This one came directly from Didier Barral's cellar - purchased fairly recently - and shows less of development/full maturity than our previous bottle in August. Bursting with energy, and as complete as can be. Stunning wine... great match with aged gruyère.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Heavy deposit. Aromatically fully developed: mushroom soy, leather, dried black fruits, grilled meat, rusty iron. Still, the palate carries a lot of energy and never gets heavy despite the concentration, probably because the high alcohol is masked by acidity. Fabulous paired with grilled lamb.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Red and blue fruit, mineral, integrated tannins. Balanced soft aromas. Very smooth texture, the balance between fruit, oak and tannins is amazing. Pleasantly accompanied by some garrigue.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Quite developed this bottle, with hints of French artisanal blue cheese and dried mushrooms. Highly volatile but also very enjoyable, especially in the company of food. The high acidity, assisted by VA, is perceived as even higher now as the fruit & tannins start to melt. A slow-drinking and somewhat demanding wine that offers resistance but gives a lot in return. Will probably go for several years more.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is not a wine that replaces a meal :) I was not very enthusiastic about it until I started to pair it with some food, which masks some of its shortcomings and made it an OK wine. Will not buy it again, there are better bottles to buy for the same price.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Still very winsome, with sweet candy tones, garrigue fruit and a beguiling elegance, but not nearly enough structure and body, so probably needs drinking up before long. Expensive for what it is.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Reductive at first (stale tulip water), but after an hour it really starts to sing. Very alive on the nose, with ever changing impressions. Blue plum preserve, red apples, cardamon, hint of lilacs and liquorice, among others. One of the great assets on the palate is the the level and freshness of acidity, another is the lovely plum preserve flavours, a third the well-built ripe and grippy tannins. It finishes spicy, fresh and super-long. Needs a careful decant, but also seems to have a long future ahead. Excellent now and at least five years ahead, although ten wouldn't come as a surprise.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Loads of candy aromas and flavours, quite a good garrigue strawberry second wave, with real elegance and distinction, but it is a little lightweight and above all, rather expensive. There are lots of better wines from the region for half the price or less.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
05 Valinière is still youthful, fresh and wildly structured but slowly beginning to enter its prime drinking window. Acidity is remarkably high for a ripe vintage in southern France - a feature that seems to be slowing down the maturation process, even if sulphite levels are miniscule. This rocker grabs 100% of your attention and keeps it tight until the bottle is finished. A true original, a unique expression way out the mainstream. Thrilling wine!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deep, garnet colour. Lovely, deep, refreshing nose of ripe blueberries and cherries, with a touch of fruity (not jammy) sweetness lingering through the glass. On the palate, this is not particularly deep, but very juicy and tasty: spice, game, cherry-liquor, fresh blueberries, well judged wood, zippy acidity. Great wine. 17.5/20
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I preferred the last bottle but still an enjoyable wine. At first, sweet candy nose and flavours, with a sleek but quite thin body and a hot finish. After two hours, the wine opened up better, fleshing out and becoming better balanced, but there are, I fear, many better wines from the region in 2005 at under half the price of this one.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very expressive nose with lilacs and garrigue, blue plum and black cherry, red apples, crushed rocks, burnt sugar, salty liquorice, asian fish sauce, animal fur and intestines. Rich and dense, lots of extract, marked fresh acids, chocolatey tannins and a peppery, herbal back end. Really long, fascinating aftertaste. A great sudiste personality, a blue-print Barral. Still a bit too young, better wait another two years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Lovely expressive nose of green herbes, cut celery stalks, and some beginning game notes. More syrah than mouverdre in the nose, even if it is a 100% mouverde cuvee (!). No similarities whatsoever to an e.g. Bandol. Very good finish, long and tingling. Very much it's own wine. Some tendencies to oxidization after 2-3 hours.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Impromptu tasting @ Peter Z. (Belgium): (blind) Deep, dark red. Ripe prune and and blackberry jump out of the glass. A tad alcoholic (kirsch), but I thought that negligible. Horse shed and bouquet garni emerge while swirling. On the palate this is youthful, thick and loaded with primary fruit. Rhone-like in structure and possesses some cellaring potential. Nice wine! Given the high percentage of mourvedre in this blend, I expected it to be more unruly and feral. Maybe that will come in time. 17/20
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is a wild one. Nose starts out with bacon, black fruit and some earthy notes. Changes later to burnt rubber. Still with massive black berry notes along. Taste is wild and powerfull as well. Grippy but well integrated tannins makes this very balanced, but still with the "big boy brute´ish touch".
