10/23/2023 - pilot360 wrote:

Nice olive tamponade and lavender opening on the nose , floral. Palate presented with nice acidity, but was a bit hollow in the mid palate, this seemed to resolve a bit as time opened the wine/ Lacks a bit of presence , otherwise elegant.

4/2/2022 - robmatic wrote:

Still young, this is going to be a serious long term wine.

1/30/2022 - andtheodor wrote:

Elders @ Eric's: Alcohol, berry pie, eucalyptus, sweetly fruited but no noticeable sugar. Smells like a sticky monster and when the dryness hits you think it's going to wither away but it holds together pretty well and certainly isn't dying. More of a curiosity than a great wine at this point and probably better to have alone instead of a flight of '68s.

2/2/2018 - andtheodor wrote:

There's some nice classically Priorat berry and slate aromas but the palate is fairly washed out, not oxidizing or getting nasty, just dilute. Drink by 2012.

8/25/2021 - andtheodor wrote:

Mid-neck fill with a stubby little barely-saturated cork. Smells like grandma's potpourri basket, celery seed, and old tea. Palate is a delightful mix of dried cranberry, goji fruit, punchy acidity, and a lick of metal. Feels dilute but there's a lot of vinous power behind the weightlessness.

4/10/2021 - blanquito wrote:

Trying hard to like/understand this, but not loving the results so far. This is lean enough to seem dilute and it has some green notes, which I guess is a surprise given the heat of the vintage overall. It does improve with air, becoming more interesting and a touch deeper with a spicy, saison sour cherry and medicinal notes emerging. In many respects, this hardly tastes like wine and comes across more like a umami tea. Ready to drink structurally at this point, but unless you know you like this style, I would hold and hope.

11/15/2020 - andtheodor wrote:

Smells like peach puree, Lipton's tea, cinnamon, and hay, all wrapped up in a wisp of smoke. Palate is intensely lemony, like a squirt of lemon has been added to a sweetened mulled tea. Interesting and powerful but lacking complexity. IMO, late harvest Riesling ought to have Botrytis.

2/4/2021 - andtheodor wrote:

Effortless. A bouquet of fresh flowers, pickled ginger, honey, beeswax, alfalfa. So pure and clean - it's a great wine that happens to also be sweet.

11/24/2020 - andtheodor wrote:

Geez, this is so good and just barely getting started in its evolution. So much eucalyptus, pencil shavings, soil, currant, wet tobacco. Fresh, buoyant, youthful, serious, but easy to drink. This is how Cabernet is supposed to taste.

5/25/2020 - andtheodor wrote:

Liquid mushrooms.

5/24/2020 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:

Fully mature, with a med(-) body, darker, dustier black fruits, some black tea, and soil. From Spring mountain, bottled in 1974, with 12,2% abv. Very fun to try it at this age. Served blind, I had no idea, and didn't care, as it's just meant to be enjoyed at this grand station in life. Drink now, not improving. recommended

5/18/2020 - Tim Heaton wrote:

Color still holding for a nearly 40 year old wine. Intense cinnamon, some other brown spice, trace soil notes. The palate was/is fully mature, with high-ish acids, and still present, though resolved tannins. Not in great harmony, but this may have been bottle variation. Fun to have tried. Drink now.

2/3/2020 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:

Excellent. At this point in its evolution, this bottling is likely to be showing some bottle variation (read: great corks/ok corks/bad corks); our example was in optimal condition. Med dark gold, wave after wave of nuanced, intriguing aromas, and a medium-bodied, perfectly lifted palate that leads to a haunting finish. The sweetness takes a backseat here, letting the nobility of aged Chenin Blanc really shine. Very glad to have tried this; it should live for another decade without issue, but so good now that I can't imagine it could improve from here. very highly recommended

4/7/2019 - andtheodor wrote:

Served double blind from my cellar. Sturdy, with good structure and plenty of fruit to support it. Spicy, intense, cinnamon even, tart berry fruit. Kind of an idealized mature wine to me. I was pretty confident this was some earthy, sour, Italian wine and I don't think anybody even mentioned Cabernet. Really lovely if enigmatic.

