspberry fruit, with pinpoint focus and excellent depth. Rich and satisfying, yet so lithe and elegant. Didn't quite display the complexity and finesse of my last bottle, for obvious reasons. Even though slightly flawed, this could still easily rate a 90-91 - if I were to score it. But that would be unfair, so I won't.
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Delicious after a couple of decanter hours. Beautiful aromas. Dried red fruits and spices. Wonderful balance and very smooth tannins. My first bottle out of three. Seems that it is in its prime window now, but unlikely to fade soon. At least another five years here, probably ten.
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Ein Wein auf seinem Höhepunkt. Ein gutes Gerüst mit schöner Frucht,moderaten Tanninen und mittlerem Körper. Alles begleitet von einem sehr angenehmen -14%Alkohol. Ideal mit Pasta und rotem Fleisch.
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Slow-oxed over 15h, then decanted. Stil dark colour, very intense nose, ark berries, plums, forest floor. On the palate still primary fruit: black berries and again plum, some nice secondary flavours: leather and earth, ripe and very silky tannins. Seems to be in the middle of it's best drinking window. Best with food, we had an south-italian style lamb with lemon-sauce.
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Much, much better than the bottle I had one year ago - bottle variation ? Spices, leather, red fruit on the nose. Old world style, very refined tannins, balanced, structured and good acidity. Medium finish. In the sweet spot of its drinking window. Best with food.
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Aerated with a Vinturi and decanted for one hour. Aromas of black cherry, red licorice, tobacco, chocolate, toffee and dried herbs. Cherry, coffee, cocoa, spice and soft tannins on the palate. Leads to a medium to long, soft, smooth finish. Medium to full bodied. Paired with Tuscan bread soup.
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Popped at 7:30 AM and slow-oxed most of it. First glass at noon, last at 6:00 or so. Proper Brunello browning color, nice nose with a swirl. This was tight on the pop, "air is your friend". Cola, especially initially. Black cherry, white bean. This is no fruit bomb, but has the stuffing to go another five years.
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lovely nose and color with luscious fruit and a long, lingering finish. This wine is in a great place. I wish I had more than one left as I feel obligated to let it sit and see how it ages further. So hard!
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Wow - really need to let this decant for at least an hour. I didn't let this bottle decant and it was very much closed. Big difference to the last bottle I tasted so I will not rate it.
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Had at the same dinner as the Collemattoni from the same year (2004). Both were PnP. The Collemattoni was signficantly better, and the other 3 dinner guests independently agreed. Rather simple, but air might have helped. Last bottle, so I'll never know.
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Double decant. Tart, dried cherry, earth & pencil lead. Austere at beginning of evening, tart & dry. Opened up nicely and paired extremely well with rich, homemade marinara with fresh pasta. Big hit at Christmas dinner! In sweet spot of drink window.
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Bella Brunello. Needs several hours of air before tasting. Darkest ruby in the glass, with light garnet edges. Massive legs. The nose is reluctant, but after sitting in crystal glass for another hour, complex aromas begin to emerge -- harvest plums, forest floor, smoking leaves, and blackberry compote. On the palate, the immediate sensation is coating of the tongue by luscious tannins, dark berry flavors, and meaty canapés. The finish lasts on and on, revealing a rich cocoa consistency and anise undertones. My sense is this will be even better in five years (if I dole these out once a year, starting now, I have enough to see if I'm right!).
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Second Brunello of the night, because, well, the Cowboys are playing and I wanted to. Very dark for a Brunello. Initial smell was intensely dark and funky and in your face. A muscular Brunello for sure. Rich, dark fruits, this reminds me of a Zinfandel. Score is for a red wine. If I scored this as a Brunello, I would have given it an 80.
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pop & pour dark red-purple pleasant dark fruity nose with plums, barn & leather notes full bodied, firm tannins, good acidity level, well balanced and textured, plums & dark cherries, spices, herbal hints, long juicy finish. excellent value for its price. should be decanted to enable optimal condition.
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I've been drinking these as a taste test between the taller narrow bottling and the standard size. Some have black lettering for the date and some have gold. I guess a vintage like 2004 can lead to a second bottling of the "same" wine.
Delicious 2004 Brunello, needs a few mins of air and drinks great. Dusty dark fruit.
Tall bottle is a little better...AM
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Serious Brunello. Smooth, good acidity, gaining in complexity. Downright tasty now, but I wish I'd waited 5 years on this one. It has the stuffing to improve. This wine could actually warrant the WS Top 100 rating eventually.
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Popped and slow-oxed for 4 hours. Initial pour was closed. After 4 hours it had come alive and showed some nice BdM character.
Light ruby color, some hints of amber at the rim. Full aromas of Blackcurrant, some sweet tobacco and red licorice. Full bodied with lively acidity, fresh fruit and smooth tannins. A long finish with a spicy twist to it.
This wine will probably develop a bit more for the next few years and it has certainly the structure to continue on its current level for many more years to com. Drink now - 2020
Decanted for about 1.5 hours. Mature, rustic bdm nose with roasted plum, balsamic reduction, bloody meat, mushroom and a bit of earthy funk. Really nice. Similar flavors on the palate with plum and black cherry flavors mixed with tobacco and earth and a touch of oak on the finish. Smooth mouthfeel and finish. Medium+ acid with medium tannins. Drinking really well right now and is enjoyable on its own but shines with food.
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Medium body and flavors; not as concentrated as expected though. Dark fruits, leather, earth. Tannins were well integrated, on the light side. Overall a beautiful wine and ready for enjoyment today.
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"4 months after the Coravin tasting" - checking the remaining wine (Osteria da Fiorella): pop & pour dark red-purple pleasant dark fruity nose with plums, barn & leather notes full bodied, firm tannins, good acidity level, well balanced and textured, plums & dark cherries, spices, herbal hints, long juicy finish. should be decanted to enable optimal condition.
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I enjoyed much better than my first bottle from two years ago. Gorgeous brownish red brick color like a bordeaux. tremendous floral fruit and lively yet refined tannins. Just wonderful.
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Followed over a 20 hour period. Strong at the pop and steadily declined over time. I guess this is nearing the end of its fruit life as the intensity of bouquet is lighter than before and after a night open, a slight ammonia note has crept in. Still bursting with tannins and firm on acidity but with the sweetness slipping away, I'm left with not much else but dry wood. Drink soon if you like fruit or if you're the adventurous type, hold for a few and see if this turns into one of those nice smooth and wooly aged BdMs.
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Nose of berry, mushroom and balsa wood, which carries through on the palate. Unobtrusive acidity, well balanced tannins. An elegant style, and drinking at its peak now.
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Hey! This has impoved well. I was not impressed the first years. Black Cherry, leather and some deep sweetness. Well balanced palate, tannins, acidity, body, oak. Very good.
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Ruby red with signs of orange at the edges. Very aromatic upon opening. After a two hour decant, more reserved with sour cherry, cherry pit, orange, earth, forest floor and great acidity. Tannins are there, but blend into the background. Delicious.
This bottle (my last) was not quite as good as the previous two. It was a bit more primary and lacking some of the subtleties I got in the previous bottles. It did get better with air time, and I cannot rule out the possibility that the previous bottles got more air than this one. Overall, still a very nice brunello, though.
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Almost 4 years since the last bottle. Showed some orange and browning on the rim. Took an hour so to start opening up. Once it did, the wine showed showed dried, tart red fruits, some date, slight raisin, orange peel, and lots of acidity. Liked this a lot.
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Rapide passage en carafe de 30 minutes. Super beau vin assez fruité avec une belle texture soyeuse et une belle acidité. Nez dense sur les fruits noirs, du cuir et des prunes avec un peu de fumé. En bouche, belle fraicheur, des cerises et des épices avec un peu d'herbes. Il est doté de beaux tannins soyeux et une longue finale juteuse.
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Dunkles rubinrot; an der Nase recht dezente Noten von Kirsch- und Beerenfrucht, Tabak und Leder; Röstnoten; am Gaumen eleganter, frischer Wein mit kräftiger Säure und mittlerem Körper; langer Abgang, leicht zehrend; ich vermisse aber Individualität und Charakter!
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Red-black fruit nose and palate with hints of tobacco and leather. More towards subtle, delicate and balanced character. But did not quite have the wow factor of a #11 WS Top 100 wine.
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Consistent with previous note. This is right in my wheelhouse these days. Lovely black cherry fruit, shaded by rather subtle notes of tobacco and leather. This is still somewhat primary and my score would have been a bit higher if the secondaries were more pronounced. But this is nicely balanced, delicious with food, and a pleasure to drink. Too bad I have only one more.
Took to a restaurant and started drinking 30 minutes after opening. Still came off as elegant and balanced. Great pairing with lamb. Glad I have a few more.
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My friend Jess brought another bottle of this over to drink again, much to my delight. Poured through Vinturi into decanter and started drinking about 30 minutes after. Reddish brown colour. Consistent tasting notes as my first time with it. Fruity cherry nose. Sweet entry. On the palate, dark berries and sour cherries. Leather notes as the wine opened up. Slight chewy tannins towards the finish. Elegant lighter style Brunello perfect for both sipping or with food.
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Double decanted and tasting double blind; group tasting at Il Capriccio.
Clearly the Brunello of the night. I've enjoyed this wine on multiple occasions, and it clearly standings out as one of the best QPR Brunello's I've ever had. A slightly modern style with ripe fruit, silky tannins, and a long finish.
A true standout from the 2004 vintage, which is just beginning to enter its drinking window; one which should be open for at least another decade.
Elegant and lovely. But really needs at least an hour of air to come into its own. Starts out tight, tart, and overly acidic. But with time and warming up a bit, it gains weight and texture and fruit and finish. Really lovely balance and a melange of flavors. The nose is gorgeous too with sour cherry and violets really notable. So nicely integrated on the palate it is hard to pick out the individual components (which is a sign of a good wine to me). This is not a big powerful brunello. It is much more on the feminine side, but really delightful either on its own or with food. I think the 96 that WS lobbed on was overdone, but this is really nice stuff. Drinking really well now and no reason to wait -- just make sure to give it 1-2 hours of air. Fell in love with Brunello on a trip to Italy this summer and am having a hard time going back to new world wines from this stuff.
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I am barbecuing some fine New York steaks tonight and decided that this Brunello would be a perfect match. I opened it up to let it breathe out for at least two hours, but I already have drank a glass and I am amazed how good it is.
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Opened, poured 1/4 glass, and began to drink over 1hr before pouring more. Improved over the next 3hrs and showed best with food (mushroom ravioli with porcini ragu). Flowery nose that carries dust and warmth into you. Lightly sweet entry with myrrhy woodsy notes that transform to rose petals on the mid-palate. A lingering finish that starts chewy progressing cleanly with acid to display refined and integrated tannins. A feminine wine that comforts and coaxes with her delicate and sultry nuances. You can enjoy her now, but she will faithfully hold on to you for several more years.
Thanks to my friend Jess who contributed this wine from her cellar. Reddish brown colour. Poured through Vinturi into decanter. Initially closed, but opened up beautifully after an hour. Fruity cherry nose. Sweet entry. On the palate, juicy mouth-watering dark berries and cherries. Also tasted tomato/stem and leather. Tannins still chewy, but not overwhelming. With more air, the nose revealed hints of mocha. The ensuing sweetness was so good. The berries were really dancing on the tongue. Drink up now! This is Brunello in its prime.
Black and red cherry, stewed cherry, tomatoe leaf, earthy, licorice, dried parsley, pot-pouri; dry dusty earth, cracked pottery; Good development on this so far, silky entry, fine tannins, well balanced. Great with mushroom ravioli, Gennaro's SLO
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Opened for 45min then poured. Served in Riedel Vinum bordeaux stems. 63 F. Color clear deep purple garnet, nose slight barnyard, wet leaves, vanilla,tobacco, plums and black cherry. Very well balanced and structured. Medium plus acid. This wine still very youthful. This wine could go another 10 or more years. Nice finish
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Fresh nose with vanilla and earthy. Body is medium to full with good fruity, elegant and great balance/ fine structure. Silky tannins and ready to drink now.
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Aerated with Vinturi and poured. Aromas of black cherry, spice, tobacco, and toasted oak. Tart black cherry, tobacco, and fine tannins on the mid-palate lead to a long, soft finish. Medium bodied. Paired with penne alla vodka.
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Very feminine with a captivating nose. Very enjoyable and silky. Medium finish, not a powerhouse brunello. The wood has integrated nicely. Decanted for 2 hours prior to drinking.
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rich meaty tones on the nose with hints of tea and chocolate. Touch of funk on the nose expands on the palate. Smooth round tanins and great integration. More tea. Long finish with the slightest hint of bitterness. PDQ93+
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Drank with Adrianne and Lynn. Went very well with various cheeses. Tasted like a Brunello should. Very drinkable. Everyone loved it. Adrianne commented she liked it better than the 2007 Montevertine we opened after we finished this.
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Aerated with Vinturi and decanted for one hour. Black cherry, spice, toasted oak, and vanilla on the nose. Cherry and soft, fine tannins lead to a long finish. Medium bodied. Paired well with penne alla vodka.
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This is a good wine but I still don't see how it justified it's very high WS score. A good brunello with a tangy acidic backbone and raspberry and tobacco flavors.
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Only needed about 2 hours of aeration to really shine. Medium-light ruby and fading to garnet, clear and no sediment. Medium powered nose gives a walk through the herb garden and then back to warm berry pie in the window, passing roses and carnations along the way. Gentle and luscious acidity that seems to grab hold of the fruit and carry it to a distant finish. Even though I'm tasting without food, it's obvious how well this will do with a big plate of red-sauced pasta. 5+11+17+9 = 92
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took a short time to open up, layers of flavor and increased depth with time, med minus body, tanins tamed and integrated, red fruit and woods like earth, no minerality notes, slight spice from oak, subtle makes me think old wod
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This wine really needs an hour+ of air before really singing. Dark ripe fruit and amazing black licorice. Some strong tannins and great acidity on a looong finish. Great food wine, that will drink great for 5-10+ years.
