Miscellaneous Tasting Notes, warts and all, from smaller tastings, in restaurants, at home etc.
(most recently tasted at the top)
Last updated: 20 September 2016
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Older notes:
Attractive bright garnet colour.
Lovely nose, packed with red fruits with some sous bois and some hints
of coffee.
Delicious palate. Soft, gentle, supremely elegant red fruit. Light, yet
at the same time full, with notable depth and remarkable length. Some
sandy tannins on the finish, but not much.
Elegant, complex, and just delightful. (93 points)
A hefty two inches of sediment has now built up in these bottles. On
the one hand, this means that at last the Quinta do Noval decanter that
I got at their shop in Vila Nova de Gaia is big enough to hold the
drinkable contents of the bottle - why do they sell such small
decanters? On the other hand, as careful as I could possibly, there
were still some flakes of sediment made it into the decanter.
A good, even maturing colour - it's lost its youth, but isn't really
looking particularly mature yet.
Gorgeous nose. Deep black fruits, lots of leather, demarara rum, some
furniture polish and a hint of pencil rubber. Powerful and deep.
Powerful palate. Feels much younger than you'd expect. Lots and lots of
black plum and blackberry fruit and rich chocolate flavours. An
interesting sour note. Very deep and complex. Improving, opening up and
developing additional complexity in the time it's taken to type this
tasting note. Terrific stuff. (94 points)
Very elegant nose. Black fruit still but balanced with some
torrefaction notes.
Very smooth, silky palate. Very elegant. No woodiness. Very impressive.
(91 points)
40% merlot; 30% cabernet sauvignon; 30% cabernet franc from 20 year old
vines producing c. 45 hl/ha. Elevage in stainless steel.
Lovely nose. Nice and complex with layers of aromas. Black and mainly
red fruits, with a hint of plasticene.
Attractive, plush, mouthfilling palate, but retaining a light, fresh
elegance. Very interesting layers of flavours. Lots of finesse. (90
points)
Deep black fruits on the nose - very rich. Gorgeous silky palate - a
nice weighty silk. Lovely balance and elegance. Good depth. Nice wine. (89
points)
Perfumed black fruits on the nose. This is a rather good, very
attractive rich, sweet vin doux naturel. Chocolatey, blackberry,
tarragon/anise notes.
Quite precise & focused on the palate, though a bit spirity on
the finish. But that's in check. Very long. (89 points)
60% mourvedre; 30% syrah; 10% grenache from very old vines. Aged for
two years in small foudres.
Very elegant nose, tending towards slightness.
Quite concentrated, but still fresh and light, yet also with good
structure. (89 points)
Syrah-grenache-mourvedre
Meaty, yet elegant nose: nicely integrated. There's also a very floral
perfume to it too.
Very pleasant palate: refined and interesting. Good concentration of
ripe fruit and also a bit of fresh greenness. (89 points)
55% chardonnay; 30% chenin blanc; 15% mauzac
Bright, fresh stone fruit nose.
Lemony attack. Nice creamy middle and finish. Very attractive. (89
points)
A blend of piquepoul blanc, roussanne and grenache blanc.
Big, bright, fresh, attractive nose - a very interesting nose.
Minerally, light stone fruit and marine air.
Fresh, crisp palate. Easy, but with a nice character too. Rather good.
The roussanne character comes through well. (89 points)
Syrah-grenache-carignan
Really nice black fruits nose. Nice and integrated.
Round and full palate. Full of lovely fruit character. Very interesting
and characterful. (89 points)
Attractive nose. Buttery, herby, melony.
Very attractive palate. Fairly full with good depth and a pleasing
creaminess. (89 points)
Not listed on Rocca Maura's website, which only has a rosé
Effet Mer. But this was definitely red, a blend of marselan, grenache
and carignan.
An attractive nose with black and red fruit. Very attractive with lots
of interest.
Very good palate. Full of layers of interesting flavours. A slight hint
of bubblegum on the finish. Lovely wine. (89 points)
60% grenache; 25% syrah; 15% carignan
Immediately a big, full nose, feeling very expressive.
Good structure, without being overly tannic. It has a nice spicy bite.
Works very well. (88 points)
Grenache-syrah-mourvedre
Quite restrained, juicy black fruit on the nose.
Silky texture. Elegant. Ripe fruit, yet elegant. (88 points)
A blend of syrah, grenache and carignan, aged for one year in a mix of
demi-muid, foudres and fûts.
Great nose - fruit tempered by judicious oak.
Lovely palate - velvety with lots of black fruit and a hint of
chocolate. (88 points)
Lovely, bright, subtle viognier nose.
Very good palate. Light, clean, bright flavours. It's only a fairly
simple, straightforward viognier, but a very good example. (88
points)
40% syrah; 30% grenache; 30% carignan
Very attractive nose - nice herbal lift to black fruits. Lovely ripe
fruit on the palate. Very balanced. Nice depth. Not earth-shattering,
but very good drinking. (87 points)
Big, rather extracted nose. Lemony, with hints of wet dog.
Very pleasant palate. Good weight in the mouth. Good balance. Lots of
character. (87 points)
A very, very pale pink.
Light strawbery-peach fruit on the nose.
Nicely rounded, easy and in its own style. Very feminine.
Drink in the garden in the sun. By the gallon. (87 points)
50:50 merlot:cabernet sauvignon.
A rather straightforward, uncomplicated cabernet sauvignon dominated
nose.
Good, round palate. Well made. Uncomplicated, easy drinking. Very good.
(87 points)
80% grenache noir; 20% cinsault
A very pale pink. Bright and floral nose with some perfume.
Light and fresh on the palate. Easy. Good character though. Not just
simplicity. Very pleasing. (87 points)
Syrah-mourvedre-carignan
Big black fruits on the nose - very masculine. Some bloodiness too.
Very smooth & elegant on the palate, yet also very rich.
Chocolate and coffee notes come to the fore on the finish. (86
points)
Attractive Pinot Noir nose, which feels a bit new world with some
beetroot and smokiness. Lovely, fresh, young PN. A touch of greenness
on the finish. (86 points)
A blend of chardonnay, chenin blanc, mauzac and pinot noir.
Attractive nose with blackcurrant and blackcurrant leaf, and some
nuttiness.
Good palate. Crisp and minerally. (86 points)
60% maccabeu; 30% grenache gris; 10% grenache blanc
A curious nose: a bit spirity and extracted. Nice palate, though. Very
characterful. Pleasant drinking. (85 points)
70% syrah; 30% grenache
A more rustic nose than the Domaine's Equinoxe from the same year. A
simpler, more basic wine. Nothing wrong with it and perfectly
drinkable. Just no particular interest. (85 points)
There's a slight murkiness to the black fruits forward nose.
Good, easy table wine. Would make a good restaurant/bar house wine by
the glass. (85 points)
A medium salmon pink. Lovely fresh strawberry nose. Bright, sweet
strawberry fruit on the palate. A touch of hard acid on the finish. (85
points)
A blend of grenache blanc, vermentino, chardonnay and sauvignon.
A rather slight nose.
Not bad on the palate. Good finish.
It's an interesting blend making a decent wine. It would make a good
house wine in a bistro/café. (85 points)
A big, open, fresh chardonnay nose with very good fruit. But a rather
slight palate, with notable acidity on the finish. (85 points)
A slightish nose with hints of black fruit and of stone fruit and peach
kernels. A good, clean palate. Fairly straightforward, but good. (85
points)
60% syrah; 25% grenache; 15% carignan
Very deep black fruits on the nose, with a hint of stink.
Pleasant. Rather separate tannins. (84 points)
40% merlot; 30% syrah; 30% cabernet franc.
An unexciting nose. Very straightforward.
A good, simple Limoux. (84 points)
Very pale salmon pink.
An undistinguished nose, with maybe a hint of strawberry.
Decent enough palate. Light and fresh. Would be deliciously refreshing
on a summer's day. (84 points)
Fresh, remarkably green chardonnay nose. Light and easy. Innocuous. (83
points)
55% piquepoul blanc; 45% chardonnay
No nose.
Light, fresh palate. More pétillant than sparkling.
Innocuous. (83 points)
Virtually no nose.
Light & fresh. OK. Any character only comes through on the
finish. (83 points)
A blend of syrah, cinsault and grenache noir.
Mid salmon pink colour.
Slight nose.
Slight strawberry fruit. A bit hard.
Not a lot to recommend it. (82 points)
30% merlot; 40% cabernet franc; 30% syrah.
Rather stinky-drains nose with some rubbery notes.
Undistinguished, and there's a touch of drains on the palate too. (81
points)
From a 100ml bottle. Unlike the last bottle, this has a proper
screwcap. A dark caramel colour; pretty much the colour of unsulphured
apricots. Very viscous - almost gloops out of the bottle rather than
pours.
Enormous nose - can smell it easily at arms length while pouring, and
there's an immediate freshness and brightness to the nose. Sweet
raisins and dried figs, notes of honey that's just started to caramel.
Dried apricots and a certain salinity. Then there's some coffee and
cold stewed tea. A hint of pineapple and orange freshness - maybe if
you imagine a pineapple & orange fondant coated in dark
chocolate. Utterly fascinating nose, that you could just keep finding
new things in forever.
Very viscous feel on the palate. Yes, it's sweet. But the sweetness is
just a bit player in the three-act play of how this wine plays in the
mouth. Lots of fresh apricot, apple, marmalade flavours, with a honeyed
lusciousness. A remarkable mouthfeel. Bright, bracing acidity underpins
it all. Massive depth and interminable finish. You have to taste
something else, or rinse with water, to "stop" the finish.
4.5% abv, which seems a little high for true essencia. (97
points)
Ripe, strawberry and cherry fruit.
Straightforward palate. Light, fairly fresh. Fine grained sandy tannins.
Pleasant, easy drinking.
Feels a bit simple overall. (87 points)
Big bright fresh nose with red fruits, ripe blueberries & some
hints of tobacco. Bit of shittiness.
Ripe yet very zingy, very fresh fruit. Quite unusual, especially for
Priorat.
Very interesting flavours. Very unusual. Really not quite sure what to
make of this. Very atypical Priorat, but a very interesting wine. (88
points)
Pale lemon gold colour. Gorgeous nose: stoney, slatey minerality, like
a slate mine in the rain; some peach fruit, some lemon-lime zestiness;
slight hint of honey. Really integrated and interesting. Still feeling
pretty young on the nose, 13 years on.
Massive elegance on the palate. Such precision, vibrancy and elegance!
Minerality in spades. A gentle sweetness, that is quickly snatched away
by fabulous, razor-sharp acidity. Only 9% abv, but the depth and
interest in this is remarkable. Huge balance. Enormous length - goes on
for ever.
Drinking extremely well now, but I don't think there's any rush
whatsoever to drink up.
AP Nr 77530100603 (93 points)
A fairly even bright-ish light red with clear signs of youth at the rim.
Quite a big red fruit nose, with almost meaty-beetrooty overtones and
some sort of vaguely marjoram-like herbal notes.
Light, fruity palate with fragrant, juicy red fruits. Initially, it
seems rather delicious and inordinately drinkable. It's not at all
overdone: there's a bit of sweetness to the fruit, but no hint of
jamminess whatsoever. That initial bright, youtful fruit gives way to
some depth and good character. There's a notable acidity that keeps it
balanced. Just a hint of tannins on the finish. Very, very, very long
after.
There's actually plenty of interest in this, beyond being merely
delicious.
I am much more impressed by this, than I thought I was going to be, and
at a mere £12.99 from Edencroft Wines, it seems a very good
buy. (91 points)
Definite pop and "fzzzzz" on opening the bottle. Has there been some
secondary fermentation?
Pale-to-medium lemon gold, with quite a few bubbles clinging to the
glass.
Big, oily, honeyed, rotting apples nose, with some obvious sulphur.
Only a slight spritz on the palate. A bit sugary sweet, with lots of
zing. Quite oily riesling fruit on the palate. Almost a bit of a
resinous feel. Great depth, very long, but somehow feels incomplete, or
maybe just not in the best of places at the moment. Closed or falling
apart? Puzzling. (85 points)
Very youthful appearance. Big, bright bubblegummy red fruits on the
nose - a bit reminiscent of a sweetshop.
Soft, ripe, red fruits on the palate. Nothing especially complex or
intriguing here, but it's an enjoyable, easy-drinking Fleurie. (86
points)
Pale green straw.
