Jay Kline

9.4

My previous bottle of the 2014 Montecillo was enjoyed back in January of 2021. That bottle, as my previous notes indicated, exhibited quite a bit of volatile acidity. This bottle did not seem to have much VA at all. In fact, this showed well right from the moment the cork was pulled.

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of a game of 10 point pitch. The 2014 Montecillo pours a garnet/purple color with a near opaque core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with gorgeous, lifted notes of cassis, black berries, leaf tobacco, Anaheim peppers, Herbs de Provence, eucalyptus and minerals. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long a with spices and minerals. Really tasty and distinctive stuff. I’m in no rush to openly third and final bottle. Drink now with patience, through 2039. — 19 days ago

Aaron Tan

8.9

Likely not an ideal bottle with what I felt was excessive volatile acidity. Nevertheless, the red fruits and spices were still clear, and the velvety texture was quite delightful. Finished with bright acidity and an acetic-mineral mix. Probably a showstopper if pristine. — 3 years ago

Josh Morgenthau

9.3

Well this has come a long way in a year and a half. Opens with a blast of flowers and fruit. Roses and lilac. Really crazy perfume, so unique for pinot noir. Don’t know how this manages to be so consistently high wire, flirting with serious volatile acidity, yet maintaining such balance and cleanness. Florals just open more and more with time, with notes of porcini and savage spice; cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, cardamom. — 4 years ago

Joe Weinberger

9.1

Quite volatile upon opening but settled down after about an hour. Great with pizza. — 2 years ago

Barberry Garden

9.1

Tasted blind while knowing the list of wines. Guessed only the appellation. And it's funny cause I tasted this wine almost a year ago and my notes are pretty much the same. A sophisticated bouquet of Nordic berries, (volatile) horse sweet, cranberry, chocolate and caramel. Juicy, fresh, vibrant, medium-bodied and stylish. Very good balance.

Tasted on 2023-07-21 — 2 years ago

Aaron Tan

9.2

An impressive first run with this producer. Started off very pure fruited with high-toned black cherries and cassis, along with some light reduction that gave it a flinty quality. As the reduction blew away, it revealed beautiful stem aromatics - flowers and incense, with a strange, yet attractive iodine-like twist. Excellent structure, with chalky tannins, fleshy fruit, and limestone-derived minerality/verticality. A little volatile acidity perceivable in the backend, but it doesn’t detract from the lengthy finish. Frankly, it drank like a cru Beaujolais (would have called it if blinded), but perhaps with more weight and tannins (rougher too). Paired with some lamb tacos, this was in a league of its own. A one on the binary scale! — 3 years ago

Ian Hamel

9.2

2023/10 with fresh homemade tagliatelle, etc. On the first day, lovely rich aromas and a palate that blends structure with transparency as only the Langhe really can, in Canonica’s left-field neo-classical way. A couple of days later, the nose had become rather volatile for me - since Canonica wines can live on the edge this wasn’t shocking, but a little unfortunate — 2 years ago

Matt Perlman

9.3

A bit volatile initially but settled into a nice lifted cherry / grounded baked earth classic Sicilian vibe. This is OG and never disappoints (that bottle shape though…) — 3 years ago

Fredybeans

8.9

Un peu tourmenté et pas trop en place et si la matière est belle la volatile me dérange — 4 years ago

Ian Hamel

9.1

2021/4. This was back to its wonderful self after the slightly volatile 2017 - lots of earthy cherry fruit — 5 years ago