Nice Brunello but not quite singing - even with a decant it’s surprisingly rustic and slightly muddled in the finish. Nice deep red fruit on the nose, lots of earth. Excellent pairing with a big grilled meal. Finish is long, but doesn’t have the lifting acid I was hoping for. — 3 years ago
Bit underwhelming, which is sad. We had this wine on the first night of our honeymoon at Santceloni in Madrid (still remember the two tables of cheese selection at the end of the meal - fantastic). Tonight it’s just not all perfectly together - the oak pokes out a bit and the finish is a bit muddled. Had with steaks on our anniversary. — 3 years ago
One of the bottles I provided for a co-hosting with Mark at the City Club wine group.
Always a treat to open a birth year wine. I had this last year and this bottle seemed to have more stuffing. It was less muddled/clay driven and more distinctly black fruit and spice heavy. Next to a ‘79 Montelena, it wasn’t as full-bodied, but it certainly had more tannin. The tannic finish was quite pronounced and bolstered throughout the lunch. Mid-palate was herbal and black currant with faint tart red fruit and tobacco. Fun to drink. — 2 years ago
I’ve been wondering when to open this wine, and when a local group decided to do a Pinot theme blind, I thought this would be a fun contender.
My second time with this wine in the last year, and I remain impressed at how this 13yr old Alsatian Pinot is holding up. Translucent ruby in the glass. Doesn’t seem to show much bricking, actually. Aromatically, it’s bretty…smells more Bordeaux like than anything else. Leather, herbs de Provence, underripe black cherries. The palate shows a small bit of carbonic character (not with the bubble gum vibe, but more of that cru bojo wintergreen profile). The fruit shows a faded/muddled profile due to the age, but there is plenty of dirty raspberry, black cherry and a savory red clay like note. Good acidity still. While this is on the downside, I’m hard pressed to say this is way over the hill. It’s actually a really fun and delicious wine to enjoy over an evening (especially with food). — 2 years ago
Our table quite enjoyed this wine, we had it served slightly chilled. Nice mineral and herb notes on the nose followed by citrus and earthy taste. The finish was a little muddled but long and delicious with some light honey. — 3 years ago
Another highly detailed set of notes lost by Delectable! Guys come on, I'm working here...
I'll try to remember what I had written, but now it won't be as eloquent. Muddled blue/black fruit on the nose and palate. Hints of black olive, anise, bell pepper. Full, round, satisfying body. Medium plus alcohol, medium acidity, firm yet smooth tannins. Super long finish. Hold or more fun... DRINK!
95 points — 3 years ago
Fucking glorious Garnacha. Sous bois, turned earth, wet leaves, cinnamon, ground cloves, pepper, allspice, tar, crushed black plum and cherry fruit, almost dried tones mixed in, burnt earth, dried herbs, wilted flowers. Nose is subtle, but definition is there. Plate is a kaleidoscope of dark spices, savory earth, and gorgeous muddled fruit. Exotic, alluring in every sense, structured w/ powerful tannin almost reminiscent of Nebbiolo. A captivating wine in terms of texture and elegance. — 3 years ago
Shay A
Had this a few times, but I was finally able to sit down and analyze it over an evening. Their only cuvée produced in 2014.
Upfront, rollercoaster aromatics initially…rich, then mellowed out with an hour of air. After a few hours of air, a much more ripe CdP profile came out. Great bridge wine from Cali GSMs to bigger CdPs. Deep red in the glass with aromatics of fig, brambly red and black fruits. On the palate, big but not unbalanced. No trace of brett. Soft fig, muddled underripe black cherry, garrigue (smoked herbs); lengthy finish. Kiss of black pepper. Big Grenache vibe here. Lovely with air. Probably best in the near term based on the fruit forward structure. — a year ago