Mark Osmers

8.9

An impressive Cabernet Savignon from Paso. All the boldness I want with flavors of dark cherry and oak.

Surprised and delighted with this one!! — 18 days ago

Lars Miller

8.9

Compost on the nose, although we just opened this 6 year old bottle. So, ok. Truth time. We've had carmenere wines before and thought they were oddly flavored, off balanced, and overall not so great. Whew! Got that off my chest. This wine shows some real promise. Fully flavored with lovely red fruits, smooth tannins and silky finish. We enjoyed this and am sure it will open up. — 2 years ago

Sherry

9.1

Rainy day, brownies and Adelsheim pinot noir — 3 years ago

with jeff

Dean Bernal Sr.

9.5

2012 Voir Dire Cab Sauvignon w/grilled lamb chops. 😘 In wine there is truth. — 4 years ago

with Erika, Julie and 3 others

Vanessa

9.2

Tonight, we’re sipping a delicious Poggio Antico Brunello di Montalcino DOCG (2012).

The vineyards of Poggio Antico are situated on some of Montalcino’s highest hills (>1,500 ft elevation), overlooking the beautiful, sun-soaked landscape of Tuscany.

In a warm climate, high altitude sites like this benefit from a comparatively lower air temperature, greater diurnal range (warm days, cool nights), and enhanced solar intensity, particularly when vines are planted on hillsides, angled towards the sun.

These conditions (among others) are important for quality winemaking, for example, the intense sunshine promotes grape ripening (sugar accumulation; development of flavors, tannins, color), while the cooling influences help retain acidity and more delicate aromas in the grapes; they also enable a longer ripening period overall, setting the stage for a well-balanced, concentrated wine.

It was interesting to learn that Poggio Antico vinifies and matures its Sangiovese according to detailed soil units, leveraging what it calls a “geological symphony,” as a significant part of the terroir expression. It later blends (or “harmonizes”) these units with the aim of creating balance and complexity.

As a Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, this wine must be 100% Sangiovese and could not be released from Poggio for at least 5 years from the harvest, during which time it aged for at least 2 years in oak. Poggio exceeded these legal minimums by aging this wine for 4 years, including 3 years in traditional Slavonian oak barrels and one year in bottle.

We paired this wine with a homemade Bolognese. The spices of the sauce lent symmetry to the spice (nutmeg, clove) notes in the wine, which didn’t compete, but, rather, complemented each other. Also, the fat in the ground sirloin (along with the salty parmesan and decade+ of maturing) helped smooth the high tannins of the Sangiovese, enhancing our palates’ experience of other delicious dimensions.

It was molto bene! Cheers! — a year ago

with Deked1

Cindy Chiu

9.0

Sharp but smooths out as you drink it. — 4 years ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.5

2005 vintage. Almost tastes like it could have been released last week. Super youthful with dark berry and plum blasts. Decent structure but not oppressive. Catching this one just below the top of the bell curve. Hopefully, you’ve got more than one bottle kicking around on a piece of ground in your hometown. Other-worldly now but methinx it’s about to get even better. Last tasted in mid-June and same score but this bottle was slightly better. Seek this out-now. — 2 years ago

Brad Jensen

9.0

Bold notes of plum, ground pepper leathery notes with dusty, mouth drying tannins and a medium to heavy body, this was really a good blend for the smokehouse at the resort. — 3 years ago

with Tiva

Kapyrick Wine

9.0

v18. Very nice. Soft white pepper and smashed black cherry nose. Rich black cherry and blackberry fruit. Smooth, tight, cola, mocha , soft leather and ground pepper finish. Lot of words , but well balanced! — 3 years ago

Jay Wyper

9.2

A nice middle ground between oak and steel finish. Not overly fruity but the Chardonnay fruit is there. Smooth finish with a little butter. Great with food. — 4 years ago