2/10/2010 - rikipedia Likes this wine:

Wine Cellar - Bordeaux 2000 (Wine Cellar, Cape Town): (Tasted Blind): A medium to deep garnet colour, the aromas feature aniseed, tobacco, liquorice and black cherries. A wonderfully focused, supple wine that is rich in texture, delicious and lip-smacking good. Firm but yielding tannins and lively acidity add structure without overpowering and the flavours linger for a long finish. Closes with tobacco and cigar box, some carrion and cherry flesh.

12/29/2018 - rikipedia Likes this wine:

Home at Twixmas with some fun wines: A deep garnet colour indicating maturity. Lifted aromas of evolving earth and button mushroom with echoes of tobacco, spice and blackcurrants.
On the palate, the wine is incredibly elegant, concentrated with a lovely balance betweens its earthy elements and the inherent black fruit character and moments dry Scottish heather, resulting in a wine that is both complex and harmonious. With an excellent depth of flavour, this is a fine example with lively acidity, resolved but present tannins, and a long farewell.

12/29/2018 - rikipedia Likes this wine:

Home at Twixmas with some fun wines: A deep garnet colour, showing some maturity. A bouquet of mushrooms and earthy elements with cedar wood, ripe blackberry towards blackcurrant, mineral and a touch of ground pepper. A gorgeous entry, so richly textured, borders on jam-like fruitiness (opulent) yet balanced by lively mineral-edged acidity. Almost foursquare in structure, there is flesh and some gently grippy tannins yet also elegance and the riper fruit with cassis edges, all leading to a harmonious blend of flavours that work well together.

12/4/2018 - rikipedia Likes this wine:

Terroir-istes International - France, Burgundy, Pommard (The Fat Butcher, Stellenbosch): (Tasted Blind): A light crimson colour towards a red-orange rim. A deep nose that shows some evolution, with notes of damp forest floor, forest fruit, and a feral, savoury quality. The brooding palate has a dense core, penetrating with plenty of fruit and a gravelly tannic frame that is muscular in shape. With great fruit concentration (plenty of wild strawberry), this is a classy Grand Cru with pedigree, charm, velvet softness and a bracing mineral-edged acidity keeping it upright. Robust yet elegant, layered and developing nicely. It closes with a sinewy feel to it. Fabulous!

8/13/2018 - rikipedia Likes this wine:

Terroir-istes International - USA - California, Napa General (Cape Town Law offices): (Tasted Blind): A deep black garnet wine. Abundant blackcurrant aromas accompany graphite, cedar wood, Kendal mint cake, dried olives and tilled earth. As it opens, this shows as tertiary characteristics that indicate age yet also a striking sandalwood note, more reminiscent of Vaseline!
The wine is complex and full-bodied on the palate but generous with port-like qualities and old, dry wooden casks, adding savoury old-world nuances. The mid-palate sees the prominence of olives, pencil shavings, sour cassis and candy. Structurally, the tannins feel tight and earth-coated, whilst the acid is bright and gives lift. It does, however, feel one-dimensional and finishes shorter than expected. There is just enough fruit to rescue the wine, even if it sometimes feels like it is trying too hard.
Blend of 75 CS, 15 PV, 10 Malbec.
Tim Mondavi bought this now-cult wine

10/21/2020 - rikipedia Likes this wine:

Wine Cellar Rhone Tasting - Mostly 2017 & 2018 (Wine Cellar): (Tasted Blind) Mid ruby, the nose is captivating with liquorice, mineral stone, black fruits, star anise, violets, dried herbs, peppercorns and cola tonic. Intense and complex, the wine exhibits a cool (light mint and aniseed) freshness before it segues into earth, liquorice, bilberries, stalky pepper stems and lots of garrigue. An incredible blade of chalk-edged tannins, this wine combines richness, complexity and sweetness yet maintains a coolness throughout. Outstanding!

3/18/2020 - rikipedia Likes this wine:

Mid garnet colour with marked undergrowth notes, baked fruits, dry clay; has a warmth to it. The palate offers plenty of fruit, fair concentration with a hint of liquorice and lead pencil (some old Bordeaux qualities) although the warm baked fruit pushes back to SAfrica. Despite the warmth, there was a cooler menthol blackcurrant softness. The wine was less tired than I expected at 21 years old. Perhaps the odd whiff of dust and roasted capsicum but showed nicely.