Very lemony, bright, fresh nose with some lanolin notes.
bright, fresh, clean palate. Remarkably crisp. Fills out nicely. Nice
balance. Good clean finish with fair length.
Increasing depth and complexity as it warms up. Balances weight and
some richness with a zingy freshness. (87 points)
Fresh, bright nose with white flowers, a hint of citrus, and white
pepper. Quite a savoury feel to the nose. Bright clean palate. Good
weight and balance. Fresh yet full. It's hardly the most complex GV
you'll find, but it has fair depth and interest and is eminently
drinkable.
We shared the bottle with some turbot served with girolles, smoked eel
& chervil and a dish of lamb with courgettes, smoked aubergine
& Moroccan spices. Nice with the turbot, but an excellent match
with the lamb. (88 points)
Pale lemon colour - really not showing any signs of age, just to look
at it. Quite a rich, nutty, buttery, creamy nose, with a bit of a feel
of a white Rhone to it. Gently floral and citrus notes too, as it warms
up a bit.
Rich, full, concentrated palate with a slight hint of raisining or
oxidation. But it's not at all oxidised. Lots of acidity. Some saline
umami notes, giving a hint of olives. Huge depth. There's a tiny bit of
tannins, giving a sort of soft leather feel. Some white flower notes.
Hint of caramelised agrumes on the finish. Massive length.
A fascinating, intriguing wine, that's also extremely enjoyable
drinking. (96 points)
Warm red fruits on the nose. Touch of farmyard stink & very
slightly volatile lift. Bit rough around the edges maybe.
Soft open palate. No particular depth or complexity, just a good solid
Gevrey Chambertin: open, easy & ticking the boxes for easy
drinkability. (87 points)
Big peachy white flowers on the nose. Initially feels a bit extracted
on the nose though that blows off a bit as it warms up in the glass.
Big ripe fruit on the palate. Definitely feel that extracted note on
the palate, giving it a spirity viognier like note. Lots of
peachy-nectarine type fruit though.
Overall a bit disappointing.
Ordered in a restaurant as an experiment with grouse, given that the
grouse had been roasted with lavender and then served with peach
& fennel. Ended up an absolutely excellent match. (85
points)
Slightly stinky rubbery reductive nose initially, but that quickly blew
off. Interesting nose, still some rubbery notes but not at all
offensively so ; lemon, savoury notes
Interesting palate: savoury umami richness above all with some bright
citrussy notes behind. Very good length. (87 points)
Dinner with Enzo Barbi of
Decugnano dei Barbi (La Locanda, Gisburn):
Very minerally, chalky nose. Very elegant and refined nose, with some
citrus and garriquey herbaceousness, with a hint of anise.
Lovely precise palate: fresh, minerally, balanced. Somehow this manages
at the same time to be both delicate and aristocratic-feeling, and deep
and complex. Enormous length, with some hints of fennel on the finish.
This really is a remarkably impressive wine. (95 points)
Dinner with
Enzo Barbi of Decugnano dei Barbi (La Locanda, Gisburn): A
blend of sangiovese, montepulciano and 40% syrah, part aged for a year
in oak, and bottled in 2013.
This has a very attractive nose with rich, silky black fruits. You can
really feel the syrah on the nose, not least in some chocolate notes,
though there''s a nice herbal lift too. An utterly charming, elegant,
suave nose.
On the palate, it's much, much fresher feeling than I was expecting
from the nose. Quite zingy actually, initially, with a touch of
greenness, though a greennes of underripeness at all. Initially the
alcohol is quite evident, but it quickly softens in the glass. At this
stage, 91/100.
But it then improved greatly with food, and with just sitting in the
glass. There's a fascinating depth of flavours. After twenty minutes in
the glass, it comes across much more integrated. Some peppery spice
right on the end of the finish.
While the syrah seemed to be dominant on the nose, in the mouth, the
montepulciano seems to elbow itself to the fore. There's some nice
cherry fruit character that starts to come through after a while. Then
some cherry-stones and peach kernels on the finish. Fascinating stuff. (94
points)
Dinner with Enzo Barbi of
Decugnano dei Barbi (La Locanda, Gisburn):
A brand new release, on sale just a few weeks now. This is a single
vineyard Chardonnay from a vineyard particularly rich in oyster shells.
Just 3000 bottles were produced.
A big, full perfumed, minerally, saline nose, feeling a bit extracted,
with aromas of seawater, butter and pear fruit. On the nose, you would
never guess this was so young.
On the palate, it's a lovely, mouthfilling savoury chardonnay. Very
individual and characterful. Quite different than you might expect, and
very attractive.
An excellent match with chicken livers and truffle, and very good with
smoked goose breast and a wild boar mortadella with black truffle. (92
points)
Dinner with Enzo Barbi of
Decugnano dei Barbi (La Locanda, Gisburn):
A markedly rich nose, with the pinot noir evidently to the fore in this
classic Chardonnay-Pinot Noir sparkling blend. Rich and really quite
savoury.
Rich and full on the palate, with a slight sensation of sweetness. Lots
of ripe black fruit. An interesting wine. A bit different than the
usual fizz, with rather more character. (91 points)
Dinner with Enzo Barbi of
Decugnano dei Barbi (La Locanda, Gisburn):
Honey, apricots, sea water and oyster/mussel shells on the nose - an
unusual combination in a sweet wine, but very attractive.
Very sweet attack, but it is very quickly balance balanced by a notable
acidity. An unusual combinaton of sweet and savoury in a glass. Very
balanced, very attractive wine. Superb length.
Went fine with a selection of different pecorino cheeses, but could
really have done with some gorgonzola or other blue cheese. It was,
however, excellent with the marmellata and the fruit accompanying the
pecorini. (90 points)
At Hawksmoor Manchester. £38
Big soft black fruits on the nose. Bit of mint and a chocolatey
richness - more the velvety sweet richness than actual chocolate.
Very smooth fairly ripe black fruits on the palate. slight hint of
alcohol (13.8%). Very clean, quite a velvety mouthfeel: cossetting
& mouthfilling. Grainy tannins on finish. (91 points)
A bright, even colour with no youth evident.
Bright red fruits with some peppery spice and sweet fresh vanilla on
the nose. Possibly some high-toned hints.
Very light for a Rasteau, though nice and full-flavoured. Red fruit and
some green herbaceousness. Soft, mouthfilling tanns on the finish. (89
points)
Medium lemon straw colour. Rich, floral nose with some lemon notes and
a hint of nuttiness .
V interesting palate. At once rich and fresh. Despite the richness it's
bone dry. Very interesting wine. Fresher than a white Rhône,
but there are some similarities. (90 points)
Just a quick taste, as opened mainly for cooking, and tasted at room
temperature, not at all chilled.
It has darkened in colour a bit since the bottle drunk in 2005 to give
a deepish, even, brassy gold. Fairly subtle nose, with honey, almonds
and citrus fruits. Fairly sweet on the palate, but not fully sweet.
Touch of raisining. Like the nose, fairly restrained. Nicely balanced,
with good orangey acidity. (87 points)
Deep, dark colour: it's lost any sense of youth, but there's no sign of
any bricking or other sign of any particularly advanced age.
Big nose with deep black fruits. On first opening it smelled a bit
jammy and overripe, with some VA, but within minutes all that has blown
off. A hint of peppery spice alongside roast meat and a hint of
garrigue-y type herbs - think rosemary, thyme, lavender. Just a hint of
floral lift too.
Nice, smooth, rich attack. Very nicely integrated and balanced wine,
with quite an elegant feel. Soft, sandy tannins come along on the
finish. Very good length, with some greener flavours of black fruit and
leafiness lingering long after.
Impressed by this. It's 15 years old, but is showing no sign of needing
to drink up in any rush whatsoever. (94 points)
Particularly vibrant mid yellow with a slight green tinge. Glorious
nose. Buttery lemons. Bit of melon. Really fascinating nose. Lovely
rich, palate. Has a nice chardonnay richness to it with some lovely
freshness. Good complexity. Huge length. Really quite fascinating wine.
(94 points)
Elegant fine.bubble stream through a fairly deep salmon pink. Pretty
powerful nose with lots of red fruit & especially strawberries.
Very fine, elegant palate. Lovely balance. Huge elegance, notably so
for a rosé. (93 points)
Simple, refreshing, gluggable. Very straightforward, but perfectly
pleasant and innocuous. Pretty much without any distinguishing
features. (82 points)
A rich, slightly farmyardy nose, with some rubbery notes and some
raisining. Unusual, verging on the odd.
Fresh, bright fruit flavours initially. Rich and complex, verging on
the challenging.
Certainly very interesting and different. There's almost a hint of
sweetness. Yet it's also very savoury.
Very, very long. (89 points)
Very interesting, characterful nose. Very minerally, with lemon zest
and a hint of wild garrigue herbs.
Lovely palate. Fresh, very minerally and bone dry with excellent
acidity. Massive depth & complexity, yet also very moreish and
supremely drinkable, helped along by some umami character. (94
points)
Pale lemon gold with a greenish hue.
Gorgeous nose. Classy, sweet-feeling riesling fruit with apples and
especially noticeable lime and some stony, slatey minerality in the
background.
Beautiful, hugely attractive attack. Lots of fresh, minerally riesling
fruit. Quite zingy and sherbetty. There's some sweetness, but it's far
from dominant, even before you take into account the lovely limey
acidity. It seems to fall away a bit towards the finish, with an almost
watery feel, but comes back on the finish and lingers long after with
lots of oily-mineral notes after. Immense length. (93 points)
attractive nose. Elegant black fruit, a bit of farmyardy stink, peppery
spice
Lovely palate. Poised yet fairly full & rather more opulent
than I
was expecting. Good fruit, balanced by some sappy leafiness. Soft
tannins.
Worked v well with some truffled cheese sausage "hot dog" (91
points)
Mid to deep gold. Quite a closed nose with some nuttiness &
caramelised peach. Full and more than a bit oxidised on the palate, but
very far from too far gone, the oxidation lending some additional
complexity. Full, complex deep flavours. Growing on me more &
more
as it's open. (89 points)
Deep, notably mature garnet colour with extremely firm legs.
Gorgeous nose. Deep, complex, brooding plummy black fruit with hints of
sour cherry, chocolate, thyme and the merest hint of eucalyptus.
Silky attack. Lovely mouthfeel. Rich, yet bright black fruit. Lovely
integrated feeling with a pleasant floral perfume. Still plenty of
sandy tannins, especially noticeable on the finish. Might leave it
another 5 years before opening the next bottle. (92 points)
Very pale straw. Fairly vigorous, very fine bubblestream. Tiny bubbles.
Crisp, bone dry, minerally nose with a hint of green apple and another
hint of lemon.
Nice and full on the palate, with some good, rich fruit initially and
no little complexity. But then it hones itself down on the palate to a
very precise, very dry finish. (92 points)
Deepish orangey gold colour.
Less expressive on the nose than the last bottle, and really rather
muted. Sultanas and orange caramel. No botrytis evident.
Much, much richer on the palate than the last bottle - possibly not
surprising as that was nearly 10 years ago! There's an immediate
sweetness, though the overall impression is of a medium wine rather
than particularly sweet. Spätlese rather than Auslese feel, to
put
it in German terms. Some tropical fruit, and a hint of grapiness.
There's some raisining on the palate, especially towards and on the
finish, but overall it's quite elegant and restrained. Despite being 12
years old, it still seems a good, typical example of a sweet
Jurançon. (89 points)
The cork crumbled on opening, hence decanted.
Deepish golden colour.
Fairly powerful nose - very mature riesling aromas: dried grapes,
caramelised dried apple, a hint of tobacco-smokeyness, honeyed paraffin
and some peaty-whisky like notes. Not noticeably petrolly though.
Lovely full, rich, very mature-feeling riesling. Not sweet, but not
bone dry either, although there's still a significant acidity which
makes it feel drier than it is, and lends it a really fresh feel,
despite its nearly 40 years. Very long after.
Improving all the time it's been open in the decanter. (91
points)
Mid straw colour.
Attractive nose: fairly rich, with some nuttiness, lemon and a hint of
pear.
Good full palate. There's some notable acidity keeping this fresher
than I expected. Almost a hint of tannin. Nice richness on the palate,
balanced by a fresh zestiness. An uncomplicated, fairly basic level
Côtes du Rhône blanc, but very drinkable and a good
food
wine. (88 points)
13.5% abv.