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
12/31/2018 - Finare Vinare wrote: 94 Points
This one came directly from Didier Barral's cellar - purchased fairly recently - and shows less of development/full maturity than our previous bottle in August. Bursting with energy, and as complete as can be. Stunning wine... great match with aged gruyère.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/30/2018 - MJReb wrote: 88 Points
Chez MG: powerful, acidity, not a big fan
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/25/2018 - Finare Vinare wrote: 93 Points
Heavy deposit. Aromatically fully developed: mushroom soy, leather, dried black fruits, grilled meat, rusty iron. Still, the palate carries a lot of energy and never gets heavy despite the concentration, probably because the high alcohol is masked by acidity. Fabulous paired with grilled lamb.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/31/2018 - Bisou Likes this wine: 91 Points
Red and blue fruit, mineral, integrated tannins. Balanced soft aromas. Very smooth texture, the balance between fruit, oak and tannins is amazing. Pleasantly accompanied by some garrigue.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/26/2016 - Finare Vinare wrote: 92 Points
Quite developed this bottle, with hints of French artisanal blue cheese and dried mushrooms. Highly volatile but also very enjoyable, especially in the company of food. The high acidity, assisted by VA, is perceived as even higher now as the fruit & tannins start to melt. A slow-drinking and somewhat demanding wine that offers resistance but gives a lot in return. Will probably go for several years more.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/1/2015 - vr.bart wrote: 89 Points
This is not a wine that replaces a meal :) I was not very enthusiastic about it until I started to pair it with some food, which masks some of its shortcomings and made it an OK wine. Will not buy it again, there are better bottles to buy for the same price.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/28/2015 - MonkeyBiz101 wrote: 88 Points
This really seemed to lack much punch. Nondescript.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/14/2014 - Julian Marshall wrote: 88 Points
Still very winsome, with sweet candy tones, garrigue fruit and a beguiling elegance, but not nearly enough structure and body, so probably needs drinking up before long. Expensive for what it is.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/16/2014 - MonkeyBiz101 wrote:
Felt very dumb after decanting and sitting for 5 hrs. Think I'll wait before opening more.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/5/2014 - Finare Vinare wrote: 93 Points
Reductive at first (stale tulip water), but after an hour it really starts to sing. Very alive on the nose, with ever changing impressions. Blue plum preserve, red apples, cardamon, hint of lilacs and liquorice, among others. One of the great assets on the palate is the the level and freshness of acidity, another is the lovely plum preserve flavours, a third the well-built ripe and grippy tannins. It finishes spicy, fresh and super-long. Needs a careful decant, but also seems to have a long future ahead. Excellent now and at least five years ahead, although ten wouldn't come as a surprise.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/9/2014 - Julian Marshall wrote: 88 Points
Loads of candy aromas and flavours, quite a good garrigue strawberry second wave, with real elegance and distinction, but it is a little lightweight and above all, rather expensive. There are lots of better wines from the region for half the price or less.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/9/2013 - peterk wrote: 92 Points
Deep, dark wine with lovely balance of fruit and acidity. Still young - probably worth parking a couple of bottles for the next few years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/17/2013 - Finare Vinare wrote: 94 Points
05 Valinière is still youthful, fresh and wildly structured but slowly beginning to enter its prime drinking window. Acidity is remarkably high for a ripe vintage in southern France - a feature that seems to be slowing down the maturation process, even if sulphite levels are miniscule. This rocker grabs 100% of your attention and keeps it tight until the bottle is finished. A true original, a unique expression way out the mainstream. Thrilling wine!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/21/2013 - jkoenen wrote: 90 Points
Deep, garnet colour. Lovely, deep, refreshing nose of ripe blueberries and cherries, with a touch of fruity (not jammy) sweetness lingering through the glass. On the palate, this is not particularly deep, but very juicy and tasty: spice, game, cherry-liquor, fresh blueberries, well judged wood, zippy acidity. Great wine. 17.5/20
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/7/2013 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine:
I preferred the last bottle but still an enjoyable wine. At first, sweet candy nose and flavours, with a sleek but quite thin body and a hot finish. After two hours, the wine opened up better, fleshing out and becoming better balanced, but there are, I fear, many better wines from the region in 2005 at under half the price of this one.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/15/2012 - peterk wrote: 92 Points
Bright purple color. Rich, ripe, and dense with a peppery finish that goes on and on. Lovely.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/3/2012 - Finare Vinare wrote: 93 Points
Very expressive nose with lilacs and garrigue, blue plum and black cherry, red apples, crushed rocks, burnt sugar, salty liquorice, asian fish sauce, animal fur and intestines. Rich and dense, lots of extract, marked fresh acids, chocolatey tannins and a peppery, herbal back end. Really long, fascinating aftertaste. A great sudiste personality, a blue-print Barral. Still a bit too young, better wait another two years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/3/2011 - peterk wrote: 92 Points
Rich, ripe, soft with a long finish. Slightly tannic - time will improve.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/2/2011 - UTPK wrote:
Lovely expressive nose of green herbes, cut celery stalks, and some beginning game notes. More syrah than mouverdre in the nose, even if it is a 100% mouverde cuvee (!). No similarities whatsoever to an e.g. Bandol. Very good finish, long and tingling. Very much it's own wine. Some tendencies to oxidization after 2-3 hours.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/1/2010 - jkoenen wrote: 89 Points
Impromptu tasting @ Peter Z. (Belgium): (blind) Deep, dark red. Ripe prune and and blackberry jump out of the glass. A tad alcoholic (kirsch), but I thought that negligible. Horse shed and bouquet garni emerge while swirling. On the palate this is youthful, thick and loaded with primary fruit. Rhone-like in structure and possesses some cellaring potential. Nice wine! Given the high percentage of mourvedre in this blend, I expected it to be more unruly and feral. Maybe that will come in time. 17/20
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/5/2010 - Zweder wrote: 86 Points
Occasional tasting group: "Terroir or bottles with a story" (@ TBa): A lot of liquorice in the bouquet. Also glue. On the palate a lot of dark cherries. Very full bodied. One dimensional. Needs at least another 3 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/7/2008 - mortenef wrote: 92 Points
This is a wild one. Nose starts out with bacon, black fruit and some earthy notes. Changes later to burnt rubber. Still with massive black berry notes along. Taste is wild and powerfull as well. Grippy but well integrated tannins makes this very balanced, but still with the "big boy brute´ish touch".
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment