Model Farm Wines
Azienda Agricola il Borghetto
Montigiano Sangiovese 2018
2021/5/5-6 with mole chichilo and chicken, katsuo tataki, etc. I adore this wine; this year’s model is especially effusive and giving. Soaring raspberry, strawberry, cherry and flowers - it really is Burgundian, but with that twist of blood orange that says Chianti. Limpid like cool spring water but with a savory mineral depth. People sometimes talk about dangerously drinkable wines, but this is truly that - so delicious and moreish it’s hard to stop. — 4 years ago
Luis Seabra Vinhos
Granito Cru Vinho Verde Monção Alvarinho 2017
Luis Seabra makes statement wines. This Albariño is med yellow in color with a nose of apple, pear almond and citrus. The creamy palate adds pineapple and peach. The wine is focused and a model of precision that offers a protracted finish. Not your quaffing vinho verde. His Xisto Cru blanco is even better. — 4 years ago
Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben
Mosel Riesling 2021
Feb 2024: not too sophisticated but a typical Model Riesling, very nice, good value — a year ago
Guerrieri Rizzardi
Calcarole Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Corvina Blend 2011
Wow. This is one classy amarone. Well defined notes of dry dirt, dry flowers, and dried fruit on the nose. Smooth and sweet on palate, well balanced. A stunner, a model of its type - tough to picture a better amarone. Gift from Nate. — 4 years ago
Podere l'aja
Chianti Classico 2015
Almond, cherry, and a bit of a mineral thing I can't place. A rather typical nose, rather intense. The palate is a model of balance: a wonderful sour cherry radiates throughout the entire palate. A good width with a thick matter, especially on the sides. A very smooth mouthfeel which reminds me of velvet. Some sweetness too, especially in mid palate, just before some drying yet gentle tannins which kick off a very fruity finish with those almond and sour cherry notes. A slight bitterness can be found in the end too. This is a good effort, I like it! — 4 years ago
Domaine Drouhin
Laurène Dundee Hills Pinot Noir 2018
My fave Oregon Pinot producer. A model of subtlety, modesty and restraint. Smooth and round. Moderately sweet with restrained acidity. Will effortlessly cellar for 10 - 15 years. — a year ago
Delectable Wine
Follow to learn about our favorite wines & people.
Cedar and mint hints complement depths of musky red currant and dried cherries as the darkly alluring 2016 Brunello di Montalcino smolders up from the glass. This is a model of purity, with textures of pure silk. It's vibrant, verging on nervous acidity, mixing ripe strawberry with a tart cranberry crunch as orange traces add further depth toward the close. Still structured yet not aggressively so, the 2016 finishes long and staining. A gentle tug of fine tannins adds youthful poise as the cheeks pucker for another sip. This is already showing beautifully, yet patience is recommended. (Eric Guido, Vinous, December 2023)
— a year ago