2/26/2024 - belfast taxman wrote:

Dark full-bodied with a lush texture and nicely balanced tannins. There is fruit cake and an element of blueberry that I often find in Merlot dominated wines. The equal of many a St Emilion grand cru (though not quite Classe) and an added mark for vfm in the context of Bordeaux.

4/30/2024 - PSPatrick wrote:

Good dark and red fruit, dark cherry, leafy black currant, some bell pepper, vegetal notes, chocolate, espresso, tobacco, intense spice notes, smoke, and mint, with medium-level acidity, mostly resolved and well-integrated tannin, and good length. Medium-bodied, with a lightly creamy texture, average concentration, and good balance. A little rustic on the finish, but somewhat intriguing overall. Very South African! And full of character. In a good place. I suggest drinking now and over the next four or five years.

4/30/2024 - PSPatrick wrote:

The back label of this wine says "Drink now or keep for up to three years from vintage". Hartenberg should have more faith in the quality of their wines! Youthful-looking bright medium yellow. Lemon, ripe grapefruit, apple, quince, tropical notes, toast, oak spice, and light smoke, with good acidity, and very good length. Medium- to full-bodied, with good concentration and complexity, a lightly creamy texture, and very good persistence. Equally good on day two. Very youthful. Drink now, and for at least another five years.

4/10/2024 - PSPatrick wrote:

Bottle in perfect condition, cork pristine. Decanted for three hours. Medium garnet colour, very little sediment. Cherry, black currant, plum, cedar, tobacco, light coffee, light chocolate, spices, graphite, gravelly minerality, and a high-end balsamic vinegar note after further breathing, with fresh acidity, well-integrated tannin, and great persistence. Medium-bodied, balanced, and fresh, with impressive structure. Still firm and restrained, reminding me of many Bordeaux of the 1995 vintage. Holds a lot of promise, but for now the value for money is off. I would love to try this again in ten years! 92(++)

4/18/2024 - PSPatrick wrote:

Poured at our office opening in Singapore. No formal notes. Medium garnet colour. Red and black fruit, leather, tobacco, espresso, some chocolate, autumn leaves, vegetal and herbaceous notes, and spices, with medium-plus acidity and very good length. The tannin is round and fine if dry and lightly chewy, and the acidity is slightly pronounced, making the wine feel just a little angular. But it drinks quite well overall. Drink now.

3/12/2024 - PSPatrick wrote:

Bought today, at Central Perk Wine & Spirits, 1420 6th Avenue, New York. A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot, aged in oak, 50% new. Popped and poured. A little closed on day one, more open on day two. Medium to dark garnet colour. Black currant, dark cherry, blackberry, plum, a musty/vegetal aspect that adds complexity, pencil shaving, chocolate, cocoa, espresso, tobacco, spices, liquorice, and light vanilla, with good acidity, well-integrated tannin, and very good length. Medium-bodied, with good concentration, and a creamy texture. Quite enjoyable. Ready now.

2/25/2024 - pavel_p Likes this wine:

Revisiting an old friend... Almost 3 years after my last bottle, this was again a super showing and the wine is still in its peak drinking window for my taste. Slow ox'ed for about 2h. This delivers all one hopes for in a mature Bordeaux, beautifully balanced and aromatic with cigar box, leather and still some dark fruit. 80s Canon are great, whether its 85, 86 or 89 (yet to try the 82).

3/6/2024 - macaujames Likes this wine:

94/95. 0.375. Has fantastic aromas of blackberries ,black olives, iron, mint, five spice and blueberries! Profound lightly spicy garriguey leathery, lightly earthy, vanilla-ery lacy, satiny ironey blue red and black fruited wine with lovely long refreshing and tapering finish with nice gripping tannin. 14.5%. Drink now with 8-9 hrs aeration or lay down 15-30 yrs no problem.

