NW 2022 Xmas Roadshow

UK
Tasted Monday, November 7, 2022 by rikipedia with 102 views

Introduction

A walk around tasting of all the wines at the Naked Wines 2022 Xmas roadshow. As ever, I didn't score my own wines, but did add some tasting notes! Split into countries

Flight 1 - Germany (5 Notes)

  • 2020 Kaufmann Riesling 88 Points

    Germany, Rheingau

    Lifted white flowers and lime cordial on the nose the wine is fairly pronounced with beautiful ripe fruit of white peach mingling with quarry dust and mineral supported by a steely acid backbone. Crisp, and clean with apple, has a lovely vibrancy to the wine that continues to a long finish. Very approachable!

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  • 2020 Kaufmann Riesling Tell 93 Points

    Germany, Rheingau

    A delightful nose of mineral, lemon blossom and lime cordial with a twist of frangipane. Linear and intense with a pulsating acidity, this energized wine has arrow-head precision, great concentration and an elongated finish.

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  • 2021 Peter Klein Muskateller 85 Points

    Germany, Pfalz

    Attractive musk sweets and yellow flower aromas with a touch of a button mushroom. Unabashed Muscat relies on fruit to drive the wine forward, albeit with lively acidity; this is very approachable.

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  • 2020 Peter Klein S Riesling Trocken 88 Points

    Germany, Pfalz

    Peter and Barbera's S Trocken opens with fresh white apple, lemon blossom and lime notes. A restrained entry the wine has a nice savoury edge that works nicely with the ripe core of fruit from white peach, Gala apple puree, and Meyer lemon to a tickle of jasmine. A little more sweetness than the dry designation suggests this is a deliciously soft, easy going wine.

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  • 2020 Peter Klein Grauburgunder Kirchenstuck trocken 84 Points

    Germany, Pfalz

    Intriguing nose of Gala apple and shortbread. Crisp acid, delineated wine filled with plenty of fruit but more pithy, creamy lees than rich with a good concentration, although there is a sweetness that slightly protrudes. Am not sure if the 2020 is a Brocken to be fair.

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Flight 2 - Spain (15 Notes)

  • 2019 Península Vinicultores Bizkaiko Txakolina Vino Atlántico 92 Points

    Spain, País Vasco, Bizkaiko Txakolina

    Pale straw-yellow, the wine is super fresh with chilled melon slices, lime and fresh herbs.
    A fresh, zingy entry with vibrant acidity, freshly squeezed lemon, and a touch of salt deliver an expressive, linear wine with a long, clean finish and a lime skin pithiness. Lots of pizazz

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  • 2021 Badiola Rioja Artelan 87 Points

    Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alavesa, Rioja

    A light, pleasant Tempranillo from Rioja Alavesa with flavours of red fruits and leather, rich and balanced by a good spine of acid with a drying tannin finish.

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  • 2018 Badiola Rioja Reserva Artelan 94 Points

    Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alavesa, Rioja

    The gorgeously soft oven-baked red plum on the nose is mingled with tobacco, baking spices and mineral.
    The entry is warm and inviting with a velvet texture and a fleshy core of red plum, tinned cherry, spice-infused dark chocolate and toast. This Reserva is framed by satiny tannins and a lively mineral-edged acidity that gives focus and freshness all the way to the fabulously long finish. Wonderful depth of flavour; this is a super smart wine!

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  • 2020 Herencia Altes Terra Alta Benefet 86 Points

    Spain, Catalunya, Tarragona, Terra Alta

    Thick pile carpet at the first nose (!) but as it opened revealed lightly floral aromas with mineral, dried herbs, Asian pear, and quince.
    A crunchy fresh acidity joined by a pear skin texture that gets grippier and more phenolic into the mid-palate makes the wine texturally fascinating! However, there is just enough fleshy fruit to balance with ripe pear and apple sauce. The finish is slightly shortened by a hot cayenne note.

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  • 2018 Herencia Altes Terra Alta La Cirereta Terra Alta 85 Points

    Spain, Catalunya, Tarragona, Terra Alta

    The nose has delightful cherry, raspberry and pastry aromas. A sweet entry, this light-bodied Syrah-Carignan, Grenache wine has a lively acidity that gives the wine a spring in its step. A syrupy texture with a touch of spice and a rounded finish. Easily approachable, perhaps a little too syrupy and sweet on the back palate.

