GaryWEdwards

9.7

At 25 years, patience rewarded in this now delightful vintage. No hurry here as this juice is a long distance runner with at another 40 years to enjoy. — 6 days ago

Bob McDonald

9.6

See several previous Delectable notes for this Cuvée. I have 2 bottles left after this one. Penfolds have a whopping drink window up to 2045. The colour is a pale mid crimson with a tawny rim. Mocha, dark chocolate and blackberry notes on the nose. From a low yielding cool vintage which is made for long cellaring. Absolutely superb at the moment. Great palate intensity (mulberry, black berry and dark chocolate) with mellow resolved tannins and a very long persistent finish. No wonder Penfolds tasting book is called The Rewards of Patience. — 3 months ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Double decanted two nights before service. The 2006 pours a deep, slightly hazy garnet color with a near opaque core; medium+ viscosity with light staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is vinous with a mix of desiccated fruit and funky umami notes: bruised and desiccated strawberry, red rope licorice, nori, Cherry Dr. Pepper, cracked black pepper and leather. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is forever long and saline; it just hangs around forever. Initially, this came across as bit backward but it really gained power and character the more time it spent in the glass. Drink now with patience and through 2036. — a year ago

Jay Kline

9.5

A continuation of sharing my early impressions of the 2021 vintage in Barolo; Cavallotto is one of those benchmark producers for me, inextricably connected to Bricco Boschis, which they have farmed for nearly 100 years. Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of a few hours. The 2021 Bricco Boschis pours a brilliant garnet color with a transparent core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with powerful notes of Morello cherry, dehydrated orange, cumin, tar, roses, talcum powder, fresh sage and fresh mint, and dried gravelly earth. On the palate, the wine is bone dry with structure like that of Helm’s Deep; the tannins are absolutely rippin’ and acid at medium+. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is extremely long, savory and drying, to the point that you feel it in your gums several minutes. A brilliant Barolo that has a very long life ahead. Drink now with plenty of air and patience through 2071. Pairs well with hearty lasagna and baseball. — 8 days ago

Jay Kline

9.7

Oh boy…is this real life? A DRC from back in the days when Lalou was involved in the process. Enjoyed out of the Baccarat DRC glass which is hilarious to behold but I’ll be damned if wasn’t a pretty effective glass. The 1988 Richebourg pours a deep ruby color with a transparent core; medium viscosity with light staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with heady notes of ripe and slightly desiccated red and black fruits: strawberry, spiced meat, red flowers, forest floor, and warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long with lovely, savory minerals. There is so much density. Honestly, this still needs a ton of air. It’s remarkable how youthful it’s showing. Drink now with loads of patience and through 2038. Bottle No. 4044. — 8 months ago

GaryWEdwards

9.5

Has finally entered a the period to enjoy with patience rewarded. A nice nose of earth, dark berries, and florals. Nice long finish with a bit of plum coming through. An hour decant to the benefit of the wine. — a year ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of two days. Best on Day 2. The 2013 “Les Pavots” pours a deep ruby with an opaque core; medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears and signs of light sediment. On the nose, the wine is developing with wild brambles, Korean bulgogi, some purple flowers, tobacco, cedar box, some VA, and fine baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and zippy. To my palate, a lot more interesting than the “Au Paradis” from the same vintage. There’s just a lot more going on. Drink now with patience and through 2040. — a year ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of two hours. The 2011 “Toscana” IGT pours a deep garnet color with a translucent core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with gorgeous notes of mostly ripe, red fruit: Morello cherry, raspberry, new leather, black tea, freshly varnished fine wood, dried green herbs and dry gravelly earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long drying and grippy. Gorgeous stuff. Drink now with some patience and through 2031. — 3 months ago

Ericsson

9.4

Tasting notes during visit to the winery where absolutely everything is done in-house by hand; preserving centuries old winemaking traditions. In the Tondonia offering one can really appreciate the time and patience dedicated to crafting this wine. The wine evolves to a rustic yet graceful profile with strong notes of dark berries with slight oak and dark chocolate. On the palate the wine is bliss, medium bodied, fully integrated, with balanced acidity and a long finish.

The juice is fermented in old large wooden “tinas,” then transferred to American oak barrels (made in house to medium toast specifications), stored underground in their +100 year old cellars for at least a year. After that it is bottled and stored in the same underground cellars and finally released about ten years later. Learning about their curated winemaking process was inspiring. — 8 months ago

Jay Kline

9.5

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of a couple hours. For what it’s worth, this was showing its best after some air and I’d probably recommend at least a 30min decant if opening at this stage. The 2018 Cuchet-Béliando pours a deep ruby/purple color with a near opaque core; medium+ viscosity with significant staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of mostly ripe and some tart black and red fruits: blackberries, raspberries, purple flowers, black pepper, grilled meat, dried green herbs, rocky earth and gentle spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose though the black pepper is even more prominent here. The finish is long and tremendously satisfying. Another absolute beauty from Cuchet-Béliando. Drink now with patience and through 2048. Thanks for the assist @Lyle Fass — 9 months ago