Comments on The Wellesley Wine Press: 2006 Villa Pillo Toscana Borgoforte Located!

Hi Nick,

Thanks a lot for your comment! Yo...

2009-03-15T13:11:00.000-04:00

Hi Nick,

Thanks a lot for your comment! Your insight is very thoughtful and much appreciated. I don't have a lot of experience with Italian wine, so I'm not sure when a wine is young and has yet to flourish (vs. austere and not likely to *ever* be to my liking).

I have a half case of this wine in my wine refrigerator- I'll do what you suggest and watch it evolve over time. It'll also be interested to watch other tasting notes from the CellarTracker community (http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=558806). It's amazing that such an affordable wine would be such a good candidate for aging.

On the off chance that you check back, I thought to ask- which wine aerator do you favor? I've reviewed the Vinturi, the Respirer and the Soiree and I'd be interested in your thoughts on aerators as well.

I've subscribed to the Luigi's NC newsletter- I'll look forward to hearing more from you there.

Cheers!

My name is Nick and I am the proprietor of an Ital...

2009-03-15T12:52:00.000-04:00

My name is Nick and I am the proprietor of an Italian Restaurant specializing in Italian wine (www.luigisnc.com). I recently bought three cases of the 06 Villa Pillo to feature at the restaurant for a week. After two weeks (we always let the bottles settle for a week or two in our climate controlled wine room before tasting) we tasted a bottle last night. There is both a good and bad to the results. The bad news, for me anyway, is that the wine will not work as a wine feature. It is clearly too young. The good news is that the wine drinks like a far more expensive wine. We tasted straght from bottle and it was extremely tight. We decanted with aerator and tasted every 20 min or so throughout an hour. At 40 min or so it started to reveal some serious fruit, black cherry and currant, but still under a veil of earth and leather. This wine has great potential, but it definately will require some patience. We will put away for at least a year before revisiting and even then I would anticipate it requiring much time in a decanter. This would be a great wine to learn how aging wines affects them (expecially because of the low cost). Buy a case and put away. Mark on the case box in increments of 6 months (put a line and the month and year). Drink one sometime during that month and make detailed notes about the wine. This will give you 6 years from now for aging. By 2015, this wine should really show its stuff. Stuff the notes in the box and watch this wine grow.

Thanks for the reminder, Dani! Yes, I did open ano...

2009-01-11T21:15:00.000-05:00

Thanks for the reminder, Dani! Yes, I did open another 2006 Villa Pillo and my impressions were pretty much the same as last time: Good wine, but it's not magic in a bottle.

Though I've tried hard to get into Italian wine, I've found it to be a tough region to find wines I enjoy right now, and even tougher to find a good value.

Shiraz, on the other hand, is the home of good value. Especially Australian Shiraz. I've not tried the Pillar Box, but I'm sure I've seen it around. I'll pick a bottle up next time I see it.

3 names in Aussie Shiraz I'd recommend for your consideration:

1) Razor's Edge (~$10)
2) Two Hands Angel's Share (~$30)
3) Blue Eyed Boy (~$50)

83F and deep blue oceans? We had 4 inches of snow and the forecast is for bitter cold as far as the eye can see here. Oh well, I guess cold weather makes for a great justification for cracking open a nice big red wine.

Thanks for checking in!

I am having problems finishing my sentences. Mayb...

2009-01-11T00:29:00.000-05:00

I am having problems finishing my sentences. Maybe I should comment *before* enjoying wine? :)

So, did you open up another bottle of 2006Villa Pi...

2009-01-11T00:28:00.000-05:00

So, did you open up another bottle of 2006Villa Pillo Borgoforte a few nights ago? I am curious to hear your thoughts! I am curious if maybe the bottle we had was corked, or if I was

Tonight, we are enjoying a rather sacrilegious screw-top bottle of 2006 Pillar Box Red...one of my favorite everyday wines. Granted, I'm a sucker for Shiraz... or Shiraz blends. Any good suggestions for good bottles of Shiraz?

Thanks for the San Diego Wine Co. tip. I will have to check it out! I typically look for wine at either Costco or a local wine shop in Carlsbad a friend of mine owns.

The Four Seasons at Aviara is beautiful. We live in my favorite place, Encinitas, not far from Aviara... (btw, it was 83 here today ... and the ocean was the most stunning color blue today!)

Cheers!

Hi Dani!

Thanks for checking in. Another re...

2009-01-05T17:18:00.000-05:00

Hi Dani!

Thanks for checking in. Another reader sent me an E-mail a while back and observed that he felt it could benefit from a couple of years in the bottle. Your comments have inspired me though- I'll crack open another bottle tonight and let you know what I think!

Ah, the Costco Carlsbad... We were vacationing in San Diego a few years ago (at the Four Seasons Aviara Residence Club; favorite place on earth but that's another story) and we went out wine tasting in Temecula. We didn't buy any wines there, but on the way home we stopped in at the Costco in Carlsbad. What an *awesome* wine selection and *great* prices. Noticeably better than what we get out here in MA.

I'm out in San Diego quite frequently for business and I almost always stop in at the San Diego Wine Co. I highly recommend that shop to anyone in the area.

Cheers!

I, too, bought a bottle or two of the 2006 Villa P...

2009-01-04T23:11:00.000-05:00

I, too, bought a bottle or two of the 2006 Villa Pillo Borgoforte at a Costco in Carlsbad, CA. My husband and I opened a bottle this evening. Maybe I needed to let it breathe a little more before tasting, but I was a little underwhelmed by my first sip. I found the glass to have a rather sharp nose. It started with a bit of smoke, earth, moss and leather for me, transitioned nicely into soft red fruits and had a balanced and smooth finish. I am not a fan of what I call "earthy" wines. The pleasant middle and balanced finish made this wine worth drinking, but I would not give it a 90 or a 92. I would say it deserves an 86. Maybe.

Edit: It was $8.99 at Costco...

2009-01-04T23:04:00.000-05:00

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Thanks for your comment! On the off chance that yo...

2009-01-04T21:23:00.000-05:00

Thanks for your comment! On the off chance that you check back, would you mind sharing which Costco location had this wine in stock?

I know nothing about wines except I know I love ch...

2009-01-04T21:10:00.000-05:00

I know nothing about wines except I know I love chianti; I dont even know what a dry white would be. But I bought this at Coscto because I wanted a non-chianti italian red (the only wine i seem to like is italian red)for 8.99. I opened it and loved it and was further pleased it got high reviews! (I picked a good wine!). Anywyas, I like it and its very smooth.