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  • 2018 Herencia Altes Terra Alta L'estel 89 Points

    Spain, Catalunya, Tarragona, Terra Alta

    A more mineral take on the previous wine with molasses and syrupy texture and flavours of warm gravel, pepper and spice cake. A dried herb, red cherry and redcurrant element flesh out the mid-palate and seems better balanced with medium acidity and dry but yielding tannins. Reasonably long too.

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  • 2020 Herencia Altes La Xalamera 92 Points

    Spain, Catalunya, Tarragona, Terra Alta

    60 yr old bush vines Grenache, dryland cultivated, the nose shows hung game, molasses, black pepper, dried herbs but wilder more fennel and scrub as well as mineral.
    An expressive, elegant, lightly lifted entry with rosewater, mineral and pink peppercorns. There is a thread of acid tension throughout, giving a spine to the wine whilst framed with grippy tannins and a long finish; excellent poise; this is a smart wine.

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  • 2021 Carlos Rodriguez Morum Blanco Morum 86 Points

    Spain, La Rioja, Rioja

    Lifted notes of fresh Galia melon, white apple and yellow plum. A fruity entry with medium intensity, a gentle pear skin texture, and lively acidity. Very quaffable.

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  • 2018 Carlos Rodriguez Rioja Crianza Morum 90 Points

    Spain, La Rioja, Rioja

    A gorgeously intense nose filled with raspberry, strawberry, tobacco, smoke and mulling spices. The entry is sexy smooth with oven-cooked red plum, cigar box, orange peel, clove and smear of vanilla. Soft accessible tannins balanced by a gentle acidity the finish is long and persistent.

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  • 2017 Carlos Rodriguez Rioja Reserva Morum 87 Points

    Spain, La Rioja, Rioja

    Quite a funky bouquet showing damp earth, and wet tobacco leaves with appearances of red fruits.
    Dry with a slightly sour cherry entry that shows firm, leathery tannins that build towards the finish. Somewhat drying, and the length is medium - Although good, I enjoyed the Crianza a little more.

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  • 2019 Carlos Rodriguez Ribeira Sacra Aba Solleira 88 Points

    Spain, Galicia, Ribeira Sacra

    A light purple colour the nose is all about mineral, granite, moorland heather and chopped stones. Lifted there are some blue fruits, black olive and white pepper with some tilled soil. A compact, medium-bodied wine with a bright acidity coated by blueberry jam and supported by dry, firm tannins.

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  • 2021 Bodegas Trenza La Orphica Selección Aurora 87 Points

    Spain, Valencia

    64% Macabeo, 10% Sauvignon Blanc, 20% Verdejo: An intriguing bouquet with initial notes of thick pile carpet, gunpowder and cordite. As the wine opens there is a distinct firework/firecracker aroma. The palate is different, with more fruit showing through: some lime, yellow flowers and smoked lemon notes join the smoky cordite arena. The acid is medium rather than lively, and whilst I enjoyed this more reductive style it isn't for everyone.

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  • 2021 Bodegas Trenza Monastrell La Orphica Iluminada 90 Points

    Spain

    A wonderfully expressive nose is redolent in rum and raisin, vanilla pod, Bing cherry, black plum and macchiato foam. A big, powerful, bold style, there is a high extract but plenty of fleshy fruit to balance and a lively acidity. Flavours of smoke, blackcurrant, coffee beans and mocha, this is a full-bodied wine that does what it says on the tin.

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  • 2021 Bodegas Trenza Tempranillo Ribera del Júcar Tofterup Brothers 87 Points

    Spain, Castilla-La Mancha, Ribera del Júcar

    Deeply coloured wine with raisin notes, dried black fruits and tinned cherries. Ripe and rich on entry, this is an open-knit fruity and sweet style of Tempranillo with some gentle rubbing tannins. A little too sweet for me on the finish.

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  • 2021 Bodegas Trenza Monastrell La Orphica Selección Tardia 86 Points

    Spain, Valencia

    Easy drinking sweet fruited Monastrell that exhibits a stony texture, blue fruits, raisins and a touch of menthol/mint along the entry and mid-palate. However, the finish was quite phenolic, mixing a dried fruit raisin quality and a green herbal note, making the tannin quite unyielding. Needs some rich food perhaps!

