David Valenti

9.1

Tobacco, dried plum, chocolate and saw dust. Full-bodied, dry tannins. The bottle is 9 years old so probably on the downward slope. Hard to tell, in fact. Still great. — 11 days ago

Alexandre Pagliano

9.5

Medium dark robe, nose of steak tartare and cedar. Very complex and elegant in the mouth, great acidity and balance, licorice, dried flowers, a hint of dry port. Finishes on a beautiful acid note and is such a companion. Truly great bottle. You can barely tell the vintage. — 2 years ago

with Jose, veronique and 1 other

Conrad Green

9.5

Settled and pretty. Tell tale Barolo notes of tar and wood. Roses and faded plum with done dried herbs and a hint of dried orange. Balanced and transparent. Long. Very good. — 3 years ago

with Matt and Paul

Benjamin Shirk

9.3

McCarthy & Schiering, $50

Bittersweet occasion and went way above my budget to celebrate my birthday and also mourn Grandma Julie's passing. She loved CdP so thought I'd splurge on one. I've only had a couple but have loved every one I tried. This was a bit different, I'm used to bright fruit forward but this was very muted cooked dark fruit with a lot of emphasis on the baking spice and earthy tobacco notes. Incredibly complex - licorice, coffee, clove, tobacco with an underlying subtle dried/cooked dark fruit. Crazy smooth, but I'm comparing it to sub $20 wines that I'm used to, and you can barely tell that it's 15% alc. Nice tannins but I think it would benefit from a touch more acidity. I'm being picky since I paid so much for it but in summary it's one of the best made wines I've ever had, but not among my favorites. But it's still a great experience and I don't regret the purchase — 4 years ago

Anthony De Blasi

9.3

Reviews say I should wait untill at least 2028 to open it and I should have listened. The basics for a truly great wine are there but it’ still a bit of everywhere in terms of acidity and tannins. Time will tell… — 3 months ago

Peter van den Besselaar

8.9

Vintage 2020 | Licorice in smell, cherries, blackberries, I thought it to be pinot noir because it has a certain frivoliy. Wine with a story. Good effort. — 2 years ago

Jay Kline

9.2

Popped and poured. The 2018 Produttori del Barbaresco classico pours a garnet color with a transparent core; slightly orange around the rim. Medium+ viscosity with very light staining of a tears; no signs of sediment. On the nose, a mix of deep black and red fruits and wow…loads of tar. It’s bone dry, high tannin and medium+ acid. High alcohol. This is a tar bomb right now and the structure is absolutely monumental. The first time I drank the 2018 Nebbiolos from Piemonte, I thought they reminded me a lot of the 2010 vintage when it was young. And when I think about Produttori specifically, this bottle really reminds me of the way the 2010 drank around 5 years after vintage. Only time will tell if these follow a similar trajectory…but I suspect, yes. Drink now but expect a pile of tannin for at least the next 5-10 years and they should drink well for at least 20. — 3 years ago

Alexandre Pagliano

9.2

This delivered the goods ! Half as apéritif and another half two weeks later on a vacuvin closure. Excellent Sauternes on the more elegant side. Plenty of years ahead, you can barely tell the age. — 2 years ago

with Adriana and Jose

Brad Jensen

9.0

First impression: You can tell it’s from a top producer. It’s very refined and deliberate. Not delicate, but doesn’t hammer you. Velvety, with smooth tannins playin wayyy in the background. Like the bass line in jazz. The nose is there, but it it’s not all THAT bold, with notes of blueberry, dark rose, black cherry, and dark chocolate. Color is a deep red with purple melded in the middle. Surprisingly medium/light body, with light tannins, more to the rim and background but the flavors are surprisingly restrained, like there’s a hole in it. Good, but not great. — 2 years ago

Carlos Gonzalez

9.2

90% Pinot noir and you can tell. Medium body but light on its feet. Exotic and luscious. — 4 years ago