Tom Casagrande

9.3

Delicious. Nose has that mineral “stank” that I associate with Auxey in spades and love. Deep fruit, sidling up from the apple side of the spectrum to the peach side, along with nice wet straw notes. Hint of melted butter. On the palate it’s concentrated but nicely balanced. Nice length and intensity. Best vintage of this wine I’ve had yet. — 11 hours ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

Fragrant and structured. Densely colored with no bricking. Lovely nose shows rich cassis fruit, a bit of scorched earth, a little clovey oak (not too much), ashy cigars, and a note that reminds me of collard greens simmering with a smoked ham hock. Very youthful in the mouth, with vigorous tannin giving lots of structure. Clingy but somewhat austere in the mouth. This plainly needs more time than I thought it would. It’s still nice on its own before dinner, but should be better with rich food.

UPDATE: Now, after two hours open, this has become soft and friendlier than it was. Still nicely structured, but the fruit is more welcoming. — 7 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.3

Drinking wonderfully now but could easily sit several more years in a cool cellar and improve even more. Nose takes a little time to open up but develops beautiful scents, with an initial whiff of camphor, followed by very pure macerated wild cherry, classic rose petals, a little rich mahogany furniture. Nicely linear and concentrated in the mouth, still quite a bit of soft tannin present, surprisingly nice acids. Great balance. I’m sipping it by itself while braising a pork loin Neapolitan style, and can’t wait to drink this with the meal. — 12 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.1

Drinking well right now, but with a lot of stuffing that will ease it into the future and very likely improve. Nose shows very intense cassis, a little mentholated. There’s also some of that classic Saint-Estephe cooling, wet-clay-infused earthy minerality. Intense and weighty, bit a little tightly-wound still in the mouth. Lots of tacky but soft tannin still embedded. Nice finish. Very nice value, as this property usually is. 9.1 for now but I think it will warrant a higher score in 5 years or so. — a day ago

Tom Casagrande

9.1

This is right up my Grenache-happy alley. First off, what a vibrant purply color! Very pure kirsch and dark raspberry fruit on the nose, complicated by a teensy bretty/farmyard note. On the palate, it’s very youthful and vigorous, maybe even a little rustically angular. The minerality is textural here. Like there are nano-particles of rock dust in the wine. Very good flavor intensity. The acids are lowish, but the rocky minerality compensates. Only 13% stated alcohol! Superb value, and very food flexible (like many Grenaches). — 9 days ago

Tom Casagrande

8.8

A lot of character in a rustic format. Tons of inky graphite on the nose, with roasted pork and dark berry skins. Rich but tannic in the mouth. Lots of dark, savory flavors. The tannin isn’t exactly soft, but it’s not out of whack either. Without any bright berry fruit concentration in the mid-palate and with lowish acids, I’d venture that this will never come fully into an elegant balance. So I’d drink this up in the shorter term for its rustic bullishness.

UPDATE: On night 2, a bit more fruit is showing in the mid-palate. Upping score from 8.7 to 8.8. — 12 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.1

This remains a really nice, fruity, bouncy weeknight dinner wine. — 2 days ago

Tom Casagrande

8.8

This Estate Syrah is grown only 3 miles from the Pacific, and it’s coo climate character is evident. Nose shows bristly scents of cracked peppercorn, pungent mountain berries, and Texas Rio Red grapefruit flesh (I know, I used to grow them in my backyard in Houston). Savory, soft, and lively in the mouth. There’s very good acidity, but there’s almost no fruit component to the palate. And I’d like a bit more depth and length. Still, very fun to drink and should go well with fusilli with brocolli rabe and salsiccia. — 4 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

Last of three bottles of this. It’s never been the fruitiest or friendliest Brunello. And it’s still quite tannic, but it’s resolving well and, in my view, at its peak. To wait longer for the remaining tannins to fully drop would be at the expense of the remaining fruit. Color is going brown at the rim. Nice intensity and decent balance right now. Mostly tertiary notes, but there is a core of morphing fruit underneath. Should go well with the Tuscan beef stew (Peposo) I’m making. — 11 days ago

Tom Casagrande

Corked. Ugh. Down the drain. — 12 days ago