Tom Casagrande

8.9

Not sure what the “9.99” means in @Delectable Wine ‘s ID of this wine means. This is the “Il Cavaliere” bottling.

Every so often I crave a Ruche, with its unique scents and flavors, heavy on the slightly bitter mountain berries and violet florals. This one’s nice and a good weeknight value pour. — a day ago

Tom Casagrande

8.9

@Delectable Wine - This is the Graves Blanc, not Rouge. It’s the kind of cheap, well-made white Graves I love. So fresh. Great, very Sauvignon nose of orchard and tropical fruit. Just the barest touch of grassiness. Crisp and fruity and so fresh in the mouth. So quaffable. — 7 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.3

Young but the apotheosis of Dry Creek. Such depth and purity of Zin fruit (spicy black raspberry) and dry gravelly earth on the nose. Deep, fruity, but composed and minerally at the same time on the palate. A little clenched on the finish because yes I’m drinking it too young. But the stuffing, balance, and structure are there for many years development. I love these guys’ Zins. — 12 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.3

This was a little clenched on opening, but on night 2 (after 24 hours under a vacuum closure), it’s loosened up a bit. Nose has nice, precise black raspberry Zin fruit, a subtle will of oak toast, and rocky gravel. The flavors are fairly concentrated, classic, old-school balanced Zin, but in a nice, claret-like structure. Such nice balance. — 2 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.3

This is a really nice Pouilly-Fuisse, an AOC I generally think is overvalued. Bright nose has limestone minerality, bright apple and pear fruit, wet straw, and the barest hint of barrel spice. Lower-toned on the palate than the nose suggests, it’s relaxed and deeply-flavored, lots of fruit and crushed rock minerality. Medium acids. Nice balance and depth. — 5 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

This is a ridiculously great value. Nose has everything you want from the Southern Rhône: roasted herbs, iodiney minerality, pungent dark berry fruit, smoke, spice. And the palate is deep and satisfying. A nice whack of pure dark berry fruit, leavened with nice acids and even a little chalky tannin to give it some shape. Only 13.5%. I gotta get more of this. — 11 days ago

Tom Casagrande

8.8

I’m not sure that the ID that Delectable came up with is correct. I got this from Garagiste, which was very cagey about who made this wine, hinting that the label was just a slap-something-on affair because the more “famous” chateau just needed to get rid of extra product. The back label says 90% Merlot 10% CF. It’s cheap and well made. Loads of soft, just-ripe Merlot fruit on the nose. Good depth and length, if not much complexity. Would be a really sophisticated take on a summer burger cookout wine. — 12 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

Delicious and a great value. Vibrant, crystal clear berry and dark cherry fruit. Clean clean clean stony minerals. Good flavor intensity in the mouth, with fruit and granite tussling for dominance. Pretty good acids for such a hot year, and it doesn’t have the disjointed feel I’ve gotten from a few ‘22s. Rather, it all fits together like a jigsaw puzzle. Nice. — 4 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

Perfectly mature and so nice. So much spice, mahogany furniture, 19th Century first editions, and complexity in the perfume. Still a fair amount of relaxed, spiced cherry fruit on the palate, with interesting leather notes. Tannins resolved, decent acids. It’s 15% listed alcohol, but it’s not poking out. — 5 days ago

Tom Casagrande

8.8

58% Syrah 21% Grenache 21% Mourvèdre. Nice nose has scorched earth, deep, oozing dark berry fruit, and a pleasant vegetal note halfway between tobacco leaf and asparagus. In the mouth the 15% alcohol is too prominent, burning through the flavors. There’s also a prominent bitter note. There’s also some nice, dark fruit and low-toned stony minerals, but the alcohol and bitterness seem a little out of whack.

NIGHT 2 UPDATE: it’s better. The alcohol is still too prominent, but denser fruit has developed and the bitter component has receded for the most part. Upping from 8.6 to 8.8. Make sure to give this air if you’re drinking it in 2025. — 8 days ago