2/21/2017 - richiemagnier Likes this wine:

Dense and weighty but balanced. Smoky black fruits and well-integrated alcohol. Delish!

2/21/2017 - richiemagnier Likes this wine:

Deliciously elegant but still maintains its chunky Amarone badge with pride. Very classy yet approachable

2/21/2017 - richiemagnier wrote:

2008 bottling. Way past its best. Only a hint of past glory there leaving a sweet confected tipple. Still good quality but lost all its character

10/30/2016 - richiemagnier Likes this wine:

Drink up now if you have a bottle. On its last legs, but still very pleasant. Showing dried fruit now but paired worn-out dusty character. Still nice and long and rich.

10/31/2016 - richiemagnier Likes this wine:

Fantastic, as always. Elegance, restrained power, super-long length. Subtle brioche, electric minerality, lively creaminess. Has it all.

10/30/2016 - richiemagnier wrote:

Disappointing. Not sure if it's the bottle or a dip in the drinking window, but found it to be overly lean and the acidity was out of balance. Should have been better for a Grande Marque. Consoled myself with a Pol Roger 2002, which was far better and much better value.

1/2/2016 - richiemagnier wrote:

Not drinking as well now in my opinion - acidity seems to have faded and flavours have muted somewhat. Still a high-quality wine but past its best - a little too much like drinking honey at this stage.

1/1/2016 - richiemagnier Likes this wine:

Concentrated flavours of blackberry, black cherry, cocoa, cinnamon and spice. Dense and heady. Like a double ripasso, if you get my drift? Somewhere between ripasso and amarone. Nice and still drinking well.

12/23/2015 - richiemagnier wrote:

Super-intriguing smoky, slightly mentholated nose. Has aged well. Palate is still ripe and lush with some slight dried fruit flavours only coming through now. I find it's consistent with an earlier note of mine saying it's quite like a Coonawarra Cab with its eucalypt and blackberry. A slight saline character to it too. Tannin and acidity present and correct. Smack of sweet vanilla and menthol over a long finish. Drinking well now, doubt it will improve though.

12/23/2015 - richiemagnier wrote:

Intensely meaty, savoury nose, like bacon lardons frying. Palate is medium weight and grippy with leather and spice. Almost a saline character to it. Very good, could do with food.

12/23/2015 - richiemagnier wrote:

Mature but not dead yet! Very forward sweet baked fruit, Earth, baking spices, menthol. Texture very supple, acidity and tannin still present and correct. Light and delicate, quite a treat!

12/23/2015 - richiemagnier wrote:

Past it unfortunately: funky, mushroomy, Brie-like aromas and flavours, palate is aggressively acidic and fruit has dried out completely. Was probably excellent at one time

10/14/2015 - richiemagnier wrote:

Nice, simple BDX, quite good quality for the price. Apparently it's declassified Château Palmer. Either way it's a tasty, weekday wine.

9/2/2015 - richiemagnier wrote:

Very fresh, modern take on Ribera del Duero. Med+ acidity and full ripe fruit but without the heavy oak inflections. Very enjoyable

7/1/2015 - richiemagnier wrote:

With juicy brambly fruit on the nose and palate, this is a classy quality wine. Dusty blackberry and other dark fruits are dominant, with a vanillin character from the oak evident also. Acidity and tannin are noticable but well-integrated. Finish is long and med+. Very nice.

5/6/2015 - richiemagnier Likes this wine:

Lovely crushed red fruit nose but the palate has lots of unripe, tart raspberry flavours with the associated acidity. Needs air or time, otherwise a good wine.

5/6/2015 - richiemagnier wrote:

Not sure if it's corked or dead, but definitely not drinkable. Tawny-coloured and tasting oddly of lobster bisque ... nice when it's lobster bisque but not when it's meant to be wine!!

2/6/2015 - richiemagnier wrote:

Accessed via Coravin 06/02/2015.
Rich and satisfying, heady scent of macerated black fruit. The palate is fleshy and continues the dense, rich fruit theme. Nice fine tannins that are enjoyable now but can knit further for a few years at least, with good length. Very enjoyable now and will be over the coming years.

1/17/2015 - richiemagnier wrote:

Accessed via Coravin, 17/01/15
Infanticide perhaps, but that's the beauty of Coravin: getting an early sneak preview and tasting the same bottle over the course of a few years.
This is definitely still young but nevertheless very drinkable. Rich ripe fruit with touches of cedar and oak and blackberry. A little simple now and will no doubt evolve over time.

1/15/2015 - richiemagnier Likes this wine:

Accessed via Coravin 15/01/15:
Chameleon-like nose, started buttery through lemon-and-lime then matchstick and finally on to peach and spice.
On the palate there's butter again, yellow apple and matchstick. Mouthfeel is disappointing though, lacks any acidity any more, which I'm unsure is due to age or bottle variation. As a result it ends up being flabby and tired. A shame.

