Tasted blind while knowing the list of wines. Guessed only the appellation. And it's funny cause I tasted this wine almost a year ago and my notes are pretty much the same. A sophisticated bouquet of Nordic berries, (volatile) horse sweet, cranberry, chocolate and caramel. Juicy, fresh, vibrant, medium-bodied and stylish. Very good balance.
Tasted on 2023-07-21 — 3 years ago
An impressive first run with this producer. Started off very pure fruited with high-toned black cherries and cassis, along with some light reduction that gave it a flinty quality. As the reduction blew away, it revealed beautiful stem aromatics - flowers and incense, with a strange, yet attractive iodine-like twist. Excellent structure, with chalky tannins, fleshy fruit, and limestone-derived minerality/verticality. A little volatile acidity perceivable in the backend, but it doesn’t detract from the lengthy finish. Frankly, it drank like a cru Beaujolais (would have called it if blinded), but perhaps with more weight and tannins (rougher too). Paired with some lamb tacos, this was in a league of its own. A one on the binary scale! — 4 years ago
2021/4. This was back to its wonderful self after the slightly volatile 2017 - lots of earthy cherry fruit — 5 years ago
This is my first go with the 2014 Montecillo. Based off my experience with the 2013 vintage, I opened this bottle seven hours ahead of time, well in advance of our dinner. I poured a small taste and the wine seemed to have quite a bit of vigor with noticeable, but not obnoxious, volatile acidity so I poured the rest through a Soirée and into a ship’s decanter to breath. Eight hours later, the VA was still present but integrated. One thing is for sure, this wine is unique. Unusual notes of Middle Eastern spiced meat, herbs de Provence, orange zest, and eucalyptus. Not exactly what I would normally expect from Cabernet Sauvignon and yet, this is utterly satisfying. This is a high acid wine and the tannins are mostly imperceptible which makes this bottle quite a bit different from the 2013 version which is a bit of a beast. The 2014 Montecillo is about as fresh as they come out of California these days and the finish is long. The acid leads me to believe it will cellar a long time but it’s hard to say how beneficial that would be. One thing is for certain, these wines from Ketan Mody are wholly unique and probably won’t be for everyone…but I love them. I’m hoping the Jasud Estate can bounce back from the fires of 2020. — 6 years ago
@Janine
J'aime toujours ce vin malgré une volatile bien présente. — 8 months ago
Quite volatile upon opening but settled down after about an hour. Great with pizza. — 3 years ago
2021/5/3-4 with Ningbo stewed pork with red fermented tofu and yakitori, itadori and mayonnaise, warabi and takenoko yaki onigiri. I was both curious and nervous about this considering my experience with the Montestefano. This also started out a bit ponderous and volatile, but on the second day it had calmed into a nice, bitter cherry dolcetto. — 5 years ago
2023/10 with fresh homemade tagliatelle, etc. On the first day, lovely rich aromas and a palate that blends structure with transparency as only the Langhe really can, in Canonica’s left-field neo-classical way. A couple of days later, the nose had become rather volatile for me - since Canonica wines can live on the edge this wasn’t shocking, but a little unfortunate — 3 years ago
Likely not an ideal bottle with what I felt was excessive volatile acidity. Nevertheless, the red fruits and spices were still clear, and the velvety texture was quite delightful. Finished with bright acidity and an acetic-mineral mix. Probably a showstopper if pristine. — 4 years ago
Well this has come a long way in a year and a half. Opens with a blast of flowers and fruit. Roses and lilac. Really crazy perfume, so unique for pinot noir. Don’t know how this manages to be so consistently high wire, flirting with serious volatile acidity, yet maintaining such balance and cleanness. Florals just open more and more with time, with notes of porcini and savage spice; cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, cardamom. — 5 years ago
The aroma is similar to Azelia, authentic and pure, but missing some bass components. It even shows some natural wine tendencies, slightly volatile and gassy, which settles down quickly. The structure lacks the authority and the weight but it scores high in transparency and dynamics. It will not challenge the supremacy of Conternos, Mascarellos and Odderos because its aroma is less complex and powerful, but its structure is built on radically different geometry, which makes it very exciting. There is also a Burgundian sense of mastery of texture, and distinctiveness of aroma that separates it from more pedestrian Barolo’s. Also worth noting that while it shows the authentic character of Barolo it does not forego a strong individuality of the winemaker. — 6 years ago
Robe noire
Nez assez peu engageant réduit et animal avec de l acidité volatile
Bouche ample généreuse gourmande et fine avec des notes cacaotés et florales en finale
Nez infâme bouche superbe — 6 years ago
Pinotman /// Andreas
Liked this previously. But today comes across quite rough. Touch volatile acid aka Ethylacetate. Cherry and quite bitty. 13%. Good enough but not more. — 11 hours ago