Tom Casagrande

9.2

Gorgeous! Such nice acidity propping up the lemon oil and earth flavors. A little like a Meursault and a nice value on the wine list. — 16 hours ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

Old-school hint of barnyard funk in the nose. Not enough for any concern, and it plays nicely with tangy, zingy macerated cherry and spice. A bit of crushed stone. Rapier-like acids propel the fruit along. Tannins are very soft. (Thanks to my brother @Angelo Casagrande for the gift!) — 5 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

This is surprisingly good for a bargain-priced St. Emmie. Nose shows clear, ripe plummy Merlot fruit, some clay-inflected earth, some underbrush, and subtle, pleasant vegetal note. Very nice balance and mouthfeel. Not a bruiser, but more on the elegant side. Fruit, tannin, acids all nicely dancing together. I like this a lot! — 9 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.1

This second wine of 5th Growth Haut-Bages Liberal is a very nice and relatively good value Bordeaux. Nose is lovely and shows graphite, leafy cassis and berry fruit, warm gravel, and a waft of a sweet-adjacent baking spice note. Mouthfilling, and with surprisingly good acidity for an ‘18, the palate has nicely concentrated fruit and savory notes. Some soft but significant tannin packed away in the finish. This is drinking quite well now but will probably be better in a year or two. — 14 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.1

This is a fragrant, fun-to-drink inexpensive white. Nose captures little snippets of several varieties, the wet straw of Pinot Blanc, a little grapey, musky Muscat or perhaps Gewurz, a little petrol from Riesling? I don’t know. I’m guessing. But it’s so nice. Round and fruity, a little tangy, in the mouth. Really nice balance. Basically dry, with a refreshing finish. A winner! — 3 days ago

with Rebecca

Tom Casagrande

9.4

Holy smokes this is good! My expectations were modest due to my stereotyping its Santa Clara County provenance, but I stand corrected. This is apparently an old-vine blend featuring about 50% Zin and a mix of Carignane and Mataro (Mourvèdre) to round it out. The purity of the black and red berries on the nose is remarkable. A bit of crushed stony earth. In the mouth, there’s tremendous flavor concentration but with an athletic mouthfeel that balances nice acids and super-soft tannic support. Great length. Color me duly impressed. Shoulda got more. 14.5% alcohol thank you very much. — 7 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.1

This is the “ San Teodoro” cuvée. 100% Nerello Mascalese. Light, fragrant, balanced. Interesting flavors of bright cherry and mineral. It’s hard to find nice, lighter reds, and I find myself frequently cooking things that call for a lighter red — 11 days ago

Tom Casagrande

8.8

Super heavy bottle. 👎🏻

Color is quite saturated. Nose is NOT shy; kind of shakes it in your face in a very suggestive way. Ash pit earthiness overlaid on almost port-like fruit. In the mouth it’s very soft, mouthfilling, and voluptuous. Fruit is a bit too much on the ripe side for my taste. Not pruney, though, thankfully. I detect a bit of residual sugar, too. Nice length, and the tannin is very soft and buried in the cascade of fruit. With air, some savory components come out to complexify the fruit. Orin Swift fans will like this a lot, but it’s a bit too showy and over-the-top for my taste. — 4 days ago

Tom Casagrande

8.8

Fresh and minerally. Nose has that earthy, wet straw thing I associate with Pinot Blanc. Crushed stones and green apple and slightly underripe orchard fruit. Surprisingly intense in the mouth. Lots of concentrated up-front fruit hits first, with very nice acidity lifting it. It’s simple and satisfying. — 8 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.3

Last bottle I had was corked, but this one is pristine, and it’s very, very good. The nose features a whole spectrum of mineral notes: petrol, a geologist’s knapsack full of different crushed stones. In the mouth, it’s intensely flavorful. Big whack of bitter-tinged apple and pear in the mouth initially, followed by intense liquid minerality and levitated by nice acids. Very nice length. Pur de Roche indeed. — 13 days ago