Tom Casagrande

9.0

The ‘19 of this wine is quite good. Vibrant dark ruby color. The nose seems quite youthful, giving off scents of spiced, smoky minerality along with breast, yeasty notes. There also crisp mountain berry, cherry fruit. A big heck of fruit initially, but in a tight, zingy frame that has surprisingly crisp acids and a skein of tightly wound, very fine-grained tannins. The mouthfeel almost reminds me of a young Saint-Joseph from the Northern Rhone, though the flavors are different. Distinctive! — 6 hours ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

I had a bottle a little over a year ago, and since then this has opened up and put on some weight. Semillon-heavy nose exhibits loads of waxy, lanolin-like scents, honeysuckle, toast, and pear. Full on the palate, with low-toned pear flavors, and a vague buttered honey note. Nice acids poke through to enliven it. Still feels like it’s on the path to full integration, but not quite there. Nice. — 5 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

This is the back-up white after the starter (the 2016 Chateau Olivier Blanc) was benched for oxidation. And it’s as good as the bottle I had a couple of months ago. Very minerally, with wet gravelly limestone notes abounding, some apple and pear fruit underneath. Crisp and with solid flavor density. If you favor minerally and lean white burgs over the more fruit-centric style, you’ll dig this, and at a good price too. — 10 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.0

Just gushing with smoky, roasted dark-herb-inflected, gushy berry fruit on the nose. Quite the rich nose. Intense on the palate as well. Big whack of savory, iodiney flavors competing with dark berry-skin fruit. It’s a bit tannic and bitterish on the finish, which makes it a little less-than-friendly by itself, but should pair nicely in a hour or so with my pasta with broccoli rabe and homemade salciccia. — 15 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.3

Decanted to separate the sediment. Haven’t given it much air time but it’s already showing very nicely. Nose has lots of rich, gravelly earthy scents, competing with dark berry and cassis fruit. Cedar and underbrush notes too. Still hasn’t totally relaxed on the palate. Probably needs a few more years ideally. There’s a certain tightness to it but it’s nevertheless showing well. Nice flavor concentration, with fruit initially but getting tight and savory as the lengthy finish progresses. Lots of fine-grained tannins, and nice acidity. This seems pretty old-school in feel, not jammy and huge. 9.2 for now but let’s see what happens over the next hour or two.

UPDATE (night 2): This has developed nicely since yesterday evening. A lot more very pure cassis fruit showing on the nose, and the texture seems softer. Upping score from 9.2 to 9.3. — 2 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

Gotta open a Ligurian red with a bowl of fresh garden pesto pasta. Fresh red fruit, grapefruit rind, and crushed rocks. Fresh, zingy, pretty good flavor intensity, great acids. Summertime! — 9 days ago

Tom Casagrande

6.5

Almost completely oxidized. Decanted because of a significant amount of sediment. Cork in great shape. No fill-line issue. Yet undrinkable. Those who apparently like wines in an “oxidative style” may find something salvageable about this. (I’m kind of joking.) For me, down the drain.

NOTE: I think the term “oxidative” is being used these days imprecisely and, in fact, overused. In my view, oxidative refers to a style of winemaking that employs, in a specific way, oxygen to achieve a certain style. Think sherry, Madeira, Marsala, some Chenins from the Loire, Jura Vin Jaune. Oxidation is a natural degradation process that all wines undergo in the bottle. Oxidation initially helps wines meant for aging by creating complex flavors, but then reaches a tipping point after which unpleasant flavors begin to take over. So when a wine’s spoiled by the oxidation process, it’s oxidized, not oxidative. Just my two cents. — 10 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.3

38% Petite Sirah, 24% Grenache, 15% Tempranillo, 14% Cinsault, and 9% Aglianico. Unusual! And delicious! Dark color, with a nose giving off a rich, pure melange of red and black berry scents, along earthy underbrush. Mouthfilling, with loads of dark berry and sandstoney earthy notes. Nice savory, minerally notes appear in the back half of the finish. The mouthfeel is a little tacky thanks to the Petite Sirah, but not overwhelmingly so. Nice balance at 14.6% alc. Wish I brought back more from our visit there last summer! — 4 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

Like most Valtellinas, the color is very pale, and its 9 years of age are apparent in the amber rim. The nose is superb. Dried cherry, faded roses, light leather, some old library scents, some crushed stone. Lively in the mouth, with buoyant acids propelling along minerally just-ripe macerated cherry fruit, crushed rocks, and old barrel notes. I can’t imagine this will improve, and it’s drinking really well right now. Classic. — 9 days ago

Tom Casagrande

8.9

Bought on a whim because it was cheap, had a decent legit review, and was only 14.5%. I have never heard of this label but a little sleuthing indicates it’s a secondary label of Maison Lavau. I like the nose. Kirsch and tomato leaf in the fore. A bit of warm gravel. In the mouth it’s nicely balanced. Alcohol in check, a tad bit of tannin, pretty good flavor concentration. Not complex or super deep, but a damn nice southern Rhone for a weeknight dinner. More mature than I would expect for a 2-year old Rhone. Definitely made for current drinking. — 13 days ago