Watching football and drinking champs with KFC. Bereche is the bomb. I love opening it and waiting and hour or two to drink it, to let it balance out. I like to wait on all champagnes especially Bereche. After getting some air, you get such a nice mix of tart and sweet, like hard candy (Green apple jolly ranchers?), but you get the sophistication of a traditional 3 grape blend with a decent amount of reserve, plus some funkiness from all the naturalness of the process that they use to make it. It is a really smart wine that offers something for everyone without sacrificing anything or making compromises. I like this a lot more than a 9, but I have to save some digits for the Emidio Pepe '85s or the Pol Roger Winston Churchill '88s of the world. If you look at my scores, you see a lot of 9s but that's because I rarely write about wine I don't like. I don't want to be one of those yelpers who only bitch, especially when I know how much sacrifice goes into making great wine. I want to celebrate the Bereches of the world who go that extra mile to touch greatness, even though wine economics resist it. — 8 years ago
Montepuliano d'Abruzzo
Earth on the nose and mushroom in the mouth this was a real living soil experience. Paired great with carbonara. Note: Try the 'Emidio Pepe' d'Abruzzo in the future
£34 resto
Labottega Pastifico, Rome — 2 years ago
2013 Valentini for dinner at al Covo inVenezia. What can be said other than this followed up a bottle of Emidio Pepe at I Artisti we had at lunch. Quite a day of trebs. I know you are out there thinking well why the hell are you drinking this abruzzo stuff up north. Believe me this stuff shines with the cuisine here. Be prepared for more. — 7 years ago
Clay Bullwinkel
Superb. Forest floor, black cherries, fresh leather, mountain herbs. — a month ago