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Wine Type
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Vintage
Name
Variety
Locale
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Date
Posted
Score
Helpful
Comments
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Red
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1995 Craiglee Shiraz
Sunbury
more
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Ullage very low in neck.
Sieving recommended
No decant, tasted over 4h.
No sign of seepage, single piece cork.
Translucent ruby
P: medium bodied, has a somewhat similar taste profile with Tahbilk’s reserve shiraz of the same era. Good length and balance. I really enjoy this style of victorian shiraz at this age.
Drink or hold, on a gentle slope.
12.5%abv
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Red
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2010 Agly Brothers Côtes du Roussillon Rouge
Red Blend more
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Excellent fill level
Long single piece cork
Sieving recommended.
Tasted over 3h undecanted.
V: dark red, high opacity.
N: slightly stewed fruit aromas, a bit spirity.
P: the mouthfeel is plush, with very little tannic grip. finish is hollow, some bitterness and alcoholic heat.
Overall, out of balance between over-ripeness and the expected flavour intensity. I’ve had many vintages of this wine and this is a weaker vintage.
Drink or hold, limited upside anticipated.
15.5% abv
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Red
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2005 Agly Brothers Côtes du Roussillon Rouge
Red Blend more
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Single piece cork
Excellent fill level.
Tasted over 24h
Sieving recommended.
I’ve been following these wines for a while. This vintage is my favorite.
N: a bit of brett, some leather, and earthiness.
Palate is smooth, tte finish is savoury and long and the alcohol (15%) is well integrated.
Drinking at near peak now.
15%abv
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Red
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1959 Pierre Ponnelle Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Saint Georges
Pinot Noir more
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Ullage at low neck.
Single piece cork. Signs of seepage.
Tasted over 2h.
Seriously this was very youthful, showing some high toned fruity notes behind a very earthy palate.
We have had plenty of dead wines that were about this age and this was delightful.
Drink up!
13% abv
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Red
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NV Xavier Vignon Châteauneuf-du-Pape la Réserve VII IX X
Red Rhone Blend more
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Long single piece cork, no sign of seepage.
Excellent fill level.
No sieving required.
Not decanted, Tasted over 4h.
V: dark red with high opacity. This is consistent with minor grenache and cinsault in the blend.
N: aromas are bramble and blackberry, a bit of graphite.
P:I was hoping to find the same bliss as other TNs, but this style was a bit difficult for me to fully appreciate. The tannins were chalky, there was a touch of bitterness in the long finish. The black fruit and mineral profile was fully ripe but admirably not tasting cooked in the slightest. There was an impression of balance despite it all. The oak is nearly indecipherable.
One can certainly taste this is a meticulously assembled wine, and my reservation is just personal preference. Hats off for a distinctive expression of this great appellation.
This was never meant as a burgundian styled chateauneuf, and will please those looking for a bigger styled modern chateauneuf using many of the rarer permitted varietals.
Drink or hold to 2029, some upside anticipated.
15%abv
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Red
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2000 Bernard Chave Crozes-Hermitage
Syrah more
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Single piece short cork, no sign of seepage.
Excellent fill level.
Sieving recommended.
Not decanted.
Tasted over 24h
V: translucent crimson, minor garnet on meniscus.
N: clean nose, iron, leather smoke.
P: lean, mostly tertiary flavours, good length. Fully mature but not feeble. Pronounced acidity.
Drink up, no upside anticipated.
13%abv
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Red
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2012 Farnese Edizione Cinque Autoctoni
Vino da Tavola
Red Blend more
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Diam cork, no sign of seepage
High ullage, decanted and tasted over 24h.
No significant sediment.
V: deep purple, opaque
Aromas of vanilla and some char
P: didn’t really evolve, there was a distinct flavour profile of bitter and overripe fruit in this wine.
Definitely not my style. I unecessarily slogged through a bottle in 2 nights but should have used it for cooking.
Blend of sangiovese, montepulciano, negroamaro, nero d’avola and another varietal.
Drink, hold to 2027 or avoid altogether if possible.
14%abv
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White
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1995 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Cuvée Roussanne Vieilles Vignes
more
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Single piece cork, no sign of seepage.
Excellent fill level, no sieving necessary.
Decanted and tasted over 3h.
Toffee and viscous texture. Some freshness despite the nose suggesting a dead wine. Agree with previous TN, is on mature plateau, and it could be stable for a long time before the first signs of decline are consistent.
To be enjoyed from 2025 to 2032 IMHO, tasting well now.
