Vanessa

9.2

🤩 Benanti is an iconic, family run estate with a front-seat majestic view of Etna’s terrain, founded by Giuseppe Benanti in 1988, now carried forward by Giuseppe’s two sons Antonio and Salvino. Preserving the heritage of Etna’s unique terroir, the Benantis devote themselves to making wine with local varieties. 🍇

After delicate pressing, the free-run juice underwent fermentation with an indigenous yeast and aged on the fine lees in stainless steel for 30 months with regular bâtonnage (stirring). 😆

📝 The result is divine with a bouquet of harmonious aromas and flavors featuring ripe papaya, mango, cantaloup, white nectarine, kumquat, bergamot, lemon oil, cherry blossom, cream, toast, gunflint, fresh tarragon, sage, crushed stones, oystershell, sea spray & blanched almond notes.

💫This wine has verve & elegance!

😋 On the palate, it’s dry, with electrifying acidity, a medium body, textured mouthfeel, medium alcohol (12.5% ABV) & persistent finish. — a day ago

with Deked1

Jay Kline

9.2

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of two days. Delicious throughout. The 2016 Contra Costa County pours a deep, slightly hazy garnet/purple with an opaque core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears and signs of light sediment. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of ripe and tart, mostly black and blue fruit: blackberries, blueberries, plums, Montmorency cherry, purple flowers, black pepper, dry gravelly earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+. I’m very happy to have holed away some bottles from the first few years of Sandlands. Not only do I believe these older vintages are showing well, but I also believe his newer vintages will be even better. Drink now through 2031. — 2 months ago

romo

9.2

Proper mineral and fruit balance. Pleasant tension and a fine finish. — 3 months ago

Pooneet K

9.3

So good. Definitely has relaxed a bit - the tannins are pretty smooth, but the quality and depth of the fruit both on the nose and palate remains. Excellent with steaks off the grill. I think our last bottle. Opened for 3 hours and decanted for 30 mins. Very nice. — 8 days ago

Doug Powers

9.1

Classic old vines Contra Costa Zinfandel, brambly, spicy, rich yet not heavy, some heat (15.2%), but it really tastes great with homemade pizza, even in high-90s heat here in NorCal!! — 2 months ago

with Jim

Jay Kline

9.3

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of two days. Consistent throughout, but this really needed air in order to get going. Initially, this was quite wound up and somewhat backward. However, after about an hour in the glass, a real beauty emerged. The 2017 Costa del Salmino Riserva pours a garnet color with a transparent core; medium viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of tart and ripe, mostly red fruit: raspberries, strawberry, Morello cherry, red flowers, red rope, licorice, talcum powder, dried green herbs, new leather and cedar box. On the palate, the wine is bone dry with high tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and chock full of savory minerals. I mean…this bordering bone broth levels of savory, lol. My opinion: these need time to show their best. Drink 2027 through 2047. — 3 months ago

Katie Pierce

9.5

Good fruit flavor but still super dry! Very enjoyable! — a month ago

with Janet

Tyler Felous

9.5

Perfect pool day wine. Just delicious — 2 months ago

Joe DAscoli

9.4

Somewhat of a dessert wine and post dinner vino. This wine held up with great fruit and complexity. Really nice follow on to 25 year old CdP and high end champagne. Held its own with good concentration and depth. — 3 months ago

Todd Anderson

9.2

I really enjoyed this bottle. It evolved steadily, improving, over a few hours. I had it on pizza night but it could easily pair well with heartier fare. Enjoy now or over the next 5+ years. — 3 months ago