Tom Casagrande

9.1

This is the Grampians Shiraz. Nice fruit in the nose: ripe juicy blackberry, baking spice, warm sandstone. Lots of dark, juicy fruit initially, no jamminess, nice acids. Finish isn’t that long but everything is in balance. Very fun. Nice value. — a day ago

with Angelo

Tom Casagrande

9.0

Fruit salad nose overload. Crisp in the mouth, with nice acids and an underlay of slate. Just what the doc ordered on a hot humid evening. — 2 days ago

with Angelo

Tom Casagrande

9.1

Another light, advanced-colored wine from this producer that tastes way younger than it looks. Fresh roses and underbrush lead in the nose, over some nice tart cherry fruit. Intense, and intensely fresh flavors of high-toned crisp cherries and some floral and minerally notes. Great acids. You want a wine to wash down a rich Italian dinner? This is it. — 5 days ago

with Lyle

Tom Casagrande

9.0

I will preface this note by disclosing that I am generally not a fan of Super Tuscans. I like old school Toscana. But I will try to be objective here. The nose is very evocative of a classified growth Bordeaux: lots of cedary, gravelly scents and some dark berry fruit underneath. In the mouth it is concentrated and soft, but develops weight in the back half of the palate. Some peppery heat from alcohol at the end too. I know it’s predominantly Sangiovese, but it really does taste very Left Bank, except for a little note redder fruit at the end. — a day ago

with Angelo

Tom Casagrande

8.4

Thank you global warming for this 14.5% rose. Very flavorful, low acid, peppery alcoholic heat. Not my style. — 2 days ago

with Angelo

Tom Casagrande

9.3

This is a supremely enjoyable Chianti. Fabulous nose: raspberry (!) and macerated cherry, a funky yeasty (sponti?) note, dry gravel and crushed rock, baking spices. Chiseled in the mouth, with loads of minerality, great acids, and a long, drying finish where cherry and crushed stone both try to outlast each other. Some decent fine-grained tannin to create structure. Great now, and will get better over the next 2-3 years. Classic. — 8 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.0

Textbook Giggie. Nose features smoky, ashy, minerally notes. Some spicy blackberry fruit too. In the mouth it’s broad, with clingy, ripe flavors that border on chocolatey. Nice tannins for structure. Good balance. Great value at $18. — 2 days ago

with Angelo

Tom Casagrande

9.3

Nose is a little reticent but gives up cassis like extract (almost like it’s been pan-reduced), and deep rocky minerals. So inky and intense in the mouth. Clings like crazy. Lots of tannin to ensure development but really enjoyable now. — 2 days ago

with Angelo

Tom Casagrande

8.7

Ridiculously cheap and good cook-out wine. Nose just oozes crushed blackberry and raspberry fruit. Clean and fruity, with a tad of stony minerality in the mouth. Nicer with a light chill. — 3 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.0

Nice nose. Dark berries, river stones, a flinty note. Very savory and soft in the mouth. Broad mouthfeel. Long finish. Very good but lacking just a bit of mid-palate concentration to take it to the next level. — 10 days ago