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Flight 3 - Portugal (4 Notes)

Flight 4 - Italy (15 Notes)

  • 2021 Cantine Sacchetto Pinot Grigio Pinot Grigio Blush Veneto IGT 85 Points

    Italy, Veneto, Veneto IGT

    With refreshing aromas of Asian pear and Royal Gala apple flesh, this is a crisp, broad non-nonsense Prosecco with an expansive mid-palate and a lovely phenolic grip on the back palate. Simple fruit fun!

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  • 2021 Col de L'utia Prosecco Rosé 87 Points

    Italy, Veneto / Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Prosecco

    An intense fizzy wine that is all about fresh strawberry fruit with a sideshow of red apples. Light-bodied with a zingy acidity and soft ripe fruits that slips down a treat!

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  • 2021 Col de L'utia Prosecco Brut 84 Points

    Italy, Veneto / Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Prosecco

    Pleasant fruity Prosecco that starts a little restrained, showing swimming pool but then opens more with crisp apple slices and a delicate fragrance. Not so much in the mid-palate; the wine falls a little short.

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  • 2021 Col de L'utia Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore V 1.0 89 Points

    Italy, Veneto, Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG

    Gently floral aromas of shortbread, yellow apple and lemon tart. The entry is sweeter than expected, but there is enough zesty acidity and tart apple and lemon fruit to work nicely. Fairly long finish.

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  • 2021 Stefano di Blasi Bianco da Uve Leggermente Appassite

    Italy, Sicily, Terre Siciliane

    Chardonnay and Viognier mix from Sicily that gives a ripe, fleshy fruit set against Meyer lemons and warm sunshine. My note was good but forgot to score it!

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  • 2019 Fattoria Lavacchio Chianti Rùfina 88 Points

    Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Rùfina

    Classic sour cherry and ripe black plums with a hint of liquorice. Elegant, approachable chianti with lively acidity and firm, chalky tannins.

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  • 2020 Stefano di Blasi Sterrato Grosso Toscana IGT 84 Points

    Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT

    Simple fruity Sangiovese-led wine shows smoke, dried plum and pinch of vanilla extract. Quite a bold wine and showing power, the wine seemed to imbue firm, slightly hard tannins that seemed to build and took away some of the finish. Not quite for me.

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  • 2019 Poggio di Guardia Toscana IGT 91 Points

    Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT

    Intriguing bouquet of wild, feral notes with tilled soil, Assam tea and shoe polish.
    Full-bodied, the entry is fresh and lifted with some bright acidity and framed by firm, compact tannins. Melted tar, leather and black berries light the way to a long farewell. Gets better in glass. Smart wine.

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  • 2021 Dominic Hentall Bianco Puglia IGT 90 Points

    Italy, Puglia, Puglia IGT

    Floral and pretty, this Fiano is filled with lemon blossom, yellow flowers, lemon zest, white pepper and aniseed.
    Light-bodied, the entry is vibrant with lemony fresh acidity, purity and beautiful oily texture. That little ripeness gives some width and flesh to the mid-palate whilst lemons and yellow plum dance along to a long pithy finish.

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  • 2021 Dominic Hentall Terra Calda Puglia IGT 89 Points

    Italy, Puglia, Puglia IGT

    Fairly intense, freshly picked firm plums, pepper, frozen berries, and some blue fruits.
    A fresh, cool entry but riper fruits that are more savoury than sweet, given Primitivo, but delicious and quite fleshy on the mid-palate with fine granular tannins. Very accessible!

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  • 2020 Dominic Hentall Sicilia Terra Nera 91 Points

    Italy, Sicily, Sicilia

    Nero d'Avola from Sicily the wine is lifted and intense with sweet fruit entry, full body and robust frame. Lovely breadth, the wine offers dark fruits, sage, blueberry and shoe polish matched by a lively mineral acid and firm, dry tannins.

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  • 2021 Fattori Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie 86 Points

    Italy, Delle Venezie

    Gentle fruity wine with some herbs and apple. Dry, easy drinking with lively acidity and a little breadth.

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  • 2021 Fattori Soave Danieli 85 Points

    Italy, Veneto, Soave

    Light aromas of blossom and forelle pear and slivered almond. More neutral on entry, light-bodied with a zesty acidity, squeeze of grapefruit and slips down nicely.

