5/13/2024 - KenK Likes this wine:

Well made in British style of firmness with rich Pinot character. Deep dense and bristled. Not quite my style.

5/13/2024 - KenK Likes this wine:

Good flavors, nice wine if not a bit four square. Balanced with a tends toward higher fruit weight. Simpler styled.

5/12/2024 - KenK Likes this wine:

Generous black fruits with a savory edge in a nice frame. Solid and quite good, very enjoyable. See upside from more delicate nuances in time.

5/12/2024 - KenK wrote:

Opened for Richard’s memorial at BP. Fill low shoulder with excellent color and label in very good condition considering the age. Cork came out in one piece with Durand and seemed in decent shape, although no markings on the cork.

Unbelievable surprise as this still offered up tons of pleasure with ripe dried blackberry fruits and exotic plum and violet character. Enough acid to keep it alive and no signs of tannins, just sweet tasting fruit that was impressive. Wow, what an experience, everyone was amazed at how good this tasted. Quite yummy, but clearly old and doubtful it was faked. Cool bottle that had little bubbles embedded in the glass and no seams, don’t make them like that anymore! Crazy too it was a war year bottling, had to have been made under tough conditions. What a treat, toast to Richard!

5/12/2024 - KenK wrote:

Delicious for its dark rich black fruits and seamless structure. Long life ahead, but this offers up lots of pleasure now. Wonderful balance and quality shines through here. Just hints of secondary complexity, but it’s all there. Well on the way to potentially being epic.

5/9/2024 - KenK wrote:

Dark berry with good zip and a dark chocolate note. A tad candied and just a bit of warmth.

5/9/2024 - KenK Likes this wine:

Very good, although a bit more in the riper fat fruit moid then crisp taunt style I was in the mode fire. Well made and solid, perhaps lacking a bit in nuance.

5/6/2024 - KenK wrote:

A bit past peak for me, good, not great. Dried black fruits with an earthy appeal and somewhat firm frame.

4/26/2024 - KenK Likes this wine:

Good dark rich fruits with Coca Cola.

4/18/2024 - KenK Likes this wine:

Good, but mature. Dark dusty black fruits, some good spice, Nice, but not epic.

4/14/2024 - KenK Likes this wine:

Big burly and ripe flavors. Good, but clearly outclassed by the 2018 version. Tons of fruit here, but at 20’years old, still little nuance.

4/12/2024 - KenK Does not like this wine:

Drinkable, but seems too big and hot. Decent, but a bit too old and oaky for a SB. 14.4% not refreshing. Super heavy premium bottle makes a statement.comes access like it was made using big Chard techniques for a delicate grape.

4/12/2024 - KenK Likes this wine:

Big rich burly wine. Delicious

4/11/2024 - KenK Likes this wine:

Sadly this only got a 2 hour decant and probably needed a lot more. Dark dense fruits nicely concentrated with a chiseled intensity this was still wound up and only giving a peak of what it has to offer. Amazing material here with some pretty floral elements and finely built, but needs time to strut its full self. Opened along side a 2010 Dominus that was singing, showing the clear benefits of cellar age. This will be fantastic, just let it sleep for now.

4/11/2024 - KenK Likes this wine:

Wow. Aromas of black berry, cedar, toast and expresso. Rich concentrated black fruits with a deep core and nuanced layers of beautiful spices. Well integrated structure that keeps this lively and fresh. In a gorgeous spot. I could see why the critics love it. Served blind most thought it was a very fine Bordeaux. Awesome wine, bravo. No rush here, but for me it’s at or near peak and close to perfection.

4/11/2024 - KenK Likes this wine:

Good, but rather light and soft with slight hints of oxidation. Not as impressive as I expected.

4/11/2024 - KenK Likes this wine:

In a very good spot. Big and bold fruit flavors in a delicious dense style. Clearly guessed Chardonnay blind and while some bigger oak flavors noted, very enjoyable with no signs of oxidation.

4/11/2024 - KenK Likes this wine:

Half bottle - good clear amber color and fine cork. Some felt could be slightly corked, but others like myself did not pick up on it. Full of classic apricot, peaches, and orange blossom in a silky smooth medium concentrated style. Enjoyable and good, yet a bit soft and less intense then the very best vintages.