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Red
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2010 Xavier Vignon Arcane XVIII - La Lune
Côtes du Rhône
Syrah more
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Single piece cork, no sign of seepage
Level excellent, no sieving required.
Enjoyed over 24h.
V: dark crimson rim. Darker centre. This concerned me because it suggested an extracted mess with lots of oak, but the nose reassured me immediately.
Tasty, richer fuller expression of syrah, but i can’t agree with the northern rhone similarities, this is very much southern rhone syrah.
Deep pepper and kirsch liqueur. Tannins very light, long satisfying finish that avoids the flabbiness of many southern rhone syrah bottlings. Alcohol is perceptible.
Overall, a nice plush style syrah with excellent length and tasting well 13y into it.
100%syrah, 15% whole bunches, fermented in concrete, 60mo ageing.
Drink or hold to 2028, limited upside anticipated.
14.5%abv
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Red
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2015 Meyer-Näkel Spätburgunder
Ahr
more
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Single piece cork, no sign of seepage.
Level excellent
No decanting, no sediment.
Tasted on first evening.
V: translucent ruby
Nose: strawberries and a bit of damp soil.
Bright, slight tartness, sapid, mouthwatering finish. Simple strawberry fruit. Slight fizz. Interesting and delicious rather than complex. A bit short.
Drink or hold to 2028, no upside anticipated. Delicious now.
13%abv
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White - Sweet/Dessert
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1973 Ferdinand Pieroth Muskat Ottonel Ausbruch Somlo Var - Burg Somlo
Balaton
more
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Single piece cork. Some seepage. Saturated up to 80%.
Ullage into neck.
V:Deep gold, veering on brown.
N: slight sherried notes but very minor. No significant botrytis character.
Toffee, burnt butter, mushroom. Finishes with bracing acidity despite the high rs. Interesting wine.
Drink up
12% abv
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Red
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2009 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Clos des Porrets St. Georges
Pinot Noir more
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From half bt.
Single piece cork, excellent fill level
No sieving necessary.
Decanting recommended.
Maturity: just ending secondary development
V: garnet with brownish meniscus
N: serious stink, which blows off within 30 minutes. earthy notes, some black tea, some animal notes, some smoke.
P: excellent length and density. Really satisfying nuits typicity. This still has upside, or is on a very gentle slope. Decade or more remaining, depending on preferences.
Drink or hold to 2030+
13% abv
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Red
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1995 Condado de Haza Ribera del Duero Crianza
Tempranillo more
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From bottle.
Ullage below shoulder.
Lots of signs of seepage.
Single piece Cork very soft and crumbly.
Sieving not necessary.
Tasted over 4 hours
Transparent ruby with very slight bricking.
Nose of leather and earth, clove. Really attractive.
Palate is very balanced and elegant, finish is long, acidity is perfect.
Intensity is medium.
Still some fruit, perfectly integrated and mature. A real treat and a surprise after dumping out the last bottle of this.
Drink up, on a very slow descent.
13.5%abv
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Red
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2001 Feudi di San Gregorio Taurasi Riserva Piano di Montevergine
Taurasi DOCG
Aglianico more
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Single piece cork. Soft low density single piece cork made it difficult to gauge saturation.
Decanted for 2h, tasted over 3h.
Filtration recommended.
Tasted again 24h after opening was much worse.
Low shoulder level.
V:opaque and dark crimson.
N: tar, oak, vanilla. Distracting.
P: drying tannin, vanilla, tar and bitterness on the finish. Tannins seem to originate more from the oak than the wine.
Drink or hold, in gentle decline based on this single bottle.
Presumed to be 100% aglianico
14%abv
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Red
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2003 Domaine Bunan Bandol Château La Rouvière
Mourvèdre Blend, Mourvèdre more
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Tired bottle. Limp and inexpressive.
Drink up or avoid.
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Red
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2004 Delas Frères Hermitage Les Bessards
Syrah more
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Single piece cork, 10% saturation, no sign of seepage.
Excellent fill level, sieving recommended.
Decanted for 3h tasted over 90min.
Smoke, allspice, anise on the nose.
Palate is light and harmonious. Vivid acidity, recalls burgundy.
Good length, very moreish.
Drink now or hold until 2033.
13.5% abv
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Red
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1989 Chateau Musar
Bekaa Valley
Red Blend more
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From auction. Ullage was low shoulder. Cork was barely in place. Lots of signs of seepage. Tasted twice over 3h. The wine was spoiled.
14%abv
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Red
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1996 Cordero di Montezemolo Barolo Monfalletto
Nebbiolo more
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Single piece cork. Excellent fill level.