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  • 2018 Fattori Amarone della Valpolicella col de la Bastia 92 Points

    Italy, Veneto, Valpolicella, Amarone della Valpolicella

    Deep ruby in colour, the aromas are tilled earth, balsamic, stewed fruits and spice. Intense entry with a warming richness, stove-top cooked plums, orange peel and a sweet glycerol overlay. The tannins are grippy and dense, whilst the lively acid keeps the wine upright. The palate has lovely breadth and length with a pliable rich, velvety sheen making the wine fabulously satisfying.

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  • 2017 Fattori Amarone della Valpolicella 89 Points

    Italy, Veneto, Valpolicella, Amarone della Valpolicella

    With gentle rose petals and spice on the nose, the entry is deep, and richly textured with incredible intensity. More red fruits with dry oak nuance and savoury twist. A rounded mid-palate with little roasted herbs, but I found the fruit a little more dried out than I would have liked. Despite this, the wine is concentrated and exudes a delicacy that makes the wine keep going.

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Flight 5 - France (15 Notes)

  • 2021 Christophe et Fils Petit Chablis 87 Points

    France, Burgundy, Chablis, Petit Chablis

    An intense toasty nose with apple and pear.
    With a brisk acidity on entry, some creamy notes give richness. Medium finish with a melba toast twist.

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  • 2021 Christophe et Fils Chablis Vieilles Vignes 89 Points

    France, Burgundy, Chablis

    The nose is filled with buttered toast, nuts, ripe apples and damp oyster shells/wet chalk.
    The wine is medium-bodied with more flesh and concentration than the regular Chablis and that underlying richness of Chablis. Flavours of melba toast, apple puree, dried apple and nut add richness and breadth, making this Chablis bigger than I would expect and less obvious should I have it served blind!

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  • 2020 Christophe et Fils Chablis 1er Cru Mont de Milieu 89 Points

    France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

    A more complex nose with subtle notes of apple slices, toast and minerals. Dry, and mid-bodied with a nice creamy mid-palate, the wine is dry and focussed with nice fruit filling but lacks a bit of vibrancy. However, still enjoyable with a reasonable length.

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  • 2021 Villebois Chenin Blanc Val de Loire 89 Points

    France, Loire Valley, Val de Loire

    Gentle floral with blossom, chilled Galia melon, slices of apple and poached pears. A rich, open, clean style of Chenin Blanc with a lovely balance of lively acidity and the fleshy fruit mid-palate of pear puree. Some breadth and a long finish - very enjoyable!

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  • 2021 Villebois Sauvignon Blanc Distinction 85 Points

    France, Loire Valley, Val de Loire

    A lifted, fairly pronounced aromas with nettle, cut grass and elderflower. Light-bodied, and squeaky clean, this is fun and fruity.

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  • 2021 Villebois Pinot Noir Rosé 85 Points

    France, Loire Valley, Val de Loire

    Pretty nose with light red fruits, a soft intro with fresh acidity, some richness in the mid-palate, fruity and easy-going.

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  • 2021 Villebois Pouilly-Fumé 89 Points

    France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Pouilly-Fumé

    Fairly pronounced aromas of boxwood, thiols, English gooseberry, nettles and buchu. A clean and vibrant wine, focused and linear in shape, has a mineral edge filled with ripe thiol-orientated fruit and a relatively long finish.

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  • 2021 Virgile Joly Bourret 86 Points

    France, Languedoc Roussillon, Vin de Pays d'Oc

    Lightly floral, this is a soft fruity dry wine, light-bodied, with melon notes and a citric freshness made from Terret Blanc.

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  • 2019 Virgile Joly Lirac 90 Points

    France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Lirac

    Fabulous intense nose of garrigue, spice, tilled soil and leather. A rich entry, the wine has a good depth of flavour with some dry mineral and tar notes and a reasonably long finish.

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  • 2020 Virgile Joly Organic 92 Points

    France, Languedoc Roussillon, Languedoc

    Warm gravelly aromas with cherry compote, garrigue, scrub and dried earth on the nose. Cool and intense entry with a mineral-edged acidity balanced by a wealth of remarkable concentration and depth of flavour on the palate. Tar, blackberry and hung game join this warm, dry garrigue scrub that is focused on its long, winding finish. Excellent!

