Wine Reviews

An archive of all wine reviews

Franciscan Estate, Napa Valley (California) 2009
Robert Whitley
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June 18, 2013
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What do you get when you consistently match up superb Napa Valley vineyards with a talented winemaker and modern viticulture and technology? A home...
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Cascina Saria, Barbaresco (Piedmont, Italy) 2010
Michael Franz
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June 18, 2013
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 This wine has many things going for it, but foremost among them is a gorgeous, sweet-savory nose featuring ripe fruit intertwined with notes of...
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Cascina Morassino Di Bianco Roberto, Barbaresco (Piedmont, Italy) 2010
Michael Franz
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June 18, 2013
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 This was among darkest, deepest, most brooding of the Barbareschi tasted at Nebbiolo Prima this year.  Dense and strikingly intense, with hints of black...
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Giacosa Fratelli, Barbaresco (Piedmont, Italy) 2010
Michael Franz
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June 18, 2013
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 Dense in feel and very deeply flavored, with very impressive intensity and length, this is nevertheless not a standard-issue powerhouse.  It shows wonderful proportionality,...
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La Ganghija Az. Agr. Di Rapalino Enzo, Barbaresco (Piedmont, Italy) 2010
Michael Franz
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June 18, 2013
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  Of the various generic Barbaresco bottlings from 2010 with no indication of a specific cru, this was perhaps the single most impressive.  Deep...
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Ada Nada, Barbaresco (Piedmont, Italy) 2010
Michael Franz
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June 18, 2013
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 Sensationally complex, this wine features wonderfully earthy aromas recalling wild mushrooms, damp earth and cured meat, yet it doesn’t seem dirty or bretty.  The...
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Foppiano, Russian River Valley (Sonoma County) Petite Sirah 2010
Robert Whitley
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June 18, 2013
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Petite Sirah is the red-meat wine of California; when it’s done right a hefty, rich, flavorful red that is an excellent mate for a...
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Chateau Tanunda, Barossa (South Australia) Shiraz 2010
Robert Whitley
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June 18, 2013
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No one ever complains they didn’t get their money’s worth from Chateau Tanunda. This vintage of the winery’s Grand Barossa Shiraz delivers a huge...
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Pertinace, Barbaresco (Piedmont, Italy) 2010
Michael Franz
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June 18, 2013
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 Pertinace clearly got things right in 2010, as the “Marcarini” bottling (reviewed below) is also outstanding.  The Nervo shows scents of sweet, ripe, succulent...
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Moccagatta, Barbaresco (Piedmont, Italy) 2010
Michael Franz
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June 18, 2013
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 This is a boldly, even aggressively oaked wine at this stage in its development, but the balance works, as the sweetness of fruit never...
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Giordano Luigi Giuseppe, Barbaresco (Piedmont, Italy) 2010
Michael Franz
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June 18, 2013
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 This shows relatively thin pigment concentration and even some signs of oxidation, which reinforces the impression of a wine that was crafted in the...
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Battaglio, Barbaresco (Piedmont, Italy) 2010
Michael Franz
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June 18, 2013
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 This wine features a fabulous bouquet with subtle balsamic, floral and spice notes on a core of red-toned fruit.  The wood is admirably restrained,...
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