8/3/2015 - rikipedia wrote:

Terroir-istes International - France, Bordeaux, Sauternes (Groot Constantia): Medium+ gold colour with an initial unusual dishcloth note, reminiscent of a dry tea towel. This gives way to almond paste, pineapple, stone fruits and fynbos honey.
The palate entry is more perplexing, with odd notes of plaster and medicinal qualities morphing to peat, resembling a whisky from Islay!
Medium acidity: this is quite a rich wine that seems to show some volatile elements, making it a little disjointed. The mid-palate is akin to a lemon and honey drink, similar to Lemsip, with hints of sucking on a bandage evoking a hospital-like atmosphere, which didn't appeal. Equally, the VA slightly alters the direction of the wine, skewing its profile.

7/28/2015 - rikipedia Likes this wine:

The Four Seasons Tasting Bordeaux First Growths (Aubergine Restaurant): Mid to deep garnet: Complex, intense, brooding bouquet displaying earth, dark fruits and smashed rocks. The entry is powerful, masculine and mysterious! Full-bodied with a fabulous frame of solid, dense iron-clad tannins. This soaring-high wine has vertiginous fresh acidity, giving depth and fantastic concentration yet never appearing heavy. Impressive and precise, like an athletic javelin thrower, the flavours are blackcurrant, oak hints, and graphite, presented in pure form. Incredible length and continues to impress.

8/3/2015 - rikipedia wrote:

Terroir-istes International - France, Bordeaux, Sauternes (Groot Constantia): Deep, old gold with light orange and amber hues. The bouquet is slightly aldehydic with developed notes showing burnt sugar, ginger ale, candied orange and some dried mango. Slightly fatigued, however. The entry is exceptionally sweet (RS apparently 147g/l!) with an oily, unctuous texture and concentrated intensity. There is minimal botrytis influence but the mid-palate is smooth and seamless, lacking any harsh edges, resembling more an eiswein with its concentrated sugar profile. Flavours of Creme Brulée, almond paste and raisins. Full-bodied, it finishes long and syrupy (the acid is medium at best), it reminded me of the modern style of De Bortoli's Noble One with its weighty, almost overburdening presence. 2003 was exceptionally warm, especially in June. Didn't excite me.

7/28/2015 - rikipedia Likes this wine:

The Four Seasons Tasting Bordeaux First Growths (Aubergine Restaurant): (Tasted Blind): The 2001 is mid+ black garnet wine showing lifted red and black fruits, quite attractive with a tertiary element alongside bitter and milk chocolate. The entry is full-bodied, with more power than expected and a firmness to the texture. A solid structure with thick yet super fine-grained tannins encase plenty of tertiary forest fruit, ripe blueberries, chocolate and cedar - certainly red fruits to show more Merlot. Plenty of mouth coating material and structural building blocks, this is classic and deeply concentrated. Yet is maintains a fleshy, attractive core that shows power but restraint. Some felt it had a volatility that I didn’t pick up. Rather the wine had grace and an incredible length that showed its class and reflected the 2001 vintage. Superb! Made up of 45.4% Merlot, 43.9% CS, 9.7% CF, 1% PV.

7/28/2015 - rikipedia Likes this wine:

The Four Seasons Tasting Bordeaux First Growths (Aubergine Restaurant): (Tasted Blind): A mid+/deep garnet colour running to a slight orange rim. The nose is more tertiary and complex, with some pomace & raisin, forest fruit (more black fruits than red), undergrowth and comes across as brooding.
An elegant wine on entry, there is a thick, powdery, sticky texture with herbal notes, very ripe sweet black fruit (almost overripe), cassis with a tertiary overlay more so than expected at 10 years old. A fresh lemon acidity rises underneath the wine and gives lift whilst the mid-palate has length and reflects classic Pessac with a little more muscle and power and width to the solid tannin structure. Full-bodied, with fair concentration, this feels denser in line with its quality. At this point the wood is well integrated giving a cedar edge, and balances the ripeness of fruit with an elegant feel. Fabulously long, the wine improved in glass and will still need more time to open further.

