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Wine Type Vintage Name Variety Locale Date Posted Score Helpful Comments Comment Date Community Score More...
White - Fortified

NV Equipo Navazos La Bota de Fino 45 "que va para Amontillado"

 Montilla-Moriles Pedro Ximénez more
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3/19/2024 - StefanAkiko Likes this wine: 89 points

Maybe 11 years ago this was something towards 'Fino'. The only Finoesque aspects I can see today is that it is an Amontillado that is somewhat wanting. Like an Amontillado that is shorter than its coat.

Nevertheless, this is a very special Sherry with a deep vein of linseed oil. This tastes so much of linseed oil that I begin to think that geriatric Finos do Linseed Oil in the same as Dry White Wines with age do brown apples… The typical 'greased popcorn' is here, so in a blind tasting, I'd have called it an Amontillado.

It's appalling yet delicious…

Quite the conundrum!

As an Amontillado, I'd give it somewhere around 84 points.
As a Sherry, I'm ready to give it 94 points.
As a Fino? No, doesn’t qualify.

Nevertheless, I think I will stick to Palo Cortado and Oloroso for the rest of my years…

  • Comment posted by SteveG:

    3/20/2024 5:11:00 AM - Good day! Loved your note, excellent description of both the taste as wine and disposition as Sherry. EN24 is of course similar, although I think a little more intense. Regarding your split scoring,EN does note that the style apparently does not fit either Fino or Amontillado as officially defined. Cheers!
Red

2004 R. López de Heredia Rioja Reserva Viña Tondonia

 Tempranillo Blend, Tempranillo more
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5/13/2021 - 2caveman Likes this wine: 91 points

This has a simply exquisite nose after a 2 hour decant-- tobacco, candied fruit, spice. In the mouth it is less expressive with medium body, faded fruit, and short finish. In my opinion, the trajectory of this wine may be downward at 17 years old, though my experience with very old Rioja is limited. I will drink my 2 remaining bottles over the coming 1-2 years

  • Comment posted by SteveG:

    5/13/2021 10:14:00 AM - Good day! Just to note, For an LdH Reserva, 2004 is not at all a "very old" Rioja. Fro example, the current stock in the USA is 2008; 2009 is still pre-arrival. LdH simply ages and holds their wine for a very long time, and while they are certainly "ready" whenever you buy them, a minimum of 15 years from release (so, perhaps 25 years from vintage) should be expected of wonderful drinking, and likely substantially longer (I am still enjoying a few 1970 reservas, there is little risk that a well-stored bottle would be too old). Enjoy!
Red

2005 R. López de Heredia Rioja Reserva Viña Bosconia

 Tempranillo Blend, Tempranillo more
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12/8/2020 - Cote d'Or wrote: NR

Tasted over 2 hrs, cork is stamped as Tondonia but in a Bosconia bottle and label
-dark red purple no bricking
-reserved stony plum
-med acidity provides nice verve, med weight tangy focused dark fruit minerality and a faintly smoky sweet oak kissing the med tannins on the moderately long finish
-not very dense but rather elegant, on a nice plateau now

  • Comment posted by SteveG:

    12/9/2020 5:57:00 AM - Thanks for the note! Just to mention, all LdH corks are stamped "Tondonia" because that is their first vineyard and is part of their name (Bodegas López de Heredia Viña Tondonia).
White - Fortified

NV Bodegas Hidalgo Manzanilla Pasada Pastrana

 Manzanilla de Sanlúcar de Barrameda Palomino Fino more
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2/16/2020 - Neecies wrote: NR

Purchased a year ago in the LdH cellar at Haro and kept refrigerated ever since for max freshness. In spite of that--if this is age related--more color, concentration and octane in general than any Manzanilla I've had before. Color of weak tea with salty cashews and raw hubbard squash on the palate, paired well with a saffron sauce.

  • Comment posted by SteveG:

    8/1/2020 2:40:00 PM - Good day!. Is been a while since I've had this wine, but it definitely is a Posada, with a fairly deep color and intensity, yours does not sound mishandled. Very much enjoy your notes!
White

2009 Domaine Macle Côtes du Jura Tradition

 Chardonnay Blend, Chardonnay more
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5/8/2020 - acidqueen wrote: 91 points

I saw a comment here about this being cloudy. It isn’t - but it needs to be decanted well as there was very noticeable sediment here. Good stuff - lightly oxidized/sherry flavors, but not too much. Honey, hay, no real fruit. Paired this with a roasted monkfish on Romesco sauce and the richness plus mild spice was a perfect match with the wine.