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Deep ruby color, with great intensity. The nose is somewhat reserved, allowing notes of black cherry, tar, stone and anise sneak through with a little coaxing. Very will balanced, showing a nice backbone, balanced with a fresh acidity on the palate. Clean on the finish, with lingering flavors of black raspberry and spice.
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Very nice Brunello with an old school nose. Some bricking at the edges. Ripe cherries, mushroom, a little floral nuance, some earth and tar. Light on it's feet but pretty attractive. Tannins starting to melt, so it will be rather attractive with 1-2 years in the cellar or with a splash decant. Loved it.
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Old world Brunello here, medium-bodied, very high acid, tons of balsamic, leather, with earthy mushroom, tart black plum, sour red cherry, good concentration, balanced fruit underneath a bed of youthful acid. 92+
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Drinking marginally better than the last bottle with similar notes. Still needs more time to fully come around. Brought to Orto's and had with braised pork shoulder.
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I just loved this Brunello. Everyone did as it opened up rather quickly which was refreshing after having decanted others only to find that it really didn't help much. Honestly this wine was superb as it had great complexity and all different flavors going on.
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Light cherry red --- Nose violets, minerality, marzipan, spiciness, flowery --- Palate spicy, minerality, red fruit, some cherry, strong tannins, some herbs --- Finishes on minerality and tannins. Interesting, tasty and promising, revisit in 2014.
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Nicely balanced wine, good bright red fruit. Medium body, good mouthfeel. Excellent with food. Have to come back to this one soon and pay a little more attention.
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I don't understand these notes. This was super soft, with no noticeable tannins. elegant. Possibly my bottle wasn't showing well. NOt tight, but not a lot of stuff going on.
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Decanted for four hours. Beautiful wine. Strong dark berries, tobacco, leather and spice. Beautiful ruby color, medium long finish. Enjoyed with prime filet and was outstanding.
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This bottle was essentially corked but even with that, it was actually drinkable. By day two, the corkiness was gone and the fruit started to shine through. A nice brunello. Looking forward to trying an uncorked bottle but I'm going to wait a little to let it further develop.
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Aerated with Vinturi followed by 2 hour decant. Brick red color. Black cherry, tobacco, toasted oak, spice, and vanilla. Layered tart cherry and integrated silky, soft tannins on the mid-palate; leading to a long, soft finish. Medium bodied with good structure. Paired with gnocchi and tomato, basil sauce. Overall, a very enjoyable, new world style BdM.
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Gorgeous aromas of dark fruit, spice, tobacco and a hint of vanilla. Medium-to-full-bodied, with layer upon layer of subtle fruit, spice and sweet tobacco flavors. The tannins are ultra-fine and linger beautifully on the long fruit and mineral-tinged finish. A deftly executed "old-school" Brunello that leans ever-so-slightly to the "modern" side, is all about finesse, but is immensely satisfying. The best Brunello I have ever tasted and a wine that definitely lives up to its #11 ranking in Wine Spectator's top 100 of 2009. 50+5+14+18+9=96
this went nice with the goose. i didn't have enough time to concentrate on the wine, but after all is was nothing outstanding, not more than a fairly good Rosso. might still need time to develop. will try another one with more focus in 2012
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Disappointed with this wine right now. Don't know if it is just in a dumb phase of development or if the bottle was just off although it was not corked. Perhaps more time in the cellar or a long decant?
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Brickish red color with pretty dark fruit, spice, and meaty aromas. On the palate, vivid, round, and medium-bodied, with tart cherry, cassis, and mineral flavors. Long finish!
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Absolutely fabulous bottle of wine. Rich notes of strawberry and red current that sailed on effortlessly though a creamy and slightly spicey finish. Superb.
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Was hoping for more considering it ranked #11 in the 2009 top 100. Maybe it was the last few wines I drank for about $39 lately that I liked better so would not consider buying more of this wine. It was nice just nothing special. I also do agree with the comments by others below
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Dried dark fruit on the nose, ripe and plummy. Full-bodied - ripe fruit, plums being more pronounced. Smooth, deep and beautiful red, delivering lots of subtle character. This wine definitely has some significant structure and weight; fascinating.
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Decanted for 90 min before enjoying over the subsequent 90 min. Pretty nose, light body, good mix of leather/savory and red fruits but ultimately not enough "there" there to warrant a higher score. If anything had even dried out a little by the time I was finishing up the last drops in the decanter T+4 hours. Pleasant but unremarkable.
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Color at first pour was slightly "brown". Decanted in hopes of opening up. Slow transition over several hours but still tight. Not the fruit I was hoping for (never really found it). For me, too early. She needs some years under her belt.
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Tonight's my first chance to use jarred tomato stuff from my garden in an Italian dish, and while that sauce reduces in the kitchen I'll let this wine decant. I dipped in early (45-min open) to write a quick note while I wait on reduction. Easily identifiable by the nose as Italian with the cherry, sweet raw-honey, fig/tobacco and cedar wood bouquet. This was at first diffident, but in swirling, sniffing, swirling these past sentences, it's grown some gleams of chutzpa (hudspa). I'm glad to see this shows some composure and figure (not obese) on the palate, showing not too gloopy or raw despite the heavy oaking. The finish is notable for its length as much as the dry oak that follows on after the first thirty seconds of tobacco, sweet fig, and semi-sour cherry. Sweet flowers embed a nice semi-fresh, semi concocted fragrance between the fabrics. For my wine sensibilities, I could do with less of the sweetness factor and more earth (lacking sadly) and focus. Could have been worse, hoped for better. Has a pretty nice feel that sets it apart from the fifteen dollar fare; tannins filamentous like the finest silt. I'm sure this can't be the best this wine has to offer over the long haul. But we'll see.
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drank with other wines. Didn't decant for long, maybe 30 minutes. Not much nose, maybe some earthy ammonia nose. Not a full body wine, although structure is ok. I have a high expectation for this wine and felt I was let down. Not sure if more cellar time would improve.
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A tasty wine far, from being over the hill. Great depth of tannins. Still needs time to develop the fruity flavors. Needs at least 2-3 more years to fully mature.
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My first experience with BdM. This is a wine of understatement finesse and class, not one of power. I get soft cherries and even a hint of creamy nectarine. Being 7 years old, secondary autumnal flavors are just beginning to emerge. The soft tannin and oak pick up mid-palate and carry through the finish, adding a complementary dimension without ever taking center stage. The finish is mildly dry and very refreshing. All and all, a delightful wine and very food friendly to boot.
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Brought to a wine dinner and decant for an hour but obviously that was not enough. Medium ruby red. Still closed on the nose as well as the palate. Plenty of cherry and sweet fruits with hints of leather. The mouthfeel was fresh although it may be lack of substance to me. Fine grippy tannins and long finish. Will wait few more years before open my next bottle.
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Decanted for several hours. Somewhat light garnet color and not at all opaque. Nose was fresh and lively. Taste was very pleasant, somewhat rich and deep, but quite youthful. Definitely more complex than a chianti, this would seem to have a long life ahead.
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Dried dark fruit on the nose, verging on date and prune. Full-bodied, with a dense palate of ripe fruit and supersilky tannins. This is a deep and beautiful red, delivering lots of subtle character. Fascinating.
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Decanted for 2 hours and probably should have gone for 2 more hours. Didn't take notes on this, but from memory there was lots of cherry and leather, with hints of vanilla. Had with osso bucco and three-cheese risotto. Needs a couple more years in the cellar.
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Needs air. Deep garnet color. Complex. Secondaries singing with the tart cherry flavors leading the way. Long on the finish. Enjoyed by all. Drink or hold. 92-94
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In my opinion, this was corked. Lots of damp cork and cardboard on first pour. This was beyond an typical farm field funkiness, and more of a wet mossy-floor kind of funk. i will try this again on day two, but did not get any of this when tasted previously last May.
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Decanted 3 hours, and IMO this wine is too young to score. From hour 3 to hour 5, loads of dark fruit, some spice, some oak, some alcohol. This really needs time to see how all the components blend together. No score. That said, if you like bold, fruity, oaky wines drink up. For me, this needs 2-3 years, then drink over the next 10, and hope the alcohol resolves. AMM
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Dark but not deep ruby. Intense nose of violets (most intense immediately after opening), cherry and a little caramel. On the palate I got cherry and blackberry, saline, herbs (after some air) and a touch of spice. The finish was medium. Acidity was not low, in my opinion, as some others have noted, and the tannins were dry and evident. The only thing keeping this from being a standout is the relatively short finish.
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So this is one to have with pasta, tomato based sauce, and asiago cheese, which I did. Before matching with the food, a bit weak for brunello, otherwise typical. If you are going to drink on its own, would wait a few years. Dark red, clear, oak and cherries on the nose, agree with some herbs and after a while, some spice.
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[Brief, from memory]. Slow ox 1 hour. Medium+ garnet. Rich red fruit, silky mouthfeel. Incredibly boring, with insufficient structure. The acidity and tannins were lacking. I found the wood to be well-integrated -- that wasn't the issue -- it is just an incredibly inoffensive wine with little complexity. Have five more, but don't see why aging would lead to improvement.
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Very light and acidic -- clearly a wine that is better with food and would go very well with fish. A bit disappointed as compared to WS review and write-up.
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Drank this way too young. The wood stood out on this wine like a sore thumb. Nice initial funk on the nose that eventually blew off and was accompanied by earthy notes. On the palate, tart cherry fruit was dominant with delicate dark chocolate shavings (like those found on chocolate cream pie), but the flavors were marred by overt wood. Feared the wine would prove to be monolithic; pleasantly surprised that it really filled out overnight. On day 2, the nose displayed classic notes of leather, earth and cherry but then showed notes that also emerged on the palate – dark fruit such as prunes and plums and a hint of maraschino cherry, brown sugar and spices. The mouthfeel was much silkier but angular woody edges lurked in the background. Is it worth the 96 rating by Spectator? I can’t agree at this stage, though it is an enjoyable and nuanced wine. 92-93 pts.
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Decanted for 3 hours. Dark, dry, tart cherry. Slightly tannic with hint of roasted red pepper on medium to long finish. Too young to drink at this time. Recommend 3-7 more years.
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Very Dark Cherry Color, but not opaque. This had some florals and some wood smoke on the nose to combine with Cherry blossom nose. This was paired with an herbed pork loin, and the this exhibited some of the fine Cherry and mild cocoa tannins I would have expected from a brunello of this quality. Some spice and white pepper was present throughout the tasting to the last sip. This was not a velvety smooth as the Il Poggione we tasted some months back. The finish seemed a little short for what I had expected. That said, it was a fine bottle. I am going to hold onto the second bottle for some time. I would like to see this bottle evolve with more complex secondary flavors. These brunello's taste so much better paired with a nice meal.
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Popped and aerated in bottle for 3 hours. Medium black cherry hue. Aromatically complex, with dried red fruits, smoke, kerosene, dried basil and other herbs. In glass, the fruit becomes more pronounced and is complimented by a pretty note of wilted rose petal. Medium-plus body. On the palate, the Sangiovese fruit is exactly what makes this type of wine so tasty when pulled off correctly, the appealing flavors of cherries and dried berries stay fresh and lively throughout, never coming off as tired or overdone. But probably the most remarkable aspect to this 2004 are the secondaries of fresh cedar, smoked salumi, and dried herbs, all components which will grow more profound over the next few years. Chalky tannins on the front and mid show that a bit more time in the cellar is needed for further integration. It's also worth noting that this wine shut down after a few hours. All-in-all, a great wine that will eveolve into something special over the next 3-5 years, and, considering the relative pricing one sees for Brunello, is priced nicely if found for less than $50 per.
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Initially luscious nose, with strong vanilla, raspberries. Later more cherries, earthiness, smoke. Still young, with firm tannins. Very good balance. This wine developed nicely throughout the night, and I imagine it will be better in a few years.
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Initial nose was full of vanilla oak, but after an hour this turned into raspberry jam. In the next hour there was more smokiness and classic sangiovese signatures: sour cherries with leather, funk and cedar. On the palate this was powerful and young wine with more of the cherries, leather and slight bitterness on a still tannic finish. Very good pairing with duck ragu, and a very nice wine overall. Given the spectator review and the price I was a bit underwhelmed, but nevertheless this was an enjoyable bottle of wine. 90-91
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Silky, perfumy style, with alluring raspberry and plum with mocha, licorice, exotic spices from start to the long, pure finish. Hard to just sip this one. - JD92+
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Brian and Karen III (Our House, Avondale, PA): This is one of the rare times when my notes match up with WS. "Dried dark fruit on the nose, verging on date and prune. Full-bodied, with a dense palate of ripe fruit and supersilky tannins. This is a deep and beautiful red, delivering lots of subtle character." I would add that as it opened raspberry and strawberry notes appeared. A very nice and slightly modern brunello. I'll add a few more bottles to what we have if I can find them.
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Nose: Salt water/chlorine pool, cherries, chocolate, smoked paprika, cured meats. There is a salty component that sometimes comes to the fore, but then is balanced by a dark and dry fruit component. Palate: Smoked/cured meats, sour cherries but not much else on the attack. Salty acidity develops on the mid-palate along with some slightly grippy tannins. Give this a few years to mellow out and open up. I'd echo what FJB says regarding the ageability.
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This Brunello is the color of blood: muddled garnet red, rusty on the rim...Brunello. Check. The nose is the richest dark chocolate-covered cherry one could ever imagine, covered in dry, dusty earth. The nose just soars. It's not overwhelmingly complex at this point (45 minutes open), but what it lacks intellectually at first, it more than makes up for electrically. There is voltage here, amplitude, a Marshall stack of Schnapps-y kirsch, laced with thyme and paprika, and smothered in Prosciutto grease.
