Overall this was a big disappointment. I don't think the bottle was flawed but perhaps something was off. I decanted this for two hours and drank over a two hour period with a nice Italian sausage and pasta dinner that my wife made. The wine was harsh, with and without the food. Some good black fruit on the first taste, but the finish went towards the bitter side. It did not improve over the course of the meal or after the meal, even after having been open for several hours. I have been drinking Brunello for over a decade, young and old, and if this bottle is representative of this wine, then I would not buy or drink another one, especially for the money
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Wow, this wine was a revelation. Much better than the previous bottle I drank from the same lot a few years ago. Decanted for sediment and drunk slowly over a 2 hour dinner at El Gaucho in Bellevue. Great nose, subtle and resolved tannins. Really stood up well to our steaks. Great mature aromas, and classic taste of cherry, chocolate, and a beautiful long finish. This has several years of life left.
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Brought this for our annual family dinner at Palisades in Seattle on Xmas eve. Decanted for about 45 mins - 1 hour after we arrived. I have had an allocation of this each year but have never opened one before so I was very interested to see what impressions it left. This was definitely young, but showing much better than the estate Cab at the same age, so no regrets. Tannins were not as heavy as the estate cab. Plenty of rich flavors, long finish, cherry and mocha and currant notes. This is a serious bottle and will age for much longer. We drank two of these over a 2 hour period with no drying or loss of intensity. 94 pts.
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2006 Martoccia di Brunelli Luca Brunello di Montalcino
3/24/2012 - johnecase wrote: 86 Points
Overall this was a big disappointment. I don't think the bottle was flawed but perhaps something was off. I decanted this for two hours and drank over a two hour period with a nice Italian sausage and pasta dinner that my wife made. The wine was harsh, with and without the food. Some good black fruit on the first taste, but the finish went towards the bitter side. It did not improve over the course of the meal or after the meal, even after having been open for several hours. I have been drinking Brunello for over a decade, young and old, and if this bottle is representative of this wine, then I would not buy or drink another one, especially for the money
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1989 Château Beychevelle
2/10/2011 - johnecase wrote: 94 Points
Wow, this wine was a revelation. Much better than the previous bottle I drank from the same lot a few years ago. Decanted for sediment and drunk slowly over a 2 hour dinner at El Gaucho in Bellevue. Great nose, subtle and resolved tannins. Really stood up well to our steaks. Great mature aromas, and classic taste of cherry, chocolate, and a beautiful long finish. This has several years of life left.
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2004 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Galitzine Vineyard
1/1/2011 - johnecase wrote: 94 Points
Brought this for our annual family dinner at Palisades in Seattle on Xmas eve. Decanted for about 45 mins - 1 hour after we arrived. I have had an allocation of this each year but have never opened one before so I was very interested to see what impressions it left. This was definitely young, but showing much better than the estate Cab at the same age, so no regrets. Tannins were not as heavy as the estate cab. Plenty of rich flavors, long finish, cherry and mocha and currant notes. This is a serious bottle and will age for much longer. We drank two of these over a 2 hour period with no drying or loss of intensity. 94 pts.
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