5/22/2024 - omnior wrote:

No

5/22/2024 - SARED wrote:

A lighter styled 12.5% alc for the hot 2020 vintage. I actually wish it was picked a day (or two) later to reduce the high toned nature of the wine. Crunchy tart cherry, currants, blackberry with a nice bit of soiseboise on the noise. Has a fuzzy, earthy feel to the fruit. Benefited from a decant to soften the high toned streak, and came off older than it was (with the soise boise). A pretty good pick up for $65 and I think would benefit from 5 years if bottle age (to soften the high toned juiciness). Think: sour cherry, fuzzy raspberry, earth, chalk.

5/19/2024 - Francophile1 Likes this wine:

This would have benefited from a one hour decant. PnP did not allow it to open up. This is a big, inky, blue fruit new world Syrah. If you can look past the fruit concentration, oak, and alcohol, there is a vein of noble Syrah varietal hiding just beneath the surface.

5/22/2024 - wineton.mee wrote:

I thought this showed its best form after a couple hours in, also remarkably perfumed and aromatic, had that classy stems and grassy note to it, cooling mint, cloves, black tea, red peach and sweet strawberry fruit that is perfectly ripe. It’s not blowing my mind tonight but it is most complete and wholesome wine of the lot out there, and you can’t be unhappy sipping on it. Complexity on this young wine is rather unreal.

5/21/2024 - IndyTom Likes this wine:

Lots of deep dark fruits. Still quite big, but in balance.

5/22/2024 - wineton.mee wrote:

Buddy brought this to the table, very good showing and not much deviation from the previous bottle that I’ve tasted couple months ago!

5/22/2024 - Praxis wrote:

Clear medium reddish purple color with a very delightful nose of fresh red and purple fruits with slight herbaceousness. The palate is medium-bodied, firm structure, very dry, with well-integrated tannins, fairly balanced considering the high alcohol content and definitely well into its drinking widow now at 9 years of age. Flavors of dry slightly savory dominates with varietal typicity along with a fairly herbaceous backbone, well-integrated oak, mild tobacco overtones and watery minerality follows through that the tail end. I love the vibrant bouquet of this South African wine which is reminiscent of the Ballentine Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Grown 2019 I had last year at Napa Valley. Generally a lovely wine except for in my opinion the fading fruit couple with the dryish and somewhat bland profile. I would much prefer a little more fruit structure and vibrancy in this. I'm looking forward to trying the other flagship Cabernet Sauvignon (from Stellenboch) from the same vintage this producer next year.

5/19/2024 - Francophile1 wrote:

The mistake I made was to pop n pour this wine. It was tight, restrained both on the nose and finish and it desperately needed food with it. My last glass was the best one and it began to open up in the glass. This needs a few more years to integrate and get comfortable in its own skin. I will hold for two more years before trying another or at least decant it and pair it with food the next time.

5/22/2024 - flund wrote:

Good drinking window right now.

5/22/2024 - omnior wrote:

No

5/22/2024 - wineton.mee wrote:

Very enjoyable village, Jadot nailing this with a classic. tonight this bettered some of the modern style makers Vosnes, over the top Lamarche Malconsort and a weak Vogue Chambolle. Right of the bat, Vosne spices with strawberries, cherries and orange peel. Palate is light but within expectation of the quality level.

5/12/2024 - flund wrote:

Still a bit young and closed. Decant if drinking now.

5/22/2024 - fine137 wrote:

Classic Cappellano to me light and ethereal, finished very long. The tannins were there but they diffused throughout the mouth rather than gathering at the gums. My last bottle of this was dark, brooding, rife with VA. Based on the comments this vintage seems to be quite variable, but this bottle was stellar.

5/22/2024 - omnior wrote:

No

5/22/2024 - wineton.mee wrote:

Deep and dark, with a ton of oak. Not a greaf malconsorts right off the bat. After couple hours, you get bit more fruit and starts to be expressive, although the heaviness does not dissipate. Some liquorice taking shape. This will need a lot more time before broaching and I’m not optimistic about the end product.

5/22/2024 - wineton.mee wrote:

Dark fruits in a very deep shade, there is some lift on the nose, but ultimately not special.

5/22/2024 - omnior wrote:

No

5/22/2024 - Maestro Shim Likes this wine:

Hand-picked 2022 in Waitaki

Winemakers : Grant Taylor & Jen Parr of Valli

Light ruby

Earthy cranberry, slight lavender and sea breeze, thyme finish

silky, light almost no tannin, acidity is there but not overpowering. finish is long with floral and herb notes.

5/22/2024 - omnior wrote:

No

5/22/2024 - dpc123 Likes this wine:

When I saw the bottle expectations were low, but this was a very nice wine and still quite young

5/22/2024 - fredrouge Does not like this wine:

oak dominated, limited fruit, no acidity - out of balance. drank 1 glass, gave away the rest

5/22/2024 - Ksquare wrote:

Corked but otherwise the fruit and tannins were still intact.

5/21/2024 - KingSlacker999 wrote:

Bordering on jammy, still, nice balance for some grilled lamb chops.

5/22/2024 - Ksquare Likes this wine:

3 hour decant. Was showing beautifully, dark fruit, a hint of secondary notes. Tannins are still a tad aggressive but seems to have enough fruit to keep for another 10-15 years.

5/22/2024 - fredrouge Likes this wine:

green fruit, mineral and racy, slightly oakey (but well integrated). drinking well now. oustanding for BB

5/22/2024 - MaxM1991 wrote:

Farbe: Goldgelb, eher dunkel für SB
Nase: Stachelbeere, Holunder, aber auch leichte Holztöne
Gaumen: Stachelbeere, Holunder, leichte restsüße?
Gesamt: Solider NZ SB, mit etwas Holz (?), gefühlt leichter Süße und weniger Säure, zum tropischen Klima aber passend

Getrunken in Le Meridien Kota Kinabulu

5/22/2024 - randyjc wrote:

Quite a lovely wine - soft and pretty. Bright red flavors of cherry and a bit of not-quite-yet ripe strawberry. Nice acidity and balance. Very friendly and embracing.

5/9/2024 - timewithwine Likes this wine:

Deep purple at the rim shading to almost black at the core. And yes, it’s opaque. Even though this was double decanted, I’m thinking I drank this too young. The color appears almost as a lacquer. It’s beautiful in the glass. But man, was it ever so good! Black fruits on the nose with complimentary injections of iodine, garrigue, and cigar smoke. The attack is big with black fruits leading the way. All of the other elements appear in a big way. The mouthfeel is big, yet balanced. The finish is tremendously long. This is some of the heaviest, most abundant sediment I have ever seen, and that’s saying something. 14.5% alc. With seared pork chops in balsamic glaze. 05.09.2024. Recommended, leaning to Highly Recommended.

2/6/2024 - Rwsmith5 Likes this wine:

Unique wine from vines untouched by phylloxeras. It needs to be accompanied by hearty meats or cheeses..

5/22/2024 - lvjohn wrote:

Lemony citrus elements, minerals, and a bit of sweetness that balances the acids are things that come to mind. There is no hint of wood in the tasting or the nose. It is well made with no off flavors, harshness, or defects. It reminds me of some early Sauvignon Blancs we tried in the 70's and 80's. Synthetic wine stopper was a bit tough to remove, but that's preferable to too easy. Enjoy now. For the money, it's a fine value.

5/22/2024 - dexterng Does not like this wine:

This wine is a perfect example for teaching.

Upon unscrewing, there is this pronounced aroma of black cherry, some smoke and some green bell pepper. Then after a couple minutes the aroma is all gone! It drops from pronounced to medium - / weak! I guess that is caused by some aroma was pumped into the bottle when bottling. Body is full. Acidity is high with medium Alcohol. Medium + tannins.

Taste is much better with medium intensity of the aromas + some liquorice. Finished is medium -, only because I think there was some tartaric acid added into the wine.

Not balanced. Avoid regardless how cheap it is.

5/22/2024 - vitroman Likes this wine:

Good balance, long finish.

5/22/2024 - UniScrewer Does not like this wine:

Color: pale yellow, almost white
Nose: medium- intensity, wool, moussy
Taste: medium-high alco, low accidity, short aftertaste, mineral. Unbalanced with alcohol being in the front.

5/22/2024 - vinorsk wrote:

Delicious-Rich and balanced wine that is well within it’s drinking window, no signs of fading.

5/21/2024 - eboracum wrote:

This bottle came bearing a 94 point sticker from Luca Maroni. I just don't get it. Like the 2016, there were medium+ body, quite complex red fruit laced with orange peel and spice. However, the texture was soft and the acidity only modest making a slightly soggy impression and there was an after-taste of liquorice and musky perfume which, for me, seemed a bit vulgar. Fair.

5/22/2024 - Pancreatitis wrote:

Pineapple, mineral, hint of beeswax.

5/22/2024 - Beerzebub wrote:

Smells good - orchard fruit, honey and mealy aromas, with some oak influence but not too much, and nice freshness as well as some depth. Fruit comes across even more on the palate, juicy stone fruit and pear, fleshy and full-bodied but lifted by good acidity, tasty. Lacks some poise and precision, but an enjoyable, moreish wine.

5/17/2024 - lockestep Likes this wine:

Standard cab, nothing that stood out either in a positive or negative sense. For a hot year cab it does handle the alcohol well, never came across as harsh at any point in the evening or next day.

5/11/2024 - mattmoy_2000 wrote:

First properly summery day this year and so first time trying a white from LdH. I have had this in my cellar for three years and since my wife was out for the evening and the children tucked up in bed, I took the time to open something that requires my attention.

First thought on opening and pouring a sample: "This smells familiar!" Second thought: "it smells just like old Sauternes".

Obviously this is a bone dry wine, quite the opposite to Sauternes, but it has a very similar nose to the 2002 Rayne-Vigneau I had at New Year. Notes of orange, marmalade, apricot (this less pronounced than on the RV).

Served at cellar temperature, 12.5°C/55°F as recommended in various places, I found that it was really a bit too warm and this made it feel a bit flabby in the mouth. After pouring the first glass I stuck it in the fridge and subsequently poured small measures and allowed them to warm in the glass. The cooling helped the wine to present as more fresh and less flabby. Whilst there is acidity in the wine, there's not really enough to support serving it quite so warm.

On top of the Sauternesque nose, there's a noticeable rancio note, and potentially even a bit of VA. There's an almost meaty depth to the rich and voluptuous nose, very similar to the fat of the Iberico served alongside it, an acorn nuttiness, but nowhere near as strong as in an oloroso. There's even a bit of fresh almond there too.

Currently tasting 42h after opening and no noticeable change in presentation apart from perhaps a slight increase in the oxidative notes and a slight decrease in the sauterniness. Saving some more for a subsequent day as CT notes indicated further improvement after a few days.

Served with gazpacho, Iberico, Iberico bruschette, Manchego semicurado (sheep), tomatoes and the best Spanish EVOO I could get my hands on, plus a documentary about the Spanish Civil War.

5/22/2024 - LB88 wrote:

Initially this was a little funky but blew off and developed over the evening. Rich, balanced with apricots and pineapples. Could be a touch more concentrated and longer finish

5/21/2024 - Macman77 wrote:

The nose was more expressive than the taste

5/22/2024 - LB88 wrote:

Beautiful evolved secondary nose of violets and truffles. Initially was a little weak on the palate but gained more with air. Gorgeous and ready

5/21/2024 - afields wrote:

Pretty mediocre, drank with chicken Caesar salad and was passable but had no interest in finishing the bottle after the meal.

2/24/2024 - CCris6537 Likes this wine:

Medium ruby, pleasant aroma of violets, blueberries, black cherries, cranberries, black pepper, sweet spices, vanilla, and cream. This wine is sweet in the mouth, the body is bright, with balanced acidity and elegant tannins, nice aftertaste.

5/22/2024 - maaike2 wrote:

Completely alive. Beautiful nutmeg besides cherry, round, enormous length. Perhaps a little Lack of power . Great performance.

3/10/2024 - CCris6537 wrote:

Medium ruby, with dried prunes, cranberries, strawberries, blackberries, vanilla, and cream. No obvious tertiary aromas, also no bottle aging flavors in the mouth. Medium plus acidity and tannins blends softly and harmoniously with the fruity flavor. The complexity and concentration are not as expected, and the aftertaste is slightly bitter.

5/22/2024 - Raage wrote:

Du haut de ses 9 ans, il déploie un nez confit, solaire, mûr, marqué par son millésime et … une pointe boisée.
En bouche, des arômes de mûre pour le confit , voire de framboises confiturée, de kirsch, d’iris et d’épices apportent plus de complexité; ça morgonne un peu mais avec un texture moins serrée qu’un Morgon, plus fine, presque élégante même. Joli terroir.
Pas regoûté ce domaine depuis, c’était leur 2ème millésime à l’époque (je crois).
89/90

5/18/2024 - lockestep Likes this wine:

This bottle took a while to open up. Astringent at first, about two hours in it finally emerged into a rounded mouthfeel with quite nice fruits on the palate. Not long or complex, but a sturdy bottle. Just give it a long wait or decant.

3/16/2024 - CCris6537 wrote:

Medium ruby, with plum, black currant, red cherry, violet, vanilla, and chocolate. The texture is balanced and soft, with medium concentration and complexity.

5/22/2024 - Jeznuz wrote:

It tastes like raspberry, gooseberry and blueberry.