3/17/2024 - Octavian_Valkamo Likes this wine:

Great stuff, impressively well held.

3/3/2024 - Octavian_Valkamo wrote:

NR.
Interesting wine for birthday dinner's final wine.

Cork's foil was a bit damaged, I feared that the wine would've been recorked with some other stuff or damaged otherwise.

Cork came out in two pieces and I filtered it through a coffee filter to a carafe. Color was a beautiful brickish orange with some dark red/garnet still in the wine.

Initially after pouring from carafe to a glass and checking that there is no debris/sediment, the wine was still quite shy.
Old spice, just a hint of red berry and old wood and initially on the palate the wine had acidity, some red berries and a hair polisher finish.

However, after about 45-60 minutes the wine developed both on the nose and the taste to something way more beautiful, that I couldn't have thought at the initial taste.
It gets a much more softer, sweeter fruitiness, vanilla and old spice notes that intensified as well as on the palate it mixed between the acidity of an old red berry bunch, vanilla-softness and woody, smoky and spicy notes.
The tannins have fallen quite flat, so it didn't have the depth and concentration of a younger or slightly aged barolo, which was the key point missing to have this be the home run wine.

However considering the state of the bottle from the outside, I am very lucky this wine was so drinkable after waiting about 60 minutes and the tastes were still multilayered and complex.

Great end to a birthday weekend, best of luck with the future bottles, I still have one with a better fill level thankfully!
Cheers!

3/2/2024 - Octavian_Valkamo Likes this wine:

HAUNTINGLY excellent wine from Baron Philippe de Rothschild.

Fill level: bottom neck.

Cork was so wet it fell to bottle, but I decanted through coffee filter.

Color: brick, very light, orange and stunning.

First nose: smoke, old wood, wet leaves, spicy pepper, like an old pinot noir.
Then the fruit hits: sour raspberry and velvety vanilla-chocolate.

Palate: initially smoky, peppery and spicy on the front then mid palate lingers with a velvety chocolatiness and the acidity is there, tannins are very soft. Finishes mid length at some cocoa/vanilla and spicy tones with a raspberry finish.

Great way to celebrate a birthday, I am truly lucky with this individual bottle, how well it was stored, how I got on auction for almost nothing and how good it tasted.

After about 30 minutes in the glass the wine faded, but it held in the decanter for the 3-4 hours we drank it, so every time we poured new glasses from the carafe, the wine was very alive.

My previous old Bordeaux experience was a Medoc from the legendary 1982 vintage, but this wine was truly something special. I almost feel bad leaving a "94 point" review, since it doesn't do this specific bottle nearly justice but it should give a guide to future buyers seeing a mid neck or bottom neck bottle with no signs of leakage.

A truly stunning wine, thank you Baron Philippe de Rothschild for making such an incredible wine!

2/2/2024 - Octavian_Valkamo wrote:

NR.

Cork had leaked, which I noticed from the sticky inside of the foil and fully moist cork, but the wine was intact.

I don't know when or how long ago it leaked, but it wasn't over the hill at all, but due to the leakage I won't give an exact rating.

However, on the nose the wine has classic moscato d'asti aromas (peach, apricot, flowers and a bit of burnt sugar/rubber)

On the palate I get a warm and luscious wine with still enough acidity to kick through. Floral character and smooth jammy peaches on the palate, though the acidity was lighter than a freshly bottled moscato d'asti, of course.
Long and sweet aftertaste, going towards dried oranges.

Wonderful wine considering the light seepage and at +25 years since harvest this bottling shows how greatly well done vintage Moscato d'Asti from a notable producer can go on par with the great Sauternes, Vin Santo and Dolce wines in the world, though I was a bit unfortunate to have small seepage.

Paid 6€ for a bottle, so lucky I have one more to go in the cellar with a slightly better fill level, hoping it doesn't have the same seepage problem.

1/22/2024 - Octavian_Valkamo Likes this wine:

Velvet, silky cherries, soft raspberry and vanilla undertones.
Hedonistic pleasure when enjoyed together w/ 2017 estate PN.

1/22/2024 - Octavian_Valkamo Likes this wine:

Tasted against the 2011 Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial and other MdM wines.
Less opulent and layered than the 2012 Castillo Ygay for me, at least so far.
Dark red, lightly brickish colour, very transparent.
Spicyness, anise, dark cherry, fig, wood.

MdM representatives said '11 was a tough year with lots of rain in the spring, uneven temperatures compared to the warm 2012.

2011 is 93p for me,

2012 is 96p for me.

