David Shaw

9.0

Dense purple, high pigment extraction. White floral and violet notes in nose, plum and berry flavors as noted on label with some tobacco and vegetal character. Nice smooth mouthfeel and balance. Good candidate for an inexpensive everyday Malbec. Paired well with stacked chicken enchiladas in Hatch salsa verde with oven roasted Brussel sprouts and chopped jalapeños in mustard, garlic and aged Italian cheese. Plum flavor kicks in dominantly after three hours, with blackberry and strawberry notes as advertised. — 2 years ago

Aaron Tan

8.9

Again, not a wine that passed the drinkability test for me, but there are things that I liked about it, and some that I didn't. Right off the bat, it was way too heavy for me, both on the nose and palate. Heaps of oak aromas covering some sweet black fruits. The palate also came off as being quite sweet, almost syrupy, but here's where the balancing act comes in - just the right amount of acidity to keep it juicy. It's like biting into a very sweet, ripe, juicy plum with a peppering of cinnamon and vanilla. I enjoyed the tannins most, fine and directional, starting at the tip of the tongue, then swinging under before traveling down the inner walls of the gum. What a cool structure! And then there's the underlying minerality with air, which was pleasantly surprising. The finish took a turn for the worse - medium, rich, and oaky, yet bitter with hints of scorched earth character which I dislike. Also quite warm. Generally, more finessed than the 2011 Troplong Mondot, but less stacked and more stumbling blocks. Has potential. — 3 years ago

Ely Cohn

9.3

Pinotage is a grape everyone loves to hate, but I think it has parts to love. Kanonkop makes an ambitious, bold showy wine that swings big, has to nail it, and mostly does. To me, the Pinotage tell is a thing of smoking wet tar and milk chocolate coffee sludge. That's here. Follows with black pepper, bourbon spice and a curious banana note which I think may just be oak and smoke stacked sideways. Then follow the dark fruits. Blue plums and blackberries, and an underlying mineral saltiness. There's lots here and lots to love. — 4 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.4

Always so good. Opulent and incisive. Deep nose. Lots of amplitude. Huge limestone. Herbal. So complex. German Chardonnay is so awesome. What a palate. Huge core of apple and pear fruit and stacked with minerals and a malo sweetness. So long and nimble. Gorgeous wine. Almost 9.5. — 2 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.0

The 2018 Palazzo della Torre comes to life in the glass with a vibrant mix of balsam herbs, black cherries and cloves. It’s cool-toned in feel, yet silky and stacked with dark fruits and exotic spices. A tantalizing mix of zesty acids and minerals keeps the energy high, as the 2018 tapers off potent yet completely balanced and fresh. The Palazzo della Torre is fantastic, especially at this price point. After tasting the 2017 last year, I was a little worried about a stylistic change, but talk about making a comeback. This is a mix of Corvina Veronese, Corvinone, Rondinella and Sangiovese, where a small portion of the grapes are left to raisin for three months prior to vinification. (Eric Guido, Vinous, April 2022)
— 3 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.4

Big, brawny, stoney and wonderfully aromatic nose. So Pommard. Mid to late season cherries. Fresh wood shavings. Stony minerality. So deep. Love that mix of 60% intense Pommard minerality and 40% gorgeous clear cherry fruit. Palate is divine. Gorgeous sweet fruit and glorious purity. Deep and wonderful. This is stuffed. Balanced and pure. Brawny yet elegant. Unreal length. The sun really shined on Pommard in 2019. Stunningly candied after 15 minutes on the nose. Confectionery. Just a stunning village wine. What a value! So fresh, so much energy and just stacked. But so elegant. This is one of the best value Village Pommards I’ve ever had. — 3 years ago

LM Segal

9.3

A very nicely packed and stacked Brunello, give it at least another year worth a pt or 2. — 2 years ago

Aaron Tan

9.4

Superb wine to start the evening. The nose was surprisingly open, especially for this producer - pineapple, grapefruit, sea breeze, fresh herbs, and white flowers. Stacked and powerful, you can really feel a pressure weighing down on the palate yet in typical Schäfer-Fröhlich manner, the finesse and elegance of the wine is undeniable, courtesy of the piercing acidity, herbaceous-ness, and long salty finish. While it drank well, I do feel it still needs time to shed more baby fat and bring more seamlessness. For such a strong performance, it was surprisingly not the white of the night. — 2 years ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

Had forgotten about this one in the cellar. It’s a really nice “aged Southern Rhône” experience. So fragrant, with loads of rich mahogany and leather scents, iodine, sultry rich berries, crushed rock. Intense flavors that still show nice fruit. There is still a whack of tannin in the finish, which isn’t really drying out at all, amazingly. Probably an anomaly because this was a great and stacked and packed vintage when young. — 3 years ago

with Angelo

Daniel McCullough

9.8

22eme - first time trying and boy did this deliver (and it was stacked up against some stiff competition) singing from the first sip — 4 years ago