4/11/2024 - KenK Likes this wine:

Dark brooding style offering very good black cherry flavors with a chunky structure of tannins and acid that likely keeps this aging for a long time. Just wonder where this will go from here.

3/31/2024 - KenK Likes this wine:

While good, this remains a head scratcher given AG rated this 100 points. It’s a lighter styled red fruited wine with nice tension, but hard to find this more than a good light red wine. Nothing profound, but nothing offensive either.

3/18/2024 - KenK Likes this wine:

Nice wet stone slate aromas with hints of quince. Nice fresh intense mineral driven tension with broadening fruit quality as it expands in the mouth. Friendly flavors and very good for this level although not profound either. Excellent price for quality

3/16/2024 - KenK Likes this wine:

Exactly as I expected, well made, very good dark red fruits with nice lively structure. Very nice village wine.

3/16/2024 - KenK wrote:

Good with nice dusty dried red fruit, but just a bit on the lean dry side and a touch thin. Fully mature, but note from a 375 that was well stored with perfect cork.

3/16/2024 - KenK Likes this wine:

Rich dark chocolate flavors dominate here. A lush ripe hedonistic wine that is well made and still drinking very well.

3/16/2024 - KenK Likes this wine:

Amber and mature with nice unctuous tex, sweet and oily peach & apricots. More of a dessert wine.

3/14/2024 - KenK wrote:

Leaner and tart with Cranberry.ok, but below my expectations

3/7/2024 - KenK wrote:

Not corked, but clearly flawed, perhaps oxidized. Still good underlying fruit. Hopefully just a bad bottle

3/2/2024 - KenK Likes this wine:

Impressive showing tonight, beautiful dark Rich blackberry fruits with savory spices and well balanced backbone. This was singing. In a great spot.

3/2/2024 - KenK wrote:

While this was drinking ok and not obviously flawed, fruit was dull and uninteresting. Nose was excellent, but wine just seemed lifeless. Cork showed a slight sign of running up the side to the lip, so will call this flawed due to oxidation. Based on all the excellent notes here with regards to quality m, will assume just a single bottle issue.

3/2/2024 - KenK Likes this wine:

Earthy aromas of dried red fruits with a touch of old wine stink. Dark dried black cherry with friendly spice and good acid cut. Clearly past prime and faded fruit, but highly drinkable & improved over the first hour.

3/1/2024 - KenK Likes this wine:

Old wine aromas with peach color. A tad oxidative, but impressive fruit flavors, nice effervescent & good acidic structure. Overall, I’m a fan, but I liked it more than most.

2/25/2024 - KenK Likes this wine:

Decanted for a couple of hours, which I think really helped. Dark dense aromas of black cherry, scorched earthy, cedar. Deep rich fruit forward and very smooth mouthfeel. This was singing, excellent depth of fruit, well balanced by nice structure, everything in place and a pleasure to drink. On the young side and nearly hedonistic. Don't hesitate to open now if you like the fruit more upfront. Still needs time to develop more nuance, but this was rock solid yummy. Pelican Bay Beach Club dinner.

2/26/2024 - KenK Likes this wine:

Surprisingly dark in color, carmel. Rich lush dense very sweet flavors of honey, peach and apricot preserves. Excellent primary flavors. Cork crumbles, but wine was enjoyed by all. Pelican Bay Beach Club

2/25/2024 - KenK Likes this wine:

Clean fresh creamy texture with light mint. Not your average SB very mineral driven. No sense of grassy grapefruit so often seen in SB. Very well crafted and really delicious..

2/25/2024 - KenK Likes this wine:

Very good value champagne. Clean crisp bright with good white stone orchard fruit. A touch simple, but nicely balanced.

2/19/2024 - KenK Likes this wine:

I really like where this is, good extraction for the vintage and 2001 structure. Dark earthy red fruits, Asian spice with good acid lift and chewy tannic structure. Integrated well, with a ton of time left to develop further.

2/12/2024 - KenK wrote:

A bit tired, but still very good. Opened next to 2012 Bryant which probably didn’t help the comparison, lol

2/4/2024 - KenK Likes this wine:

Very good solid Cali styled Pinot, but not mind bending as some of the very best Aubert Pinots in my experience.