Thanks for the side by side tasting along with Giacomo Borgogno & Figli wines!

1/22/2024 - Octavian_Valkamo Likes this wine:

Softer and easier than the 2011 Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial from Marques de Murrieta. Tasted this 2012 against the 2011 vintage of this wine along with numerous Murrieta wines.

Wine already had a lovely colour, very transparent, slightly brickish and ≈1cm thin/fading rim.
Aroma profile butter, soft cherry, oriental spiciness, red fruits.

Tastes like:
Soft oak, vanilla, soft cherry, spice bouquet, strawberry chocolate and acidic lovely finish. Probably one of my best wines so far!

Thank you to Marques de Murrieta for the tasting and comparison with Giacomo Borgogno & Figli wines from Barolo!

1/22/2024 - Octavian_Valkamo Likes this wine:

Grazie, Cantina Giacomo Borgogno & Figli!

Fresh and fruity wine, I absolutely like this style!
Very easily approachable nebbiolo, typical bright cherry, floral elements and little bit of smoke but not tight nor oaky at all!

Buy a case of this, I know I will!

12/24/2023 - Octavian_Valkamo Likes this wine:

Interesting and layered Chilean single vineyard riesling of very high quality. You can tell they put in a lot of work and effort for this bottling, superb food wine.
Lime, peaches, stony and grassy characteristics.
Christmas table bottles.
One of the best Chilean whites I've drank so far.
NR

12/22/2023 - Octavian_Valkamo wrote:

Citrus peel, yellow apple and some slight yeastiness. Quite easy, time slowly opens the wine up, but not too complex. Fresh champagne, but maybe not the best food champ.

12/22/2023 - Octavian_Valkamo wrote:

0,375ml bottle of 2015 Chateau Poujeaux Moulis en Medoc bought at Galeries Lafayette Haussmann in Paris in 2023 and drank on December 22nd 2023.

Poured small tasting glass and decanted the rest of the wine in a carafe for 3 hours or so.
Wine is quite opaque, ruby in colour with about 0,5cm lighter on the rim/edges showing ≈5-10 years of development.

Initially on the nose the aromas are that of a classic left bank Bordeaux red wine blend, which include aromas of dry cassis, pepper, wood and vanilla.
During the first hours the wine is astringent, leather, spicyness and a little bit of dry cassis on the back, the wine finishes dry and tannic.
After hours of developing, the wine shows almost red berry like freshness when served slightly chilled. Slight strawberry jamminess and cassis, pepper and round earthy leather.
Wine is dry, complex and full-bodied with medium+ tannins.

91p. has potential to fly for decades in the cellar!
Hoping to come across a full bottle some day in the years or decades ahead!

12/15/2023 - Octavian_Valkamo Likes this wine:

Color: medium red, fades on rims showing ≈5-10 years of development.
Nose: strawberry jam, dry cassis, spice/pepper and some chocolate.
Palate: medium+ body, medium+ tannins, strawberry, cassis, vanilla and chocolate with a spicy and medium long dry, tannic finish.
Enjoyable wine.
Would've guessed as a cabernet or a cabernet-Bordeaux red blend.

12/11/2023 - Octavian_Valkamo Likes this wine:

Classic Rheingau as well.
Tasted at estate 6/22 & at home 12/23, 2017,2018 & 2020 vintages.
Lime, green apple, peach jam, strong herbs and salinity. Good stuff, right amount of residual sugar for feinherb imo.

12/11/2023 - Octavian_Valkamo Likes this wine:

Classic Rheingau. Tasted at estate 6/22 & at home 12/23, 2017,2018 & 2020 vintages.
Lime, green apple, peaches, strong herbs and that stuff. Good stuff. A bit more on the riper stuff, less acidity this time.

11/25/2023 - Octavian_Valkamo wrote:

Tasted alongside 2020 Pierre Girardin Meursault Les Narvaux.
This was more austere, rocky and steely.
Lemon, toffee, salt and wood.

11/25/2023 - Octavian_Valkamo wrote:

Tasted together w/ Pierre Girardin Puligny-Montrachet 2020.
This was more fruitier and fresher.
Ripe lemon, toffee, popcorn and salt.

11/10/2023 - Octavian_Valkamo Likes this wine:

Solid.
Coconut, toasted almonds, intense cherry and spice.

10/26/2023 - Octavian_Valkamo wrote:

Drank as an apertif.

Slightly more on the reductive part freshly opened and let it sit in the glass.