3/4/2019 - andtheodor wrote:

My note from 2015 still works for me. Severely mineral, charred meat, scented markers, black licorice, dutch cocoa, sweet clean soil, great acidity, coarse tannin. If this ever manages to resolve some texture it would be great.

11/7/2018 - andtheodor wrote:

Bizarre flaw I've never encountered before. This smelled potently like horseradish, mustard gas, burnt curry powder. Nearly impossible to even smell, I don't know how this tasted

12/4/2017 - andtheodor wrote:

Wow, this was good. A study in non-fruit complexity. 24 hours open on the counter and this is perhaps the greatest Franc I've tasted.

11/12/2017 - andtheodor wrote:

Apricot, oranges, bruleed sugar, cinnamon, just wonderful and I could sip this all night.

2/11/2017 - Doc90 Likes this wine:

Bright happy nose. The palate is darker and more complex-fall leaves, apple crisp, honey. Such a contrast between nose and palate. Evolving and contemplative. The hype behind this wine is real. Paired well with Walrus ice cream.

8/16/2017 - andtheodor wrote:

Kalamata, cardamom & violets. Really fresh, lifted interesting. Kind of brief and compact right now.

1/17/2017 - andtheodor wrote:

Wow, love the deep savory woodsiness here. I opened this on new years and somehow gulped the whole bottle in a matter of hours.

1/26/2017 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:

Oh, dear, this is so good. Not for some time have I had a wine that was able to perform quite this kind of magic trick. When I first poured it, I wasn't so happy with the rather dark brick-red color. Then I took my first smell (the powerful aromas from the carafe dragging me in), and I again was not happy - beet root, red currants, etc. WTF, is this Napa? So I let it sit as I checked on it each 5 minutes, and by the 20 minute mark it began to change. Lots of bright citrus character, with just the inkling of red fruits somewhere in the dark chasm. I was perplexed: at first this had nothing to do with CC at all. Nothing. But by the 30 minute mark, ferrous clay, hot stones and dried brush bit at my lip. Dinner was nearly finished being prepared, so I checked again at the 45 minute mark - whuttha? Chianti Classico appeared, front and center. WOW! I bit my lip, and I crossed my fingers it would continue in this direction, and did it ever. Blood orange aromas pierced my nose, rich leathery cherry notes urgently drew me in, closer and closer, until I yielded and had to taste. Wow, THIS is CC! Honestly, every single time I went to take a sip with my meal, this offered up some new thing, some unique thing for me, as if to play with my mind. And I admit, it did. I didn't only yield, I swore allegiance. This is some kind of wine, and I'm glad I broke my mid-week rule of sticking to $15-$25. If I see any/case for sale, I'm on it like greased lightning. At the 90 minute mark, I am a broken, but very happy man, my mind, quite spent; I'm wearing a bewildered, ear-to-ear grin. 13,5% abv., highly recommended. Absolutely drink now. Miss nothing.

Served non-blind; trace sediment.

https://italianwine.blog/

1/7/2017 - andtheodor wrote:

A bit of lime juice and fennel on the nose has me excited. While the palate has a lot of flesh and grip, there is only modest acidity and comparatively little salty mineral sense.

6/29/2016 - andtheodor wrote:

Opened for a pizza piled high with meat - tons of dark Barbera fruit, bright acidity, just an engaging and easy drinking wine.

11/27/2016 - Kraussja Likes this wine:

Blackberry jam, mint, and violets on the nose. Fully resolved rabbis, but still nice structure. Very fresh fruit on the palate - I would've guessed this wine was more in the 10-15 year range if not for the color and a hint of compost on the finish.