3/4/2024 - PSPatrick wrote:

A blend of 65% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre, and 5% Cinsault. 15% ABV. Medium to dark ruby colour. Wild berries on the nose. Sweet berry fruit, chocolate, garrigue, pastille, spices, vanilla, liquorice, black tea, and stony minerality on the palate, with medium-minus acidity, firm tannin that is hidden underneath the generous fruit, and very good length. Medium to full body, with good concentration, and notable sweetness from the ripe fruit and high alcohol. The wine benefited from aeration, and the tannin softened and the wine found balance after about an hour in the decanter, but it remained tight. Consistent on days two and three. Impressive for a standard cuvée! Needs some time to soften the tannin and open up. I would hold, and only drink from 2027.

2/26/2024 - PSPatrick wrote:

Decanted for two hours. Red fruit, cherry, mixed berries, dill, chocolate, espresso, spices, clove, and vanilla, with good, slightly pronounced acidity, ripe, well-integrated tannin, and great persistence. Medium-bodied and well-balanced, with a creamy texture. Classic! But restrained, and not ready yet. Needs time. I suggest holding your bottles for four or five years, and to start drinking from 2029. 91(+)(?)

9/18/2022 - Gerhard3 wrote:

I had expected the Ziereisen to be better than the Bourgogne from a modest Appelation (René Bouvier Marsannay Le Finage 2017) tasted in parallel, but well, it wasn't, at least not according to my taste. The wood (70% used, 30% new) prevented the fruit from singing, even though the aroma is quite noble (more in the walnut/peanut department than coconut and vanilla). In the mouth, the wood was too powerful as well, even though all the rest was fine (medium volume, good acidity, good tannins).

2/6/2024 - PSPatrick wrote:

Half-bottle. Very tight upon opening, so I decanted the wine for three hours in a small decanter which did the trick. Dark ruby colour. Ripe dark and red fruit, ripe black currant, dark cherry, ripe blackberry, ripe blueberry, kirsch, dark plum, dark chocolate, cocoa, espresso, graphite, cedar, spices, and vanilla, with medium-level acidity, ripe, round tannin, and very good length. Intriguing sweetness from the fruit and the well-integrated oak. Great structure and impressive, almost oily concentration. Wow! The best young Bordeaux I have had in some time.

1/22/2024 - PSPatrick wrote:

Bottle in good condition. Ullage of 2.5 cm. Cork completely soaked, but minimal seepage. Medium to light brick-ish colour, some sediment. Red fruit, red cherry, dill, leather, tobacco, earth, coffee, spices, light chocolate, and ethereal notes, with good, slightly pronounced acidity, fully resolved tannin, and very good length. Classic mature Rioja profile, yet not quite as smooth as one would expect from a 30+ year-old Rioja. On day two, the wine is even more mature, the red fruit is more on the dried side, and joined by mushroom and earth, with a smoother texture. Not quite on the same level as the 1985. Still, it would be interesting to try this again in five years from now. Drink up over the next eight to ten years.

9/26/2022 - macaujames Likes this wine:

90/91. Has come on! Has aromas of flowers, basalt hints and coffee and cherry hints. Its medium bodied supple blue and red fruits palate has got nice linear depth and finishes medium, fresh and tapering. Lay down 2 years. 12%.

12/8/2023 - PSPatrick wrote:

Only 12% ABV. Very funky initially, but the funk mostly subsided with aeration, and gave way to red fruit and some blue and black fruit, pomegranate, and volcanic and saline minerality, with good acidity, well-integrated tannin, and very good length. Smoothly textured and very well balanced. Drinks well on day one. On day two, the wine still shows some funk, and has a more mature profile, with dried red fruit, dried cherry and dried pomegranate, but also with dry, medium grained tannin no longer covered by the fruit. I have no idea how this wine will age. My best educated guess is to drink the wine young (as in by now) or to wait for at least ten years.

