First impression: You can tell it’s from a top producer. It’s very refined and deliberate. Not delicate, but doesn’t hammer you. Velvety, with smooth tannins playin wayyy in the background. Like the bass line in jazz. The nose is there, but it it’s not all THAT bold, with notes of blueberry, dark rose, black cherry, and dark chocolate. Color is a deep red with purple melded in the middle. Surprisingly medium/light body, with light tannins, more to the rim and background but the flavors are surprisingly restrained, like there’s a hole in it. Good, but not great. — a year ago
McCarthy & Schiering, $50
Bittersweet occasion and went way above my budget to celebrate my birthday and also mourn Grandma Julie's passing. She loved CdP so thought I'd splurge on one. I've only had a couple but have loved every one I tried. This was a bit different, I'm used to bright fruit forward but this was very muted cooked dark fruit with a lot of emphasis on the baking spice and earthy tobacco notes. Incredibly complex - licorice, coffee, clove, tobacco with an underlying subtle dried/cooked dark fruit. Crazy smooth, but I'm comparing it to sub $20 wines that I'm used to, and you can barely tell that it's 15% alc. Nice tannins but I think it would benefit from a touch more acidity. I'm being picky since I paid so much for it but in summary it's one of the best made wines I've ever had, but not among my favorites. But it's still a great experience and I don't regret the purchase — 3 years ago
Popped and poured. The 2018 Produttori del Barbaresco classico pours a garnet color with a transparent core; slightly orange around the rim. Medium+ viscosity with very light staining of a tears; no signs of sediment. On the nose, a mix of deep black and red fruits and wow…loads of tar. It’s bone dry, high tannin and medium+ acid. High alcohol. This is a tar bomb right now and the structure is absolutely monumental. The first time I drank the 2018 Nebbiolos from Piemonte, I thought they reminded me a lot of the 2010 vintage when it was young. And when I think about Produttori specifically, this bottle really reminds me of the way the 2010 drank around 5 years after vintage. Only time will tell if these follow a similar trajectory…but I suspect, yes. Drink now but expect a pile of tannin for at least the next 5-10 years and they should drink well for at least 20. — 2 years ago
Opened a little too early but can tell it will be fantastic in a few years. — 8 months ago
Bright fruit (blueberry, lingonberry) with mild vegetal notes and tannins. Had @Natasha Bray stumped on this one! Hard to tell what vintage it was. Good structure. — 3 years ago
Alexandre Pagliano
This delivered the goods ! Half as apéritif and another half two weeks later on a vacuvin closure. Excellent Sauternes on the more elegant side. Plenty of years ahead, you can barely tell the age. — 6 months ago