11/13/2008 - rikipedia Likes this wine:

Caroline Wine Shop - Bordeaux 2001 to 2005 (Carolines Wine Shop): Medium to deep ruby graduating to a garnet rim. There is a fair amount of earthy, toasty and geosmin notes here, almost grappa. Hiding behind is some blackcurrants and raspberries that, on the entry, deliver a sweet fruit character reminiscent of blackcurrant pie. Tighter on the mid-palate than expected, the wine has depth and is medium to full-bodied. Quite a modern example, the tannins are smoothed and finely planed and well-integrated. Subtle spicy wood accents the close to this reasonably powerful wine. Long finish.
72 CS, 20 Merlot 4.5 PV 3.5 CF."

7/28/2015 - rikipedia Likes this wine:

The Four Seasons Tasting Bordeaux First Growths (Aubergine Restaurant): (Tasted Blind): 50 CS, 41 Merlot; 9 CF. Mid to deep ruby-coloured wine, the bouquet is intense with aromas of red cherry, blueberry, redcurrant, cedar, spices and toasty oak.
The palate enters with a pure fruit character, notable oak and whilst ripe, there has a tad of green elements suggesting a cooler year with cold, clammy clay joining some bright red-oriented fruits, almost slightly bipolar ripeness of sweet fruit and sour cherry skins and cherry stone. The acidity is more piercing than expected with a mineral lift, the texture is relatively thick, and the wine has decent fruit depth yet only medium length. Good concentration, I liked the line of the wine, and there are some lovely notes of cedar, cigar even ferrous with hessian tannins and a prickle of alcohol. This wine is still tight and primary, mineral-driven with a bright red fruit character and reasonable structure, but it needs more time to reach its full potential.

2/28/2022 - rikipedia Likes this wine:

13% alcohol; Pale lemon, there is a light blossom on the nose with nettle, cut grass, river stones, apple and just-ripe lemon peel. As it opens, I found grapefruit, tidal pool, chamomile tea and white flowers.
A poised entry with strident acidity, this is a delicate but intense wine. Medium-bodied, there is a mineral freshness and a streaky edge with a line of fresh tarragon, nettle and bell pepper. Linear style with edgy texture and good concentration all contribute to a top-notch Sauvignon Blanc. The finish is long with a saline edge.

6/15/2022 - rikipedia Likes this wine:

Intense to opaque purple, the bouquet is mineral, graphite, and inky with intense blackcurrant, sage and bayleaf that draw you in.
Full-bodied with puckering almost 4-square tannins and a black plum skin texture, the wine is compact and tightly wound with notes of spicy oak, 100% Lindt chocolate, graphite and mineral-edged acidity to add further structure. The wine is brooding with a cooler clay-like clamminess that doesn’t want to show itself to me yet. However, this has terrific potential, is beautifully delineated and will improve with some time in the bottle. An extremely long farewell, and as it opened in glass, that pucker went to a more filigree or patterned tannins.

5/11/2022 - rikipedia Likes this wine:

70 CS; 15 CF; 15 Merlot: Deep purple-ruby in colour, the bouquet displays cedar, cola tonic, church pews, spice, ripe black (and some red) fruits, pencil shavings and wood smoke. As it opens, a touch of cigar box and bay leaf.
Youthful on entry and feels brooding, there is plenty of cassis, cola, smoke, and dried black olive alongside some red fruits of redcurrant and raspberry. Rich with fine but firmly delineated tannins with surprisingly vibrant acidity. Begins quite linear yet has some merlot flesh to add balance. An excellent wine that works with the warmer vintage showing a sweetness in its core, a smoky accent and some mint-infused milk chocolate on the long finish.

9/1/2014 - rikipedia Likes this wine:

Terroir-istes International - France, Bordeaux, Margaux (Rodwell House): Mid to deep ruby, the nose is youthful with bright red and black cherry, cedar, black plum compote and dried orange peel. There is a hint of stalk, green leaf and earth mingling. Focussed wine.
Medium-bodied, the wine is narrow in palate shape, firmly textured with a lemon-edge acidity leading to grippy tannins. The fruit feels cool with frozen berries, blackcurrant skins, tar, mineral and earthy notes, yet there is a slight sweetness as the wine opens. I found the wine a little hollow in the mid-palate and whilst the frame gave elegance and freshness, the wine was more light-weight than expected - more a luncheon claret.
Medium in length, the wine is fairly long, and reasonably complex but the acid does protrude slightly. I was surprised at the reveal that it was 2009. Perhaps tight?

