Andrew Cullimore

8.9

Medium deep ruby garnet with wide garnet rim . Open and classic on the nose with tobacco , grafite , herbal , mint , seaweed and some mixed summer fruits . On the palate this is quite fresh and slightly lean in style , quite rustic , bitty tannins and a herbal touch. Mixed summer fruits on the mid palate and a reasonable earthy tobacco tinged finish . Best drunk now and over the next few years on the basis of this bottle . — 4 months ago

John Jaye

8.9

It probably would have been better a few years ago, but still a good drink. Still some tannins, but they went away as it had time to breathe — 6 months ago

Joaquin Martinez

8.9

This is an old friend. An old experience I've had before but different. Younger, with more time needed to open but as the wine changes and evolves, its reminiscent to those brunellos of the past. This may not be the most ideal brunello year but it definitely satisfies the experience. Sometimes i wonder if any brunello will come close to those brunellos I had in the past but as the time passes, things evolve and change and maybe youll get glimmers of those brunellos but nothing exact. Well this is the first brunello of this decade of 2020, so we will see what the future holds! Definitely worth another try but after its aged a few months or years. Good nonetheless. — 8 months ago

President Obama

9.1

@derek's. Honey colored, few bubbles, tasted more like an apple cider than wine. — 4 years ago

Christian Fischer

9.4

After a coffee chat at work yesterday that ended discussing Hillside Select I was motivated to open one for the holiday weekend. Initially I was very disappointed as the wine was flat and uninspiring considering the pedigree and price tag. Read some reviews that this 2013 needs A LOT of air and sure enough after hours the wine began to evolve and markedly improve. It is an intense wine that lingers in the mouth for a long time. Smooth tannins, red fruit and tobacco flavors. Not my most favorite wine and not at the $229 I paid, but nonetheless a very good wine once it had the chance to get some air for a few hours — 4 years ago

Eric Urbani

9.4

It’s me again, still lovin’ it — 7 years ago

Amanda Thomas

9.6

One of my favorite spirits of all time. Extremely herbaceous with rosemary, other herbs, and (I swear) fresh mountain air — 8 years ago

with Tim

Mike Saviage

9.5

Tasted blind. Tawny brownish red color with amber rims. Huge bouquet in the nose of roses, berries, pencil lead, minerals and some dusty dirt. Light on its feet in the mouth. Round soft fruit. Better than the last bottle of this a few months ago. — 9 years ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.5

2014 vintage. Excellent cork and fill. Decanted with minimal sed and tasted after 1.5 hours. One of the few outlier exceptions (Haut-Bages-Libéral, Pichon-Lalande, et al) that proves the general, big and bold, Pauillac rule. Delicate impressions from start to finish with impeccable balance. Medium body. Plenty of flavors and sensations without big, overt commitments to any of them. Playing the field and we are all the better for it. Drinking beautifully now without any perceived or obvious Scylla/Charybdis pitfalls in the next decade. 01.16.26. — 4 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.3

Medium deep garnet core , medium wide garnet rim . This shows very well still with some sous bois , dried herbal hints and cherry . On the palate this shows good freshness , red cherry again, freshly cut herbs , touch of tobacco and black tea . Balanced acidity and lightly dusty but resolved tannins . Good length and presence on the palate , with enough fruit still , good balance and a black tea stained finish. This is at peak , and will probably stay here for a few more years , so no immediate rush, but is unlikely to improve further . — 8 months ago

Jay Kline

9.4

When a bottle of wine is this old, one can never have too high of expectations. There are far too many variables to consider when it comes to whether it will even be drinkable, let alone enjoyable. Particularly when it’s a wine from an unheralded vintage like 1953. As someone who has been fortunate enough to have tried many old bottles over the last ten or so years, I have had my share of duds; even bottles from a good vintage with strong provenance. However, every now and again, a bottle will surprise and this 1953 Barolo from Pio Cesare went way beyond my expectations. It had many stories to tell.

