Freddy R. Troya

9.3

Casalino – Brunello di Montalcino 2020
Brunello di Montalcino DOCG – Tuscany – Italy 🇮🇹

Overview
100% Sangiovese (Brunello clone) from Montalcino, crafted in a more approachable, mid-range style. This vintage emphasizes balance and harmony, showcasing the elegance of Brunello without excessive austerity.

Aromas & Flavors
Ripe red cherry, plum, and dried cranberry lead the profile, layered with hints of leather, tobacco, and subtle spice. A touch of earthiness adds depth and classic Brunello character.

Mouthfeel
Medium to medium-plus body with soft, well-integrated tannins and a refined structure. The balance between acidity and texture is seamless, leading to a long, smooth, and satisfying finish.

Food Pairings
Ideal with braised meats, wild game, mushroom risotto, or aged cheeses. Also shines with classic Tuscan dishes like bistecca alla Fiorentina.

Verdict
A beautifully balanced Brunello that leans into elegance and drinkability. Not overly aggressive—just harmonious, structured, and genuinely enjoyable. A great entry point or casual luxury Brunello.

Did You Know?
Brunello di Montalcino must be aged a minimum of 5 years before release (including at least 2 years in oak), which is why even approachable styles carry inherent depth and structure.

🍷 Personal Pick
A “weekday Brunello” (yes, that’s a thing 😄) refined enough to impress, relaxed enough to enjoy without ceremony. — 2 months ago

Daniel M

8.9

Super fun, easy going beaujo. A bit of barnyard funk at first which goes away after a while. Then it's a bright cherry juice scent, some hay, almost a salty, meaty thing too, lurking in the back, very subtle. The palate is very well made and balanced. Good acid drive, cherry and savoury touches all along, some width, a nice and soft mouthfeel, no tannins to speak of, and a great and rather long fruity finish with a tiny meaty, salty note in the end. Pure beaujo expression, in a rather Non-intervention, natural style. — 3 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.1

August Sebastiani & brother-in-law, Kendrick Coakley, craft small-lot wines made with minimal intervention, so one can enjoy the truest representation of each appellation & how its terroir impacts specific varietals. Came across this rarity & tried several vintages, aged 20 months in French oak. Aromas of ripe berry fruits & floral spice notes. On the palate flavors of plum, raspberry & blueberry, cinnamon spice with tobacco and spice. Fine tannins, long finish ending with vanilla oaky. Great value! Small production. — 4 years ago

MICHAEL COOPER DipWSET

Owner TomeVinos wine shops, WSET Level 3, Blogger www.spanishwinesandmore.com, blog.tomevinos.com

9.2

We tasted a lot of wines in #montalcino and this is the bottle we bought to take home with us. Delicious and generous. #brunello ANNUAL PRODUCTION:
30.000/35.000 bott.
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PRODUCTION AREA:
The vineyards are in the hills of Montalcino, at different heights and with a sun exposure until sunset. The age of the vineyards from which we select the grapes destined to produce Brunello is more than 20 years. Average altitude of the vineyards: 250 mt s.l.m.
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SOIL:
Tuffaceous clay, very rich in fossils.
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GRAPE VARIETY:
Large Sangiovese 100%.
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TRAINING SYSTEM:
bilateral and balanced cordon.
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DENSITY FOR HECTARE:
5.500
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PRODUCTION SYSTEM:
The vineyards are subject to thinning of bunches, the average criteria is, in good vintages, three bunches of five stay on. The grapes thus obtained are further selected in the cellar, where they are processed according to the old tradition. It proceeds to intense extraction in the early stages of fermentation, followed by long quiescent maceration on the marc; the maximum temperature is raised up to 33 °C and maintained at high values until the racking. The ageing in wood lasts 36 months in oak barrels from Slavonia hl 17.50. It follows bottle ageing for 12 months far beyond the mandatory minimum of four months from production regulations. — 6 years ago

