Tom Casagrande

9.1

Brouilly, to me, is the fruitiest of the crus, and this is fruit in spades. So tangy and fruity. A bit of barnyard funk on the nose adds complexity. Very zingy and fruity in the mouth. Downright tangy!

UPDATE: After a couple hours of air, this is getting funkier and funkier. Clearly a low- or no-sulfite wine. I Vacuvin-ed a bit to see whether it will even be drinkable on night 2. My guess is it won’t be. — a day ago

Tom Casagrande

9.1

High stakes fall baseball and a Sancerre rouge. This is quite nice for the difficult ‘21 vintage. Color is super light. Nose is quite fragrant, with wafting sweet cherry juice, a mid-toned floral note, and flinty crushed stone. Enters gently on the palate, with cherry juice leading, but a bitterish note quickly appears and accelerates on the slightly short finish. Overall, a fine effort given conditions, and lovely with a simply roasted chicken. — 4 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.1

Another winner from what has become one of my favorite Maconnais growers. Nose has pure, peachy, ripe appley fruit together with crushed wet limestone. Fairly deeply flavored, with surprisingly nice acids for such a hot year and good mineral tension in the finish. The balance on this is so nice. — 9 days ago

with Rebecca

Tom Casagrande

10

Tom had this 15 days ago

with Norman, Tegan and 3 others

Tom Casagrande

9.0

@Delectable Wine, This is the Menetou-Salon Rose, not a Sancerre. And it’s an unbelievable value. Gorgeous strawberry fruit with a dash of minerality. Dry, fruity, balanced, nice intensity. I should have bought a bunch of this. — a day ago

Tom Casagrande

8.9

A solid Chianti Classico to go with a mess of broccoli rabe and homemade salchicia with pasta. Comfort! Not the most complex, but loads of dark, sour cherry fruit, a balsamic note, and a bit of crushed gravel. Good intensity and balance in the mouth. Not the lengthiest but satisfying! — 2 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

Wow what a good value-priced St. Emmie. Detailed nose has cedar, green herbs, stony minerals, and, of course, deep plummy fruit (yay Merlot!). Soft and mouthfillingly textured, but it’s got nice balance. Rich fruit initially on the palate but turns savory on a very long tail. Really nice flavor intensity and persistence. Lots of integrated soft, chalky tannin will help this stay the course for several more years, but it’s delicious now. — 12 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.1

@Delectable Wine, this is the Brut. Tastes and smells like the most intense apples off the random apple tree growing in my elementary school friend’s backyard in Western Massachusetts in 1970. (That’s a good thing.) 6% alcohol. — a day ago

Tom Casagrande

9.0

Making Arroz con Pollo, so this seems appropriate. I love seeking out Garnachas in Rioja, since I love the terroir but am not a huge Tempranillo fan. The very slight fizziness on pop’n pour and the hint of funk on the nose suggests natty or near-natty methods. Earth and a little barnyard accompany tart mountain red berries, cherries, and pomegranate. The slight barnyard carries through on the palate, with a leather note enveloping the cherry fruit. The tannins are young but not so dominant that they detract. Acidity is medium. Very distinctive wine. It will be interesting to how it develops over the next couple of hours (i.e., will it go deeper into the farm or shake it off and show more fruit character). — 8 days ago

Tom Casagrande

8.8

A balanced bargain-priced Zin that’s perfect for weeknight dinners and casual cookouts. Earthy, brambly nose shows some ripe Zin blackberry fruit as well. Only 14.3%! Soft and full (but not too full) in the mouth, it’s got nice, nonjammy fruit and a nice, savory finish. It’s sad that, these days, you have to describe Zins by what they’re NOT (not too jammy, not sweet, not huge-bodied 15+ behemoths). Such a versatile wine at the table when grown in the right places and treated with care. — 13 days ago