5/19/2024 - bravo.solares Likes this wine:

This was classic Monte Rosso. Very expressive, on both nose and palate. Drinking very well.

5/18/2024 - bravo.solares Likes this wine:

Blossomed after 4 hrs of slow ox. Should drink well for at least 4-5 more yrs.

5/18/2024 - bravo.solares Likes this wine:

No tasting note (good, but not as good as a 2014 Monte Rosso).

5/18/2024 - bravo.solares Likes this wine:

Blind, I would have never guessed CA. Lean, elegant, linear, restrained, a touch too reticent on nose and palate (at least on day 1).

5/13/2024 - bravo.solares Likes this wine:

Classic Chablis. Drinking very well. Sadly my last bottle. Should drink well for 3-5 more yrs, maybe more.

5/11/2024 - bravo.solares Likes this wine:

No tasting note (but very similar to previous bottle).

5/11/2024 - bravo.solares wrote:

Considerably better than previuous bottle. A bit fresher, less flabby.

5/9/2024 - bravo.solares wrote:

Some bitterness on the palate that was a bit off-putting. A bit clunky overall - not exactly elegant. Then again, asking for more given its price would be unreasonable. Serviceable, for sure.

5/7/2024 - bravo.solares Likes this wine:

Good typicity. Light on its feet, charming, simple. Strawberries, cranberries, herbs. Very light, no discernible tannin, good acidity. Food friendly. Drink up.

5/6/2024 - bravo.solares Likes this wine:

Drinking well, but not quite as well as a previous bottle. Maybe needed more air? Hints of Asian spices, cherries, raspberries - but not too expressive, neither on nose nor on palate. Good acidity. Good balance. Fairly elegant. Drank better than a 2014 Ballot Millot Volnay Santenots (too much VA, which did not dissipate over 90 mins).

5/5/2024 - bravo.solares Likes this wine:

Drinking well. A bit big for me, but well made and reasonably balanced. I’d like it more if it were a bit less ripe, leaner, and with more acidity. Probably better drunk sooner rather than later.

5/4/2024 - bravo.solares Likes this wine:

Best bottle so far. Red fruits, damp earth, forest floor. Asian spices. Good acidity. Pinot at its best. Very charming.

5/4/2024 - bravo.solares Likes this wine:

Remarkably good. Good amount of dry extract, good acidity, oak fully integrated. Will drink remaining bottles over the next 2 yrs or so. Old Copain wines age remarkably well.

4/28/2024 - bravo.solares Likes this wine:

Superb nose - truly intoxicating. Pinosity galore. Fully mature - tea, Asian spices, forest floor. Palate was less rewarding, though. Short, clipped, muted. Likely a handful of yrs past its prime. I wish I had drank this bottle 2-4 yrs ago.

4/25/2024 - bravo.solares Likes this wine:

Much better on day 2, as on day 1 it was totally (and I mean, really, literallly, totally) shut down. High acid, some minerality, and the subtlest of Chardonnay markers on day 2. My sense is this will drink better in 2-3 more yrs.

4/12/2024 - bravo.solares wrote:

Very nice wine. White, with skin contact - but nothing crazy or over the top. citrus (more orange than lemon, esp orange zest), and some orchard fruits (dried, not fresh). Some nuttiness. Gentle, fine, tannins. Enjoyable by itself, likely even better with food. Had it at at Dogma Wine Bar in Porto. Thanks to Vasilii (a somm, and one of the owners), who was incredibly helpful in finding wines we’d enjoy, and then educating us about Portuguese wines.

4/12/2024 - bravo.solares Likes this wine:

Excellent wine, but still very young. I would love to drink this with 3-5 more yrs of bottle age. While the wine has good acidity and excellent minerality, there is a bit of oak that gets in the way. Blind, I would have guessed a solid, but not great, Grand Cru Chablis (which amounts to high praise from me). Had it by the bottle (great pricing!) at O Gaveto restaurant in Matosinhos, right next to Porto.

