In my cellar since 2009. Its still drinking well and served to the cool side around 15 degrees it opens up nicely. Broad, and dark berries with secondary notes starting to show . No rush.
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I am not familiar with this producer at all. Some earthy notes on the nose. A mix of red a darker fruit. I thought there was a hint of sweetness that detracted for me, but there was plenty of acid. Ann loved it. I wouldn’t say that, but it is pretty good..
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Opened & aerated into glasses with a Vinturi about 30 min before a home-made spaghetti dinner. Lovely brunello nose, rich on palate, fruit not lacking, almost opulent, just a tad hot perhaps (14% alcohol). Appropriately acidic, decently lengthy finish. Terrific accompaniment with the tomato-base sauce. My best brunello bargain ever ($23/bottle, just one left).
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This bottle was decanted and allowed to sit for a couple hours. I am concerned it may not be further improving with age, It had just a slight bit of wet newspaper funk on it. I'll have to try another bottle and see what's going on.
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Dark brownish color, earth, leather and spices, very light secondary nose of cooked cherries and a bit of plums. Medium body, nicely balanced with good acidity and very, very long finish
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This keeps on getting better. This is so balanced, lovely fruit but nice structure and acidity too. I used to not expect so much from Velona, but it's becoming increasingly clear to me that Brunellos need about eight to ten years to really show what they have, and this one is a case in point.. This is so composed. A bargain among Brunellos - one of the best I've had at this pricepoint.
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Popped and poured at a restaurant, consumed over an hour. Medium-dark ruby colour. Dried currants, frutti di bosco, cherries, plums, leather on the nose and medium-bodied palate. Good texture and a moderate-length finish. A good, balanced Brunello meant for early drinking. Drink now-2016.
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On the nose, this reminded me of Pernod. A chemically nose of fennel seeds and some red fruit. Nicely balanced with red fruit on the mid-palate and a tannic grip.
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Opened up well in about 1 hour. Blackberry, licorice, earth, moderate tannins, Balanced finish, medium body which made it easy to drink. Paired great with a 5yr aged Gouda.
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Not good on day one. At all. Closed for hours. Had a decent core of red fruit, nice acids, food friendly, but really not much else. Maybe some smoke and some other layers but you really had to work to find them.
Day two, much better. Picked up some barnyard, some perfume, but still, not great at all. Passable for the price but I would certainly not pick this as a Brunello in a blind tasting. Polite and meek but kinda weak-sauce, to be honest.
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Thoroughly impressed with the '04 La Velona Brunello. The fruit, acidity and tanin were in perfect harmony and balance. Gorgeously silky and rich, this effort lingered with a finish well over a minute long and had a mouthfeel that coated my whole palate. Not the most complex or full-bodied Brunello, but it is drinking at its peak with incredible mouthfeel and decent fruit intensity. Medium to full bodied and an excellent paring to roast meats. Buy as much as you can at 34.99
Nose: black licorice, wet earth, violet and vanilla
Palate: Crushed blueberry, black licorice, raspberry, leather, dust, and truffle.
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Wine had to blow off a little chemical at the beginning and stretch its legs, but then this one really took off with bright Sangiovese fruit, a tad of leather and a long, expressive taste. In this price range ($35), this is the best of the '04 I have had, yet.
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Decanted at rest. for 45 min. Dark. No sed. Nice mixture of sour cherries, some earthiness and a little oak too. A little grip on back end to make it interesting. Ready to go now but seems to be able to last a few years as well. Nice QPR brunello.
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Traditional sangiovese style, medium bodied, silky textured, a dark red colour, nose of licorice with balanced cherry and darker berry flavour with nicely integrated oak and a finish with fine tannin that explodes flavour into your mouth. Fine value that shamed some higher prived wines on this occasion. Drinking very well and unlikely to improve in my estimation.
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An old world style brunello with mushrooms, scortched earth and red fruit on the nose and palate . Not very complex but is an overal decent brunello considering the price (35 bones)..This BDM has good structure to last another 10 years but not sure it's going to improve.. Cheers!!
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Absolutely delicious. Nice deep red color with a wonderful aroma. Decanted for 30 minutes and voila.... Lush and silky smooth. Far superior to the 2004 Banfi Brunello I had a month or so ago.
