5/11/2024 - ManhattanBeach Likes this wine:

Laura L’s 40th Birthday celebration (Magdalen Arms): Good balance, not sweet/confected, fresh. Great in context.

5/11/2024 - ManhattanBeach Likes this wine:

Laura L’s 40th Birthday celebration (Magdalen Arms): Eminently quaffable. Lively, fresh, balanced, not too acidic/aggressive. Could drink this all day long.

5/11/2024 - ManhattanBeach Likes this wine:

Laura L’s 40th Birthday celebration (Magdalen Arms): Rich & toasty, good.

5/11/2024 - ManhattanBeach wrote:

Sour and sharp

5/9/2024 - ManhattanBeach Likes this wine:

A closing dinner (The private room at Scott’s, Mayfair): Lovely fresh cut tropical fruits, mango and pineapple and lemon curd. Disappeared quickly alongside the triple chocolate and salted caramel fondant with praline ice cream (which, as desserts go, was _amazing_)

5/9/2024 - ManhattanBeach Likes this wine:

A closing dinner (The private room at Scott’s, Mayfair): PnP by the waiters, opened up in the glass. Nicely put-together, no sharp edges and very resolved tannins, but still perhaps a touch heavy for the fillet of halibut, olive mash.

5/9/2024 - ManhattanBeach Likes this wine:

A closing dinner (The private room at Scott’s, Mayfair): Fresh and energetic, without sharpness. Served to pair the seafood platter and Devonshire crab tart; decent match too with the beetroot & goat cheese salad

5/9/2024 - ManhattanBeach Likes this wine:

A closing dinner (The private room at Scott’s, Mayfair): Consistent with my previous note, at this same venue. Enjoyable if not overly complex.

5/10/2024 - ManhattanBeach Likes this wine:

The first summer evening of the year (Ramsden): Opened to follow the 2016 Le Volte. I continue to love this, and am very sad only to have a couple left, but G thought it was “too floral” in comparison to the Le Volte.

5/10/2024 - ManhattanBeach Likes this wine:

The first summer evening of the year (Ramsden): Decanted for an hour or so and benefited from it. Luscious, accessible, enjoyable. Great with the bbq beef rib.

5/10/2024 - ManhattanBeach Likes this wine:

The first summer evening of the year (Ramsden): This remains a lovely graceful wine, serene and generous and aptly named.

5/10/2024 - ManhattanBeach Likes this wine:

The first summer evening of the year (Ramsden): Consistent with previous. All loved and enjoyed the style

5/10/2024 - ManhattanBeach Likes this wine:

The first summer evening of the year (Ramsden): Remains a house favourite. Opened as an alternative to the oaked-chard Penet.

4/29/2024 - ManhattanBeach Likes this wine:

Darker this time, more licorice. Mature.

4/20/2024 - ManhattanBeach wrote:

In store at Majestic. Clean and fresh with lychee and lime (a better combo than it sounds!), peach/stone fruit, and appealing chalky-textured palate. Really nice.

3/31/2024 - ManhattanBeach Likes this wine:

Consistent with previous. Excellent with/out food, balance and complexity, a go-to.

3/30/2024 - ManhattanBeach Likes this wine:

Tried open bottle in-store, G loved - unoaked, fresh, "white stone fruits, honeysuckle and flinty minerality"

3/30/2024 - ManhattanBeach Likes this wine:

With rare roast beef, based on an FT recommendation from Jancis Robinson to match pink fizz with red meat: “I think it was the intensity of the combination of fruit and fizz that was forceful enough to counterbalance the chewiness of the beef.” VG, and VG match. Not that thirst-quenching but a great match and worth repeating.

3/27/2024 - ManhattanBeach wrote:

I liked this a lot, consistent with previous, but G found it too strongly effervescent and didn't love it tonight.

3/22/2024 - ManhattanBeach Likes this wine:

Remains stunning. Polished and fluid, utterly seamless. Iacopo’s description ‘without weight’ is exactly right, it feels lifted and airborne. So good.

3/23/2024 - ManhattanBeach Likes this wine:

Nose of peaches, savoury almost sour palate, in a good way.

3/18/2024 - ManhattanBeach Likes this wine:

Swig Italian portfolio tasting (67 Pall Mall, London): Deep cab sav blackcurrant leaf nose. Just so well integrated

3/18/2024 - ManhattanBeach Likes this wine:

Swig Italian portfolio tasting (67 Pall Mall, London): Good

3/18/2024 - ManhattanBeach wrote:

Swig Italian portfolio tasting (67 Pall Mall, London): Cab sav / merlot / cab franc / petit verdot

3/18/2024 - ManhattanBeach Likes this wine:

Swig Italian portfolio tasting (67 Pall Mall, London): Cab sav & merlot. Full body, sweet, nice

3/18/2024 - ManhattanBeach wrote:

Swig Italian portfolio tasting (67 Pall Mall, London): Very concentrated, very tannic

3/18/2024 - ManhattanBeach Likes this wine:

Swig Italian portfolio tasting (67 Pall Mall, London): A consistent favourite.

