5/13/2024 - Will Devize wrote:

Decent summer quaffer but nothing like the character of the other 100% Cab franc rosé from pays d'oc. Rather disappointingly innocuous by comparison, though on its own terms this is perfectly fine.

5/13/2024 - Will Devize wrote:

A terrific performance given the vintage and level. This has a lovely earthy sensibility with some fading but pretty strawberry notes. Just a little spice and vigour on the finish. Some evolution but surprisingly clean and chirpy for its age.Very characterful, just like a mini-Gevrey should be!

5/11/2024 - Will Devize wrote:

Good concentration and reasonable depth with notes of blood orange and iron filings. Pleasingly rough around the edges and showing the vitality of the 2020 vintage. Surprisingly intense for this appellation and price. Great value.

5/10/2024 - Will Devize wrote:

Mellow and savoury with plenty of tobacco and stoney minerality. Gentle if not quite silky. Lovely with cheese. One to drink up now.

5/10/2024 - Will Devize wrote:

Ripe and exotic with spice, smoke and excellent definition. Most likely at its peak. This was a super bottle.

5/10/2024 - Will Devize wrote:

100% cab franc. Quite a serious rosé showing gorgeous notes of strawberries and apricots. Nicely layered palate with plenty of structure and really has the leafy, refined cab franc character in spades. Excellent value at £14.

5/3/2024 - Will Devize wrote:

Ripe and complex with mango and pineapple followed by a whiff of petrol. The nose has notes of marzipan and there is just a hint of development creeping in. Good concentration but I like mine a little more mineral than this.

2 hours later this has blossomed into something more creamy- a convincing keylime pie and Very lovely indeed!

4/30/2024 - Will Devize wrote:

Fully flavoured with toffee, spice and plum. This has a lovely rounded texture and a sunny disposition. Cote du Rhone par excellence!

4/28/2024 - Will Devize wrote:

60PM, 30PN, 10C. 5.5g dosage. Disgorgement date stamped awkwardly on the bottom of the bottle and almost entirely unreadable but at least they managed to fit 4000 words of bilingual guff onto the printed label.

Cellared for three years. Deft yet generous with lovely notes of ginger, apple and honey. Approachable and refined, this has really calmed down since the first bottle. Lovely with some parmesan puffs.

4/27/2024 - Will Devize wrote:

Beautiful nose of turmeric and a squint of lemon. The palate is well-composed with good breadth and grip. It has classical restraint and great balance. A pitch perfect BB.

4/18/2024 - Will Devize wrote:

Good depth of flavour here- some tropical notes well supported by classic patisserie butter flavours. Lovely weight and length with a gentle ripple of acidity. Great typicity and super value.

4/15/2024 - Will Devize wrote:

This is a beautifully textured wine with silky plum fruits and a lovely thread of smoky black pepper running through it. Full, rounded and flattering. It has its guard down in contrast with the grindingly needy pleasures of the 2018. Drink now and over the next few years.

4/13/2024 - Will Devize wrote:

Supple and elegant with lovely definition. Light bodied and beautifully dark fruited with a little spice and gentle grip. Superbly matched with a rack of Spring lamb and simple mint dressing. Drink now.

4/12/2024 - Will Devize wrote:

Perky and vibrant with classic sangiovese notes of sour cherries. Nice weight with clean acidity and powdery tannins. Just a hint of stink through the middle. This has definitely improved since my last bottle 14 months ago and seems to be somewhere near its prime.

4/11/2024 - Will Devize wrote:

Full-bodied blend of Grenache blanc and Marsanne made from low-yielding vines. Offering orchard fruit and orange blossom aromas, this soft-textured, citrussy dry white balances crisp acidity with nutmeg and papaya notes and a mineral finish.

4/5/2024 - Will Devize wrote:

Lovely nose of subtle red fruits, coconut and a little tangerine zest. Rich yet deft and nuanced. The palate is round and forgiving with approachable tannins and powerful acidity. Fabulously long finish. This is as accessible a youthful Ardanza as I've had and, bracing acidity aside, there's no reason not to drink this now.

