4/13/24, 2:22 PM - After 24 hours, the second half of the bottle is distinctly pruney - I'd say oxidised. A effect of its lack of sulphites, I suppose. If you buy it, drink on the day of opening!
3/19/24, 1:55 PM - After 24 hours, another glass. The wine has opened out a little, sour-cherry fruit more prominent now on the palate, and an attractive dark-Pinot aroma on the nose. The acidity is still marked, however, and in my judgement pushes the wine a little out of balance. Though it is still a pleasant drink with this hard cheese.
3/16/24, 1:01 PM - I forgot to say, there was quite a lot of sediment in this bottle.
3/16/24, 11:31 AM - 24 hours later and it's opened up to be slightly more assertive, slightly less elegant than last night. Overall my feelings remain the same.
12/22/23, 3:12 PM - Returning to the second half of the bottle after 24 hours, I find the aromas much more pronounced - crystalised citrus peel and caramel. The palate has more attack too, and overall I'm enjoying it a lot more. I'm not sure if my taste buds have changed enormously, or if the exposure to air has woken the wine up. I tend towards the latter, and so have increased my score from 89 to 91 points.
7/16/23, 3:56 PM - I agree this wine ages beautifully. While visiting the winery in 2010, I had the chance to drink the 1979, which was remarkably fresh. We also had two bottles of 1980, one of which was too vegetal to be drinkable, the other being much better, but less alive than the 79.
7/14/23, 12:45 PM - 24 hours later...stop the press...the oak has diminished and the fruit has ascended. In fact it's now distinctly citrussy; not freshly squeezed lemon, more like roast, caramelised lemon sitting on a piece of fish. Ah, I see I can't leave the c-word out of it entirely! This really is a complex and very rewarding wine, and approaching five years old, still fresh as a daisy.
7/11/23, 12:59 PM - Most outlets seem to be selling 2022 now, but I should say there's no sensation of this 2019 being old. It's still very fresh, in fact. I don't think it's a wine to keep hoping for improvement, but nor do I think you have to rush to drink it within a year or two.
7/2/23, 1:55 PM - Whoever said it was like a Bordeaux was pretty far off the mark. It's made from grapes, and it's red, but apart from that... I reckon it's much more like a Shiraz from a warm part of Australia: attractively perfumed; very ripe, to the point of sweetness; high in alcohol and low in tannin. I like it and think it's amazing value, but I'm not surprised at your disappointment given that you were expecting something similar to a Bordeaux!
5/19/23, 2:13 PM - I tried further glasses after 24, 48 and now 72 hours. Remarkably, it has improved over that time, its richness deepening and the sweetness of its oaky aromas growing. However, there is still a slight alcoholic burn, and though this is a very good wine, it's not a great one.
5/17/23, 1:03 PM - Revisiting the second half of the bottle after 24 hours I find myself enjoying it slightly more - perhaps because I'm trying it alone rather than with a dressed salad. However, my overall impressions are very much the same, and though it's a well made rose, I don't feel it earns an elevation into the 90s.
5/11/23, 12:09 PM - The second half of this bottle were beautiful chilled - even better than at room temperature, I think. Chilling mutes the aromas slightly, and pushes the tannins slightly more to the fore, but it's absolutely delicious and perfectly balanced. This wine is a find!
3/27/23, 2:15 PM - 85% Syrah, 15% Grenache. Some barrique ageing, but the emphasis is on the fruit rather than sweet oak.
1/16/23, 12:38 PM - 24 hours later, the bottom half of the bottle. The aroma and fruit flavours are virtually gone, though the plush texture remains. It's pleasant but unremarkable. When I open the last of my bottles I'll be sure to enjoy it all the first night.
1/7/23, 3:35 PM - After 24 hours it was more or less the same, but now after 48 hours it is smoother, fruitier and more supple. Fascinating.
1/2/23, 11:57 AM - Your note matches my current bottle very closely. My previous one was clearly flawed. Tonight it was a great pleasure.
12/30/22, 3:38 PM - The final glass of this went very nicely with a slice of Christmas fruit cake, complete with marzipan and icing...
12/6/22, 10:10 PM - Great note. Glad I'm not alone in enjoying this, and appreciating its joyous complexity!
11/4/22, 3:23 PM - After 24 hours, the second half of the bottle strikes me as more savoury, with acidity and tannin also notched up a little. All of which is to the good. So I have moved the score up from 89 to 90.
