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Wine Type Vintage Name Variety Locale Date Posted Score Helpful Comments Comment Date Community Score More...
Red

2011 Laboratorio Rupestre Escombro

 Vino de Mesa Alicante Bouschet more
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3/3/2014 - StefanAkiko Likes this wine: 100 points

This wine will attract a fanatical following and is my first 100p here on CT. Have thought about this wine for three days now and feel comfortable with the score.

Black color.
Rich, splendid, elegant and multi-disciplinary aromas including various herbs and both dark and red berries. Still very young and for making my point clear: no anise, no coffee and no roasted aromas.
In the mouth this is more rich than an old-fashioned Aussie Shiraz, but not from extraction, no, this tastes like the natural concentration of the grapes. (In my imagination, the grapes used for this wine are so small, they are picked with tweezers) Escombro is long, multifaceted and a chamelion that both charmed and blew our socks off. Good acids and a fabulous tannic structure hiding behind the megafruit. More balanced than Justitia's scales.

Made by what is described as a rather peculiar Swede, Erik Rosdahl. Apparently tall, wild-looking, prefers flip-flops even in the winter and lives in a ruin ("Escombro" in Spanish.)
Is sold in some 3-star restaurants and in Bar Brutal (Barcelona) where it was recommended to me by the owner. Who later was coaxed by my daughter to let me buy the restaurant's last bottle...
I would guess it's the one great wine that RP didn't have before complaining about natural wines...
There is no other text of any kind on the label.
At Bar Brutal they said it's made of Grenache, but on the only web reference I can find, it says old vine Alicante Bouchet. So, I don't know. 16%, so not for everyone.

If I had as many btls as I wanted, I'd drink one every week for maybe 30 years. Now I only have one and will enjoy it on my pre-birthday party in april.

  • Comment posted by pjaines:

    3/6/2014 11:27:00 AM - Grrrr. Sounds sexy Stefan! Did you pick up any other surprises for your trip here to London tomorrow?

  • Comment posted by pjaines:

    3/6/2014 1:32:00 PM - Ooooh I love Ribera del Duero wines - they are pretty big but they taste soooo good. First time I have seen Beaujolais and Petite Sirah in the same sentence
White

2018 Argyros Assyrtiko Cuvée Monsignori

 Santorini more
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1/19/2022 - pjaines Likes this wine: NR

Wow! This really is pure essence of sea breeze. Genuinely saline on the palate with zingy lemons and almost mouth-puckering acidity. This is quite wonderful. Will age for years. My brain is constructing a Venn diagram of sea water, Chablis-at-its-most-Chablis, chalk, fresh air and a view from a mountain overlooking the Adriatic sea.

  • Comment posted by pjaines:

    9/8/2022 9:25:00 AM - Glad you liked it, you crazy Viking. I think these are the best whites I have tasted in years. Really exciting and, as you say, probably what electricity tastes like in liquid form.
Red

2010 Luis Pato Vinho Regional Beiras Vinhas Velhas

 Baga more
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1/18/2014 - Cabfrancophile Likes this wine: 91 points

First experience with a Baga, and I'll certainly follow this variety in the future. It's hard to place exactly what this reminds me of, but after some time I felt this was similar to Bdx varietal wine, towards the Cab F or Merlot side of the spectrum. Cranberries were the dominant fruit, high acidity, quite mineral with an underlying earthy, herbal character. Very clean and supple, almost round, strikes me as old world fruit made with modern techniques. Tannins are present, structurally, but tame. Became very aromatic after an hour in the decanter. I suspect this will age nicely on the acidity, but it won't disappoint if consumed now.

  • Comment posted by pjaines:

    1/26/2014 5:04:00 AM - I loved your tasting note - I think you nailed it. It definately has a tang of Chinon/Cab Franc about it.
Red

2021 Lukas van Loggerenberg Cabernet Franc Breton

 Coastal Region more
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3/23/2024 - pjaines wrote: NR

This is all Loire-esque pleasure of green peppers and raspy tannins - imagine being licked by 20 cats. No screechy end notes here though - there is enough depth to provide some bass notes. Really really impressive.

