3/25/2024 - oenanthe Likes this wine:

Bordeaux 2004 20 years on Part 1 (Blacklock City): Deep and dark. Initially quite closed on the nose, however it is fruitier on the palate, fine acidity and some salty tangy notes. Whilst this never strays far from austerity, a good swish and a bit of time does allow it to unclench a bit, show a few curves amongst the straight lines. I found it more exciting that the Calon-Segur it was paired with, but it’s still rather foursquare and not very pliant. Needs more time basically, though doubt it will ever truly blossom! We started these before food arrived, which I suppose is objectively best, but food improved this and the Calon dramatically.

3/5/2024 - Poussin wrote:

British Airways has bought this to replace the perfectly serviceable LP Grand Siècle in their Concorde Room at Heathrow T5. I get the impression that sooner or later they’ll end up buying their champagne from Aldi. Anyway, the first impression here is not great - thin, tart and lacking richness compared to something like LPGS. Having said that, there is a genuine sense of quality here - though you really have to search for it on both nose and palate. Fleeting hints of apricot, wet rocks and toast are perceptible through a veritable Berlin Wall of acidity. Part of me thinks that this is just too young and it will age amazingly. I hope so.

12/23/2023 - M.Y. Chong Likes this wine:

Young colour with no bricking at all.
Musky nose, with time meaty and smoky.
Well judged ripe black cherries both on nose and palate. Almost Burgundian palate. Not big or showy, very elegant. Medium bodied.
Great finish and acidity.
Fully resolved powdery tannins.
Paired superbly with roast rib of beef although was equally good on its own.
I think this is perfect to drink now. Quite special.
From Benjamin Liew's cellar.

7/24/2023 - oenanthe Likes this wine:

This case has been a delight from start to finish. Bright, pretty red Burgundy in the vibrant flush of youth, and I wish now that I had sourced 12 rather than just 6. Bought EP, I had the first in late December 2021, and this was the final bottle last night – so just under 20 months; they were irresistible. As with the other five, this was a bright cherry red with lively and tangy red fruit – very consistent. Again I wondered if this tart acidity might be overdone but, just as last time, concluded that the wine was so approachably delicious that it didn’t ultimately matter. It is so easy to drink, floral and light, joyously on the fruit. Sweet, ripe and succulent, this had a touch more maturity than the earlier bottles I sense, that extra sweetness coming through on the finish. I had one glass of an exorable Pinot Noir from Australia the other day, quite wretched, but it was a good reminder of how good this Tollot-Beaut is and how Pinot Noir can really sing in the right hands and from the right terroir. There are no crus in Chorey-les-Beaune and frankly long may that continue, in my view it significantly increases your chances of being able to drink affordable, unpretentious, lovely red Burgundy.

10/31/2023 - oenanthe Likes this wine:

Neil's 2000 & 2001 Bordeauxs (Piccolino, London): Slightly evolved colour here. The nose took a little while to come round, but ended up quite classical. There is a bit of brett, a bit of meat, but the fruit is long and pure, a very enjoyable glass. This is a cool and elegant wine in a good spot but likely with more to give. I really like wines made in this style, so a great shame that it was my last bottle! When will I learn....

5/4/2023 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine:

TWS North London - Volcanic Wines (Must & Lees, N1): First opportunity to try a rosato Aglianico and it showed really well: deeply coloured in the glass with aromas of sweet strawberry and raspberry, maybe even some fresh new leather: certainly an animal note. It probably edges towards a candied character- you'd definitely want it very well chilled. Give me this over a Provencal rose any day.

3/15/2023 - oenanthe wrote:

An immediate hit of sherry just like like last time, but a fair bit going on behind this. Maybe this is not flawed (as I recorded it last time) and it is just old, and this wine and white Rhone like it should be drunk in the first 2-3 years and not left for 6. Yellow fruit is what this is all about - lychee and pineapple I thought, but also honey, herbs and a nutty quality that I didn't think was a byproduct of the (what I assume is) mild oxidisation. It was OK, but fundamentally I would prefer to drink something else!! I have the 2019 as well and I think I will get on with it.

12/18/2022 - MichelNL Likes this wine:

A - clear, lemon. Medium intensity
N - clean. Medium plus intensity. White flowers, pear, quince, melon. Butter.
T - dry medium accidity. Primary flavours, finish medium plus.
C - Very good.

Balance, lenght, intensity, complexity is all there. Beautiful and elegant.

11/26/2022 - oenanthe Likes this wine:

1999 1er Cru Red Burgundies (East London): Gloriously sweet and rich, ripe. Fab. Depth and nuance in spades, a shining clarity to it and effortlessly easy to drink. So different from the Jadot, clearer and more intense and wine I immediately went back to afterwards. It got better as the evening went on, smooth red summer fruits and a long exciting finish. This felt like a CdNuits rather than a Beaune and for me was the standout wine of the tasting, just superb.

