Review Date: 2-15-2013

At this price point there isn't much around that has the depth of flavor and balance that this southern Italian wine has. Neprica takes its name from the blend of grapes that makes it up, Ne -(Negroamaro)Pri - (Primitivo)Ca - (Cabernet Sauvignon)and is a complex yet easy drinking wine that will please the most picky of palates. For me this is the classic match for pasta with a meat ragu, the spicy complexity will go well with the flavors of the tomato and meat as they cook down. Or just drink it on its own!

Review Date: 1-26-2013

The pinnacle of the Frescobaldi properties is Castelgiocondo in Montalcino; here they’ve been making powerful Sangiovese in Montalcino’s southwest quadrant for a long time. Winemaker Nicolo d’Afflito is Bordeaux trained and has blended that technique with the traditional big cask aging that most of Montalcino uses. That character is evident in the wine and gives this Brunello a determined focal point, length and mid palate power, that leads to bold, direct, and richly textured flavors, plum, vanilla and a bit of spice. This wine is going to age nicely for the next 10 -15 years and will do best with a bit of decanting.

Review Date: 1-26-2013

This wine has a different story, while the Sesta di Sopra Brunello is a Micro-Production of 345 cases the Riserva is a ridiculous 590 bottles…..hence I don’t get to taste the Riserva anywhere near as often as the Brunello. When I did taste it last February it was an explosion of fruit, the fruit seemed to be foaming out of the glass it was impossible to understand. It too has now settled into a more recognizable form and begun to express itself as an adult rather than a rambunctious adolescent. The Riserva is powerful and it has an incredibly deep richness, it is this textural depth that really sets this wine apart. Waves of camphor, meat, wild cherry, sage, and a slightly Amarone like raisined character flow across your palate but it is the integration of the tannins that makes this experience special. The tannins are powerful yet so well integrated into the wine it seems to create another layer of textural pleasure, and along with the inherent acidity lengthen the wines finish dramatically. Complex, rich and long I’d love to throw this in with some Napa Cabernet lovers and stretch their envelope a bit. Obviously this is a very limited wine but well worth the experience.

Review Date: 1-26-2013

portrayed itself differently at each producer yet for me it was in a more predictable way. The nose of the 2007 Sesta di Sopra Brunello di Montalcino is full of iron, raw meat, brick dust and a deep, concentrated wild cherry richness, almost cough-drop like in its concentration. The wine transforms itself on the palate and a high tone, fresher more elegant note of wild cherry joins with the earth, spice, wild herbs, with deep plumy notes. Here the richness of the vintage is melding with the structure, the tannins and acids are now beginning to appear and that’s what was so puzzling earlier. Now the deep, concentrated fruit has a backbone, shoulders and is dynamic, it is powerful and fills your mouth with a complex coating of flavor. The wine has a long finish the acidic core is pulling the richness together giving it a balance that wasn’t present earlier as the wine just goes on and on. It is really good.

Review Date: 12-29-2012

From the first whiff this wine smells like a much more expensive bottle than it really is. Complex, ripe cassis fruit laced with vanilla threads and hints of smoke fill your nose. On the palate the wine is viscous, smooth and alive, never ponderous and surprisingly low alcohol for the its richness. The finish is full and long leaving traces of smoke and cassis. Drinking well now or for the next 6-7 years. There isn't a Cabernet in California for this price that has this kind of quality.

Review Date: 12-27-2012

This is one of the most elegant, balanced and complex Negroamaro that I have tasted. The wine has the classic Puglian richness one would expect but this wine has linear structure that really holds the wine together, lengthening and freshening the wine across your palate. Layers of flavor, spice, ripe and complex black fruit, hints of herbs that all have an equal voice in the wines flavor. Well balanced and an impressive finish.

Review Date: 12-26-2012

If you’ve heard me talk about having my breath taken away by a Single Malt Scotch, I was probably talking about a cask strength undiluted version whose fierce alcoholic nature literally took my breath away; this Malt however took my conceptual breath away, I wasn’t quite prepared for the depth, viscousness and layers of dynamic yet subtle flavors this incredible spirit gives. So often we taste wines or spirits that are so flavorful they are out of balance, impressive as hell they can stuff all of that flavor into one bottle but not really a pleasure to drink. This Glenfarclas is so stylish, so at ease, so complete I don’t think I’ve ever had anything quite like it. The nose is attractive, inviting and shows great depth that beckons you to explore further, on the palate the Malt is surprisingly rich, the nose is so balanced and delicate it doesn’t prepare you for the density. This isn’t a smoke filled, charred molasses barrel Malt this is true sophistication, balance, depth and unrivaled character. This is quite the spirit; you’ll not regret this experience.

