Tom Casagrande

9.2

Not sure this is Napa Valley AVA, but I am sure it’s good. 50% Cab, 40% Zin, 10% Syrah. Deep color and deep red and blue fruit on the nose, nice graphite and gravel accents. Deep and soft in the mouth, but with lots of deeply buried tannin structuring things subtly. Clingy, rich finish. Quite a satisfying, um, tipple. — 2 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

This tastes way younger than a ‘17. Nose has classic St Joe granite scents and bright mountain berry fruit. On the palate it’s super bright, with electric acids allowing it to keep playing with the kool kids despite its age. Medium bodied. Never heard of this producer previously. But will buy if I see again. This was bought off a bistro wine list. — 7 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.3

Happy Twelve Days After My Birthday to me. I rarely see but always cherish wines from Henri Boillot. This Bourgogne outclasses the majority of village whites. Tastes and smells like a top quality Meursault to me, though I understand other villages contribute to the blend. Hazelnut, oatmeal, a little lemon oil, gorgeous fruit. Crisp in the mouth, with excellent buoyant acids and nice persistence. Yum. My rating might be a little generous because I’m happy to be drinking this! — 11 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.3

Damn this is great Zin. I believe the Maffei Vineyard is around 100 years old. The nose features the brightest, deepest, purest essence of Zin blackberry fruit. There’s also some toasty and gravelly scents. In the mouth it’s bright and intense. Zingy acids are sooooo welcome. Intensity with real balance. Wow. — 13 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.3

Just popped and double-decanted this to go with Ligurian braised rabbit. In my experience, this is a producer where you don’t have to worry much about whether the wine will be ready to drink because their wines tend to be delicious early and also age well in the mid-term. Right away, this shows scents of dried leather, macerated mid-cherry, gravelly earth. And dark spice. Surprisingly structured on the palate, with intense savory flavors complementing dark cherry. Lengthy, intense finish. This will keep for several more years but is really good now. — 4 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

This is a great value in a gutsy, balanced fall-weight red. 62% Grenache 38% Syrah. Nose shows rich Grenache raspberry liqueur/kirsch fruit. Terrific balance and concentration of flavor on the palate. Tannins surprisingly soft. The Grenache dominates here, with Syrah animal/mineral notes making an entrance in the second half of the finish. Impressed! This area in SW France is a source for value red. — 9 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

For me, this is perfectly aged. Still some nice fruit, but loads of clay-like minerality and cedar in the nose. Soft and palate-coating but with nice balance, the tannins are still present but are not obtrusive. Really long, clingy finish. Really fine. — 5 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

This is really nice. Nose shows lots of ripe, perfumey Sauvignon fruit (I see that @Pinotman /// Andreas says guava, and that’s spot on), a bit of melted better and lanolin. In the mouth, it’s concentrated and soft, but the combination of decent acids and a mineral streak makes the balance quite nice. Lengthy finish. Yum.

BTW, something glitchy going on with @Delectable Wine software yet again: it’s taking over 24 hours for my wines to be posted. They’re showing up on my page but not being published. — 6 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

Seemingly more youthful than the notes on my last bottle, about 20 months ago, would suggest. A fair amount of bricking at the rim, but the nose shows a nice integration of dark macerated cherry, Provençal herbs, iodiney minerals, and sun-baked earth. In the mouth, the tannins are there but resolving. Decent concentration, and sneaky acidity lifts it up a bit. Nice! — 12 days ago

Tom Casagrande

7.5

Popped ‘n poured. Welp, this is a bit disappointing for this producer. Color is disturbingly dark. Nose shows lots of fruit but the beginnings of premox as well. There’s some depth and minerality on the palate. Let’s see where it goes as it gets O2. No rating for now.

UPDATE: It’s now noon, about 18 hours later. It’s still got that “bruised” type fruit I associate with oxidized Chenin Blanc (some would say “oxidative,” though I’m not a fan generally of perceptible oxidation, even when purposefully done). Here, it’s more on the apple spectrum, however. It’s drinkable, but it’s not identifiably Chablis. If I were served this blind, I’d probably peg it as an over-the-hill Macon. Though it’s by no means undrinkable, it’s not enjoyable. I’m not going to waste my time drinking the rest. Into the mag of cooking wine in the fridge it goes! Ultimately my rating is 7.5. Sorry. A winery of this stature should have sold this in bulk rather than release it under its own label. — 13 days ago