David Brodati, DipWSET
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Reviews (611)
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Reviews
Masi Campolongo Di Torbe Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico 2012, Docg Veneto
Italy$129.95
98 Points! Fabulous Amarone. Intensity: check, concentration: check, complexity: check, balance: check, typicity: check, length: check. Violet florals, stewed dark cherry and plum fruit, cigar box, baking spice, roasted coffee, vanillin, cedar, soy, black tea, sanguine minerality and a hint of balsamic VA . Tannins are soft but still present and ripe and dusty. Juicy acidity enlivens the sheer volume of this wine. 16% abv is integrated and lovingly warming. The depth is outstanding and length is marathon-like. Drinking beautifully now but has the stuffing for another two decades. Jan. 2022.
5.0 Stars
(0)V
Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello 2012, Santa Cruz Mountains
California, Usa$190.95
This review is for the 375 ml bottle. Entering prime drinking now. Lovely complex flavours of raspberry, black cherry, blackberry and cassis (in the dried and almost prune-like realm), with a beguiling herbal note, clove, cigar box, leather, chocolate, vanillin and a hint of volatile acidity. Tannins are ripe and softening and the acidity is vibrantly juicy. Complex, concentrated, harmonious and very, very long. Jan. 2022.
5.0 Stars
(0)V
Hamilton Russel Vineyard Pinot Noir 2016
South Africa$59.95
Wine is as much about place, experience, stories and emotions as it is about taste, flavour, chemistry, biology, winemaking skill, standard assessment tools and numeric or other rating systems. For me, this wine is about emotions. The roller coaster ride from gleeful anticipation, to joyous fulfillment, to sadness and disappointment that I finished my only bottle of this wonderful Pinot. Post Partum depression? Lovely pure raspberry and beet, nutmeg, black pepper, minerality, iron, cedar. Balanced, smooth with ripe and resolved tannin, juicy acidity, and excellent length. Ahhh....July 2019.
5.0 Stars
(0)V
Marchesi De' Frescobaldi Castello Di Pomino Vin Santo 2008, Doc Pomino Vinsanto
Tuscany, Italy$42.95
Excellent Vin Santo from the tiny DOC of Pomino in the northeast of Toscana. Pomino is one of 4 wine areas of Tuscany delineated by the Bando (edict) of Cosimo III de Medici in 1716. Vin Santo is a passito specialty typically made with Trebbianno Toscana and/or Malvasia Bianca Lunga. Here the dominant player in Pomino, the venerable Frescobaldi house, has crafted a delicious dessert wine that stays this side of too sweet, with balancing acidity. Complex, with apricots, marmalade, honey, fig and candied fruit. Excellent length. Very pretty indeed. Well worth the price. Dec. 2017.
5.0 Stars
(0)V
Bachelder Wismer Foxcroft "Nord" Chardonnay 2019, VQA Twenty Mile Bench
Ontario, Canada$47.95
I could deconstruct this wine using the WSET or CMS tasting grid but why bother, it's simply delicious, nuf said. I will say though, the aroma and flavour intensity is notable and there's lovely notes of pear, apple, citrus, creme brulee, toast, sanguine minerality and an herbal tinge. The palate is viscous and creamy, with vibrant acidity and outstanding length. Not the warmest vintage nor location on the escarpment yet it clocks in at 14% abv (and a touch hot on the throat making my score a notch below outstanding). Great stuff overall. March 2024
5.0 Stars
(0)
Taylor Fladgate 20 Year Old Tawny Port, Douro Valley
Douro, Portugal$69.95
Lovely stuff. Very complex with dried fruit (fig, date, prune), orange zest, spice, pepper, caramel, vanilla and nutty rancio. Sweet and savoury at the same time. Alcohol is lovingly warming - it envelops rather than burns. The length is outstanding. Taylor Fladgate's 20 year old is the sweet spot for tawny from a price/quality ratio standpoint.
4.5 Stars
(1000+)E
Latium Campo Leòn Amarone Della Valpolicella 2008, Doc
Veneto, Italy$34.75
A deep, darky, brooding Amarone. Raisiny, chalky, hot, medicinal, rich, thick, dense, big, bold, complex, unabashed and boisterous. Definitely has an "A" type personality. Tannins are in check, and acidity is detected, but this guy derives his structure primarily from alcohol. Mr. Lawrason's wine writer technical term sums it up best - wowser! Enjoy with the darkest of chocolate or blue cheese or parmigiano nibbles topped with a drop of honey. Feb. 2014.
4.5 Stars
(0)V
Domaine Pavelot Aux Gravains Savigny Les Beaune 1er Cru 2013, Ac
Burgundy, France$47.75
This 1er Cru offering shows traditional Bourgogne earthiness but also shines a spotlight on the sour tart cran and cherry fruit. I detected what I suspect is Brett (bandaid, barnyard) in a magnitude that challenged my threshold line of what I consider fault versus added complexity. This has held back my score a point or two. Bright medium plus acidity, earthy, mineral, spice with nutmeg and cinnamon, some bitterness. Supple dusty tannin. Medium body and excellent length. April 2018.
4.5 Stars
(0)V
Domaine Servin Bougros Grand Cru Chablis 2013, Ac
Burgundy, France$76.00
Here's a Chablis from the Bougros Grand Cru that is drinking beautifully now. Fairly pronounced aromas and flavours of apple and lime fruit with judicious oak influence featuring smoke, nutmeg spice, a hint of honey and steely minerality. The mouthfeel is creamy (battonage) and the acidity as expected is bright. Excellent length. So well done. Jan 2020.
4.5 Stars
(0)V
De Bortoli Noble One Botrytis Semillon 2014, Riverina, New South Wales (375ml)
New South Wales, Australia$29.95
Here's brilliant value in a dessert wine. This Sauternes style Noble Rot affected Aussie Semillon is nicely sweet but with a seam of acidity that keeps things fresh and actually activates the saliva glands, which is a wonderful sensation when sipping a sweet dessert wine. Citrusy/orange rind/marmalade/ginger flavours mingle with honey on a viscous palate that seems to last for ages. This would pair well with holiday season candied fruit cakes, or sip alongside blue veined cheese or foie gras. Dec. 2017.
4.5 Stars
(0)V