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Popped and poured, consumed over two hours. Dark ruby colour. Aromas of frutti di bosco, damp earth, tobacco. Medium-full bodied, great, lush texture. Solid finish, ~30-35s. Surprising how open and approachable this is. Doesn't seem to be a wine for significant cellaring, and for now will drink over the next five years while waiting for the rest of my 2004s to age. 91+. Drink now-2015.
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11/15/2023 - bevort Likes this wine: 90 Points
In my cellar since 2009. Its still drinking well and served to the cool side around 15 degrees it opens up nicely. Broad, and dark berries with secondary notes starting to show . No rush.
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10/20/2023 - Outplaying wrote:
I am not familiar with this producer at all. Some earthy notes on the nose. A mix of red a darker fruit. I thought there was a hint of sweetness that detracted for me, but there was plenty of acid. Ann loved it. I wouldn’t say that, but it is pretty good..
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12/26/2015 - ilovefrance Likes this wine: 91 Points
Solid. Ate with a prime rib roast. Needed decanting for a couple of hours. Nice tannins still present. Could go for a few more years probably.
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12/14/2015 - CabZinMan Likes this wine: 92 Points
Notes almost identical to last year's (12/7/14) note for this wine, though I detected no heat on the finish. Sorry it's my last bottle!
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12/7/2014 - CabZinMan Likes this wine: 92 Points
Opened & aerated into glasses with a Vinturi about 30 min before a home-made spaghetti dinner. Lovely brunello nose, rich on palate, fruit not lacking, almost opulent, just a tad hot perhaps (14% alcohol). Appropriately acidic, decently lengthy finish. Terrific accompaniment with the tomato-base sauce. My best brunello bargain ever ($23/bottle, just one left).
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4/5/2014 - Redteeth wrote:
This bottle was decanted and allowed to sit for a couple hours. I am concerned it may not be further improving with age, It had just a slight bit of wet newspaper funk on it. I'll have to try another bottle and see what's going on.
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1/29/2014 - greidy Likes this wine: 91 Points
Dark brownish color, earth, leather and spices, very light secondary nose of cooked cherries and a bit of plums. Medium body, nicely balanced with good acidity and very, very long finish
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11/10/2013 - John McCabe wrote: 93 Points
This keeps on getting better. This is so balanced, lovely fruit but nice structure and acidity too. I used to not expect so much from Velona, but it's becoming increasingly clear to me that Brunellos need about eight to ten years to really show what they have, and this one is a case in point.. This is so composed. A bargain among Brunellos - one of the best I've had at this pricepoint.
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10/11/2013 - futronic wrote: 90 Points
Popped and poured at a restaurant, consumed over an hour. Medium-dark ruby colour. Dried currants, frutti di bosco, cherries, plums, leather on the nose and medium-bodied palate. Good texture and a moderate-length finish. A good, balanced Brunello meant for early drinking. Drink now-2016.
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5/21/2013 - AWBryce wrote: 90 Points
On the nose, this reminded me of Pernod. A chemically nose of fennel seeds and some red fruit. Nicely balanced with red fruit on the mid-palate and a tannic grip.
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5/19/2013 - wagging_tail wrote: 89 Points
Opened up well in about 1 hour. Blackberry, licorice, earth, moderate tannins, Balanced finish, medium body which made it easy to drink. Paired great with a 5yr aged Gouda.
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3/14/2013 - up4wine wrote: 91 Points
Bright, crisp, a little leather; a delightful wine. Goes great with sundried tomatoes and parmesaen. Wish I had more of this one.
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2/14/2013 - taipeileviathan wrote: 89 Points
Not good on day one. At all. Closed for hours. Had a decent core of red fruit, nice acids, food friendly, but really not much else. Maybe some smoke and some other layers but you really had to work to find them.
Day two, much better. Picked up some barnyard, some perfume, but still, not great at all. Passable for the price but I would certainly not pick this as a Brunello in a blind tasting. Polite and meek but kinda weak-sauce, to be honest.