The palate is a veritable power plant: MGMT's 'Electric Feel' in all five senses, charged with ever-so-prickly acidity, velvet sheen tannin, and fruit weight that seeps its way into every ridge and draw of tastebud topography. The faintest impression of toasted baguette lingers, but it's fleeting, overwhelmed by masses of mulled plum, Grandma's baking cherries, wintergreen, and Zotter's Bird's Eye Chili Chocolate.
The finish is 60+ seconds. No lie. As a word of caution, the nose starts off pretty reticent, even a bit corky. This blew off completely within 5-10 minutes.
A great example of a Brunello di Montalicino. Somewhat lighter color than expected. Light tannins are tempered by dark berries. Great wine to drink though the finish could be a bit more memorable.
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Still pretty tight, decanted 2 hours before serving , rest of the bottle consumed after 24 hours in the decanter, a lot better. Still need to wait some years before consumig the others.
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A very good medium to full bodied dark ruby colored wine that was absolutely very enjoyable with a prime rib New Year's eve dinner. Popped & poured and wine was terrific with nice tannins and smooth finish. Will buy more and cellar forfuture use.
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nose - flowers, cherry plus alight whiff of acetone mouth - juicy red cherry fruit with decent tannins, some toasty oak flavors on the midpalate, with prominent back end acidity. I thought this was a tasty bottle but certainly wasnt wowed by it.
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Dark ruby..Decanted for 3 hours...Still pretty tight on the nose but opened up as time passed..Ripe red and black fruit along with tobacco leaf on the nose..A touch vegetal as well...Palate: Firm tannins but smooth...Red fruit, leather and a hint of green coffee bean coat the palate..Also get a touch of balsamic on the backend..A complex brunello which is drinking well now but should age well for another 10 years..Good stuff..Enjoy!!
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92-93+ pts. Wow this is just a baby, it needs lots of time. I should not have tasted my first bottle after an Aussie Cab and a Simi Reserve 97(great), they destroyed my palate.
Nice garnet red color with a little brown tinge. Amazing nose of black currant jam and ripe fruits. Flavors burst from the glass, focused on sweet figs and plums. Some back-end sourness that was great. Some spice and loads of mouth coating firm tannins on the finish that will resolve in time. Finish is 30+ seconds. Wait a year or more to drink, and enjoy over the next 10! Great stuff...AMM
PS: Tasted 4 days later after light suction, and this was very smooth, with a long sweet finish...AMM
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90-91 pts. I popped and poured this wine and drank after dinner. I seemed to miss something the other tasters got. Fruit was a little light, some earth and balance. Tannins present but not harsh. Overall, it was a little simple. Reserving full judgement for future bottles...AMM
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Decanted for 2h. Prune, eggplant color, quite dark but not completely opaque. Flavours of tobacco, cedar box, with a core of blackberries and raspberries. Medium/full bodied, fresh on the palate and very smooth. Good finish with coffee and butterscotch notes. The underlying fruit is "giuggiola" , or Jujube, or Red (Chinese) date. This is drinking very well now.
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Initially popped and poured. It deliverded lots of black fruit but was a bit messy on the palate. After about an hour it went in to a sort of dumb phase, not giving much on the nose or the palate. It was almost a classic bad Italian, adstringent, sangiovese. After a day in the bottle it finally seemed to be getting somewhere:
Ruby colour. Dense aromas of ripe black fruit some plum and leather with some hints of toast. Following trough with ripe fruit, chewy-smooth tannins and lots of fresh acidity. Long finish. This is a very classic Brunello with pretty high acidity levels. Its an outstanding wine, but I wonder why JS rated it 96pts. It does deliver a high QPR at eur 27.
This wine needs a few more years to get its act together. Drink 2012 - 2020.
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While I do not agree with Suckling who seems to think that this 2004 Brunello is one of the TOP 5 from all 2004 BdM’s I have to admit that it is indeed quite a good wine for what it is. As the sells for ~ 25 Euro here in Europe one should not expect an intellectual experience from this wine. Hoowever it has very nice fruit, good tannins and a very good balance. If you look for a 2004 BdM with a good QPR and ready to consume during the coming 5 years this is indeed a good choice. If you want to age your 2004 BdM I would look somewhere else (92).
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12/2/2023 - Thief Likes this wine: 93 Points
Consistent with prior notes
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10/16/2023 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine: 89 Points
OK. Fading a bit. Underwhelming fruit yielding to residual tannins. Medium to medium-light bodied. Drink up.
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8/18/2023 - z_willus_d wrote: 91 Points
Based on the swell of recent positive reviews on this wine, I opened one of two remaining bottles I have with a plate of [Italian-assembled] cheese ravioli w/ olive-oil, mushrooms, and prosciutto. Nice combo. I found this 3rd bottle more to my liking than the prior two. It was certainly mature to overtly so, but this didn't detract from the well poised dark cherry flavors, great integration of aged tannins, and overall depth the wine presented equally over two nights of tasting. I didn't mark down detailed notes, and the only other meta info I can throw onto this description is to point out this was the first wine tasted after ~18 days dry whilst on island vacation. That's sure to affected my palate, perhaps in this case to the positive in reflecting on this wine.
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6/16/2023 - canan wrote: 95 Points
Brunello 2004 Horisontal (My House): Dark but young and clean cherry fruit with a lovely intensity and structured aftertaste. Showing some age with leather and tobacco.
Very impressive wine and a big surprise in the tasting.
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1/6/2023 - Nedder_travels_the_world wrote: 97 Points
Firing on all cylinders right now.
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11/12/2022 - Javachip Likes this wine: 92 Points
Bottle opened at 5:00 PM, decanted at 6:00 PM, tasting began at 7:00 PM. Clear deep garnet red color. Lovely bouquet of cherries, blackberries, and their liqueurs; violets, leather, stony soil, hints of balsamic, cardamom and nutmeg. Similar on the palate, full body, seamless, balanced, smooth tannins, pleasant refreshing acidity. Outstanding with braised beef in tomato sauce with pasta.
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8/16/2022 - Derek Darth Taster wrote: 94 Points
Evening session at ESBK. Drank in Grassl Cru. My bottle. High fill level. 3rd experience. Trying again after many years.
Appearance is clear, pale intensity, ruby colour with thin garnet rim. Legs.
Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of ripe red cherries, red plums. Developing.
On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium+ alcohol (13.5%), fine high tannins, just about full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of ripe red cherries, red plums, red licorice, fine earth with a touch of leafiness + oregano herb. Long finish.
Very good quality. Fine elegant nuance. Someone in the group mentioned Stella. Haha maybe not quite as good, but the direction is definitely there.
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4/3/2022 - Peter Spijker Likes this wine:
Brown rim, needed some time to open up. Dark cherry, a hint of leather, blueberry, a bit of dried herbs and wood. A good, but not great, bottle.
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12/26/2021 - Nicephoras wrote:
Perfectly serviceable if a bit boring.
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8/19/2021 - winepog wrote: 91 Points
Drank a few months ago with the fellas. A more noteworthy wine than some others, but we served too cold and were a little impatient. :) Cheers.
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8/18/2021 - bucktooth22 Likes this wine: 91 Points
[Initially without any decanting: viscous, peachy color, almost no aroma, very dry, tannic finish.]
1 hr decanted. Light almost peachy color, medium viscosity, strong ripe cherry, light watermelon, hints of leather, peppercorn aroma. Very Dry, mouth watering, strong frontal tannins even after 17 years. Great with fatty brisket & tomato sauce.
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6/27/2021 - 818wines Likes this wine: 94 Points
Beautiful right now.
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6/17/2021 - Racer117 Likes this wine: 91 Points
A good bottle but with past experience with this producer and the heralded vintage, I was expecting a great bottle.
Vibrant deep red color with no discernable fading; hot nose with loads of ripe dark red fruit, sandalwood, and a hint of leather; fuller body with acidity dominating the tannins and flavors of cherry, leather, and spices.
Again a good wine but by no means a standout.
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6/17/2021 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine: 93 Points
Wonderful fruit/acid balance. Ageing nicely. No hurry.
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3/14/2021 - perlasteve Likes this wine: 93 Points
Had Sicilian sautéed calamari, focaccia and the Poggio, last of my bottles. At 17 years of age, the cork was perfect, minimal nose, perfect brick color without much fade at edge, not much on the palate but underlying hints of fruit and savory were there. Decantered for 30 min before dinner and it started opening quickly. By the end of the meal, a nose of cherry and sandalwood, a palate and dark cherry, leather other savory flavors and tannins. Good acidity and alcohol level. Very balanced, very Brunello. Took a glass to the tv room to watch Stanley Tucci “Searching for Italy:Tuscany” (highly recommend to Italy food, wine and culture lovers). Have a third of a bottle left and I can tell it will be a blow out tomorrow. Will let you know. I think this wine is drinking great now and would last for a few more years in it’s window.
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2/6/2021 - Outplaying wrote:
Initially this showed quite a bit of fine leather and cigar humidor aromas. Smells nice.
Soft and ready to go. With air, the fruit emerged and some light tannin started to show. The wine is much riper and fruitier than I remember. A little more than I prefer, but overall this isn’t bad. Hard to say where this goes from here. I liked the last bottle seven years ago more than this one, but my tastes have also changed.
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10/12/2020 - gothamfreerider Likes this wine: 93 Points
As not unexpected, significant bottle to bottle variability at this age for this vineyard. This bottle had complexity that had disappeared from last bottle. Silky tannins shine . Flavors of cherries and blueberries. Wonderful !
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9/13/2020 - Thief Likes this wine: 93 Points
Delicious aromas of blackberries, clove l, saddle leather, tar, tobacco and plums. Nicely integrated tannins. Well balanced. Nice moderately long finish. A real treat.
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7/16/2020 - astroman wrote:
Fruits mostly resolved so is the tannins. In a nice drinking period now if you like wines with some age.
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7/12/2020 - BHRH Likes this wine: 88 Points
Sadly - this lady is on the downside of mature. if you are a fan of very old claret, you'll probably still like this. amber edges. herbs, dried cherries and mature oak on the nose. The palate has very mature dark fruits, a bit thin, with spices and a little forest floor. Short finish, with a layer of acid. An honorable goodbye to what was once a terrific wine. If you have any left, drink up (and have a back-up ready!)
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6/27/2020 - gothamfreerider Likes this wine: 88 Points
This wine is few years past peak. I think was 94 points, 3 years ago. Tannins totally smoothed out. Notes of dark cherries & herbal spices. The fruit flavors are fading and being replaced by insipidness.
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4/29/2020 - brooklynJ&O wrote: 88 Points
opened 2 hours before drinking. decanted one hour before.
a little stewed. still tasty but expected more. maybe better on night 2.
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3/24/2020 - markcic Likes this wine: 89 Points
Over a year and a half since I last tried a bottle. Opened and let slow ox for an hour and then decanted through a vinturi and let sit for another hour or so while we prepared dinner. Meatballs and gravy for my wife and roast chicken for me. The nose was plum and leather. The palate was dark plums, leather and tobacco. The finish was moderate in length.
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1/5/2020 - sshubbard Likes this wine: 92 Points
Medium garnet color. Wonderfully complex nose of plum, black cherry, espresso and cocoa with minor tobacco/leather. Flavors of cranberry and currant with medium finish. Quite lively and pretty fruit - drinking well and very enjoyable.
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1/3/2020 - shifter Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted 30 minutes to open up. Expressive nose of earth, undergrowth and red fruit. Palate of pomegranate, cranberry, woody undergrowth, leather, tar. Finish is long and deep with a lot of woody characteristics emerging. Very solid and complex wine.
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12/20/2019 - tomoem Likes this wine: 95 Points
Office party 2019
I really cannot improve on the notes of CT member OLDMANZIN whose notes are spot on. I am adding to his score. The best Brunello I had this year.
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12/15/2019 - Oldmanzin Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wonderful red fruit, tobacco and aged leather combine to create this beautiful brunello. Excellent depth and texture. This wine talks to your soul throughout the entire bottle. An enjoyable yet an intellectual wine at the same time. Great juice!
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11/28/2019 - magnumfla Likes this wine: 89 Points
Opened about two hours before pouring a glass. Up front aromas of black berry, tobacco, and cedar. Drank over the couple hours and the bottle continued to open up. Dark garnet color and overall very nice bottle.
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11/16/2019 - oldwines wrote: 90 Points
After a recent tasting/note on this I decided to use most of the rest of my bottles for a friend’s engagement party. Slightly bricked, translucent light to medium garnet.Nose is earthy, tart cherry, mushroom. Palate is a little thin but pleasant enough with some richer cherry and some chocolate on the finish. Solid wine, just not that impressive or memorable. Pretty much consistent with the previous, lengthy note. Of the 4 bottles opened, 2 were definitely a touch younger looking and tasting, perhaps warranting a slightly higher rating...90-91?
P.S. The better bottles here were quite a bit more interesting today. One taste I had with blue cheese was really a perfect combination, the flavor of the cheese exploded when you added the wine. Quite interesting and delicious.
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11/3/2019 - hoservin wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for one hour. Aromas of black cherry, tobacco, dried herbs and forest floor. Black cherry, tobacco, spice and forest floor on the palate. Fruit forward finish with good length. Medium to full bodied. Served with wood fired pizza.