12/18/2023 - PSPatrick wrote:

Decanted for one hour in the morning, poured over dinner. 13% ABV. Medium to dark garnet colour, some sediment. Complex aromatics. Red and dark fruit, bubble gum, vegetal notes, cedar, tobacco, spices, some chocolate, and light smoke, with good acidity, unresolved and lightly rustic tannin, and good length. Lightly rustic and slightly underripe, and lacking sufficient juice to counter the unresolved tannin at this point. Benefited from further aeration in the evening. Very different from two stunning bottles I shared with family ten years ago. Might be an in-between phase?

11/16/2023 - rickspicks wrote:

This tastes like an entr-level Barolo that I found to drink older than its age. The fruits tasted a bit dried-out and lacking vibrancy, freshness and richness. The flavors that are there are appropriate - cherry and spice, but I don't see this as a 92 point wine.

11/9/2017 - PSPatrick wrote:

Retailer tasting. The wine was dark purple in colour and offered floral notes, nice dark fruit aromas, graphite and hints of coffee and chocolate on the nose and palate, with medium-level acidity, fine, medium-plus tannin and superb length. The wine was well structured, balanced and complete. The quality of tannin and the length stood out. A very good wine; I bought a case. Interestingly, I was the only customer tonight that bought a case of this wine, most other customers were leaning towards the riper and broader styles of the Roussillon wines. 90+ for now, with potential to improve.

11/27/2023 - macaujames Likes this wine:

94/95. In 5 years+ this will be a 95. A profound lightly sandstoney, vanillary, minty, leathery blue and black fruits wine with excellent zingy length! My last couple of glasses. 13.5%. Needs 8-9 hrs aeration. Wonderful value at 23 Euros. I wish I had more. Will try the 2016 at Christmas 2024.

11/7/2023 - macaujames Likes this wine:

89/90. A nice decently minerally freshly fruited medium dry honeyed Riesling which is drinkable and well priced. 12.5%.
PnP.

11/6/2023 - PSPatrick wrote:

Decanted for three hours. Medium to dark ruby colour. Red and blue fruit, red cherry, black raspberry, dill, dark chocolate, mocha, espresso, dark tobacco, spicecake and vanilla, with good acidity, round, well-integrated tannin, and very good length. Quite fresh, and quite elegant, with great persistence. The 2015 is not as complex and dense as the 2009 or 2010, and not as smooth as the 2011, but fresher, and it shows its class once paired with food. Great with slow-roasted goose. Should be interesting to compare the four vintages again in five years or so.

5/12/2017 - CondorKhan wrote:

Chateau Musar Tasting: Very similar to the 1999, but a bit "cleaner". Sweet fruit is up in front, and the earthy funkiness takes more of a support role. Very nicely balanced and together. Licorice and olives add nice complexity. Finish has soft tannins and higher acidity. Up to that point, WOTN. The entire 98-00 trio had been outstanding, suggesting that 18-20 years is maturity for Musar.

11/4/2023 - PSPatrick wrote:

The wine seemed very tight upon opening, so I decided to aerate the wine in a decanter for three hours in the morning and poured the wine over dinner. The early decanting helped a little, the wine had opened up and the tannin had softened by dinner time. Medium to dark ruby colour, some sediment. Black currant, blackberry, blueberry, cherry, cedar, leather, light tobacco, light chocolate, graphite, intense spice, and vanilla, with medium-level acidity, firm tannin, and very good length. Good concentration on the attack, a little thinner in the middle and on the end, but it might flesh out with a few more years. The wine is still firm, and the tannin could use some more time to soften. I would drink from 2026. 90(+)(?)

10/18/2023 - macaujames wrote:

91/92. Very juvenile, is very solid with black olives, leather, fruits of the forest, strawberries+ some iron filings hints. Ends mediumish, fresh and a bit unknit. 14%. Aerated this 6-7 hrs and is still opening up. Lay down 5-10 years+. This is not showing the normal silkiness of this wine yet. Maybe it needs more aeration.

9/12/2023 - macaujames Likes this wine:

Wow the best rose ever! This is a classy ample delicious wine with lovely dry silky a bit saline garriguey peachy, rose petal notes,nice chalky minerality+freshness, fantastic elegance+excellent length and nice alcohol at 12.5%. Is intensely aromatic too! 92/93. On day two this is a 93!

