2/10/2024 - futronic wrote:

What a stunning bottle of wine. Gorgeous, lifted aromatics and a wine that just floats across your palate. Fantastic elegance and persistence. Early drinking window, I think there's still room for development and for the tannins to resolve a touch more. Straddling secondary and tertiary right now. If you have a bunch, there's no harm in enjoying one now. Drink over the next 10+ years. 96+, may eventually move a notch or two higher.

1/19/2024 - futronic wrote:

A little disappointing compared to recent bottles of Pora, Ovello, and Montestefano from the same vintage. Nice enough wine, tannins nicely resolved, showing solid tertiary notes, but just missing a little "oomph." I expect more magic from Asili. Again, I think this suffered in comparison to the other Produttori Riservas from 2008 I've drank recently.

6/22/2023 - futronic wrote:

Wow ... what a great bottle. Fully tertiary at this point, tannins took about 30 minutes to chill out, but the wine drank beautifully over the next couple hours. I don't see much room for improvement. Drink over the next five years.

3/10/2023 - futronic wrote:

What a gorgeous, fully mature Rioja. Decanted for sediment, allowed to open up for an hour, and then consumed over the next few after that. Very pretty with notes of spice box, tobacco, dried fruit, worn leather, and sandalwood. Tannins are nicely resolved. There's no rush to drink this wine, but I don't see much room for improvement. Excellent stuff.

3/10/2023 - futronic wrote:

Initially reductive nose that led some people to think this was a white Burgundy or Chablis (I served it blind). Medium-dark gold/copper colour gives the impression of more age on the wine than there is. Nose of lanolin, honeycomb, bruised apple, preserved lemon, sea spray. Medium-full bodied with fantastic acidity - I really love the texture of this wine. Showing slight oxidation on the salty palate through to a moderate-length finish. I really enjoyed this wine and look forward to seeing how it develops further over the next couple years.

1/15/2023 - futronic wrote:

In an absolutely beautiful spot right now. Tannins very nicely integrated and mostly resolved, showing plenty of pretty tertiary notes and mature fruit. I'm a little concerned about some celery seed aromas, so I will start to drink additional bottles sooner rather than later. Not falling off a cliff by any means, but I don't see much room for improvement. Consumed over four hours without decanting. Drink now-2027. 93-94 points.

7/10/2022 - futronic wrote:

Needs more time. Leave this in the cellar for another few years.

7/21/2022 - futronic wrote:

Very nice. In a much better place than the 2005 and 2006 right now - those vintages still need more time. Early window on the 2011.

6/24/2022 - futronic wrote:

Honeycomb, lanolin, lemon drops, white flowers, hay, and a hint of dried herbs in the traditional, slightly oxidized LdH style. Wow. What a stunning bottle of wine. Can easily go another ten years, or more.

5/1/2022 - futronic wrote:

Gorgeous wine, at peak or slightly on the decline. Clearly Brunello. Tannins beautifully integrated. Big nose, cashmere-textured palate, sottobosco, truffle, damson, sandalwood, figs, dried cherries, prunes, and starting to show a touch of soy. I don't see this improving. Drink over the next couple years. Very nice!

3/7/2022 - futronic wrote:

Taster bottle. Ridiculously tannic on day 1. Had a taste, put the cork back in the bottle and tossed it in the fridge. Much better on day 2, with great quality fruit, but tannins are still really firm. There's plenty of potential in this wine, but it needs to be buried deep in the cellar for at least 5-7 years - maybe more!

12/31/2021 - futronic wrote:

From a warmer vintage, this bottle was quite nice after a couple hours in a decanter and paired with presa Iberica. Drink over the next 5-10 years.

11/3/2021 - futronic wrote:

Huge nose of ripe persimmon, dried orange peel, aromatic herbs that one may find in vermouth, quince paste, walnuts, and more on this very, very serious Sherry. The finish goes on for minutes. Wow. Simply, wow.

Estimated average age of 22 in this June 2015 saca from a solera purchased from Hijos de Rainera Perez Martin in Sanlucar de Barrameda.

10/9/2021 - futronic wrote:

Delicious. Tannins were nicely resolved/integrated, tertiarty notes present, and the texture of the wine and finish was excellent. Sottobosco/damp forest floor/wet leaves, truffle, animal fur, leather, dried fruit. Perfect with the fall weather. Drink over the next 5-7 years.

10/13/2021 - futronic wrote:

Continues to drink well. Very nice texture, dried berry fruit, sandalwood, sottobosco, and leather notes. A wine to be enjoyed over the next five years while waiting for stronger vintages to develop.

10/11/2021 - futronic wrote:

An absolutely gorgeous bottle of wine right now, with notes of spice, truffle, forest floor, dried fruit, and dried orange peel. Tannins have resolved nicely, and there's solid length on the finish. I don't see much room for improvement, even if the wine may change a little in the coming years. In a sweet spot for me. Drink over the next 3-5 years.

