May 4, 2024 - Rating: 4,4/5,0.
March 28, 2024 - Really took me by surprise. One of the few white rhones I've had that was extremely enjoyable. Most are fat and flabby and lacking acidity, but not here.
Pretty orchard fruit, lemon, sliced pears, yellow flowers. Layered, complex, with density and richness but stays comparatively light due to the acidity.
One of those wines that changes how your perception of a style/region.
March 2, 2024 - Wow, this really rocked my world. Nothing like any other Rhone blanc I've had before. It surprisingly combined my favorite Chardonnay flavor (toasted bread crust) and my favorite Chenin Blanc flavor (flint/matchstick, e.g. Guiberteau Breze). It had the soft mouthfeel of a Rhone blanc without the sweet floral notes. A revelation I'll look to repeat.
February 7, 2024 - Pale yellow-gold with green tint, slightly cloudy. An orchard of yellow fruits. Citrus, lemon, yellow apple, peach, pear and scented flowers. Toasted barrel, oak, gunpowder, flint, salinity and minerality. Medium-full bodied, medium-high acidity, medium-high structure, and medium alcohol. Complex, layered and finesse. Excellent mid-palate. Oak tannin was quite overwhelming, but supported by abundance of fruits and sharp acidity. Long finish with beautiful tension on the palate.
This was nothing like your standard Rhone blanc. Long term cellaring potential, but ready to enjoy now. I would suggest breathing for at least 2 hours or consider decanting if drinking this bottle within the next few years.
Addendum (2/15/2024): I opened a bottle of 2019 Arioso Blanc a week later. Arioso is one level higher than Magis. The two bottles tasted pretty much the same, both outstanding. Arioso was a little more concentrated and powerful than Magis. It didn't make Magis less desirable, just different style. Given Arioso Blanc was twice the price of Magis and also less availability, I would choose Magis over Arioso if I had to pick one or the other.
November 18, 2023 - Winferno in Umeå (Stöcksjö, Umeå): Winner of the flight with 5/9 votes.
Yellow.
Great floral and citrus-based aroma.
In the mouth it has a fabulous build and an amazing acidity. Yumm! Want to drink a lot more of this.
In my mouth, it behaved like a much more expensive Bgn. With all the restraint, beauty and acidity that you can ever wish for.
My blind guess: Bgn from a slightly older vintage.
This is an extremely ambitious wine. Bravo!
October 7, 2023 - Pretty much everything I dislike in white wines. Extremely reductive, massive dose of oak on the nose. People at the table seemed to love it. For me it was atrocious, guess my palate quite different from the people at the table.
October 6, 2023 - What a bottle of wine, and divisive nonetheless. Really broad shouldered, laced with apples, white orchard fruits, spiced pear/peaches, white flowers and lingering struck match flinty reductiveness. The closest comparison I’ve had of late is Guffens bottling with a similar profile though with more cut and tension. This will improve with time but already a head turner right now.
October 6, 2023 - Birthday dinner with good wine friends: Most guessed this as a Burgundy, ranging from x-Montrachet, Meursault 1er to Corton Charlie. Had one dissenting voice who guessed Chilean. Strong reduction notes and oak signature on the nose that gave the impression of a serious wine. Very Burgundian in style and nobody could place this as a Rhone white, as was the case when I previously opened the 2013. Quite divisive, some loved it but others thought it was horrendous. Liked the tension and zesty green apple fruit, but needs more time to integrate compared to the 2013 which was ready for primetime.
July 28, 2023 - Our "starter" wine for a blinded red Syrah tasting. This was absolutely spectacular, quite possibly the wine of the night. So complex, rich and powerful. High acid, great with food, versatile, long finish. Will age wonderfully over the next decade.
June 28, 2023 - Premox already? It tastes like there is some oxydation although it's too young and this wine was stored in temperature controlled cellar. Not sure what's happening, but this bottle is no good.