8/17/2023 - PSPatrick wrote:

At restaurant Domtrappkällaren in Uppsala, Sweden (great wine list!). Medium yellow-gold. Apple, lemon, pineapple, bread crust, nuts, chalk, and flint/smoke, with good acidity and impressive length. The mousse is super-fine and smooth. Really great persistence. It is easy to sense that there is more complexity to come with age, and yet the 2012 DP is very accessible and provides a lot of pleasure already. A great vintage for DP!

8/4/2023 - PSPatrick wrote:

At our cabin in Finland. Decanted for two hours. Dark ruby colour. Cabernet-driven. Good fruit. Black currant, dark cherry, blackberry, plum, bell pepper, dark chocolate, spices, vanilla, and a hint of mint, with good acidity, medium-fine tannin, and very good length. Lightly creamy texture. The generous oak is well-integrated. The alcohol (14.5% ABV) is lightly warming. Good concentration. Very ripe, and modern in style. More Chilean Cab than Bordeaux. Not my preferred style, but very easy-drinking, admittedly. I would drink over the medium term, until about 2040 that is.

10/6/2019 - PSPatrick wrote:

A trip to South Africa's Coastal Region with Reni, Rainer and Bert. Day 9, Klein River Valley and Stellenbosch. Tasted at the winery, with owner Piet Dreyer and his second son and winemaker Josef.

Bordeaux blend of 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, 6% Malbec and 5% Petit Verdot. Medium ruby colour. Slightly muted nose. Red fruit, some dark fruit, vegetal and herbaceous notes, spices and some vanilla, with fresh but disharmonious acidity, dry and slightly chewy tannin, and average length. Slightly better concentration than the prior wines. Elegant style. Will need some time.

4/18/2023 - PSPatrick wrote:

Now this is nice! Physalis, pink grapefruit, tangerine, peach, apple, lemon, and mineral notes, with good acidity and great persistence. Good concentration, and good complexity. Balanced and harmonious despite of its youth. Great Riesling! 92(+)

6/25/2023 - PSPatrick wrote:

I have not opened a bottle of the Ardanza Reserva 2005 since 2016. Back then, I noted significant bottle variation (maybe it is the corks as suggested by some of the notes below). Well, either this time I picked a bottle at the top end of the variation curve, or the wine has developed nicely over the last few years. Cork in perfect condition. Medium to dark ruby colour. Red fruit, leather, coffee, chocolate, dill, intense spice notes, vanilla, and clove, with fresh acidity and very good length. The wine kept improving with aeration and was well-balanced, with good concentration, and complexity. No arguing, a very good Rioja that is in a great spot.

5/2/2023 - PSPatrick wrote:

Crown cap. Medium yellow golden colour. Dried apricot, tangerine, ripe citrus, wild honey, Earl Grey tea, ethereal notes, and stony minerality, with good acidity and good length. Good body, and an oily texture. The wine benefited from aeration in a small decanter. In a good place; drink now and over the next three or four years.

2/6/2023 - macaujames wrote:

90/91. Elegant juicy linear lightly oaked forest fruited wine with nice elegance and length. 12%. I dont know how they could do such a low abv on Majorca!

1/18/2019 - PSPatrick wrote:

“G8 summit – Milestones and memories of my past” (non-blind), Wine 8: The year in which my dear friend and generous host moved from the U.S. to England. The wine was medium to dark ruby in colour and offered red, blue and black fruit, gingerbread and spices on the nose. On the palate, the wine showed red and dark fruit, gingerbread, spices and a mild vegetal component, with good acidity, fully resolved tannin and very good length. Full on life and well-balanced.

