Jenn Ingle

9.1

Nose - leather, animal pelt, stewed tomato and mushroom. Main notes - mello dark fruit like plums and cheese rind and some smoky flinty character. Body - is soft and silky mid taste and then does this cool sharp acidic thing at the end that gives it structure and interest. Paired perfectly with the duck ragu pasta my hubby made for dinner. This wine is great with a meaty tomato dish. — 4 months ago

with Jay

Tom Casagrande

9.1

With some of the entry-level Brunelli like this one, it’s a tough call when to open them. In my experience many try to play in the big leagues by overextracting. This one’s always been on the tannic, somewhat astringent side, so you want to wait to allow the tannins to drop and for it to settle down, but you don’t want to wait so long that the fruit dries up. I think this is about as good as it’s going to get. The fruit is still there, and the astringency is abating a bit. Still tannic. Good acids. Should go well with a simple pasta with tomato and sausage sauce.

UPDATE: After 24 hours under a vacuum seal, it was so astringent as to be nearly undrinkable, to my taste. — a year ago

Matthew Cohen

9.4

On open nose is cold smoke and pine.

Palate is perfect supple mid season cherries. Flashing cherry spice. Some sweet wood. Gorgeous old rose internal aromatics. What you expect from old Nebbiolo.

2 hours in nose is more gun smoke.

Palate is sweet cherry. Gorgeous. So elegant. So fresh. Interlaced sweet old wood. Wow. What you want.

Day 2 nose is a bit of tomato. Some cold smoke. Still elegant. Savory. Fresh. Grippy. Cherry flower rose. Still good. Long grippy finish. Still has 5-10 years to go. — 4 years ago

Jeffrey Woo

9.0

Deep garnet hue with high saturation. Aromas of blackberry, cherry, lavender, pepper, plum, sage, and tar. Full body with full, robust tannins and medium-plus acidity. Palate adds hints of minerals and tomato. A deep, aromatic, complex red with a clean, balanced finish. A very good entreé into Pessac-Léognan. — 5 years ago

Matt Perlman

9.0

From mag. Had not yet tried this wine with this much age before and didn’t know what to expect but it was really quite nice. Develops kind of like a gamay or Pinot. Black cherry and raspberry still there but definitely leaner and more acid-driven and savory at this point. Dried flowers, stewed tomato, dried herbs, mushroom, maybe a little sweet tobacco and mesquite. Overall I think I would still drink this young for the exuberant lip smacking red fruit but this was interesting — 5 years ago

Chris McClellan

9.1

Gorgeous ripe black/red fruit with dried thyme/rosemary/tomato leaf/black tea, acid and tannin both elevated and well balanced and long finish. Paired great with homemade lasagna.... — 6 years ago

with Ryan and Michael

Freddy R. Troya

9.1

Macchia – “Delicious” Barbera – 2023
Heaven’s Vines, Lodi – USA 🇺🇸

Overview
100% Barbera from Lodi. an Italian indigenous grape known for its naturally high acidity, juicy fruit, and casual drinkability. Macchia Winery, celebrated for producing over 20 distinct styles of Zinfandel, also showcases its versatility with Italian varieties. Consistently recognized with domestic and international awards, the winery brings Barbera into the spotlight with this vibrant estate bottling.

Aromas & Flavors
Ripe red cherries, plum, blackberry compote, and a touch of vanilla and sweet spice. Fresh, fruity, and forward with that classic Barbera brightness.

Mouthfeel
Medium-bodied with lively acidity and a smooth, easygoing finish. Juicy fruit drives the palate, making it approachable and highly sip-worthy.

Food Pairings
Perfect with pizza, pasta with tomato-based sauces, grilled sausages, roasted vegetables, or charcuterie. A true “any day, any time” red.

Verdict
A fun, approachable, and fruit-driven Barbera with Macchia’s signature Lodi generosity. Casual enough for weeknight sipping yet polished enough to show the quality behind this estate-grown wine.

