This is my second stab at this wine, and although I can see why others favor the 2018, I may be straddling the other side of the line with my love for the 2019. I simply find the 2019 to be a…
Plush and opulent in the mouth, with blackberry, chocolate, dark spice, pink roses, fresh soil, and ripe red and black raspberry notes wasting no time in enveloping the palate and leaving a deep…
With the qualifier of, "Well, as Merlots go, it's pretty good." Decent structure and grip. Not a ton of complexity or depth to speak of, but carries itself with some nice crunchy red and black cherry…
PnP with just some swirling in the glass. Performed as described in my previous notes. Despite a touch of booze on the initial pull, the flavors of plum, black cherry, currant, and some faint…
Previous notes apply. A remarkable wine that has so much drive, especially for a decade-old Merlot. Very smooth and inviting, with near-perfect balance across the palate from beginning to end. The…
A superb example of the varietal, with beautiful black core fruit; blackberry, black currant, dark chocolate, tar, black coffee, and clove. A va-va-voom sexy body, with notable muscle and frame to…
Barrel sample. Beautiful dark black and deeply pitched red core fruit, with chocolate, oak char, and tar; a lot of power and push right now, but with a notable depth and body that speak well to where…
This actually performed a couple of steps higher when compared to the last time I had it back in December. Still a little coiled up, but showing some really nice structure and energy throughout…
Previous notes apply. Everyone at the table was surprised this was a Merlot with a decade of age on it. Drank great as a PnP and maintained its beautiful profile over the course of a couple of hours.…
Same as my previous notes from September 2017. For a wine that's progressed a decade from vintage, and as a domestic Merlot...aaanndd a Bevan Merlot to boot...I am shocked at how youthful, powerful,…
Man I give up trying to gauge these Buccellas... Some of my previous bottles were awesome. The last bottle I had in December was a wreck. This bottle was fantastic. The December bottle was perhaps…
A rush of acidity, followed by notes of black cherry, currant, and alcohol. Pretty disjointed, teetering back and forth between some higher-toned, bitter fruit flavors, and a thin boozy rush on the…
A classic example of Merlot, with plum, black cherry, and cocoa powder dominating the delivery of flavor. Straightforward, but with some nice acidity that cut through what could have been an overly…
I'll say it like this: For Merlot, it's pretty good. It has some grip. It has some acidic cut. It has some energy and drive that enable the purple and red fruit flavors to push through to the back…
Pretty shut down overall this go-around. Some red and light black fruit flavors, but otherwise not much excitement going on here. Some vanilla and alcohol-laced cassis on the back end; showing lithe…
A truly captivating bottle of Merlot; drinking exquisitely smooth and voluptuous on the initial delivery. Notes of wonderfully nuanced purple and black core fruit, plum, black cherry, dark red…
Previous notes apply. This bottle came off a little "fruitier" than the Buccellas of the recent past. Showed less verve and a little less nuanced flavor profile than what I remember from before.…
Notes of plum and dark black cherry were the most prominent. Some dark-ish raspberry, chocolate, and hints of earth rounded out the flavor profile. Fairly cran-grapey and fruity, with not much frame…
Same as my previous notes on this wine. This was served alongside a 2012 Bevan Sugarloaf and 2012 Saunter Eagle Summit. The Buccella was WOTN for 3 out of 5 of us. The Bevan was WOTN for the other 2.…
So forgettable I really can't remember how it tasted, except that it just tasted like "some red wine." Nothing to distinguish it from any house red I've had before. It wasn't horrible. It wasn't…
A nice example of the varietal, with a surprisingly tannic and acidic spine that framed out the core fruit. Some black and red fruits, with hints of cedar. The fruit seemed extremely underdeveloped.…
Pretty much the exact same as my notes a few months ago, except that I thought this really rose up to a level that I rarely have seen in a straight Merlot. Great structure, big, bold, dark fruit, and…
Tight, reserved, and not extremely giving in terms of core fruit flavors. Some red and black currant, alcohol, and cedar. Mid-palate was weak and flat. Not something I would ever revisit if I didn't…