9/21/2021 - futronic wrote:

Still going strong. This wine is at peak and continues on its plateau. I don't see any reason to hold off on drinking remaining bottles. Very enjoyable.

9/3/2021 - futronic wrote:

Pretty enough Barbaresco, but on the downward slope. Drink up.

8/31/2021 - futronic wrote:

Beautiful Blanc de Blancs, classic Fleuron from Gimonnet. Drink over the next 5-6 years.

7/21/2021 - futronic wrote:

Gorgeous nose that explodes from the glass. Tannins have finally resolved to a nice place and this is drinking really well. Something that can be enjoyed for the next five years for sure, still with some upside potential.

7/18/2021 - futronic wrote:

Interesting side-by-side comparison with the 2018 vintage. A little "cleaner" on the nose an palate, compared to the 2018, and showed a little deeper fruit - but not in a bad way. Still clearly Loire Cab Franc, with crunch red fruit and slight herbs. Definitely needs 3-5 years (minimum) before revisiting. Quite nice. Should improve.

7/18/2021 - futronic wrote:

Interesting side-by-side comparison with the 2019 vintage. The 2018 showed a little more funk over the course of 4-5 hours, but it still had nice crunchy, red fruit and a slight garrigue note, leading to a moderate-length finish. Definitely needs 3-5 years (minimum) before revisiting. Quite nice. Should improve.

7/19/2021 - futronic wrote:

Disgorged 2019/05. Gorgeous autolytic notes in this (very) late-disgorged Champagne. Walnuts and white flowers as well on the nose, with bright honey crisp apple tarte tatin on the palate, through to the long finish. Late-disgorged wines are always so interesting, as they show secondary and tertiary notes that are well-balanced by bright acidity that comes from the lees contact. I wish I owned more bottles.

7/19/2021 - futronic wrote:

Another beautiful showing. A very elegant wine to enjoy over the next 3-5 years, at a minimum.

7/16/2021 - futronic wrote:

Another 2007 Brunello drinking in the zone. Fantastic nose, typical Uccelliera richness and structure. Definitely more on the dark-fruited side of the Brunello spectrum. Love it. Drink over the next 3-4 years - no need to let it go downhill.

6/29/2021 - futronic wrote:

An absolutely glorious, fully mature bottle of Brunello. Aromas of sottobosco, truffle, dried cherries, figs, leather, and animal fur exploded from the glass. Medium-full bodied, with fully-resolved tannins and a gorgeous texture continuing to a very, very long finish. In short, this is why one ages wine. I may be a little harsh with "only" rating it 96 points. Unfortunately my last bottle, but it couldn't have been opened at a more perfect moment. Drink up.

7/6/2021 - futronic wrote:

At peak. Oddly, everyone called this Barolo when served blind. Very enjoyable, whistle-clean. Medium-full bodied, with a solid finish. Drink up.

7/11/2021 - futronic wrote:

Fully mature. Drinking beautifully right now. Wonderful nose. Drink over the next couple years.

6/19/2021 - futronic wrote:

Quite a disappointing bottle, unfortunately. Just flat on the nose and palate. Hopefully this was bottle variation, and my last ends up more representative. NR.

6/7/2021 - futronic wrote:

A beautiful showing for this wine that is at the early part of its drinking window. Tannins are resolving, but are still a little chalky at the minute. Fruit is straddling that secondary/tertiary line right now. Needs food or, ideally, another couple years in the cellar. Definite quality in the bottle.

6/16/2021 - futronic wrote:

Yet another 2007 Brunello that's drinking so, so well. Very Lisini in style, even in the context of the vintage. Tannins have started to resolve and are well-integrated, Full-bodied, lush fruit showing sottobosco, leather, tobacco, and fig notes, through to a very long finish. Get some red meat on the grill and enjoy this wine over the next 3-5 years.

6/11/2021 - futronic wrote:

Last bottle, but this was dynamite last night. Mature Carignan notes of bramble and dried dark fruit, black olive tapenade, hint of tarragon and leather. Full-bodied, with a very long finish. This is fully mature and should be enjoyed over the next few years. Love it, and wish I still had more.

6/11/2021 - futronic wrote:

What a delicious bottle of Rioja. In the zone, excellent fruit and length - bravo to the team at Pecina. Love all their wines. Drink over the next few years.

6/5/2021 - futronic wrote:

In a delicious spot right now. I prefer this to the 2015 which is showing a little too "natural" at times. Good fruit, balanced wine, solid finish. Enjoy over the next few years.

6/2/2021 - futronic wrote:

Looks more like Sauternes than Chard, smells like Allen's apple juice from a tin. Tastes a bit better, fortunately. If anyone is still holding bottles, drink up ASAP. This is still better than my previous bottle.