Did You Know?
Barbera is one of Italy’s most widely planted red grapes, cherished for its fresh acidity and versatility. In California, Lodi’s warm days and cool delta breezes help the variety express generous fruit while maintaining balance. — 7 months ago

Jess

9.2

Medium-deep ruby-garnet color.
Aromas of dried black cherry, clove, tobacco.
Dry. Flavors of stewed tomato, clove, dried cherry, sage, leather. Medium-rich, chewy tannins.

Intensity: 4/5
Complexity: 4/5
Balance: 4/5
Finish: 4/5 — 2 years ago

Thomas Nies

9.5

Rustic but refined. Served with homemade pasta and roasted tomato sauce. Exceptional! — 4 years ago

Daniel P. Drake

9.2

The wine I have opened is the 2016 Fanti Brunello Di Montalcino - Siena, Italy.

On the nose there is cherry, plum, strawberry, cranberry, red currant, tomato, leather, tobacco, licorice, spice and earth.

The palate has tart cherry, cranberry, strawberry, spice, clay pots, licorice, mint, dried roses and dry dirt.

This is a medium to full bodied wine that has good complexity, medium+ to high acidity and medium + to high fine grained mouthcoating tannins that gives a long earthy red fruit finish. A very nice Brunello that has a long life to go. Definitely needs time and decant to help open up. The weekend has been a beautiful one so far and I hope everyone are enjoying themselves. Please stay safe and healthy. Nostrovia! 🍷🍷🍷🍷 — 5 years ago

Jan de Weerd

9.5

Pure old country style. No fruit other than perhaps dark, tart cherry and tomato. Mostly a juice with notes of cigarette box, dark unsweetened chocolate, black tea and hints of granite. Medium but very dry tannins. Balanced, pleasant finish. — 5 years ago

with Tammy

Michelle M

9.0

Clear, deep purple wine with thin legs, cooked red fruit (cherry and plum) and notes of vanilla, mushroom, leather on the nose. Medium-light bodied mouthfeel, medium-low acidity with stewed red fruit and hints of vanilla with a light but medium-long finish. Not super complex but well balanced, fresh and fruity. Probably would go well with oily fish, sautéed mushrooms, creamy tomato sauces. — 5 years ago

Jordan Wardlaw

9.1

Cherry, sun dried tomato, tobacco, old leather, brett, peppermint candy. Very well-framed, good concentration and slow-building tannins. Very solid Chianti at the everyday price point. — 7 years ago

Dawn E.

9.1

Delicious! Presents with milk chocolate, tomato leaves, red raspberries, garrique, thyme, graham cracker crust, and pomegranate. Every time I pick up the glass, I discover something new! — 10 months ago

Robert Stackowiak

9.0

Cherry, tomato, espresso on the palate. Nice at 9 years old. September 2024. — 2 years ago

Jakub Kalinowski

9.0

A nice CS/Sangiovese blend from around Pisa.
Very interesting how this evolves in the glass with the character of the two grapes coming out to shine and fading - sometimes this is very much reminiscent of a northern Medoc with gravelly black currants, a few minutes later the hallmark tomato leaf + some rusticity of Sangiovese emerges.
On the palate this is quite firm with a proper tannic frame filled with black cherry & black currant and juicy acidity.
Good depth & length and surprisingly youthful. — 3 years ago

Daniel Bloom

9.2

Delicious, minty luxurious mouthfeel.
N:Very minty, some deep tomato, as paste. It has an interesting lightness to it.
P: mulberries and bright red/orange long finish, still has that murky entry, The acids are still bright. Very tactile and grippy.
— 4 years ago

with Sarah

Bhuvana Husain

9.0

Delicious savory red wine - had at Waypoint. Described by server as tomato & basil flavor! — 5 years ago

Jim McCusker

9.3

From last week. Terrific barolo that went great with linguini and a homemade tomato sauce with waygu meatballs. Yum. — 5 years ago

with Vanessa

Christopher Cordero

9.4

When it’s 90+ outside with tons of humidity, one can count on this chilled red to make everything seem so much better. Seriously though, carbonic sangio is fresh and quenching! Tart cherries and ripe raspberries followed by tomato vine and white pepper, great acid backbone supports the finish. — 7 years ago

with Dean