Ron Siegel

10

Domaine Bizot lunch today hosted by their winemaker Thomas Berry. This is a producer who’s wines are virtually impossible to find. They have 9 plots with an average yearly production at 9000 btls. Whole cluster with some new oak, very small yields & small amounts of sulphur added. Their wines are lush & pure with no intervention showing purity of fruit, sweet spices along with floral notes. They are so delicious now you can drink them young but will reward long term cellaring. (Aka Liger Belair) — 6 years ago

Tom Inners

9.4

So old world in its interpretation and how it showed with graceful age here in 2019. Very little intervention in the winemaking as I have come to understand it from Randall and getting to know these wines past and present. A surprise winner of the bottles opened as part of dinner in good company. I will keep my eyes peeled for more bottles of the 1980’s vintages from LG as I have seen a few pop up across Sonoma County’s wine honey holes 🍯 — 8 years ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.2

Valserrano – Tempranillo & Graciano – 2018
Rioja DOCa – Rioja Alavesa, Spain 🇪🇸

Overview
A classic Gran Reserva blend of Tempranillo with a small percentage of Graciano, aged extensively in oak and bottle. The 2018 vintage delivers depth, elegance, and maturity without excess weight, a refined display of Rioja Alavesa pedigree.

Aromas & Flavors
Black cherry, dried fig, redcurrant, and plum layered with cedar, leather, vanilla bean, clove, and cocoa. Subtle dried herbs and balsamic notes appear with air, adding savory complexity.

Mouthfeel
Medium-plus body with silky, integrated tannins and balanced acidity. Supple, harmonious texture with a long, elegant finish that leans more refined than powerful.

Food Pairings
Roast lamb, duck breast, grilled ribeye, aged Manchego, or mushroom risotto.

Verdict
A beautifully composed Gran Reserva that blends classic Rioja maturity with freshness and finesse. Complex, layered, and quietly profound, more about harmony and nuance than sheer extraction.

Did You Know?
Gran Reserva wines represent only a small fraction of Rioja production and must undergo a minimum of 5 years of aging, including at least 2 years in oak and 2 years in bottle, resulting in their signature silky texture and developed aromatics. — 7 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.5

2013 vintage. Decanted with a little sed. Great cork. Tremendous power and on the leaner side of the ledger...think bigg vintage Leoville Las Cases or 80's/early 90's Montelena or *gasp* La Jota before the Helen Turley fruit bomb intervention in the early 90’s. Drinking a little "hot" but only at 14.9% ABV. Definite palate-wrecker with tannins for daze. Will take this wine in their lineup nearly every time vs the pricier and smoother Pritchard Hill shizz. The off the charts QPR is easily tasted vs the rest of their Cab/Cab-based lineup. Awesome now but will consolidate even further into a wolverine wine. Be very afraid. If you're looking for a quiet, placid dinner for two, then a rom-com snugglefest, this is not your beautiful house. This is someone else's beautiful wife. 12.01.24. — 2 years ago

Diederick Swagemakers

9.0

Needs 2-4 more years minimum — 4 years ago

Vinoland.com

9.6

Barbaresco of a beautiful vintage, 2008, coming from a, we can say it, grand cru of Barbaresco, the Montestefano, completely exposed to the South, good component of blue marl in the subsoil.
The wine after two hours of opening is expressed with intense balsamic sensations of gentian, liquorice, dark chocolate and dark tones such as underbrush, musk and mushrooms and hints of ripe fruit.
Tannin still tense and alive, significant that would still be able to age very well.

Great Barbaresco with a complex and rich sip, fully representative of the territory.

Very little sulphur and intervention both in the vineyard and in the cellar.

