Tom Casagrande

8.8

This was super-oaky on night 1 but on night 2 that’s calmed down. Still a bit of toastiness, but the nose is now showing some delicate Chardonnay fruit as well. Reminds me a bit of Cali Chards from Carneros in the early 80s. Acids are very soft. Finish seems longer on night 2 also. — 5 hours ago

Tom Casagrande

8.8

Big. Everything about this wine is big. Nose has tons of baking spice, warm sandstone, oozy ripe berries with a hint of macerated prune, leather. Direct and tannic (hey, it’s Sagrantino) in the mouth. Not a wine for dainty hors d’ouvres but went well with a meat sauce made from leftover red wine and tomato braised pork loin pulsed through the food processor. — 6 days ago

Tom Casagrande

8.9

This is a surprisingly serious wine. I was expecting cherries and bright acids, but what I got was earthy, iodiney, balsamic notes on top of the dark cherries. Very soft and nicely balanced, with clingy flavors. I think my brother may have given this to me, and if so, thanks! If not, then I made a good purchase at some point. — 10 days ago

Tom Casagrande

8.9

Nose takes some airing to emerge. Then, smoky cracked stones and dry gravel emerge on top of dark, sultry berry fruit. Lean and fairly intense in the mouth. Finish is crisp with acids and minerally. Bone dry. — 2 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

One of the worst labels I’ve seen in a while, but the wine is exemplary. Gorgeous nose has pungent stony minerality, crisp zingy apple, and lemon-lime. Soft and mouthfilling, but with a real sense of lightness. Crisp and dry but full of very pure fruit. Long, snappy finish. — 5 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

I had guarded expectations because I was not a fan of the 08, but this is quite good. Deep nose has deep old dark library furniture scent, gravel, warm spice, dark macerated cherries, dried roses, a little tar. In short, everything you want in an aged Nebbiolo. Soft, good acids, tannins very fine-grained and almost fully integrated. I wouldn’t age this much longer though, because it’s almost fully tertiary. — 8 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.3

On night one, this was just pure pure fruit, but on night 2, more complexity is showing. The fruit is still remarkably intense and pure, but there is some beautiful slate on the nose to augment the ripe apple, peach, and fresh squeezed ripe lemon. The concentration of fruit in the mouth is hard to believe, but it’s not heavy. Rather, there is intense but submerged acidity and a prickle of minerality as well. An emerging hint of honeyed botrytis as well. This is going to last and improve for many many years. — 11 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.0

Last bottle of this. Nose is full of granite- and iron-rich dry gravel. Dark, ripe, smoky berry ooze too. The flavors are dark and low-toned, but it’s surprisingly soft for a Tannat, with a finish that ends quite lean, and crisp acids. Really nice. Nice dinner companion. — 4 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.3

There is no rose like this anywhere. It’s more flavorful than most Pinot Noirs, but, unlike them, a chill does not mute the nose or the flavors. It’s 5 years old for Pete’s sake, and still does not seem anywhere close to tired. Intensely fruity, but with some nice minerality and good acids. Ridiculous. — 7 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

My last bottle of this, and the best so far. Nose has bright red berry and blackberry, with a nice loamy earthiness, and spiced sandalwood. Large-framed in the mouth, with lean, large cherry pie flavors, augmented with bright acidity. Dry and savory on the finish. — 11 days ago