9/5/2023 - PBL Likes this wine:

Intense nose of iodine, gun flint, burnt match and mussel shells all covered in lemon oil. Straw yellow in colour, more like meursault and not some other high acidity chard. On the palate, rich, great legs, lemon melon, green apple with more lemon on the way down. Good length, medium plus and quite rich. I find the wine more intellectual than a wine of pleasure today. Too much going on, not integrated yet, better in 2 to 3 years and probably at its best between 2025 -2035.

8/24/2023 - PBL Likes this wine:

Found the wine tense, with a mineral backbone, some flint, white flowers, a touch of oak and some citrus. At first it seemed to have shut down though the nose of lemon, gunflint, minerality and ever so slight chemical was always present. Looks like we need to wait several more years. At this stage it is still very lean and has a lot more structure than charm. It has the tension one associates with a Meursault but very little of the charm.

5/28/2023 - PBL Likes this wine:

Text book barolo cru, wild nose with some floral notes mixed in with tar notes. Starting to show some brick red but still relatively clear with fine legs. Tannins are fine but still very present, wine seems to have a fair bit of life left. Seems to me to be acting more like the structured 96's than the really rich 97's.

5/27/2023 - PBL Likes this wine:

Light prune with some minor notes of dark berries, some earth, tobacco, and possibly licorice. Still standing well after some 25 plus years but looks to be at the start of its decline. Last drank in 2012 when the dark fruit were much brighter.

1/23/2023 - PBL Likes this wine:

Nose a bit muted, lemony, a touch of pineapple. On the taste, mineral with a touch of salinity. Nice length with a bitter lemon on the long finish. Great value.

9/10/2022 - PBL Likes this wine:

When opened a fairly strong beefy barnyard smell. Double-decanted and nose quickly went to faint saddle and cherry compote. Drank over two hours and it just kept getting better and better to the last sip. Very long, very smooth, was all on finesse with some weight, tastes of cherry compote, with light saddle and earthy taste.

6/12/2022 - PBL wrote:

While visiting Haro stopped for brunch at Muga. The winery was closed, however they have a small outdoor brunch available on Sundays. While finishing the brunch we met the owner and one of the main waiters/sommeliers. I had a glass of the Prado Enea from a bottle opened the previous day. In the glass dark ruby, almost black. The wine was very good, aromas of spices and fruit, a bit of wood, cedar?, sandlewood? and tobacco. On tasting black cherries, tobacco and cacao with just a hint of coffee. It looks like it will be very good to outstanding in 5 - 10 years. I have been drinking the 2009 and 2011 lately and the 2015 may be even better. Had it with bread and Iberico ham.

1/23/2022 - PBL Likes this wine:

Served in large Riedel burgundy glasses. Decanted and served 1 hour after opening. Classic Nebbiolo, clear red with brick overtones. Nose was highlighted by light prune jam, wild berries, some earth, a touch of tar and spices. Quite savoury, very smooth, fully integrated tannins, long finish with prunes and spices. Served with a rich pork Osso bucco and stewed carrots.

1/23/2022 - PBL Likes this wine:

Very nice white, crisp easy drinking, pear, light green apple, a touch of yeast, minerally and also a touch saline. Quite quaffable, excellent with oysters!

4/9/2020 - PBL Likes this wine:

Beautiful and elegant, took 90 minutes to open up, at about 18-19 degrees Celsius. Restrained nose, some dark fruit and cassis on the nose, tannins still present but the fruit sweetens on the mid palate, nice and long. Lightly spiced, but classic. Better than expected, seems to be coming into its own.

4/24/2019 - PBL Likes this wine:

Relatively refined nose, plum, prune, earth, tobacco smells all present but quite restrained. Opens up in the mouth and demonstrating very concentrated flavours of plum, dried plum, slightly burnt plum, cedar, eastern spices with a residual sweetness. Very long finish.

4/23/2019 - PBL Likes this wine:

Nice, rich brunello, very concentrated, well integrated, no sign of alcohol despite the 15%. Typical red cherry but less drying than expected from sangiovese, spicy and with a hint of sweetness or glycerin; tobacco present but well in the background. Still quite young.

4/12/2018 - PBL Likes this wine:

Beautiful structure and still tannic. Younger and more tannic than expected for a 22 year Côte-rôtie. Firm backbone, noted light bacon, lighter and darker red fruit, but a very clean nose, very very subtle on bacon/tar nose. Long finish. Did not evolve over a two hour period, seems almost a little dumb at the moment, expect quite a few more years before it really opens up.