  • Comment posted by SteveG:

    5/9/2020 7:31:00 AM - Hi, Acidqueen!. I made the comment of this wine being cloudy, i am sure you are correct that this was sediment, but never occurred to me to decant it and by the time I walked it upstairs and opened the bottle no doubt it would have been pointless anyhow. Still, I don't think it bothered our drinking, the wine was delicious as expected. We seem to share a lot of tastes in wine, Macle is a favorite. Cheers!
Rosé - Sparkling

NV Bollinger Champagne Brut Rosé

 Champagne Blend more
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5/23/2016 - Markus IWC wrote: 91 points

A very elegant standard rose, Wonderful aromas of strawberries, velvety and smooth structure. Nice acidity, no sharp edges or bitter tastes that you sometimes find in rose.

  • Comment posted by SteveG:

    3/25/2020 9:26:00 AM - This wine sounds nice! I am not an expert, but I think in fact that Champagne is very unusual in France in that they are allowed to blend red and white wine to make rose, and that this is usual (but not exclusively) the practice in Champagne. In most/all other French appellations rose cannot be made with blending finished red and white wine.
Red

2005 Jean Bourdy Côtes du Jura Rouge

 Red Blend more
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3/23/2020 - werdna39 Does not like this wine: 85 points

First of 6 bottles. Very tart. Also very odd flavors. Nose was OK. Drank a glass over 1.5 hours, then another 5 hours later, then poured the rest of the bottle down the drain. Will try another bottle this evening and see if it's any better...

  • Comment posted by SteveG:

    3/23/2020 12:46:00 PM - Good day! Not sure if you have gotten to that next bottle, just a couple of observations: Maybe it will be better; although I personally have not, many folks have experienced considerable bottle variation. Also, Jura wines in general, and Bourdy's in particular, present an unusual flavor profile, and especially the reds I can see described as "tart", but still they might be very proper. It is certainly possible that a sound bottle might not be to your taste, but if you are prepared for it you might find it more enjoyable, especially if paired with a suitable food (I would suggest highly savory and maybe somewhat fatty, like cassoulet or confit duck). Good luck!
White

2007 Sebastien Riffault Sancerre Auksinis

 Sauvignon Blanc more
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2/13/2020 - vinhonotte Likes this wine: 91 points

Cellaraid Discovery Box; 5/19/2017-5/26/2021 (Delivered to Home): Deep amber colour, while having a starlight brilliance. A developed nose, with aromas of ripe red apple, pear, guava, some leafiness, honeysuckle, and honeycomb. Quite some weight and even having a tannic character for a white, with bruised apple skin flavour, pear, quince, mint, honeysuckle and even slight barnyard and peppery. Very interesting to have seen how this age, strangely similar to their Chenin counterparts further down the valley

  • Comment posted by SteveG:

    3/2/2020 12:35:00 PM - We just drank this a couple of days ago, found it difficult to describe usefully but you did a bang up job matching oUr experience, thanks!
Red

1971 Giuseppe Contratto Barolo Riserva del Centenario

 Nebbiolo more
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9/13/2019 - MC2 Wines wrote: NR

Disappointing. I should have opened and decanted for sediment earlier in the day. I think some of that got all messed up during transit to the restaurant. Even then though this was that more port-like raisin-y style. Not exactly what it was meant to be. Drinkable and I wonder if it wouldn't have blown off with some more time, but for right now wasn't really singing.