3/18/2024 - ManhattanBeach Likes this wine:

Swig Italian portfolio tasting (67 Pall Mall, London): Preferred this to the Ombrone. Richer and deeper. Strong. Superb.

3/18/2024 - ManhattanBeach Likes this wine:

Swig Italian portfolio tasting (67 Pall Mall, London): 25% cab franc. Andrea regards this as the best vintage so far, more tannic and structured.

3/18/2024 - ManhattanBeach Likes this wine:

Swig Italian portfolio tasting (67 Pall Mall, London): The tiger label. Consistently excellent.

3/18/2024 - ManhattanBeach Likes this wine:

Swig Italian portfolio tasting (67 Pall Mall, London): So very good

3/18/2024 - ManhattanBeach Likes this wine:

Swig Italian portfolio tasting (67 Pall Mall, London): Sauvignon blanc grown at 500m, which means it loses its green herb characteristics. Mineral saltiness. Smoky and delicious. *

3/18/2024 - ManhattanBeach Likes this wine:

Swig Italian portfolio tasting (67 Pall Mall, London): Stefano's special project for younger drinking, started in 2016. Lovely nose, really good. *

3/18/2024 - ManhattanBeach wrote:

Swig Italian portfolio tasting (67 Pall Mall, London): Stefano says it could age 30 years. A bit too thin, sour and tannic for me now.

3/18/2024 - ManhattanBeach wrote:

Swig Italian portfolio tasting (67 Pall Mall, London): Strong alcohol on the nose. Too much for me.

3/18/2024 - ManhattanBeach Likes this wine:

Swig Italian portfolio tasting (67 Pall Mall, London): Very easy to drink. Sweet and thicker-textured, still grippy on the finish *

3/18/2024 - ManhattanBeach wrote:

Swig Italian portfolio tasting (67 Pall Mall, London): Much more tar+roses, very grippy

3/18/2024 - ManhattanBeach Likes this wine:

Swig Italian portfolio tasting (67 Pall Mall, London): Welcoming, soft and sweet, very dry finish

3/18/2024 - ManhattanBeach Likes this wine:

Swig Italian portfolio tasting (67 Pall Mall, London): Dryer, chalkier, still sweet, cherry stone

3/18/2024 - ManhattanBeach Likes this wine:

Swig Italian portfolio tasting (67 Pall Mall, London): Very good - sweet, bitter twist, dry finish

3/18/2024 - ManhattanBeach Likes this wine:

Swig Italian portfolio tasting (67 Pall Mall, London): Light, fresh, good.

3/18/2024 - ManhattanBeach Likes this wine:

Swig Italian portfolio tasting (67 Pall Mall, London): Sweeter and more fulfilling. Tiny production (180 bottles allocated to UK). Worth seeking. *

3/18/2024 - ManhattanBeach Likes this wine:

Swig Italian portfolio tasting (67 Pall Mall, London): A bit more chewy, a bit more sour, I preferred the Langhe Nebbiolo but that's mostly about age/time.

3/18/2024 - ManhattanBeach Likes this wine:

Swig Italian portfolio tasting (67 Pall Mall, London): So smooth, light, dry. Grippy finish. Welcoming

3/18/2024 - ManhattanBeach Likes this wine:

Swig Italian portfolio tasting (67 Pall Mall, London): Plummy with some snap

3/18/2024 - ManhattanBeach Likes this wine:

Swig Italian portfolio tasting (67 Pall Mall, London): Light and fresh, good typicity, fine

3/18/2024 - ManhattanBeach Likes this wine:

Swig Italian portfolio tasting (67 Pall Mall, London): Bigger and sweeter. VG.

3/18/2024 - ManhattanBeach Likes this wine:

Swig Italian portfolio tasting (67 Pall Mall, London): Great. Deep and dark, cellar and forest on the nose, and sweet rich fruitcake *

3/18/2024 - ManhattanBeach Likes this wine:

Swig Italian portfolio tasting (67 Pall Mall, London): 14%. Still light colour, so light and fresh, so good.

3/18/2024 - ManhattanBeach Likes this wine:

Swig Italian portfolio tasting (67 Pall Mall, London): 13.5% Lighter colour & body. A bit of grip. Flows.