A 300L barrel typically made from oak. Oak sources include French, Russian and American Oak. Check out our Q&A with Paul: “How does the percentage of new oak affect wine?” for more on oak.
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Chief Wine Hacker
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A 300L barrel typically made from oak. Oak sources include French, Russian and American Oak.
Chief Wine Hacker
A 300L barrel typically made from oak. Oak sources include French, Russian and American Oak. Check out our Q&A with Paul: “How does the percentage of new oak affect wine?” for more on oak.
« Back to Wine Words Index
Red Blend from Valpolicella, Veneto
A total seductress, the 2017 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico is a dark beauty. It opens with a dusty bouquet of dried flowers and masses of cherry sauce, offset by spiced orange and nuances of violet pastille. It sweeps across the palate, a model of purity, with crisp wild berry fruits energized by tantalizing acidity and shavings of dark chocolate. Crunchy mineral tones emerge toward the close. The 2017 lingers impossibly long yet remains completely fresh. Grippy tannins remain as hints of
Tasting through Burklin-Wolf's range, it always strikes me just how well they've done in classifying their vineyards and pricing them accordingly. Every once in a while, there is a site that outperforms its standing. Generally, you can rely on their classification and price point as an indicator of quality. The Village 'Forst' Riesling fits the rule of thumb to a tee. A lacing of savoury reduction plays with native yeast on high solids ferments adding multiple dimensions of complexity and richne
Powerful yet complete and fresh, beautifully developed, just shifting into the second phase. A very thoughtful élévage, structural tannins hitting front mid palate (from oak), still fine long. A lift of VA that blows off quickly. Lovely set of flavours. Oppulence. Rich, full, and round with immediate generosity. A case of celebrating the differences with the 2015 iteration.Paul Kaan, Wine Decoded May 2026I tased again the stellar 2016 Gran Reserva 904, which is nothing short of bei
Sangiovese from Montalcino, Tuscany
Like the ‘Ignaccio’ Rosso di Montalcino ‘Iacopo’ Il Marroneto is a baby Brunello in that was grown with the intention of becoming so. A pure Sangiovese that was aged for a few months in large oak barrels this wine is an exciting new project that cements and displays Iacopo’s understanding of the vineyards and is exciting now and for years to come. Declassified fruit parcels from the Madonna delle Grazie vineyard.Deeply complex, the 2022 Rosso di Montalcino Iacopo wafts up wi