5/14/2024 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

Enjoyed this perhaps more than most of my D&R bottles. While they've all been very good, they often seemed on the pleasant, low-alc juicy, quality fresh fruit side. This one, now with 10 years on it, was showing some nice complexity and added weight, while still having that great juicy fruit. Very nice.

5/14/2024 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

Nice wine, very mineral driven with some saline notes, paired well with seafood

5/6/2024 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

Meant to hold this bottle longer, but grabbed the wrong vintage by accident. Excellent wine, and as noted with prior bottle, notably better than the 2018 and 2020 vintages. Still quite structured, but very balanced and elegant. Wish it wasn't my last bottle

4/26/2024 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

Solid, good pure fruit, sour cherry, tight and a bit tannic with some upside. give it 2 years

4/23/2024 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

Good, dark fruited, plum, perhaps veers a bit too much to dried/over ripe fruit for my liking, but solid and well made. Questionable value vs say the entry level Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Rossos

4/14/2024 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

Cork had same seepage as my prior bottle from a few years ago. didn't breach the end of the cork though. Dark berry, plum fruit. A little earthy, but note quite as good as my prior bottle. Perhaps fading and should have drank sooner. Still quite nice, but did not live up to previous experience.

4/14/2024 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

This was drinking fabulously. Pretty earthy nose with sour cherry, soil, leaves. Similar tart cherry palate with earthy undertones, great acidity and still some tannic grip on the finish. Nice balance and complexity. Probably still good for a number of years, but certainly good to drink now. Glad to have a second bottle.

4/9/2024 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

Based on the many relatively negative tasting notes, I went in apprehensively with lowered expectations, but I quite enjoyed this. While clearly on the lighter side due to the unusually low ABV, I found this quite fresh, with a good depth of flavor and complexity that belied the low ABV.

3/24/2024 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

Perhaps a little past peak, getting a bit tawny, brownish color. Developed some pleasant secondary and tertiary characteristics, but still quite nice. Two bottles left, and will drink in next 2-3 years

3/12/2024 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

Thought this was drinking very well, but seemingly just entering its drinking window. Great nose with some earthy notes overlaying cherry, red currant notes. Flavors mirror the nose, and the finish is still pretty tannic, but not in an unpleasant way. Good to go now, but still good for some time IMO

3/12/2024 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

Purchased from Winery at a tasting dinner in the US. Solid, red fruited, fruity nose, but more acid driven palate, very good food driven CC.

Out of curiosity, had this in a blind vs. a Fontodi CC, given that both are from a similar price point (~$40) which, to me highlighted that the Torciano wine was a bit overpriced as Fontodi came across as a far more serious, structured and complex wine.

3/11/2024 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

The riper, more modern aspects I recalled from my last bottle in 2021 have subsided and this was more balanced and elegant with more old world flavors and secondary characteristics coming through. Very solid for the price.

2/26/2024 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

Solid, good fruit, seems like tannins either subsided or its just more a fruity primary style. A bit unbalanced with the alcohol but still tasty. Drink soon.

2/23/2024 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

nice light and perfumed red.

2/15/2024 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

Nice nose of red fruit, tobacco, touch of cinnamon. Sour cherry, lot of tannins still making it seem a bit austere, but there is definitely some nice fruit underneath with some subtle oak. Quite enjoyed this and glad to have another to check in on in another 3-5 years

2/15/2024 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

Fruity yet pretty tannic. Definitely get some cabernet characteristics coming through. Interesting wine, paired well with a steak. Value is questionable for the price paid, but I would be interested to try this with 5-10 more years on it

1/22/2024 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

Odd wine, at least since I was going in without knowing what to expect. Red fruit, comes across as a touch sweet imo, pure fruit flavors maybe a little pepper. Seems perhaps better suited to being lightly chilled and served with summer BBQ, burger etc.

1/17/2024 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

As noted in other notes, cork is indeed fragile... came out in pieces and crumbled, had to decant through a screen. Wine quality unaffected.

This was killer, great nose of red and dark fruit, tobacco, leather. Blackberry, cassis along with bordeaux-esque notes of pencil shavings, and tobacco. Surprising still pretty tannic. This was delicious, and while no reason not to drink now, I think this will hold for quite a bit as well.

1/9/2024 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

Really nice value. Dark fruits, kirsch, garrigue, subtle earthiness. Pretty tannic but approachable.

