5 | Wine | 1999

"A well made effort. ...a bit plummy and jammy in aroma with good support from the oak of the casks and barrels, sweet and continuous in flavor, sizeable but round in texture, a modern interpretation of Montalcino but not to excess."

"A perfumed bouquet of flowers, jammy cassis, sweet oak, and truffles jumps from the glass of this ripe, classic, mid-weight claret. The wine is elegant rather than powerful. It possesses intense fruit, admirable ripeness as well as balance, and a long finish." Reviewed by Robert Parker.

"Spicy mint and bay leaf aromas. ...mingle with ripe currant and black cherry fruit, turning smooth and elegant on the palate while displaying richness, depth and concentration; finishes with a full chorus of ripe fruit flavors and firm yet supple tannins."

"Hints of toffee and anise run through the fresh quince paste, coffee, pastry and candied orange peel flavors in this supple Champagne, which sports a rich flavor profile in a restrained package, with a smoky note echoing on the finish."

"The 1999 Taurasi Radici Riserva is simply beautiful. Sweet dried cherries, licorice, menthol and spices waft from the glass. Made in an elegant style, this complex Riserva shows some of the slightly advanced and oxidized flavors one might reasonably expect from 10 year-old wine, yet the balance is utterly compelling. The finish is long, sweet and ethereal, as pretty suggestions of mint come back to frame the wine beautifully."

"An exotically perfumed bouquet displays scents of dried pear, acacia honey, toasted almond, white flowers and smoky lees. Lush and creamy in texture, offering hefty citrus and orchard fruit flavors braced by tangy minerality. The honey and smoke notes linger on the spicy, focused, very long finish. This is drinking well now but has the structure and energy to age."

"The 1999 Costa Russi is a soft, supple effort for the vintage, with a deeply nuanced nose and a rich core of sweet dark fruit buffered by prominent minerality on the seamless, long palate."

"Pure but reticent aromas of minerals and spices, with a deep woodsy sweetness. Then dense, lush and silky but youthfully backward. This powerfully minerally, spicy wine boasts fruit of steel. Finishes with big, broad, strong tannins and great length and grip." Reviewed by Stephen Tanzer.

"Deeply pitched, pungent aromas of candied lemon, pear skin, anise, buttered toast and smoky lees, with notes of ginger and white flowers adding lift. Densely packed yet vibrant, showing impressive power and clarity to its mineral-accented citrus and orchard fruit flavors. Expands on the finish but maintains its focus, picking up iodine and bitter lime notes that linger impressively."