Ground Effect

Bodegas Borsao

Tres Picos Campo de Borja Garnacha 2020

On the nose lots of fruits blackberry, blueberry, and raspberry flowers by backing spices, leather, and ground pepper. And the same follows on the pallet. Very dry for me normally not a Grenache fan but this is yummy for sure. — 8 days ago

Ray liked this

Arianna Occhipinti

SP68 Bianco Terre Siciliane Albanello Muscat of Alexandria 2022

Delectable Wine
9.0

Pungent florals, ground ginger and grapefruit form a zesty bouquet as the 2022 Bianco SP68 opens in the glass. It’s soft and round. Juicy acidity and tropical citrus tones enliven its tart orchard fruits. This finishes surprisingly long, leaving exotic inner florals and sour melon notes to fade slowly. What a treat. The SP68 Bianco is a blend of Albana and Zibibbo. (Eric Guido, Vinous, September 2023)
— 7 months ago

Sam Plunkett

The Butterfly Effect Chardonnay 2020

Smooth, buttery but not flat. Not too fruity. Would drink again — 2 years ago

Bodegas Muga

Reserva Rioja Tempranillo 2017

Bold notes of plum, ground pepper leathery notes with dusty, mouth drying tannins and a medium to heavy body, this was really a good blend for the smokehouse at the resort. — 2 years ago

Tiva Feltman
with Tiva

Opus One

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2019

Delectable Wine
9.7

The 2019 Opus One shows off the more opulent side of the vintage to great effect. Sumptuous dark fruit, spice and floral accents wrap around the palate, with a fair amount of new oak adding volume and exotic flair. This is an especially showy Opus One that will drink well with minimal cellaring. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, December 2023)
— 4 months ago

Poggio Antico

Brunello di Montalcino Sangiovese 2012

Tonight, we’re sipping a delicious Poggio Antico Brunello di Montalcino DOCG (2012).

The vineyards of Poggio Antico are situated on some of Montalcino’s highest hills (>1,500 ft elevation), overlooking the beautiful, sun-soaked landscape of Tuscany.

In a warm climate, high altitude sites like this benefit from a comparatively lower air temperature, greater diurnal range (warm days, cool nights), and enhanced solar intensity, particularly when vines are planted on hillsides, angled towards the sun.

These conditions (among others) are important for quality winemaking, for example, the intense sunshine promotes grape ripening (sugar accumulation; development of flavors, tannins, color), while the cooling influences help retain acidity and more delicate aromas in the grapes; they also enable a longer ripening period overall, setting the stage for a well-balanced, concentrated wine.

It was interesting to learn that Poggio Antico vinifies and matures its Sangiovese according to detailed soil units, leveraging what it calls a “geological symphony,” as a significant part of the terroir expression. It later blends (or “harmonizes”) these units with the aim of creating balance and complexity.

As a Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, this wine must be 100% Sangiovese and could not be released from Poggio for at least 5 years from the harvest, during which time it aged for at least 2 years in oak. Poggio exceeded these legal minimums by aging this wine for 4 years, including 3 years in traditional Slavonian oak barrels and one year in bottle.

We paired this wine with a homemade Bolognese. The spices of the sauce lent symmetry to the spice (nutmeg, clove) notes in the wine, which didn’t compete, but, rather, complemented each other. Also, the fat in the ground sirloin (along with the salty parmesan and decade+ of maturing) helped smooth the high tannins of the Sangiovese, enhancing our palates’ experience of other delicious dimensions.

It was molto bene! Cheers!
— 10 months ago

Deked1
with Deked1
Deked1, Laura and 14 others liked this
Vanessa

Vanessa

@leon egozi We hope to do that sometime in the next year or two! It’s at the top of our list. We may need to pick your brain on other must-sees! 🥂🥂
leon egozi

leon egozi

We went before the pandemic and I have bought a case of wine from them ever since. We are actually going to casanova di neri and biondi santi next week so I’ll let u know 😊
Vanessa

Vanessa

@leon egozi Incredible! 🤩 I’ll be keeping an eye out for your posts! Enjoy!! 🥂🥂

R. López de Heredia

Viña Tondonia Reserva Rioja Tempranillo Blend 2007

Jan A
9.2

Like the sour mouth watering effect of the wine on the palate. Already my last bottle of the case but this still has years of runway ahead. — 5 months ago

Dick, Ira and 11 others liked this

Adelsheim

Breaking Ground Chehalem Mountains Pinot Noir 2015

Capitol Region Wine Collectors Club (WCC), USA West Coast Pinot Noir; 26 October 2023 at Fort Orange Club, Albany, NY

Group scoring, No. 3 bottle of the night.
— 6 months ago

Jay, Mark and 16 others liked this

Château Lynch-Bages

Grand Cru Classé Pauillac Cabernet Sauvignon Blend

2005 vintage. Almost tastes like it could have been released last week. Super youthful with dark berry and plum blasts. Decent structure but not oppressive. Catching this one just below the top of the bell curve. Hopefully, you’ve got more than one bottle kicking around on a piece of ground in your hometown. Other-worldly now but methinx it’s about to get even better. Last tasted in mid-June and same score but this bottle was slightly better. Seek this out-now. — 2 years ago

Ericsson and Peter liked this

Jean Foillard

"Cuvée Corcelette" Morgon Gamay 2017

After a 2 weeks pause for (very mild) health reasons I thought it would be good to pop a bottle I had kept on the side for such occasion.
Cola, cherry, hay and an irony thing one the nose, very inviting. The palate is superlative. Massive acid backbone, superb juicy cherry fruit all along, great width, soft mouthfeel, a little bit of cherry liqueur on the sides too, ample mid palate with a slight drying effect like a subtle brush and a finish with those same cherry juice and cherry liqueur notes. This is so beautiful...
— 3 years ago

Ericsson, Bob and 17 others liked this
Romain Fitoussi

Romain Fitoussi

🤪💕🤪💕
Timothy Lynch

Timothy Lynch

What a great restorative drop. 👨‍⚕️