5/16/2021 - futronic wrote:

This is finally coming around - the tannins are no longer impenetrable, but still very present. A very solid Langhe Nebbiolo that has at least another 5-8 years of solid drinking ahead. Will try to hold off another couple years before my next bottle to see how it develops.

5/23/2021 - futronic wrote:

In a really nice spot right now. Tannins still a bit chalky, but not harsh, and definitely mitigated with food. Straddling that secondary/tertiary line right now. Good aromatics and length. Drink now-2026.

4/17/2021 - futronic wrote:

Gorgeous. Given a couple hours of air to stretch its legs, this medium-garnet wine has bricking to the edge, showing gorgeous notes of dried blood orange, sottobosco, truffle, prune, sandalwood, and a hint of licorice. On the palate, all these elements come together beautifully, the tannins stating this is clearly from Castiglione Falletto. A beauty of a wine that can be enjoyed now and surely has at least another decade of fine drinking ahead of it.

2/13/2021 - futronic wrote:

Gorgeous wine. Beautiful cool, Mediterranean nose with red and blue fruits, herbs, wet rocks. Medium-full bodied, well-structured and a long finish. Consumed over 4 hours in Zalto Burgundy stems. It needs the air. Not decanted. Drink over the next 5-7 years.

11/14/2020 - futronic wrote:

In a beautiful spot right now. Don't see much upside at this point. Drink over the next couple years.

11/14/2020 - futronic wrote:

Still pretty tight. Give it another couple years before revisiting.

11/13/2020 - futronic wrote:

Quite closed, but plenty of potential. Hold for another couple years.

10/24/2020 - futronic wrote:

Medium-ruby with purple flecks to a violet rim. Notes of blackberry, plums. black olive, and a touch of pyrazine. Very pretty, medium-bodied wine, great acidity, and a moderate-length finish that is a little chalky. This is just a baby. Will leave other bottles in the cellar for at least a few more years, as it will only get better.

10/19/2020 - futronic wrote:

As a Carignan-lover, I expected a lot more from this wine. Blackberry, bramble, and violet on the nose, following through to the medium-full bodied palate. Not a heck of a lot of complexity and clipped on the finish. I hope additional cellaring will transform this wine into something more interesting. Very disappointing for the price, especially compared to other Carignan "Vigno" bottlings from other Chilean producers.

8/15/2020 - futronic wrote:

Beautiful, expressive nose of cool blue and red fruits, seaspray, and a touch of savory herbs typical of this vineyard. Medium-bodied. Quite mineral on the medium-bodied palate, with a touch of spice and tarragon. Moderate-long finish. I was expecting a little more of the palate after the wonderful aromas coming from the glass, but still a very, very nice wine from a difficult vintage. Drink over the next 3-5 years.

8/29/2020 - futronic wrote:

Notes of lemon verbena, honeysuckle, honeycomb, yellow stone fruit, and a hint of dill. Typical LdH Blanco profile showing slight oxidative notes that add to the complexity of the wine. At times, the medium-bodied palate showed a crushed oyster shell-type note. A clear step behind the 2010 Gravonia, but a pleasant wine nonetheless. I'm a little concerned about the cork, as it was very simple to remove and didn't adhere well to the glass in the neck. Will keep an eye on that in future bottles. Should improve with a couple more years in the cellar.

8/20/2020 - futronic wrote:

Translucent ruby colour with violet flecks. Pretty, high-toned, bright nose with purple flours, cherry, red licorice, aniseed/tarragon. Medium-bodied, very nice acidity and balance. Medium-long finish, ~30-40s. This is very nice stuff, and just a baby. There's definite upside. Beautiful with a slight chill, as most gamay is. I think this has many years ahead of it, and look forward to trying my next bottle in a few years.

8/8/2020 - futronic wrote:

Cool nose of raspberry and blueberry fruit, violets, spice, and red Nibs licorice through to a very crunchy, mineral palate showing the same notes. Great acidity and a solid finish. A very moreish wine! I love this. It's going to be hard to not crush the entire stash. Must remain patient with some bottles!

8/5/2020 - futronic wrote:

Showing nice tertiary dried fruit, truffle, earth, animal fur, tar, and leather notes. Explosive nose and really nice texture on the palate. Tannins are still there, but have integrated nicely. This wine is in a great spot right now. Drink over the next five years.

11/27/2019 - futronic wrote:

Sottobosco, figs, dried black cherries, nicely resolved tannins. Like cashmere on the palate. A complete contrast to the 1999 La Gerla served alongside. Much more lush and rich thanks to the location in Castelnuovo dell'Abate and French oak treatment. In an excellent spot. Very tasty. Drink now-2024.