Lemon gold colour. Lovely buttery nose with gentle PG spicing. Very
gentle, subtle nose.
Very attractive palate. Bone dry, hints of butter, some citrussy notes.
Superficially light and a bit simple, but there's real character and
some depth in there too, and pretty remarkable length for a lightish
pinot gris. (89 points)
Good maturing colour.
Beautiful, expressive nose.
Fragrant perfumed red & cherry fruit with some sweet oak
& hint of high tones.
Attractive fleshy palate. poised, elegant fruit. Very integrated. Soft
tannins on the finish from a well-handled oak treatment. (91
points)
Deep, rich black fruits on nose with a v pleasant blackberry note.
Big, rich, silky palate with sweet black fruits& grappa soaked
crystallised plums.Immediate gratification but lacks depth &
complexity. (87 points)
Warm, soft red fruits with a pleasant herbaceous note on the nose. Soft
red fruit and lots of cherries on the palate. Very approachable. Some
fruit kernel flavours are representative of a slightly bitter edge.
Very good wine. Worked very nicely with maple glazed belly of suckling
pig with kimchi, forced rhubarb and a mead sauce. (89 points)
A very bright, fragrant nose with crisp, lemony acidity. Bright, fresh
palate. It's been a few years since I've had the Villa Wolf Pinot Gris
and this is much more impressive than I remember. I could easily drink
this. It's got good balance and excellent character. (89
points)
Lots of buttery minerality on the nose. *Lots* of minerality. Initially
served too cold, but quite an interesting palate once it had warmed up
a bit. Quite a depth of flavour and some complexity. A hint of oak on
the finish.
Very good with roast scallop with scrambled duck egg and lots of winter
truffle. (87 points)
Warm, rounded, inviting nose with spicy black fruits. Very wintery feel
to the nose - i.e. the sort of wine you feel you want on a cold,
winter's day.
Simpler on the palate than on the nose. Good, maturing black fruit with
nice spiciness. Good, firmish tannins. (86 points)
Dark brooding purple colour, with no youth evident.
Gorgeous nose: rich, chocolatey, cherry and blackberry fruit. There's a
lovely fresh raspberry note in there too. None of that feeling of
spirituosity that can often be present on the nose of fortified wines.
Luscious velvety palate. Initially, a combination of the mouthfeel and
the smell and the sweetness makes it feel a little portlike, but that
soon recedes, and you get much more of an essence of grenache
character. A stunning wine and a classic example of how all fortified
red wine are *not* like port. (95 points)
Quite a pale lemon yellow colour. Very attractive, enticing nose: white
flowers, lemon with just a bit of weight with a feeling of nuttiness
and maybe quince.
Rich, full palate, with some delicious, vibrant mature notes, the sense
of maturity mainly coming from the weight in the mouth, I think.
There's a creamy, slightly citrus- and olive-oily feel. Loads and loads
of character and depth. Beautifully balanced, and very clean. Really
terrific, enormous length with delicious flavours lingering in the
mouth long after.
The last bottle I had of this was around 15 months ago. This bottle
feels about two years younger than that bottle.
For £13 a bottle in 2008, this is terrific, quality drinking.
(95 points)
A good, maturing colour.
On the nose there are strawberries, fresh and stewed, with some dark
cherry notes too, along with some fresh green herbs and a tiny hint of
VA.
Very good palate. Very open, mature red fruit in the mouth, and
avoiding the overly stalky character to which some lower and mid range
nebbiolo can be prone. Good, yet reasonably tender tannic structure.
Very good length. (89 points)
At least five years bottle age (bought 2009).
Blended rosé, chardonnay dominated blend with addition of a
still red pinot noir from Mareuil surAӱ. 12% abv
Medium salmon pink. Excellent, fine, persistent bubble stream.
Very attractive nose: some danish pastry notes with strawberry and
cherry fruit.
Attractive palate. Quite rich and full initially, but doesn't live up
that promise as it seems a little thin and hollow. Very long, but with
a touch of acidic hardness dominating. (88 points)
A 2002 bottling which had thrown sufficient sediment to make it
necessary to decant.
A slightly reddish browning tan colour. Attractive, but not
particularly enthralling nose. Rich, nutty fruitcake with some dark
plums, chocolate and a hint of gingery spice. A touch of high-toned
furniture polish too.
Lovely attractive, intriguing palate. Immediately you get savoury
notes, with some sweetness behind. Rich, silky-creamy texture. Rich
fruit cake-plum pudding fruit characters. Chocolate coated plums on the
finish. Very balanced. Exceptional length. (93 points)
Deep, maturing ruby. Bright fresh black fruits initially, turning much
more chocolatey and rich with aeration. Actually, there's really mature
plummy fruit alongside fresh blackberry notes. Then layers of leather
and garrigue with hints of tobacco and bacon fat.
Lovely rounded, open attack. Lots and lots of mature black fruit. Feels
rather simpler on the palate than the nose, at least straight after
decanting. Very savoury, with prunes and bitter chocolate. Lots of
firm, grippy tannins. Mature but no rush to drink up. (90
points)
Corked (NR/flawed)
Rich deep straw colour with a fine, but slightly interrupted bubble
stream. Rich, creamy nose with remarkable apricot danish pastry notes.
Very attractive palate. A fairly light mousse in the mouth, which
allows some charming fruit and pastry notes to shine in the forefront.
Rich and full, and really very enjoyable. Drinking beautifully on its
own. (94 points)
Possibly the crumbliest cork ever. Slightly scalped, sweet black fruit.
Slightly high toned and a touch rubbery. Hmm, doesn't seem in the best
of places.
Very, very sweet and jammy palate. Far too sweet and jammy for me.
Oddly, given the state of the cork, it doesn't seem at all oxidised,
but more reductive - something's clearly gone wrong. Very tannic
finish. (NR/flawed)
Quite a pale, slightly orangey caramel colour. Explosive nose: caramel,
orange, furniture polish, salted almonds, crystallised grapefruit peel.
Deep, complex and fascinating nose.
Luscious, cossetting, silky-textured palate. Rather lighter than the
nose suggested, and really very, very elegant. Lots of complex flavours
with dried fruits, agrumes, a slightly salty-nutty note, and lots of
umami. There is sweetness of course, but not a great deal: there's no
sense of any sugary or caramel sweetness on the palate, and a gentle
acidity keeps everything in beautiful balance. Immense length.
Really lovely, elegant drinking.
Quite an approachable style for Madeira virgins, I think, too. (94
points)
Nice mature burgundy colour. Lots of sweet red fruit on the nose with
plenty of mushroom and truffle notes too.
Light, bright and remarkably fresh on the palate. Lovely integrated
fruit, very soft and open. But really fills the mouth too. Beautifully
balanced with a very pleasing acidity and the residues of some sandy
tannins.
This is pretty much à point, though there's no sign of
fading, so it would probably hold happily until the end of the decade,
I think. Finishes well and has very good length. Perhaps a little one
dimensional and missing a bit of complexity. But still a treat. (91
points)
From a 50ml Bocksbeutel. 6.5% abv.
A burnished brown gold colour, almost like polished teak. Intense, deep
nose with honey, apricots, sweet golden sultanas and maybe a hint of
black tea.
Bright, vivid attack, which very quickly turns into the most luscious,
almost unctuous mouthful. You definitely notice richness and lushness
more than sweetness, thanks to a a vibrant acidity. Really good balance
right through to the finish, when the acidity comes to the fore and
quickly cleanses the palate, leaving you with a feeling in the mouth of
a really intense riesling.
Stunning wine that's almost taking my breath away. (98 points)
Quite a young colour. Deep, brooding, complex nose. Very black
fruit.Smoky tobacco.
Much smoother and rounded and open on palate than nose suggests. Good
plummy fruit characters with a pleasant freshness. Good structure with
fine grained tannins on finish. (90 points)
Pale golden colour.
Glorious nose with everything you'd expect in a ten year old
Spätlese: honey, fresh and baked apples that's just starting
to hand over to peachy stone fruit, lovely precise minerality. Lovely
attack; really lovely. Losing its freshness and taking on a bit of a
caramelised note - caramelised orangey citrus fruit (mandarin,
clementine maybe), at least on the attack. On the mid palate there is
still some pleasing freshness. In its youth, the very hot summer of
2003 seemed to have made this Spätlese a bit lacking in
acidity. Now that the sweetness has begun to age and mellow, that's
less of an issue and it seems very balanced, with some acidity making
itself apparent on the finish. Utterly immense length.
Although it lacks the complexity that would be expected in better
years, this is undoubtedly a hugely enjoyable wine. (90
points)
The restaurant had trouble with the first bottle as the cork broke
twice, despite extreme care in opening when they realised it wasn't
coming out cleanly. That was followed by concerned looks when they
sniffed the cork, and another bottle was produced without comment. That
opened easily and was decanted.
A lovely wine. Very approachable. Very appealing nose with dried and
sour cherries, a touch of strawberries and a hint of something vaguely
sous bois like. Nice and open on the palate. Soft, rather fresh attack.
Very integrated. There is indeed a leanness, but it suits it and it
works well. Very dry sandy tannins on the finish. Curiously I didn't
detect much development in the glass over a couple of hours. (89
points)
Bright young purple. Really gorgeous nose full of a mix of red
& black fruits, blueberries & hint of cherries.
Lovely, soft hugely attractive palate. Great balance. Quite delicate
fruit characters and a bit of spice. Some gentle tannins provide a very
pleasing structure
Has the lightness & freshness of a Beaujolais (even Nouveau),
but considerably more depth and character. Very interesting wine (92
points)
Glorious nose: orange, roast almonds, caramel, furniture polish and a
rock pool on the seashore. Salted caramel immediately. Actually really
feels rather salty. Caramel, olives, searing acidity, orange zest, with
a leathery texture. Fascinating stuff. (94 points)
A
bright, orangey nose with good
botrytis character. A bit simple maybe? Lovely palate: there's great
acidity which keeps it from any sense of over-sweetness at all.
Terrific balance. Great palate. Stood up well to lemon
meringue pie. (89 points)
Orange, nuts, salinity and a hint of
anchovy on the nose. On the palate, there's a bit of a caramel feel at
first, along with candied orange and lots of umami. Possibly a touch
simple, but very good match with a gutsy, almost feral game terrine
with pickled quince. (88 points)
An
open warm-climate pinot noir nose
with stewed raspberries and a certain bloody fleshiness. A vibrant,
lively palate with quite zingy red fruit. Feels very integrated.
It was a decent match with a rather unsuccessful pigeon, carrot and
walnut dish, which itself was marred by poorly cooked, tough pigeon. (87
points)
Remarkably
sweet and fruity for a
tawny, even an entry level 7 year old like this. Violet perfumed black
fruit on the nose. Big, spirity plummy black fruits on the palate, but
it has good balance.
An unusual, and extremely good match with sticky toffee-walnut-ale cake
dessert, with an ale ice cream. The bitter and sweet flavours of the
dessert played wonderfully with the wine. (87 points)
Quite
a gentle nose. Peppery red fruits
- lots of fruit. It feels more pinot like than nebbiolo on the nose.
Quite spicy red fruits and cherries on the palate with some pretty
savage, raw tannins dominating.
Served with a terrific dish of venison, ox tongue, blackberries, kale
and celeriac. Though this was a case, I think, of the food doing more
for the wine, than the wine did for the food. (85 points)
A very light, slightly savoury, peachy
nose. Sweetish red fruit on the attack. Fills out well. Very, very dry,
yet a lack of acidity manages to make it feel ever so slightly flabby.
There's a slightly hard metallic note on the finish that puts me off.
A good match with cured river trout with sea buckthorn. (84
points)
Mature ruby red. No obvious bricking. Quite a deep colour. Some black
fruit and some mushroomy notes - fairly bright fruit aromas, but really
extremely simple feeling. Mature palate. Some fruit, some wet forest
mustiness. Grainy tannins remain and clear away any flavours that make
it through to the finish. (81 points)
Deepish, slightly orangey salmon-pink. Deep, sweet red fruits, sweet
grapefruit and vanilla on the nose with some raisining. Big. I mean BIG
in the mouth. Lots of sweet, slightly raisined red fruit, but it's one
dry. Absolutely enormous length. Amazingly, it carries its massive 16%
alcohol very well, and it's lost the alcoholic heat of its youth.
Tasted blind, you would undoubtedly put it as a 10, or maybe even 20
year old tawny port.