  • Comment posted by pjaines:

    3/24/2024 3:20:00 PM - It is pretty good now but I'd love to see what this looks like in 3-5 years.... it has depth and acidity to mature,
Red

2015 Jacques Antoine Toublanc Bourgueil

 Cabernet Franc more
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12/19/2020 - pjaines Likes this wine: NR

Where the hell did this come from? out of nowhere like a sneaky little unexpected guest, this is now one of the best wines I've had this year. Regal, elegant, it just got better and better as it unwound. At first tight and very much at the "chiselled from rock" end of the spectrum, it slowly unfurled to show whisps of black fruit and tannins that pulled off the trick of being there, but not being there. Schrodinger's Tannins. The drive and focus of the wine is stunning - it is neither fruit bomb, nor austere, neither mature, nor old. It just exists in its own space-time continuum. If you could plot out its taste and smell on a graph then it would be narrow but deep - there is no waste here. God, I only purchased one bottle. I rushed back across London today for their last bottle this morning. "Sorry, it has gone". My heart cracked.

  • Comment posted by pjaines:

    12/20/2020 2:52:00 AM - Yes it was theatre of wine in greenwich where i got this.... thanks for heads up
Red

2001 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon

 Margaret River more
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4/27/2016 - chatters wrote: NR

Moss Wood (Custom House, Circular Quay, Sydney): 2nd bottle tried for variation sake. Much of a muchness. Perhaps a touch more leathery and biscuity on the nose. With agitation the same qualities as the previous tasting are evinced….Perhaps this bottle is very slight butter. A briny quality joins blackcurrant fruit. Plentiful oak and spice. On the palate, yes, this is in slightly better condition. beautifully balanced with the tannins more resolved and harmonious, blackcurrant fruit, cream, briny elements, very slight leather and the tannins though firm are more integrated. Long. Very good.

  • Comment posted by pjaines:

    3/28/2020 3:00:00 PM - Where did you bury the hookers chatters?
Red

2009 Leeuwin Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Art Series

 Margaret River more
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4/26/2018 - chatters wrote: NR

Leeuwin Estate Birthday dinner (with ringins) (Bitton Restaurant, Erskinville): Muted savoury and slightly baked black fruits; berries an currant and dusty spice. Slight herbaceous notes & cedar, vanilla. Savoury, peppery, spicy oak married to muted dark fruits, tannins are quite drying and broad and close the palate down. With time a herbaceous note and some slightly unripe blackcurrant, spice. good.

  • Comment posted by pjaines:

    1/18/2019 9:19:00 AM - Oi. You! I'm slurping this lovely little beast, purchased on the strength of your tasting note. Always judge a man by the company he keeps, they often say. I feel dirty just thinking about the fact we both like the wine!
    Get yourself to London !!! again.

  • Comment posted by pjaines:

    1/1/2021 1:12:00 PM - Reading these notes almost brings a tea to my eye...."we are going to sweden......yay". NOPE!
White - Sparkling

2009 Ridgeview Bloomsbury

 West Sussex Champagne Blend more
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6/5/2012 - bevetroppo wrote: 88 points

What better wine to crack during the Jubilee? My first ever English wine. It's down, it's up, it's good! A blend of mostly chardonnay with some pinot noir and pinot meunier, it takes it's place on the world sparkling stage with a proper curtsey and ladylike refinement. Palish color, persistent small bubbles, a little toast, hay and apple fruit on the nose, light to medium bodied at 12.5% with an appealingly clean dry finish. Blind I would have never guessed, but now I know. In Burgundy they call global warming Le Bon Problem. In West Sussex they should call it a bloody miracle.

