Valentino Paladin

Paolo Bea

San Valentino Sangiovese Blend 2017

Ming L
9.3

Like the Pipparello, this is a blend of Sangiovese, Sagrantino and Montepulciano. Unlike the Pipparello, this one sees no oak.
The savory nose is full of cherries, earth, and herbal spices. Very deep and complex. On the palate the acidity is noticeably higher. Intense and brooding. Powerful dusty tannins.
A wine making tour de force.
— a month ago

Ira, Tom and 2 others liked this

Valentino

Butussi Kret Pinot Grigio

MICHAEL COOPER DipWSET
9.0

Excellent #pinotgrigio #pinotgris I’m not a Pinot Grigio fan but this has texture and layers. #italywine — 4 years ago

David, Raul and 3 others liked this

Azienda Agricola San Valentino

Terra di Covignano Sangiovese di Romagna 2007

Sehr polarisierend, am Anfang enormer Stall, dann mächtig Alkohol der einige Tage Beruhigung verlangt, dann enorm dicht, sein Potential andeutend und die Erkenntnis ihn nochmal 10 Jahre wegzulegen — 6 years ago

NiPi, Stephan and 1 other liked this

Marchesi Antinori

Solaia Annata Diversa Toscana Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc

At Da Valentino with Jingang. Absolutely amazing !!! — 10 months ago

Cirulli

San Valentino Umbria 2011

Powerful but not overpowering — 3 years ago

Kimberly and Sharon liked this

Azienda Agricola San Valentino

Bacaia Superiore Sangiovese 2018

Lyle Fass
9.2

Bright cherry, cherry flower, spice, licorice, fresh, deep, terrific fruit, long, complex. — 4 years ago

Aravind, Keith and 3 others liked this

Paladin

Delle Venezie Pinot Grigio

Smash a bottle of good Champagne on the granite hull of a newly done Lemon Meringue Pie as it launches into Georgian Bay, and watch out for rinds. — 5 years ago

Trixie liked this

A. Rafanelli

Unfiltered Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel 2009

Something quite magical often happens to Rafanelli Zinfandel after 10+ years of bottle age. I can’t explain it…but these wines begin to take on a more rustic, Old World feel. It’s as if they shift into an overdrive. The fruit is still big, beautiful and pure (no-doubt a testament to their rigorous selection) and yet they can often display a new energy about them which give them remarkable longevity. This bottle is perfectly representative.

Opened to celebrate my daughter’s 14th birthday, the 2009 Rafanelli Zinfandel pours a deep, practically opaque garnet that becomes more turbid the further we delved into the bottle (in typical fashion, this Rafanelli full of sediment). Medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, bright cherry and bramble-like fruits, Asian spices, espresso and some black pepper. I do sense a touch of VA. On the palate, the wine is dry and with medium tannin and medium+ acid. The notes from the nose are confirmed…with a bit of added emphasis, it should be noted. There’s almost a Pop Rocks experience too…with the slightest effervescence pricking the tongue. And again, this is something that I would more expect from a non-interventionalist wine from Italy…certainly not from Sonoma. Hot take here…but this bottle reminded me of something from Paolo Bea (San Valentino) more than anything from Sonoma, let alone California. It’s just so wonderful. The finish is long and delivers minutes of pleasure.

As far as I’m concerned, nobody is making Zinfandel with the soul that Rafanelli does and the proof is in the bottle each and every time. Of course, they are delicious when young but with age, these wines become something else. Drink now with a decant (for sediment only) and through 2034.
— a year ago

Daniel, Peter and 8 others liked this
Peter van den Besselaar

Peter van den Besselaar Influencer Badge

Lovely story and congrats

Azienda Agricola San Valentino

Scabi Sangiovese di Romagna Sangiovese 2010

Stoffiger Sangiovese, toller Speisenbegleiter — 5 years ago

Don and NiPi liked this