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12/28/2012 - GarretWNagle Likes this wine: 93 Points
Thoroughly impressed with the '04 La Velona Brunello. The fruit, acidity and tanin were in perfect harmony and balance. Gorgeously silky and rich, this effort lingered with a finish well over a minute long and had a mouthfeel that coated my whole palate. Not the most complex or full-bodied Brunello, but it is drinking at its peak with incredible mouthfeel and decent fruit intensity. Medium to full bodied and an excellent paring to roast meats. Buy as much as you can at 34.99
Nose: black licorice, wet earth, violet and vanilla
Palate: Crushed blueberry, black licorice, raspberry, leather, dust, and truffle.
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12/6/2012 - John McCabe wrote: 92 Points
Very balanced, nice depth and fruit. A bit light, easy to drink.
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7/28/2012 - VegasWine wrote: 90 Points
Needed 30 minutes to open up, even after using a Vinturi. Smooth and medium bodied.
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5/1/2012 - up4wine wrote: 92 Points
Wine had to blow off a little chemical at the beginning and stretch its legs, but then this one really took off with bright Sangiovese fruit, a tad of leather and a long, expressive taste. In this price range ($35), this is the best of the '04 I have had, yet.
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3/16/2012 - Whine-oh wrote: 92 Points
Decanted at rest. for 45 min. Dark. No sed. Nice mixture of sour cherries, some earthiness and a little oak too. A little grip on back end to make it interesting. Ready to go now but seems to be able to last a few years as well. Nice QPR brunello.
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2/26/2012 - slippytoad wrote: 92 Points
Impressive and expressive Brunello. Not one of the greats but I paid $25 for it. Mushrooms, pencil lead and some decent fruit.
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12/10/2011 - MilesLP wrote: 90 Points
Traditional sangiovese style, medium bodied, silky textured, a dark red colour, nose of licorice with balanced cherry and darker berry flavour with nicely integrated oak and a finish with fine tannin that explodes flavour into your mouth. Fine value that shamed some higher prived wines on this occasion. Drinking very well and unlikely to improve in my estimation.
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7/10/2011 - RussK wrote: 88 Points
RUSSK WSW@JIM's Brunello vs. Barolo BB. Bottom tier
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5/30/2011 - vinopa wrote: 88 Points
An old world style brunello with mushrooms, scortched earth and red fruit on the nose and palate . Not very complex but is an overal decent brunello considering the price (35 bones)..This BDM has good structure to last another 10 years but not sure it's going to improve.. Cheers!!
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5/17/2011 - SMZ wrote: 92 Points
Absolutely delicious. Nice deep red color with a wonderful aroma. Decanted for 30 minutes and voila.... Lush and silky smooth. Far superior to the 2004 Banfi Brunello I had a month or so ago.
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4/10/2011 - wabi47 wrote: 88 Points
tight darker fruit not yet integrated with the wood and tannins. too young to enjoy right now
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3/27/2011 - Sid_Mac wrote: 89 Points
Poured entire bottle through Vinturi into a decanter, let sit for 3 hours. Good fruit & tannins, lengthy finish. Enjoyable.
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1/14/2011 - John McCabe wrote: 91 Points
Surprisingly amount of fruit. Quite approachable and fun. A litle better on the 2nd day.
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12/21/2010 - RussK wrote: 90 Points
RUSS WIC at Peter's. Not bad, better on day 2. But not great. Lacking the tell-tail sangio aromatics.
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10/21/2010 - futronic wrote: 91 Points
Popped and poured, consumed over two hours. Dark ruby colour. Aromas of frutti di bosco, damp earth, tobacco. Medium-full bodied, great, lush texture. Solid finish, ~30-35s. Surprising how open and approachable this is. Doesn't seem to be a wine for significant cellaring, and for now will drink over the next five years while waiting for the rest of my 2004s to age. 91+. Drink now-2015.
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9/22/2010 - MJTed wrote: 88 Points
Just ok. Nice acidic structure, but fairly one dimensional sweet plum + tobaccp profile.
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3/23/2010 - maclaren wrote: 90 Points
Was great with apple sausage red sauce and pasta.
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1/2/2010 - Amerique wrote: 90 Points
Sweet cherry fruit with cigar box flavors
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