It's still pure lunacy, but it's getting a lot more drinkable now. (89
points)
Bright mid gold colour.
Gorgeous nose. Lots of precise minerality with some almost tropical
fruit characters with hints of marmalade.
Big, open palate. Bone dry with a searing minerality. Feels slightly
more advanced than I'd expected, with some clearly mature character in
the mouth. As well as the minerality and a firm acidity, there is some
good, slightly honeyed orchard fruits. Absolutely enormous length. (93
points)
Medium gold colour. Not exactly impressive or even expressive nose.
Beurre noisette turning to butterscotch dominate the nose with a hint
of peach and tropical fruit.
Quite full palate with lots of creamy, buttery weight. Good minerality
and good acidity. Excellent length. But lacks depth and much in the way
of interest.
Pleasant, but there are so many much more interesting and massively
better value bottles of white Burgundy and certainly non-Burgundy
chardonnay out there.
88/100 but I've docked a point for such poor QPR. (87 points)
Medium gold, slightly coppery. Fully mature, even slightly tired
riesling nose, initially quite raisiny and honeyed, but with aeration a
lot of the nose blows off leaving ... well ... not a great deal on the
nose.
Good, mature riesling palate. Quite rich and mouthfilling, yet
absolutely bone dry to the point almost of crispness. There's a slight
eau de vie de poire william spirituosity that fades in and out. Good
depth, though not as complex as I might have hoped. Massive length.
Elegant, mature Alsace riesling. (89 points)
Pale-to-mid lemon gold. Very complex nose with lots of stony
minerality, a touch of peach and a touch of lime.
Quite a big mouthful. Deep, complex with a laser-acidity emphasising
the dryness. Great depth and absolutely massive length. (95
points)
Less of an obvious pop on opening than previous bottles, but this is a
7-year old DYA.
Very pale lemon straw colour with a slight petillance.
Subtle lime & sherbert, slightly grapey muscat nose. Very light
and fresh.
Very slight petillance indeed in the mouth. But other than that,
there's nothing to show the age of this wine. Light, fresh, vibrant
muscat with a touch of sweetness. Very pleasant drinking. (88
points)
Design-first, rather supermarket-y label. But even supermarkets tend to
put the producers name, or at least some reference code, but not this
one. Looked with magnifying glass to see if I could see the producer
anywhere, but without success. However, the internet comes to the
rescue including confirmation from Cellartracker.
The back label does, however, say it's imported by Direct Wines, one of
the Laithwaites brands here in the UK. Why Laithwaites require the
producer's name to be completely suppressed is anyone's guess, but it
immediately sets off my alarm bells suggesting that they're trying to
pull the wool over our eyes somehow.
Screwcapped, and with a massive 14.5% alcohol.
Very even deep purple, with no particular sign of youth.
Good nose - fairly straightforward, but good, pretty restrained plummy
black fruit with a bit of a floral lift and some integrated dusty oak.
Good palate - crowd-pleasing maybe, and relatively simple, but
eminently drinkable. Good, clean fruit, not a lot of depth, but
excellent length. Still some reasonably grippy tannins. As it's
standing open, that massive 14.5% abv is making itself more and more
obvious in the mouth, with just a touch of alcoholic burn. (86
points)
Good colour, starting to mature. Giving little away on the nose.
Not much on the palate either, initially. Despite decanting, took 30-60
minutes to start to open up, but it never really got much better than
fine. Good, solid luncheon claret. A bit weedy. Fine. (86
points)
Very attractive mature colour.
Gorgeous, mature nose with mushrooms, decaying flesh and an abundance
of sous bois. Everything you want and expect.
Very classy palate. Beautifully mature, classic flavour. Great balance
and finesse. Really lovely stuff. (92 points)
Good maturing colour, though looking a bit murky.
Rather pruney black fruit on the nose with some dusty oak.
Big, ripe, rounded, mature, very tasty black fruit. Some grippy
tannins. Feels pretty mature, but I think it has the potential to last
another 5-10 years. (93 points)
Very attractive yellow gold appearance. Rich, creamy, buttery nose with
more than a hint of North African preserved lemons.
Gorgeous palate. There's a hint of nice maturity in there, beautiful
balance of richness, ripeness and acidity. Buttery, gently citrussy
flavours with a hint of unsweet caramel. Some gentle coriander spice.
Layers and layers of flavour, with a complexity that grew as the bottle
warmed up from fridge cold.
This is a stunner.
Don't let anyone tell you that Verdicchio doesn't age (94
points)
100% albariño, méthode champenoise, 12.5%.
Bright yellow straw colour with a fine and remarkably persistent bubble
stream.
A restaurant purchase, so not only was it a pretty rubbish heavy flute,
but in the context of a busy restaurant, with lots of Spanish food all
around, it simply wasn't possible to assess its nose.
Crisp, fresh palate, but with a noticeably different character from the
100% albariño. Broader, bigger flavours than I expected, yet
remaining very elegant.
Very pleasant drinking with some interest. (88 points)
Pale lemon straw.
Truly gorgeous nose: some ripe melon and alfonso mango immediately,
then buttery lemon and lemon zest notes, but also some grassy and
floral notes. Really is gorgeous.
Lovely, fresh attack. Rich and buttery on the palate, with tropical
fruit, apples and lemon fruit notes.
This really is bloody gorgeous. Wish I had another 2 cases of it,
rather than just one bottle left. (95 points)
Excellent nose: prunes, black plums, wood ashes and onion ashes - all
in all a lovely, rich, rounded feel.
Really good palate. Pretty full with lots of restrained, slightly spicy
black fruit. Still pretty firm, grippy tannins. Very pleasant sour
cherry note on the finish with a bit of charred oak.
Good, maturing Crozes. (91 points)
Fragrant strawberry nose with a touch of peach. Just a bit boiled-sweet
sweetness to the nose.
Fresh and dry on the attack. Fills out in the mouth. Just a touch on
the sweet side, but once we started drinking it with food, we didn't
notice that any more. (85 points)
Unsurprisingly (given the age) a deep, brassy golden colour. Very
mature pinot gris nose: rich, buttery, every so slightly caramel,
overripe tropical fruit. Poised, ripe, very mature palate. Still very
big. Really can't detect any oxidation on this despite the appearance.
It's just a fairly noble old pinot gris.
Pinot Grigio fans would hate it. But I'm loving it. Rich, ripe,
complex, mature wine. Lovely stuff. (90 points)
Very attractive citrussy nose. Excellent palate fresh yet also fairly
full bodied. Very clean. excellent length. (90 points)
Mid gold fading to clear at the rim. Big, minerally, mature riesling
nose. Ripe, golden, creamy palate. Fully mature. Notable acidity which
keeps the latent sweetness completely in check. Very, very pleasurable.
(94 points)
Pale to mid gold. Fragrant and buttery nose at the same time. Very good
palate: again rich yet fresh at the same time. Good depth and flavour.
Really rounded. Definitely in a good place now. (92 points)
Good, even colour showing some maturity. Lovely nose: perfumed,
slightly garriguey, slightly horse-sweaty, bloody red and dried black
fruits.
Really rather gorgeous palate. So beautifully integrated. Really rather
poised. Still plenty of good fruit, with some sour cherry and chocolate
touches. Most of the tannins have integrated, but there's still just a
touch of gentle drying at the sides of the mouth from the remaining
tannins.
A really stunning bottle. (95 points)
Classic Prüm young WS nose: sulphur, some sugariness and some
tart apple fruit.
Light, fresh palate with lots of minerality and a perfect balance of
sweetness and acidity.
Drank beautifully with both a French onion soup and a red mullet with
almonds and blood oranges.Also with a stunning complex rabbit dish with
a sauce lightly favoured with licorice. (93 points)
Very good nose. Deep, rich black fruits with some licorice and some
black pepper spice.
V attractive palate. still quite fresh & fairly vibrant
tasting. Tannins have started to integrate. Very pleasant wine indeed. (91
points)
Lovely attractive nose with ripe melon aromatics. Good round palate.
Nothing over complex, but very pleasant. Nicely aromatic with a good
weight. Very good food wine. (88 points)
Decanted off a fair amount of sediment.
Good mature, or rather maturing colour - certainly doesn't look old.
There's quite a bit of funk on the nose, alongside some fresh leather
and some red and black fruits, which come to the fore as the funk
slowly blows off. Then the slightly plummy blackberry fruit takes over,
with a streak of lighter raspberry fruit, and a hint of tobacco.
Definitely showing maturity on the palate. Lighter palate than
previously. Good, balanced flavours with some good fruit still showing
through and a residual structure of rather sandy tannins. (90
points)
Good colour: still a hint of youth. Sweet plummy fruit on the nose with
a fair bit of vanilla. Fairly mature palate with some very spicy
tannins overwhelming the soft red fruit. After it's been open a while,
the tannic structure really firms up making it a bit chewy and a bit
hard work. I have to say that I don't find much pleasure in this, which
is very unusual in a wine from the Poggio Argentiera stable. (82
points)
Light, fresh and clean. Lighter than I expected, and it seemed to me
that the grapes weren't really allowed to shine through. Pleasant
drinking though and worked well with a wide selection of mezze and some
grilled kebabs and Imam Bayildi in a local Turkish restaurant. If we'd
just had the grilled kebabs, I think something with a little bit more
weight might have been preferable. (84 points)
An interesting blend of 30% Merlot, 50% Cabernet Franc, 10% Refosco and
10% Tazzelenghe
Good, even maturing colour. Attractive nose with deep pruney fruit
& slightly dusty tannins. Quite rich and full on the palate,
showing a decent maturity, rare in a restaurant purchase. Really deep,
complex flavours, with red and black fruits, tobacco and a touch of
meatiness. Great balance. Enormous length. Still some tannic structure
remaining, though the tannins have largely softened now: no immediate
rush to drink up, I would say. (93 points)
An even, maturing, deep, opaque garnet colour. Rather charming nose
with plummy black fruits and a bit of a hint of vanilla-soaked prunes.
Good palate with some fairly fresh fruit at the beginning, but which
deepens, finishing with a pruney, chocolatey richness. Some remnants of
tannins, which seem to be pretty much fully integrated now. There's a
bit of a sensation of alcoholic fire on the finish, though it's only
13% abv. Nothing over-complex, but a pleasant midweek drink. (87
points)
Good mature colour. Very interesting nose with black and red fruit,
vanilla, ripe figs and prunes. lovely palate: maturity immediately
obvious and - particularly in a restaurant purchase - pleasingly
welcome. Good, balanced fruit and acidity. Some spicy and grippy
tannins suggest absolutely no rush to drink up. really very good
indeed. (93 points)
Very good, fine bubble stream. Mid straw colour. Good nose: brioche and
black fruits. Crisp palate. Some freshness, but also some richness and
a feel of a nice bit of age. There's a nice depth and some complexity.
Finishes very well and very cleanly, with none of the overbearing
acidity of many mass market NV champagnes.
Very impressive. (92 points)
Mid to deep, rather brassy golden colour. Gorgeous nose. Deep, rich
botrytis-laden nose with honey, hints of marmalade, apricots, all held
together by a thread of minerality that makes you think if you could
pull that thread, you'd get a classy Kamptal riesling unravelling from
within the botrytis cardigan.
Beautiful attack. Silky, tongue-cossetting sweetness, but with an
excellent acidity that punches out into the sides of the mouth and onto
the tip of the tongue. Very, very poised and elegant, but also with
layers and layers of delicious flavours and fruit. So well balanced
that you hardly notice that it's sweet in the mouth.
No rush to drink up at all. This cost me 395 Schillings back in 1998
(about £20), which makes it an absolute bargain. I wish I'd
bought more, or rather that I'd been able to buy more: unfortunately
this was the last half bottle they had at the Schloss. (97
points)
Deep golden colour. Not a bad, if very mature riesling nose: petrol,
smoky, almost peaty whisky notes.
Touch of sweetness on the palate; some raisiny notes.
But overall it's just a bit too old and past it. I would suspect it
probably never had the wherewithal to last very long: it just feels a
bit thin. (81 points)
A pale raspberry red colour. Quite foamy bubbles, particularly in the
mouth. I'd have expected a bit more body and red/dark fruit character
on the palate from a 100% grenache. I'm not sure that tasted blind, I'd
really know for sure that this was a rosé, although I
suppose
the fruit does take the edge off. A good party fizz. (86
points)
A moderately mature Burgundy colour that's lost all traces of youth.
