7/25/2023 - Bobexile Likes this wine:

Very good. Elegant, complex and long with a nice balance of fruit and spice. Delicious.

7/25/2023 - Bobexile Likes this wine:

My last bottle of the '03 Musar. Still absolutely on top of its game.

2/1/2023 - Bobexile Likes this wine:

Popped and poured, drank and adored. Beautifully balanced, with some cherry and raspberry fruit lurking beneath the tar, violets and roses. Perfectly integrated oak bringing some spice. Densely flavoured but still fresh and bright. Very long finish. I'm not sure I've had a better Barolo, and it's in a really good spot right now.

1/3/2023 - Bobexile Likes this wine:

Very good already and only likely to improve over the next few years. Rich, oily and concentrated, with layers of fruit and floral notes in a lovely balance. Long finish. A very enjoyable wine.

1/3/2023 - Bobexile Likes this wine:

Still quite early for this wine, but it was much better than one I opened 6 months ago. I'd recommend a lengthy decant at this stage. You can get a sense of the complex flavours that will unfurl in time, but it's a little too dense and concentrated to be lots of fun just yet.

9/20/2022 - Bobexile Likes this wine:

Light and elegant syrah.

9/6/2022 - Bobexile Likes this wine:

Reminded me of decent white Burgundy but a little more tropical. Looks beautifully glossy and shiny in the glass, noticeably textured in the mouth from a little time on its lees. Hints of pineapple with stronger flavours of coconut and a little honey. Full-bodied but that's balanced beautifully by the acidity that keeps things fresh. Long finish. Very well made, beautifully balanced. This is a seriously enjoyable wine and unlikely to improve much, so feel free to drink up.

7/4/2022 - Bobexile Likes this wine:

Very funky on opening, so definitely one that benefits from decanting. But the dark cherry and blackberry fruits appeared and shone on the palate. Quite peppery. Not particularly long or concentrated, but very enjoyable. Would buy again.

7/1/2022 - Bobexile Likes this wine:

Very enjoyable. Still quite fresh with 6 years under its belt. May improve a bit but in a pretty good place at the moment.

2/4/2022 - Bobexile Likes this wine:

Plenty of strawberry but mainly tertiary. Absolutely leaps out of the glass and the finish goes on for days. Delicious!

7/2/2021 - Bobexile Likes this wine:

Lots of potential here but it's far too young. I wouldn't touch it for at least another couple of years and potentially longer. Dense and concentrated fruit and plenty of acidity. No fun at all on day one and only marginally better on day 2. Park this one for a while and I'm sure you'll be rewarded.

4/20/2021 - Bobexile Likes this wine:

Very enjoyable now but I would recommend leaving these a while if you can. Needed a good hour to really open up, and the last glass was much better than the first.

3/9/2021 - Bobexile Likes this wine:

Drunk over 3 days, and probably peaked on the last glass. Fresh, fruity, herby, elegant and long. Slightly lighter and less concentrated than the Fontodi CC, and I think I prefer it's slightly restrained style. A delicious wine that's very enjoyable now but I'll give it a year or two before I open the next one.

2/16/2021 - Bobexile Likes this wine:

Strangely this last bottle was in much better form than its predecessor. It didn't particuarly seem to fade between the first glass and the last. The wine certainly isn't improving at this point, however, so it still feels like a good time to drink up.

2/11/2021 - Bobexile Likes this wine:

Easy drinking, and quite a delicate brightly-fruited St Jo. This one's ready to go, I don't think it's going to improve further at this point.

2/1/2021 - Bobexile Likes this wine:

Concentrated flavours of black fruits, pencil, leather and peppery spice. Beautiful texture and a long finish. This is drinking beautifully at the moment, although another year or two surely wouldn't hurt.

1/3/2021 - Bobexile Likes this wine:

Spectacular. Concentrated perfumed nose of bright citrus and stone fruits, honeysuckle. All those flavours carried through on the rich palate with a good lick of saline underneath. Very long finish. An experience to savour.

11/10/2020 - Bobexile Likes this wine:

Still good, but it feels like it's time to drink up now. The fruit started to fade fairly quickly after opening and had vanished altogether on day 2.

10/15/2020 - Bobexile Likes this wine:

Absolutely delicious. Bright, rich and sumptuous. Fab.

6/10/2020 - Bobexile Likes this wine:

Quite a bright and fresh supertuscan, with Sangiovese feeling like the senior partner in the blend even though it's apparently got a heavier concentration of cabernet sauvignon. Harmonious blend, quite a long finish, and very tasty indeed.

5/1/2020 - Bobexile Likes this wine:

Not particularly long or complex but still a treat. Wild strawberries and balsamic. Some sweetness but fresh acidity to balance, and it wears the 14.5% well. Joyful and delicious.

4/24/2020 - Bobexile Likes this wine:

Tasted after about 4 hours in the decanter. All tertiary notes to begin with, some smoke, peppery spice, leather and some funky farmyard notes - the merest hint of blackcurrant in the background. Over the course of the next few hours, the fruit came forward more. A very satisfying wine now, but could easily go another 5 years.

3/27/2020 - Bobexile Likes this wine:

I think this has a long way to go. There’s some acidity here, and bright zingy strawberries and raspberries are bursting in my cheeks. Still quite tannic but not unpleasantly so. Then some stewed plum, vanilla and the spicy toasted oak.

