Tom Casagrande

9.1

Post dinner party notes. From the Wolfberger co-op, this is a great value. Crisp, good fruit and depth, gonna try to get more. — 21 hours ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

Popped and poured. No sediment. Nose reticent at first. With air, lovely scent of bright, spiced cherry, graham cracker, turned earth, and saline-scented crushed rock. Youthful and intense in the mouth, with a vigorous salinity accompanying the bright fruit. Turns very savory on the second half of the palate. Still some youthful but soft tannin. Very good acidity and length. Really fine. Will age. 9.2 for now but could go up. — 5 days ago

Tom Casagrande

8.8

Deep gold. Rich nose almost reminiscent of a 1970s-era Napa Chardonnay, with sweet cream, a little unsalted butter, deep pear fruit, almost verging into tropical fruit territory. Deep in the mouth as well, with deep pear and lots of mineral texture. Seems almost tannic. Although Garagiste didn’t disclose this when they offered it (at a very good price), it’s 15.5% alc! (If I’d known, I’d have passed.) Overall, it’s a good wine, though I doubt I’d have been able to call Viognier blind.

PS- If you’re on CellarTracker, please leave your handle in a comment so I can follow you there, as I’ve started an account because of this app’s constant issues. — 8 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

Superb. This is comparable to a high quality premier cru. Biodynamically grown, the nose is so bright and engaging. Apple, citrus zest, some sort of pit fruit that comes close to peach. And the intense, clean, oceany limestone scents of course. I could sniff this all night. In the mouth it’s intensely mineral, and somewhat leaner than the nose suggests. Bone bone dry, with good flavor intensity and length. Very nice acids. 9.2, but with a tad more fruit on the palate it easily would have been a 9.3 — 11 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.1

Post dinner party notes. Classic right bank ‘18: dense, dark, soft but tacky tannins. — a day ago

Tom Casagrande

9.0

This is the basic Barolo from the Cantina del Nebbiolo co-op. It’s a solid rep. Very light color. Nose is a little shy but it’s got classic notes of cherry, faded roses, and gravel. Surprisingly tannic on entry (given the light color, but that’s Barolo for you). There is a decent amount of minerally-tinged cherry fruit. Bone dry and a little mouth-puckering at present, but should work well with a sausage ragu. Nice balance. Give it 2-4 years to get friendlier.

UPDATE: Night 2 this wine is much more open and friendly on the nose and the palate. Upping score considerably from 8.8 on night 1 to 9.0. — 4 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.3

2023 Clos de la Roilette Fleurie. Delicious. A meatier-styled Bojo, the nose displays deep oozy dark berries and black cherries, and granite-packed loam earthiness. Fleshy-textured in the mouth, it’s not a crisp style but it’s still decently fresh. Concentrated and deep flavors of sandstoney minerality and dark berries. A bit of textural tannin provides some framing. Really nice. — 10 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.4

Young but so good in its youth. I absolutely love Beatty Ranch Zin. Always has such a unique profile. The bark-like/cracked black peppercorn note and dark gravelly earthiness is almost instantly recognizable. So deep in the mouth, but with zero flab or jamminess. Incredible structure and balance. Nice acids. Will age beautifully. — 2 days ago

Tom Casagrande

8.8

Used to drink this regularly 25-30 years ago (with a different label and bottle shape), so I was interested to see it again. It’s still got that pure, raspberry ooze fruit on the nose. Very comforting. A little crushed stone. Straightforward and balanced in the mouth. Nice intensity and cling. Sneaky acids and a barely noticeable cargo of finely chalky tannin.

PS - If you’re on CellarTracker, please leave your handle in a comment so I can follow you there, as I’ve started an account because of this app’s constant issues. — 7 days ago

Tom Casagrande

8.3

Me buying inexpensive Bordeaux that is said to represent great value is like Charlie Brown repeatedly thinking Lucy isn’t going to yank the football away THIS time. A decent Medoc, with classic sharp pungent clay earthiness, and not a hella ripe fruit. A bit austere and quite lean in the mouth. At least it’s not too tannic. Surprising amount of acidity. Overall, Meh. — 13 days ago