
2014 G.B. Crane El Coco
45% Zin 41% Petitie Sirah 14% Merlot.
A Dave Phinney wine.
45/ 60 minute decanting.
Color dark garnet/purple.
The nose certainly grabs your attention. Blueberries, dried lavender, rosemary, orange mist. That’s unique.
Palate- Medium bodied, tannins & acidity are right down the middle 5/10. Black fruits & jam is most noticeable, influenced by some nice soft blue fruit. Secondary notes of Cedar, black candies. Vanilla hit you on the mid -palate until the very end. Surprising elegant finish. Drinking now. — 5 years ago
I adore Verduno and also import this wine. So I’m biased. But no fake news here. As good as any Verduno out there with apologies to Burlotto. Light strawberry color. Stunning nose. Roses, spices, sweet cherries, minerals, tree bark. So so good. Just inviting. Who needs chillable Gamay? Some leather as well. Just delightful. Even some white pepper. Palate is fresh and energetic with lovely elegant lights fruit and terrific transparency. Round but also fresh and earthy. Hints of raspberry iced tea, barely there tannins. Don’t think, just drink. — 6 years ago
cherries. blackberries. raspberries. granite. moss. dried leaves. nice tannins. buy again. from flatiron. — 7 years ago
Lovely, herbal and spicy, sour cherry. Delicate and yet intense and concentrated (flavor, not extraction). Reminiscent of Burlotto pelaverga to me. — 8 years ago
Выпито в тот же день вторым вином с Саввасом и Николасом. Достойнейшее неббиоло. — a month ago
Mention “Monvigliero” around any Barolo nut and there is a better than good chance you might witness the following behavior: waxing poetic in hushed tones, sighing, swooning…possibly fainting. Monvigliero truly is the zeitgeist. For over 40 years, Comm. G.B. Burlotto (and Fratelli Alessandria before them), have quietly been making great single-vineyard Monvigliero and it was only in the last 10-15 years that the world started to catch on to the magic that was happening in Verduno. In the last handful of years alone, there have been a flurry of producers with holdings in Monvigliero that have released their own single-vineyard expression. However, what many may not realize is that Enrico Scavino and his daughters have been producing a “Monvigliero” since 2007, making them one of the first half dozen to do so. I’m only suggesting that the Scavino’s knew there was something special there well before the hype train came to the station.
Popped and poured; enjoyed with dinner and over the course of a couple hours. The 2020 “Monvigliero” pours a deep garnet color with a transparent core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. The nose is gorgeous; seemingly darker fruited with blackberry, pomegranate, black cherry lozenges, roses and spice box. On the palate, the wine is bone dry with high tannin (though friendly) and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and lithe. An elegant wine and downright delicious. I think Paolo Scavino did a fabulous job of capturing the synergy of what Mother Nature gave in the 2020 vintage and the source of their fruit in the heart of the Monvigliero MGA. These are very early days for this wine but it’s already a joy to drink now but I expect this will continue a lovely evolution through 2038, easy. — 2 years ago
Dark, fairly rustic and brooding. Better on the second night. It’s similarly unflattering as the Burlotto enjoyed recently. I’m thinking of Friesa as the Nuit St George off Piedmont. Next to the 2017 Rinaldi Dolcetto open at same time it’s more savoury and has more depth on the palate but is less bright on acidity. — 5 years ago
A tough darker than the Monvigliero — 7 years ago
Shows the warm of the ‘09 vintage very well. Succulent, full, guided by its overt personality than alluring tension. Plenty of bright acid, tannins are sleek and show a musculature nature without being too dominating on the palate. Ripe black cherry, roasted strawberry, candy cap mushroom, tar, rose, licorice candy, ferns, Ceylon, ting of allspice. Very happy with how this drank, perfect for homemade Pappardelle w/braised rabbit (in Burlotto Pelaverga of course) — 8 years ago
This is a super star wine. I am blown away. Nose is super pure strawberry like young Giacosa. Insane and vivid spices. Unreal earthiness and minerality. Like a loamy character. Wow. So many roses. Just insane. So so stunning. Tree bark but sweet? 9.7 nose? I think so. It’s so deep, layered and just ethereal. The strawberry is just so insane and detailed. Palate is gorgeous and loaded with sweet fruit and so much sap. Fierce tannins and an incredible finish that doesn’t quit. So balanced and super pure. Killer inner mouth aromas. Unreal fruit, energy and structure but also lithe and elegant. This is also unapologetically old school. This is like is Burlotto made Carema. Really spectacular creaminess as well with just incredible energy and length. This is a baby but will age 30+ years and needs maybe 10. The length is just insane. Let’s see what air does. 9.5 for now but with room for improvement. This has crazy crazy acidity and freshness but is buffered by amazing fruit.
This improved for 3 days. Fruit got more concentrated and ethereal. So juicy and complex and amazing saturation and length. If Arpepe and Rocche de Bar ari collaborated in Carema is what this wine is like. 9.5 to 9.6 over 3 days. — 3 years ago


Fairly transparent for Barbera and light in alcohol at 13.5%. Lovely bright nose, ripe of red cherry with a floral twist. On the palate it tastes quite evolved with a secondary profile that is very appealing. Could almost pass for a barolo. Probably best Barbera I’ve tried and better than the Burlotto Aves and Vietti Scarrone tried alongside. — 6 years ago
Crane Assembly centered around a unique 8-acre vineyard located in St. Helena & believed that George Beldon Crane, or simply G.B. Crane, first established grapes on this site in 1885. A blend of 76% Zinfandel, 13% Charbono, 6% Grenache and 5% Petite Sirah, aromas of fruit and sweet spice. On the palate jammy plum flavors with tons of complex spice and oak. Full rich tannins, great mouthfeel, lingering ending with pepper cigar box spice. Very nice! — 7 years ago
Chris MacLean
So good. Wait, is Delectable back? Why is this working? — 5 days ago