10/8/22, 11:59 AM - 24 hours later, and there has been no opening-up of aromas. If anything, it's slightly etiolated, with briary notes predominating more on the nose, and acidity on the palate. I would be happy to drink this again, but don't think it has much chance of improving with time - drink up.
7/12/22, 1:38 PM - Forgot to chill it, but nonetheless 24 hours later it's just as delicious. In fact I fancy it's a touch more aromatic this evening, with just a whisper of acidity apparent and providing freshness.
7/13/22, 7:35 AM - I chilled my last glass. Good call - it sharpened it up slightly without losing all the other positive attributes. Well worth a try - and probably worth 91 points.
5/27/22, 2:54 PM - 24 hours later, and there is no spectacular transformation. The fruit seems sweeter and more brooding, the tannins more prominent too. So, maybe it is years I have to wait for...
12/9/21, 1:49 PM - A day later, the remainder of the carafe is - as always - even better. Just a touch rounder, softer, sweeter. The essential character of the wine is unchanged, but the bear is singing not growling tonight. I’m going to increase the mark from 91 to 93.
5/4/22, 2:04 PM - Thank you, Eric!
3/31/22, 2:45 PM - 24 hours later and a return to the remainder of the bottle. On the palate it is full and smooth, but the nose is strangely unattractive. If it hadn't been a screwcap, I would have guessed it was slightly corked. Just a wee but foosty. Strange and disappointing.
3/31/22, 2:46 PM - 24 hours later and a return to the remainder of the bottle. On the palate it is full and smooth, but the nose is strangely unattractive. If it hadn't been a screwcap, I would have guessed it was slightly corked. Just a wee but foosty. Strange and disappointing.
12/16/21, 2:44 PM - After 24 hours, a return to the second half of the bottle. The freshness is still there, but the fruit seems ever rich and, finally, sweeter. The length of the mouthfeel and the persistence of the flavours - blackcurrant, mint - is remarkable. Even more impressive than I thought yesterday.
12/7/21, 3:11 PM - 24 hours later, and the remainder of the bottle is holding up remarkably well. I had suspected it would have fallen apart, based on my feeling that it was on a downward slope, age-wise. But I was wrong: if anything it is richer and more harmonious than last night. The acidity, following the initial sweet fruit, is on point. There's none of the violet aromas I really hope for in a good St J, but there's no denying this is a good and characteristic Northern Rhine.
2/3/21, 11:37 AM - 24 hours later, and with the last glass, what strokes me in addition to the above is a pleasant thread of bitterness, reminiscent of apple pips or almond skins. An interesting extra layer of flavour.
1/14/21, 3:27 PM - After 24 hours, the remaining half bottle took on some more coherence. There is little or no nose, and the fruit seems a bit tired, but there is some suggestion of kirsch coming through, which is pleasant. I struggle to understand the price tag of this bottle, at this age anyway.
10/18/20, 12:07 PM - After 24 hours, the stemmy/cabbagey aromas have blown off, and the overall impression is more pleasant. Still lacking some focus, however...
10/18/20, 12:03 PM - After 24 hours, the bottom half of the bottle is even more impressive. There's a distinct pepperiness that passed me by last night - or maybe it's come to the fore with a bit of air and time. The fruit is more to the fore too. Excellent!
9/24/20, 2:28 PM - Thanks srh. 'high ripeness levels' - yup!
9/4/20, 2:50 PM - 48 hours later, the last couple of glasses in the bottle had softened considerably - and were much more in balance. Overall, not a bad effort!
8/25/20, 1:32 PM - I've enjoyed this at three or four years of age, and am slightly surprised - but delighted! - that it ages so well. I think Gournier's entry-level Cevennes is also very good - though almost certainly not age-worthy.
6/23/20, 2:32 PM - I'll be interested to see what you think GL Rhone. I have gone back and changed one thing in my original notes. I said it was reminiscent of a Shiraz from Napa or Barossa. On checking the final glass tonight, I think it's closer to Cabernet Sauvignon.
12/10/19, 2:56 PM - Accordingly I have changed my score from 91 to 94.
12/10/19, 2:56 PM - I put the unfinished bottle back in the fridge for 48 hours. I thought I'd check it tonight before disposing of it...wow! It has changed its nature considerably, and for the better. The rather blowsy, browning-apple aromas of Sunday has disappeared almost entirely, and instead there is a complex mix of barley sugar, lanolin and herbs. It seems leaner and cleaner. It reminds me - much to my surprise - of a stunning Coulee de Serrant I had a few years ago.