  • Comment posted by SteveG:

    9/16/2019 6:50:00 AM - Good day! Sorry your bottle disappointed, I have had 5 of these, and while they are not a "great" drink, they have all been enjoyed and sound. Also, as you have speculated, lots of air time helped bring the flavors into balance, and a long stand-up and decanted are really necessary. I noted my most recent bottle had 2+ inches of sediment at the bottom, I would not have wanted that mixed into my glass.
Red

2004 R. López de Heredia Rioja Reserva Viña Tondonia

 Tempranillo Blend, Tempranillo more
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5/19/2019 - Pluecht wrote: 88 points

Past its prime

  • Comment posted by SteveG:

    5/20/2019 7:48:00 AM - Good day! As others have noted, you may have had a bad bottle, or you may simply not like the style, but this wine is certainly not past its prime. LdH releases wines at the beginning of their (typically, very long) drinking window. The current release is 2006, for example; 2004 is still widely available at very near its original release price.
White

2007 Domaine Labet Chardonnay Les Varrons

 Côtes du Jura more
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4/4/2019 - UpfromtheCellar wrote: 89 points

Somewhere between a simple lemony steely Chablis and a richer rounder Macon Blanc, this Jura Chardonnay at 12 years had a certain savory-ness and brioche that complemented the muted fruit well. I was expecting more pronounced oxidation but this bottle really didn't have much. Balanced and nice to drink but not magical.

  • Comment posted by SteveG:

    4/10/2019 4:19:00 AM - Good day! From my experience, your description is spot-on. I also note that Labet's wines, although I think very well-made, are mostly aged in topped-up barrels, so indeed they do not show that Jura oxidative tang (which I personally miss, but that is just my taste).
Red

1967 Franco Fiorina Barbaresco

 Nebbiolo more
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3/16/2019 - SteveG wrote: 90 points

From memory, decanted 2 hours, lightly tawny full garnet, somewhat shy, flowery reddish nose with a background of leather and old oak, medium-intense palate, darker than the nose, nice full finish. Well-preserved and tasty Barbaresco, not great but quite representative.

  • Comment posted by SteveG:

    4/7/2019 7:17:00 PM - Haha thanks, will correct. I have the Barolo also of this vintage but have not tasted it yet.
Red

1998 Travaglini Gattinara Riserva

 Nebbiolo more
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3/27/2019 - John Nezlek wrote: 86 points

Note: I use a scale on which 85 represents a very good wine.

A decent drink, but a little disappointing. Never seemed to open up, even after a day or two. Cloudy with sediment no matter how carefully I decanted it

  • Comment posted by SteveG:

    4/4/2019 4:08:00 AM - Good day! Sorry you were disappointed with this wine, i have found this producer very reliable. I note that yours was poured cloudy, nebbiolo sediment is notoriously unpleasant. I drink a lot of older nebbiolo, sometimes several weeks upright are required for them to decant clear, hope your next bottle is better.
White

NV Salinia Chardonnay Wellspring Solera

 Sonoma Coast more
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11/8/2018 - bkc1428 wrote: flawed

I really hope this was flawed because it smelled of pure apple cider vinegar. Not what I was hoping for or expected.

  • Comment posted by SteveG:

    11/9/2018 6:00:00 AM - Good day! I am wondering from your note, did you taste the wine? A few comments: individuals are variously sensitive to volatile acidity and of course perceive aromas distinctly; since this is a solera wine, there is unlikely to be much bottle variation (at least at the time of bottling), also the aging under yeast flor is an excellent preventative to VA-producing bacteria. Just wondering, perhaps the wine was sound but also very much unexpected flavor and aroma profile. Cheers!

  • Comment posted by SteveG:

    11/9/2018 8:58:00 AM - Sorry to hear, sounds like a bad bottle somehow.
Red

2001 R. López de Heredia Rioja Reserva Viña Tondonia

 Tempranillo Blend, Tempranillo more
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4/22/2018 - asparagus Likes this wine: 89 points

Drank over 3 days. Dark cherries with medium acidity and medium tannins. An enjoyable wine in its own right that was best on the second day, but cannot hold a candle to some aged tondonia riservas (the 1987 immediately comes to mind) which were amazing. too young or did they change the winemaking such that these are meant to be enjoyed younger?

  • Comment posted by SteveG:

    4/22/2018 8:24:00 AM - Good day! While I cannot claim any expertise, LdH is my favorite producer, we drink a couple cases/year of their great wines. I am pretty confident that they are about the last producer in the world who would change their winemaking for early drinking (and almost only LdH would be considered “early drinking” at 16 years!). They do of course have vintage variation, but my guess is you just like them better older, as do I. Cheers!
Red

2005 R. López de Heredia Rioja Reserva Viña Bosconia

 Tempranillo Blend, Tempranillo more
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1/16/2018 - Deux Chevaux wrote: NR

Deep ruby. Savory leather. A touch of earth. Slightly muted. Good acid. Quite enjoyable over four nights, and gaining some complexity over that time. Note the 2005 branded cork also was branded “Tondonia” (see pic).*

* Edited to add: Thanks to helpful comments on this thread and another, I’ve learned that “Tondonia” appears on all L de H corks, and indeed, as I’ve now noticed, on all of the various bottlings — each of which proudly recite the full name, “R. Lopez de Heredia Vina S. A.”

