2020 Di Costanzo Cabernet Sauvignon DI CO - USA, California, Napa Valley (2/25/2023)
Blueberries and fresh, black plums on the nose. Graphite and sour maraschino cherries on the palate. The tannins are strong in this one, but this MF keeps opening up and opening up with each sip, forcing you back for more like an addict. Super-engaging wine and just perfectly tasteful in execution - just the right subtle hint of oak (almost imperceptibly there), way below the normal Napa sledgehammering. Fresh as a daisy, too. I think this will be an amazing wine with a little more time on it, but is already showing its potential. Stock up. (94 points)
DiCo is a favorite for us. I find it’s a wine that you should open, drink a glass, and put in the fridge to drink the rest tomorrow. It’s much more open and approachable on day two.
Poured one last night for friends, first Di Costanzo for them of any kind, and they loved the wine. I gave it maybe 15 minutes of air after decanting and it was great. For me, not only have I found all vintages to be fantastic, this is also the best QPR in Napa.
I went on a no-buy-2020-Napa mode because of a few bad experiences. DiCo left a touch of FOMO though. Wish I bought some, they have been excellent every time.
I’ll just have to drink through the 2012-2017 Farella vertical I got instead
I think that vertical will meet your needs!! Grateful to share that with you. Thank you!
But the not-secret/secret is that we have been able to keep the DI CO 2020 Cabernet up on our site, so logged-in members can still claim that wine for a bit longer. Napa Valley’s Snowmageddon 2023 may be upon us, but we haven’t depleted our cellars for personal consumption too badly. Still a little more to share
Nice, look forward to trying. @Erin_Di_Costanzo with a bottle like this, when do you believe the optimal time to drink it might be? Given that, I believe it’s first and second pass French oak, the intent is to be ready sooner. Any opinion on drinking window for 2020 DI CO? Thanks!
Yes, this vintage is proving to be a bit more delicious in its relative youth. I regularly pour it at the tasting table with as little as 45 mins of air, and it proves to be a winner. That said, even with the first and second pass French oak, we can’t deny the inherent structure that this vineyard imparts. Oak Knoll it may be, but it soaks up that Mt. Veeder wildness from the appellation boundary a couple of hundred feet away. So the tannin an acidity and overall structure will carry this wine for several more years. (In '21 we blended in a little Coombsville fruit that will beautify the wine and tame that wildness a bit.) For now, I’d say it’s super pleasurable at this moment, with as much air as your patience will permit. (Last night I finished the final glass from the previous day’s bottle and it was great with an episode of Poker Face.) It’ll remain in top form for 6+ years or so, minimum. Thank you @Brianschool!
Grateful to share that with you. Thank you!