10/4/19, 2:43 PM - Thanks Doctor Rob! Never had that on Cellar Tracker before!
5/13/19, 2:36 PM - Apologies Momus99. I have edited my comments to try and make them clearer. 'Cork' simply records that the bottle was sealed with a cork as opposed to a screwcap or anything else; I find it useful to have a record of the closure of wines, as it affects my confidence in keeping them for long periods. I also record the alcohol level of every bottle, as I like to have a record of that to look back on.
11/5/18, 3:04 PM - I think I undervalued this slightly. It is very subtle in its appeal, but is undoubtedly delicious and perfectly balanced. I should have given it 91 or 92 I think. Just don't overpower it with - well, with anything really. At its best by itself.
10/26/18, 5:51 AM - I had a bottle of the same vintage two years ago and wrote: 'Top quality New World Pinot. Medium bodied, and with lovely tertiary aromas developing at ten years of age. 13.5%, cork.' And earlier this year I tried the 2011 vintage of the same thing, of which I wrote: 'Superb, one of the best NZ Pinots I've had in years. Rich and generous, but perfectly balanced. No sign of tiredness: feels fresh and fruity, and with quite a few years ahead of it. I don't know if this is a luckier bottle than my last two, which I scored lower, or if it has just developed positively over time - but this is something special now. Bottle no 0398. 13.5%, cork.' Certainly an excellent wine. I would guess that the ideal drinking window would be fine to ten years, though I suppose that would vary depending on vintage.
2/2/18, 12:11 PM - On second thoughts, I think what I meant by 'blowsy' was that I'd detected oxdative elements. A certain brassiness. An over-ripeness. In previous bottles I've found that adds depth to the wine, but on this occasion it seemed just a bit too intrusive.
1/7/18, 12:27 PM - Went back and reduced the score from 90 to 89. It's just to old.
9/10/17, 4:21 PM - 24 hours later, I'm surprised and happy to report that the decaying fruit aromas have disappeared more or less entirely, revealing a core of dark berryish fruit - somewhat indistinct, it's true, but enough for me to increase yesterday's score of 90 to tonight's of 92. I do still think this would have been at its peak five or six years ago...
5/12/17, 3:57 PM - I forgot to say: according to the label this is organic, a co-fermented blend of Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Riesling; aged in two one-year-old French puncheons for 11 months. Bottle 293 of 934.
9/18/16, 1:45 PM - More sober tasting after 24 hours. Dark purple, almost opaque but not quite. Black cherry aromas, maybe just a breath of alcohol. On the palate: refined, dark fruit, lots of acidity, not much tannin, very long. A very classy Pinot; it's just beginning to mature, though, and will be better (with the support of that acidity) in five years. What am I saying? Ata Rangi Pinot peaks after ten years? I think so...
1/10/16, 2:54 PM - I'd forgotten I posted a note of a previous bottle of this vintage back in 2009: it's just popped up under this new one. Interesting too to see that the notes are so similar: give me some comfort in my ability to taste!
10/25/15, 1:53 AM - I've just looked it up. The solera was started in 1921. 300 bottles of this are released each year.
9/6/15, 2:22 PM - 24 hours later the wine is even more out of balance, the swingeing acidity making it undrinkable. So uncharacteristic of d'Arenberg that I have to remove the score and mark it as faulty.
6/28/15, 1:48 AM - Lots of sediment, so I decanted.
3/23/15, 3:06 PM - 48 hours later, no deterioration in the remaining half bottle. In fact I think it has softened and deepened, making it even more enjoyable than it was to start with. 'Conventional wines' seem to deteriorate quite predictably over 24 hours or so after opening, whereas 'natural' wines either fall apart quickly and horribly, or else hold their shape beautifully for many days. I don't know what conclusions to draw, but I have observed these patterns many times.
3/20/15, 3:49 PM - 24 hours later, and bottom half of the bottle wine has developed an incredibly string smell of wet dog. On the palate it's pleasant and similar to my impressions yesterday. But on the nose it's unpleasantly doggy... (Thanks W-S: I have the Nudity Syrah still to try.)
Thanks for letting us know about this problem. We will review your comments and be in touch soon with an update.
Search