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  • 2020 Virgile Joly Côtes du Rhône Villages Plan de Dieu 87 Points

    France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Villages Plan de Dieu

    A more mineral style that manages richness without feeling syrupy and is supported by fresh acidity, a spine of firm tannins and some sweet fruits dusted in black pepper. Mid-palate hasn't quite the depth of other vintages but still showing nicely.

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  • 2021 Camille Cayran Côtes du Rhône Le Pas de la Beaume 86 Points

    France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône

    A soft, fruity easy drinking wine with Forelle pear, apple flesh, white pepper and a touch of spices. Broad mid-palate with gentle acidity.

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  • 2020 Camille Cayran Cairanne Les Voconces 89 Points

    France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Cairanne

    Grenache-led blend with lifted notes showing garrigue, blackberry pastille, dried earth and fennel.
    A soft entry with a rich texture, the wine ground peppercorns, sweet blue fruits, date and raspberry jelly powder all complexed by spice, liquorice and toast. A very good wine whose firm, dry tannins is softened by a fleshy core of fruits.

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  • 2020 Camille Cayran Rasteau 92 Points

    France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Rasteau

    Superb nose where the initial violet note morphs quickly to ripe fruit aromas of molasses, preserved plums, blueberry and tar and then to soy, iron fillings and dried earth.
    Full-bodied, the entry is rich, plump and concentrated with a core of fleshy fruits balanced with lively acidity and firm, mouthcoating tannins that are texturally crushed velvet but with density and coolness (clay soils?) to them. A long finish rounds out an excellent wine.

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  • 2020 Camille Cayran Châteauneuf-du-Pape 90 Points

    France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

    An intense nose alive with savoury nuances, garrigue, pepper, dried earth and dark fruits.
    Mid to full-bodied, the entry is rich and broad in the mid-palate and supported by a medium to lively acid but has minerally firm tannins that drive the wine along. The flavours are complex and fill the mid-palate, showing vanilla, molasses, fennel bulb, aniseed, blackberry and raspberry sprinkled with a twist of pepper. Lovely depth of flavour with a long farewell; the wine is still with a granular finish that, given time, will smooth out.

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Flight 6 - Sparkling (4 Notes)

  • NV Benjamin Darnault Crémant de Bourgogne Vigneron's Wife 87 Points

    France, Burgundy, Crémant de Bourgogne

    Bright aromas of toast, lemon curd, smoke and Forelle pear are accented by a lovely fresh mousse.
    Quite a ripe style with a medium rather than lively acidity but filled with pure pear on toast and a creamy texture. Very approachable but tails off relatively quickly.

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  • 2019 Simpsons of Barham Court Beora Reserve 92 Points

    United Kingdom, England, Kent

    A fresh, vibrant sparkling wine with apple, Asian pear and citrus notes. Bone dry on entry, the wine is bright and focussed with a linear shape, mouth-cleansing acidity and chalky edge complexed with light brioche pastry notes and a lemon twist. Excellent!

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  • NV Constantine Champagne Solarris Flawed

    France, Champagne

    The wine had a lifted, almost volatile note yet held floral elements with a more toasty, nutty, honeyed feel. The oak was quite expressive, certainly full in weight but seemed to show tertiary savoury notes that distracted. Yet had length. Tricky to place and maybe the bottle was slightly scalped, so rather not comment.

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  • 2019 Leighton Joy Shiraz Sunday Uptown 89 Points

    Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Grampians

    Certainly, something different, this is a firm but intense sparkling Shiraz showing ripe black fruits, orange zest and pepper underscored by a creamy softness in the mid-palate with a rich, delicious finish

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Flight 7 - South Africa (11 Notes)

  • 2021 Carmen Stevens Merlot Catoria

    South Africa, Western Cape

    Notes were lost

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  • 2020 Carmen Stevens Catoria Coastal Blend

    South Africa, Coastal Region

    Lost notes

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  • 2020 Carmen Stevens Pinotage Catoria Coastal

    South Africa, Coastal Region

    Notes lost

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  • 2021 Boschkloof Cabernet-Sauvignon-Merlot 86 Points

    South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch

    Aromas of sage, leather polish and black fruits with a sprinkle of pepper. Fairly rich on entry, the wine is open-knit with pastille fruits, good length and is very approachable.

