Predecessor
DuMOL
Chardonnay Lorenzo Vineyard 2019
Off the truck again, nice Chardonnay considering I didn’t give it a proper hold. Next bottle will be held in storage.
Winemaker’s Notes
The old vines at Lorenzo Vineyard produce one of our most distinctive wines each vintage - a bottling of deep concentration and completely transparent style that simply cannot be replicated elsewhere – terroir in action! These deep-rooted, low-yielding old vines offer such an astonishing level of dense fruit extract and botanical, savory complexity, that winemaking technique fades into the background as the vineyard expression holds sway. Very few vineyards are this dynamic.
For the 2019 bottling, there’s slightly less acidity than its 2018 predecessor, so this vintage has an opulence and viscosity that amplifies the texture of the wine, creating a sense of oily richness that is simply magical.
Piercing aromas of grapefruit and pear with thyme blossom, fresh mint, lemongrass, and lilac. The palate is immediately tangy and electric, precise and dynamic, before the wine’s deep texture and oily viscosity absorbs this vibrancy. Notes of sweet sage and fragrant botanicals dart in and out. The flavors are long, intense, and drawn out, pulsating to a long finish that features white pepper, grapefruit zest and flint. Serve at 58F – not too cool – and drink between 2022 and 2032. — 3 years ago
Tenuta Tascante
Ghiaia Nera Etna Rosso Nerello Mascalese 2017
Quite a different personality from its predecessor in 2016. This one is hyper floral with scents of geranium and damp rose petals, followed by what I can only describe as a candied maraschino cherry quality on the nose. The palate developed a more defined profile with a full day of aeration, showing crunchy cranberry, fresh thyme and hints of underbrush. Decidedly more delicate than the previous two vintages, but with striking character and nuance. Excellent with seared salmon. — 4 years ago
Turnbull Wine Cellars
Johnson Turnbull Vineyard Selection 82 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1986
Predecessor to today's Turnbull Winery..think around $30 bucks back in its time.
Double decant (decent chunky sediment) and pour. A sterling tawny ruby red color with good bricking. On the nose: A surprisingly expressive nose!......sweet aged cab perfume, cherries, Eucalyptus, cedar, green veggies, smoked meats. Taste: elegant, smooth, nice mouthfeel, medium body wine with dried black fruit, dried herbs, pepper, and a currant & leather medium finish with just a little tannic kick after all these years. A gift from a friend, and a TREAT to drink this Saturday night!!!!! — 4 years ago
Pio Cesare
Ornato Barolo Nebbiolo 1982
Cascina Ornato is located in the southern portion of Serralunga d’Alba, right along the ridge. The elevation is higher here and the Ornato MGA falls to the west and south from there. Ornato is nearly a monopole for Pio Cesare would it not be for a couple of parcels that are controlled by Palladino. This bottle of the 1982 was generously provided from the cellar of a good friend; it was opened and enjoyed over two days. On Day 1, half the bottle was poured into a decanter and served immediately. The color was a slightly hazy garnet with an orange rim. On the nose and the palate, the wine came across rather tired. It wasn’t dead…and it definitely wasn’t vinegar, it just was...a bit dull. Since there were other wines open that were showing very well, we let it sit. At the end of the night, we poured what was left back into the bottle and I elected to take it home; hoping that it might wake up overnight. On Day 2, the wine had transformed. The color had deepened and everything had brightened up! The nose is loaded with tar, desiccated red fruits, sweet pipe tobacco accompanied by porchini, forest floor and dried, cracked leather ball glove…like after pitching 6 innings of baseball in the middle of July (IYKYK). On the palate, the wine is dry with surprisingly vigorous structure! The tannins are more pronounced than they were the day before and there’s also great acid to give everything a buoyant lift and some youthful energy. The fruit and non-fruit notes from the nose are confirmed with an added element of red rope licorice. Somehow, this is younger today than it was yesterday. At forty years old, this bottle clearly needed time to stretch its legs. Drink now with several hours of air but remarkably well-cellared examples could last for many more years. An illuminating experience in so many ways!
Something worth noting: Pio Cesare did not begin bottling single-cru Barolo “Oranato” until 1985. Curiously, this bottle was labeled “Vino da Tavola del Piemonte”. I reached out to Pio Cesare in hopes of getting some additional information and they were very kind to share some helpful detail. It turns out this bottling was an idea from their former importer, Terlato, with grapes for this wine sourced by Cascina Ornato. It was a traditional blend of Nebbiolo and Barbera! A long time ago they had a small amount of Barbera planted there. Now, Ornato is more or less 100% Nebbiolo. The “Vino da Tavola del Piemonte” was a sort of predecessor to the “Langhe Rosso” designation since there were not many appellations back in those days. The more you know!
— a year ago
La Rioja Alta
Viña Ardanza Reserva Selección Especial Tempranillo Blend 2010
What a beauty. Worlds apart from the 2009 (both wines brilliant in their own right) but this 2010 Seleccion Especial is a much more elegant wine, showing more characteristics of age and less of the aggression shown by its predecessor. I think if anything the 2009 should be longer lived - this is brilliant now and no doubt will be for years to come but it doesn’t have the youthful exuberance of the ‘09. Still, a beautiful Rioja that will provide many years of enjoyment. — 4 years ago
Wulf Losee
2020 opened March 2024. I previously reviewed the 2018 — which was a fantastic wine which I gave a 9.8! Unfortunately the 2020 is not nearly as interesting. After decanting, it opened up quickly and faded. Still, it’s not a bad wine. It’s just not as great as its predecessor was. Mint and licorice on the nose. Candied cherries and sage on the front of the pallet. It has a medium body, but the tannic structure is kind of wooly — Feels like I’m tasting a cotton ball. But it has a long finish with strong mineral notes that remind me of volcanics soils. There’s a faint, creosote aftertaste on the finish , though. don’t get me wrong, it’s very drinkable — but it would need a big rare juicy steak to cover up that annoying creosote finish, and I don’t have one available at the moment. — a month ago