Review Date: 12-26-2012

Whoa, this is an experience, just think, this spirit sits for over 40 years in this sherry barrel but it tastes so incredibly fresh, like someone just put a dollop of rich, creamy sherry into your glass. This is an experience that you have to prepare for, put on a safety harness, and strap yourself in because this Malt is a bombshell. There is so much concentration, so much flavor it is like you get a glass and half when you pour a glass, just incredible. This is a Cask Strength Malt so a wee bit of water would work well to open this enormously flavorful Malt in your glass, I always like to try them first straight to get the complete experience but with a few drops of water this became a different product. It still has the intensity but the layers of flavor became more visible, the spiciness becomes less cacophonic and more symphonic. A must for all collectors, and when you think that a 50 year old Macallan costs $17,000 this 42 year old is an absolute steal, don’t pay for the hype this is the real deal.

Review Date: 12-26-2012

I remember this wine in its youth and it was a bit reticent, awkward and striving for its place, well that time has arrived, adolescence is over and this wine is dynamite. The purity of fruit is a hallmark of La Fortuna Brunello, the blend of the bright wild cherry eastern estate (adjacent to Fuligni and Siro Pacenti)fruit and plumy richness of their vineyards on the south face (below Ciacci and Uccelliera)and combine to form a gorgeous aromatic profile. On the palate the wine has an underpinning of plush richness that gives power and density to the mouthfeel. Drinkable now and will age for another decade plus, a superb year for La Fortuna.

Review Date: 11-21-2012

No I'm not jealous, but Fabio Tassi owner of the most popular wine shop in Montalcino decided to try making some of his own! The wines are really good, they show impeccable balance while still bursting with fruit and spice. Classic structure but supple on the palate and very expressive, the 2006 is so fresh, vibrant and energetic you'll love it with a big T-bone, just off the grill drizzled with extra virgin olive oil.

Review Date: 11-21-2012

This is the best Fornacina I've ever tasted, clean, powerful, focused and distinguished. They've hovered on the edge of being known for years and their wines were really just ok but in this year everything has come together and they have produced an dynamic Brunello capable of aging well into a truly special wine.

Review Date: 11-21-2012

This was one of my favorite wines of the vintage, dense structure, great length, rich and complex fruit mixed with earth and spice. Powerful wine that would benefit from a stay in your cellar or several hours of decanting now. Roberto Bellini was the owner of Pieve di Santa Restituta but then sold to Gaja, then started Podere Brizio.

Review Date: 11-20-2012

Another classic from the Frescobaldi family and their historic Nipozzano estate just a little south east of Florence. The wine is a blend of 90% Sangiovese with a bit of Malvasia Nera, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon aged in French barriques. I loved the supple texture, balanced expression (13.5% ABV) and freshness of flavors. The barrel character is so well integrated you don't even notice it on the palate. The finish is long,direct and has a bit of spice and wild cherry. Perfect for you favorite pasta!

Review Date: 9-16-2012

Rosso di Montalcino is perhaps one of the greatest undiscovered values in Italy, made with 100% Sangiovese this baby brother to Brunello always seems to get overlooked but with the string of good vintages lately the Rosso category provides some outstanding choices. This 2009 San Filippo Lo Scorno is drinking great right now, the wine’s subtle aromatics, the wild cherry perfume and supple yet full feel on the palate shows its superb balance and is graced with a long finish. Absolutely a great food wine but is remarkably well adapted as a cocktail wine and will age well for another 5+ years.

Review Date: 9-5-2012

You don't see me reviewing Single Malt very often but when you do you should take note. This single barrel selection isn't about age it is about flavor and it has everything I look for in an Islay single malt. I enjoy the intense peatiness when it is supremely well integrated and the intense smoke in this spirit seems to be attached at the core. Powerful, layered and complex peatiness not a day old BBQ smell but saturated flavors that don't linger they camp out on your palate. Wonderful balance, not hot and with that hint of sherry wood it turns into something truly magnificent. You'll love it