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  • 2020 Boschkloof Cabernet Sauvignon 88 Points

    South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch

    Deep ruby, the nose is dried herbs, smoke with a hint of spices and black fruits. Nicely focussed on entry, and fairly linear in shape, the wine is filled with gobs of blackcurrant jam, black plum and a light dusting of spice and framed by grippy tannins and lively acidity. Very drinkable.

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  • 2019 Boschkloof Syrah 92 Points

    South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch

    An attractive nose of ripe blackberry and raspberry with a lift of violets, orange peel and a sprinkle of pepper.
    Intense on entry, the wine has sweet fruits balanced with lively acidity and grippy tannins. Wonderfully integrated, there are infusions of pepper, dried herbs and blackberry. A long finish, excellent!

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  • 2020 Boschkloof Syrah Epilogue 96 Points

    South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch

    Intense, captivating perfume with crushed blue flowers, cistus, fennel fronds, dried herbs and blackberry with a twist of spice.
    A rich entry, this wine has a coolness, incredible intensity, and depth of flavour. A luxurious, silky smooth mid-palate yields layers of blackberry, garrigue, blue flowers and integrated oak spices all lifted by an intriguing perfume that permeates the length of the wine. Fresh acidity and gently rubbing ripe tannin give structure along with delicacy and persist to a long, winding finish. Superb!

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  • 2020 Richard's Chardonnay Elgin

    South Africa, Cape South Coast, Elgin

    (disclaimer as made the wine so using my standard tasting note and not scoring) The 2020 Richard’s Elgin Chardonnay has aromas of peach blossom, orange peel and a touch of fresh pineapple slices. The palate is tight with incisive acidity and a penetration of fruit flavours: Comice pear, Gala apples, lemon curd and oat bran. Clean and delineated with a delicate manner, the wine has a saline and mineral texture. There is an oat bran and creamy element alongside some oak spices that will complex over time. The finish is extended with paprika spice/spiced pear that morphs into a saline, briny finish. Delicious!

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  • 2021 Richard Kershaw Wines Chardonnay The Cutler

    South Africa, Western Cape

    (disclaimer as made the wine so using my standard tasting note and not scoring) Light lemon-straw with delicate aromas of Bramley apples, Forelle pear and Galia melon. Some herb, white flowers and faint vanilla add intrigue to a gently perfumed nose.
    The palate has a lovely breadth on entry with yellow apples, pear pulp and sweet yellow peach. The flesh is cut with a tight acidity that gives tension alongside mineral, sherbet and chalk that adds a spine to the whole wine lifting up. Bone dry, there is a pithiness to the mid-palate, a juicy core of fruit, some gentle spice and a long persistent finish. Very much a gentle oaked style where more mineral comes from the ceramic spheres that were used.

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  • 2019 Richard Kershaw Wines Petit Verdot The Cutler

    South Africa, Western Cape

    (disclaimer as made the wine so using my standard tasting note and not scoring) This wine is deep purple with bright crimson edges. Distinct aromas, assam tea leaf, damson, dried pear, grappa and violets with a touch of cardamon and sage. Full bodied with ripe flavours, plenty of extract and an agreeable plum skin texture offset by a lemon fresh acidity and framed by compact, slightly sweet tannin. In the core lies a wealth of fruit: dried blackcurrant, bitter chocolate, friar’s balsam going to lavender, a gravelly minerality and a long finish.

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  • 2020 Richard Kershaw Wines Syrah

    South Africa, Cape South Coast, Elgin

    (disclaimer as made the wine so using my standard tasting note and not scoring)
    Mid-crimson-purple with pristine aromas of bright red fruits, white pepper, toast and baking spices; underneath is a wild note that adds complexity. A vigorous entry that delivers bright acidity and penetrating red and black fruits. A powdery texture supports and frames this elegant Syrah. As the mid-palate opens, spice joins pepper, boysenberry, fruit-infused tea and black plum along with a twist of vanilla and black raspberry. Medium-bodied, the vibrancy and energy give this Syrah buoyancy and depth. Together they result in fine-grained tannins, a dash of pepper and redcurrant towards a very lengthy finish.

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Flight 8 - Australia (6 Notes)

  • 2021 Jen Pfeiffer Merlot The Rebel 85 Points

    Australia, Victoria, North East, Rutherglen

    Ripe fruity wine filled with plum, blackberry pastille, a touch of morello cherry and lifted herbs (lemon mint?). Comforting, easy drinking with a rounded mid-palate and soft finish.

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  • 2020 Jen Pfeiffer Shiraz The Diamond 92 Points

    Australia, Victoria, Central Victoria

    Lovely intensity, this full-bodied Shiraz is bright with a smooth and rich texture filled with blackberry, pastille, blueberry and cool metal notes. Some power and focus, the wine has a lovely depth of flavour with lively acidity and powder-soft tannins. Fairly long, this is an excellent example of Shiraz.

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  • 2020 Jen Pfeiffer Cabernet Sauvignon The Diamond 89 Points

    Australia, Victoria, Central Victoria

    Down the line Cabernet Sauvignon with its gorgeous aromatic intensity; linear palate shape; fresh but integrated acidity with leafy, dusty notes at first which morph to blackcurrant, menthol, and mint that linger on the extended finish. Lovely focus, this is showing nicely

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  • 2021 Adam Barton Sauvignon Blanc Rabbit & Spaghetti 87 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Adelaide

    Gently perfumed with bright yellow fruits and crisp green apples. This is a lovely rounded go-to Sauvignon Blanc that is ripe and intense with an edgy, fresh acidity.

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  • 2021 Adam Barton Shiraz Rabbit and Spaghetti Horrocks & Greenwood 88 Points

    Australia, South Australia

    Toasty aromas with wafer biscuits, marinated black plum and blackberry all entice the nose.
    Supple entry with spicy oak and a hint of vanilla, there is a rich tannin and a warm, generous mid-palate leading to a cayenne spice exit.

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  • 2020 Adam Barton Shiraz Rabbit & Spaghetti Barossa Valley 92 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

    this Shiraz is much bigger and more powerful, exuding blackberry, vanilla, menthol and a touch of chocolate.
    A rich entry, this is fairly full-bodied with good depth of flavour, ripe sweet black fruits, mint and soft, powdery tannins that stretch to a long finish. Showing really nicely, classy Barossa.

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Flight 9 - New Zealand (4 Notes)

  • 2021 Dom Maxwell The Bloom 85 Points

    New Zealand, South Island, Canterbury, Waipara

    Pretty nose with gentle litchi and lime aromas, super soft texture, light-bodied with a lifted mid-palate and nicely integrated lively acidity with a lemon twist

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  • 2021 Dom Maxwell Gewürztraminer 90 Points

    New Zealand, South Island, Canterbury, Waipara

    Something different, the aromas are floral and pungent with litchi, musk sweets and Turkish delight.
    A bright entry with fresh acidity, the wine appealed as it didn't show that oily heaviness so typical in Gewurtztraminer but was threaded throughout with a brisk acidity. Good focus, fragrant on the mid-palate; this was a delicious example with a sinewy finish. Yum!

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  • 2021 Dom Maxwell Pinot Gris 91 Points

    New Zealand, South Island, Canterbury, Waipara

    A lovely intense nose with minerals, a bowl of ripe apples, Bartlett pear and a gentle toasty edgy adding intrigue.
    A more exotic entry with poached pear, some tropical fruits with a slice of melba toast. This fruit cocktail is underscored by a fresh, mineral-driven acidity giving vibrancy to the wine and some grip. Long undulating finish.

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  • 2017 Dom Maxwell Nectar Riesling 91 Points

    New Zealand, South Island, Canterbury, Waipara

    With intense notes of apricot, honey and peach melba, the entry is rich and sweet with a lovely pithy texture, good length and flavours of dried apricot, yellow peach and a touch of pineapple in syrup. Soft mid-palate, fairly long finish. Very more-ish!

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Flight 10 - Chile (4 Notes)

  • 2021 Jean-Pascal Lacaze Cabernet Carménère 87 Points

    Chile

    Lifted, herbal aromas with bright red fruits
    Medium-bodied, the entry is direct with good flavour intensity, lively acidity and a soft fruity underbelly with gentle spice notes. The fruit is pure and shiny and the finish is medium but feels a little generous.

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  • 2020 Jean-Pascal Lacaze Cabernet Sauvignon Private Collection 86 Points

    Chile, Central Valley

    Easy-going Cabernet with Ribena, toast and blackcurrant. Soft, fruity wine on entry with brightness and clarity with reasonable length with pliant tannins and flavours of blackberry skin and blackberry.

