Valentino Vineyards
Marchesi Antinori
Solaia Annata Diversa Toscana Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc 2007
At Da Valentino with Jingang. Absolutely amazing !!! — 2 years ago
Cascina Valentino
Roero Arneis 2021
Easy to drink on a Friday night — 3 years ago
Cavit SC Trento (Cantina Viticoltori Soc. Coop. [C.V. S.C.])
Maso S. Valentino Trentino Pinot Nero
Smoked sausage, old lady perfume, leather, cocoa, wet clay, decaying underbrush, blood, red meat, dried red berries, jammy dark fruit.
Grippy m tannins on tongue, rest are soft. — 4 years ago
Valentino Butussi
Kret Pinot Grigio
Owner TomeVinos wine shops, WSET Level 3, Blogger www.spanishwinesandmore.com, blog.tomevinos.com
Excellent #pinotgrigio #pinotgris I’m not a Pinot Grigio fan but this has texture and layers. #italywine — 5 years ago
A. Rafanelli
Unfiltered Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel 2009
Something quite magical often happens to Rafanelli Zinfandel after 10+ years of bottle age. I can’t explain it…but these wines begin to take on a more rustic, Old World feel. It’s as if they shift into an overdrive. The fruit is still big, beautiful and pure (no-doubt a testament to their rigorous selection) and yet they can often display a new energy about them which give them remarkable longevity. This bottle is perfectly representative.
Opened to celebrate my daughter’s 14th birthday, the 2009 Rafanelli Zinfandel pours a deep, practically opaque garnet that becomes more turbid the further we delved into the bottle (in typical fashion, this Rafanelli full of sediment). Medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, bright cherry and bramble-like fruits, Asian spices, espresso and some black pepper. I do sense a touch of VA. On the palate, the wine is dry and with medium tannin and medium+ acid. The notes from the nose are confirmed…with a bit of added emphasis, it should be noted. There’s almost a Pop Rocks experience too…with the slightest effervescence pricking the tongue. And again, this is something that I would more expect from a non-interventionalist wine from Italy…certainly not from Sonoma. Hot take here…but this bottle reminded me of something from Paolo Bea (San Valentino) more than anything from Sonoma, let alone California. It’s just so wonderful. The finish is long and delivers minutes of pleasure.
As far as I’m concerned, nobody is making Zinfandel with the soul that Rafanelli does and the proof is in the bottle each and every time. Of course, they are delicious when young but with age, these wines become something else. Drink now with a decant (for sediment only) and through 2034. — 2 years ago
Cantine Mucci
Valentino Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Montepulciano 2018
2018 vintage — 4 years ago
Jay Kline
Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of 90 minutes. The 2017 San Valentino pours a slightly hazy, ruby color with medium+ viscosity and light staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of tart, red fruit: sour Montmorency cherry, wood varnish, horse blanket, black licorice, old wood, and stony earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and zippy. One of the more wild vintages of San Valentino I’ve ever had and this bottle wasn’t quite as good as the one I had a couple years back. Drink now and enjoy what nature gave to Paolo and Giampiero. — 18 days ago