Very good on a PnP. Dark color, no sign of age. Modest nose owing to pnp and lack of decant. Nose opened over the course of the bottle. On the palate, medium+ bodied, impeccably balanced with just the right amount of acidity. Very expressive, plenty of fruit, modest oak. Long lingering juicy finish. Many years ahead of it. I'll buy this again.
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Decanted 1+ hours before dinner. Tart cherries, mostly dark fruits, but a mix of some maraschino and assorted red berries in there too. Red plums, spice, toast, and black pepper as well. Chewy tannic structure, definitely has a texture, very traditional, rustic style BdM. Tannins need some time, still putting forth woodsy / astringent notes before fading to more of the typical leathery texture. Barrel aging adds that classic BdM “autumn leaves'' and campfire notes. Acidity is noticeable underneath the tannic structure but again will need some time to come into its peak. Price not unreasonable for a BdM ($49 JJB). Overall Evaluation B+ (89); would expect this to increase once the tannins integrate, maybe 2025+.
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Dark garnet in color. Full, forward & attractive nose of ripe fruit aromas of cherries, blackberries & plums with overtones of earthy/dusty & floral notes of violets, spices, orange peel, herbs, some mint, leather, minerals & a hint of cedar in the background. Medium-full bodied with very good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, ripe fruit flavors of cherries, blackberries & plums with minerals, herbs & some spices. Lingering finish. Drinks quite well at present with decanting & extended airing but should continue to develop & benefit from additional aging at which time it may rate higher (94+).
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Medium bodied, traditional styling. Less than worthless at PnP, it took 5+ hours to be drinkable - it's really quite gross without the air. Cannot emphasize this enough: avoid opening if you don't have 5-7 hours to aerate.
PnP smells like white chalk spilled across a hospital floor, and tastes muted with a difficult finish. With air, emerging are sharp well-realized black cherries and skins, anise and violet, prune, lightly tanned leather, autumn spices. Rarely have I seen a wine go from such despair to beauty. Maybe one or two more rackings at the winery would prevent this. QPR $60 is reasonable, $80+ is asking a lot given so many excellent BdM options in 2015.
This bottle could last forever in a cellar, partially because they forgot to finish making it. 91-92 today, easy bet 93+ in 2030s.
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12/18/2023 - blaine Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very good on a PnP. Dark color, no sign of age. Modest nose owing to pnp and lack of decant. Nose opened over the course of the bottle. On the palate, medium+ bodied, impeccably balanced with just the right amount of acidity. Very expressive, plenty of fruit, modest oak. Long lingering juicy finish. Many years ahead of it. I'll buy this again.
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10/7/2023 - WineKnurd Likes this wine: 89 Points
Decanted 1+ hours before dinner. Tart cherries, mostly dark fruits, but a mix of some maraschino and assorted red berries in there too. Red plums, spice, toast, and black pepper as well. Chewy tannic structure, definitely has a texture, very traditional, rustic style BdM. Tannins need some time, still putting forth woodsy / astringent notes before fading to more of the typical leathery texture. Barrel aging adds that classic BdM “autumn leaves'' and campfire notes. Acidity is noticeable underneath the tannic structure but again will need some time to come into its peak. Price not unreasonable for a BdM ($49 JJB). Overall Evaluation B+ (89); would expect this to increase once the tannins integrate, maybe 2025+.
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11/19/2022 - Vinnut Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark garnet in color. Full, forward & attractive nose of ripe fruit aromas of cherries, blackberries & plums with overtones of earthy/dusty & floral notes of violets, spices, orange peel, herbs, some mint, leather, minerals & a hint of cedar in the background. Medium-full bodied with very good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, ripe fruit flavors of cherries, blackberries & plums with minerals, herbs & some spices. Lingering finish. Drinks quite well at present with decanting & extended airing but should continue to develop & benefit from additional aging at which time it may rate higher (94+).
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8/12/2022 - aero wrote: 91 Points
Medium bodied, traditional styling. Less than worthless at PnP, it took 5+ hours to be drinkable - it's really quite gross without the air. Cannot emphasize this enough: avoid opening if you don't have 5-7 hours to aerate.
PnP smells like white chalk spilled across a hospital floor, and tastes muted with a difficult finish. With air, emerging are sharp well-realized black cherries and skins, anise and violet, prune, lightly tanned leather, autumn spices. Rarely have I seen a wine go from such despair to beauty. Maybe one or two more rackings at the winery would prevent this. QPR $60 is reasonable, $80+ is asking a lot given so many excellent BdM options in 2015.
This bottle could last forever in a cellar, partially because they forgot to finish making it. 91-92 today, easy bet 93+ in 2030s.
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7/31/2022 - BrunelloBob wrote: 91 Points
PnP. Strong red cherry, a hint of plum, and a pleasant touch of smokiness. Good length. Very nice, but better than the blended Sassetti?
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