3/8/2023 - PSPatrick wrote:

Ex Château 2022. Filled into the neck, cork intact. Decanted for four hours in the morning, poured over dinner. Medium to light garnet colour, a little lighter in colour than expected, some sediment. Red fruit, red plum, cedar, tobacco, spices, gamy notes, and some VA. Finishes balsamic, and then turns gamy, cedary and smoky again on the aftertaste. All carried by great acidity. The tannin is fully resolved, and the wine is smoothly textured, with some old age sweetness. Drinks like a 60% Mourvèdre and 40% Grenache blend from a cool climate. Good concentration and complexity. In a great place! I have said it before, and it is still true: This is a captivating bottle of wine!

11/23/2021 - PSPatrick wrote:

First of three bottles I bought on auction recently (€65/bottle). Red fruit, strawberry, red cherry, dill, tobacco, and spices, with good acidity, partly resolved tannin, and very good length.

The remaining tannin seems grainy at first, but finds its balance after some time in the decanter. By day two, the tannin is fully resolved and flavors are very integrated. The fruit is riper than expected, but other than that this is a classic, old school Rioja.

1/28/2023 - PSPatrick wrote:

Decanted for 90 minutes. Medium garnet colour. Cherry, red and dark berries, prune, intense cedar, complex spice notes, mint, and balsamic notes, all carried by fresh acidity. Beautiful old-age sweetness. The tannin is fully resolved, and the wine is very smoothly textured, with great persistence. Well-structured, with good complexity, and good concentration. Great Bordeaux!

12/19/2020 - PSPatrick Does not like this wine:

A recent library late release by the winery. Decanted for one hour. Inky dark ruby colour. Ripe fruit - dark cherry, blackberry, plum, dates and fig - followed by pastille and spice notes, and finally joined by lots of dark chocolate on the finish, with medium-fine, slightly drying tannin, medium-level acidity and very good length. Some warmth from the alcohol. Dark, concentrated and ambitious, but not special. Overripe, over extracted and overpriced.

11/15/2022 - PSPatrick wrote:

Decanted for one hour. Medium to dark ruby colour. Red fruit, bluebery, dill, tobacco, spices, cinnamon, vanilla, and light smoke, with great acidity, well-integrated tannin, and very good length. Medium-bodied, with notable acidity that asks for hearty food. Consistent over a period of three days. Very young. Hold, and start drinking from 2028.

9/9/2022 - macaujames Likes this wine:

Profound and racy has light clovey hints! Easily the Best Tondonia ever. Has excellent length on day two. 13%. I salute Queen Elizabeth's life! This should be bought by the case! Lay down 20-40 years+drink now too! Needs 90 mins aeration. I had this with lamb fillet and this was a wonderful match! This is a little Bourguinon but very Riojan with its juicy lipsmacking garlicky food friendly acidity!

8/23/2022 - PSPatrick wrote:

Bought recently, from a different source than the last bottle. In great condition. Medium garnet colour. Red fruit, dill, coffee, light cedar, tobacco, intense spice, cinnamon, clove, vanilla, and balsamic notes, with medium-level acidity, fully resolved tannin, and great persistence. Smoothly textured and well balanced. Has everything one would be looking for in mature, traditional-style Rioja. Equally enjoyable on day two. Drink now.

9/2/2022 - PSPatrick wrote:

Medium ruby colour. Cherry, red fruit, chlorine, forest notes, and light spice, with good acidity and good length. Juicy fruit, and good concentration. But the fine tannin is sandpapery and drying which makes it difficult to enjoy the wine at its current stage. The last glass I had on day one after three hours in a decanter drank best. However, by day three the wine was disjointed and undrinkable. I am concerned if this wine will ever come around, but the juicy fruit raises my hopes, and Ziereisen‘s Pinot Noirs typically need at decade to show best, so this wine still might have its moment in a few years. I would hold for five or six years. 88(+)(?)

7/7/2021 - macaujames wrote:

The Sermann Spatburgunder has been renamed. It should be Mayschosser Spätburgunder.Not particularly aromatic at the moment. It has 12.5% abv and is very drinkable and nicely silky but a bit hot blue and red fruits and with good oak. I got it on offer at 9 Euros but at the normal price this is not fantastic QPR at the moment. These bottles always improve with a year's laydown.