  • Comment posted by pjaines:

    10/10/2014 3:29:00 AM - I'm loving your notes - I've been reading through a lot of them today and this one made me laugh. Over here in England we are still a little reticent about drinking our own juice, especially as we can pick up perfectly decent champagne for less money.
White

2008 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons

 Chardonnay more
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5/25/2014 - pjaines Likes this wine: NR

Like a bag of minerals mixed with lemon juice - lovely, firm, taut wine with flinty aromatics bellowing out of the glass. Everything a Chablis should be, with the fruit being there only to allow the minerals to express themselves. Great stuff.

  • Comment posted by pjaines:

    5/25/2014 11:51:00 AM - Most likely - but why wait? I saw your note about it and thought you nailed it. I must admit I prefer my Chablis super lean and mineral-laden. To be honest, I dont have enough experience of drinking Chablis through its various stages - I've had either super lean or heavier and softer. I prefer the lean stuff.
White

2011 Hubert Lamy Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Les Frionnes Blanc

 Chardonnay more
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5/28/2014 - Rak Likes this wine: NR

2011 Hubert Lamy Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Les Frionnes

OMG! Last night, after family safely tucked up in bed, I listened to the audio commentary track on Bunuel's Tristana Bluray. Impulsively, uncorked a half bottle of this wine. It immediately made me smile, unlike the slightly dull commentary even though it boasted Catherine Deneuve. Bone dry freshness, ripe green apples, lemon zest, pears all delicious but the best was yet to come; the most appealing wet stones mouthfeel with disarming salinity. Will order more! ☺️ (17/20)

  • Comment posted by pjaines:

    5/28/2014 2:34:00 AM - St Aubin is my favourite region (outside of Chablis) for whites. Brilliant value for money.
White

2007 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Bougros Côte Bouguerots

 Chardonnay more
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8/11/2014 - pjaines wrote: NR

Hmmm, bottle variation here - a touch of premox starting to show on the last couple of bottles, while others have been lean and beautiful.

  • Comment posted by pjaines:

    8/11/2014 2:23:00 PM - You mad vikings......all that crazy sh1t like Surstromming and Japanese wine!

    Maybe we can have both together!
White

2012 Eden Road Chardonnay Tumbarumba

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7/15/2014 - chatters wrote: NR

Eden Road tasting and dinner (North Sydney Cellars): medium minus aromas of lemon curd, toast, slight butter, mineral hints and slight sweet spice notes. In the mouth the wine is zesty with a juicy lemon tang, some toast notes, slight mid palate grip and a mouth coating quality, fruit carries long. Mmm. niceish

  • Comment posted by pjaines:

    12/2/2016 1:32:00 AM - Drinking it at Planet of the Grapes at Cannon street. A boozy post-work de-stress. It is showing really well right now.
White

2002 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Bougros Côte Bouguerots

 Chardonnay more
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7/19/2013 - short and confused wrote: 92 points

Pale gold. rocks, vanilla, almonds on the nose with a gentle floral element. Really fills the mouth. The is a nice mineral spine to the wine but it is fatter and richer than most Chablis and it had a distinctly buttery note on the end. This richness has a spicy complexity with some notes of ginger. There was a good amount of energy to the wine. I drank it in a suboptimal tasting setting (spontaneous dinner at neighbors house with tired children running around the table) and I wish I had some more time with the wine. As I drink more and more Chablis with age on them, I am coming to the conclusion that I like my Chablis a little better young. This is not a criticism of this wine just an observation that I think I prefer the earlier versions of these wines- perhaps I will dig into the 2008 this weekend!