10/4/2023 - Octavian_Valkamo Likes this wine:

Wow, what a wine!
Luscious, very fruit forward and fresh!
Tropical fruit was mostly leaning towards apricot jam, marshmallow/botrytis feeling, truly that 7 grams of residual sugar kicking up that luscious, honeyed fruitiness!
Oak plays a very background role here. Don't know whether to put to 92 or 93, perhaps I reward it with 93 in all honesty?

10/1/2023 - Octavian_Valkamo wrote:

Overripe, jammy cassis, vanilla, toasty coffee, blueberry jam.
A very warm vintage, no doubt played in the 14.5% abv and very ripe and jammy flavors, but still retained some form of acidity.
A true Bordeaux wine for cheese.

9/9/2023 - Octavian_Valkamo Likes this wine:

Powerful, tannic wine indeed.
Initially cranberry, cassis, dried herbs, oak and chocolate.
Developed into more leathery, chocolate and earthy notes with spicyness intensifying. Very robust, 15% alcohol. Needed a steak to pair with.

8/3/2023 - Octavian_Valkamo Likes this wine:

Sheer power.
This had the power and tight tannins as it is still very young.
Firework of flavors, explosion in the palate.
Dark red, very little fading at the rim.
Bouquet garnet, figs, dark cherry, some vanilla, boysenberry.
Incredible. Tight. Acidic. Talk about a robust wine!

4/2/2023 - Octavian_Valkamo wrote:

Very reductive, perhaps over oxadiced?
Very ripe lemon, some dough, yeast, sorrel, stone and herbs.

8/18/2023 - Octavian_Valkamo wrote:

88+ in Rheingau vs Rheinhessen tasting (Rheingau won)

Color: a shade of yellow in green. Deeper than 2021 Schloss Vollrads Rheingau riesling.
Nose: intense petrol/bensine, green apple, honeydew, dandelion and salinity.
Palate: honeydew, ripe citrus, dandelion, whitecurrant.
Overall very good wine for the price tbh, hard to put this under 88 points, could easily fetch 89-91p.

8/18/2023 - Octavian_Valkamo wrote:

Rheingau vs Rheinhessen tasting.
Crisp. Decanted 1 hour.
Color: White-green.
Nose: lime, grapefruit, white peach, some herbal notes, saline minerals.
It's pear, lime, white peach and salinity. Intense acidity, long but not "burnign acidic" finish, rather quite finessed and a little soft even.
Much more acidic and grape/lime fruit than warmness of the Rheinhessen.
89+, seeing how it will develop tomorrow. Could easily be 90-91p.

8/11/2023 - Octavian_Valkamo wrote:

Too soft for a rioja gran reserva. Easy drinking and good semi-aged red for starters, but not my palate.
Butter, vanilla, dried herbs, leather and dried cherry.
Tannins have melted and the wine finishes quite empty, I've definitely had many reserva that's better than this let alone a gran reserva.
Given the price, this fruit must've not been from the best sites.
Starter wine. Drink now. Short term cellar defender for those reservas and gran reservas from 2010-2016.

8/11/2023 - Octavian_Valkamo wrote:

Decanted 2hrs and tasted throuyghout.
Initial: little red fruit at first, mostly salted butter, some dates and leather. Little strawberry and licorice.
After leaving it decnated it gave a strawberry jam and strong licorice on the nose, medium long finish with strawberry jam, anise, tobacco box, cedar and undertone of sour cherry.
Tannins harmonized a bit through the evening, strong acidity still.
I got a feeling of between a Bordeaux cab-dominated cedar/spice, Rioja's butter and sour cherry and some strawberry and anise of the nebbiolo.
If you open it, decant 2 hrs and it brings wonders. Otherwise a bit one-sided.

6/17/2022 - Octavian_Valkamo wrote:

End of the cycle. Decanted 1 hour and drank through.
Color: garnet, brickish. See through.
Nose: raspberry, anise, smoke, cedar.
palate: raspberry, bay leaf, tobacco, wood.

7/17/2023 - Octavian_Valkamo Likes this wine:

Golden pure colour. Very nice bubbles.
Brioche (bread dough), dried dates/apricot, apple.
After a while: vanilla, waffle dough, red apple, marmelade.
Elegant, layered, fresh. Don't miss it!

7/17/2023 - Octavian_Valkamo Likes this wine:

Decanted 2 hours.
Initial notes after opening + 30 minutes:
raspberry, smoky sauna, tar wood, leather and spice/anise.
after 1 hour: raspberry chocolate, licorice, wet dirt, sour cherry, leather.
Good tannins and acidity keeps this very fresh. A little pale on the finish, but a round and very good wine despite the relatively short finish!