Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.4

2013 vintage. Sweet fill and cork. Trashy label. Slightly less sed than expected. Big nose on the decant. Tasted after 1 hour open and 5 hours open. Medium heavy body. Roasted nuts, earth, plummy fruit and grilled beef nose and flavors. Finishing palate added a finely ground black pepper note. Consistent throughout and absolutely delicious. 05.23.25. — 7 months ago

Vanessa

9.2

Tonight, we’re sipping a delicious Poggio Antico Brunello di Montalcino DOCG (2012).

The vineyards of Poggio Antico are situated on some of Montalcino’s highest hills (>1,500 ft elevation), overlooking the beautiful, sun-soaked landscape of Tuscany.

In a warm climate, high altitude sites like this benefit from a comparatively lower air temperature, greater diurnal range (warm days, cool nights), and enhanced solar intensity, particularly when vines are planted on hillsides, angled towards the sun.

These conditions (among others) are important for quality winemaking, for example, the intense sunshine promotes grape ripening (sugar accumulation; development of flavors, tannins, color), while the cooling influences help retain acidity and more delicate aromas in the grapes; they also enable a longer ripening period overall, setting the stage for a well-balanced, concentrated wine.

It was interesting to learn that Poggio Antico vinifies and matures its Sangiovese according to detailed soil units, leveraging what it calls a “geological symphony,” as a significant part of the terroir expression. It later blends (or “harmonizes”) these units with the aim of creating balance and complexity.

As a Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, this wine must be 100% Sangiovese and could not be released from Poggio for at least 5 years from the harvest, during which time it aged for at least 2 years in oak. Poggio exceeded these legal minimums by aging this wine for 4 years, including 3 years in traditional Slavonian oak barrels and one year in bottle.

We paired this wine with a homemade Bolognese. The spices of the sauce lent symmetry to the spice (nutmeg, clove) notes in the wine, which didn’t compete, but, rather, complemented each other. Also, the fat in the ground sirloin (along with the salty parmesan and decade+ of maturing) helped smooth the high tannins of the Sangiovese, enhancing our palates’ experience of other delicious dimensions.

It was molto bene! Cheers! — 2 years ago

with Deked1

Tom Garland

9.5

It's Open That Bottle Night(last Sat in Feb), and thought this would be a nice pull to celebrate the occasion.

1 hour decant(decent sediment). A striking still dark garnet with some bricking. On the nose: perfumed stewed cherry/plum, smoked meat, worn leather, cigar ash,milk chocolate, rich soil, some band-aid(brett) Taste: smooth, polished, vibrant wine with plum, tobacco, bitter chocolate, worn leather, earth, and a long graphite coffee ground finish. YUM!!!! — 10 months ago

with Brenda

Sherry

9.1

Rainy day, brownies and Adelsheim pinot noir — 4 years ago

with jeff

Jay Wyper

9.2

A nice middle ground between oak and steel finish. Not overly fruity but the Chardonnay fruit is there. Smooth finish with a little butter. Great with food. — 5 years ago

Michael Meyer

9.2

Grilling some excellent pork chops on a beautiful warm San Diego evening, and my pairing instincts took me to an aged St-I. This from arguably the best Oregon vintage of the 2000’s, it represents perhaps the most Burgundian effort by Mr Vlossak during his “tenure” working the hallowed Seven Springs vineyard. Savory, smoky, brambly, with moderate acidity and tannins, an undertone of grilled herbs, brilliant restrained red fruit, and a hint of brett to round it out. Wine outshined the chop, but all goodness. — 6 years ago

Devin Brown

9.2

The description: "Flavours of garrigue, black cherry, blackberry, ground herbs and crushed-rock-like minerality. It has a traditional feel, yet does not lack for purity, balance or polish either." Wine Advocate 93/100

The opinion: actually brilliant value (125 per bottle) I have tasted much worst at a lot more. This is brilliant! I am going to buy a couple more bottles — a year ago

Brad Jensen

9.0

Bold notes of plum, ground pepper leathery notes with dusty, mouth drying tannins and a medium to heavy body, this was really a good blend for the smokehouse at the resort. — 4 years ago

with Tiva

Kapyrick Wine

9.0

v18. Very nice. Soft white pepper and smashed black cherry nose. Rich black cherry and blackberry fruit. Smooth, tight, cola, mocha , soft leather and ground pepper finish. Lot of words , but well balanced! — 4 years ago

Tracy Hall

9.2

Love this! No decant (imho it doesn’t need it). This is everything you want. Balanced fruit and acid. Served with bbq ribeye (the rub with brown sugar and ground coffee is what brought these together). Second night sautéed chicken with rosemary and a pesto pasta was also perfect. Love this! SS — 5 years ago