Sipping Fine Wine

9.4

Château dates back to 1560, records suggesting back to 12th century making it one of oldest estates in the heart of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC region near Avignon. Ruby with aromas of red fruit. Blend of about even amounts Grenache, Syrah, Mouvèdre & splash of mostly Cinsault. Aromas of berry fruits, oak & sweet spice. On the palate flavors of raspberry, cherry & blackberry, hints of oak, leather, vanilla spice & black pepper, aged in 20% new oak, complex & elegant, fine soft tannins, long finish, will age well. — 7 days ago

Jay Kline

9.5

Opened the evening prior at 7pm and double-decanted; the bottle was left at room temp with the cork pressed lightly back into the neck until service. The 2000 pours a deep garnet color with a near opaque core and a slightly water rim; medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears and some sediment. On the nose, the wine is vinous and showing some real power with a compelling combination of ripe and desiccated fruit: dark brambles, cassis, leather, dill, olives, spiced meat, tobacco and soft baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and whoa is it ever delicious. This has to be one of the wines of the vintage. Drink now through 2040. — 3 months ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.2

100% Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon. Very complex. Dark ruby color with a garnet rim. Aromas and flavors of blackberry, plum, black currant, baking spices and dark chocolate. Nice hint of toasted oak on the long and lingering finish. Totally New World in style. Smooth tannins and excellent mouthfeel. Full bodied and juicy. Tannins have relaxed with bottle age. Quite expressive. High quality. — 9 months ago

Angel Free

9.1

A little tart but good — a year ago

Jay Kline

9.4

This is my 3000th tasting note on Delectable so I suppose I should celebrate by opening something fun. Flaccianello? Ovviamente!

While it’s labeled an IGT and colloquially considered a Super Tuscan, Flaccianello delle Pieve could legally be labeled as a Chianti Classico Riserva. However, Giovanni Manetti of Azienda Agricola Fontodi opts not to do so (despite the fact that he’s the current Chairman of the Conzorsio). The name, “Flaccianello delle Pieve” comes from the eponymous single-vineyard; the original source of grapes. However, around the turn of the millennium, Flaccianello became a blend of Fontodi’s best fruit throughout the estate. Over all the years, despite the changes in fruit source and aging regimen, Flaccianello remains 100% Sangiovese and 100% Panzano in Chianti.

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of a couple of hours. The 2011 pours a deep, translucent garnet with a near opaque core; medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears and some signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is vinous with notes of ripe and dried Morello cherry, raspberries, red flowers, leather, mushrooms, cigar box, menthol, organic earth and wonderful fine baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acidity. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long, delicious and warming as the alcohol is pretty elevated. But whoa…what a beauty.

Okay, yeah…this is a modern take on Chianti Classico but my goodness, this is undeniably delicious and unabashedly Italian. Back in 2011, Flaccianello was aged in a combination of barriques from Troncais and Allier, all 100% new; an era that was arguably the most modern for this wine. Over the last 10 or so years however, there has been a shift towards less time in new barrique and large casks have now been introduced for the last six months of cellar aging. While I look forward to trying some of these more contemporary examples, I am very impressed with this 2011 and expect it will continue to show well through 2035. — 2 months ago

Tom Garland

9.5

2005 Wine Spectator wine of the year.

1 hour decant(decent chunky/fine sediment). A thrilling dark garnet with some bricking. Nose: beautiful aromatic notes with cherry, old leather, wet earth, floral, licorice. Taste: velvety smooth, creamy, balanced wine with dark berries, cedar, licorice, spice, espresso, dark chocolate, and a nice satin long finish. YUM! Just gonna sit back and enjoy the ride tonight. Paired with a Christmas prime rib roast dinner. Cheers! — 9 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.2

2000 vintage. Never a fave L-B vintage as it has always seemed a little too much sizzle and not enuff steak. FF two decades and said wine is drinking more like a Napa cab vs a BDX. Chunky and in a state of transition (discombobulated) but still medium-heavy body after two+ decades. The 2005 is more affordable and drinking better, imho, currently. Will this effort will ever round into form for dedicated L-B fans going back to the 1985 vintage? Not tasting it. Storybook fill and cork. Decanted and tasted immediately, after 30 mins and after two hours. Aggressive sed. 7.3.24. — 3 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.5

Medium lemon yellow , persistent fine perlage . At first quite shy , needs a bit of time to get going . Then buttered pastry , confit lemon and roast nuts , quite bold and rich , just a hint of chalky minerality . On the palate the richer , deeper theme continues , those pastry and buttery notes , confit lemon and a creamy mouthfeel . Long balanced finish , the chalky acidity really helping to cut through richer , mouth filling profile . Coming back to this at the end of the meal , having sat 6 hours in the glass , this still shows remarkable freshness and life. This seems young to me still , certainly has everything for a long life ahead , better in 5 years perhaps and will show well a further 10-15 perhaps . — 5 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.4

2006 vintage. Decanted and tasted immediately, after 30 minutes and 2 hrs. Unexpected amount of frontal palate richness mitigating back-end tannins. Still has years to go. 10.18.23. — a year ago

Lee Pitofsky

9.5

The sleeper vintage. Simply just ready to go, holding nothing back as it wafts from the glass and the decanter with layers of cassis, cedar, violets and licorice. This is a wine of texture, as Margaux should be, and indeed its greatest attribute on this occasion. Liquid cashmere in the mouth with melting tannins, it’s sensual and elegant, caressing the palate with each sip, leading to its black truffle and mineral inflicted finale that keeps on going. Excellent showing tonight, and for my tastes drinking at its apogee. — 2 years ago