This was our first time comparing Dolcetto in our blind tasting format, which is surprising, because these wines are easy to like, with an approachable style at attractive prices. Marchesi di Barolo’s Madonna del Dono bottling was represented twice, with the 2021 revealed as our night’s winner, and the 2023 showing well, but not […]
Dolcetto d’Alba Battle Read More »
Our fourth comparison of wines from Amarone della Valpolicella was thoroughly enjoyable, as one would expect from this highly-regarded appellation. The top wines showed great intensity and generosity, but were also balanced by solid acidity and focus. The winner turned out to be the best value of the night at a reasonable $62. Reasonable for
Amarone Assault #4 Read More »
The last time we blind tasted Barolo at our monthly gathering was early in the pandemic, where due to social distancing rules we had only four tasters, seated at opposite ends of our table. So, we were eager to bring this topic back with the full complement of tasters and enjoy one our favorite appellations.
It’s time to crown Ali with the title “Brunello Queen”, because this was the third Brunello Brawl she has won in row, after coming out on top in May 2018 and November 2011. Her winning bottle this time gained three first place votes and two second place votes, for a total of 26 points. Ali was
Brunello di Montalcino Brawl #4 Read More »
Our blind Nebbiolo tasting was designed to be similar to our April 2022 Sangiovese tasting, where we compared the same grape from different appellations within Italy. Like the previous version, we found plenty of similarities with these bottles, but also discovered clear variation in intensity and expression at the same time. Among the similarities were notions
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Our first group wine tasting of 2022 was delayed all the way into April due to a surge in COVID, but the results were worth the wait. Departing slightly from our usual format, each taster was asked to bring a specific type of Sangiovese-based wine. Poured blind, it was an interesting way to observe the
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There’s nothing like a global pandemic to help remind you that one’s time on earth is limited. So, knowing that we only live once, why not prioritize wines that we absolutely adore? This month, that adoration refers to the wines of Barbaresco. We last compared these in March 2016, so we were eager to bring six
Barbaresco Battle #2 Read More »
It had been over a year since we had a full table of guests and wines at our structured tastings, and six months since we had anyone over for any comparative tastings, so after enough members of the tasting group became fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the time was ripe to begin again. There was
With so much uncertainty in the world right now, we thought it appropriate to try wines that we know we can count on. We can think of few wines more rock solid than Barolo, so we dove into these with delight and confidence that they would not disappoint. Of course, they came through for
Somewhat surprisingly, it had been since October 2006 since we last compared bottles of Chianti Classico. The previous comparison left us a little disappointed, but in this round the wines redeemed themselves, showing class, complexity, and a sense of place, with solid Sangiovese character. Our top two bottles were separated by only one point, and our third place
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