1/13/2015 - richiemagnier Likes this wine:

Really gorgeous, smoky and electric, long balanced yet rich, develops nicely over the course of the evening.

1/10/2015 - richiemagnier wrote:

Juicy brambly fruit, deep spicy blackberry, palate is notably dry with more ripe black fruit. Punchy 14.5% means it's tricky to get beyond a couple of glasses!

12/20/2014 - richiemagnier wrote:

Uh oh, I've just become a victim of Musar's infamous bottle variation. Time and air didn't do too much for the wine which, though not 'flawed' so to speak, was nevertheless flat and unexciting. Here's hoping the next bottle will be better...

12/16/2014 - richiemagnier wrote:

Nice simple example of a Northern Rhône syrah. Lighter than usual but with deep black forest fruit and more game and sous bois characteristics than expected. IT's fresh and has nice acidity though not too complex, but this shouldn't detract from what is an enjoyable, good quality everyday wine.

12/8/2014 - richiemagnier Likes this wine:

Very full and flavoursome - not for the faint-hearted! Nuts, brioche, toasty richness, it's assertive but balanced too. I find bottle variation can be a factor: some are more bready and fuller-bodeid than others. It's all good though.

11/27/2014 - richiemagnier wrote:

This was admittedly better than I expected. Definitely a New World Cab, this is heady and concentrated. Surprisingly taut, tannic and mineral, cries out for robust meat dishes. Stewed fruit and kirsh also evident.
However it is just that bit *too* big - it lacks any elegance and time doesn't seem to have softened out or tamed it any bit. As a result it's somewhat hulky and ham-fisted, and that combined with its typically high alcohol of 14.5% means that it's difficult to have any more than a glass. Maybe some more time will calm it down.

11/25/2014 - richiemagnier Likes this wine:

Beautiful, changeable nose over a beautifully knit palate. This is a really classy, quality wine in the best sense. Though it doesn't perhaps have knock-your-socks-off complexity, it still offers plenty of interesting dark, gamey, spicy fruit over a silky palate of perfectly pitched tannin and acidity.

I should score it higher than I did but perhaps it's not as long in the mouth as it should be. That said it is still a beautiful wine.

Sipping the remainder on the third day, it still remains its class. At this point lesser wines would be thin and acidic, but La Rosine, though perhaps 'hotter' than when originally opened, still has some interesting dark fruit, clay and some cinnamon spice.

11/10/2014 - richiemagnier Likes this wine:

Really lovely, rich wine but with a balance that belies its 14.5% alcohol and New World origins. Not a shy wine by any means, this has plenty of sweet vanilla and coconut but that glycerine sweetness that's usual from 14.5% alcoholic blockbusters is not much evident, resulting in a smooth and refreshing, full-bodied red. Nicely integrated tannin with a tingle of salinity.

10/24/2014 - richiemagnier Likes this wine:

Very ripe and fruit forwards, thick and mouthfilling palate, blackberry, some vanilla. Hedonistic, a bit chunky, but appealing if a big gutsy wine is what you're after.

Alcohol is evident - not via the traditional burn but the less tangible dizziness after a glass!!

10/14/2014 - richiemagnier wrote:

Pungent passionfruit, grapefruit and very ripe pear leap from the glass. Palate is equally generous with the sweet white fruit. Unfortunately it lacks the acidity or balance to offset its off-dry style - might be pleasurable for many but not my style. A nice interesting sparkler but I'm not reaching for the third glass.

10/9/2014 - richiemagnier wrote:

Nice chardonnay, but hardly exciting. Good quality, some matchstick notes and nice smooth slightly buttery palate, but not much else. Very drinkable though and a good weekday wine.

10/2/2014 - richiemagnier wrote:

Big, powerful, sweet. Somewhat over-extracted in my opinion. Bold and powerful but lacks depth, lots of chocolate and vanilla. 15% alcohol doesn't help either!

9/24/2014 - richiemagnier wrote:

Delicate with baked pear to the fore. Was expecting more for a Grand Cru Champagne from 2004.

9/24/2014 - richiemagnier wrote:

Really very nice, though perhaps lacks the complexity for the price. Nicely balanced with savoury characteristics to the fore. Nice minerality and delicate acidity. Good length but, as I said, I was found wanting somewhat. Quite good though.

8/25/2014 - richiemagnier Likes this wine:

Very reductive and funky on initial opening - needed a bit of air to blow this off.
Gamey, barnyard aromas initially, then on to very savoury, meaty notes. Dried fruits, such as redcurrants and raisins. Some spice. And I may be crazy, but maybe some lavendar?
Very gamey on the palate again. Multifaceted. Lovely acidity and tannin - enough to warrant good food, but not so much not to be able to enjoy on its own. Gentle long finish. A delightful wine.
Agree that it doesn't' appear like this will continue to develop, but is drinking very well now and should do over the next few years.