11/26/2015 - blanquito wrote:

Opened for turkey day. Pure, beautiful bouquet of lime, rock candy, basil, and a whiff of slate. The palate is delicious, quite smooth with fine acids on the attack. The finish is really sweet, maybe gooseberries laden with honey. This is borderline cloying unless you are looking for a lovely, real, sweet white wine. Long, lingering finish. Good match with spicy food. I might let my others sleep to see if they eat their sugar with more age.

9/30/2016 - andtheodor wrote:

Consumed next to a fire in the backyard on a cool night - really pleasantly spicy with cocoa and red berry fruit. Much better definition than 5 years ago, this is a wine that defies the stereotypes of its origin.

8/29/2016 - andtheodor wrote:

Identifiably Priorat, awfully big, high alcohol, and clunky. Lots of plum and berry fruit, still plenty of tannin, but little to rescue it from the doldrums of ripeness and power in Priorat.

8/26/2016 - andtheodor wrote:

Dried apricot, orange oil, liquid flower perfume. Oily and lower acidity with a luscious, voluptuous texture and loads of sugar, kind of like VT Gewurz without the exotic twist. Pretty tasty stuff.

8/24/2016 - andtheodor wrote:

Metal and pulverized rock with apple and pear behind it all. Fabulous weight and power with an energetic zingy finish. Tasted blind this gave the distinct impression of a very good grosses gewachs. Love it.

8/24/2016 - andtheodor wrote:

Tasted blind. Chocolate and sickly sweet currant fruit on the nose. My wife dumps her glass out immediately. Kind of like a slightly off dry California "Port". No redeeming character.

8/16/2016 - andtheodor wrote:

Best bottle of this yet - full maturity the only age related effect here. Black tea, strawberry, orange peel, perfumed aromatics. Sweet-tart acidity, cherry, blood, lean but brisk and fresh too, finishing with a bitter Seville orange note. Wife asks if we can drink this every night.

10/23/2012 - BradKNYC wrote:

Some golden oldies on a Tuesday night. (Il Corso.): Shows much more of a red fruit character than the Muga and is much further down the highway in terms of its development. The cherry and red plummy fruit is starting to feel just a little brittle and the earth and leather elements more apparent. Much higher acid than the Muga, but nothing a nice plate of food couldn't master. Finishes with a classic cedar, orange citrus and worn wood note. Good stuff. A-.

5/3/2016 - JulianSkeels Likes this wine:

Gorgeous wine, enjoyed a bottle with the winemaker but will not be publicly released until this September. 21yrs in US oak followed by 5yrs in concrete and then bottle. Initially very heavy, with deep gold, and lovely almond nose. Big, rich and persistent with lingering salinity. With lots of air this actually reminded me of a top Burgundy! Enjoyed with all courses of a dinner. Highly recommended.

4/20/2016 - andtheodor wrote:

Reluctant nose showing some tropical note, florals, but mostly mango. Immense body and concentration, Liptons, pretty sweet, but not particularly interesting.

3/10/2016 - Doc90 Likes this wine:

The nose hits you like a cannonball. Gunpowder, campfire, pinyon pine, smoke, rhubarb, plums, red fruit, black pepper. This is what I would want my dream cabin to smell like. Bright, tart, lively red fruit. Tart cherries, alert acidity. Undertones of cinnamon and lemon zinger tea (the energetic acidity). Dynamic and complex. Deep, yet not contemplative; more adventurous. Very long finish.

2/13/2016 - andtheodor wrote:

Green pineapple, white peach, a little golden apple, a wallop of oak that has integrated well showing only a bit of banana and bitter spice on the end. More like a Graves blanc, very impressive. Immaculate bottle.

1/29/2016 - andtheodor wrote:

A little bit grapey/blueberry (which I don't really like in recioto) but some chocolate bar, cigar, musk, espresso, with a really pleasant bittersweet finish.
It's reminding me of Mexican hot chocolate now, some serious spice behind very rich milk chocolate. Damn, this is really good!