  • Comment posted by SteveG:

    4/14/2018 4:35:00 AM - I think you will find that all LdH corks are branded "Tondonia" as they regard it as their home (and monopole) vineyard, and it is part of their name (check the label).
Red

2005 R. López de Heredia Rioja Reserva Viña Tondonia

 Tempranillo Blend, Tempranillo more
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2/19/2018 - Grantmanon Likes this wine: 93 points

Garnet color. Dried red fruit, leather, dusty, baking spices on the nose. Still acidic for its age. Long finish. Bright cherry, some clay. Still lacking some secondary notes. I think this could continue to age well.

  • Comment posted by SteveG:

    2/19/2018 4:24:00 PM - FWIW, i would be very confident this wine will age for many years, i believe this is their current release. Cheers!
White

2007 Weingut Pfeffingen Ungsteiner Herrenberg Mandelskopf Riesling Großes Gewächs

 Pfalz more
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2/15/2018 - SteveG wrote: 92 points

Opened at Veritas, Riesling with an excellent balance of ripeness and delicacy, lots of delicious barely off-dry fruit flavor with no hint of heaviness, everyone thought this was just right.

  • Comment posted by SteveG:

    2/16/2018 2:15:00 PM - Thanks so much for additional information on the geology and name, I tried researching the "Mandelskopf" part and pretty much turned up that it no longer seems to be bottled, but no explanation of the designation. We were enjoying this wine at a tasting restaurant, so I didn't really note the details, just the high quality.
White - Fortified

NV Equipo Navazos La Bota de Fino 15 "Macharnudo Alto"

 Jerez-Xérès-Sherry Palomino Fino more
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2/4/2018 - brooklynguy Likes this wine: NR

Absolutely outstanding bottle of this great Fino. 10 years in the cellar and the wine is a mellow, complex, finely detailed expression of the chalk and sunshine of Jerez, of Macharnudo. Salt, nuts, butter and toffee, fruit! This is just gorgeous wine. Pungent and long on the finish. Sad to say goodbye to this, the last bottle I had, and likely will ever have.

  • Comment posted by SteveG:

    2/4/2018 9:53:00 AM - Hi, i miss your blog, but am glad you are still drinking so many wines that i love. Thanks for posting this, i seem to be otherwise the last man drinking #15. I somewhat advanced the drinking window of my remaining bottles as the last one seemed a little too mellow, but your note is encouraging. Hope all is well!
Red

NV R. López de Heredia Rioja 5º Año Viña Bosconia

 Tempranillo Blend, Tempranillo more
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10/28/2017 - drwine2001 wrote: NR

Said to be 1973 but no documentation of such on the cork or the label. If truly >40 years old, surprising depth of ruby without fading or browning. Some funk and VA rapidly dissipated to reveal strawberry and balsam wood notes. Light, fresh, sweet, and altogether charming without any exaggerated wood imprint. This both cleaned up and held up beautifully over a couple of hours. Not quite as evanescent and ethereal as some old Bosconia I've had, but outstanding nonetheless.

  • Comment posted by SteveG:

    10/30/2017 9:59:00 AM - Nice note, glad you enjoyed this wine! If indeed your bottle was a 1973 it would have this marking on the label: https://cdn.ct-static.com/labels/784727.jpg . The explanation from Maria Lopez de Heredia is that 11/81 is the bottling date, so the primary wine was probably racked into aging casks in the spring of 1974 and bottled 7+ years later. Bear in mind that this 5 anos designation is typically a blend of a few years, LdH considers it "1973" because that is the primary constituent.

  • Comment posted by SteveG:

    10/31/2017 7:31:00 AM - I have one other bottle for which Mairia provided this:

    G G 100 000 4 75: Year 1968

    sounds like G.G. 6 78 would be somewhere in between like 1970/71
White - Fortified

NV Valdespino Jerez-Xérès-Sherry Palo Cortado Viejo C.P.