8/24/2014 - richiemagnier Likes this wine:

A really excellent wine. Expected it to be fading by now. At first, after popping-and-pouring, it was lively and acidic with plenty of chocolate and menthol. But it calmed down in the glass to give rich, deep, concentrated flavours of cedar the chocolate and menthol again, damson, plum leather and some spice. Lingers forever. Concentrated, fine tannin, elegant acidity. 15% ABV is unwelcome though and somewhat spoils the enjoyment. My fifth of 6 bottles over 3 or 4 years - my last will be a sad coda.

8/19/2014 - richiemagnier Likes this wine:

Honey, pear, apricot, apple drops.
This is gentle and inviting, the most "un-sweet" sweet wine I've had. Nowhere near cloying but also no need for much acidity to cleanse the palate. It's deferential and diffident. A really nice surprising drop, med+ length, and dangerously drinkable.

7/7/2014 - richiemagnier wrote:

This is regularly on sale in Tesco, down from €20 to €10. At the latter it's decent, at the former it is shockingly bad value.
It's good quality, per se, but unexciting and somewhat flat and uninteresting. Some typical Chard notes of peach and lychee and a lick of oak, but length is average.

4/2/2014 - richiemagnier wrote:

Lean and funky when popped-and-poured, then mellowed out showing typical aged Cab characteristics of blackcurrant leaf and tobacco with a tiny amount of dark cherry from the Sangiovese. Spice and heat a bit much at the moment so might benefit from extra aeration. Nice but a poor QPR.

3/30/2014 - richiemagnier wrote:

The cheap foil and Diam cork weren't a good first impression, but this is a decent sparkler for the price. Green apple notes came with its accompanying tart acidity, which I found to be a little aggressive for my palate (but then I'm a little sensitive to that) which was to be expected from a Blanc de Blancs. Taut and nervy, it's best with some food I think.

3/20/2014 - richiemagnier wrote:

Slightly 'hotter' than I expected, but had the nice streak of acidity that I come to expect from good French wines. So a food-friendly Syrah in other words. Otherwise a nice and easy-drinking, good quality weekday quaffer.

3/6/2014 - richiemagnier Likes this wine:

You can smell this from two feet away easily - it's like Bollinger's typically rich, buttery, biscuity, brioche-y style on speed. The bottle age has intensified the bouquet, but there's a puckering minerality to the palate and the mousse is delicate and integrated. Delicious and elegant. May not have too many years left in it though.

2/24/2014 - richiemagnier wrote:

Opens with some light cherry and raspberry fruit as you'd expect, but lacks the fresh and quaffable characteristic of a straight Valpolicella, with a lagging mid palate a notable mark against. However with air it opens a bit and becomes silkier and fuller, though a heavy toast and coffee characteristic is dominant at the expense of much of the fruit flavour. Along the way a worrying 'green' unripe note was tasted which seemed to blow off after a few minutes. In all a nice mid-week wine but nothing to write home about.

2/13/2014 - richiemagnier wrote:

One of the better Proseccos I've chosen, but it's still Prosecco, so expect simplistic tropical fruit and lack of character or depth

2/11/2014 - richiemagnier wrote:

Quality is evident but it's now well past its best

2/10/2014 - richiemagnier wrote:

Given Bollinger's rightly lauded, big beefy style, this was somewhat lighter than I expected. It's basically Bollinger Special Cuvée with a touch of strawberry flavours, which sounds like a good thing but I would rather have had something quite different from this house. I'll stick to their usual offerings then.

2/9/2014 - richiemagnier Likes this wine:

Bright ruby in the glass, it was surprisingly more rounded in the mouth than I expected (after a number of harsh and angular Primitivos in the past). The palate is quite New World Cabernet-like: deep dark fruit with blackberry dominant, with some slight tannic bitterness at the end making it decent for full-bodied meats. I really nice bottle.

2/1/2014 - richiemagnier wrote:

A nice, every-day wine, full and chocolatey with the 14.5% alcohol noticeable towards the end. A good kick of acidity calls out for robust foods.

1/31/2014 - richiemagnier Likes this wine:

I love Muga's Riojas. Sensitive use of oak means that they avoid the confected vanillin characteristics of lesser Riojas. Still, it's rich, full and silky with leathery blackberry notes. A little lighter on the palate too, which again stands it apart from the usual clunky offerings from Rioja. A bit of heat and spice on the back palate cry out for some Jamón ibérico.

12/25/2012 - richiemagnier wrote:

A rare foray into fine white Burgundy. An usual bottle, I'm assuming perhaps past its best? Butter (real butter, and not just 'buttery') and nuts on the nose, even some sherry characteristics, which made me worry that this bottle was slightly oxidised. More sherry on the palate which blew off shortly to give more by way of nuts, a lick of oak and yellow-green apples. A sip with some Christmas turkey resulted in an explosion of this over-ripe, bruised yellow-green apple which astounded me. After was more sweet apple juice and some recurrent sherry notes, but overall this was an interesting bottle that I'm not sure I'd have again.