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11/2/2019 - oldwines wrote: 90 Points
I was spurred to try my first bottle of this from a 6-pack purchased on release by a tasting note from Z_WILLUS_D on this wine. I decanted it at 3:30pm and tasted it multiple times over the next 6 hours as well as a little saved for the next day. At first right after PnP it is a light to medium translucent garnet as a fairly traditional Brunello should be with a visibly bricked edge. The nose was distinctly but lightly sweet cherry and milk chocolate. Palate had vanilla, chocolate, cherry, tobacco and some cedar. The finish was short and a bit tart. Overall a light to medium bodied wine. At the 2 hour point it had added only a little depth with some additional plum fruit and minty licorice, finish was still short but a bit more rich. At the 3 hour point it was more meaty with the fruit fading a bit. At 4 hours it had developed a medicinal nose and flavor and seemed to close down. We had this with some braised short ribs and mashed potatoes, with which it was just OK. At 11am the next day the nose had a whiff of varnish and that medicinal element with a more tart cherry flavor as well as a more elegant texture but still a rather short finish. Others have expressed some disappointment with this wine and I can see why. This has some interesting elements but never seemed to come together at the same time and there is nothing really unique or elegant about it. Probably best around 3 hours after decanting and the numerical score reflects it at its best. Is this worth the ~$50 I paid for it 12 years ago?... probably not... For me this had been purchased with the intent of saving for my daughter who was born in 2004, I think it may be more “together” at some point in the future, but I will likely gift some of these and keep one or 2 to see if that is true.
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10/27/2019 - z_willus_d wrote: 89 Points
For a $55 wine that I carefully "cellared" for the past 10-years, it's hard not to feel a bit let down by this wine. The nose is not so distinguishable from most of the 10-15 year old ~$20 Italian wines I've drunk, and apart from a fully mature textural mouthfeel, this lacks the structure and depth to stand apart. Based on this bottle, I would agree with others that this should be drunk sooner than later.
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9/20/2019 - Winiac wrote: 89 Points
Fully developed ripe fruit with softened tannins and secondary flavors. Mildly imbalanced with alcohol, but still pleasant. At the peak. Drink up, the wine does not have enough stuffing to go to tertiary flavors.
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8/5/2019 - Mira Luna Cave Likes this wine: 92 Points
This was my first bottle of this wine from 2004. Decanted vigorously and tasted after 90 minutes. Drank over 3 hours and it was still improving. Color was rich and showed some maturity, but totally red and had a nice ruby luster. Nose was ripe with red fruit, some spice and cedar. In the mouth, the wine was firm, seemed young for 15 years. Tannins were firm but well integrated, and seemed in relatively good balance with the fruit, which was not consistent with other reviewers experience. It had a masculine nature vs. some other vintages that have greater fruit extraction. Paired well with a Piedmontese bone in rib eye off the grill. The wine cut cleanly through the fat and the dried cherry, dust, menthol and other red fruits were framed by firm mouthfeel and lengthy finish. This wine is entering its window of drinking pleasure. Although it might last for a couple decades, I will be drinking the rest of this case over the next five years.
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5/29/2019 - ctjared Likes this wine:
consistent
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11/30/2018 - markcic Likes this wine: 91 Points
When I opened the bottle and took a sip I was sure it was bad. Left it for two and a half hours and came back to a really nice bottle of wine. There is fruit but not as pronounced as it had been. It seems to have entered a phase where it is showing what it has underneath. While there are berries in front they are quickly overpowered by tobacco, leather and wood flavors along with some mocha. At first the finish just tailed off but after being opened for four hours or so that component kicked in as well and was moderate to long. To sum it up in my opinion this wine is a nicely aged brunello and really still needs a four or five hour decant.
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11/14/2018 - indiscriminate palate wrote: 86 Points
The wine continues to improve with time, but it’s trajectory is not toward anything profound or even very good. Modern, big, with sweet wood and some drying tannin, with a dusty body. Medium acidity, chewy tannin, full body, but lacking richness of fruit (or it’s too buried under the wood).
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10/10/2018 - Will Hansen wrote: 91 Points
A very good Brunello that was drinking quite well. Classic dark, full tasting berries. Drank Oct 10 with SB Wine Club at Bellini in NYC. Unfortunately it came after a 1998 Ruchet that was outstanding and an 09 Rodney Strong Symmetry that was drinking perfectly too.
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9/6/2018 - Cellarseller Likes this wine: 92 Points
After being disappointed in 2015, this bottle showed beautiful, fruit, texture and a complex finish after decanting. Saved a glass over night and it was dramatically better. Need to hold off drinking the next bottle.
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8/28/2018 - Oldmanzin Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wonderful red fruit, tobacco and leather. Great texture and layers. There is good excitement going on here. There is still five to ten years of enjoyment left in this wine.
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8/26/2018 - Javachip Likes this wine: 91 Points
Allowed to breathe in glass one hour. Clear deep dark garnet color. Attractive bouquet of baked cherry tart, cherry cordial, blackberries, leather, charcoal, cardamom, nutmeg, grilled herbs, with hints of balsamic and stony soil. Similar on the palate, full body, balanced acidity, civilized mouth-coating tannins. Improved with air and held up fine under vacuum stopper in refrigerator over four days. Seems to be at early maturity with many good years ahead.
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8/23/2018 - ctjared Likes this wine:
drinking very well.
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7/25/2018 - gew71walsh wrote: 91 Points
Last of my bottles, drank over two days. Tart cherries on nose and palate. This had mellowed since my last bottle (no astringency) and was similar to my first tasting. This is balanced, subtle with some complexity. Short to medium finish--a good food wine.
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4/7/2018 - ClaytonDave Does not like this wine:
Turning
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1/26/2018 - NeuroWine wrote: 90 Points
Not very complex, but tasty with bbq ribs.
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1/21/2018 - megropolis wrote: 86 Points
I was trying to figure out why it left me disappointed, but thanks to people notes I was reminded that it was Suckling ratting that inspired me to buy in the first place. Nothing wrong with the wine, but it shows its age without much fruit and with very little complexity developed.
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1/4/2018 - mattscellar1 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Flavorful not a lot of upfront fruit well balanced head with chicken and dumplings with hardy mushrooms
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12/16/2017 - mattscellar1 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Still had fruit great nose had with pasta in Ragu
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12/14/2017 - mattscellar1 wrote:
A lot of fruit good nose loved it
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12/14/2017 - mattscellar1 Likes this wine: 93 Points
So nice fruity loved it
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12/13/2017 - ravbik wrote: 88 Points
On decline
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12/10/2017 - mattscellar1 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very very nice could go another couple of years nose was awesome and it was still very bright and still had food
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12/7/2017 - Senso-beak wrote: 91 Points
Opened and poured. Excellent wine - well integrated, with some secondaries showing. A little musk and barn at the beginning, but blew off. Decent fruit, cherry predominant, with some leathery components and floral elements as well. Neutral and medium to full bodied, there's decent fruit and acidity to ride the night. A nice bottle, nothing to detract and held up after a day or two under vac-u-vin. I would say at peak for sure.
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12/5/2017 - ctjared Likes this wine:
consistent
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11/23/2017 - Yagil wrote: 91 Points
Wine10 monthly meeting (Hinnawi Herzlia B): excellent nose & palate, well structured and complexd
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11/11/2017 - fortheloveoflife Likes this wine: 91 Points
This wine is a power house. As some of the reviewers mentioned upon opening this wine is astringent, reserved and flat. After 5 hours of decanting it finally started showing its fruit, aromas and complexity. Every passing hour it kept getting better. The nose is very rustic with sour cherries dominant on the nose. Some leather and soil components also. In the mouth, the wine is medium body with great acid structure. Typical high quality sangiovese taste profile with a lingering finish. I have to admit the finish is shorter than I was expecting. The over all mouth feel is very balanced though. This is a great food wine. I disagree with some of the earlier reviewers that this wine is on a decline. I think it is going through its awkward phase and not showing the full potential. I have another bottle in the cellar that I will be opening in another 10-15 years.
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10/1/2017 - COWineLover wrote: 85 Points
Owned and stored in a temperature controlled cellar for years. Opened to serve with a homemade spaghetti. Lots of bricking, muted aromas even after several hours of air. On the palate, sour cherry notes, dried herbs, flabby, and zero finish. Modestly drying tannin. This wine is flat as a board.
This wine was totally overwhelmed by the sauce. Can't say I'm disappointed this was my last bottle. This wine was a regular disappointment.
Another vastly overrated James Suckling wine. I don't ever buy Suckling rated wines, and this is a reminder of why.
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9/2/2017 - ravbik wrote: 90 Points
Mature . Seems to be on the decline.
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8/27/2017 - Rollerball wrote:
At the cusp of full maturity in color and all, just where nanette likes it. Tertiary and leather on the nose with vibrant sophistication and a brightness for food. Sweet fresh cherries and tannins perfectly present but melted. Ideal now-2020.
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8/13/2017 - Oldmanzin Likes this wine: 94 Points
Layers upon layers of complexity. Wonderful red fruit notes, leather and an X factor that I am struggling to find words to describe. Really amazing juice.
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7/28/2017 - Senso-beak wrote: 90 Points
Opened and enjoyed. Acidic, somewhat light at open. Lively cherry notes on a medium body. Gaining traction with air, fleshing out.
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7/16/2017 - mikesvins wrote: 94 Points
Opened chilled let rest 1 hr then decanted.
Drank with swordfish dinner. Started out muted, but kept expanding till gone. Vibrant, aromatic, balanced, with all in harmony. We were blown away.
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6/24/2017 - markcic Likes this wine: 91 Points
Opened and let sit for a while. There is fruit with a touch of tobacco on the nose, the palate is mixed black and red berries, cherry, tobacco and mocha. The finish was of moderate length and smooth. Served alongside a plate of short ribs.
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6/5/2017 - mhensel wrote: 93 Points
Dark red, brown edges --- Nose hazelnut, earthiness, sour cherry, almond, a hint of elegnat wood notes--- Palate acidic, tart, fruity, bursting, so much life in it, cherries --- Finishes medium long on fruitiness, tartness and this charming agressiveness. Very nice and captivating vine, is it 4, 6 or 12 years? So much vibrancy.
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6/4/2017 - Rollerball wrote: 94 Points
Deep, expansive coffee and plush black raspberry. Supple mouth feel.
Playing the long game with balance. Shooting a cluster of cushioned arrows in every direction.
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12/24/2016 - COWineLover wrote: 90 Points
Served this with lasagne. This was aromatic with violets, dried herbs, leather, and black raspberry. Good acidity on the entry that worked well with the lasagne. The tannins are pretty dry through the mid palate.
On the palate this has tobacco, black raspberry, dried herbs, and black cherry. This finishes with a hint of orange peel, though the finish does not carry through with any length.
Better than a bottle consumed about 12 months ago. Everyone enjoyed the wine but it did not offer anything special.
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11/30/2016 - Bowmanifesto wrote: 94 Points
MUST decant for several hours. Only then, the nose, the palate, and the finish are truly outstanding examples of Brunello di Montalcino at its pinnacle. Their are many years of enjoyment still ahead for Castellare.
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10/16/2016 - Hawk94 wrote: 95 Points
It is delicious to drink now, Very well balanced, racy and juicy, plum, berries, fig, stimulating all sensors, couldn't put down the glass, well integrated tan is, super smooth, lovely and long lasting finish. Super!
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9/16/2016 - pinoteer Likes this wine: 93 Points
Had with homemade pizza. Following some sinus treatments earlier in the day and sinus surgery a few weeks before, I'm still somewhat aromatically and taste challenged, but by the end of the meal, this was starting to resonate beautifully. It had been decanted for several hours by then. For me, this is classic BdM, with delicious dried red fruit flavors and secondary notes of leather, tobacco, and spices.
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9/11/2016 - markcic Likes this wine: 91 Points
Took other trackers advise and opened around 4 hours before we went to dinner. The nose was dark fruit and chocolate, the palate was berries, tobacco, cedar and mocha. The finish was long and smooth.
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7/30/2016 - Bowmanifesto wrote: 94 Points
Exquisite. BUT do NOT PnP this wine. It has at least a decade more of full life ahead. Anything less than three hours of decant now wastes it. If you are willing to wait, the alcohol burns off, revealing the intense varietal character that awaits you, all underlaid by irresistible power that does not diminish in the least over time. The deep complexity and immediate impact of this Brunello stands with the best. A true exemplar.
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7/30/2016 - Barnaby33 wrote:
From memory, took to Vintage a few weeks ago. Stewed fruits and a bit over the top on the alcohol. Not bad wine per se, but definitely not really identifiable as Brunello. Drink em if you got em.
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7/9/2016 - HOS wrote: 91 Points
PnP. Brought to a tapas restaurant. Stewed fruits, sage, pepper. In your face intensity with the alcohol showing its edge. Strong finish. Definitely a food wine.
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7/3/2016 - RGCM Gananda Likes this wine: 93 Points
Raspberry and cherry on the nose, but nowhere near as intense as my prior bottle (Dec 2015). Medium bodied and fully integrated and balanced. Different from my prior bottle as this one was much more accessible from the start and was not as overtly fruit driven. Same enticing mix of black and red cherry upfront with acidity and mineral notes swirling throughout and slighter deeper blackfruit behind (raspberry and plum). Acidity helps it brighten into the finish and it ends on notes of minerals and light earth. Agree with other reviewers that this wine is at peak. Still has enough acidity-based structure to make it interesting while the fruit through the middle is showing beautifully. While it should have several years at this level, don't miss it as it won't show any better than how it is currently.
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6/5/2016 - Jochems Likes this wine: 93 Points
I think this wine is at its peak now. First glass popped and poured and then let the bottle slow-ox for 4 hours.
The first glass was already immediately open for business and very much classic Brunello: dark fruit, leather, smooth body and loooong finish.
After a few hours the wine has gained a bit of complexity and evolved from good (~90 pts) to great (93pts):
Light ruby color with some amber at the rim. Full aromas of dark cherry and blackcurrant with some leather/tobacco evolving with hints of red licorce and hay. Full bodied with nicely integrated tannins that are silky smooth and mouth coating. The fresh acidity balences out nicely and keeps the palate lively. The finish is very, very long and seems to lingering for minutes.
