Masi Campofiorin Ripasso 2005

This review from Peanutman got lost for a week or so in my gmail spam box, so I'm bumping it up the queue.

--- Peanutman's Review ---

Italy, what can we say, what about corvina, rondinella and molinara; the grapes that form this wine. Never heard of them, neither had I even after spending 3 weeks in Italy last summer.

Smell and taste, I thought it was most likely cherries (maybe even a little earthy). As the liquid in the bottle flows toward the bottom, you smell and taste cocoa. It is kind of funny, but the smell and taste were very similar. Maybe one of my peanut senses isn't working tonight. The wine has a beautiful color, not totally dark but enough to make you believe that it could be a ''big wine'' (until you put it up against a white background and you notice that it is not as dark as you might think). Does that 'big feeling' ever change when you smell it and even more when you taste it. It just flows very easily and appreciatively down the hatch. I have tasted this wine on different occasions during the years and for some reason I thought this one had a little bit of a lighter sense to it and not a very big finish. I had a 2004 recently at a friends and it had a little more ooomph!, but this one is still good.

My wife and I both like big, bold oaky wines, but we both also really liked this one after a long day at work.

In any event, my score would be an 86. Value, it depends how you're feeling, tonight it was a 4.

Price: $21.99
Score: 86
Value: 4 / 5
Region: Italy, Rosso del Veronese IGT
Grape: 70% Corvina, 25% Rondinella, 5% Molinara (in 2006)
Tasted: March 2009
UPC: 8002062000068

Tommasi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2000

Iron Chef has built up a big backlog of reviews, so here's another one from him:

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Another class of wine that I have been disappointed about over and over. For the most part I fine these Amarones to be expensive and a waste of time. I find them to smell very plastic-y and industrial - a high octane, cheap tasting Valpolicella.

Its always refreshing to say I am wrong and the Tommasi proved that.
Age was visible on the rim, orangish hue. The nose was dominated by Leather, Tobacco, and cocoa powder. Smelled like a real classy wine. The taste was hot berries, minerals, dried cloves, and apple pie spices. Drying tannins and good acidity was a welcomed sense after all that alcohol. Really liked this wine, maybe the age calmed down the volatile aspects and rounded the edges. I have had the Sartori (sucked) and the Masi (not much better) and the Tommasi was dramatically better. Of the three at ANBL now, there is only one worth buying.

UPC #8004645402108
Retail Price: $50.79
Region: Italy, Valpolicella
Grapes:Corvina Veronese 50%, Corvinone 15%, Rondinella 30%, Molinara 5%
Alcool 15%
Score 91
Value 3.5/5