  • Comment posted by pjaines:

    11/15/2013 12:22:00 AM - Interesting to see your comment about preferring Chablis younger - I am of the same mind myself. I have some of the 2007 Bourgros and quite a few people are saying I should leave them for 10 years (and risk them turning into a premoxed mess) but I prefer my Chablis to be about seashells, minerals and the soil rather than the fatter fruit.
White

2007 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Bougros Côte Bouguerots

 Chardonnay more
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11/14/2013 - pjaines Likes this wine: NR

There is quite a bit of variation in the bottles from the same case - this was much deeper and richer than previous bottles with a more pronounced oaky depth. Previousl bottles have been a sharp as a razor.

  • Comment posted by pjaines:

    11/14/2013 11:58:00 PM - Christmas probably. I've had too many premoxed Chablis to think about aging them more than a few years. Might stick a couple away for a few years to see what happens, but 50% of the time they turn into a mess. I actually prefer my Chablis a bit leaner and younger - I find the older ones less appealing.
White

2007 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Bougros Côte Bouguerots

 Chardonnay more
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10/22/2013 - pjaines Likes this wine: NR

2nd bottle in the space of a couple of weeks - this was stunningly pure, crystaline with searingly clear. Seashells, minerals and racy sherbert - painfully pure at times. This is essence of Chablis. Excellent.

  • Comment posted by pjaines:

    10/23/2013 1:00:00 AM - A touch of bottle variation with my first two bottles (the first one was a touch oxidised) but this is really nice stuff. I like my Chablis on the firmer more seah-shell side so I'll probably drink half youngish and keep the other half. The less said about that bottle of Petite-Sirah the better.
White

2012 Eden Road Chardonnay Tumbarumba

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7/15/2014 - chatters wrote: NR

Eden Road tasting and dinner (North Sydney Cellars): medium minus aromas of lemon curd, toast, slight butter, mineral hints and slight sweet spice notes. In the mouth the wine is zesty with a juicy lemon tang, some toast notes, slight mid palate grip and a mouth coating quality, fruit carries long. Mmm. niceish

  • Comment posted by pjaines:

    12/1/2016 9:11:00 AM - Chatters. Im slugging this down in a bar in london. Great stuff. It seems to be going down quickly
White

2012 Foxglove Chardonnay Central Coast

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9/16/2016 - pjaines wrote: NR

A bit of a heavy touch on the fruit here - I understand this was not aged in oak but there is a undercurrent of richness that swings this too far into "heavy" territory for me. Needs some crispness and freshness to show the fruit at its best. Not a repeat for me. Much much better chablis available for less dough,

  • Comment posted by pjaines:

    9/17/2016 1:45:00 AM - You can buy pretty much anything in Ye Olde Londone Towne.
White

2007 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Bougros Côte Bouguerots

 Chardonnay more
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10/8/2013 - pjaines Likes this wine: NR

There is a big whack of everything going on here - clarified butter, minerals, liinen-soft palate...depth and persistence with a grippy, intense sherbt finish. I was expecting more minerals and a leaner palate - this has a slightly oxidative touch at times.

Needs some time to open up - as some as have said in previous notes, a decant would not be a bad thing here.

  • Comment posted by pjaines:

    10/8/2013 1:09:00 PM - Second glass or second bottle? Just half way through right now - impressive stuff - needs a decant and some serious air. I prefer my Chablis lean and sea-shell-infused. This is a bit fatter.
White

1992 Amiot-Bonfils Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Caillerets

 Chardonnay more
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5/24/2016 - pjaines Likes this wine: NR

Looked like sherry on first pour and the nose was borderline poxed, but this soon strapped on its boots and started to unfurl. Rich nose, but the palate still have some residual freshness and layers of minerals. Very persistent. Takes a brave man to buy a 92 white Burgundy, but I really enjoyed this.

  • Comment posted by pjaines:

    5/31/2016 12:19:00 AM - It was actually my friend who purchased the bottle. We thought he was mad....but in the end he was proved right. Probably the most mature white burg i have experienced. These days i barely buy anything older than 5 years old.
White

2008 Domaine Vocoret et Fils Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre

 Chardonnay more
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6/28/2013 - Waynescoting Likes this wine: 91 points

I'm not 100% sure I've correctly identified this wine because the label, an image of which I'll upload, looks different from one that another reviewer uploaded. Also, I'm an inexperienced taster.