3/24/2024 - Will Devize wrote:

Excellent form. Tannic on opening but an hour in the decanter helped to reveal its elegant, floral character. Beautiful wild strawberries with a hint of oregano and tar. Fully resolved but I'm sure this will plateau for 5 years or so.

3/24/2024 - Will Devize wrote:

Courmas. 2019 vintage. 1g dosage. d/g Dec 2022. Full and ripe with tropical fruits singing into beautifully integrated oak. The rush of fun is curtailed by a dry midpalate and a precise, chalky finish. This is excellent.

3/23/2024 - Will Devize wrote:

Simple yet endearing with a clean, well rounded texture with pleasing apple and melon fruit. Not entirely sure I'd pick this blind as it tastes more like chenin blanc.

3/17/2024 - Will Devize wrote:

Plenty of grunt with limes, turmeric and good salinity. Rather massive at this juncture, chewy with a wall of acidic defences, but clarity of fruit and well integrated oak hint at a wine well made. Needs plenty of time and was helped tremendously with the introduction of a cheeseboard.

3/17/2024 - Will Devize wrote:

Lovely weight and precision with toasted sesame seeds abound. Broad, fat and happy with good linear tension on the back end. Fully mature and will probably decline hereafter.

3/3/2024 - Will Devize wrote:

100%PN; 2019; d/g Jan 23; 0 dosage. Engaging and generous with gutsy flavours of strawberry, peach, toasted hazelnuts and a little burnt toffee on the end. Resolves beautifully with a pinch of salt. A fantastic all-rounder. Strawberry shortbread in a glass.

2/24/2024 - Will Devize wrote:

Beautifully supple with plenty of fresh, piquant red fruits and nice tannic bite on the finish. High-quality stuff for such a lowly price (£13.50).

2/3/2024 - Will Devize wrote:

Rich and creamy with just enough bitterness to keep things interesting. There is a heavy dose of pear and apple and the palate is rounded and forthright. Quite a big lad, mind.

1/21/2024 - Will Devize wrote:

This is a textural delight- fine mousse, lovely creamy mouthfeel and a delicate mineral structure. However the blobby apple fruit is one dimensional and weighs heavy, and as such the wine is strangely soulless and unharmonious. It has its moments but ultimately this isn't working for me.

1/13/2024 - Will Devize wrote:

Smooth, round and plum fruited until the whack of alcohol, at which point we enter brandy flamed Christmas pudding territory.

1/12/2024 - Will Devize wrote:

This has good lines and a fresh, vibrant palate of wild strawberries and scrub herb. Just a hint of creamy weight before a well defined, tapered finish. Good character and vfm.

On day two this has closed up and the tannins are really rather bracing.

1/12/2024 - Will Devize wrote:

Some assyrtiko character on the saline midpalate, but otherwise a somewhat subdued affair that lacks the vibrant minerality of the 2020 and 2019. Strange lychee/melon note on the finish.

1/8/2024 - Will Devize wrote:

Lovely aromatics of blueberry and black tea. Supple red fruits with strict tannins, a little smoke and a proper structure. Highly enjoyable with a rich meatball dish.

1/5/2024 - Will Devize wrote:

Funky nose. Palate is vigorous and youthful with plenty of energy. Toffee apples, strawberry and striking salinity although she feels slightly unsettled at present with lots of chew on the finish. Great potential but needs time.

1/5/2024 - Will Devize wrote:

Has put on weight with a year in the cellar, now showing with much charm and expression. Vibrant, fruity with racy acidity. A super crowd-pleaser.

1/3/2024 - Will Devize wrote:

Spicy nose gives way to olive and plum skin on the palate. Dry and dusty finish. Just enough sweetness and a proper structure too. This is excellent vfm.

Day two similar only more expressive aromatically.

12/31/2023 - Will Devize wrote:

100% PN; 2g/l ; disgorged 2021. only 591 bottles made. Broad and stately like a doorstop marmite sandwich, this is fully flavoured with strawberries, passion fruit and the heady scent of honeysuckle and clementines. Some good tension through the midpalate then a long and striking oyster shell finish. The oak and acidity are beautifully managed. Very fine indeed.