The best bottle of this wine I've had to date. It only lacks some complexity to make it to 95 or beyond.
Given that some tertiary aromas are developing and that the wine is well integrated I would say: drink now.
Reading other notes on this wine I suspect that there is a bit of bottle variation at play. Two remarks regarding some of the less good experiences with this wine:
- my bottles have been stored unde controlled conditions since release.
- I would never decant a Brunello, this will often give it a short peak and have it turn to flat and lifeless quite quickly. Better use slow-ox (let it sit in the bottle for several hours after opening and pouring into the neck.
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2/17/2016 - jackaroo wrote:
Faded quickly after a three hour decant. Could be the way it was handled prior to purchase. Definitely not my cellar, where 1970 wines remain in pristine condition. Next bottle will be given maybe fifteen minutes to breath, and we'll keep our fingers crossed.
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1/22/2016 - indiscriminate palate wrote:
Decanted, and drank over three hours. Dark fruited herbal nose. Medium body, with dark berries and plums, tingly wood tannin, sandalwood, and plum. Not very expressive, and fairly simple. Not a bad wine, but far from being worth $50.
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1/10/2016 - COWineLover wrote: 88 Points
First bottle of this wine. Opened this to serve with manicotti and Italian sausage in marinara sauce. This was not decanted, and while offering dried herbs, a little sous bois, and leather, this was not bursting with aromatics. Compared to a 2004 La Togata BdM tasted in the last six months, this was nowhere close to the aromatics of that bottle. On the palate, this started with some sour/tart cherry and bay leaf. The tannins are modesty dry, and the acidity on this was not what I expected. I found the wine flabby overall. The finish was also somewhat flat and really did not have anything unique or special.
I am shocked this was rated 96 by WS (probably Suckling). Perhaps this needs more air time, but the first glass did not give a good representation of 2004.
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12/26/2015 - jwolf99 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Poured through aerator and into decanter and let sit for 2 hours; nose remained fairly muted except for dried fruits, but flavors of ripe berries, leather and tobacco showed nicely once it opened up about half way thru drinking over the course of 2 hours; vanilla notes on long, smooth finish
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12/26/2015 - RGCM Gananda Likes this wine: 93 Points
Raspberry and plum, almost prune on the nose. Above medium bodied, and spectacularly smooth and silky. When first opened, this presented as a deep, rich, nearly fruit forward wine - a hyper-modern representation of brunello; all primary fruit and no secondaries. But after being open about four hours, it evolved nicely into a very pretty wine, but recognizably brunello. Black raspberry upfront with brighter and more tart red cherry swirling in the background. Also plenty of plum and other dark fruit notes as it approaches the finish. Tannins are fully integrated, but add nice length of the finish where the wine shows hints of tobacco, minerals and leather. Overall, this feels like a really dense, rich brunello that has fully integrated and the fruit is at its most expressive as everything was open and showing. Right now this wine is drinking beautifully and while I don't expect further improvement, it has the fruit and structure to stay at this level for several more years. I have one left and plan to purchase some more, but will probably drink them all by 2018 to get the most out of this stage.
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12/8/2015 - Rollerball wrote: 94 Points
Outstanding. Deeply delicious and nuanced. Expansive and dark red/black flavored. Pulsing tannins.
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12/6/2015 - ctjared Likes this wine:
solid
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11/30/2015 - FDP wrote: 89 Points
I think i had an eyeopener with this wine, as i had it over 2 nights, first evening i decanted 1/2 the bottle for 1,5 hours and the wine was okay but not as i had expected....it was refined-with some licorice notes but also fresh notes....not really much more..it was good but not that good.
The 2nd. evening the nose had evolved wonderfully with clear notes of tobacco and licorice the taste was also more pronounced.
So i goes it should maybe have been decanted for something like 4-5 hours to hit the best...am no expert in this as Brunello Di Montalcino is not what i have tried a load of.
Tha glass was Zalto Bordeaux.
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11/28/2015 - aknot13 wrote: 92 Points
Very good !
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11/21/2015 - Chris Likes this wine: 96 Points
My last bottle of 4 from the 2004 vintage. Delicious, wonderful aroma, fantastic balance. A great effort all around.
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11/18/2015 - Thorgal wrote: 90 Points
To be honest, this is my fourth bottle, because when I opened my first bottle a year after release, it allready showed an orange hue, which lead me to be believe it was already reaching maturaty which certainly is strange given that even for a modern made Brunello you need at least 6-7 years. It was pretty closed up however and so after the third bottle I just left it to hopefully develop further. Wind the clock now four year later and.... Upon opening it showed a lot, in terms of red fruit, some leather, tar/licqorice, but this quickly subsided. It's a cherry red, no orange in sight, medium bodied , kinda feminine Brunello. Tannins are soft, but they already were.Two hours in I get subdued fruit, something like wet paper.
I think its a good bottle of wine, but a bit elusive and very subdued. I tend to agree with the others that it won't change much more. Upon release I think Suckling gave it 96 or 98 points...a bit on the high side as far as I am concerned.
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11/3/2015 - peternelson wrote: 89 Points
Vibrant ruby with light brick rim; rather subdued nose, dried cherry, burnished leather, brown suace, slight caramel; soft entry, medium body, moderate (+) tannins softening up with time; sour cherry/plum in the mid-palate; moderate length. for a 2004, this is in great shape, but it just doesn't have the complexity that it should; decent wine with rosemary chicken with olives but a bit thin and unremarkable. Drink up. this is not going anywhere. Not that it's past prime, to the contrary, but I don't think it will improve with age. Hard to reconcile with my previous note in 2013 though. May be bottle variation.
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11/1/2015 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine: 89 Points
Needs to open up before it reveals its complexity. Dried fruit, and solid tannins. Leather. Not deep, but subtle.
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9/26/2015 - joet626 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wow!. Decanted for 90 minutes. Perfectly smooth. Wonderful with great taste and smooth tannins. This was close to perfect.
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9/18/2015 - RhoneG Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark fruit, very earthy. A bit orange at the rim with forest floor, mushrooms, leather.
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8/22/2015 - Cellarseller wrote: 89 Points
Disappointing for a wine rated so highly. After decanting tannins were present but tame, there was very subtle complexity, limited fruit and finish. I bought some of this wine from 2 different sources and upon close examination the labels have subtle differences and even the glass bottles are different. Seems odd for a 3000 case production. Can't help but wonder about bottle/lot variances or even possible counterfeiting? Anyone have any insight?
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8/2/2015 - ravbik wrote: 94 Points
Needs about 2 hours decant and beautifully integrated . Cherries, mild leather, earthy notes, mild to moderate tannins . Excellent place and will probably be fine for next five years
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7/31/2015 - Bam_Man wrote: flawed
First bottle in almost 3 years from a half case purchased in early 2010. Brought with us to Vintage on Fifth - Crystal River, FL ($15 corkage). The cork was intact, but completely soaked up its entire length - not a good sign. My initial sip seemed fine, but I soon detected a faint, but clearly noticeable note of Worcestershire on the finish. Bummer. Although this was slightly corked, it was still very drinkable and actually enjoyable after an hour or so. A testament to what a great wine this is. So much delicious, tangy cherry and raspberry fruit, with pinpoint focus and excellent depth. Rich and satisfying, yet so lithe and elegant. Didn't quite display the complexity and finesse of my last bottle, for obvious reasons. Even though slightly flawed, this could still easily rate a 90-91 - if I were to score it. But that would be unfair, so I won't.
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6/12/2015 - pinoteer Likes this wine: 93 Points
Delicious after a couple of decanter hours. Beautiful aromas. Dried red fruits and spices. Wonderful balance and very smooth tannins. My first bottle out of three. Seems that it is in its prime window now, but unlikely to fade soon. At least another five years here, probably ten.
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5/25/2015 - petersura Likes this wine: 94 Points
Ein Wein auf seinem Höhepunkt. Ein gutes Gerüst mit schöner Frucht,moderaten Tanninen und mittlerem Körper. Alles begleitet von einem sehr angenehmen -14%Alkohol. Ideal mit Pasta und rotem Fleisch.
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4/12/2015 - labodner wrote: 85 Points
May be a bad bottle; lost fruit and virtually no flavor. Looked like a rose. Will try a different bottle from same vintage and compare.
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4/5/2015 - tomasio-1 wrote: 91 Points
Slow-oxed over 15h, then decanted. Stil dark colour, very intense nose, ark berries, plums, forest floor. On the palate still primary fruit: black berries and again plum, some nice secondary flavours: leather and earth, ripe and very silky tannins. Seems to be in the middle of it's best drinking window. Best with food, we had an south-italian style lamb with lemon-sauce.
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4/4/2015 - aknot13 wrote: 92 Points
Much, much better than the bottle I had one year ago - bottle variation ? Spices, leather, red fruit on the nose. Old world style, very refined tannins, balanced, structured and good acidity. Medium finish. In the sweet spot of its drinking window. Best with food.
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2/23/2015 - Gail and Len Likes this wine: 88 Points
May have passed its peak. Decanted and deank over two nights. Did not exhibit the complexity and finesse that the previous bottle had
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2/20/2015 - hoservin wrote: 92 Points
Aerated with a Vinturi and decanted for one hour. Aromas of black cherry, red licorice, tobacco, chocolate, toffee and dried herbs. Cherry, coffee, cocoa, spice and soft tannins on the palate. Leads to a medium to long, soft, smooth finish. Medium to full bodied. Paired with Tuscan bread soup.
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2/20/2015 - fingers wrote: flawed
cork sandwich
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2/7/2015 - BrunelloBob wrote: 91 Points
Popped at 7:30 AM and slow-oxed most of it. First glass at noon, last at 6:00 or so. Proper Brunello browning color, nice nose with a swirl. This was tight on the pop, "air is your friend". Cola, especially initially. Black cherry, white bean. This is no fruit bomb, but has the stuffing to go another five years.
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1/31/2015 - Chris Likes this wine: 93 Points
lovely nose and color with luscious fruit and a long, lingering finish. This wine is in a great place. I wish I had more than one left as I feel obligated to let it sit and see how it ages further. So hard!
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1/25/2015 - amongiel Likes this wine:
Wow - really need to let this decant for at least an hour. I didn't let this bottle decant and it was very much closed. Big difference to the last bottle I tasted so I will not rate it.
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1/11/2015 - gew71walsh wrote: 90 Points
Drank at friends. A little more austere than the last bottle I had (from my cellar). Still good and paired well with a steak salad.
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12/31/2014 - mikec42 Likes this wine: 92 Points
This Brunello just keeps getting better.......
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12/31/2014 - KenPlace wrote: 89 Points
Nothingexciting. Soft, sulky, but nit much complexity
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12/26/2014 - maxmanx wrote:
Had at the same dinner as the Collemattoni from the same year (2004). Both were PnP. The Collemattoni was signficantly better, and the other 3 dinner guests independently agreed. Rather simple, but air might have helped. Last bottle, so I'll never know.
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12/26/2014 - raydawgone Likes this wine: 93 Points
Double decant. Tart, dried cherry, earth & pencil lead. Austere at beginning of evening, tart & dry. Opened up nicely and paired extremely well with rich, homemade marinara with fresh pasta. Big hit at Christmas dinner! In sweet spot of drink window.
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12/22/2014 - Bowmanifesto wrote: 93 Points
Bella Brunello. Needs several hours of air before tasting. Darkest ruby in the glass, with light garnet edges. Massive legs. The nose is reluctant, but after sitting in crystal glass for another hour, complex aromas begin to emerge -- harvest plums, forest floor, smoking leaves, and blackberry compote. On the palate, the immediate sensation is coating of the tongue by luscious tannins, dark berry flavors, and meaty canapés. The finish lasts on and on, revealing a rich cocoa consistency and anise undertones. My sense is this will be even better in five years (if I dole these out once a year, starting now, I have enough to see if I'm right!).
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12/14/2014 - JuliannaDHS Likes this wine: 87 Points
Second Brunello of the night, because, well, the Cowboys are playing and I wanted to. Very dark for a Brunello. Initial smell was intensely dark and funky and in your face. A muscular Brunello for sure. Rich, dark fruits, this reminds me of a Zinfandel. Score is for a red wine. If I scored this as a Brunello, I would have given it an 80.
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12/9/2014 - Yagil wrote: 92 Points
pop & pour
dark red-purple
pleasant dark fruity nose with plums, barn & leather notes
full bodied, firm tannins, good acidity level, well balanced and textured, plums & dark cherries, spices, herbal hints, long juicy finish.
excellent value for its price.
should be decanted to enable optimal condition.
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11/22/2014 - gew71walsh wrote: 92 Points
Decanted for an hour--opened up more in the glass. Dark fruits(plum?), nice balance. Best description would be that everything is subtle.
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11/19/2014 - ctjared Likes this wine:
drinking very well. very nice modern style
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11/10/2014 - AMM3RD Likes this wine:
I've been drinking these as a taste test between the taller narrow bottling and the standard size. Some have black lettering for the date and some have gold. I guess a vintage like 2004 can lead to a second bottling of the "same" wine.
Delicious 2004 Brunello, needs a few mins of air and drinks great. Dusty dark fruit.
Tall bottle is a little better...AM
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11/9/2014 - KenPlace wrote: 91 Points
Good solid BdM. Needs more time.
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10/26/2014 - ctjared Likes this wine:
finally opened up. drinking well
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10/23/2014 - wineduggery Likes this wine: 92 Points
Serious Brunello. Smooth, good acidity, gaining in complexity. Downright tasty now, but I wish I'd waited 5 years on this one. It has the stuffing to improve. This wine could actually warrant the WS Top 100 rating eventually.