4/11/2018 - PBL Likes this wine:

Superbe red, rich juicy mineral, tannins were in harmony, wine of the night. The wine is showing excellent structure and displaying classic Ermitage nose, with bacon, pepper, dark fruit all present. Richer and fatter that my previous experiences with the 1996 Pavillon from Chapoutier. Nearly perfect and was showing even better 2 hours later. Showed a little better than the 1996 Guigal La Landonne in the same tasting.

6/11/2017 - PBL Likes this wine:

Pleasant surpise, still dark red/purple with energy, nice for a 20 year old wine. Pleasant nose with some fruit but mostly leather and earth. On the palate, secondary tastes were dominant again some fruit, possibly cassis, plum and a touch of prune. Tannins very round, very smooth. Merlot with an Italian twist. Good for a few more years.

6/10/2017 - PBL Likes this wine:

Opened 45 minutes beforehand, did not decant. Wonderful vibrant, opened with a beautiful nose, fruity and a bit floral. Drinks very well and got longer and better over a period of 90 minutes or so. A nice blend of earth, chocolate and dark red fruit primarily rasberry and currents, hint of plum but not really plummy. Probably should have decanted as there was a fair amount of deposit. From an alcohol perspective a very light touch «hot». Very nice.

1/15/2016 - PBL Likes this wine:

Two bottles served with deer and with bison tartare. Perfect match for game meat. Classic bacon fat and white pepper with a little bit of a wild nose, flowers with leather. On taste took close to 30 minutes to open up, still primary fruit, red and blue small fruit but with a blueberry weighting. Bottle variation noted with the second having greater depth and a significantly richer mid palate. Quite long 45 seconds plus. Nice acidity, well integrated alcohol, no heat. Would love to buy more.

12/30/2014 - PBL Likes this wine:

Great powerful champagne. What one looks for in a NV, nice brioche, vanilla and almonds. Quite long, even surprisingly long for a simple NV. Went great with sushi.

12/31/2014 - PBL Likes this wine:

I liked it lot, classic Barolo but missing something. Nice, a clear lighter shade of red with some brick red overtones. Roses, faint petrol, on the lighter side, drank well. Medium length nice after taste, some petrol and tobacco.

12/31/2014 - PBL Likes this wine:

Spectacular, complex smokiness to the nose, with white flowers, vanilla and some residual oak. A hard to describe complexity to the taste with pronounced minerality, fruitiness has started to disappear however there is some lingering pear. A long aftertaste with a sweetness reminiscent of maple syrup. Wish I had more.

10/24/2014 - PBL Likes this wine:

Nice round syrah, tannins all nicely integrated. Like a baby hermitage without the depth and power. Nose restrained yet clean with a touch of flowers, violets maybe, blueberries and earth. Taste was still centred on dark fruits, a touch of syrah Pepper, nice acidity. Went very well with hard cheeses, especially a very old cheddar.

8/28/2014 - PBL Likes this wine:

Intense dark garnet in colour, very dense, almost oily in mouth feel. Nose is mixture of barnyard and dark red fruit. Typical Spanish Grenache taste, i.e. Grenache without the «garrigue» one associates with the south of France. Very concentrated, very long, surprising smooth tannins. Possible that this wine will get better with a bit more time in bottle. Drinks well on its own.

12/15/2013 - PBL Likes this wine:

A bit tight on the nose but light pepper and graphite notes are starting to emerge after an hour or so. Still tightly wound but a graphite minerally taste arounfd some dark red and blue fruit is nice. The wine's structure is still making it difficult to truly appreciate and explore the wine at this date. Shows promise for a still young St. Joseph, probably needs another year or two. Will try the rest of the bottle in a day or so.

5/30/2013 - PBL Likes this wine:

Very nice Maconais, will not be confused with a Cote d'Or, but quite nice. Medium length, a touch astringent, and a touch oaky, it ends up in the back of the troat with some tension. Very fresh and lemony, even dominated by lemony flavours, a bit of apple or pear in background and some chalk and mineral tones. Seems young even for a Maconais, wait another year or two at least.