12/30/2023 - Will Devize wrote:

Bright and expressive with toasty oak and ripe tropical fruits. All rather luxe but fortunately underpinned by welcome grip and poise. Just a slightly bitter note on the finish prevents a higher score. Quite tightly packed which suggests another year or two may be of benefit.

12/20/2023 - Will Devize wrote:

Firm and peppery with a pleasingly astringent back end. Not quite rasping, but it's good enough for now.

12/17/2023 - Will Devize wrote:

The ripeness of the vintage is apparent but this has settled down to become a far more balanced wine than I thought possible a decade ago. The fruits are dark, juicy and gorgeous; there is oak spice and plenty of body. Sure, it's a bit boozy, but the delicious exoticism saves it. The best bottle from the case and a divine pairing with Christmas duck.

12/16/2023 - Will Devize wrote:

D/g 05/21; 2g; 1/3 equal PN,PM,CH. Chiselled and lean with notes of crisp green apple and lime. After an hour this settles down to reveal an irrepressible wine of great finesse. Very impressive.

12/2/2023 - Will Devize wrote:

D/g 2023; dosage 3 g/l; blend of 15, 16, 17; 70% PN, 30% PM. Dominated by terrific raspberry and crisp apple fruits with the textural richness of an almond croissant. Zesty, unctuous and very flattering. Gorgeous.

12/1/2023 - Will Devize wrote:

Similar to previous bottles only perhaps with a bit more of a ferrous twang. Fresh and sharp. Finishes slightly short but still enjoyable if no other reason than its unashamed typicity.

11/29/2023 - Will Devize wrote:

Extremely cold sample made this quite difficult to read. Still seems a little tight.

Day 2- Far more expressive with lovely spicy notes of cranberries and tangerine. Taut and snappy with a chocolate smooth finish. With a decant this drinks well now and has plenty of life ahead.

11/29/2023 - Will Devize wrote:

Riesling / sylvaner blend. Approachable and generously flavoured with lime zest and apples. Well defined and would work with or without food. Very crisp. Superb vfm.

11/12/2023 - Will Devize wrote:

Not as dense as the bottle from 6 months ago but still with all the winning appeal of bread and butter pudding you'll ever need. Losing freshness but gaining complexity; more lemon curd than amalfi spritz. I suspect this will last forever which is a remarkable thing at this price.

11/11/2023 - Will Devize wrote:

18 base; d/g 21; 1g dosage; 70/30 PN/chard. A little unruly two years ago, this is now in a lovely spot with fabulous raspberry shortbread richness and a full, toasty palate. Approachable, beautifully defined and a lovely salt caramel tang on the finish. Super stuff!

11/10/2023 - Will Devize wrote:

Vibrant and tangy with cherry pastilles, spice and a whack of acid on the end. Not the most refined, even a little high-toned, but certainly endearing and most certainly terrific value at under a tenner.

11/10/2023 - Will Devize wrote:

Simple but tasty with plenty of pear and lemon. Nice firm weight on the palate and a little jasmine and candied apple on the mountain fresh finish. Forthright and hard to dislike for the money.

10/30/2023 - Will Devize wrote:

Nuanced flavours of petrol, cinnamon and crisp green apple. Terrific saline drive through the midpalate then a bit of pily fatness on the end. More advanced than the 2016 at the same stage and perhaps not the same aging potential.

10/29/2023 - Will Devize wrote:

Far more concentrated than the villages but offering no less charm. Glimpses of brackish red fruits and quality oak but with a leanness that offers great balance. Sweetness and spice on the palate despite its ample stuffing. Taut and tapered. Plenty to go on. Next bottle 2027.

10/28/2023 - Will Devize wrote:

A delightful and nuanced nose showing star anise, licorice and red fruits. The palate is perky and succulent with lovely, ripe tannins. Complete and complex. Superb drinking now and through 2030.

10/28/2023 - Will Devize wrote:

Open, generous with bruised apples and a nice, nutty midpalate. Broad, lifted and cut with good minerality. Very likeable but no great complexity or potential development.

10/24/2023 - Will Devize wrote:

All I can taste is oak and not in a good way.