Opened and poured. I've always been a D'Arenberg fan of all their unique offerings, and these 90s bottlings are quite nice. Light body, with a very floral nose of violets. Smooth and supple, with decent fruit and a distinctive palate of florals and herbs.
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Last bottle of my 1997 Ironstone. Such a treat. Clear ageing signs on the colour, bit still a very very enjoyable wine. Fully mature and likely no further development in sight but a true testement to the potential of d'Arenbergs top wines. I have followed and enjoyed the Ironstones since 1994 and except for one single corked bottle they have never failed to impress.
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Definitely at a secondary stage of its life. Probably most enjoyable 2-3 plus years ago for those seeking fruit. Provides interest now in its savory qualities. Nice textures and acids support the experience. Benefitted from a decant.
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Opened and poured. Dark ruby. Lovely notes on the nose....florals, some secondary such as anise, Madeira. Plenty of fruit still, and impeccable balance. For a wine that can legally drink itself, this is amazing at this stage. Quote compelling and enjoyable.
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While the cork is still characteristically d'Arenberg black, the colour or the wine itself has started to fade a bit and shows clear orange/teal rim. Amazing how these wines mature. Much closer to a mature Barolo than anything else. Needed a bit of air but then opened up extremely elegant and complex. Exceptional wine considering the modest price when I originally bought it. Ironstone is in my opinion much more interesting to cellar than Dead Arm.
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Brickish, glycol, light stewed fruit, raisin, past its prime. Drink up now. Start with a younger vintage, might make a good 2nd or 3rd bottle at a dinner party
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Opened with dinner, the cork crumbled in a couple pieces. Definitely some bricking and oranging. Some corked notes on the nose, but there's plenty of delightful dusty, plum, porty, boozy, leather, mushroom, treacle, chocolate cake, vanilla notes to make this a very enjoyable, interesting olfactory experience. Flavors of fruit paste and leather, with decent sweetness and plenty of length. The corking continues through the finish, which mildly dectracts, but this is drinking well today - quite an enjoyable and mature wine.
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Opened and poured. Light brick to clear. Jammy mushroom, plummy, boysenberry, licorice and dark musky meaty notes. There's a camphor like note that's quite unique and pleasant on the nose. Soft cherry mouthfeel, fully resolved on a tart finish. Certainly enjoyable.
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Yet another great bottle of mature Ironstone Pressings. I am repeating myself, but this wine really is amazing to keep cellared for 10+ years. It has kept its new world density, but has developed an amazing depth and elegance. Perfectly mature now, but no signs of decline. Will look forward to my two remaining bottles.
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PnP, for some reason these were not in my CT inventory, so I'll have to figure that out. Anyway, pours a light ruby to clear on the rim. Initial aroms of blueberry, flowers, morphing to oak, cedar. Very well balanced, with grained fruit attack of cherry, plum and some graphite. Solid mid-palate to oaky, spicy but smooth long finish. Day two + this has fleshed out quite a bit, with more creosote, jam and tar notes coming to the fore, much better and fuller after a couple days air under vac-u-vin.
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Big fan.... Dark, mysterious, young. Bug fruit, coffee chocolate on the nose and palate. Big rich fruit in the mouth, profile carries over. Can't figure out what fruit is there in your face, just so well balanced & integrated. Excellent stuff.
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Mature bottles of Ironstone amazes me every time (and it has been quite a few over the years). It matures so beautifully. This 97 shows clear sign of age with a nice dark teal colour on the rim. On the nose the wines shows a fantastic complexity and elegance. The same on the palate: complex, elegant and very smooth but yet with a lingering spicy aftertaste. Great wine. I will look forward to my remaining bottles of this beauty, but will not rush to consume them - I take it that this wine will shine on for several years.
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This blend is so different than what I usually drink that it shocked my palate at first. The innate quality of the blend is just amazing. It reminds me of a Sine Qua Non type wine.
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The best wine of the night and there was a lot of good wine on NYE. Superb fruit, silky mouth feel, long finish. Kirsch, licorice, sweet red fruits. Yum! Wish I had more.
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2/24/2024 - Senso-beak wrote: 90 Points
Opened and poured. I've always been a D'Arenberg fan of all their unique offerings, and these 90s bottlings are quite nice. Light body, with a very floral nose of violets. Smooth and supple, with decent fruit and a distinctive palate of florals and herbs.
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3/13/2021 - KristianT Likes this wine: 93 Points
Last bottle of my 1997 Ironstone. Such a treat. Clear ageing signs on the colour, bit still a very very enjoyable wine. Fully mature and likely no further development in sight but a true testement to the potential of d'Arenbergs top wines. I have followed and enjoyed the Ironstones since 1994 and except for one single corked bottle they have never failed to impress.
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4/8/2019 - arthrovine wrote:
Definitely at a secondary stage of its life. Probably most enjoyable 2-3 plus years ago for those seeking fruit. Provides interest now in its savory qualities. Nice textures and acids support the experience. Benefitted from a decant.
