Jay Kline

9.2

I opened this bottle of the 1971 Taurasi Riserva with a Durand and, to be honest, I don’t know how the cork could have been extracted, intact without it. The cork was fully saturated and super gnarly looking. I poured a small taste to check color and see what was happening on the nose. It came across a little lethargic and funky so I poured the bottle into a ship’s decanter, careful to manage the sediment, and allowed it to stretch its legs for about four hours prior to dinner. The process of decanting filled the room with a wonderful perfume; this was a good sign! It turns out, it needed all of that air because it transformed into quite the darling.

In the glass, the 1971 showed remarkable color for being over half a century old. It presents a rudy, garnet color with a near opaque core; medium viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is vinous with notes of desiccated cherries, Balsamico, dried leaf tobacco, leather, Mexican birria, and volcanic earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannins (all integrated) and medium+ acid which is keeping this very much alive. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+ and has a saline finish. This bottle ended up being a very lovely experience and a fine compliment to a simple dinner of filets prepared in cast-iron and some spaghetti carbonara that I made with some pancetta made by my brother-in-law. After looking at the label a little closer, I realized that this was back when Taurasi had only achieved DOC status. In fact, they had only just received that status the year before in 1970! Taurasi has since been awarded DOCG (1993). Drink now and enjoy! — 9 days ago

Panagis Vagenas

9.0

Memories of Napoli! 🇮🇹 — 4 months ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.4

Classic wine from a classic producer. Another stellar vintage of this outstanding wine! Dark ruby color with a slight garnet rim. Starts out a bit tight but opens beautifully. Aromas of black cherry/plum with hints of dried rose petals, rosemary, chai spices and garrigue. Palate shows more cooked black cherries and plums with notes of bay leaves and baker’s chocolate. Touches of dried earth, minerals and smoke on the long and luxurious finish. Full bodied and noticeable tannins that will continue to soften with time. Beautifully balanced. Stellar! Nice selection, Keith S! Revisited in April 2024. Fabulous! — 4 months ago

Jess

8.9

Deep ruby color.
Aromas of dark berry fruit.
Dry. Flavors of blackberry, blueberry compote, anise, peppercorn, violet. Rich, chewy tannins.

Intensity: 3/5
Complexity: 2/5
Balance: 4/5
Finish: 4/5 — a month ago

Valerie Finley

9.4

Very bright with fresh fruits still coming through. Quite smooth but still has a lot of body. Dark fruit and some earth. Delicious! — 3 months ago

Fredybeans

9.4

Noir dense riche voir exhuberant
Cerise noire et terrien en même temps
Ouvert mais l air lui fait un bien fou — 4 months ago

Joe Fischer

9.2

Cherry, blueberry, violet, and licorice on the nose. Black cherry, earthiness, and a mild spice note. Nice body, smooth, and easy tannins. Good finish. — 5 months ago

RustyR

9.2

Open. Special wine — 2 months ago

Todd Anderson

9.1

Good, chunky wine that's terroir driven. Lot of life left. — 2 months ago

Byron C Mayes

9.0

Dark glass-clinging reddish purple. Abundantly inviting nose of blueberry-blackberry compote. Full-bodied palate echoes the nose adding sweet ash and burnt marzipan. Medium tannins. Medium acidity. Perfect balanced example of the "Barolo of the South." Drink with a wide range of "red wine" fare. Pizza of course is the native dish. Drink now through 2032. — 4 months ago