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10/5/2014 - Jochems Likes this wine: 92 Points
Popped and slow-oxed for 4 hours. Initial pour was closed. After 4 hours it had come alive and showed some nice BdM character.
Light ruby color, some hints of amber at the rim. Full aromas of Blackcurrant, some sweet tobacco and red licorice. Full bodied with lively acidity, fresh fruit and smooth tannins. A long finish with a spicy twist to it.
This wine will probably develop a bit more for the next few years and it has certainly the structure to continue on its current level for many more years to com. Drink now - 2020
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10/3/2014 - Rich S Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted for about 1.5 hours. Mature, rustic bdm nose with roasted plum, balsamic reduction, bloody meat, mushroom and a bit of earthy funk. Really nice. Similar flavors on the palate with plum and black cherry flavors mixed with tobacco and earth and a touch of oak on the finish. Smooth mouthfeel and finish. Medium+ acid with medium tannins. Drinking really well right now and is enjoyable on its own but shines with food.
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9/13/2014 - Italiana Likes this wine:
Young, although was very much better on the first day. Lost a lot of freshness by the second.
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9/10/2014 - cliffkol wrote: 91 Points
Medium body and flavors; not as concentrated as expected though. Dark fruits, leather, earth. Tannins were well integrated, on the light side. Overall a beautiful wine and ready for enjoyment today.
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9/4/2014 - Yagil wrote: 91 Points
"4 months after the Coravin tasting" - checking the remaining wine (Osteria da Fiorella): pop & pour
dark red-purple
pleasant dark fruity nose with plums, barn & leather notes
full bodied, firm tannins, good acidity level, well balanced and textured, plums & dark cherries, spices, herbal hints, long juicy finish.
should be decanted to enable optimal condition.
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8/24/2014 - Chris Likes this wine: 96 Points
I enjoyed much better than my first bottle from two years ago. Gorgeous brownish red brick color like a bordeaux. tremendous floral fruit and lively yet refined tannins. Just wonderful.
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8/23/2014 - mreinhard74@gmail.com wrote: 93 Points
Starting to show its age in a good way. Tawny color, raspberries and dark chocolate. Last bottle and probably the best one.
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8/9/2014 - Hawk94 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Let breath a little, prefect to drink now, great depth and concentrate., lovely.
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7/27/2014 - fingers wrote:
Followed over a 20 hour period. Strong at the pop and steadily declined over time. I guess this is nearing the end of its fruit life as the intensity of bouquet is lighter than before and after a night open, a slight ammonia note has crept in. Still bursting with tannins and firm on acidity but with the sweetness slipping away, I'm left with not much else but dry wood. Drink soon if you like fruit or if you're the adventurous type, hold for a few and see if this turns into one of those nice smooth and wooly aged BdMs.
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7/17/2014 - wabi47 wrote: 89 Points
medium body; earth, rhubarb; some red fruit; good acidity; tannins nicely integrated; some oak deadens it a bit on day 2; good typicity
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5/16/2014 - dkentaustin Likes this wine: 92 Points
drinking very well now with deep integrated tannins. slight amber color and earthtones on the palate. Drink up now.
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5/13/2014 - cweiner Likes this wine: 92 Points
Only bottle and wish I had more. Popped and poured. Great fruit and modest earthy overtones. This bottle was at its peak.
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4/11/2014 - aknot13 wrote: 90 Points
Very good but nothing remarkable. I disagree that this wine is peaking right now, it is just entering it's drinking window.
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4/3/2014 - AMM3RD wrote:
Needs 30 mins to open, but then shows all the Brunello you are looking for...AM
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3/30/2014 - pdemaio wrote: 94 Points
Bigger for sangiovese. Huge nose, with a lot of fruit and some earth. Lovely balance.
PDQ93+
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3/29/2014 - richardkim wrote: 94 Points
Nose of berry, mushroom and balsa wood, which carries through on the palate. Unobtrusive acidity, well balanced tannins. An elegant style, and drinking at its peak now.
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3/28/2014 - stevenjstein wrote: flawed
Badly flawed. Serious paint thinner aroma. Probably ethyl acetate. I have another bottle, so hopefully that one's ok.
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3/20/2014 - KenPlace wrote: 92 Points
Drink up. This is at peak. WOTN for the group. Nicely integrated. Decanted for 2 hours.
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3/4/2014 - waibeans wrote: 90 Points
black cherry, very balanced
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3/3/2014 - Kriz wrote: 92 Points
Hey! This has impoved well. I was not impressed the first years. Black Cherry, leather and some deep sweetness. Well balanced palate, tannins, acidity, body, oak. Very good.
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2/14/2014 - RhoneG Likes this wine: 94 Points
Ruby red with signs of orange at the edges. Very aromatic upon opening. After a two hour decant, more reserved with sour cherry, cherry pit, orange, earth, forest floor and great acidity. Tannins are there, but blend into the background. Delicious.
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2/14/2014 - nadwop wrote: 91 Points
Very good. Let breath for 2 hours. Big wine, prune, red fruit, long finish, very good balance of acid, tannins and fruit dried,
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2/2/2014 - SpoochMan Likes this wine: 91 Points
This bottle (my last) was not quite as good as the previous two. It was a bit more primary and lacking some of the subtleties I got in the previous bottles. It did get better with air time, and I cannot rule out the possibility that the previous bottles got more air than this one. Overall, still a very nice brunello, though.
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1/26/2014 - Outplaying wrote:
Almost 4 years since the last bottle. Showed some orange and browning on the rim. Took an hour so to start opening up. Once it did, the wine showed showed dried, tart red fruits, some date, slight raisin, orange peel, and lots of acidity. Liked this a lot.
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1/14/2014 - maxima Likes this wine: 90 Points
Rapide passage en carafe de 30 minutes.
Super beau vin assez fruité avec une belle texture soyeuse et une belle acidité.
Nez dense sur les fruits noirs, du cuir et des prunes avec un peu de fumé.
En bouche, belle fraicheur, des cerises et des épices avec un peu d'herbes. Il est doté de beaux tannins soyeux et une longue finale juteuse.
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1/8/2014 - wurzel68 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Dunkles rubinrot; an der Nase recht dezente Noten von Kirsch- und Beerenfrucht, Tabak und Leder; Röstnoten; am Gaumen eleganter, frischer Wein mit kräftiger Säure und mittlerem Körper; langer Abgang, leicht zehrend; ich vermisse aber Individualität und Charakter!
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1/5/2014 - CarpeVinum Likes this wine: 90 Points
Drinking beautifully and only have one bottle left. Will try to wait another 2 years before consuming it.
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1/3/2014 - nonexpert wrote: 90 Points
Red-black fruit nose and palate with hints of tobacco and leather. More towards subtle, delicate and balanced character. But did not quite have the wow factor of a #11 WS Top 100 wine.
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12/28/2013 - SpoochMan Likes this wine: 93 Points
Consistent with previous note. This is right in my wheelhouse these days. Lovely black cherry fruit, shaded by rather subtle notes of tobacco and leather. This is still somewhat primary and my score would have been a bit higher if the secondaries were more pronounced. But this is nicely balanced, delicious with food, and a pleasure to drink. Too bad I have only one more.
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12/12/2013 - Gail and Len wrote: 93 Points
Took to a restaurant and started drinking 30 minutes after opening. Still came off as elegant and balanced. Great pairing with lamb. Glad I have a few more.
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12/8/2013 - joet626 wrote: 88 Points
Just OK. Did not decant or open early before drinking. Have another bottle and will definitely do so in the future.
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11/18/2013 - mreinhard74@gmail.com wrote: 93 Points
This has become notably better with another year of rest. Brambles and raspberry with racy acid backbone. Much better than it was a year ago.
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10/19/2013 - Derek Darth Taster Likes this wine: 95 Points
My friend Jess brought another bottle of this over to drink again, much to my delight.
Poured through Vinturi into decanter and started drinking about 30 minutes after.
Reddish brown colour. Consistent tasting notes as my first time with it.
Fruity cherry nose. Sweet entry. On the palate, dark berries and sour cherries. Leather notes as the wine opened up. Slight chewy tannins towards the finish. Elegant lighter style Brunello perfect for both sipping or with food.
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10/17/2013 - BordeauxBuff Likes this wine: 97 Points
Double decanted and tasting double blind; group tasting at Il Capriccio.
Clearly the Brunello of the night. I've enjoyed this wine on multiple occasions, and it clearly standings out as one of the best QPR Brunello's I've ever had. A slightly modern style with ripe fruit, silky tannins, and a long finish.
A true standout from the 2004 vintage, which is just beginning to enter its drinking window; one which should be open for at least another decade.
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9/29/2013 - TwoSmoochies wrote: 92 Points
Decanted for over an hour.
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9/23/2013 - SpoochMan Likes this wine: 93 Points
Elegant and lovely. But really needs at least an hour of air to come into its own. Starts out tight, tart, and overly acidic. But with time and warming up a bit, it gains weight and texture and fruit and finish. Really lovely balance and a melange of flavors. The nose is gorgeous too with sour cherry and violets really notable. So nicely integrated on the palate it is hard to pick out the individual components (which is a sign of a good wine to me). This is not a big powerful brunello. It is much more on the feminine side, but really delightful either on its own or with food. I think the 96 that WS lobbed on was overdone, but this is really nice stuff. Drinking really well now and no reason to wait -- just make sure to give it 1-2 hours of air. Fell in love with Brunello on a trip to Italy this summer and am having a hard time going back to new world wines from this stuff.
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9/22/2013 - xboomer wrote: 93 Points
I am barbecuing some fine New York steaks tonight and decided that this Brunello would be a perfect match. I opened it up to let it breathe out for at least two hours, but I already have drank a glass and I am amazed how good it is.
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9/14/2013 - Primordialsoup Likes this wine: 93 Points
Opened, poured 1/4 glass, and began to drink over 1hr before pouring more. Improved over the next 3hrs and showed best with food (mushroom ravioli with porcini ragu).
Flowery nose that carries dust and warmth into you. Lightly sweet entry with myrrhy woodsy notes that transform to rose petals on the mid-palate. A lingering finish that starts chewy progressing cleanly with acid to display refined and integrated tannins. A feminine wine that comforts and coaxes with her delicate and sultry nuances. You can enjoy her now, but she will faithfully hold on to you for several more years.
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9/1/2013 - Derek Darth Taster Likes this wine: 96 Points
Thanks to my friend Jess who contributed this wine from her cellar.
Reddish brown colour. Poured through Vinturi into decanter.
Initially closed, but opened up beautifully after an hour.
Fruity cherry nose. Sweet entry. On the palate, juicy mouth-watering dark berries and cherries. Also tasted tomato/stem and leather. Tannins still chewy, but not overwhelming. With more air, the nose revealed hints of mocha. The ensuing sweetness was so good. The berries were really dancing on the tongue. Drink up now! This is Brunello in its prime.
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7/8/2013 - xboomer wrote: 93 Points
Took this wonderful Brunello to the McDonald's with their great cheeseburgers, We all really enjoyed this great Italian wine
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5/27/2013 - jwolf99 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Consistent notes, but still needs more time. Still needs long decant.
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5/13/2013 - fingers wrote:
Very enjoyable and a fun wine to follow over a few nights, but still packed in tannins and I'm gonna leave the rest alone for another year or so.
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5/11/2013 - nogohawk Likes this wine: 96 Points
Decant for 1 hr - outstanding!
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4/28/2013 - peternelson wrote: 92 Points
Black and red cherry, stewed cherry, tomatoe leaf, earthy, licorice, dried parsley, pot-pouri; dry dusty earth, cracked pottery; Good development on this so far, silky entry, fine tannins, well balanced. Great with mushroom ravioli, Gennaro's SLO
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4/28/2013 - Vince92673 Likes this wine: 91 Points
After 1 1/2 hours opened up nicely
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4/6/2013 - revanness wrote: 92 Points
2 hour decant. Really coming into its own.
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4/4/2013 - Rico100 wrote:
very rich - needs time to open up - nice!!
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4/1/2013 - Gail and Len wrote: 94 Points
Had with lamb for Easter. Velvety, rich, delicious. Glad I have several more. Should get even better.
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3/31/2013 - profiler54 wrote: 93 Points
Opened for 45min then poured. Served in Riedel Vinum bordeaux stems. 63 F. Color clear deep purple garnet, nose slight barnyard, wet leaves, vanilla,tobacco, plums and black cherry. Very well balanced and structured. Medium plus acid. This wine still very youthful. This wine could go another 10 or more years. Nice finish
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3/24/2013 - nick811 wrote: 92 Points
Fresh nose with vanilla and earthy. Body is medium to full with good fruity, elegant and great balance/ fine structure. Silky tannins and ready to drink now.
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3/9/2013 - Brunellobuddy wrote: 93 Points
- Ruby color.
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3/9/2013 - AMM3RD wrote:
This wine continues to need time to open up. Nice dark fruit, black licorice, tasty. Good with full flavored food. Drink over the next 10 years...AM
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2/16/2013 - vagabondtippler wrote: 90 Points
Not overly complex a bit one dimensional but that one dimension is quite good. Right amount of heat.
Looking forward to the other two.
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2/15/2013 - hoservin wrote: 92 Points
Aerated with Vinturi and poured. Aromas of black cherry, spice, tobacco, and toasted oak. Tart black cherry, tobacco, and fine tannins on the mid-palate lead to a long, soft finish. Medium bodied. Paired with penne alla vodka.
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2/15/2013 - Joegish Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very feminine with a captivating nose. Very enjoyable and silky. Medium finish, not a powerhouse brunello. The wood has integrated nicely. Decanted for 2 hours prior to drinking.
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1/26/2013 - wabi47 wrote: 90 Points
plum, red currant and earth, with prominent but fine tannin/acidity on the finish; more of a food than sipping wine; good typicity.
