4/24/2024 - mdefreitas wrote:

I was expecting the worst, given other notes here, but this was a pleasant surprise. Purchased on release and perfectly stored. Great fill level and great condition on the cork. Deep golden color. Definitely mature, with the fruits taking on a more aged, baked quality, but the acids were great and the minerality was strong. I would opt to drink sooner rather than later, but I'm not in a super rush on this.

4/19/2024 - mdefreitas wrote:

Good richness and depth, but with excellent acidity and cut. Really coats the palate on entry, but finishes clean as a whistle with a lengthy mineral tang.

4/18/2024 - mdefreitas wrote:

Nervy, edgy, long, precise and mineraly. Long and full of lip-smacking acidity. A bit young, but full of potential.

4/15/2024 - mdefreitas wrote:

Seemed a bit reserved and ungiving, with tight structure. This was a pop and pour, so some air would probably helped.

4/15/2024 - mdefreitas wrote:

This was fantastic from the get go. Rich, plump, juicy fruit. Ripe but not overdone. Loads of red fruits, pepper and hints of spice. The fleshy fruit is well framed by the fine structure. Good value Zin.

4/14/2024 - mdefreitas wrote:

Fantastic upon opening. Bright red fruits, herbs, and tea. Multidimensional, layered and long. I can see this aging well, based on it's fine structure and balance, but delicious today.

4/13/2024 - mdefreitas wrote:

Showing some brown on the rim, but the middle is quite red. A bit musty when opened, but this blew off. A nervy, high acid wine with loads of tertiary notes. Dried leaves, earth, twigs and balsamic notes. Not for everyone, but I enjoyed it with some air (and food).

4/10/2024 - mdefreitas wrote:

Fabulous. Utterly fabulous. Purchased on release and perfectly stored. Just as focused and nervy as my last taste 20 years ago, although the fruit has taken on a more baked quality. Load of minerals and a lingering finish. Wow.

4/7/2024 - mdefreitas wrote:

Much better than the bottle I had last month. Still holding on to a bit of sweet fruit, with loads of grippy acidity and minerality. Lengthy and lingering.

4/6/2024 - mdefreitas wrote:

Very rich and honeyed, with apricots, peaches and floral notes. A bit less acidity than the last time I had this. Somehow I feel I should have drunk this sooner.

4/6/2024 - mdefreitas wrote:

A bit disappointing, given the price. Seemed a bit simple, with the oak and reduction in the forefront. Probably needs some cellar time to come together?

4/4/2024 - mdefreitas wrote:

Oxidized.

4/4/2024 - mdefreitas wrote:

Decent range of flavors, with caramel, maple, chocolate and nougat. This could use a bit more acidity and length.

3/22/2024 - mdefreitas wrote:

Extremely dry and stony. Lemon, limes and dried pears. Long and mineral-laced on the finish. This one one for "rock heads", but it delivers in that genre. Wonderful stuff.

3/10/2024 - mdefreitas wrote:

Not that enjoyable. Harsh, ungiving and a bit stemmy.

3/9/2024 - mdefreitas wrote:

Might have waited too long for this one. Perfect cork for a 25 year old wine; looks brand new. Deep golden in color. Quite dry and austere; some petrol notes, but lacking fruit.

2/23/2024 - mdefreitas wrote:

Very mature, with earth, leather, dried flowers and tar. There is still some good fruit here. The structure is well resolved, and the acidity still frames the fruit well. Quite nice and a good value at around $30.

2/23/2024 - mdefreitas wrote:

Dark brown in color. loads of raisins and figs. Very honied, with pineapple, apricot and caramel notes. A wonderful array of complex flavors, but the acidity could be higher to give it more tension and liveliness. This would be best on it's own rather than with dessert, as I feel the structure is not there to cut through food. Still, very delicious and enjoyable.

2/11/2024 - mdefreitas wrote:

A bit on the black fruit spectrum, rather than red. Good concentration and depth, but the tannins are a bit overpowering. Some decanting helped, but this really needs cellar time.

2/10/2024 - mdefreitas wrote:

The label looked new-ish, certainly not 60 years old. The cork looked about 20 years old. No sediment what so ever... I assume this is a reconditioned bottle. The color was a healthy deep red with some garnet on the rim; quite darker than other Nebbiolo wines with similar age that I have had in the past. Decanted for about 4 hours. This had secondary notes of leather, dried flowers and mushrooms, but still holding on to a good amount of fruit. Quite enjoyable, even if it was light and a bit short on the palate.

1/27/2024 - mdefreitas wrote:

This showed incredibly well. Still a healthy red color, with minimal lightening on the rim. Gorgeous ripe cherry fruit with hints of herbs poking through. Zippy acidity frames the fruit well. This had density, breadth and impressive length. There is probably upside improvement possible with further cellaring.

1/21/2024 - mdefreitas wrote:

It was tough getting the cork out, as it seemed fused to the bottle, but once removed the wine was wonderful. A healthy, deep red color and a good amount of primary fruit to compliment the secondary notes. The structure is well tamed and overall, this was a very delicious and well-balanced wine.

1/13/2024 - mdefreitas wrote:

Seems a lot lighter and less crisp than previous vintages. Appears almost diluted with water... odd.

1/10/2024 - mdefreitas wrote:

Simple, light and gulpable. Cranberry and pepper notes, with loads of crisp acidity. Would work well chilled in the summer.

1/8/2024 - mdefreitas wrote:

Seems like the fruit has receded a bit to the background, with the strong acidity still very prominent. Light bodied. This came across as a bit shrill and screechy for me, but with air, this did seem to fill out a bit. Next time I will decant more.

12/13/2023 - mdefreitas wrote:

Not a fan. Found a distracting herbal, weedy note.