Attractive, if rather uncomplicated nose. Soft red fruits with hints of
stewed strawberries, raw button mushrooms and some nice parsley and
tarragon notes.
Good, full attack. Very clearly mature, and certainly the palate seems
more mature than either the appearance or the nose. Lovely very soft
remnants of fruit, furniture polish, a hint of peppery spice and still
some quite grippy tannins.
A good, if rather unexceptional mature Nuits St Georges. (90
points)
100% Grenache. Deep, almost fluorescent raspberry pink colour. Very
good, if somewhat turbulent bubble stream. Sweet red fruit on the nose.
Red fruit - strawberries on the palate, but there's none of the
sweetness that particularly the nose would make you think. Very crisp
and dry. You almost miss a bit more body and richness from the fruit.
It's good and well made, but I'd like to see a bit more character in
it. (86 points)
Chardonnay & Pinot Noir it says. A bit lively. Very fine,
elegant
bubble stream. Very, very pale straw. Attractive pear-y, brioche nose.
Really delicious palate. Creamy, buttery, brioche flavours with some
black fruits giving extra character. This is an absolutely terrific NV
that knocks all the big names well and truly into a cocked hat. Ready
to drink now, too (though note this is from a half). Very, very
impressed. (93 points)
Good, bright fruit on this own label Prosecco from the NW England
grocery chain, Booths. It's refreshing and fairly crisp, without being
aggressively dry. Yes, a good example and good value for the base of a
cocktail or fizz. Really, it is what you'd expect from both Araldica
and Booths at this price point. Good, solid wine. Easily drinkable, but
to be critical lacking any real distinction. (86 points)
A deep, slightly bronzed gold colour. The nose is deep, heady and
intoxicating: honey, orange zest, and just a bit of nuttiness. A bit
oxidised or, more likely just a bit over the hill?
Pretty sweet attack, but feels nicely balanced. Good, rich mouthfeel.
Really nice late harvest pinot gris flavours, with some honeydew melon
fruit and a very good, almost grapefruity acidity. Finishes well, but
it's the massive, lingering length that's most memorable, haunting
even. The sweetness, which has been kept well in check by the acidity
throughout, all but disappears on the finish. (92 points)
Quite a deep,opaque maturing colour. V powerful floral black fruits on
nose with touch of spirit and some vanilla oak. Big mouthfilling,
powerful wine. no reticence here. Lots of sweet black fruit, raisins,
spice. needs a bit of time to open up. Tannins fairly evident. (91
points)
Good colour - bright and clear mature pinot with no bricking. Sweet
strawberry and cherry fruit on the nose, with a few high-toned notes
and some freshly chopped button mushrooms. Bright, fresh, almost
vibrant palate, showing little sign of its 28 years. Beautifully
balanced with good acidity. But just a little lacking in depth and
interest. Very pleasant finish, with very good length. (90
points)
AP Nr. 2 583 092 20 06
Bright, yellow straw appearance. Initially, on opening, there was some
lovely vibrant fruit, but that seems to have faded after 45 minutes
open. Now, there's a lot of minerality, some pretty strong honeyed
notes and some peach kernels.
Really delicious palate. Rich, maturing Spätlese. Fresh,
bright,
sweet apple and peach fruit. Yes, there's sweetness, but it's
beautifully balanced by some rounded acidity: there's certainly not
hint of sugariness. With food, the sweetness quickly recedes anyway.
A terrific wine, still with plenty of years ahead of it. This was only
£7.50 on release: I wish I had bought a case or two of it. (93
points)
12.5%
A pale golden colour. Rich, nutty nose with some pear/quince notes.
Clearly mature on the palate, but not in any detrimental sense. Rich
and oily with a hint of citrus. Very clean, very balanced. Excellent
length with good flavours lingering long after.
Very impressive for £13 (in 2008). (93 points)
Good, even, maturing ruby colour, with no bricking. Glorious, perfumed
blackberry and raspberry fruit on the nose with cedary cigar box
overtones. Good, really quite mature palate without feeling at all old.
Good berry fruits, tobacco, prunes. There's still some tannic
structure, but the tannins are well-integrated now, just revealing
themselves in a little sandiness well beyond the finish. Great length. (94
points)
Good even colour that has lost its flush of youth. Very attractive
nose: warm, gently spicy red fruits and a touch of blueberry
; some dried herbs, thyme in particular and maybe a hint of licorice or
aniseed. Luscious palate. Full, but with beautiful balance. Slightly
sour red fruits - again that slight hint of blueberry. Meaty and fleshy
on the palate, but without the metallic hint that can sometimes come
with that. Rich and full on the finish, with plummy, chocolate-coated
prune flavours and some woody, hot spice. Excellent length. The tannins
have been nicely integrated throughout, but after there are some
fine-grained, sandy tannins.
A thoroughly excellent value wine. (93 points)
Youngish colour. Decent nose, if not overly expressive. Some red fruits
and a bit of woodiness. Good palate. Still pretty youthful of course
and some rather chewy tannins on the finish. Improving with being open:
undoubtedly going to be one of those where last glass is the best. (90
points)
Unpleasantly oxidised.
Note that these bottles of mine are from a 12-bottle case bought at
auction for £30. Something had obviously happened to this
case at
some stage for the seller to have let it go so cheaply.
So, please do not assume just because all of these have been oxidised
that there's any general problem with the vintage or the producer. (NR/flawed)
Pale straw colour, with a slight lemon hue. Very bright, fresh nose: ,
white flowers, white peach, honeysuckle maybe with some sherbert/fizzy
citrus notes.
Remarkably spritely, lively palate for a 15 year old wine - there's
none of the real vibrancy and vigour of youth, but also no noticeably
mature notes. Just a pretty classic example of what a mature Ruwer
Kabinett should be. There is some oily minerality, some green apple
flavours, a hint of smokiness and a very watery honey taste. (91
points)
Deep golden colour. Very curious nose. Bit of citrus, honey and
mushroom, plus a hint of gassy mercaptans.
Rich but not heavy on the palate. Freshly honeyed flavours with herby
notes. Good acidity.
Some oxidative notes.
Very pleasant food friendly wine. (91 points)
Mature, plummy black fruit with quite a bit of garrique herbal notes
and a touch of bacon fat on the nose.
Good palate. Mature, but much, much better than the last bottle, which
must have been an aberration. Round, full, even. Good black fruit. Very
savoury feel. Hints of bitter chocolate and prunes on the finish.
Classy. Great length after. (91 points)
Pale lemon yellow
Delightful fresh, fragrant nose with citrus, hay and some perfumed
white flowers.
Fresh and clean on palate. Has a decent richness and ripeness. Fresh,
slightly grassy, flowery stone fruit flavours. (93 points)
Pale lemon gold.
Light, fresh nose. Watery lime and peach on the nose. Very slight
minerality.
Lovely, bright, fresh attack. There's a hint of sweetness initially,
but that fades to leave a nice appley-peachy palate with some sherbert
notes.
Very balanced. Notable length. (92 points)
mid lemony gold colour.
Slightly watery beurre noisette on the nose with some good minerality
and a hint of citrussy perfume.
Good palate. A bit on the simple side initially, but has improved with
being open 30 mins. Quite rich, though not especially complex. Decent
length. (88 points)
Pale lemon straw colour.
Buttery, slightly honeyed nose with fresh citrus and some lanolin and
nuttiness. Marzipan-like, maybe, but not almonds - perhaps imagine a
marzipan made with cashews?
Really good palate. Fresh, bright attack with lemon-lime hints, but it
then quickly fills in the mouth. Big, full, mouthful, but no blowsiness
at all. Very precise, clean flavours. Bit of lanolin oiliness on the
finish.
Very long. (92 points)
Mid golden colour, with just a slight green tinge. Quite a subtle nose
with some sweet peach fruit.
Bit of a sugary feel on the palate. Good riesling fruit, a little sweet
and out of balance.
I think this needs time to come round again. 86/100 at the moment, but
with the potential to regain 91-92/100 (86 points)
A bright mid lemon gold colour. Gorgeous nose: some peach and sweet
apple fruit, lots of slate and wet paving slab minerality, with just a
hint of petrol.
Gorgeous palate. Not what you'd call a beginner's riesling maybe.
There's more than a little sweetness on the attack, along with some
delicious sort of smoky-oily notes. Some mature riesling fruit
flavours, loads of minerality and a very finely balanced acidity, which
keeps that initial feel of sweetness well in check an even gives a bit
of a white pepper note on the finish. Enormous length.
Excellent wine. (94 points)
Fairly mature colour - dark burgundy core, with paler, pinkish rim.
Interesting, spicy, Californian pinot nose: warm red fruits, cherry,
slight hint of orange skin (or VA?) and a touch of spiritiness.
A big, mouthfilling wine. Good warm pinot fruit, verging on the hot
with a combination of acidity and alcohol really tingling on the
tongue. The primary flavours fade quickly in the mouth giving an
impression of it being rather short, but there are some nice precise,
purer pinot fruit flavours that linger for really quite a long time in
the mouth. There's also a little bit of grip from the tannins remaining
on the finish.
Nice enough wine, but it feels a bit too much on the simple, un-complex
side. Feels more like a £10-£15 wine than the
£15-25
wine that wine-searcher says it is. (87 points)
Light , fresh nose with lemon, hay and a hint of air freshener. Bright,
fresh clean palate. Citrussy acidity to the fore. But good body too:
quite a nice weight really with some butteriness. Still got the
essential simplicity of Müller Thurgau, but that NE Italian
style
of winemaking has certainly brought out the best. (89 points)
Quite a bronzed, deep, almost teak golden colour.
Very rich, deep, sweet nose. Still some muscat fruit in there, but
mainly plump golden raisins and a hint of caramel.
Luscious, very rich palate. In the seven years since the last bottle of
this I opened, this has deepened and gained in richness and complexity:
curiously it's lost the oxidative notes of seven years ago. There's a
buttery element to the palate, and while it *is* pretty sweet, it's not
at all oversweet, but retains a nice freshness.
For years now, The Wine Society have been showing this as well beyond
its drinking window on my reserves statement. Utter nonsense: it's as
alive as it ever was. I'd almost suggest that it has improved still
further with ageing, and it shows no sign whatsoever of tiring or
needing to be drunk up. If anything it seems to me to be just entering
a vin de méditation stage. (95 points)
Mid lemon yellow colour. Rich, rather resiny nose. Seems to have lost
any fruit it might have had: it's a bit flat. Lots of butteriness on
the palate, but like the nose, not really much, if any fruit. Fair
length.
All in all, this feels a teeny bit oxidised and a touch over the hill.
Hence no score given. It's drinkable though, and not unpleasant.
I wonder if it might open up a bit with time. (86 points)
Lemon, apples & hint of custard on nose. A complex mouthful.
Full and rich on palate with stone fruit. Also a good acidity. (90
points)
A bit neutral on the nose, but this was a restaurant purchase and, as
is too often the case, served far too cold. Perhaps a little herbiness
on the nose. Really nice feel in the mouth, initially killed a bit by
being too cold, but it opens out to be a nice, pretty full and rich
mouthful, but with enough acidity to keep it refreshing on a hot day.
Feels like there's some oak on this, but it's not at all dominating. (90
points)
A very heavy bottle!
An even, dark raspberry red with no residual signs of youth. Lovely
nose, very much in the American mould of pinot, with sweetish red berry
and cherry fruit, together with some sweet oak. Not a lot in the way
sous bois, though there's maybe a certain leafiness amid the oak aromas.
Really pretty gorgeous palate. Sweetish red fruit, hint of cherry, and
then some raspberry-like acidity. Any tannins there may have been are
now fully integrated, though there's still a nice structure and
backbone. Finishes very well: nice and clean, with pretty enormous
length.
Probably not one for die-hard Burgundy nuts, but I really rather like
this.