3/31/2024 - bravo.solares Likes this wine:

This was excellent. Quite elegant and refined. Good complexity for a Gamay. Excellent acidity. Some minerality. Very food friendly. One of the best Gamays I’ve had.

3/30/2024 - bravo.solares Likes this wine:

Gave this a quick decant, then back in bottle. Classic Zin brambly fruit (black and red) profile, hint of orange zest. I would drink now thru 2026 or so.

3/29/2024 - bravo.solares Likes this wine:

Drinking quite well. Brambly, mostly black, fruit. Not too ripe. Some spices. Good acidity. Tannins fully integrated. Not sure it will improve with further cellar time. My guess is no (but just a guess). If I had more, I would drink within the next 2-3 yrs.

3/25/2024 - bravo.solares Likes this wine:

Time to drink up. Good, but not as good as a few yrs ago.

3/23/2024 - bravo.solares Likes this wine:

Violets, blue fruits, and a hint of pepper. Fine, powdery, tannins. Good acidity. Elegant. Somewhat short finish. Tasty. Would not wait more than a couple of yrs, if I had more bottles.

3/19/2024 - bravo.solares Likes this wine:

No tasting note.

3/18/2024 - bravo.solares Likes this wine:

This is still drinking exceptionally well. Slow ox’d for 6 hours. Nose is superb - black fruits, tobacco, cedar box, damp earth. Wine is more youthful than I would have thought, both visually and in the palate. Black currants, blackberries, tobacco, earthy notes. Good minerality, and enough acidity to keep this fresh. This should age further, and likely develop more tertiaries, over the next 5yrs - likely more. Paired beautifully with ribeye steaks. My last bottle. I wish I had more.

3/17/2024 - bravo.solares Does not like this wine:

Very powerful nose. Nose suggests blueberry syrup. A bit (no - VERY) artificial and bubblegummy. To me, this is too sweet, cloying, and extracted. Some people at the table loved it, though. Especially people not into wine, at least in this small sample. Wine critics seem to love this, too - which I find puzzling. Most definitely not for me. My least favorite wine of the night. Did not play well with food. Maybe better without food?

3/16/2024 - bravo.solares Likes this wine:

Drinking incredibly well, after 90 mins in the decanter. Textbook Left Bank Bdx. Superb with ribeye steaks. Admittedly, somewhat drying tannins (a 2003, after all), but quite good overall. Should drink well thru 2033 or so.

3/15/2024 - bravo.solares Likes this wine:

Took to ribeye dinner. Slow ox’d for around 8 hrs. Very good example of a Right Bnk wine - luscious round fruit, a touch of funk, excellent minerality. Great with ribeye steaks. Should drink well thru 2028 or so.

3/15/2024 - bravo.solares wrote:

Took to ribeye dinner. Too sweet, jammy, and cloying for my taste - but many in the table loved it. Tannins and oak fully integrated. Time to drink up. Some alcohol burn, esp on the nose. Too flamboyant, sweet, extracted, and over the top for me.

3/15/2024 - bravo.solares Likes this wine:

Took to ribeye dinner. Surprisingly elegant, given the vintage. Reasonably good acidity. Good BdM typicity.

3/10/2024 - bravo.solares Likes this wine:

Super youthful, with a bit of CO2/spritz. Very quaffable and food friendly. Just a touch short of acidity for my palate. Paired great with a wide variety of dishes at Fish & Bird (tempura, fresh tofu, hand rolls, grilled mackarel, agedashi tofu, fried oysters, chicken kaarage, cold udon).

3/10/2024 - bravo.solares Likes this wine:

Classic, textbook Chianti. Great typicity. Slow ox’d in bottle for 2-3 hrs. Drinking great. Excellent value. Worked great with Prosciutto/burrata and focaccia, as well as with pizza.

3/6/2024 - bravo.solares wrote:

Over the hill. Wine was nothing but acid. 6 hrs of air did not help. Bottle was a gift - so no idea what storage was like for this bottle. A well stored bottle of this bottling should be drinking well right now.