12/3/2015 - andtheodor wrote:

My last bottle, and possibly my best of this. After a series of awkward stinkers, this is back to its tarry, old Nebbiolo-inflected self. Fudgy, tart cranberry sauce, rustic, powerful, and textured like a much older (and more expensive) wine. Great match with meatballs on a cold night.

10/12/2015 - andtheodor wrote:

TCA

6/21/2015 - andtheodor wrote:

Cooked cherries, leather, black tea, mushrooms, tar, bitter almonds, and astringency. Doesn't sound very nice, but the pieces fit together and make an enjoyable wine.

10/1/2015 - andtheodor wrote:

Tasted blind. Woah, funky, earthy, plum, old wood, roasted meat, decay nose that immediately reminds me of Pesquera before I even taste it. Palate is smoky, very peppery, has an attractive sweet/sour acidity. Gutsy, well made wine and I was certain it was a Pesquera Reserva. Oh well, close enough.

8/15/2015 - blanquito wrote:

I'd not tried this before, had high hopes... Decent, good cut, but monolithic and not showing much Chenin character except fleetingly. Not bad, the bottle was drained, but I'm damning it with faint praise. Too young?

7/25/2015 - Tim Heaton wrote:

held since release only to find it's corked. so pissed.

7/19/2015 - Tim Heaton wrote:

All great athletes are subject to the effects of time and injury, and in the instant case, this had a touch of TCA/TBA that distracted on the nose, but showed its pedigree - and fortitude - on the palate with virtually no TCA at all. Moreover, thanks to the strength of the fruit and vintage, it was able to rise above its defect and provide pretty remarkable enjoyment in the mouth and on the finish. It's not fair to think that this might be representative, but if it were, it's most certainly time to drink as this window is closing sooner than later. I had to leave before the bottle was emptied, but I have to think the remainder was quite drinkable and that none ended up down the drain.

Decanted for sediment and returned to bottle, served single-blind one hour later.

7/1/2015 - andtheodor wrote:

Nose of apple, pear, a bit honeyed, some funky Chenin verve too. The palate is where this really shines as the acidity this wine once had has mellowed and rounded off while the texture is getting supple, with some appealing yeastiness, even biscuity, ample fruit sweetness, chalky, lemon mineral water. This just killed with carne asada, guajillo salsa, avo, & tons of cilantro. More advanced than all my other bottles and showing great interest for the future if this is the trajectory.

6/21/2015 - finewinebuff57 wrote:

I love Todonia's mature whites, but I'm increasingly less convinced about the reds - too little fruit to support the other attributes of this most traditional of styles. Murrieta, 904, 890, CVNE all far more convincing at this maturity. The end of affair..........

6/11/2015 - Ombibulous wrote:

Friends, what do you think the end of the drinking window would be for the half bottle? Perhaps I should drink it now. The average drinking window of all vintages (1971 through 1985 have drinking windows specified) is 35 years, which would put it at 2006. The last time I drank this, also from the half bottle, was 2008. Your thoughts would be welcome. Thanks!

6/14/2015 - CondorKhan wrote:

Drinking fantastically well at the moment.

It smells like an oak paneled study full of old leatherbound volumes that have soaked up decades of fine cigar smoke.

On the palate, the taste of black cherries, smoke, leather and wood. Tannins perfectly integrated. Deliciously old school. I should have decanted this because it was by the last glass that this was starting to really, really sing.

6/10/2015 - andtheodor wrote:

Tasted blind. Twizzler, candied, carob, loamy, cran-raspberry nose. Sweet-tart palate with fuzzy tannin and pleasing acidity. Seems unevolved and simple. Certainly new world, seems Cali-ish, thought maybe a juicy young Grenache blend. Pleasant enough, but seeing the label made me think much less of this wine as Pinot never really crossed my mind. Not my kind of Pinot at all.