Tom Casagrande

9.3

Some please click the 3 dots in the upper right and click “Report incorrect wine.”

This is the 2020 Starfield Vineyards “Jacks Are Wild” red blend from El Dorado County. It’s 38% Petite Sirah, 24% Grenache, 15% Tempranillo, 14% Cinsault, and 9% Aglianico. Unusual! And delicious! Dark color, with a nose giving off a rich, pure melange of red and black berry scents, along earthy underbrush. Mouthfilling, with lids of dark berry and sandstoney earthy notes. Nice savory, minerally notes appear in the back half of the finish. The mouthfeel is a little tacky thanks to the Petite Sirah, but not overwhelmingly so. Nice balance at 14.6% alc. Wish I brought back more from our visit there last summer! — 2 hours ago

Tom Casagrande

6.5

Almost completely oxidized. Decanted because of a significant amount of sediment. Cork in great shape. No fill-line issue. Undrinkable to me. Those who apparently like wines in an “oxidative style” may find something salvageable about this. For me, down the drain. — 6 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

Nose is old school, with cooling clay earthiness in the fore, and some gorgeously pure and deep cassis and dark cherry fruit peeking out from underneath. In the mouth it’s still a bit tightly wound (I popped and quickly double decanted, so it hasn’t gotten much air yet). The flavors are deep, still a hefty tannic load. But not so backward I can’t enjoy it now. Clearly will benefit from several more years in a cool cellar. — 15 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

I had a bottle a little over a year ago, and since then this has opened up and put on some weight. Semillon-heavy nose exhibits loads of waxy, lanolin-like scents, honeysuckle, toast, and pear. Full on the palate, with low-toned pear flavors, and a vague buttered honey note. Nice acids poke through to enliven it. Still feels like it’s on the path to full integration, but not quite there. Nice. — a day ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

This is the back-up white after the starter (the 2016 Chateau Olivier Blanc) was benched for oxidation. And it’s as good as the bottle I had a couple of months ago. Very minerally, with wet gravelly limestone notes abounding, some apple and pear fruit underneath. Crisp and with solid flavor density. If you favor minerally and lean white burgs over the more fruit-centric style, you’ll dig this, and at a good price too. — 6 days ago

Tom Casagrande

8.9

Bought on a whim because it was cheap, had a decent legit review, and was only 14.5%. I have never heard of this label but a little sleuthing indicates it’s a secondary label of Maison Lavau. I like the nose. Kirsch and tomato leaf in the fore. A bit of warm gravel. In the mouth it’s nicely balanced. Alcohol in check, a tad bit of tannin, pretty good flavor concentration. Not complex or super deep, but a damn nice southern Rhone for a weeknight dinner. More mature than I would expect for a 2-year old Rhone. Definitely made for current drinking. — 9 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

Gotta open a Ligurian red with a bowl of fresh garden pesto pasta. Fresh red fruit, grapefruit rind, and crushed rocks. Fresh, zingy, pretty good flavor intensity, great acids. Summertime! — 5 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

Like most Valtellinas, the color is very pale, and its 9 years of age are apparent in the amber rim. The nose is superb. Dried cherry, faded roses, light leather, some old library scents, some crushed stone. Lively in the mouth, with buoyant acids propelling along minerally just-ripe macerated cherry fruit, crushed rocks, and old barrel notes. I can’t imagine this will improve, and it’s drinking really well right now. Classic. — 5 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.0

Just gushing with smoky, roasted dark-herb-inflected, gushy berry fruit on the nose. Quite the rich nose. Intense on the palate as well. Big whack of savory, iodiney flavors competing with dark berry-skin fruit. It’s a bit tannic and bitterish on the finish, which makes it a little less-than-friendly by itself, but should pair nicely in a hour or so with my pasta with broccoli rabe and homemade salciccia. — 11 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

This scratches that white burgundy itch at a relative bargain price (for white burgundy). Love the just-ripe peachy fruit on the nose. Reminds me of Puligny to the south. Floral notes and wet, bright limestone. In the mouth it’s balanced but with nice weight. Lots of crisp orchard fruit/apple, nice acids, and a slight bitterish note in the fairly long finish. Again, nice value here. — 17 days ago