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1/26/2013 - Lessthanzero wrote: 92 Points
Musty red fruit, with nice acidity and leather.
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12/31/2012 - ctjared Likes this wine:
Needs at least 30 minutes of air to open up
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12/26/2012 - gesusser wrote: 92 Points
decanted 2 hours= revealed a very smooth easy drinking brunello
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12/25/2012 - pdemaio wrote: 93 Points
rich meaty tones on the nose with hints of tea and chocolate. Touch of funk on the nose expands on the palate. Smooth round tanins and great integration. More tea. Long finish with the slightest hint of bitterness.
PDQ93+
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12/18/2012 - nschmidt wrote: 92 Points
Drank with Adrianne and Lynn. Went very well with various cheeses. Tasted like a Brunello should. Very drinkable. Everyone loved it. Adrianne commented she liked it better than the 2007 Montevertine we opened after we finished this.
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12/11/2012 - slippytoad wrote: 93 Points
Very similar to the last bottle - loved it.
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12/7/2012 - hoservin wrote: 93 Points
Aerated with Vinturi and decanted for one hour. Black cherry, spice, toasted oak, and vanilla on the nose. Cherry and soft, fine tannins lead to a long finish. Medium bodied. Paired well with penne alla vodka.
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12/1/2012 - mreinhard74@gmail.com wrote: 90 Points
This is a good wine but I still don't see how it justified it's very high WS score. A good brunello with a tangy acidic backbone and raspberry and tobacco flavors.
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11/30/2012 - fingers wrote: 92 Points
Only needed about 2 hours of aeration to really shine. Medium-light ruby and fading to garnet, clear and no sediment. Medium powered nose gives a walk through the herb garden and then back to warm berry pie in the window, passing roses and carnations along the way. Gentle and luscious acidity that seems to grab hold of the fruit and carry it to a distant finish. Even though I'm tasting without food, it's obvious how well this will do with a big plate of red-sauced pasta. 5+11+17+9 = 92
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10/31/2012 - Cantina Hill's wrote: 92 Points
took a short time to open up, layers of flavor and increased depth with time, med minus body, tanins tamed and integrated, red fruit and woods like earth, no minerality notes, slight spice from oak, subtle makes me think old wod
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10/31/2012 - AMM3RD wrote:
Very dependable fare, perfect with steak sandwiches during blackout in NJ...AM
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10/21/2012 - WDK wrote: 92 Points
Dark ruby. Modern style, lots of extraction. A little fat and rustic but probably needs more time. Intense berry flavor on the long finish.
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10/14/2012 - AMM3RD wrote: 92 Points
This wine really needs an hour+ of air before really singing. Dark ripe fruit and amazing black licorice. Some strong tannins and great acidity on a looong finish. Great food wine, that will drink great for 5-10+ years.
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10/2/2012 - Tom_B wrote: 93 Points
Deep ruby color, with great intensity. The nose is somewhat reserved, allowing notes of black cherry, tar, stone and anise sneak through with a little coaxing. Very will balanced, showing a nice backbone, balanced with a fresh acidity on the palate. Clean on the finish, with lingering flavors of black raspberry and spice.
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9/22/2012 - 4iron wrote: 92 Points
old school brunello, yum.
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8/18/2012 - sfqwino wrote: 90 Points
Very nice Brunello with an old school nose. Some bricking at the edges. Ripe cherries, mushroom, a little floral nuance, some earth and tar. Light on it's feet but pretty attractive. Tannins starting to melt, so it will be rather attractive with 1-2 years in the cellar or with a splash decant. Loved it.
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7/16/2012 - Giggs wrote: 92 Points
Old world Brunello here, medium-bodied, very high acid, tons of balsamic, leather, with earthy mushroom, tart black plum, sour red cherry, good concentration, balanced fruit underneath a bed of youthful acid. 92+
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7/8/2012 - BDofMSP wrote: 90 Points
Somewhat oxidized, moderate brick color. Soft and light bodied.
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6/22/2012 - jwolf99 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drinking marginally better than the last bottle with similar notes. Still needs more time to fully come around. Brought to Orto's and had with braised pork shoulder.
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6/20/2012 - djreistr wrote: 92 Points
Showed well against a nice Napa cab (Clos du Val) we also had with our roast beef dinner. Light, balanced, smooth.
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5/22/2012 - winelover1 wrote: 93 Points
I just loved this Brunello. Everyone did as it opened up rather quickly which was refreshing after having decanted others only to find that it really didn't help much. Honestly this wine was superb as it had great complexity and all different flavors going on.
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4/7/2012 - mhensel wrote: 90 Points
Light cherry red --- Nose violets, minerality, marzipan, spiciness, flowery --- Palate spicy, minerality, red fruit, some cherry, strong tannins, some herbs --- Finishes on minerality and tannins. Interesting, tasty and promising, revisit in 2014.
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3/31/2012 - klausner1 wrote: 92 Points
Nicely balanced wine, good bright red fruit. Medium body, good mouthfeel. Excellent with food. Have to come back to this one soon and pay a little more attention.
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3/25/2012 - Lessthanzero wrote:
I don't understand these notes. This was super soft, with no noticeable tannins. elegant. Possibly my bottle wasn't showing well. NOt tight, but not a lot of stuff going on.
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3/10/2012 - The Tourist wrote: 93 Points
Excellent quality fruit and - don't always want the new world style but this was nice
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3/2/2012 - Bigsamsdad wrote: 94 Points
Decanted for four hours. Beautiful wine. Strong dark berries, tobacco, leather and spice. Beautiful ruby color, medium long finish. Enjoyed with prime filet and was outstanding.
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2/26/2012 - Chris Likes this wine: 90 Points
This bottle was essentially corked but even with that, it was actually drinkable. By day two, the corkiness was gone and the fruit started to shine through. A nice brunello. Looking forward to trying an uncorked bottle but I'm going to wait a little to let it further develop.
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2/25/2012 - WDK wrote: 90 Points
Dark color, full body, rich and intense, but not nearly ready.
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2/10/2012 - hoservin wrote: 93 Points
Aerated with Vinturi followed by 2 hour decant. Brick red color. Black cherry, tobacco, toasted oak, spice, and vanilla. Layered tart cherry and integrated silky, soft tannins on the mid-palate; leading to a long, soft finish. Medium bodied with good structure. Paired with gnocchi and tomato, basil sauce. Overall, a very enjoyable, new world style BdM.
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2/5/2012 - Bam_Man wrote: 96 Points
Gorgeous aromas of dark fruit, spice, tobacco and a hint of vanilla. Medium-to-full-bodied, with layer upon layer of subtle fruit, spice and sweet tobacco flavors. The tannins are ultra-fine and linger beautifully on the long fruit and mineral-tinged finish. A deftly executed "old-school" Brunello that leans ever-so-slightly to the "modern" side, is all about finesse, but is immensely satisfying. The best Brunello I have ever tasted and a wine that definitely lives up to its #11 ranking in Wine Spectator's top 100 of 2009.
50+5+14+18+9=96
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12/30/2011 - revanness wrote: 91 Points
6 hour decant
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12/28/2011 - cubswinws wrote: 92 Points
Wonderful dark fruit, great earth under-tones. Amazing with a beautiful roasted pork loin.
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12/24/2011 - microbox wrote:
this went nice with the goose. i didn't have enough time to concentrate on the wine, but after all is was nothing outstanding, not more than a fairly good Rosso. might still need time to develop. will try another one with more focus in 2012
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12/24/2011 - Bellissimo wrote:
Decanted and consumed over two days. Dark fruit, leather, mushrooms, earthy. Medium weight, great mouthfeel. Really nice bottle of wine.
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12/20/2011 - meatbomb013 wrote: 90 Points
Disappointed with this wine right now. Don't know if it is just in a dumb phase of development or if the bottle was just off although it was not corked. Perhaps more time in the cellar or a long decant?
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12/16/2011 - Martin Redmond Likes this wine: 92 Points
Brickish red color with pretty dark fruit, spice, and meaty aromas. On the palate, vivid, round, and medium-bodied, with tart cherry, cassis, and mineral flavors. Long finish!
http://enofylz.wordpress.com
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12/4/2011 - Nedder_travels_the_world wrote: 93 Points
leather, cassis, pencil shavings, sour cherries. flavors of sweet raspberries griped by tannins and good acidity. this one can age for a while.
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12/3/2011 - xboomer wrote: 94 Points
We all enjoyed this very good Brunello.
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12/3/2011 - dkhale4 wrote: 95 Points
Absolutely fabulous bottle of wine. Rich notes of strawberry and red current that sailed on effortlessly though a creamy and slightly spicey finish. Superb.
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11/29/2011 - ralevine wrote: 90 Points
Was hoping for more considering it ranked #11 in the 2009 top 100. Maybe it was the last few wines I drank for about $39 lately that I liked better so would not consider buying more of this wine. It was nice just nothing special. I also do agree with the comments by others below
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11/24/2011 - NU14 Rick wrote: 92 Points
Dried dark fruit on the nose, ripe and plummy. Full-bodied - ripe fruit, plums being more pronounced. Smooth, deep and beautiful red, delivering lots of subtle character. This wine definitely has some significant structure and weight; fascinating.
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11/15/2011 - MLD70 wrote: 86 Points
Decanted for 90 min before enjoying over the subsequent 90 min. Pretty nose, light body, good mix of leather/savory and red fruits but ultimately not enough "there" there to warrant a higher score. If anything had even dried out a little by the time I was finishing up the last drops in the decanter T+4 hours. Pleasant but unremarkable.
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11/6/2011 - slippytoad wrote: 93 Points
Quite light and easy drinking. Very enjoyable last glass. Lovely mouthfeel and balance of leather and fruit.
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11/5/2011 - sbfireman wrote: 86 Points
Color at first pour was slightly "brown". Decanted in hopes of opening up. Slow transition over several hours but still tight. Not the fruit I was hoping for (never really found it). For me, too early. She needs some years under her belt.
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10/15/2011 - burgified wrote: 93 Points
Lots of balance of acidity, structure, and fruit.
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9/2/2011 - TwoSmoochies wrote: 90 Points
A little old;a little new. Decanted and drank over 2 hours
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8/29/2011 - drgrape wrote: 91 Points
Relatively lean, old world wine, but very enjoyable as it opened up.
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8/29/2011 - flashvictor wrote: 93 Points
Excellent new world style brunello. Still quite young, this was best after 5 hrs in decanter.
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8/27/2011 - Matt T wrote: 92 Points
Popped and poured. Firing on all cylinders. Moderately complex. Nice balance with good acidity and lush berry fruit and a long finish.
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8/20/2011 - z_willus_d wrote: 91 Points
Tonight's my first chance to use jarred tomato stuff from my garden in an Italian dish, and while that sauce reduces in the kitchen I'll let this wine decant. I dipped in early (45-min open) to write a quick note while I wait on reduction. Easily identifiable by the nose as Italian with the cherry, sweet raw-honey, fig/tobacco and cedar wood bouquet. This was at first diffident, but in swirling, sniffing, swirling these past sentences, it's grown some gleams of chutzpa (hudspa). I'm glad to see this shows some composure and figure (not obese) on the palate, showing not too gloopy or raw despite the heavy oaking. The finish is notable for its length as much as the dry oak that follows on after the first thirty seconds of tobacco, sweet fig, and semi-sour cherry. Sweet flowers embed a nice semi-fresh, semi concocted fragrance between the fabrics. For my wine sensibilities, I could do with less of the sweetness factor and more earth (lacking sadly) and focus. Could have been worse, hoped for better. Has a pretty nice feel that sets it apart from the fifteen dollar fare; tannins filamentous like the finest silt. I'm sure this can't be the best this wine has to offer over the long haul. But we'll see.
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8/18/2011 - winepog wrote: 91 Points
better on day two...
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7/30/2011 - nick811 wrote: 90 Points
drank with other wines. Didn't decant for long, maybe 30 minutes. Not much nose, maybe some earthy ammonia nose. Not a full body wine, although structure is ok. I have a high expectation for this wine and felt I was let down. Not sure if more cellar time would improve.
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7/20/2011 - xboomer wrote: 94 Points
Had this excellent Brunello at Houston's SM. No corkage at Houston, cool. Great ribs went really well with this fine wine.
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7/5/2011 - dje69 wrote: 90 Points
Great balance and finesse, complex spicy cherrywood and truffle - Japanese perfection, Italian sexiness. Darcy Bussell in a turning leaf.
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6/25/2011 - The Wine Guy wrote: 92 Points
ruby to garnet red deep rich concentrated nose that blends cedar and earthy oak, strong tannins, cherryexcellent finish
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6/19/2011 - artvandelay84 wrote: 92 Points
A tasty wine far, from being over the hill. Great depth of tannins. Still needs time to develop the fruity flavors. Needs at least 2-3 more years to fully mature.
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5/29/2011 - xboomer wrote: 92 Points
Great steak dinner and we all loved the wine.
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4/30/2011 - Pointchaser wrote: 93 Points
My first experience with BdM. This is a wine of understatement finesse and class, not one of power. I get soft cherries and even a hint of creamy nectarine. Being 7 years old, secondary autumnal flavors are just beginning to emerge. The soft tannin and oak pick up mid-palate and carry through the finish, adding a complementary dimension without ever taking center stage. The finish is mildly dry and very refreshing. All and all, a delightful wine and very food friendly to boot.
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4/29/2011 - hkm520240 wrote: 90 Points
Brought to a wine dinner and decant for an hour but obviously that was not enough.
Medium ruby red. Still closed on the nose as well as the palate. Plenty of cherry and sweet fruits with hints of leather. The mouthfeel was fresh although it may be lack of substance to me. Fine grippy tannins and long finish. Will wait few more years before open my next bottle.
