With neighbors like Opus One and Rubicon, this was bound to be a keeper. Nose of cedar, anise, tobacco, and fresh leather. Flavors of blueberries, cassis, and chocolate with soft, well-integrated tannins. Velvety finish. Nice now, but will be even-read more-
If you live near a Costco you know where this is going. “Kirkland” is Costco’s proprietary brand for everything from soup to nuts (and I mean that literally). They market a “Kirkland Signature Wine Collection” whereby they slap their own-read more-
PREFAZIONE I am blessed back here in the Washington DC area with what I consider the best local wine shop. Schneider’s of Capitol Hill is literally a couple of blocks from the Capitol. I cannot say the Red State lawmakers-read more-
A wine so rich, and so expressive of the essence of the region I told John Matta it should be called “Eaux de Tuscany” (the French not withstanding). Deep, dark purpose, almost opaque, with a nose of smoke and truffles.-read more-
Again, we tasted a slightly younger wine at the estate than the vintage currently available (2006). This is a bright, youthful wine but with plenty of weight nevertheless. Cherry, pepper, and earth come through on the nose. Chocolate and berry-read more-
The ’09 is not yet released, but is an absolute stunner. Tasted at a lunch with several of Olivier’s wines, so used the ’07 (an exceptional year in many regions of Italy) as a comparison benchmark. The ’07 was made-read more-
Dark violet color and a nose of black cherry, allspice, and eucalyptus herald what is to come. A somewhat reserved, even awkward structure at first masks deeper flavors of chocolate, pepper, ginger, and boysenberry that gradually unfold. The finish is-read more-
A well-made wine that shows both component grapes off very favorably. Intriguing nose of cedar, blackcurrant, thyme, and allspice. Blossoms open on the palate (after about 15 minutes to breathe, perhaps longer) with gobs of ripe fruit ferrying cranberry and-read more-