I greatly enjoyed this wine that--based on earlier reviews--I'm drinking late. It was a pale yellow and relatively full-feeling compared to most whites I've had, dry but it didn't seem excessively so, buttery with some earthiness, even a tiny bit of spice perhaps. It's the best white-wine experience I've had in quite some time, and I thought I disliked Chardonnay! Any feedback from other tasters as to why this Chardonnay experience seemed so categorically superior would be appreciated. The answer may be, perhaps, that I've mostly been exposed in the past to American Chardonnays (and probably on the mid-to-low-end of the price scale).

  • Comment posted by pjaines:

    10/28/2014 10:00:00 AM - Interesting note - you'll find that Chablis is much leaner and more mineral than a lot of the US Chardonnays, which feel very heavy and over oaked and buttery to the European palate.
    Good Chablis (in my opinion anyway) should have a very taut and lean mineral base - the Grand Cru chabis do have more depth of fruit but never that flabby, softer feel of some other Chardonnays. Good luck with discovering more - I love Chablis and think it is one of the great bargains when it comes to white wines.
White

2014 Samuel Billaud Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons Vieilles Vignes

 Chardonnay more
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10/4/2015 - pjaines Likes this wine: NR

Samuel Billaud 2014 Chablis (London): Great value for a 1er cru here and this is layered through with all that crunchy seashell and lemon pie actions you would expect - there is a tickle of richness to the fruit to pull back the tanginess a bit. Beautiful balance and will age wonderfully - all crackling minerality right now - this sits in between the Butteaux and the Montee de Tonerre - the 3 wines give a perfect snapshot of the range of 1er cru profilles.

  • Comment posted by pjaines:

    10/5/2015 6:48:00 AM - Its tough living in London! All that wine. I feel a personal responsibility to drink as much of it as possible.
White

2012 Kumeu River Chardonnay Maté's Vineyard

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9/8/2015 - pjaines wrote: NR

Much riper than the other Chardonnays from Kumeu - this has that tropical fruit and buttery element to it that seems to dominate the structure a bit too much for my liking. Very well made wine, but I struggled a touch after 2 glasses (although like a trooper I soldiered on and finished the bottle!)

More inclined towards the Coddington or the Estate versions which seem slightly less full-throttle.

  • Comment posted by pjaines:

    9/9/2015 2:58:00 AM - After 3 weeks in Brittany eating nothing but butter I'm buttered out.

    I surrender.
White

2012 Kumeu River Chardonnay Estate

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7/31/2015 - Omar Khayyam Likes this wine: 92 points

What a find! Or rather, I guess it was a globally orchestrated marketing campaign where the serendipitous simultaneity of the glowing reviews of some world famous critics - out of the blue - and the sudden retail availability in far off places like Sweden probably was not a mere coincidence.

At the same time, tasting is believing. And I believe. Yes, I do believe!

Thx to Jancis R for pointing this gem out to us mere mortals. Worth a yearly subscription to the financial times purely based on this call I'd say.

Now, to the wine itself. Firstly - what pjaines and Marc said.

Secondly, I think this is a beautiful marriage of flinty Chablis and opulent meursault, of Burgundian precision and ripe new world Chardonnay fruit; steel and oak.

Perhaps this will not age as well as it's more well bred first cousins, such as the brilliant mate's vineyard offering, and perhaps the finish is not as long and as structured as could be. But, gosh darn it this is so pleasurable right now! Go get yourselves some, folks! For crying out loud!

  • Comment posted by pjaines:

    7/31/2015 1:28:00 PM - Erik - a very savvy point about the orchestrated marketing campaign - although who can blame them with such good wine. These wines (especially their more modest Village wine) are now house-staples at my house.

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