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  • 2019 Jean-Pascal Lacaze Cabernet Sauvignon Gran Reserva 88 Points

    Chile, Rapel Valley, Cachapoal Valley

    Purply in colour, the nose is expressive with blackcurrant, morello cherry and a sprinkle of pepper.
    A bright entry with focus and linear shape, there is clove, oak spices and black fruits with a note of inked blotting paper(!). Tannins are firm but integrated, and the finish is medium.

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  • 2019 Jean-Pascal Lacaze Cabernet Sauvignon Simétrico 92 Points

    Chile, Maipo Valley, Maipo Alto

    Nicely focussed aromas of black plum, menthol and blackcurrant are joined by oak spices and chocolate.
    Full-bodied, this is a burly wine balanced by fresh acidity. The mid-palate is creamy with ripe fruits and a good whack of oak spices. A long farewell, this is showing well at the moment, and the oak seems to work nicely to aid some complexity.

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Flight 11 - Argentina (2 Notes)

  • 2021 Marcelo Bocardo Malbec 88 Points

    Argentina, Mendoza

    An intense wine filled with black raspberry, Victoria plum, mineral, brown sugar and blue fruits.
    With good depth of flavour, the entry is easygoing with soft fruity tannins, plum and raspberry flavours and a backbone of crisp acidity. There is some complexity, and the Demerara sugar note seems to linger throughout to a long finish.

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  • 2021 Marcelo Bocardo Malbec Reserve 90 Points

    Argentina, Mendoza

    Again the Malbec has good intensity but a little more lifted with violet, black raspberry and cherry joining the plum and more complexity with a touch of spice. There is also a lovely focus in the mid-palate as the lively acid gives wheels to the wine. The tannins are finer-grained and integrated into the wine, and there is, again a lovely depth of flavour. Very smart.

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Flight 12 - USA (4 Notes)

  • 2020 Alexandra Farber Chenin Blanc Miriam 84 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    A sweet entry with notes of Bartlett pear and yellow apple, this is a delicate, lightweight style of Chenin Blanc that bounces along. Packed with sweet ripe fruit, this is a very approachable, simple Chenin.

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  • 2019 Scott Peterson Chardonnay Brass Tacks 83 Points

    USA, California

    In contrast, this is all about toasty oak, vanilla and spices overlaid with that exotic fruits suggesting a breakfast punch. A fatter rich entry with furfural notes and oak dominated, this is for those looking for a kick of oak, but it didn’t entirely rub with me.

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  • 2020 Chris Baker Pinot Noir yamhill-carlton 90 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Yamhill-Carlton

    An attractive nose of ripe plum, pastry and strawberry leads to a rich entry with a beautiful depth of flavour. Sweetly fruited with ripe Victoria plum, orange peel, sweet spices and tinned red cherries is set against a lively acidity. Excellent balance and a long length.

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  • 2019 Derek Rohlffs Syrah Unti Vineyard 89 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley

    An intense nose with spice, coconut, ripe cherry, blackberry and oak spices. The entry is intense and expressive, with plenty of fruit but more dry than sweet and supported by powdery tannins. A long length, this wine is modern. Clean and correct, but it grew on me.

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Flight 13 - Christmas Wine (3 Notes)

  • 2019 Domaine Kirrenbourg Riesling Roche Granitique 88 Points

    France, Alsace

    In granitic soils, the aromas are light and airy with easygoing floral notes of lemon, mineral and fresh apple.
    A delicate, fruity wine with pear and apple flesh and a pleasant zesty lemon note that finishes off-dry. Nice, approachable wine with some concentration and linear palate shape.

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  • 2020 Olly Masters Pinot Noir Master & Jack 91 Points

    New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago Bendigo

    Lifted aromas of strawberry, sous Bois and wet earth.
    A soft entry, the mid-palate is sumptuous and creamy with a fine line of assertive acidity and packed with raspberries, strawberries and cream and savoury tilled soil. A fine-grained but fruity tannin gives some frame to the wine and the finish is long.

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  • 2017 Château du Glana 86 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

    A bouquet of blackcurrant and redcurrant, tobacco, gentle spices and wet soil. Medium-bodied, the entry is sweet and approachable with juicy fruits, fresh acidity and some earthy, slightly charred oak notes. Lacks some mid-palate depth and is relatively simple.

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