3/2/2024 - bravo.solares Likes this wine:

No tasting note.

3/1/2024 - bravo.solares Likes this wine:

Apples, citrus, some flowers. Round on the palate. Good acidity.

2/27/2024 - bravo.solares Likes this wine:

In a good spot. Slow ox’d for 5 hrs (helped tame the oak). Not a style of wine I favor (a bit jammy and too ripe), but was well liked by everyone (paired well with rib eye steaks). If I had more, I’d drink over the next 3-4 yrs or so (not enough acidity to be a long term ager, I suspect).

2/27/2024 - bravo.solares Likes this wine:

Good value. No tasting note.

2/25/2024 - bravo.solares Likes this wine:

Drinking well, but probably at peak. I’d drink up soon-ish. Citrus, green apple, touch of oak, good minerality. Some salinity. Almost Chablis-like. Slow ox’d for 45 mins.

2/22/2024 - bravo.solares Likes this wine:

Decanted for 2.5 hrs (very oaky before air). Good, elegant, balanced Cab. By no means over the hill, at least to my palate (in contrast to some tasting notes here). Tannins are fine and have mostly melted, but acidity is still fairly good and provides structure. Very classic, old school, Cab. No fruit bomb, no oak bomb, fairly low alcohol. Paired great with a NY strip steak. Will revisit in 1-2 more yrs.

2/20/2024 - bravo.solares Likes this wine:

Delicious, textbook Loire CF. Same tasting note as that for previous bottles applies.

2/19/2024 - bravo.solares Likes this wine:

Honey, flowers, pear, petrol. Hints of blue cheese. Good acidity. Good freshness. Very low alcohol. Not cloying. Lovely stuff. Superb QPR. Should drink well for 3-4 more yrs, judging from this bottle.

2/18/2024 - bravo.solares Likes this wine:

Decanted for 90 mins. This was drinking so well. A bit wild and feral, but immensely enjoyable. Descriptors overheard at the table were: savory; umami; tamari; black licorice; herbal notes; ferrous notes. Excellent acidity. Should drink well for at least a few more yrs (say, 4 or 5, maybe more).

2/18/2024 - bravo.solares wrote:

Over the hill (to me). Port-y, stewed fruit, and lacking acidity.

2/18/2024 - bravo.solares Likes this wine:

No detailed note. But incredibly easy to drink. Enjoyable by itself or with food.

2/15/2024 - bravo.solares Likes this wine:

Classic NZ Sauv Blanc. Good value.

2/12/2024 - bravo.solares Likes this wine:

Citrus, orchard fruit, salinity, minerality, and very good acidity. Great by itself, but also very food friendly. Should drink well for at least 3-4 more yrs, maybe more.

2/11/2024 - bravo.solares Likes this wine:

Decanted for 2 hrs. This was less expressive that my previous bottle. Perhaps it needed more air? Acidity dominated the little fruit it emerged. Some pleasant tobacco. Paired better with seared venison than with a ribeye steak.

2/8/2024 - bravo.solares wrote:

A little bit better than bottle drank around one yr ago. Slow ox’d in bottle for 3-4 hrs. Oak was brutal on opening, but softened and integrated with air. Reasonble balance, but not a particularly interesting wine.

2/2/2024 - bravo.solares Likes this wine:

Excellent. On the nose: Citrus fruit, some petrol. Palate: Med high acidity. Incredible freshness. Hints of tropical fruits. Touch of sweetness. Very young. Super curious as to how this would drink with a little bit of bottle age. Blind, I would have guessed German Riesling, maybe Mosel.

1/31/2024 - bravo.solares Likes this wine:

Good typicity. Cherry liqueur, some garrigue. But massive alcohol, esp on palate, detracts greatly (my usual gripe with Gigondas and CdP). Doubt wine will age gracefully, but would love to be wrong on this one (have 2 more bottles).

1/26/2024 - bravo.solares Likes this wine:

Even better than previous bottle. A touch fresher. Otherwise, same note applies.