Lee Lightfoot

9.8

Merlot heavy. Nose like masseto voluptuous cherries and chocolate. Sexy as hell seamless and still needed an hour or two to open. — 6 years ago

Shay A

9.4

An absolutely stunning lunch from @joe leatherwood today. 1 sparkler, 2 whites, 5 reds and 1 dessert wine. All served blind.

You know you are living right when this wine is probably number five out of five reds on the table. Sounds like a slight, but with two old vintages of Insignia, older Masseto, and older Haut Brion, that’s stiff competition. Compared to those other four reds, there was more sweet fruit here. Dark fruit has softened to more of a black cherry medley, but the red fruit is still nicely tart and youthful. I picked up licorice and juicy blackberries here, both of which took me to South America for my guess. Not much herbal or secondary notes here...impressive fruit at 17yrs. — 6 years ago

with joe, Dan and 1 other

Rob Sternthal

9.5

Are you crazy??? Who opens this after 6-7 others....well we did and it was beautiful. I just couldn't bear to see Masseto 2012 opened so we suffered with this instead. A fantastic wine. Incredible. — 9 years ago

with Richard, Richard and 1 other

Evelyn Marin

9.4

Known for their Chianti, this Castello di Ama Merlot was super elegant, balanced, and incredibly food-friendly with only 13.5% ABV. What California Merlot should aspire to be and actually would give a run for the money to Masseto, at about 1/4 the price. — 10 years ago

Antonio Gianola

9.3

Querciabella's answer to Masseto. An inspiring Merlot. Age worthy and worth seeking out — 10 years ago

Andrea de Leonardis

8.9

GUADOAL TASSO BRUCIATO 2013 TOSCANA, CAB 20% MERLOT 15% SYRAH Guado a Tasso estate owned by italian super power Antinori 50 miles SW of Florence in Bolgheri by the sea. Bolgheri became known for being the birthplace of Super Tuscans (wines using mainly international varietal like cabernet sauvignon ,merlot, cab franc and syrah )about 50 yrs ago when the benchmark SASSICAIA was first created. Since then the area has been growing immensely producing some great expensive wines( Sassicaia, Ornellaia , Masseto) but also some affordable easy drinking ones like BRUCIATO that encloses softness of the smell of the breeze that touches Bolgheri and its hills is expressed in the glass with a deep ruby red and hints of cherry, blackberry and sweet spices. In the mouth ,is elegant and cozy ,thanks to a delicate softness , also due to the refinement of 12 months in new oak barrels and nice spice and delicate aromas The nose is dominated by intense notes of ripe red berry fruit and complementary aromas of sweet spices and coffee.Ample and
balanced on the palate,the wine shows silky tannins along with a sweet and spicy finish and aftertaste. — 11 years ago

David Wanek

9.6

Loved this wine. So much to unpack - firm tannins, plush textures, wide range of scents on the bouquet. Really fun wine and incredibly well made. Like a mix between Masseto and a not too sweet Valpo or Amarone — 6 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.4

This was much more open than the Masseto showing a beautiful nose of fruits & spice. — 6 years ago

John Del Bello

9.8

One of the most stunning & beautiful wines I've ever enjoyed, and I've tasted many of the worlds best wines over last 30 years. A 1966 Leoville Las Cases is a close #2, a 1982 Mouton Rothchild, 1989 Pinchon- Longueville, 1997 Masseto, 1997 Insignia, 1997 Dominus, 2001 Termanthia, 2003 Clos de Papes... — 7 years ago

James Forsyth

9.4

I don't care what Sideways said, I love Merlot. Right Bank at heart. And it's done well in Tuscany too (hello, Masseto). Petrolo's top wine Galatrona from 2012 is a ripe Merlot. Mocha, cherries and spice come together deliciously. We enjoyed this wine at a terrific Japanese steakhouse in Williamsburg called Salt + Charcoal. Fatty, salty, juicy red meat with a big Merlot... kampai! indeed. — 8 years ago

with Cara

Juan Menendez

9.4

@hwharlan, truly delicious wine. I may be naive or silly: tried this twice, don't know the blend. However; in my mind's heart this reminds me of a great Masseto. Very nicely done!! — 9 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.2

Tough act to follow after the Masseto — 10 years ago

Lauren Brooke

8.9

Had other vintages that I thought were baby Masseto. This was hopeful? — 12 years ago

Andy Hall

9.4

Wow, what a night!! The Diamond Creek trifecta (Red Rock, Gravelly Meadow and Volcanic Hill) and Masseto. Oh my. They are all great! Masseto has to be one of the strongest Merlot’s made. The Red Rock Diamond Creek is a such a strong expression of terroir with a strong iron minerality. The Gravelly and Volcanic are much softer and approachable. Much like trying to pick between your kids! — 6 years ago

with Jerry

David Wanek

9.4

Bday wines. Fun night. 1995 Rayas right in prime drinking window. Roulot was WOTN for some. My fave was the 2015 Masseto. No apologies for drinking this so young as it’s incredible. Have a few laid down to see how it evolves. — 7 years ago

Nic Z

9.5

Ink purple. Beautiful, extraordinary nose of creme de cassis and graphite. Full bodied, reminded me of a good Masseto. Totally drinkable now — 8 years ago

Omid

9.7

Easily the best Super Tuscan I’ve ever had (Smokes 02 Masseto) — 8 years ago

Abbi Kanthasamy

9.7

Hey is this a Masseto in disguise? — 9 years ago

B

10

1989 Vega Sicilia Unica Ribera Del Duero Temperanillo. Drank w B&K K at Alimento. Gorgeous wine. Drank like a burgundy. Smooth, light red color, and smooth finish. Glad we drank this instead of waiting. Went flat after a couple of hours and didn't quite go the distance the way the 1997 Masseto did. Tremendous wine though. — 10 years ago

LM Segal

9.7

Sex in a bottle. Unleashed, slowly, in a glass. Dark chocolate covered cherries and shroomy earth. Silky blueberry-infused wood, fine, broad tannins that linger forever. Yowza. #1/7 and on par with Masseto or the best merlot anywhere. Oh, and did everyone know Nov. 7th was Int'l Merlot Day? How merlot can you go, blind tasting. — 10 years ago