1/31/2024 - KenK Likes this wine:

Crumbling cork, but nice fill & color. Cloudy orange brown miniscus w/ dark brick opaque center. Initial aromas of soy & rust, but blew off rather quickly. After an hour in glass became floral with classic hints of rose & tar with an interesting anise like note. More giving and extracted than expected, but still clearly mature. Good balance, yet no sense of astringency just nice acid lift to dusty rusty cherry elements. Not delicious, but quite good and highly nuanced. Likely a simlpler wine in the day taking on an interesting edge do to time in a great cellar. Offers up plenty of enjoyment. Who thunk 65 years to keep this wine? A cool x-factor to the wine.

1/31/2024 - KenK wrote:

Good, but fairly one dimensional. Nice acid backbone, but fruit lacked weight and overall deliciousness.

1/29/2024 - KenK Likes this wine:

Very nice Chsmpagne drinking well. Good balance and nice clean mineral driven white fruit flavors. Out performed my expectations

1/28/2024 - KenK Likes this wine:

WOW, what a delicious and interesting wine. Dark spicy rich black fruit with amazing spices of cinnamon, clove, and sage firmly integrated into this multidimentional wine. Both powerful in flavors and nicely bright and light in texture. A very difficult vintage with all efforts going into this wine since no Amarone was made and it really shows here. Bravo! A wine I would prefer to drink now, but no hurry.

1/20/2024 - KenK Likes this wine:

Delicious, generous rich red fruits with very balanced structure. Offers up tons of pleasure with a real sense of great wine making. In a lovely spot, but no rush.

1/14/2024 - KenK Does not like this wine:

Really nice aromatics of lime zest, acacia petals, with a hint of petrol, very inviting & classy. Palate however comes across rather simple & diluted. Good minerality, tangy structure & taught bitter edge. Very well made wine from possibly suboptimal grapes.

1/12/2024 - KenK Likes this wine:

Another magnificent experience. Still very bright and clean with plenty of lively effervescence and brightness. Well defined and wonderful depth of fruit and stony vibrancy. Likely at peak, but should live on for at least another decade. Perfect wine for a perfect evening.

1/10/2024 - KenK Likes this wine:

This is still quite young and although drinking nicely it remains a bit extracted and large scale. Lots of delicious density and packed with fruit, but a bit wound up and firm. Likely has more to show, but not on this night.

1/10/2024 - KenK Likes this wine:

This was served double blind and very clear right from the first sniff this was something very special. Dark rich aromas of espresso beans, blackberry, scorched earth, and cedar. The wine was completely opaque and clearly extracted, such a surprise in hindsight for a 15 year old wine. The palate was equally rich with velvety dense spicy black fruit flavors and good brightness with sweet tannic appeal. This was clearly our WOTN without question. Long way to go here, but hard to believe it can give any more pleasure than tonight. Thanks J!!!! An absolutely great kickoff to our first Naples Wine Tasting group.

1/5/2024 - KenK Likes this wine:

Drinking very nicely with classic dark tar and floral aromas.Asphalt, blackberries, black cherry with nice acidic bite. I really enjoyed how the fruit seemed to melt into the structure. Perhaps not as complex or dense as the best, but overall this clearly exceeded my expectations. Probably at or just past peak, but great bottle still have years of enjoyment.

1/1/2024 - KenK Likes this wine:

NYE wine. Loved where this is now and how this wine drank, feel AG really nailed the descriptors. The wine is precise and focused with a wonderful inner mouth energy, excellent red fruit extraction and a nice fresh livliness. For a somewhat lighter vintage, yet this provides nice depth and velvety texture. Simply delicious. Drink or hold, my personal pref is to drink now or over the next 3-5 years. Another stunner from Nigel and Shae.

12/24/2023 - KenK wrote:

A perfect cork, beautiful dark color, great fill, but sadly while sound, it’s not very good. Dried and lean with an oxidative quality that seems to cover up the fruit flavors and nuance. Drinkable and clearly Burgundy, but based on the notes here, a poor vintage for Damoy. Too bad.