11/14/2023 - mdefreitas wrote:

Fabulous showing. Full of perfectly ripe orchard fruits and amped up with electric acidity. Long, lingering and bitingly crisp on the finish.

11/10/2023 - mdefreitas wrote:

Lovely claret. Fragrant, elegant, and nicely balanced. A bit of maturity peeping in, but still plenty of vibrancy. Gorgeous showing.

11/9/2023 - mdefreitas wrote:

The cork did seem old, but not 60 years old; more like 30. The label looked rather new as well... I suspect this was a reconditioned bottle. Classic old Nebbiolo character, with tar, florals, dried leaves, leather and antique wood. Completely resolved structure, with a silky texture. Got better with air.

11/9/2023 - mdefreitas wrote:

Apricot, honey and spices. Good acidity, but given the sweetness, could use more. This really needs spicy foods or blue cheeses.

11/5/2023 - mdefreitas wrote:

This took a bit of air to open up, but it proved to be in a nice drinking window. Silky, melt-in-your-mouth tannins, cedar, dark fruits and leather. Beautifully balanced.

10/26/2023 - mdefreitas wrote:

Not bad for $20, as it scratches that Gewurz itch I sometimes get, but this would be better if it was a bit drier and higher in acid. Good length, however.

10/24/2023 - mdefreitas wrote:

Quite nice and a good value. Classic lychee and floral notes, with moderate acidity. Not quite dry, but well balanced. Good pithy bitterness on the finish.

10/19/2023 - mdefreitas wrote:

A library release from the Krohn lodge. Tough cork to extract, even with a Durand, as it crumbled into the bottle and straining through a cheesecloth was necessary. Very mature, with dried fruits, dried flowers and very herbal. Tons of Christmas spices; this almost came across as a Barolo Chinato. Silky soft mouthfeel. Unique and quirky, but I enjoyed it.

10/18/2023 - mdefreitas wrote:

Out of all the 2002 Dönnhoff Spätlese rieslings I've had of late, this seemed like the best (although I have not had the NH of late). Full of tropical and orchard fruit, but this also had some nice stony minerality in the finish and very good acidity. Lovely drinking experience.

10/14/2023 - mdefreitas wrote:

This bottle seemed in fine shape, with good fill level, excellent cork and a healthy color, but it just seemed closed and ungiving. Nice density and mouthfeel, with nicely resolved structure, but not getting a lot of flavor.

10/9/2023 - mdefreitas wrote:

Mid to high shoulder fill level. Unusually youthful looking cork (recorked bottle?). Pale garnet in color. Beautiful node of leather, earth, florals and dried red fruits. The palate echoed the aromas. What was amazing was that although this had the typical "old wine" flavors, there was still a vibrant beam of fresh red fruit piercing through the palate. Gorgeous, silky and delicious.

10/4/2023 - mdefreitas wrote:

Fully mature, with peaches, pineapple, and orange notes. The best of the 2002 Dönnhoff Spätlesen I've tried recently, as this has decent tension on the finish. The Oberhäuser Brücke will be next.

10/3/2023 - mdefreitas wrote:

This had a similar tropical fruit profile to the 2002 Dönnhoff Norheimer Dellchen Spat I recently had; this however, had a bit more acidity. Still, a bit soft for my tastes.

10/1/2023 - mdefreitas wrote:

Crumbly cork, golden color. Nice mature flavors of baked peaches, pineapple and other tropical fruits. A bit soft and lacking in acids. Pleasant wine, but I preferred this when it was younger and had more tension and verve.

9/30/2023 - mdefreitas wrote:

Crisp and acidic, with tart cranberry and strawberry tart notes. Some stone dust on the finish. Decanted for 3 hours and perhaps would have benefitted from even more air.

9/30/2023 - mdefreitas wrote:

A light delicate style of tawny. Not as intense and complex as the Sandeman 50, but still quite nice. Could use a bit more drive and length.

9/14/2023 - mdefreitas wrote:

I can see this as a polarizing wine, due to its "sherry like" notes, but I loved it. So many layers of flavors. Great length and acidity. The dried fruits, nuts, honey... fabulous stuff.

9/10/2023 - mdefreitas wrote:

There is serious material present, but a bit tough to fully enjoy given the prominent structure. Wonderful red fruits, herbs and hint of underbrush. This needs cellar time.

8/27/2023 - mdefreitas wrote:

My last note on this (back in 2002) mentioned how closed it was and to revisit in 5 years. Well, it has been 21 years now and the wait was worth it. Just a lovely node of red fruits, florals and minerals. The structure was smooth as silk and the finish velvety and lingering. This just floated on the palate. Tough to imagine this getting better, but I doubt it will fall off the cliff anytime soon.

8/27/2023 - mdefreitas wrote:

This wine was in superb shape. Deep yellow, but not too dark. Superb freshness with lovely, tingling acidity. Dried pineapple, flowers, spice and a saline hint. Just a wonderful experience.

8/9/2023 - mdefreitas wrote:

Rich, plump and fruity, with notes of raspberries, plumbs, spice and peppered meat. The 16% alcohol is noticeable, but the volume and density of the fruit does a good job of buffering the heat. Overall, not a bad value, but in a modern style.

8/7/2023 - mdefreitas wrote:

A bit cloudy, due to its unfiltered nature. High acid and saline, with lemon and grapefruit notes. A bit sour, like a lambic. Takes some getting used to.

7/31/2023 - mdefreitas wrote:

Similar to my last tasting from 5 months ago, but this time I decanted and even held some for day 2. Much better with air, as the palate gained some weight and the tannins smoothed out considerably.

7/20/2023 - mdefreitas wrote:

Nice example of an orange wine. Not too extracted and bitter. Delightful notes of tangerines, grapefruit and assorted tropical fruits. Pleasing grip on the finish. Good QPR as well.