The nose is subdued for a quality Cote-Rotie, but the wine is elegant, balanced, integrated and quietly composed. The finish is morish but not overly long. The standout is the sheer juiciness on the palate, that both quenches and makes you want to drink more.
I decanted for two hours and drank over two hours and the last hour the wine was singing. Needs plenty of air but am not convinced it will improve with age - could be peak drinking now, or more likely stay where it is now but gain a little perfume and lose a little juice.
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Definitely needs plenty of decanter time if you want to drink now, but you will be very well rewarded for the wait.
Not a sweet fruit driven modern styled number, this Tondonia is a superb, old school tradional Rioja. The nose is concentrated oak and vanilla, with dry forest fruits and that typical Rioja tanin/balsamic backbone with a satisfying but morish finish.
A distinguished elegant gentleman of a wine that, while already fantastic, is probably still too young to be at its peak. Could be sensational 95point plus in 5 years
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Still young and too tightly wound but after a few hours the tannin softens and provide a wonderful base for the strong dark and intense forest fruit. Superb finish. Give it another 5- 10 years and this will be a star of the vintage. Great value for money and going to try and secure a case or two more if I can. Price seems astonishing low compared to similar wines of the same vintage
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2011 Michel & Stéphane Ogier Côte-Rôtie
7/14/2018 - adrenalinjohn Likes this wine: 91 Points
The nose is subdued for a quality Cote-Rotie, but the wine is elegant, balanced, integrated and quietly composed. The finish is morish but not overly long. The standout is the sheer juiciness on the palate, that both quenches and makes you want to drink more.
I decanted for two hours and drank over two hours and the last hour the wine was singing. Needs plenty of air but am not convinced it will improve with age - could be peak drinking now, or more likely stay where it is now but gain a little perfume and lose a little juice.
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2004 R. López de Heredia Rioja Reserva Viña Tondonia
9/12/2016 - adrenalinjohn wrote: 94 Points
Definitely needs plenty of decanter time if you want to drink now, but you will be very well rewarded for the wait.
Not a sweet fruit driven modern styled number, this Tondonia is a superb, old school tradional Rioja. The nose is concentrated oak and vanilla, with dry forest fruits and that typical Rioja tanin/balsamic backbone with a satisfying but morish finish.
A distinguished elegant gentleman of a wine that, while already fantastic, is probably still too young to be at its peak. Could be sensational 95point plus in 5 years
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2010 Château Branaire-Ducru
8/17/2016 - adrenalinjohn Likes this wine: 95 Points
Still young and too tightly wound but after a few hours the tannin softens and provide a wonderful base for the strong dark and intense forest fruit. Superb finish. Give it another 5- 10 years and this will be a star of the vintage. Great value for money and going to try and secure a case or two more if I can. Price seems astonishing low compared to similar wines of the same vintage
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