Tom Casagrande

9.2

Last bottle of the wine that, about 9 or 10 years ago, opened my eyes to the potential in the Columbia Valley and its various AVAs for Rhone varietals. I thought, if this entry-level Syrah was this good . . . . Just double-decanted it so it’s a little closed now on the nose, but the palate is soft and savory. Will update in a few hours and rate at that time.

UPDATE: it’s delicious and fully mature. Most of the fruit has been replaced by savory tertiary notes. Nose shows olive brine and delicate ash-y notes. — 4 hours ago

Tom Casagrande

8.9

A solid inexpensive vintage port. Drinking it too young but whatevs. I love the deep rich fruit. Not complex and still quite tannic. But nice minerality underneath. I’d like to revisit in 10 years. — 7 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

Deep gold color but still fresh. Lots of “petrol” on the nose and a myriad of other minerals. Some appley fruit as well. Round and mouthfilling, nice intensity and balance. Nice acids for an ‘18 but they’re softening. Bone dry, nice length. — 7 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.1

Last bottle of this (of 4). It’s turned into a solid Pessac and in my view it’s close to peaking (though admittedly I tend to favor wines on the younger side than many Bordeaux enthusiasts). It’s for that vaguely-vegetal tobacco-y / cigar box note I like, as well as some nice ripe fruit and some metallic minerality on the nose. Medium-bodied on the palate (surprisingly for an ‘18), and quite dry, but with a lot of cling in the finish. Nice tannins (soft) and decent acids. — 2 days ago

Tom Casagrande

8.5

Double-decanted about 30 minutes ago. Like the Burg I opened last night, this too is showing a concerning off note in the nose. Doesn’t seem like TCA but not sure what it is. The palate is nice. Tight dark cherry and lots of earthiness. Reserving judgment until I get a fix on the nose as it’s exposed to air.

UPDATE: A couple of hours later, the weird note has blown off, but the wine is not particularly distinguished. So I’m a bit, but not profoundly, disappointed. — 4 days ago

with Rebecca

Tom Casagrande

9.3

This is a classic example of the warmth of the 2015 vintage in Tuscany. Earthy nose shows dark, ripe plummy fruit, warm terra cotta roof tiles, gravelly earth. Soft and dark-toned in the mouth. The fruit is still there but tertiary notes abound. Tannins plentiful but very soft. At its peak (to my taste). — 7 days ago

Tom Casagrande

8.4

These are night 2 notes. (On night 1 it seemed a little reduced and had a weird almost-acetate-adjacent note.) But on night 2 it was balanced and clean, if not a bit simple. Nice weeknight cheapie. — 3 days ago

Tom Casagrande

Opened and double-decanted to remove sediment. Initially, I’m getting a whiff of something off in the nose. Not sure whether it’s brett or a very slight amount of TCA. Underneath I’m detecting some bright, almost confectionery cherry fruit. Palate offers tart dark cherry initially but then leaves a drying impression. I’m going to hold off scoring this for now and update over the next hour as dinner is cooking. (PS - Not sure why this is labeled as a “red blend” on the app as it has to be 100% Pinot Noir as far as I know.)

UPDATE: over the course of three hours, the corkiness has become more obvious. Down the drain. ☹️ — 5 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.3

This is Garagiste’s private label. I’m guessing the producer is Icardi because that’s usually their go-to for Barbaresco and Barolo, but I can’t be sure. In any event, this is terrific wine and at its peak, in my view. Nose is classic with rose petals, beautiful dried cherry, mineral-flecked gravel, and some tertiary old library scents making an appearance. Soft, long, and balanced in the mouth. Really fine. Strangely, zero sediment. — 7 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

This co-op’s village-specific gran seleziones are seemingly always great values and nice weeknight dinner choices. Very classic nose of macerated cherry, and mineral-flecked gravel. Medium-bodied, soft and balanced in the mouth. Flavors tending toward the savory and mineral rather than fruity. Lengthy finish. — 9 days ago