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1/18/2018 - Senso-beak wrote: 93 Points
Opened and poured. Dark ruby. Lovely notes on the nose....florals, some secondary such as anise, Madeira. Plenty of fruit still, and impeccable balance. For a wine that can legally drink itself, this is amazing at this stage. Quote compelling and enjoyable.
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11/21/2015 - KristianT Likes this wine: 93 Points
While the cork is still characteristically d'Arenberg black, the colour or the wine itself has started to fade a bit and shows clear orange/teal rim. Amazing how these wines mature. Much closer to a mature Barolo than anything else. Needed a bit of air but then opened up extremely elegant and complex. Exceptional wine considering the modest price when I originally bought it. Ironstone is in my opinion much more interesting to cellar than Dead Arm.
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6/5/2015 - GeorgeSW wrote: 83 Points
Brickish, glycol, light stewed fruit, raisin, past its prime. Drink up now. Start with a younger vintage, might make a good 2nd or 3rd bottle at a dinner party
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5/14/2015 - Senso-beak wrote: 91 Points
Opened with dinner, the cork crumbled in a couple pieces. Definitely some bricking and oranging. Some corked notes on the nose, but there's plenty of delightful dusty, plum, porty, boozy, leather, mushroom, treacle, chocolate cake, vanilla notes to make this a very enjoyable, interesting olfactory experience. Flavors of fruit paste and leather, with decent sweetness and plenty of length. The corking continues through the finish, which mildly dectracts, but this is drinking well today - quite an enjoyable and mature wine.
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4/28/2015 - peterk wrote:
Fading - drink up
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12/30/2014 - Senso-beak wrote: 87 Points
Opened and poured. Light brick to clear. Jammy mushroom, plummy, boysenberry, licorice and dark musky meaty notes. There's a camphor like note that's quite unique and pleasant on the nose. Soft cherry mouthfeel, fully resolved on a tart finish. Certainly enjoyable.
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10/26/2012 - KristianT Likes this wine: 93 Points
Yet another great bottle of mature Ironstone Pressings. I am repeating myself, but this wine really is amazing to keep cellared for 10+ years. It has kept its new world density, but has developed an amazing depth and elegance. Perfectly mature now, but no signs of decline. Will look forward to my two remaining bottles.
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3/29/2012 - Senso-beak wrote: 88 Points
PnP, for some reason these were not in my CT inventory, so I'll have to figure that out. Anyway, pours a light ruby to clear on the rim. Initial aroms of blueberry, flowers, morphing to oak, cedar. Very well balanced, with grained fruit attack of cherry, plum and some graphite. Solid mid-palate to oaky, spicy but smooth long finish. Day two + this has fleshed out quite a bit, with more creosote, jam and tar notes coming to the fore, much better and fuller after a couple days air under vac-u-vin.
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1/7/2012 - Javachip wrote: 90 Points
New Year's Eve Redux: Wine Spectator Offline, San Diego (San Diego): Bouquet of smoky, spicy, stewed dark fruit. Cherries, berries, prunes, bacon fat. Over-ripe for some; full-bodied; delicious and not overly alcoholic.
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10/4/2010 - Ricky99 wrote: 92 Points
with avaya team
unbelievable complex cherry and toast flavors
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8/31/2010 - tplskylrk wrote: 92 Points
Big fan.... Dark, mysterious, young. Bug fruit, coffee chocolate on the nose and palate. Big rich fruit in the mouth, profile carries over. Can't figure out what fruit is there in your face, just so well balanced & integrated. Excellent stuff.
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5/10/2010 - Ricky99 wrote: 93 Points
unbelievable fruit and extract.... just a nice bottle of wine
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5/7/2010 - wine4ever wrote: 90 Points
Had with Pizza....probably not the best match. Did not detect as much fruit as others have noticed, but all in all an excellent bottle of wine.
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5/1/2010 - KristianT wrote: flawed
A vertical plus other goodies (Espergaerde): Corked
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6/12/2009 - KristianT wrote: 93 Points
Mature bottles of Ironstone amazes me every time (and it has been quite a few over the years). It matures so beautifully. This 97 shows clear sign of age with a nice dark teal colour on the rim. On the nose the wines shows a fantastic complexity and elegance. The same on the palate: complex, elegant and very smooth but yet with a lingering spicy aftertaste. Great wine. I will look forward to my remaining bottles of this beauty, but will not rush to consume them - I take it that this wine will shine on for several years.
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8/19/2008 - Ricky99 wrote: 93 Points
This blend is so different than what I usually drink that it shocked my palate at first. The innate quality of the blend is just amazing. It reminds me of a Sine Qua Non type wine.
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3/15/2008 - Ricky99 wrote: 94 Points
beautiful
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1/2/2007 - shakedown wrote: 94 Points
The best wine of the night and there was a lot of good wine on NYE. Superb fruit, silky mouth feel, long finish. Kirsch, licorice, sweet red fruits. Yum! Wish I had more.
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3/14/2003 - buckeye76 wrote: 93 Points
RICH BERRY FRUIT IN THE NOSE AND FLAVOR. ELEGANT, KEPT IMPROVING OVER AN HOUR OF TASTING. MEDIUM TO LONG FINISH.
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