The Wine Society's recommendations were that this should be drunk by
2008 at the latest. That is clearly errant nonsense: this bottle has an
easy 5-10 years life in it. (92 points)
Minerally citrussy nose with good depth. VG palate: initially light and
refreshing but with real depth & good interest. very clean
finish
with great length. (93 points)
Light, fresh, fairly crisp with some appley-melony fruit. Simple yet
elegant. (87 points)
Fairly rich, gently floral nose. Good, characterful palate. Worked
nicely as a lunchtime wine as it was light enough in both body and
alcohol level, yet also had plenty of interest, especially once it had
warmed up a little. (89 points)
Very pale lemon straw colour. Lovely nose: some creamy apple notes,
lemon sherbert and good minerality. Initially rather closed and a bit
hard. But after about 15 minutes open, it's opened out nicely. Good
precise, minerally riesling fruit with a lot of acidity that just stays
on the right side of being balanced. Bit of a raw green apple note on
the finish. (88 points)
This was a restaurant purchase, and I didn't take a note at the time.
Not something I'd normally choose, but the sommelier gave a very strong
steer towards this wine, despite us looking at a couple of other wines
twice the price.
An excellent recommendation. It had a good clean nose, with a hint of
oak, alongside some buttery and citrussy aromas. Very nice in the
mouth: well-integrated, with the oak not at all noticeable as something
distinct, just lending a weight and a bit of creaminess to the palate.
As on the nose, a bit of buttery fatness on the palate, but with some
lovely ripe lemony hints. Worked brilliantly with a veal sweetbread
with globe artichoke and truffled madeira sauce. Also a remarkably good
match with john dory with truffled gnocchi, golden turnip and
caramelised salsify. (91 points)
In much better condition than
the previous bottle. Still a hint of
oxidation, but otherwise it's just a big Aussie chardonnay that's
showing the negative features of the type, and none of the positive
features. Didn't really spend much time considering this as it was
opened for cooking, where I wanted a sturdy white wine or sherry, and
didn't want to open a decent bottle of sherry for it. (82
points)
Badly oxidised (NR/flawed)
A pale lemon colour. Subtle, herby and herbaceous nose with some lemony
notes and a hint of nuttiness. Full, fresh and really quite scented on
the palate. Seems to be fading a bit after the last few bottles, unless
it's entering a dumb phase. (89 points)
A mid golden colour with a marked green tinge. Full, not obviously
mature, but not young riesling. Lots of nectarine fruit on the nose,
some red apples, a hint of honey and a touch of minerality.
Quite big and full on the palate, with much more maturity evident than
on the nose. There's a nice, but not in-your-face sweetness with the
same stone fruit flavours and a touch of grape juice. Very nicely
balanced. Finishes crisply, with a subdued aftertaste and a good length.
Proper Spätlese. (93 points)
Mid gold. Some tartrate crystals in bottle. Lovely nose. Fresh, sweet
fruit with honey and barley sugar.
Lovely, bright, clean palate. Lusciously textured, but with good
acidity keeping it all very balanced. It's good, but there's a certain
soapy note that I find a little bit odd. (87 points)
Very pale, slightly green-tinged straw colour. Nice crisp nose -
actually not overly sherrified. Nuts, almonds, seawater and a hint of
anchovies. Fairly sturdy, forthright Manzanilla. Clean, fresh and
nicely balanced. Very good finish - great length, but also very neat
and precise. (88 points)
Slightly green-tinged pale straw. Lovely nose: nice, restrained
sauvignon blanc characters. Aromatic and creamy with some lovely green
gooseberry fruit. Feels really pretty classy on the nose.
Not quite as impressive on the palate, as on the nose. But it's really
very good. Open, fragrant, as dry as a bone. Really good, classy,
distinctly French sauvignon. Delicious wine, with good, full flavours
on the middle and massive length.
Pretty much at its price as £14.99, but a complete bargain
reduced to £7.49 at Booths for the rest of 2012.
Worked okay with my chicken liver parfait, though some trout/salmon
mousse/parfait (smoked or fresh) would have been better. (91
points)
A deceptively sturdy 14.5% abv, which you really don't notice in the
wine.
Youthful dark ruby colour. Warm, rather simple-feeling red and black
fruits with a touch of leather on the nose. Very attractive palate.
Clean, bright fruits - more red fruit than black. Well-balanced with a
pleasing slightly sour, green capsicum note on the middle. Not
insubstantial, grippy tannins which linger, coating the mouth along
with the green pepper flavours, for ages.
Nice, but ultimately, it's a fairly simple, generic Côtes du
Rhône, anonymous even, as the producers don't even put their
name to this other than the cryptic code, EPB 71570.
£12 (full price at Booths) is pushing it, but at the offer
price of £5.99, it's a decent buy.
A CdR wouldn't be my automatic choice with chicken liver parfait, but
(perhaps because of the wine's essential simplicity), I'm very
pleasantly surprised by how well it works. (85 points)
Deep, dark plumskin colour, not yet really showin many signs of
maturity. Huge amounts of plummy black fruit on the nose, heavily
layered with chocolate, dark rum and rum-soaked raisins. The more I
sniff it, the more it smells like rum and raisin ice cream, without the
cream.
Gorgeous palate. Rich, yet fairly fresh black and red fruit. A very
velvety, cossetting texture. Very elegant. Very classy.
No sign of even reaching a plateau. Must have another 5-10 years in it,
surely. (94 points)
I'm immediately put off by the clear glass bottle, which makes it look
a bit cheap and tacky. Reading the back label, it's been imported in
bulk and bottled in the UK, which perhaps helps explain why it's clear
glass: we don't make many green or brown glass bottles here.
As pale and clear as you'd expect of a young Kiwi sauvignon blanc.
Typical sauvignon nose, though maybe more in your face and bigger, with
green peas, green beans and a bit of cat's pee. Really quite big and
full on the palate. But it lacks any depth, and any real interest.
Finishes very short. (82 points)
I'm immediately put off by the clear glass bottle, which makes it look
a bit cheap and tacky. Reading the back label, it's been imported in
bulk and bottled in the UK, which perhaps helps explain why it's clear
glass: we don't make many green or brown glass bottles here.
Pale underripe strawberry juice colour. Rather muted nose with sweet
red fruit, some peppery spice and the sort of smell you get when you're
drilling a hole in softwood and it just starts to char.
Pretty big, ripe, sweet strawberry fruit on the palate. Much sweeter
than I expected. Plain, simple, easy drinking. Probably one for people
who don't like wine much. Not really for me. (81 points)
Delightful nose - red fruit with a nice perfume. Good, fruit forward
palate. Nicely rounded and balanced with plenty of interest.
Unobtrusive tannins appear mainly on the finish. (91 points)
A very pale lemon-gold colour. Nicely restrained nose with some
tropical fruits and a hint of butteriness ... oh and the very faintest
hint of washing up liquid. In the mouth, the immediate impression is
that it's nice and fresh, and very clean. Good, fresh, crisp flavours,
allowing the gentle, subtle chardonnay flavours to shine through. This
is not a chardonnay for lovers of heavily oaked, sweet Ozzie
chardonnays. There are no hidden depths or complexity here. But it's
nicely balanced and disarmingly easy to drink, especially disarmingly
easy given its pretty hefty 13.5% abv.
Had this with some smoked trout - one apple-smoked, one oak-smoked. Not
overly pleasant with the sweeter apple-smoked trout, but pretty good
with the oak-smoked trout. Revealing, perhaps, chardonnay's on-going
affinity with oak (87 points)
A deep, garnet red with much youthful purple at the edges. On the nose,
there is some remarkably creamy black fruit - blackberries, mulberries
and dark plum skins, and just a hint of peppery spice. Really lovely
attack. This is a surprise. Much better and much more approachable than
I was expecting. There's some really good, bright, red fruit flavours,
and then a layer of spice behind. Good soft tannins provide support.
Bright, fresh, clean with a nice character a really a lot more interest
than I was expecting. 13.5% abv, but you don't notice it.
Imported by Boutinot, proving their reliability. (89 points)
Bright, remarkably youthful light, very clear red with a bit of a
purplish hue. Light, fresh red fruits, predominantly raspberry on the
nose. Very attractive youthful palate. You wouldn't know this was six
or seven years old. A bit like a young Beaujolais, with a bit of
lightly pressed syrah blended in. If you had this blind, you might
think it was a beefier rosé. Some remarkably grippy tannins
come along after a while, and seem to have developed in the six years
since my last taste of this, when the tannins were much softer. Reverse
maturation? Very nice wine, though. Easily drunk but with lots of
character. I had it with tongue risotto, but I could see it going well
with charcuterie, or sausages, or even barbequed poultry. (91
points)
8%. AP 2 576 162 16 08. Screwcap.
Opened mainly for cooking, though had a couple of glasses with the
finished dish of pork and chickpeas.
Vibrant lemony coloured straw. Slightly sugary nose with tart, sour
apples and a decent minerality. Fresh and clean on the palate. Perhaps
just a touch sweeter than entirely necessary for a Kabinett, and maybe
the acidity is starting to fade a bit? (88 points)
Good, deep, mature colour - an even deep garnet. Dark, almost brooding
black fruit. Plummy, herbal, sour cherries, a hint of eucalyptus, and
some chocolate. Lovely, rich, mature palate with a very silky mouthfeel
and really impressive, poised plummy, perfumed black fruit. A bit more
of a grainy tannic structure than the last bottle. Gorgeous drinking. (92
points)
Mid to dark teak colour. Herby and (unsurprisingly, given the name)
spicy on the nose. Hints of mulling spice, and cloves and licorice to
the fore. Initially quite grapey on the attack. Warm, rounded and
balanced. Not too sweet. Leaves a tingle on the tongue, which I can't
quite placed as being from the alcohol or the spices in the blend.
Serving it on the rocks, there's a much more noticeable orange note on
the palate. Very pleasant, with excellent balance. A fresher flavour
than many Italian and French vermouths, I think. (90 points)
Mid to deep straw yellow. Nice freshness on the nose with some citrus
notes in front of tropica,buttery chardonnay fruit, some pea pods and
good minerality. Very nice palate. Like the nose, there's an initial
freshness with appley, peachy fruit, then a certain grapiness, but then
the fruit seems to turn more tropical, before a nice streak of acidity
returning on the finish. this could well be the best bottle of this
six-pack. Some of the weirder "uniqueness" seems to have been toned
down a bit - for example, I don't detect that hint of raisining that
was there in its youth. (93 points)
Mature mid ruby colour. Quite an attractive nose - mature, light,
simple Rioja. Black fruit, blueberry and bilberry, with a touch of
vanilla and sweet pastry. Light, clean palate. There's some good,
restrained fruit. Maybe just a little high-toned on the palate, with a
fresh acidity. Tannins are pretty well integrated, but separate out a
bit on the finish to give a certain chewiness. Very decent stuff.
Surprisingly so for a fairly basic wine from the Laithwaites gang. (88
points)
Green, weedy, acidic nose - just a hint of black fruit. Thin and weedy
on the palate. Light, sandy tannins. Green and a touch bitter on the
finish. No faults, just meh. Weedier than my garden. (79
points)
Oxidised - in the wrong way. Mango & bananas on the nose. Not
very pleasant palate. (NR/flawed)
Gorgeous, pretty mature-feeling nose. Very deep, yet restrained black
fruit, fleshy-bloody note, tobacco, cedar, and a hint of a sort of
perfumed, chalky minerality. Really superb palate. Boy, is this bottle
in a good place right now. Absolutely delicious. Poised, black fruit,
with just a little leafiness, a bit of meatiness and a chocolatey
velvetiness. Deep and rounded. Beautifully balanced. The tannins are
nicely integrated. Great length too. A really terrific bottle of this. (96
points)
Mid, lemony straw appearance. Stony minerality on the nose. Seems to be
a hint of aniseed, but that would be really weird. Fresh and clean on
the palate. There's still some sweetness there, but entirely balanced
by excellent acidity, but it's also lost some of its youthful
sweetness. Very attractive, classic Mosel riesling. Quite moreish. (90
points)
AP Nr 24 079 003 04 8% abv
Quite a fresh-looking, mid gold colour. Fairly muted nose: there's a
hint of stone fruit and a nice, fresh granite minerality. A very slight
soapiness, maybe? Much, much bigger palate than the nose would lead you
to believe. Forward ripe, peach fruit. There's sweetness, of course,
with just a touch of sugariness. But there's enough acidity, now very
well integrated, to keep it well-balanced and to give it a pleasing
freshness. Maybe lacks a bit of depth, but good length.
Still got a case in storage, but no rush to take it out yet, I think. (91
points)
8% AP Nr 2 577 050 3 99
Very loose cork.
