Tom Casagrande

9.3

Fantastic wine. Nose has a lot going on. Ripe pear, cold butter, lanolin, wet stones with algae clinging from them plucked from a (non polluted) river. Rich and large-framed in the mouth. A nice bitter note builds, along with a nice bit of acidity, in the very long finish. I popped it with pasta carbonara, and it was magical. — 2 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.1

Such a great value. Syrah grown on rocky/stony terroir always wins out. This is Poor-Man’s Cornas (have I said that before?). Meaty, savory, loads of iron and crushed rock. Savory and mouthfilling. Good balance. Tannins are tamer than Cornas though. — 10 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.3

Intense nose, iodine, cassis, tar, warm moist earth, so good. Intense flavors, tannins resolved, clingy, very clingy, good acidity. Amazing with Carbonnades Flamande. — 13 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

This is the 2013 Tertulia Estate Reserve Excelsior (Walla Walla Valley). It’s 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot. And it’s delicious. Ripe cassis and plummy fruit, ashy, stony minerality, and a hint of eucalyptus. Soft, rich, and ripe, but with really nice balance. Only 13.5% abv. Purchased at the winery in May 2018. — 15 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.0

Dark, rich, and ripe on the nose: deep dark berries, sandstone-like crushed rock and a bit of baker’s chocolate. Mouthfilling and ripe. A bit too chocolatey for me, to be honest, but still a very good winter weight wine. 53% Syrah, 34% Grenache, 11% Mourvèdre, and 2% Viognier. — 3 days ago

Tom Casagrande

8.8

This is what the French do so much better than the US: inexpensive but honest Cab/Merlot. Open nose has smoky gravel, plummy fruit, and the palate is seamless and totally in balance. Just enough ripeness. Only 13%. Nice acids. Perfect with Peruvian roast chicken take out. — 8 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.0

If I were thinking France, I’d say this was a Savigny-Les-Beaune. Lively cherry fruit under an intensely pure stony minerality, and an almost mountain stream freshness. Tart, intense cherry fruit at first, but then turns minerally/savory, and the acidity is excellent. No great depth or complexity, but nice purity and freshness. — 12 days ago

with Lyle

Tom Casagrande

9.0

Tastes like a Zin from the early 70s. Very light color. Pungent prune-tinged berry fruit along with high-toned nose-tickling limestoney minerality. Lively and savory in the mouth. A true wine for dinner. 13.4%! — 4 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.1

Last bottle I have of this and time has helped it. A streak of crunchy cherry, some sweet/savory gravel, and a whiff of tomato leaf on the nose. Intense cherry, mineral, and a bit of spice in the mouth. Tannin barely there. Crisp acids (12.9%). Very nice with coq au vin. — 6 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.1

Intensely mineral and a little angular on the first night, I vacuum sealed it and now, two days later, it’s much softer and rounder. Still outrageously mineral on the nose, it’s got a bit of bitter apple fruit underneath. So intense but balanced in the mouth. Stones, green apples, soft but zesty. This will improve over the next coupla years. Great value. — 13 days ago

with Lyle