7/3/2022 - Soteriologist Likes this wine:

Most delightful alcopop ever: liquified chewing gum, but that shouldn't subtract from the quality being way above my expectations. The wood is good, and, besides the dried bananas, I swear (notice the "skunk" element) there's some potentilla erecta in this. This being too sweet soon, throw 4 - 6 cl of this together with a fresh pressed lemon and you're set: at 10 € for 70 cl a no brainer for a summer mixer.

6/29/2022 - macaujames Likes this wine:

Idiosyncratic as always! Has reserved aromas of clove hints, blackberries, leather, bricks, forest fruits and cherries. Its medium bodied earthy supple zingy clove flecked forest fruits palate has impressive depth and ends longish and tangy. Needs 5-6 hrs aeration. Lay down 5 years+.

6/30/2022 - macaujames Likes this wine:

Has complex aromas of brioche, minerals, limes, straw+hay, toasty stonefruits+veggies. Its stylish+refined layered, honeyed light to medium bodied briochey, minerally stonefruits palate has lovely perlage+depth. Ends longish, fresh and balanced. 12.5%. Good depth. Lay down 10-20 years+. The best Champagne I have had for a long time! 91/92.

5/2/2022 - PSPatrick wrote:

A bottle I bought back in 2017 and kept in my cellar since. Bright medium yellow gold. Stone fruit, ripe apple, ripe citrus, floral notes, nuts, biscuit, bread crust, brioche, and smoke. Medium- to full-bodied, with complex autolytic character, good acidity, fine, creamy mousse, and great persistence. Intriguing Aspirin-like bitterness on the finish. Very reliable, the Pol Roger Brut Réserve is one of my few go-to big house champagnes.

6/3/2022 - PSPatrick wrote:

Medium ruby colour. Beautiful red and dark berry notes, wild raspberry, cherry, blueberry, blackberry, light coffee, some dark chocolate, spices, light vanilla, and liquorice, with fresh acidity, round tannin, and very good length. The medium-bodied wine is smoothly textured and lightly creamy, with good complexity, good balance, and impressive purity of fruit. Very pleasant! Even more enjoyable than the very good 2018. Very good value! A great wine for everyday drinking.

5/24/2022 - PSPatrick wrote:

Medium ruby colour. Red cherry, red fruit, rose water, iodine, rusty nail, a hint of cocoa, spice notes, and earth, with good acidity, round tannin, and very good length of the dry finish. Medium- to full-bodied, with a smooth, lightly creamy texture. Very earthy. Very well-balanced despite of its youth. Feminine, harmonious, and very Burgundian on day two.

The beautiful 2018 Burlotto Barolo is enjoyable upon opening, and shows best after four hours of aeration in a wide decanter. Drink now, and over the medium term.

7/12/2021 - PSPatrick wrote:

Casually tasting eight samples with my wife (double-blind): Sample 4 of 8, prepared by a friend and dropped off at my door spontaneously, tasted double-blind. Citrus, herbal notes, smoke, light spice, and well-integrated oak, with lively acidity and very good length. Buttery texture. Good concentration and complexity. Reminds me of the Diemersdal MM Louw Sauvignon Blanc 2018 we drank the other day. I liked it.

2/1/2022 - PSPatrick wrote:

From 45-year-old vines. Maceration for a full ten weeks, followed by 20 months in barrique (20% new). Unfiltered. Only 12.5% ABV. Bought recently.

Medium garnet colour. Only opened up slowly, and the last glass after six hours drank best. Cherry, mushroom, iodine, and Pinot spice, with medium acidity, mostly resolved tannin and great persistence. Smoothly textured and well-balanced. All about balance and harmony, not power or complexity. One of the most Burgundian German Spätburgunders I have seen (and one of the very few Pinot Noirs that drank better from Zalto Denk'Art Burgundy glasses than from Riedel Sommerlier Burgundy glasses). Quite beautiful!