David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.6

96 that leans deep into 97. Always stunning from this producer regardless of vintage. Producer trust.

This still has dark, round, meaty, backbone tannins, dark currents w/ Indian/Asian spices. Ruby, lush; blackberries, black raspberries, black plum w/ dry skin, darkest of cherries, raspberry hues, purple fruits hues, deep baking spices, dark chocolate bar, mocha, caramel, dry top soil, crushed limestone powder, dry tobacco/leather, dry herbs-bay leave/sage, dry, slightly candied to withering flowers framed in violets/lavender, excellent, round acidity with a finish that is well structured, balanced, nicely tensioned & elegantly polished finish that falls onto dry earth & lasts minutes.

This 2001 is still youthful & has at least another decade well stored. — 4 months ago

M. Christopher Roebuck

9.4

A near perfect balance 2010 Brunello... Acid, sugar, alcohol, body, tannin... Absolutely perfect. Unfortunately, I drank too fast to form more detailed notes. But trust the number I give it.

94 points — 4 years ago

Andrew Lohse

9.2

Pungent: floral, wool, oxidative AF, extreme acidity. Slight skin contact/phenolic. Wildflowers, camomile, orange zest, almond, grapefruit. Tart apricot, dried apricot. Stunner — 5 years ago

Bart Bartlett

9.1

A deliciously complex wine that starts bright and acidic, has a big dark fruit middle, and a smooth sea salt and chocolate finish. It's very well balanced! — 10 months ago

with Jennifer

Erik Longabardi

9.4

Dolcetto. In the hands of Flavio Roddolo is something beautiful. Trust me. — 3 years ago

Verissa Puen-Sadsad

9.0

Phoenix, 2017, to commemorate the fires Napa endured — 4 years ago

Justin Wade

9.8

LOVE THIS WINE! So incredibly sad the winery is gone. 100% Petit Syrah. Great dark purple color. Nose of raspberries, red current, blackberries. Full bodied, velvet like. Taste of slight pepper, blackberries, jammy. Mmmmmmm..... miss this place!!! — 5 years ago

West G. Phifer

9.0

Two words come to mind when tasting this standout of a bottle: “apricots” and “finish.” Tasting notes may be subjective, to say the least, but this deep red beauty brings to mind the brighter stonefuits like apricots and nectarines. Don’t let the full body and enticing nose fool you, this wine has a bit of punchiness to it, and trust me you’re gonna love it. The longer finish you’ll find with Freakshow is exactly as desired, this wine gently sticks square on the top of the tongue. To whom would I recommend Freakshow’s Cabernet of damn near any vintage? Well, frankly, everyone. But if you’re looking to impress that date and the only thing you know about their wine preference is simply the word “red,” then do both of you a favor and grab this bottle. — 2 years ago

Jay Kline

9.3

A couple of weeks back, I opened a bottle of the 2017 that was supposed to be my first impression of the latest release. Ferrando’s Carema “Etichetta Bianca” is one of my favorite wines in Piemonte and, well, it was a false start. It was brown, tasted like it was 30 years old, full of secondary characteristics and lacking any of the elegance or structure I’ve come to expect from these wines year in and year out. The cork appeared to be perfect; not sure what happened. It was just, flat. So, I opened another one of my bottles this weekend to see if I was dealing with a much broader issue. Much to my delight, this bottle was proper.

Tonight, the wine poured a striking, garnet color with a transparent core and a slightly watery rim. No staining of the tears. No signs of sediment. The wine is intense, woodsy, and has the smell of strong BO, spicy but in a good way? Like someone put on a fancy cologne to cover the fact that they haven’t showered in a week. Weird…I know…but trust me. You’ll smell it and then you’ll like it. Red flowers, red fruits like dried cherries and porchini too. On the palate, the wine is dry with high tannin and medium+ acid. Long finish. Dried cherries, exotic spices and dried herbs. Overall, I got the impression of a round but rustic wine; unique in a way I have come to expect from these wines over the years. I had a little bit left in the bottle that I held over until the next day and it became even more fresh on Day 2. Based off my experience, you can certainly open these now and enjoy with some patience but I think these will benefit from some time in the cellar. Next bottle after 2027. — 3 years ago

David Bettencourt

8.9

Cherries, tobacco and mint on the nose. A sharp finish where the alcohol doesn’t blend as well as it should. Maybe another year or two in the bottle would bring it together. I have a few more bottles, so we will see. — 5 years ago