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4/28/2011 - grapist wrote: 93 Points
A very fine bottle of wine
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3/24/2011 - MauriceE wrote:
Still very young. Decant early or wait a few years (better).
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3/20/2011 - grapist wrote: 92 Points
Decanted for several hours. Somewhat light garnet color and not at all opaque. Nose was fresh and lively. Taste was very pleasant, somewhat rich and deep, but quite youthful. Definitely more complex than a chianti, this would seem to have a long life ahead.
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3/11/2011 - JAMESMOBB wrote:
Dried dark fruit on the nose, verging on date and prune. Full-bodied, with a dense palate of ripe fruit and supersilky tannins. This is a deep and beautiful red, delivering lots of subtle character. Fascinating.
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2/27/2011 - jpwines wrote: 92 Points
Very enjoyable wine--Spectator got it right.
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2/25/2011 - jwolf99 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted for 2 hours and probably should have gone for 2 more hours. Didn't take notes on this, but from memory there was lots of cherry and leather, with hints of vanilla. Had with osso bucco and three-cheese risotto. Needs a couple more years in the cellar.
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2/4/2011 - jtinto Likes this wine: 93 Points
Needs air. Deep garnet color. Complex. Secondaries singing with the tart cherry flavors leading the way. Long on the finish. Enjoyed by all. Drink or hold. 92-94
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12/31/2010 - xboomer wrote: 92 Points
Excellent after giving it 2 hours to open up
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12/24/2010 - mpricher wrote: flawed
In my opinion, this was corked. Lots of damp cork and cardboard on first pour. This was beyond an typical farm field funkiness, and more of a wet mossy-floor kind of funk. i will try this again on day two, but did not get any of this when tasted previously last May.
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12/11/2010 - AMM3RD wrote:
Decanted 3 hours, and IMO this wine is too young to score. From hour 3 to hour 5, loads of dark fruit, some spice, some oak, some alcohol. This really needs time to see how all the components blend together. No score. That said, if you like bold, fruity, oaky wines drink up. For me, this needs 2-3 years, then drink over the next 10, and hope the alcohol resolves. AMM
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12/10/2010 - dkoontz wrote: 92 Points
Dark but not deep ruby. Intense nose of violets (most intense immediately after opening), cherry and a little caramel. On the palate I got cherry and blackberry, saline, herbs (after some air) and a touch of spice. The finish was medium. Acidity was not low, in my opinion, as some others have noted, and the tannins were dry and evident. The only thing keeping this from being a standout is the relatively short finish.
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12/10/2010 - patrickt wrote: 92 Points
So this is one to have with pasta, tomato based sauce, and asiago cheese, which I did. Before matching with the food, a bit weak for brunello, otherwise typical. If you are going to drink on its own, would wait a few years. Dark red, clear, oak and cherries on the nose, agree with some herbs and after a while, some spice.
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11/22/2010 - chrisa23 wrote: 91 Points
Nice cherry tobacco
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11/21/2010 - indiscriminate palate wrote: 84 Points
[Brief, from memory]. Slow ox 1 hour. Medium+ garnet. Rich red fruit, silky mouthfeel. Incredibly boring, with insufficient structure. The acidity and tannins were lacking. I found the wood to be well-integrated -- that wasn't the issue -- it is just an incredibly inoffensive wine with little complexity. Have five more, but don't see why aging would lead to improvement.
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11/19/2010 - awise45 wrote: 90 Points
Very light and acidic -- clearly a wine that is better with food and would go very well with fish. A bit disappointed as compared to WS review and write-up.
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10/25/2010 - 100pp wrote: 91 Points
Cherries, chewy, medium bodied. Needs some air.
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10/17/2010 - wineaux2 wrote: 92 Points
Drank this way too young. The wood stood out on this wine like a sore thumb. Nice initial funk on the nose that eventually blew off and was accompanied by earthy notes. On the palate, tart cherry fruit was dominant with delicate dark chocolate shavings (like those found on chocolate cream pie), but the flavors were marred by overt wood. Feared the wine would prove to be monolithic; pleasantly surprised that it really filled out overnight. On day 2, the nose displayed classic notes of leather, earth and cherry but then showed notes that also emerged on the palate – dark fruit such as prunes and plums and a hint of maraschino cherry, brown sugar and spices. The mouthfeel was much silkier but angular woody edges lurked in the background. Is it worth the 96 rating by Spectator? I can’t agree at this stage, though it is an enjoyable and nuanced wine. 92-93 pts.
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9/16/2010 - nycebo wrote: 84 Points
Really much juicier than I would have expected with far less structure. An acceptable wine but I was looking for a lot more out of this vintage.
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7/25/2010 - raydawgone wrote: 90 Points
Decanted for 3 hours. Dark, dry, tart cherry. Slightly tannic with hint of roasted red pepper on medium to long finish. Too young to drink at this time. Recommend 3-7 more years.
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7/25/2010 - mpricher wrote: 90 Points
Very Dark Cherry Color, but not opaque. This had some florals and some wood smoke on the nose to combine with Cherry blossom nose. This was paired with an herbed pork loin, and the this exhibited some of the fine Cherry and mild cocoa tannins I would have expected from a brunello of this quality. Some spice and white pepper was present throughout the tasting to the last sip. This was not a velvety smooth as the Il Poggione we tasted some months back. The finish seemed a little short for what I had expected. That said, it was a fine bottle. I am going to hold onto the second bottle for some time. I would like to see this bottle evolve with more complex secondary flavors. These brunello's taste so much better paired with a nice meal.
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7/18/2010 - *Vine* wrote:
Popped and aerated in bottle for 3 hours. Medium black cherry hue. Aromatically complex, with dried red fruits, smoke, kerosene, dried basil and other herbs. In glass, the fruit becomes more pronounced and is complimented by a pretty note of wilted rose petal. Medium-plus body. On the palate, the Sangiovese fruit is exactly what makes this type of wine so tasty when pulled off correctly, the appealing flavors of cherries and dried berries stay fresh and lively throughout, never coming off as tired or overdone. But probably the most remarkable aspect to this 2004 are the secondaries of fresh cedar, smoked salumi, and dried herbs, all components which will grow more profound over the next few years. Chalky tannins on the front and mid show that a bit more time in the cellar is needed for further integration. It's also worth noting that this wine shut down after a few hours. All-in-all, a great wine that will eveolve into something special over the next 3-5 years, and, considering the relative pricing one sees for Brunello, is priced nicely if found for less than $50 per.
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6/26/2010 - Italiana wrote:
The cellar still smells good from when I dropped the bottle and broke it. A shame, but wow, the aroma. . .
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4/10/2010 - chayward wrote: 91 Points
Initially luscious nose, with strong vanilla, raspberries. Later more cherries, earthiness, smoke. Still young, with firm tannins. Very good balance. This wine developed nicely throughout the night, and I imagine it will be better in a few years.
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4/10/2010 - dke wrote: 90 Points
Initial nose was full of vanilla oak, but after an hour this turned into raspberry jam. In the next hour there was more smokiness and classic sangiovese signatures: sour cherries with leather, funk and cedar.
On the palate this was powerful and young wine with more of the cherries, leather and slight bitterness on a still tannic finish. Very good pairing with duck ragu, and a very nice wine overall.
Given the spectator review and the price I was a bit underwhelmed, but nevertheless this was an enjoyable bottle of wine. 90-91
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3/26/2010 - InternationalWineReport wrote: 92 Points
Silky, perfumy style, with alluring raspberry and plum with mocha, licorice, exotic spices from start to the long, pure finish. Hard to just sip this one. - JD92+
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3/24/2010 - bhornby wrote: 95 Points
Fantastic wine. Powerful, complex, long finish. Decant now or hold. Best Brunello I have had in a while.
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3/13/2010 - Outplaying wrote:
Brian and Karen III (Our House, Avondale, PA): This is one of the rare times when my notes match up with WS. "Dried dark fruit on the nose, verging on date and prune. Full-bodied, with a dense palate of ripe fruit and supersilky tannins. This is a deep and beautiful red, delivering lots of subtle character." I would add that as it opened raspberry and strawberry notes appeared. A very nice and slightly modern brunello. I'll add a few more bottles to what we have if I can find them.
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3/13/2010 - gunpwdr wrote: 88 Points
Nose: Salt water/chlorine pool, cherries, chocolate, smoked paprika, cured meats. There is a salty component that sometimes comes to the fore, but then is balanced by a dark and dry fruit component. Palate: Smoked/cured meats, sour cherries but not much else on the attack. Salty acidity develops on the mid-palate along with some slightly grippy tannins. Give this a few years to mellow out and open up. I'd echo what FJB says regarding the ageability.
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2/8/2010 - jvogel wrote:
This Brunello is the color of blood: muddled garnet red, rusty on the rim...Brunello. Check. The nose is the richest dark chocolate-covered cherry one could ever imagine, covered in dry, dusty earth. The nose just soars. It's not overwhelmingly complex at this point (45 minutes open), but what it lacks intellectually at first, it more than makes up for electrically. There is voltage here, amplitude, a Marshall stack of Schnapps-y kirsch, laced with thyme and paprika, and smothered in Prosciutto grease.
The palate is a veritable power plant: MGMT's 'Electric Feel' in all five senses, charged with ever-so-prickly acidity, velvet sheen tannin, and fruit weight that seeps its way into every ridge and draw of tastebud topography. The faintest impression of toasted baguette lingers, but it's fleeting, overwhelmed by masses of mulled plum, Grandma's baking cherries, wintergreen, and Zotter's Bird's Eye Chili Chocolate.
The finish is 60+ seconds. No lie. As a word of caution, the nose starts off pretty reticent, even a bit corky. This blew off completely within 5-10 minutes.
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2/6/2010 - thomas667 wrote: 90 Points
A great example of a Brunello di Montalicino. Somewhat lighter color than expected. Light tannins are tempered by dark berries. Great wine to drink though the finish could be a bit more memorable.
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2/3/2010 - jfmd wrote: 90 Points
Still pretty tight, decanted 2 hours before serving , rest of the bottle consumed after 24 hours in the decanter, a lot better. Still need to wait some years before consumig the others.
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12/31/2009 - mikec42 wrote: 93 Points
A very good medium to full bodied dark ruby colored wine that was absolutely very enjoyable with a prime rib New Year's eve dinner. Popped & poured and wine was terrific with nice tannins and smooth finish. Will buy more and cellar forfuture use.
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12/3/2009 - soyhead wrote: 89 Points
nose - flowers, cherry plus alight whiff of acetone
mouth - juicy red cherry fruit with decent tannins, some toasty oak flavors on the midpalate, with prominent back end acidity. I thought this was a tasty bottle but certainly wasnt wowed by it.
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10/16/2009 - vinopa wrote: 93 Points
Dark ruby..Decanted for 3 hours...Still pretty tight on the nose but opened up as time passed..Ripe red and black fruit along with tobacco leaf on the nose..A touch vegetal as well...Palate: Firm tannins but smooth...Red fruit, leather and a hint of green coffee bean coat the palate..Also get a touch of balsamic on the backend..A complex brunello which is drinking well now but should age well for another 10 years..Good stuff..Enjoy!!
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10/14/2009 - AMM3RD wrote: 92 Points
92-93+ pts. Wow this is just a baby, it needs lots of time. I should not have tasted my first bottle after an Aussie Cab and a Simi Reserve 97(great), they destroyed my palate.
Nice garnet red color with a little brown tinge. Amazing nose of black currant jam and ripe fruits. Flavors burst from the glass, focused on sweet figs and plums. Some back-end sourness that was great. Some spice and loads of mouth coating firm tannins on the finish that will resolve in time. Finish is 30+ seconds. Wait a year or more to drink, and enjoy over the next 10! Great stuff...AMM
PS: Tasted 4 days later after light suction, and this was very smooth, with a long sweet finish...AMM
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10/13/2009 - AMM3RD wrote: 90 Points
90-91 pts. I popped and poured this wine and drank after dinner. I seemed to miss something the other tasters got. Fruit was a little light, some earth and balance. Tannins present but not harsh. Overall, it was a little simple. Reserving full judgement for future bottles...AMM
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9/30/2009 - Fontanafredda wrote: 94 Points
Decanted for 2h. Prune, eggplant color, quite dark but not completely opaque. Flavours of tobacco, cedar box, with a core of blackberries and raspberries. Medium/full bodied, fresh on the palate and very smooth. Good finish with coffee and butterscotch notes. The underlying fruit is "giuggiola" , or Jujube, or Red (Chinese) date. This is drinking very well now.
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6/23/2009 - Jochems wrote: 93 Points
Initially popped and poured. It deliverded lots of black fruit but was a bit messy on the palate. After about an hour it went in to a sort of dumb phase, not giving much on the nose or the palate. It was almost a classic bad Italian, adstringent, sangiovese. After a day in the bottle it finally seemed to be getting somewhere:
Ruby colour. Dense aromas of ripe black fruit some plum and leather with some hints of toast. Following trough with ripe fruit, chewy-smooth tannins and lots of fresh acidity. Long finish. This is a very classic Brunello with pretty high acidity levels. Its an outstanding wine, but I wonder why JS rated it 96pts. It does deliver a high QPR at eur 27.
This wine needs a few more years to get its act together. Drink 2012 - 2020.
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3/26/2009 - FJB wrote: 92 Points
While I do not agree with Suckling who seems to think that this 2004 Brunello is one of the TOP 5 from all 2004 BdM’s I have to admit that it is indeed quite a good wine for what it is. As the sells for ~ 25 Euro here in Europe one should not expect an intellectual experience from this wine. Hoowever it has very nice fruit, good tannins and a very good balance. If you look for a 2004 BdM with a good QPR and ready to consume during the coming 5 years this is indeed a good choice. If you want to age your 2004 BdM I would look somewhere else (92).
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