Matt Perlman

9.3

Traditional Etna winemaking right here and reliably great. Lifted bouquet of red berries and cherries with floral and woodsy underbrush tones, palate is fresh and silky with fine dusty tannins — 2 months ago

Jay Kline

9.4

Served double-blind as a sort of epilogue to an already epic night. This was served alongside another red wine that was also presented double-blind. Immediately, I called this Sangiovese from Toscano and the other from the Southern Rhone (which was later to be revealed as a 2010 Chateau Rayas). This poured a deeper garnet color with a nearly opaque core. On the nose, it smelled Italian. Tart cherries, black tea, dried herbs, dusty earth and some dried spices too. On the palate, the wine was bone dry and medium+ across the board. This came across very traditional in terms of winemaking which I found very attractive yet, this was holding something back. Almost like it was opened ten years too soon. I thought about a young Pergole Torte…then it was revealed to be a 2012 Biondi-Santi Riserva. Wow…no wonder! A lovely wine with a bright (and long) future ahead of it but I would hold these for later if I had some in my cellar. Best after 2030. — 10 months ago

Steven Gullo

9.3

Opens up fairly quick with an earthy nose of rosemary, tobacco, wet leaves. Certainly a traditional approach to winemaking. Elegant and soft tannins. — 2 years ago

J. Kim

9.4

A wine of complete harmony and restraint. Balance is backward with tremendous amount of reserve. A striking feature of this wine is plush, weighty and soft attack which is immediately enveloped by grippy tannins. There is neither artificiality nor rusticity, just a great material made by almost perfect vintage and enlightened traditional winemaking. While this is undoubtedly great and fully deserves the single vineyard designate, it might not be for those who like their wines to be aggressive and immediately attractive. — 4 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.6

An interesting back story. This wine is from the Geelong District in Victoria. In 1848 Swiss Vigneron James Henry Dardel commenced the establishment of Paradise Winery and Vineyards, I, II, III and IV on the banks of the Moorabool River at Batesford near Geelong. He won local and overseas acclaim for his wines before the Geelong Wine industry was destroyed by phylloxera in 1881. In 1988 planting was re-established on the site of the original Paradise IV Vineyard by Graham and Ruth Bonney. The vineyard faces north east and has a unique soil profile of decomposed granite over limestone marl. The vineyard is low cropped and the wines are made using traditional winemaking techniques. The wine is Northern Rhone in style. Red florals with lots of spice and charcuterie. Rich and savoury on the medium plus bodied palate. Only 240 dozen made. Is there a square mile of Victoria not suitable for viticulture? — 4 months ago

Jay Kline

9.5

Brought from my cellar and opened just before dinner at Casa Bovina where it was decanted with the expectation that it would be paired with our “Della Terre” course of duck and our “Bistecca” course of Certified Piedmontese rib cap. In the glass, the 2005 Luigi Baudana, “Baudana” pours a gorgeous, almost youthful garnet with a transparent core. On the nose, oooof…be still my beating heart! Cherries, strawberries, and blackberries with tar, truffles, roses and earth. I could just sit and sniff this for hours; my God it is absolutely divine! On the palate, the wine is bone dry and the tannins are well integrated now; acid at medium+. The finish is long and silky. What a gorgeous, elegant example of the 2005 vintage that comes across as Burgundian as any I’ve had from Serralunga d’Alba. This is drinking well now and will continue to do so well past 2030 but unless you have a bunch of this in your cellar, why wait?

It should be noted that Luigi was still responsible for the winemaking back in 2005. Just a few years later, the Vajra family took over and they continue to carry on the tradition and spirit of this small, traditional producer as Luigi and Fiorina have since retired and have no heir. The Baudana’s holdings lie on opposite ends of the Baudana MGA. Production remains minuscule; maybe 300 cases a year. — a year ago

Ian Hamel

9.2

2020 spring / summer. While the swing back towards traditional winemaking in Barolo and Barbaresco is wonderful to see, it seems that there are still many banner barberas made with lots of new oak and the like. There are plenty of simple, delicious barberas made in a balanced fashion, finding a traditionally-made wine exploring barbera’s potential in top sites isn’t all that common. Here’s an example of why that’s a shame - effusive with black and red fruit, concentrated without being heavy, balancing acidity and tannin, and a bit of spice — 4 years ago

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! — 10 months ago

with Deked1

Peter Zandbergen

9.3

This is a serious Chardonnay that will outshine many Chardonnay wines at double its price. Should visit Rheinhessen soon to meet the winemakers, curious to hear their thoughts on winemaking with non traditional German grapes — 3 years ago

with Elise

Matt

9.3

Captures just about everything I want in Meursault. Traditional winemaking, lovely weight and dimension backed by just the right amount of tension. Harmony of oxidation and reduction. Beautiful ripe citrus and orchard blossoms, hazelnut, struck flint, subtle spice, sweet lees, wet limestone. One of the more generous Narvaux wines I’ve tried, this had an amplitude to it that I don’t normally find in what I normally consider and more tense and leaner site. It was singing on day 2 — 4 years ago