 Palomino Fino more
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10/23/2016 - rmalloy Likes this wine: 92 points

Refined nose of green olives, caramelized nuts, dried fruit, and bitter yeast. Huge salinity. Unusually high intensity-to-body ratio

Despite my research efforts, I cannot determine what qualifies a sherry as "palo cortado." All I can say is that, like an amontillado, it has some characteristics of a fino and some characteristics of an oloroso.

  • Comment posted by SteveG:

    10/24/2016 6:27:00 AM - Good day! This page: http://www.sherrynotes.com/sherry-types/palo-cortado/ offers I believe two items which contribute to the distinction: the "official" expected taste profile of PC, and the generalized origin. I would supplement this with my understanding gathered over a few years, which is that amontillado, referring to "the way they do it in Montilla-Moriles" (with PX grape, of course), is generally a fino (or manzanilla) pasada which has been further aged until its flor loses vitality, after which the wine is re-fortified to 19+% to kill all microbial activity, and then it is aged oxidatively, but not so long as would be an oloroso (which is entirely aged that way).

    Whether a palo cortado evolves as given mythically, where the flor either mysteriously disappears or the cask is determined to be otherwise atypical of fino (and so in any case it is re-fortified), or is simply created to meet the market (and presumably the definition and expected taste), because PC does not age under flor until the flor simply dies of lack of nutrients (as with amontillado), it typically does so for a much shorter period of time, and thus presents different mouthfeel and taste profiles. I hope this helps!
Red

2009 Domaine Rolet Arbois Tradition Rouge

 Red Blend more
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9/16/2015 - Pknut wrote: NR

The last two tasting notes on this wine are very interesting, because while I agree with the flavors and nuances written in those notes, this wine was less impressive to me as a whole. It seemed lifeless, lacking in character, lacking in energy . . . until the second night when some cinnamon spice emerged in addition to the cherry/berry fruit and kicked this up another level of interest. But apart from that, this wine didn't really impress me.

  • Comment posted by SteveG:

    9/17/2015 3:35:00 AM - If you check my two (brief) notes, it sounds like our experiences are similar; nothing-to-worse when opened, OK but not much more later. Although I bought these intended for early drinking, after two consistent bottles, I am putting the rest of mine aside for at least another 3-5 years, I am not much worried they will deteriorate, and they may even develop into something nice.
Red

2008 Cantina Rigatteri Alghero Graffiante

 Cagnulari, Graciano more
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8/15/2015 - David Paris (dbp) wrote: 68 points

Yikes, how did I leave this other bottle around this long? Bringing this to friends house who drink Three Buck Chuck tonight, I figured I'd pop it and take a quick note. Aromas are stinky, and shitty, like old dried up dog crap. It is seriously awful... one of the worst smelling wines in some time and I really don't want to have to consume this. Palate entry is light and thankfully more mellow, offering soft acidity and a creamy palate notion. Oh wait... here it comes... as its held on the palate for over 10 seconds those crappy notes begin coming in, but thankfully not as much so as on the nose. Finish is tart shit notes, and nice lingering acidity... however, the flavors that linger are not good at all. In fact, now as my one sip lingers, that acid makes it feel like stomach acid and that I just threw up wine. There is nothing overtly flawed about this wine, it just tastes poorly made. Reading my note from last time, the profile is consistent, but this bottle gets a few more points due to the mellowed palate. Not sure why I'm one of the few descenting folks on this one.

  • Comment posted by SteveG:

    8/16/2015 6:14:00 AM - As I read the notes of my 'favorite' authors (tasters whose descriptions of wines we have in common remind me of my own tastings), it seems to me that these wines have varying amounts of something growing in them. My last note included a palate with "...raw meat and sweat, probably some brett", while I rated it 86, this just means that I drank it, anything below 85 (for me) would have been tossed or cooked with. Anyhow, whatever the organism, it seems your bottles have a lot (and/or you are very sensitive), mine had a little, and perhaps some folks had none. And I see that my 2 remaining bottles were assigned to my 'cooking' bin after the previous tasting, so I am certainly at least broadly in agreement with you.

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