Visit w Di Costanzo Wines

I was introduced to Di Costanzo and Massimo by Mike Smith in Saint Helena a few years back. Mike suggested I try the wines as he thought I would really enjoy Massimo’s style and his project. Well he was right as usual and I’ve been following the wines since the 2013 vintage. I had a tasting lined up for a larger group of customers in Napa with Erin but our meeting was cancelled. Not to be deterred Erin was nice enough to join my wife and I for lunch at Charter Oak in Saint Helena to kick off our weekend.

I met Erin when she was still at Acme so it was great to see her and spend some time catching up and trying some awesome wines. Erin has a great palate and knowledge of wine so she and Massimo are quite a team. Their story reminded us of many of the great producers we met back in the mid 2000’s that risked so much to pursue their passion of making great wine. These are the producers we love to support. Erin brought 3 wines that she opened and decanted as we arrived and we followed the wines for about 90 minutes over lunch.

2017 DiCo- Like the 16 this is sourced from the Rafael vineyard. Deep and dark with notes of sage and black fruit. This really opened up over time and more then held it’s own next to the 2 very serious wines next to it. Nice energy and freshness run through the wine. It developed additional complexity and character as it opened. I will let mine spend some time in the cellar when they arrive but can be enjoyed now with decanting. A great value in Napa Cabernet. Very good with upside

2016 Di Costanzo Farella- I’ve had the 13 and 14 recently and am a big fan of what Massimo does with Farella. The 16 I believe is the best yet. It’s a bit deeper, darker and slightly more savory than the 14. There is great energy and verve balanced by friendly tannin that makes the wine very approachable now. There is a great note of dark cocoa running through the finish. It will be hard to leave these alone as its terrific now but will want to try this in a few years as I think some additional time in bottle will help. Outstanding and if I had to put a number 96 points with upside for me

2017 Montecillo - Really cool story behind how several producers are now getting access to this vineyard in the Moon Mountain AVA. It will be a fun tasting in a few years to try these wines together if I can source them all. I believe Bedrock, Di Costanzo, Turley and Ketan Mody’s Beta Wines made a 2017. Massimo’s was my first to try from this area. Another wow wine with deep dark fruit, tremendous energy and reflective of Massimo’s style of letting the place and wine speak for itself. The savory finish has a slight herb and black pepper note which reminds me of some of the great Sonoma wines I’ve had in the past. This is very young now but showed well with time in the decanter. Outstanding now but let this one rest for a few years.

Erin said the 17 single vineyards will be released in the new year so keep an eye out for the release. It sounds like some 16 Farella is still left if you have not tried yet. Overall these wines reflect the sweet spot in Napa cab for me. Plenty of fresh fruit and energy with perhaps a lighter touch on oak and ripeness. These walk the line between modern and classic styles and should be enjoyed by folks who like both styles.

Cheers

Just got a note from Erin that they are making the 16 Farella and 17 DICO available for the Holidays. I enjoyed them both quite a bit and the 16 Farella was one of my favorite wines tasted from our trip this year.

Cheers

I mistakenly opened a bottle of 2016 Farella Vineyard recently, rather than the intended 2013. No regrets however, I thought I was drinking Chateau Lafite!

I am going to open one tomorrow with some friends. I have 13-16 so not sure yet but the 16 is so good right now.

Thanks for the look Fred. I haven’t talked with Erin since she left ACME. It’ll be fun to catch up when I grab my wine.

Erin will participate in berserkerday this year.

Had a chance to taste with Massimo the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Received a shipment of 17 DiCo and 16 and 14 Farella. Wife and I had the 14 Farella at Bottega in Yountville. Very nice. Look forward to more experience with the wine. These from Coombsville seem like a great change of pace from many other Napa cabs.

I first met and tasted with Erin in early ‘18. Tasted through the 14-15 Farella, and enjoyed both. You can tell from the first sip that it’s a well made wine.

Met up with Erin and Massimo again during the holidays last year. Along with my GF, and also Alex MacDonald, we had an amazing lunch at Charter Oak. They were both kind enough to bring along their 2016’s, and both were delicious.

It’s easy to support folks like Erin and Massimo, because they are just good people pursuing their dream. I will be a buyer for life.

Thanks to all for the immensely kind feedback and comments on the wines. Massimo and I both really value this kind of discussion, among collectors and enthusiasts, and we are grateful for the chance to spread the word about Di Costanzo Wines.

We are working on putting together our very first BerserkerDay offering, and hoping it will be enticing to old friends and new. We are also offering out our Di Costanzo 2017 Montecillo Cabernet and 2017 Farella Cabernet the very next day, so expect me to be glued to the computer and phone for a couple of days straight, ready to assist however I can. The best way to hop on board for both of these offerings would be to please register here ahead of time: https://www.mdcwines.com/register

In the meantime, if anyone is able to swing out to the Napa Valley, please reach out to me for a visit or a tasting. Massimo and I host all tastings ourselves, either over lunch at The Charter Oak like Brian mentioned, or here in our tasting suite in downtown St. Helena. Between my background as a sommelier and in wine retail, and Massimo’s winemaking acumen, I like to think we know how to tell a few wine stories over a glass or two! Thanks Fred, Brian, Terry, Chris, Glen, and all of the other Berserkers who’ve shared kind words. We’ll keep the wine coming :slight_smile:

Happy New Year -Erin Di Costanzo

Looking forward to it! Excited to see your offers!

In his very recent article 2017 & 2018 Napa Valley In Depth Part 1, Antonio Galloni writes briefly under a photo of Di Costanzo barrel samples, “Massimo Di Costanzo’s 2017s and 2018s are off the charts.” Oddly, though, I don’t see any of the wines reviewed in the article’s related tasting notes. Perhaps they’re coming out in Part 2. I’m looking forward to seeing what he has to say.

Erin will be offering something for Berserkerday, should be interesting.

I am looking forward to AG’s Part 2 of the Napa report. While there were many wines of interest in Part 1, it seems that many of the wines that I buy will (hopefully) be coming out in THU’s edition.

Now Erin has two posts on Wineberserkers. The first one here and the other in the BD11 newbies forum!

Check it out.