Tom Casagrande

9.1

Still quite youthful and needs air to open up. Once it does, it reveals just ripe, sappy cherry and loads of cracked stone minerality. In the mouth it’s got good intensity and a high-toned, right feel. Lean and athletic. No excess fat. Very good acids and an intensely mineral finish. — 20 hours ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

This is a loud wine! Tangy, sappy red berry fruit, enough spices and herbs for a North African souk, and sandstoney gravel. Intense and very savory in the mouth. Some soft tannin and pretty good acidity for a Grenache-family wine. Great buy! — 6 days ago

Tom Casagrande

8.8

Got that 3-day old bruised pear fruit with the barest hint of oxidative quality—which I know is pretty common but I’m highly ambivalent to it. Also wet stream stones. Seriously, there’s a biologic quality like wine made from grapes that were supposed to be foot-trodden, but the foot trodders ended up having sex in the vat instead. — 10 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.1

Old style CDP. Nose has garrigue, iodine, dark berries. Lean but intense. Great savory flavors. Nice length. — 2 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

Night 2: nose has loads of green apple and citrus pith, and tons of cracked rocks. Intense and so mineral in the mouth. The dry extract here is off the charts. So crisp and long. What a great value! — 6 days ago

with Lyle

Tom Casagrande

9.1

Best Dolcetto I’ve had in at least a dozen years or maybe longer. Fresh nose shows violets, blueberry pie, and crushed rock. Intense upfront fruit yet bone dry, it has some mouth-coating but soft tannin in the finish. And terrific wine for an informal pasta dinner. — 10 days ago

with Lyle

Tom Casagrande

9.1

This is the 2009 Syrah from the Cougar Vineyard in Wahluke Slope.

I was a bit skeptical about this one. It had no sediment and the cork looked like it was brand new, suggesting this was either filtered and re-bottled or else held in stainless steel or InOx tanks until recently bottled. I need not have worried, however. Deep youthful color. Intense nose of inky graphite, cassis, crushed dark stones, and vanilla from barrel aging. Intense clingy flavors. Full bodied and large-framed. With a bit less wood influence this would have been superb. — 4 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.3

Just a gorgeous nose of spice and musky flowers and sweet, sappy cherries and crushed rock. Such purity of fruit and minerality, with a lively gluggable mouthfeel. Just dances in your mouth. — 8 days ago

with Lyle

Tom Casagrande

8.9

Solid Crozes-style Syrah. Nose has crushed rock, smoky embers, lavender, and tiny crushed berries. Palate is not as rich as the nose suggests. Shows a bit of weight and concentration in the front palate, but then thins out in the mid palate and the finish is a little short and thin. — 11 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.0

375. Beautiful high-toned nose of red berries and rocky minerality. Full, just ripe enough, and with intense minerality and very good acidity. Old school. — 14 days ago