Very pale lemon gold. Creamy, minerally nose with some sweet peachy
fruit. Excellent palate. OK, it's obviously not young, but there's a
real freshness here. Like drinking honey mixed with liquidised slate
chips. Some stone fruit, but very much secondary. A pleasing acidity
remains. Very round and integrated. Splendid stuff; remarkable for a 14
year old Kab which is barely more than a Gutsriesling. (92
points)
A nice warm, spicy nose, but more restrained than many Rhones. It has a
very classy feel. Exceedingly pleasant palate. It's much lighter than
I'd expected, which increases the elegance. There's good red and black
fruit with a nice pepper spice on the finish.
A second bottle was substantially below par, though without an obvious
fault, and had we not had the first bottle, we'd have probably just put
it down as not a particularly brilliant wine. 86/100
A third bottle was much closer to the third, but still not quite as
good. 91/100 maybe. (93 points)
Creamy, minerally nose with some restrained floral notes. Really nice
blend on the palate with the malvasia clearly to the fore but with the
friulano and ribolla hardly being latecomers to the party. The bottle
says fermented with wild yeasts in 20hl oak, though the oak seems
slightly more evident than that would suggest. cracking wine though
that seems very much in its drinking window. (93 points)
An utterly glorious nose: plummy and pruney black fruits at the same
time, with meat, sweaty, horsey notes, and then some spicy, peppery
(black and green [bell] peppers). Also a hint of high tones.
The high tones are more immediately evident on the palate, on the
attack. Though the high tones give way to sweet black fruit quite
quickly. Creamy and round with a nice velvety texture. Very obvious
vanilla flavours towards the finish. Pretty good length.
Screwcap. 15.2% abv (89 points)
Lemon gold colour. Rather muted nose, like a 3-day old petrol spill on
chalk. Fairly light and fresh on the attack. Marked sweetness with
candied citrus - more orange/mandarin citrus rather than lime/lemon.
Still pretty vibrant in the mouth. Quite a big mouthful. The sweetness
isn't in any way cloying, but it just doesn't have the precise balance
of better years: and I mean years, in that I think the weaknesses of
this wine are most likely down to the abnormal summer of 2003. That's
not to say that it's not a pleasant wine: it is. Equally, on a warm
summer's evening, the 9% abv is very welcome. (88
points)
Fully mature colour, with a hint of bricking. On the nose, there are
sweet red fruits, black pepper, some mushroomy notes, and a hint of
truffles. Previous bottles have seemed a little high-toned, but not
this one. Very good palate. Very obviously completely mature, but nice
sweet fruit, good acidity and a hint of peppery spice. Very rounded;
finishes beautifully and with enormous length. (91 points)
Gentle, perfumed nose with black fruit and a touch of mushrooms. Lovely
mature palate. Quite a treat to get such a mature wine at a restaurant
and for a reasonable price (£32). Mouthfilling restrained
slightly foxy black fruit. Great length. (91 points)
A mid gold colour. Slightly smoky paraffin-rubbed apples on the nose,
with a hint of caramelisation. Delicious, mature Kabinett. Very poised.
Some richness and sweetness, but also a searing acidity. Cracking
stuff. Only 8% abv too. (91 points)
Light and fresh. As uncomplicated as it gets. Worked well with grilled
mackerel & a Moroccan-spiced tomato stew, and other seafood.
But with some charcoal grilled rose veal cutlets, it felt just a bit
wet and watery. (85 points)
Mid gold. Deep, fairly sweet, slightly yeasty black fruit nose. Full
and rich on the palate. Maybe a hint of oxidation, but certainly in a
good way, and no more than I would expect in a twenty year old
champagne. Good, persistent bubbles. Rich, creamy and pleasing. (89
points)
Fairly light mature ruby colour. Fairly light on the nose: a touch of a
savoury, saline, almost fishy note at first, then some fairly deep,
concentrated blackberry fruit. Fairly light and restrained on the
palate too: the sort of restraint that comes with being fully mature. I
suspect this wouldn't have lasted much longer. Nice mature red fruit -
raspberries? Very long. Just a hint of residual sandy tannins. It's a
nice, mature wine. But £25 nine years ago feels a bit
expensive for what's in my glass: there's nothing earth-shattering or
particularly impressive here. (88 points)
Deepish straw with a marked pinkish tinge. Slightly coarse bubble
stream, initially, but that settled down after a few moments. Biscuity,
buttery, briochey nose, with some nuttiness. Deep, round, very fruity
palate. Very complex and rewarding. (92 points)
Deep, mature colour - fully mature dark, rather hazy garnet, but no
sign of bricking or over-maturity. Gorgeous nose. Plummy, herbal fruit
with hint of licorice. Silky smooth palate with good, restrained, dark
fruit. Clearly mature, but by no means over-mature. Really good,
composed character. Some light tannins still cling on, but scarcely
noticeable. Glad my first impressions were correct 11 years ago and
this was a keeper. Turned into a very fine wine. (91 points)
Should you keep Moscato, even an Australian one, for this long? Maybe
not, but on the evidence of this bottle, why not? Glorious light,
bright muscat nose, with hints of pear, honey and honeysuckle. There is
still a very light petillance, but it has certainly lost a bit of its
sparkle over the years. Glorious, light, fresh palate. Just a hint of
sweetness. Perfect warm weather drinking, and went well with some
sobrasada on grilled sourdough, sprinkled with sherry vinegar and Halen
Mon Anglesey sea salt. (90 points)
Rich, rather brassy gold. Rich, buttery, custard tart nose with some
tropical fruit. Sweet, slightly spicy, very, very rich tropical fruit
on the palate. Some oxidation maybe? Very, very big. I'd certainly put
this as a heavy Vendanges Tardives. A bit short maybe, and a bit
single-dimensioned in the mouth. (87 points)
My last bottle of this, bought 12 years ago and clearly cellared just a
little too long, as it's clearly rather oxidised. But pinot gris is a
grape that can carry oxidation better than many, and so perhaps all is
not lost.
A deepish brassy cold colour. Powerful sweet, beurre noisette nose with
some apricot fruit, but still with some scented spice. Concentrated,
fairly sweet attack. If there wasn't that hint of oxidation on the
nose, you could easily think this was Vendanges Tardives, or even a
very thin SGN. On the palate, you don't (unless you had it when it was
fresh a few years ago) really notice any oxidation, and it still feels
like a pretty decent, fairly heavyweight Alsace Pinot Gris. (88
points)
Very tight cork, which ended up breaking in several pieces. A great
shock when decanting this off the cork crumbs to see it's a dark teak
brown colour, looking more like it's well over 50 years old, rather
than just 9 years.
There's no apparent oxidation or maderisation on the nose or the
palate, though it's celarly showing some age. Bright, really quite
fresh raisins and candied oranges on the nose. Oranges, honeyed
apricots and some caramel on the palate. Good acidity still, though you
really feel the acidity on the finish: the acidity seems to have
separated out a little. (87 points)
A mid gold colour that seemed a little deep for something just a year
or two old. But the suspicions of oxidation were completely unfounded.
Some delicate, tropical fruit and grapefruit on the nose. Initially
some vibrant green fruit and grapefruit on the palate, but as it warmed
up the fruit became rounder and more tropical with some hints of honey.
Remarkably just 11.5% abv which is good. (90 points)
A fairly deep brassy colour. Quite a gentle, simple, amontillado nose.
Plenty of salinity, some olives, nuts and candied orange peel. Light,
fairly fresh. Fairly dry, but with depth and weight, and more of an off
dry feel towards the finish and after. A fairly simple Amontillado, but
it's also very nice, easy drinking. (89 points)
Very tight cork that crumbled under pressure from the cork screw. A
good mature colour, but no bricking. Good nose with lots of sweet,
slightly volatile red fruit and a bit of leather. Good mature palate.
Still very much alive, with nice, gentle, mature fruit; completely
integrated tannins. It's only a crianza, so there's nothing
particularly complex here, just a very nice mature wine. £8
in Oddbins in 1996. Good investment, though sadly the last bottle. (87
points)
Very rich, creamy nose, yet also a gentle florality. Rich and full on
the palate. Very buttery and creamy. Possibly a hint of oxidation? Yet
there's an acidity and an almost saline savouriness that keeps it fresh
and balanced. The floral notes on the nose seem to turn into a sort of
furniture polish flavour. Delicious and intriguing. (94
points)
I've kept this too long. It's lost its petillance and is now really
just an undistinguished grape juice, that's somehow not particularly
well balanced. (83 points)
Plummy black fruit with a sour-fruit edge and some bloodiness.
Curiously, this bottle seems a bit simpler than previous bottles. Quite
light, direct, smooth fruit on the palate. Notably youthful, juicy
character. Negligible tannins (which is a bit odd). Nice bitter
chocolate and blackberry silkiness lingering on the finish (89
points)
Deep, maturing dark purple colour. Attractive nose: rich, sweet
blackcurrant fruit and a hint of gamey bloodiness. Really surprisingly
lovely on the palate. Deep black fruit. Sweet fruit, but very balanced
with a nice acidity. Really quite elegant. Chocolatey feel on the
finish with soft tannins and hints of floral elegance.
I'm surprised by this. I didn't expect that, for under £10,
I'd get such a classy feeling wine. (91 points)
Lovely fresh, light, fragrant nose with beurre noisette, honey and
orange zest. Lots of orangey and sweet apple fruit on the palate, with
a honeyed richness pulling it together. The acidity feels much more
integrated than the last bottles (opened about 10 years ago). But
there's also a savoury edge to it too. Doesn't quite have the same
freshness as previous bottles (hardly surprising after a further 10
years and now it's almost 20 years old). On first opening, it felt like
it might be a little tired, but it has started to open up nicely after
just 10 minutes. (89 points)
Pretty deep golden colour. Big, rich, buttery nose with tropical fruit
and a touch of salinity. Really big, deep and rich on the palate. Very
rich and creamy, and there's some tropical fruit again. There's not the
same sweetness that I detected in the last bottle of this I opened,
though there's a more pronounced acidity, keeping it more balanced. But
it's a big wine, that tasted blind you might think was late harvest. (88
points)
Herbaceous, green fruit on the nose, with a touch of grassy-hay. Fresh
and remarkably pleasing on the palate - remarkably for a
sub-£3.50 wine. Fairly full, good fruit. Pretty correct
Muscadet, though feeling a bit metallic. Simple, of course, but if you
want something to neck with fish and chips without thinking too much
about it, it hits the spot. (88 points)
Good, maturing deep, dark garnet. Gorgeous nose: perfumed, plummy,
sweet black fruits, new leather and raw venison. Quite delicate on the
palate, especially for Crozes. Very open, nicely mature. Possibly a
hint of high tones in the mouth, with a hint of grapefruit over quite
delicate black fruit. Soft, somewhat sandy tannins. Great length. (93
points)
Opened for cooking.
Utterly unexceptional. Plain, simple, anoydyne, dull, inoffensive.
Drinkable, but no fun and no interest. Good cooking wine though. (78
points)
Quite an electric light pink. Attractive open red fruits on the nose.
Very good, clean, elegant palate. A particularly good rosé. (89
points)
A very attractive nose with lovely perfumed red fruits. Very, very
elegant on the palate. Very poised and refined. (93 points)
A blend of cabernet sauvignon, petit verdot and malbec.
A complex nose with black fruits and a hint of menthol.
Big, complex palate. It's powerful stuff, yet still manages to remain
clean and very elegant indeed. (92 points)
A gentle, subtle nose. Nice palate with good red fruit characters. Very
easy. (87 points)
A deep pink colour. There are stewed strawberry and raspberry aromas on
the nose. Very good balance on the palate. It has a very noticeable
weight to it in the mouth, and is more in the style of a light red than
a rosé. (89 points)
Bright, fresh pears and peach on the nose. Very nice, light, clean wine
with some finesse. (89 points)
A glorious nose. Everything you could want from an amontillado.
Beautiful on the palate. Very complex indeed and supremely enjoyable. (94
points)
There's a touch of raw oak on an otherwise good nose. Good enough on
the palate. Unexceptional. (84 points)
Quite a classy feel to the nose, with concentrated black fruits. Very
silky, soft on the palate. Good balance of ripe and less ripe fruit
characters on the palate. (88 points)
Nice melony, honeyed notes on the nose. On the palate, it's all correct
and as you'd expect. A good, clean, precise Sauternes. (88
points)
A good, classic Rioja nose. On the palate, it's a nice, easy Rioja.