7/10/2022 - oenanthe Likes this wine:

Over a year since my last bottle and this continues to be superb. Dark ruby red in the glass, classic aromas of lead, pencil shavings, cedar, tobacco and pure cassis - so beautifully fragrant despite being drunk outdoors. It it just one of those wines where you nod to yourself that this is the very definition of the Pauillac terroir and exactly what you were hoping for when you pulled the trigger all those years ago. Quite savoury on the palate, with that austere dustiness that I want but with the excellent fruit fully continuing into the taste in a really fresh way for an 18 year old bottle. The mouthfeel is smooth, but nonetheless if you hold it there is still some tannic intensity that resolves into a long and quite drying finish. Superb.

11/18/2022 - El_Dougo wrote:

Nose rather reserved. Med cranberry, cassis, vanilla, cedar, cooked red plum. Earth, leather, coffee. This wine is developing.
Palate is dry, acidity med, smooth tannins med, alcohol med, body high. Flavor intensity med-, finish is med-. Flavors include black cherry, black plum and vanilla. Some bitterness on the finish that suggests uneven ripeness.
This wine is good: balanced and some flavor complexity. I recommend to drink now. I do not believe it is very suitable for aging on the basis the structure (acid) is thin and fruit base lack some intensity.

8/4/2022 - NickA Likes this wine:

Jason's 'top' village Burgundy (67 Pall Mall): Immediately attractive, and remained so until the last sip. Very pure red fruit, yet also spicy and floral. Lots of substance, but well-judged rather than OTT or heavy. Really energetic. Some grip, but felt surprisingly ready. My #2 red tonight after the Dujac.

4/7/2022 - oenanthe Likes this wine:

Pale golden yellow. Very white burgundy on the nose, clean, citrus, a bit mealy. First impressions very positive again, but the wine did not live up to it on the palate, there was a lack of zing, some washed out flabiness. It just felt a little flat and lacking in vigour. Is it time to drink up?

In conclusion not as good as previously consumed bottles for some reason, I find it hard to believe that a few more months has this effect, so perhaps a bit of bottle variation at play.

3/27/2022 - oenanthe Likes this wine:

Quite a dark red. Very savoury and on opening hard. Ripe cherries and blackberries, but with a backbone of leather and clear tannic bite doing their best to mask the fruit. Like the 2017 Filette di Lamole, on day 2 this was better, a different wine - much easier. It became softer, smoother, fruit came forward and it was altogether more rounded and very approachable. Very good in fact. I disagree with reviews that say this is still primary and not ready. It appears young, but is actually good to go now, it just needs a little air as many wines do. You need not hurry though, we are a long was from "drink up" territory.

3/27/2022 - oenanthe Likes this wine:

A deep peach verging on salmon colour. Definitely a wine of substance, rather than some of these very pretty but ultimately soul-less provencal rosés. Extremely dry, good fruit - white peach, strawberry, citrus. Sunshine and sea, very satisfying with cold platters on a sunny afternoon. I can see why this is so popular but there is no denying that it is on the expensive side for rosé and you can get many of the same qualities for a little less. On the whole however I think 4 bottles of this is probably worth 6 of another. Beyond that and it gets a little harder. Luckily it is quite hard to find!

3/24/2022 - oenanthe Likes this wine:

North London TWS Tastings series: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir (Must and Lees, N1): Wonderful wine - a delight of red fruit, spice and earth. Really solid, and so good for a 'mere' village wine - punched well above its weight. Just gorgeous, and a long finish. Easily held its own against a Clos de Vougeot of a similar age that it was alongside. My #2 red of the night, which does not necessarily align with the objectivity of a score.

7/18/2021 - fussyeater wrote:

This is an ethereal C9dP translucent in colour showcasing freshness and purity over power and concentration. Aromas since trying this EP have been captivating, and they remain so, with raspberries and a background hint of water evaporating on hot stones. On the palate this wine has silky tannins and continues to show purity and freshness with the same wild raspberries dominating although perhaps a little thin on the mid-palette. It remains a light and PN-esque C9dP consistent with the vintage. 14.5% ABV & Certified Organic. Served cellar cool from Conterno Sensory.

3/10/2021 - oenanthe Likes this wine:

A great mid-week wine, a lovely syrah hit. High quality wine, fresh and will keep, but does not feel especially youthful.

12/7/2020 - oenanthe Likes this wine:

Perfectly pleasant and excellent value bourgogne chardonnay. Easy wine, and at the price it is hard to find fault. The extent of "you get what pay for" is made clear however when you put it up against something rather better, and unfortunately and rather unfairly the bottle next in line happened to be a 2012 vv Meursault (girardin). Tasted side by side the Montagny felt thin and unstructured - without the seam of minerality that joined it all together. It is a steal at the price but there is no wow factor that makes you stop and think what you have in your glass. Unknown to what extent this may now evolve, perhaps not much.