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afinta's Review:

I just added this winery and wine - so I am assuming it probably is not available in the US. Really enjoyed this bottle - I may have the price off at around 23 euro a bottle as I picked it up several months ago. Full bodied single vineyard Pinot Nero - I think this is the top wine of this producer. Some more details of the wine are on my blog.

afinta's Review:

Had a bottle of this vintage last week. It is other worldly at the moment. My only concern was the state of the bottle as I got it at a small enoteca that I know has changed hands. It was a terrific price so I splurged on several bottles of different vintages. The 2000 is the first one I have openend and it was fantastic. Easily one of the top 10 bottles I have ever had. Intense black cherry dominating fruit, incredibly smooth, powerful and huge. No doubt has plenty of gas left in the tank. If anything I think this is an under rated effort from what was not a great vintage for the area - but this is a killer bottle of wine.

afinta's Review:

Thought this was an excellent bottle of Prosecco - nice citrus flavors, good acidity, clean and fresh. Maybe I like it more than some of the other reviewers here due to the fact that I got it at a very nice price here in Florence. I can easily see making this my "house" sparkling wine. Was perfect with a coconut curry risotto with shrimp last night!BTW - I can currently get this for euro 5.95 at my favorite wine shop in the mercato centrale. Even with a weak dollar it is a steal.

afinta's Review:

How can this be the first review for this bottle? Wow - Anyway - here are some notes from when I had this more than a couple of years ago already. I can still vividly remember how good this was: This wine is everything it is cracked up to be (and that is a lot), a superb bottle. I wasn't really taking notes as we drank it with dinner, but it was lush, intense and surprisingly smooth, with beautiful fruit and stunning color and clarity. If you can find it for under $40 it is worth it.

afinta's Review:

The wine was a beautiful color in the glass - clear ruby to sapphire. I could't get much of the nose. A little light and thin in the mouth. Complex, refined flavors, cherries dominate but the fruit lags behind a bit - after it was open for a couple of hours there was a hint of juniper berry but it was fleeting. It did go well with the pork roast we had with it, but the alcohol prevailed too much for me overall. This wine spends 24 months in casks of French and Austrian oak of varying sizes, followed by a period of at least four months in the bottle before release. A nice wine but I wouldn't search it out again before trying others. About $30 US a bottle.

afinta's Review:

I was more than pleasantly surprised by this wine. I decanted it for over an hour, and it was a beautiful, brilliant, bright and clear ruby-sapphire when poured. The nose was a little light (my wife wanted to know if she was crazy to say "honey" - I said no - that could come from the oak), but on the palate it was full of ripe fruit - not as peppery or black cherry as many of the Chianti I have had recently, with a hint of earth, smoke and jam (strawberry, raspberry?), and quite smooth. It seems to have plenty of life left and would probably last a good while longer in the bottle. Very good overall and I would recommend it if you can find any in the states (probably around $25 to $30 a bottle).

afinta's Review:

I was a huge fan of the 2001, a remarkable wine and a great value at about 14 a bottle. The new release is the 2003 and at only 10 and change it may be an even better bargain than the 2001 (if not quite as a superlative wine). We had a bottle tonight with dinner and it is just sublime. You can't believe it is a 10 wine when you are drinking it. Casale dello Sparviero is a small producer in the Castellina area, and the riserva is made from hand harvested 100% Sangiovese. It is fermented in stainless steel and cement vats and then put into oak for 18 months, followed by 6 months in the bottle before release. This wine has an explosion of black cherry and fruit on first taste, with a smooth mid-palate hinting of leather and tobacco, and a complex finish of toasted oak, walnuts and almonds. The finish is smooth and long but with enough tannic structure to make it one to enjoy for several years to come. Just a great bottle of Sangiovese at a great price. (Note these are prices paid in Italy a few years ago - your mileage may vary!)

afinta's Review:

Another stellar Chianti Classico from the Castellina area - just a special place on earth for producing wine. Beautiful ruby color with nice clarity, and no bricking at the edges. A fruity and intense nose with a subtle sweetness - solid flavors of cherries, black cherries and plums burst on the palate at first taste. A surprisingly smooth mid palate but with decent structure (the wine spends 8 months in French oak), this is a wine that should last a bit. A really solid Chianti Classsico with just a little something different - I would have thought it was a touch of Merlot in the blend, but the blend is 90/10 Sangiovese/Canaiolo. I liked this wine very much.