Jeremy.Buss

9.2

Our first bottle for the Thanksgiving holiday. Great with charcuterie and just general drinking. Love this and glad there is another bottle on the rack. — 15 days ago

Jason Ray

8.9

Very nice blend with plenty of fruitiness, a hint of smoke and excellent finish. 2019 vintage — 25 days ago

Ed Chin

8.9

Something awkward about this. Good fruit and structure though. — a month ago

Conrad Green

9.3

Slightly sweet red fruit. Pretty edges with a soulful middle. Very good. — 2 months ago

with Gregg

Roger Ray

9.1

"this is a wine made from Portugal grapes, and poor, stony soils and in a continental climate characterized by wide temperature ranges. Composed of regional great varieties - predominantly the aragonez, sarah, and Torigo National, it reveals the typical character of its origin. It is intense with rich aromas, complex flavors and is an excellent partner to good food," — 23 days ago

Renato Hoyle

9.3

Needs 10 more years — 5 days ago

Jay Kline

9.1

Popped and poured, enjoyed over two hours. The 2006 “Faustino I” Gran Reserva pours a deep garnet color with a near opaque core. Medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears and no obvious signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is vinous with notes of dark, cherry, dried leather, cigar paper, organic earth, pencil eraser, mocha, and a hint of warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The body is silky and lean. The finish is tart and long. Tasty now but should drink very well over the next decade. Definitely a more traditionally made Rioja and I’m here for it. Bottle No. 1629/247680. — 2 months ago

cocoro p

9.0

old friends gathering — 12 days ago

Jose Lorenzo

9.3

Thanking my team — 10 days ago

Jay Kline

9.2

This used to be Montevertine’s “second” wine (after Pergole Torte, obviously) but the vineyard was torn out and replanted in 1998. After that, their eponymous bottling was elevated to take its place while “Pian del Ciampolo” eventually became the “third” wine. Truthfully, they are all three different expressions of Radda so don't take my numerical rankings as a hierarchy of quality (though one could certainly make arguments in terms of importance). I digress, “Il Sodaccio” is producing fruit once again however, the singular expression is now history. This bottle represents “Il Sodaccio’s” swan song.

From magnum. Opened about four hours prior to service. The 1997 “Il Sodaccio” pours a garnet color moving to a slightly orange rim. Medium viscosity with light staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is vinous but surprisingly spry given it’s a quarter century old. The fruit is more or less a mix of ripe and dried cherries, red plums, curaçao, cacao, porcini, dusty earth and some warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannins that have well integrated but still there. Acid is medium as well. Confirming the notes from the nose. The fruit is round while the finish is long and a touch savory. A lovely expression of Montevertine that extolls the virtues of the 1997 vintage with its abundant fruit and soft, friendly character. I mentioned to our guests that this bottle gave me the feeling of a warm hug from an old friend. Drinking well now and while I don’t expect further positive development, this magnum certainly has the legs for another 10 years. — a month ago