1/1/2024 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

this still surprisingly youthful and the fruit quite fresh yet just developing some secondary flavors... would not have guessed this is 12 years old by any stretch

12/31/2023 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

nicely aged, drink up

12/25/2023 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

annual prime rib pairing. Great value, could still use some time, but drinking fine on the pop and pour

12/24/2023 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

5 years since my prior bottle and still drinking really well. Not past prime, but why wait. Last bottle for me.

12/17/2023 - Grape_ape wrote:

pretty, light translucent color. This has some pure, primary fruit on the palate, primarily red berry. High quality fruit, but I found it a bit glossy, at least initially - and despite the 12.5% stated ABV it was a little unbalanced with what seemed like a sharp alcohol bite... perhaps just needed more air or time, and both factors seemed to improve towards the end of the bottle.

12/11/2023 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

Really nice, high toned, earthy red fruited. Blew through my 3 bottles far too quickly

12/5/2023 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

Classic olive aromas, bacon fat. Drinking nicely, but still quite youthful and has plenty of life. I will save my last bottle for a few more years at least.

11/21/2023 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

light color, elegant and light despite the 14% ABV.

11/20/2023 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

quite good, and likely could improve a bit with another couple years

11/13/2023 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

solid. A bit austere with some decent tannins.

11/13/2023 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

similar to prior notes. Still drinking quite nicely, and plenty of life left.

10/5/2023 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

MATTEO1's notes hits the nail on the head. Nice wine, honeyed/waxy texture, nice fruit

9/9/2023 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

drinking great for what's supposed to be the early drinker. developing some nice complexity

10/5/2023 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

This was quite nice. High toned red fruit, cherry, some floral and earthy accents coming through in the secondary characteristics. In a very good spot right now.

9/30/2023 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

light color belies the depth of flavor and tannins. Very nice

8/14/2023 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

Drank very well on pop and pour, and over about 2 hours. Ready to go - but at the same time still has a touch of youthful freshness to it

8/14/2023 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

This was drinking really well. Nice stony minerality, orchard fruit. A bit tight on pop and pour but fleshed out and showed some secondary depth as it warmed and opened up. Sad to see my last bottle go

7/10/2023 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

still quite youthful, but drinking quite nicely. Wish I had another to follow.

7/10/2023 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

Last bottle. Drinking quite nicely, tropical, granny smith apple, developing just a hint of petrol. Acidity cuts the subtle sweetness perfectly.

6/26/2023 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

just about 3 years since my prior bottle. Still quite good, but not sure I sensed much benefit from the additional age. I'd drink up

6/26/2023 - Grape_ape wrote:

This was ok, but I much preferred the 2018 vintage of this one... lemon, mineral, pretty rounded on the palate, with some more mineal and almond notes, but then a pretty prominent oxidative note comes in on the finish that I didn't love.

6/20/2023 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

Inviting nose of red berries and floral notes. Very fresh, pretty high toned red fruits and violets, great acidity and some nice subtle tannic grip. Delicious stuff.

6/12/2023 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

This has improved quite a bit from them bottle I had in April 2022. I quite like the 2016 and was pretty underwhelmed with this comparatively, but this has added some nice complexity. May give my last bottle another year or two

6/6/2023 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

drinking quite nicely with no signs of falling off at all.

5/31/2023 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

excellent as always. Light, refreshing, lots of flavor and the subtle spritz

5/31/2023 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

Very solid, better than average Zin, but very un-Sandlands like in style, weight and ABV. Suppose that's more attributable to the grape variety. My one quibble is that its a bit out of balance.

5/24/2023 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

Enjoyed this, nice tart, pure red fruit and some subtle earth/funk, however I think I enjoyed my 1st bottle more when it was a bit younger (~4 years ago) - didn't seem to gain much with age, in fact almost seemed fresher, more primary, which is counterintuitive. Still very solid and great QPR.

5/22/2023 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

Bright, fresh and juicy. As others have noted, perhaps a bit simple and, but high quality, pure fruit and lots of drinking pleasure. Holding up very well

3/27/2023 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

A bit bretty/barnyard to start, nice taught fruit, some olive and meatiness, but remains a bit high toned and still has a lot of tannic grip. Very solid, and still has lots of upside.

3/13/2023 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:

drinking pretty well, and probabl in the drink now category. Did drink far better than a recent 2004 I had which was more pruney and ripe, whereas this was fresh, brighter red fruited.

2/27/2023 - Grape_ape wrote:

This may have been slightly flawed. Seemed to be quite bretty, and lacked the typical olive and floral notes I've always enjoyed in the anthill syrahs. Not rating given it seemedd to be an off bottle. Sadly last one.