Almost no sediment. Sieving optional.
Decanted and tasted over 3h.
Deep garnet. Slight opacity.
On the nose, the oak was dominant. Almost cloying.
On the finish, there was a persistent rusticity that i found noticeable. My experience is of a single bottle of this wine so whatever that’s worth.
13.5%abv
Drink or hold to 2030. Upside is limited.
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Red
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2006 Coop. Agr. Sant Josep de Bot Terra Alta Llàgrimes de Tardor
Grenache Blend, Grenache more
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Bt no 2169 of 6200.
Single piece natural cork, long.
Signs or seepage, composition was mushy.
Came out in a single piece with ah so.
Excellent level.No deposit.
Transfered into decanter and tasted over 2h.
Fairly youthful colour, some opacity suggesting more of an extracted wine. Deep Red meniscus.
No off note of oxidation. Simple kirsch notes, a bit spirity.
Palate is a bit prickly from acidity and somewhat medium length. Ok.
Seems like its on a slow plateau, no rush to drink. Flavours unfurl slowly, unsure this will get better. I would qualify as okay. Have had a mixed bag with 06 northern spain wines of late.
Varietal composition unclear garnacha negra but may also contain cab sauvignon and others. To Be clear, this is the Seleccio bottling.
Drink or hold to 2030, upside is uncertain.
14%abv
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Red
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1999 Emile Hanique Auxey-Duresses Clos du Moulin aux Moines
Pinot Noir more
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Single piece natural cork.
Bottle aeration over 2h.
Tasted over 2h.
Sieving recommended.
Delicious mature wine, with a savoury moreish finish. A hint of brett.
Fine and recommended to drink now until 2027.
13.5%abv
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Red
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1999 Jenke Mourvèdre
Barossa
more
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Expanded foam core with rubber skin cork. Bit of a sign of the times.
Ullage is very high into neck. No sign of seepage.
Been interested in tasting wines that were made sensibly back in the era of peak overextracted/overoaked garbage. It has been a mixed bag in Australia in particular, with even respected winemakers making truly unbalanced wines that have aged poorly.
This wine is well balanced, sensibly made and the oak is barely perceptible.
The nose opens with xylene and rosemary, just leaps out of the glass
No prune spirits here. No oak glop.
The colour is garnet, and medium translucence. Not over extracted either.
The palate has refreshing acidity, enormous length, and a herbal savoury character that i seek in mourvedre.
While this is a far departure from other old vine barossan bottlings that just make an overripe confected mess out of great old vines, this is a sensational outlier with the herbal, savoury balance that mourvedre is capable of. It’s also a different wine to say Bandol. Those seeking a Tempier substitute will not be satisfied here either. It’s a different wine in this regard as well. Worth seeking out, and singing at the moment.
Mourvedre vines planted in 1890.
12.5% abv
Drink up.
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White
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2019 Collector Wines Marsanne Lamp Lit
Canberra District
more
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Stelvin closure
Hyped up by my local shop.
Not showing much atm. I only like marsanne after significant ageing. Tastes like many a modern oaked chardonnay at the moment.
Revisit in 2030, much upside left.
13.3% abv
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Red
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2004 Podere La Cappella Corbezzolo Toscana IGT
Sangiovese more
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Decanted and Tasted over 2 h.
Minimal ullage.
Single piece cork, no sign of seepage.
Deep crimson coloured.
The vanilla and oak are overpowering on the nose.
P: Reminds me of barossa shirazes made in that extracted style.
Not at all my cuppa. I found this obnoxious, flabby and devoid of varietal markers. It could have come from anywhere, and quickly became tiring. We didn’t finish this bottle, which never happens.
Sangiovese
Drink or hold.
14.5% abv.
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White - Sparkling
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1980 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon
Champagne Blend more
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Auction purchase
Bottle probably stored upright.
Cork shrank and let air in at some point.
Cork was loose when i tried to pull it.
Wine was flat and deep gold coloured when poured. Tasted fully oxidised.
Tread carefully folks.
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Red
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2006 Bass Phillip Pinot Noir 21
Gippsland
more
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Diam style closure
My TN was very different to others.
This tasted like an overripe adelaide hills pinot that was over the hill.
Murky colour, garnet reddish.
Tasted old, but the iron is that i kept it at 12C since buying in 2009.
I have had more experiences like this with BP wines than stellar ones. I know that when they are good, they are great but I expect better than mediocre when they aren’t. This certainly belings tontye latter bottles.
Single bottle, so will never know.
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