There was a tremendous amount of sediment but I had allowed that to settle to the bottom by leaving it upright for a couple of days. We pulled the cork few hours before service and decanted. The cork was very typical of wines from the region at the time; short and stubby. With the help of a Durand, we were able to extract in one piece and, to my astonishment, the cork was only 1/3 saturated. And then, whoa…what a lovely perfume. It was alive! The ’53 pours a light copper color and has a largely transparent core. On the nose, the fruit is still playing a major role however it was almost completly desiccated now: cherry, apricot, prune, tar, dried roses, dried leather, and mushrooms. On the palate the tannins are almost imperceptible and completely resolved. The acid is lovely; the preserver of life. The notes from the nose were confirmed and there was a long, satisfying finish. There was substance and a real energy about it. Old…and yet so full of life! I want to be absolutely clear, this wasn’t just a novel experience. This was a practical one as well as it paired perfectly with tajarin tossed with shiitake mushrooms as well as a bit of bone-in Wagyu New York Strip from Morgan Ranch. Everyone at the table was smitten by this septuagenarian of a Barolo; even those who had no prior experience with old wines. Drink now.

For what it’s worth, I’ve had this bottle in my cellar for a little over a year, when I was fortunate to have come across one with decent provenance. This is a wine I will very likely never see again but it was so wonderful to have had the experience and I’ll cherish this memory forever. — 3 years ago

Shay A

9.4

Monthly WTF wine group night. Our theme was American oak vs French oak. All wines tasted blind. We started off with two bottles of bubbly and finished with two non-themed reds.

My contribution for the evening. I’m posting my previous review of this wine below as it’s been consistent the few times I’ve had it over the last 12-18 months. Love these wines!

Youthful. Icredibly perfumed with typical sweet dill and coconut American oak on the nose. Gosh, I could smell this stuff all day. Aside from needing time away, it needs roughly an hour of decanting to hit stride. Tobacco, cherry tart, and great herbal nuances on the finish. — 7 years ago

with Jack, Ryan and 4 others

Ron Siegel

9.5

Great vintage for Clape showing black & red fruits, kirsch, smoked meats, blood & iron, very floral with licorice spices and black pepper. Needs another few years to shed some of its tannin structure but a wow wine in the making! — 9 years ago

Bob Boyle

9.2

Needs a few years but great — 5 months ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.5

Ruby with a rich bouquet of fruit, spices and floral notes. On the palate flavors of cherry and raspberry with notes of pepper, cinnamon and floral. Long finish, nice balance with fine soft tannins ending with earthy notes. Enjoyable now, a few more years will benefit. The ‘21 is a real insight for what the Riservas will taste like. Rated #7 wine of 2025 by spectator. — 6 months ago

Kland Aida

9.1

15.5% alcohol… Very big, high in tannin and dry. Almost didn’t taste like a new world wine. — 9 months ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.5

Magic for a few hours but then it got dull. — 3 years ago

Jason Keefer

9.3

Amazing that 40 years later it is still as tannic as it is! Took a few hours to open up but once it did, super well integrated. Very herbaceous (juniper, eucalyptus), plums. Love the opportunity to drink a birth year wine! — 7 years ago

with Natasha

Rob Russell

9.0

Just had this in Bordeaux a few weeks ago. Like most wines of this vintage it took a bit of imagination to fully appreciate. It is clearly time to drink this wine, it may be on the downhill side of life. Overall a good experience for what was not noted as a premium vintage, but is a very solid wine. — 7 years ago

Shay A

9.4

Our monthly 4th Friday event at the storage facility. No requirements, just wine you want to share with others! Always an enjoyable time.

Special place in my heart for this winery. A few months ago, I had an '88 go celebrate my birth year. It was STELLAR. This is pushing forward easily...after an hour of air, the fruit and secondary earth and funk notes came out. So good! Thanks Walter! — 9 years ago

with Mark