Ron Siegel

9.3

Beautiful drinking Barbaresco with its red cherry, berry fruit, spice, licorice, dried herbs, rose petal & tobacco. — 8 days ago

Vanessa

9.4

There’s a quiet intensity to Valdicava that makes its way into each & every sip.

🪽 On the label is the depiction of an archangel with sword raised, and wings open, standing as a symbol of Brunello—a wine shaped by patience, precision & deep respect for place—both protective & powerful, grounded in tradition yet shaped with its own energy.

⛰️ 🌊 Valdicava is located on the slopes of Montosoli (a prized ‘cru’), in one of the coolest sectors of the Brunello appellation, enjoying both cooling & warming factors from the radiant sun, to the forests of Monte Amiata, to the breezes off the Tyrrhenian Sea…

🌱 The growing environment is characterized by tension, which is reflected in this wine holding equal parts strength & finesse.

👁️ It is medium garnet in color with pronounced, layered notes of black cherry, black raspberry, baked plum, boysenberry, cedar, cardamom, nutmeg, cigar box, clove, sweet tobacco, black licorice, fennel, olive tapenade, balsamic, dried oregano, wet earth, leather & peat moss.

👄 The palate is dry, with velvety tannins, a vibrant acidity, and warming, though not intrusive, alcohol at 13.5% ABV & a lingering finish.

👌 It has a bold profile softened with age; it is supple & polished, held together with a firm acidity, giving lift to the kaleidoscope of dynamic aromas & flavors.

🥂Cheers to wines offering a sensory window to a particular place & time.   — 7 days ago

with Deked1

Sipping Fine Wine

9.5

Bright Ruby with aromas of dark fruits, spices, oak and floral notes. On the palate flavors of cherry and sweet plum with notes of herb pepper, tobacco, cedar and cacao. Long finish, nice balance with fine soft tannins, ending with oak and earthy notes. Needs a few more years in the bottle! — a month ago

John Willison

9.0

Dried cherry, eucalyptus, sweet tannins. — 11 days ago

Conrad Green

9.3

plush plummy fruit. Rounded with black cherry and soft precision. Lovely — 17 days ago

with Paul and Ara

Anthony Cammarata Jr.

9.5

From the start this 1998 Opus had a beautiful nose of cherry and plum, with notes of cedar and herbs. On the palate, the wine is refined and silky, with tannins and flavors of dark fruit and notes of leather, cocoa, espresso, and spice, finishing long and polished. — 25 days ago

with Michael and Daniel

Ignacio D. Cenicacelaya

9.2

Black current, dried black cherry and slight tobacco. Very light tannins.
Excellent with beef and stews. — a month ago

Ericsson

9.6

Silk and stone in perfect balance.
Quiet power; dark cherry, tobacco, graphite; unfolding with patience and grace. Another great Unico. — 25 days ago

Doug Griffin

9.0

Not sure, I think it’s a bit maderized. However still giving some grippy tannins, rich cherry, vanilla and wood…375 ml. Kind of played out — 21 days ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Presented to me, double-blind. The wine pours a deep garnet color with an opaque core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears, and some signs of light sediment. On the nose, the wine is vinous with a mix of ripe and desiccated, mostly dark fruits: cassis, black cherry, plum, mixed brambles, old leather, pipe tobacco, pencil shavings, and fine baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin (that is mostly integrated) and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long.

Initial conclusions: this could be a Cabernet-based Bordeaux blend, Tempranillo (or based blend) or Grenache-based blend from France, Spain or the United States. I feel like this leans more towards its fruit than its structure, even though it is a fairly well balanced wine in both regards. As a result, I am calling this a Cabernet-based Bordeaux blend from the United States, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain from a producer like Dunn, 2006. Shiiiiiit. To be honest, I’m not terribly surprised since this is Cos and from a warm vintage no less. Drinking well now and should through 2050+. — 17 days ago