Nothing very special. Nothing wrong. Good house wine. (88
points)
Lovely, big, rich nose with good red fruit aromas. Very pleasing palate
- warm and inviting. A big wine, but with very good balance. (89
points)
A nice, floral nose. A bit slight on the palate. Possibly better
younger (this is tasting the 2009 in 2012). Also £15 seems
rather expensive for what's in the bottle. (86 points)
A very reductive nose with very young, spirity aromas. Big everything
on the palate. I think there's some quality in there, but it feels some
massively overdone just at the moment. If it is going to come round,
then it needs a lot of time. 85 to (charitably) 88/100 (88
points)
An attractive nose with some lovely red fruits and some minerality
showing through. Really good on the palate: finely structured and
elegant. This has a very classy feel to it.
Much more elegant and satisfying than the Melville Estate Pinot from
the same vintage tasted alongside. (92 points)
Petrolly, limey nose. Big, intense palate. Very minerally riesling. A
touch hot.
£25 seems very poor value for what's in the bottle. (86
points)
Bright red fruit nose with some dusty oak. Good, refined palate. Well
balanced with great length. (89 points)
A good, buttery, melony nose. A nice open palate, but just a bit hard
on the finish. (84 points)
A bright lemon sherbert and grapey nose. Good poised palate. A nice
wine, though it's rather pricey. (89 points)
There's good fruit on the nose and some dusty oak. A good, easy
drinking claret. Nothing special. (86 points)
Fendant is a synonym for the Chasselas grape variety in Switzerland.
A fresh, white flowers nose with a hint of honeydew melon. Fairly full
palate. Nice ripeness alongside a bit of minerality and decent acidity.
Good wine, but for some reason it doesn't scream "drink me" to me. (88
points)
Apparently 80% teran and 20% refosk, though I thought teran was the
southern name for refosco.
8 days skin contact and then aged for 36 months in oak.
A big nose with lots of black fruits and a nice perfume. Impressive
(though with a price of £36, it jolly well should be). Very
integrated, enjoyable palate. (90 points)
13% abv. 100% nebbiolo rosé.
A very attractive nose with strawberry and orange fruit. Good character
on the palate. A touch too much acidity towards the the finish maybe.
But very good overall. Great length. (88 points)
100% refosco aged in old barriques.
Interesting nose: a bit stinky, sweaty and cheesy. Clearly intended to
be a "serious" wine - much bigger than the Gerzinic Teran. Sadly, I
find the palate rather dull. Very even and rounded, but lacking
interest. (86 points)
Ripe, sweet raspberry and bramble fruit on the nose. On the palate,
there's a nice restraint allowing the Zinfandel character to show
through without the blowsiness or jamminess that can sometimes conceal
it. Very good indeed. (89 points)
Stony red fruit with some perfumed apples on the nose. Good palate:
works well. This is a good, light rosé with some character. (88
points)
A blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and refosco.
A touch stinky on the nose, with very floral black fruits. Intense,
ripe, but not overripe red and black fruit on teh palate. This is
serious stuff with a nice element of funk. (90 points)
50:50 Alvarinho:Trajadura.
Slightly sherbetty stone fruits on the nose. A pleasing palate: nice,
with a good balance of flavours. (89 points)
Good, subtly tropical, gentle nose. Lovely fruit character in the
mouth. Very pleasant wine. (87 points)
Fascinating, pretty unique nose a bit reminiscent of marsala: smokey,
sweet red fruit and distinctly maderised. Tastes much better than it
smells. Very interesting and unusual. Who knew that a maderised pinot
noir could be so really jolly nice? (90 points)
Lovely, correct nose, though with a touch of greenness. Nice and juicy
on the palate. There's a touch of astringency which disappears on the
finish. (88 points)
Fresh, floral nose with some nutty notes. Nice palate. This has good
character and depth while being nice and crisp. (89 points)
An interesting nose. Lots of lovely character and black fruit, with a
hint of tobacco. Great character on the palate. A really nice wine. (92
points)
Fresh, clean nose. Very good fruit character on the palate. Very good
balance. More refined than the Laxas Albarino. (88 points)
Lovely wild garrigue notes on the nose, alongside black fruit and
leather. This wine's nose and name really go together.
On the palate, it's velvety and cossetting, with great depth and
character. Huge length. (91 points)
A floral, classic muscat nose. Pretty sweet, but nicely balanced. Quite
complex, really. (88 points)
A rather straightforward nose. Lovely soft, open palate. A nice, young,
easy claret marred only by a touch of astringency on the finish. (86
points)
A big, structured nose. Good palate, with good creamy chardonnay fruit
and nice oaking. Very good. But not worth double the price of the same
producer's Golden Age Chardonnay. (89 points)
A nice open nose. Uncomplicated. Quite simple on the palate, especially
in comparison the same producer's Brouilly from the same vintage. (87
points)
60% chardonnay:40% macabeo
A fresh, bright nose with attractive pear fruit. A bit grapey on the
palate. It'd be good cold on a hot day on a terrace in the Spanish
sunshine. (84 points)
Good clean character. Nice, fresh, crisp. (86 points)
A dry, bright, open nose with citrus and apple. Very good palate with a
really nice character. Long and lingering in the mouth. Nice depth. (89
points)
100% Teran (the Croatian name for Refosco)
Clean red fruits on the nose. Light, clean, very minerally palate. Good
drinking. Very long. (90 points)
A blend of 40% cabernet sauvignon, 40% merlot and 20% Istrian Borgonja
(i.e. gamay).
Gosh, this is bizarre. The nose reminds me of a 1960s sweet shop with
aromas of Trebor fruit salad, bubblegum, play-doh and roses. The palate
is just as odd, but curiously moreish. (89 points)
A very light pink. Works well. Nice palate. Clean. Good, light fruit. (88
points)
A very powerful nose: pungent, spirity stone fruit with a layer of
acerbic oak. The palate follows the nose, but is a little bit more
restrained. This actually has good balance and some interest. Quite
showy though. (88 points)
Quite a big, slightly wild nose. Very rich, full palate. Big, round and
open. Very attractive. (89 points)
A blend of colombard and vermentino.
Light, fresh, fragrant.
A good house wine for bars. (86 points)
100% cinsault. A very subtle, delicate nose. But by contrast, a really
nice, fruity palate. Very drinkable, if not gluggable. (88
points)
A blend of syrah, carignan and tempranillo. There's lovely, bright,
youthful red fruit juice on the nose. Quite full on the palate and
really jolly nice, packed full of lots and lots of delicious fruit. (88
points)
Very pleasant, gently aromatic nose. Nice restrained palate. A good,
classic viognier. (87 points)
A clean, fresh nose. There's a nice fruit character on the palate.
Initially there's seems to be a sweetness of fruit, but it's bone dry. (86
points)
A warm climate pinot noir nose. Fairly big and firm on the palate with
big grippy tannins throughout and dominant on the finish. It feels a
bit out of balance. (83 points)
Rather ordinary nose with fresh stone fruits. But much more impressive
on the palate than on the nose. Clean and fresh; and really very good. (89
points)
Made from chardonnay with some viognier. It has a good, poised nose and
palate. All pretty correct. But I'll take the same producer's Domaine
de Peyrat Chardonnay over this any day. (86 points)
A blend of syrah of merlot. There's nice restraint on the nose. A
lovely silky palate. Very elegant black fruit. A classic well made,
classy drinking wine that doesn't go out of its way to impress with
showiness. (91 points)
Massive nose with lots of funk and horse sweat. Bit palate, but with a
curious, almost zingy acidity. (88 points)
A scented, aromatic nose. This is a nice, soft, easy rosé
with decent fruit and character. (88 points)
A cabernet sauvignon/merlot blend. A rather slight nose with hints of
Ribena. On the palate, it just feels a bit sweet and confected. Very
industrial. (82 points)
I can't see the producer mentioned anywhere on the bottle, though a few
websites suggest it's Bear Creek
Winery in Lodi, California.
A light strawberry-cherry nose. Sweetish palate. A bit confected and
tastes cheap (though not nasty). (82 points)
Lovely nose with sweet oak and citrus notes. Really nice palate.
Lovely, integrated, good old fashioned, moderately priced white
burgundy. (92 points)
An unexpressive nose . Quite big in the mouth. But nothing overly
impressive. Feels quite ordinary. (84 points)
Rather pleasant nose, though more of a sauvignon blanc-chardonnay cross
in character. Very good palate. Very nice, easy drinking wine with very
good character. (89 points)
A bright, melony nose. This has much better balance than the same
producer's ordinary chardonnay. Good buttery structure with nice lemony
notes. (89 points)
A rather slight nose with gentle apple and peach aromas. Decent palate.
Very refreshing. A bit slight. Good acidity. Massive minerality on the
finish. (87 points)
A blend of Istrian Malvasia, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
A very honeyed nose with some nuts. Odd nose. Light palate. Very high
acidity. A bit too sternly priced at £29. (86
points)
10-11 months in stainless steel, followed by 10-11 months in French oak.
Full, complex palate. I think the oak is disguising the malvasia
character a bit, making it feel quite chardonnay like. (87
points)
Very crisp pear and melon fruit on the nose. Pretty good character.
Very pure chardonnay character. Very attractive. (89 points)
A fine, elegant muscant nose. Very elegant, precise palate. Nice and
clean. Off-dry.
A rather subdued nose, though with a slightly odd touch of catmint.
Pretty standard, grapey muscat. More rustic and less finesse than the
Degrassi San Pellegrin muscat. (85 points)
Light and fresh on the nose. Very nice in the mouth. Good fruit
character. (89 points)
Very open nose with cherries and violets. Lovely palate. Clean and very
well balanced with an interesting character. (91 points)
Dark red fruits on the nose. Rather weedy palate. Not doing it for me.
Fine, but fails to impress. (83 points)
Very open nose with quite subtle black fruits. Good palate, with a nice
balance of fruit and a pleasing structure. (87 points)
Very light blush rosé. A lovely strawbery-raspberry nose.
Really rather good. (89 points)
Barrel sample.
A fairly subdued nose. Pleasant without being striking. Light and
clean. (86 points)
Rich, deep, chocolatey black fruit on the palate. Nice minerality too.
Great restraint. Lovely wine. (92 points)
Curiously for both a 12 year old wine and a wine whose back label
mentions very light filtering and the need to decant, there's virtually
no sediment visible in the bottle.
Very light, markedly mature colour - quite orangey with some bricking.
Pretty classic mature pinot noir nose: some high tones, some sweet red
fruit, some citrus peel, & decaying sous bois.
The palate is far from classic mature pinot though. Immediately sweet,
tending to jamminess with a weight in the mouth way beyond the
lightness of its appearance. Some almost marmalade notes. Either this
wasn't much cop when I bought it (2003) or I should have drunk it much
sooner, but this is distinctly unimpressive, even if I switch to
decayed old wines lover mode. Very long indeed after, but throughout it
just feels very simple. (82 points)
AP Nr 2 576 162 11 06 8%
Mid gold, with a greenish tinge. Big, minerally nose. Petrol, wet
paving stones and crushed dried kaffir lime leaves with slight hints of
peach, musk and cabbage (the latter presumably the residue of sulphur).
Very attractive palate. Nicely integrated, maturing riesling. Good
fruit and nice length. Very pleasant drinking.
But the acidity is surprisingly low, which gives it a bit of a flabby
feel (88 points)
Deep, even burgundy red colour, not mature as such, but not at all
youthful. Lovely, inviting nose immediately on opening. Glorious red
and black fruit, with a warm mixed spice, black olives and a touch of
savoury cheesiness.
Smooth, velvety, mature palate. Good acidity, balancing some firm
raspberry and plum fruit sweetness. Fine grained tannins towards the
finish and then immense length.
Good drinking, but could easily last another 5+ years. Wish I had more
of this. (92 points)
Three years ago I said this needed time.
It's had time and it's it's really singing today. Immense perfume when
it was deranged.
In the glass it has a gorgeous deep perfumed black fruit aroma with
some warm spices. really good palate. Lovely balance and the tannins
noted have now nicely integrated. Deep, lingering perfumed black fruit
favours (92 points)
Mute nose. Very mature feel on the palate - on the wrong side of the
hill. Very clipped fruit. Maybe a hint of aple. Still a bit of
sweetness lingering. Not particularly distinguished. Drinkable, but
it's neither got the charm of a young Gutsriesling, not the elegance of
a mature riesling, just starting to feel a bit clapped out. (82
points)
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Last updated: 20 September 2016