Intense flavour and a long finish. A good 20+ seconds of it. A very good wine, but 5 more years surely wouldn’t hurt it.

1/2/2020 - Bobexile Likes this wine:

Rich, complex and interesting. Pretty much ready to drink now, although a few more months would probably help.

12/1/2019 - Bobexile Likes this wine:

I was expecting a bit more blackcurrant on the palate but it tended far more towards strawberry and cherry. All the other flavours I’d expected were there though: cedar, cigar, leather, hint of vanilla. A delicious wine that’s probably at its peak now, so if you’ve got some don’t feel you need to wait any longer.

10/11/2019 - Bobexile Likes this wine:

This was far too good to open on a Wednesday. Complex, with fruity and savoury notes. Quite long. Serious wine.

10/8/2019 - Bobexile Likes this wine:

I don't care much for Malbec, but this was delightful.

9/9/2019 - Bobexile Likes this wine:

A very approachable Barbera - fruity, slightly spicy. Tannic, but not overly so. Good to go now, but another year or two will likely improve it further.

8/19/2019 - Bobexile Likes this wine:

Cherries and raspberries, herbs and spice. Smoky, slightly meaty notes as well. The acidity, tannin and hint of sweetness all in perfect balance. Every sip was a joy, and the finish stretched on an on. Just beautiful.

7/15/2019 - Bobexile Likes this wine:

Very funky on the nose, but the red fruit really come through on the palate - strawberry, cherry and raspberry. Savoury undertones very much still present, but very nicely balanced. Ready to go now, and I don't think there's anything to be gained by holding on to it.

6/3/2019 - Bobexile Likes this wine:

Crunchy black fruits dominate, but noticeable heat from the high alcohol. Might benefit from a bit more time.

6/3/2019 - Bobexile wrote:

Not as good as the 2017 - maybe it's just not hot enough yet

5/2/2019 - Bobexile Likes this wine:

Although this no premier cru wonder, it's still a really enjoyable Burgundy at an acceptable price. I enjoy Chilean, Kiwi and Italian pinots, but a glass of this served as an excellent reminder of why Burgundy is special. It's a marriage of bright red fruits - cherries and raspberries - but with a subtle savouriness underneath. Delicious, and a joy to drink.

4/29/2019 - Bobexile Likes this wine:

Very bright pineapple notes straight after opening. This softened and smoothed out within a couple of hours though, and some citrus started to come through. Clean, bright and enjoyable.

4/29/2019 - Bobexile wrote:

I wasn't expecting much from this - an inexpensive co-op produced Barbaresco from Waitrose. I'd say I got what I paid for. All the classic Nebbiolo flavours were there, floral perfume, leather, hint of cherry etc. It was just a little uninspiring really. Perhaps it'll be better on day 2.

4/9/2019 - Bobexile Likes this wine:

Stunning. Old school Rioja with incredibly deep flavour and a finish that goes on for weeks. Very good.

3/25/2019 - Bobexile Likes this wine:

Black cherry and plum, hint of spice. Pretty good at this price.

3/19/2019 - Bobexile Likes this wine:

Quite rich with a slightly oily texture. Pear, almond, maybe a hint of grapefruit, medium + acid and finish. Very satisfying.

3/11/2019 - Bobexile Likes this wine:

So pretty. Raspberries, cherries and roses, with something a bit more savoury. Slightly meaty, but still harmonious. Lovely. I think the fruit is starting to fade, so don't wait much longer.

2/5/2019 - Bobexile wrote:

Very tannic, slightly bitter and austere. I wouldn't buy it again, but if I did I'd give it a couple more years in the cellar before drinking, or at the very least a good few hours in the decanter. Not a bad wine, and definitely better with food, but a bit harder work than I was expecting.

2/5/2019 - Bobexile Likes this wine:

Absolutely delicious and drinking beautifully right now. Herby and slightly gamey with strawberries and cherries on the palate. Cracking value.

2/5/2019 - Bobexile Likes this wine:

Very smooth and nicely balanced with velvety tannins. Was looking for a bit more complexity, but the mouthful of cherry and plum flavours was perfectly agreeable really.

1/14/2019 - Bobexile Likes this wine:

Well made and very enjoyable. Not particularly complex or long but as good a sub-£10 CdR as you're likely to find.

1/7/2019 - Bobexile Likes this wine:

Excellent Barossa blend. Loads of fruit, powerful, spicy yet smooth. Ageing potential here as well, I think.

1/7/2019 - Bobexile Likes this wine:

Terrific value in Waitrose's sale at £10. Probably slightly overpriced at £16. A very enjoyable glass though, with or without food.

1/2/2019 - Bobexile Likes this wine:

Ready to drink - unlikely to develop further in my opinion. A nice balance between fruit and tertiary notes of cedar, leather and tobacco.

10/22/2018 - Bobexile Likes this wine:

Surprisingly good and complex for less than £7. I can see this becoming a fridge door staple.

10/8/2018 - Bobexile Likes this wine:

Sherbet lemon on the nose, carrying through onto the palate, with hints of almond and tarragon. Crisp and refreshing.

9/18/2018 - Bobexile Likes this wine:

Not bad at all, and fairly well priced for a Langhe Nebbiolo from TWS at £14.99. I think this might need another year or two so the tannins can soften a bit.

9/10/2018 - Bobexile wrote:

Not great. Clearly not a terrible wine, but it definitely doesn't stand up well next to a Peter Lehman at a similar price point.