3/6/2013 - PBL Likes this wine:

Wonderful wine, decanted 30 minutes before drinking. Primary fruits are gone and the secondary aromas are taking over. On the nose, white pepper, bacon fat, chinese 5 spice, pine tree sap, earth and leather. All intermingled with dark fruit behind the scene. Still fairly dark red and purple in colour with good viscosity. It was a pleasure to drink, great structure, tannins are still present but well integrated, with a long finish. As they say, classic Jamet in a great year, a bit richer than I expected, due in large part to the 1999 growing season I suspect. I think it is starting to peak, a Cote-Rotie in the 12-15 year old window. It could be quite good for 10 plus more years.

12/5/2012 - PBL Likes this wine:

From a 750ml bottle, cork looks new, only the bottom is stained black. I am surprised, the 1997 Granato is still young, dark ruby almost purple, no real signs of aging. It is clearly better than when tasted in 2005. On the nose it is a mixture of earth and eastern spices, dark fruit and light touch of prunes. Acidity is still high but otherwise all is well integrated. To the taste, more earth, dark chocolate and pan juices from roast beef. The finish is moderately long with a slightly spicey and fall vegetable flavour, hearty winter fare. Serve blind to a group and virtually nobody will identify this wine.

9/19/2012 - PBL wrote:

Corked, undrinkable. Second of two bottles drunk over three days.

9/17/2012 - PBL Likes this wine:

Dark and brooding, herbs and rocks on the nose with hints of dark red and black fruit. Almost purple in colour, teeth staining. After an hour or so started to open up, very young. Rich, very long, blueberries balckberries and very dark rasberries. Rather unevolved, got much better later in the evening, kept going back for more.

9/19/2012 - PBL wrote:

Corked. Extending my current streak of corked wines. Mildly corked but drinkable, smelled of damp newspapers. Tasting, still tannic, doesn't seem to have been fully integrated yet, tannins, oak and vanilla, dark sangiovese fruits, some cherry showing through, some alcohol.

9/28/2012 - PBL wrote:

Beautiful wine, still ruby in colour, still vigorous, needed a couple of hours to open up. Smells of spices and herbs with a hint of menthol. Long finish, dark red fruit, a touch of tobacco and earth. Too bad it is my last bottle.

6/26/2012 - PBL wrote:

Beautiful vintage champagne, powerful full bodied, serious complex yeast and brioche on the nose, yet lacking maybe a bit of the freshness one may look for, seems to emphase maturity and complexity over freshness, also seemed to have a bit of wax or parafin on the nose. Some fruit present, lemon and green apple. Drinking was a treat, rich long complex with almost a red wine type of body, like a showcase for pinot noir taking over chardonnay. Letting it warm a bit in the glass really showed off the wine. If only, I would drink it every day.

5/31/2012 - PBL Likes this wine:

A darker yellow with tinges of green and gold, starting to show some age. On the nose a complex slightly oxidative hard to describe smell, orange and lemon with the smell of fresh baked ginger bread cookies thrown in, sort of a mixture of yeast and ginger at the same time. The bubbles were miniscule and persistant. The taste was long, very long. The pinot base was dominant, as it did not have the rich buttery flavour of chardonnay but more nutty mushroomy flavours of older pinot noir with some orange thrown in. This champagne stands up very well with food. Just an excellent champagne from a great year.

12/22/2011 - PBL Likes this wine:

Still relatively young with signs of golden yellow in the glass. Nose and taste are still youthful and fresh. Classic sweet chenin blanc without oxidation. Nose was floral with light apricot and apple smell. Texture was rich with apple and other fruit mixed in. Still tasted decidedly Coteaux de Layon with no honey traits of sweet Vouvray. Other tasters concurred.

11/25/2011 - PBL Likes this wine:

This was the fourth Guigal wine during a wonderful four course meal with a group of 20 people. Beautiful nose, white pepper, slightly floral nose. Rich, round ripe syrah at its finest, fruity with pronounced red and dark berries. Extremely youthful but surprisingly approachable, which for me was quite a surprise as I tend to let Côte-Rôtie wines age for 10 to 12 years. Great balance, no real sign of the 42 months spent in oak casks. Mid-palate rich and full and great length. Can only image in another ten or so years.

11/26/2011 - PBL Likes this wine:

Still tannic and a big scale wine. The nose seems to have started to shut down a bit since the last tasting. A dry red cherry taste is starting to show but the tannins are still omni present. Great acidity but looks like the wine will still need another 3 to 5 years to integrate and become more enjoyable. Suggest not to open another bottle until 2014 or 2015.