Highly recommended — 6 years ago

Evan Bloom

9.1

Needs some decant time - 2hrs minimum. Chocolate, cherry, smoke, raspberry. Quite nice- worth letting it sit in my wine rack for 6 years! — 6 years ago

Matt Sterr

9.4

15 years age minimum. 1,000 (approx) bottles released per year from this solera. Motor oil color, perfect for dessert. — 7 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.1

Opened 375ml bottle. Made from Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz and Tinta Barroca by blending wines that are matured for a minimum of 10 years. Nice topaz color with gentle sweet aromas of spice and almonds. On the palate dried red fruit flavors, well balanced with lively acidity, very fresh taste. Lingering finish ending with pleasant oak and honey tones. One of the best 10 year Tawny's I have tasted. The 375ml was a perfect size. — 8 years ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.1

Bodegas Faustino – Faustino V Reserva
Tempranillo-based Blend 2016
DOCa Rioja – Spain 🇪🇸

Overview
A classic Rioja Reserva built primarily on Tempranillo, aged in a combination of American and French oak (minimum 24 months), followed by extended bottle aging. The 2016 vintage shows a particularly approachable and polished profile.

Aromas & Flavors
Red cherry, dried plum, vanilla, clove, and subtle baking spices, with a gentle earthy undertone.

Mouthfeel
Medium-bodied with silky texture, integrated tannins, and a smooth, elongated finish. Elegant and already well-resolved.

Food Pairings
Grilled meats, roasted chicken, mushroom dishes, or classic tapas.

Verdict
A clean, elegant, and highly approachable Rioja Reserva. Already cruising at its peak—drink now and enjoy.

🍷 Did You Know?
Rioja Reserva wines must age at least 3 years before release, with a minimum of 1 year in oak—Faustino typically exceeds this, enhancing integration and smoothness. — a year ago

Noah Chasin

9.3

Really special bottle nearly sabotaged by the waiter’s feeble attempts at coping with the cork. Stellar and refined, still not really at its peak after three hrs but sublime. Would love to drink a bottle over a couple of days. Winemaker evidently says that the bottles take a minimum of 30 yrs to come to maturity. First bottling was 1982! — a year ago

Stefan Dolhain

9.5

2007 colheita, bottled in 2022. You can't go wrong with Dirk Niepoort's colheitas and this freshly bottled 2007 is a beauty. Niepoort colheitas are typically bottled after minimum 10 years in barrel (the legal minimum being 7 years) and the first bottling for this 2007 took place in March 2018. While they won't go bad in bottle, you might as well get them as fresh as possible. Brilliant tawny colour. Wonderful aromatics with candied fruits, orange peel, salted caramel and coffee. In the mouth it is amazingly fresh, with bright acidity balancing the dried figs and plums and the refined tannic backbone. Impressively long finish with candied orange, dark chocolate and coffee. A beautiful meditation wine and exceptional value. Abv. 18,9%. — 3 years ago

Edo Wachters

8.9

The Tabarrini Montefalco Sagrantino ages 18 months in casks, 18 months in small barrels and 18 months in the bottle before its release. This is an absolute minimum to tame its tannines. The wine is dark, dense and a mouthful! Its firm structure is accompanied by cherry, plum, and black berry. Age worthy still! — 6 years ago

Vinoland.com

9.5

🍇🥰A beautiful and sincere expression of Barbaresco, of the true and hard Basarin cru, almost a Barolo with a lot of tannins, a seductive nose and finish with very pleasant balsamic sensations accompanied by rose and cherry. Probably still young, it needs time. Very little intervention both in the vineyard and in the cellar under 50 Mg/L. — 6 years ago

Boris Mathiszik

8.9

Straight forward crisp SB. This is what makes NZ so reliable. Any random supermarket bottle meets the minimum cut off. This one is great for a quick Christmas Eve lunchtime quaff and to add to all the sauces we’re prepping for tonight. 😊 — 7 years ago

Kyle Harvey

9.2

Wine #2 -minimal intervention Cru Beauj - funky, tart cherry, surprisingly clean finish. Perfect for first slate of NFL games on European time. — 8 years ago