Tom Casagrande

8.6

I used to get this 25 years ago but haven’t had it since. I remembered it being a little more compact than this loosey-goosey, super-ripe version (15%!). Nose is identifiably ripe Garnacha, with deep raspberry ooze fruit, a little spice, and some warm, crushed stoney gravel. Ripe and low-acid in the mouth, it’s rich and full-flavored, but a bit one-dimensional. Not bad. — 15 hours ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

Prior notes still apply. (Sorry, too lazy to re-type it all.) — 5 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.3

This is so complex and resolved. I love the campfirey, smokey notes in the nose. There’s also still some mature berry fruit note and musky florals. In the mouth, the acids are quite nice and the flavors are gravitating towards the savory. This is a really nice mature style. — 9 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

I think this is peaking. From a marginal year but really nice. Lots of cedar and a little roasted peanut note augmenting some nice, mellow cassis fruit on the nose. A big whack of intense flavors on initial entry, with tannins still there but softening. A teensy bit drying on the finish, but damn this is nice with grilled butterflied leg of lamb with garlic and rosemary. — 9 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.3

This is Garagiste’s private label but the cork gives away that this is from Davide Carlone, a really good Novarese producer. And it’s drinking superbly. So fragrant and complex, earth, tar, rich plummy and dried cherry fruit, a bit of spice. Even better in the mouth. Soft and so resolved, all manner of secondary and tertiary notes completing the remaining, still-deep, dark dried cherry fruit. Very concentrated flavors, contrasting with the somewhat lightish color. Forcefully long finish, with still a fair amount of soft tannin reminding. Nice acids. Superb. — 3 days ago

with Rebecca

Tom Casagrande

8.8

Really flavorful weeknight red from this top-flight Zin specialist. And there’s no Zin it it! Ripe, juicy, earthy nose has deep, dark, oozy berry fruit, a wet tobacco-y vegetal note, sweet spices, a whiff of smoky sandalwood, and maple syrup. It’s zingy and has a little peppery alcohol character, but there’s lots of ripe fruit and nice gravelly notes on the palate as well. Not the most elegant and composed, but plenty of character. — 7 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

Pretty intense pink color. Takes a little time for the nose to hit its stride, but then is redolent of cherry Pinot fruit (in a brighter iteration than for a red). Vigorous in the mouth. Lot of bright fruit, with strawberry and cherry, and some nice stony minerality underneath. This could age a few years and improve, actually, but really nice now. — 9 days ago

with Rebecca

Tom Casagrande

9.2

This hs mellowed considerably since my last bottle two years ago. I wasn’t impressed then with its tannic and scorchy character, but the scorchiness is gone and tannins are receding. Gorgeous , iron-ey, smoky mineral scents accent deep red fruit. Still tannic in the mouth, but they’re softer and quite integrated. Deep, smoky, minerally flavors. Very nice. — 3 days ago

with Rebecca

Tom Casagrande

9.2

This is a terrific Valpo. It doesn’t seem as weighty as those made from partially dried or super-ripe grapes, but neither is it as light as the old-school traditional Valpos were back in the 70s and 80s. It’s got a boisterous nose with lively, zingy ripe cherry, and nice hints of almond and twiggy underbrush. Rather electric in the mouth, with forceful but crackling, slightly bitter-tinged cherry fruit. Savory and stony on the long finish. Big acid drive. Some very fine-grained chalky tannin gives a teensy bit of scaffolding. Really fine, and a terrific value. — 6 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

This is really good for a basic ruby port. Dried plum, richly fruited and hint of dried fruit as well. Nice intensity and length and balance. This is easily the best ruby I’ve had. My niece and her husband just brought this back from Portugal. — 9 days ago

with Rebecca