12/24/2021 - rikipedia Likes this wine:

Christmas Eve 2021 (Home): Pale yellow, the aromas are mineral, crushed rocks, chalk, lemon and lime zest even some raw meat.
The entry has penetration and breadth with a lovely oatmeal, chalk and mineral grip. As fresh as a daisy, the core contains a strident acidity and robust mid-palate texture containing cooked Bramley apple, Forelle pear and crushed rocks. A clipped wine it races to a long finish.

1/1/2016 - rikipedia Likes this wine:

16% Alc; Deep to opaque garnet red
Heady intense aromas of sweet blackberry, eucalypt, mocha, squashed warmed mulberry, tinned Montmorency cherry on pancakes and blackberry.
The entry is liquid soft Galaxy chocolate (slightly milk chocolate) with forest fruits, coffee foam that is eminently appealing, making you want to dive in! Rich, sweet with plenty of glycerol and warmth from the 16% alcohol, yet the wine seems well balanced with a line of lively acidity, keeping the wine tucked in, and a flowery lift. The body is medium to full rather than outright power, and it is already with some development. Powdery fine-grained tannins with a hint of grip absorb the sweet fruits that envelop the palate that wash over to a long finish with teists of complexity!
An attractive more-ish wine with guts and flavours of black raspberry, treacle sugar, linoleum, candied orange peel, cocoa powder and a touch of blueberry cheesecake. Showing very well!

9/19/2014 - rikipedia Likes this wine:

Mid garnet-red.
Intense aromas of brown sugar, molasses and syrup, cracked black pepper on strawberries, salted liquorice and a balsamic splash. As the wine opens, there is more garrigue, cistus, black olive and tar.
A medium to lively acidity on entry, flavours as nose, especially the cracked black pepper. There is a ripe almost jammy feel to the fruit: all strawberries, Bing cherries and some black cherry. An enticing wine, it has a large structural frame with a granular texture coated in syrup, giving it great appeal (almost fynbos honey containing brown sugar crystals). The alcohol is generous, the tannins firm grippy but flowing and sweet-edged and the flavours are ripe, jammy and concentrated. Full-bodied, the mid-palate unfolds to reveal torn black olive skins, melted black cherries/strawberries, peaty islay malt whisky, dried figs with its rich glycerol mouthfeel spiked with black pepper. It is a very classy wine that is complex and changed through the hour of drinking it. Superb!

1/25/2020 - rikipedia Likes this wine:

Deep garnet to brick red rim.
Inimitably Bordeaux on the nose with pencil shavings, tilled earth, cassis and graphite.
Soft entry with plenty of fruit concentration the texture is fine, yet dense with flavours of chocolate ganache, tar, black olive and steeped blackcurrants. Layers of flavour, this is more powerful and full-bodied than initially expected but reflects St. Estephe well.
The tannins are still grippy but fully resolved at this point. There is a chocolate richness to the core of the wine, and the long finish is complexed with Asian 5 spice, undergrowth and button mushroom. Smart wine.

1/2/2021 - rikipedia Likes this wine:

Deep ruby with a slight orange rim. Attractive sultry aromas of chocolate-mocha, dried earth, ripe blueberries and blackcurrant with a graphite note - almost Pauillac. A soft velvety texture, almost plush, with opulent flavours of chocolate and coffee, tobacco and pencil lead along with fine, powdery tannins. Some layers of complexity this harmonious wine has a heady intensity yet isn't punchy or showy. Certainly modern, this may not have the density and components of a more prestigious wine but is a fine and more-ish example to be enjoyed now. Tasted this only 6 months ago and this has improved markedly!

7/27/2020 - rikipedia Likes this wine:

Deep almost opaque purple-ruby. A noted white pepper on the nose with herbal elements, bay leaf, stems, Kalamata olives, garlic polony, dabs of smoke and frozen blueberries. The palate reflects the stem inclusion with a sappy almost tart acidity, with a sour blackberry and blueberry fruit a distinct vegetal note (broccoli?) and white but also black pepper. This wine is all masculine with a slightly meaty almost bretty element. Despite the fabulous intensity, the tannins are abrasive. The finish is a little drying (brett again?), and there is a vegetal after kick. A good wine but feels a little over-eager.