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Wine Type Vintage Name Variety Locale Date Posted Score Helpful Comments Comment Date Community Score More...
Red

2006 R. López de Heredia Rioja Reserva Viña Tondonia

 Tempranillo Blend, Tempranillo more
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9/3/2023 - kalissa Likes this wine: 89 points

The 2006 vintage has not been outstanding in my experience, and while this is a strong effort, it lacks the fruit of more successful vintages. While there is still some tannin on the finish I feel it would be best to drink this now before it dries out too much.

  • Comment posted by kalissa:

    9/4/2023 3:21:00 PM - The 05 is excellent, the 06 very good but not in the same league based on my tasting. Haven’t had 07 yet but I have it waiting in the cellar. I’ve been buying this wine every year since the 05 vintage.
Beer

2021 Fuller's Vintage Ale

 London Malt, Grain more
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10/28/2022 - forceberry wrote: 72 points

Bottle #41944. Hopped with Endeavour, Olicana and CF182. Best before 31st of December, 2031. 8,5% alcohol.

Reddish, deep and very slightly hazy mahogany color with a large, creamy and somewhat short-lived beige head. The nose feels rich and sweet-toned with rather malt-driven flavors of apple jam and caramel, some nutty tones, a little bit of log wood, a hint of floral spice and a touch of cooked red plum. The beer feels rich, quite sweetish and moderately full-bodied on the palate, but the overall impression is dominated by this unpleasant, piercing, metallic bitterness - a quality that reminds me of hop bitterness in sour ales. There are flavors of caramel malt and pink grapefruit, some woody tones, a little bit of nuttiness, light sweet notes of orange marmalade and jammy dark bread, a hint of bready malt and a touch of prunes. Somehow the beer is all over the place and quite unpleasant, not only with its rather sweet, almost jammy overall taste, but also with its rough and angular bitterness that begins with more grapefruity tones but grows into more soapy and metallic bitterness. The beer is not heavily hopped or aggressively bitter in hoppy sense, but instead the quality of the bitterness is very unpleasant and dominant in character. The long finish is sweet and somewhat sticky but not particularly refreshing with flavors of orange marmalade and jammy blackberries, some nutty tones, a little bit of bready malt and light woody character, followed by a rough and quite aggressive metallic bitterness that obfuscates all the finer nuances quite fast.

A remarkably unbalanced, awkward and mediocre effort for Fuller's Vintage Ale. For me, Fuller's Vintage Ales have always been excellent brews and some of the most interesting stuff Fuller's puts out, but this was a bitter disappointment. At fridge temperature the beer feels somewhat mild but still somewhat cloying with its sweetness, accentuated by the metallic bitterness. As the temperature goes up, the beer grows in flavor intensity, but so does its sweetness, making the beer feel almost sickly sweet in the end. However, the unpleasant metallic bitterness never goes away. Definitely not a re-buy. I wonder if there was something wrong with this particular brew, or if that aggressive metallic bitter taste came from some of those less-known (or experimental) hops? At 8,99€ for a half-liter bottle, this was waste of money.

  • Comment posted by kalissa:

    2/1/2023 2:26:00 PM - This sounds disappointing. Any chance it could have been heat damaged? I don’t know much about aging beer, but I bought a few of these as an experiment. Do they go through a shut down period?

  • Comment posted by kalissa:

    2/1/2023 4:21:00 PM - Thanks for confirming. Sometimes things are just bad. I’ll try it myself at some point, but I’m not looking forward to it now.
Red

2010 Marqués de Murrieta Rioja Reserva Finca Ygay

 Tempranillo Blend, Tempranillo more
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6/9/2021 - kalissa Likes this wine: 90 points

Really beautiful dark berry nose with a touch of vanilla. Colour is dark will minimal signs of aging. The palate was a bit closed at first but opened up with some swirling. This still has a bit of tannin and oak to absorb. Good concentration and length. Drink now with some aeration or continue to hold for more evolution.

  • Comment posted by kalissa:

    6/10/2021 5:02:00 PM - I’m sure you’re right!
Red

2010 E. Guigal Châteauneuf-du-Pape

 Red Rhone Blend more
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3/15/2021 - kalissa wrote: 89 points

To my taste this just isn’t ready yet. Appearance is young still. Tannin is noticeable and fruit seems a bit buried at the moment. Some pleasant berry aromas, but not giving too much yet. Will try again in a couple of years. Hold.

  • Comment posted by kalissa:

    3/28/2021 9:13:00 AM - Thanks for the comment srh. My taste is more toward Burgundy in any case, so I will want the tannins to soften more before I really enjoy it. And that may be different for someone who doesn’t mind the tannin. In general I prefer a lighter wine than this, but I’m hoping enough time will accomplish that evolution I’m looking for.
Red

2013 Compania de Vinos del Atlantico Rioja Sierra de la Demanda Tinto

 Garnacha, Grenache more
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7/19/2020 - kalissa Likes this wine: 89 points

I liked this more than the previous bottle I had. This one shows more youthful, with a round mouthfeel and soft tannins. The berry fruit on the palate is fresh and has good concentration. This wine has some Burgundian characteristics that are appealing. Drink or hold.

  • Comment posted by kalissa:

    7/21/2020 7:38:00 AM - Agreed, I much prefer a cooler climate character, I find so many Grenaches get roasted or jammy in the warmer climates. I enjoy a bit of tartness in a wine, which some may be sensitive to and not like as much, but that’s my taste.
Red

2005 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Clos de la Maréchale

 Pinot Noir more
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7/14/2020 - Nicephoras wrote: NR

A wine that's stuck between two places. The nose has some secondary notes on some red fruit (who could have predicted from Mugnier!), but the palate on the other hand is......quite hard and the fruit is very primary. Nor did it budge over dinner. On one hand, maybe the 05s just all aren't ready. On the other hand, if Mugnier can't make 05s that are drinking well, who can? Granted, this was his second vintage with the Clos de la Marechale, but it's not clear to me when/if this wine will be at an optimal point.

  • Comment posted by kalissa:

    7/18/2020 2:29:00 PM - Thanks for the note. I agree, this wine might not be approachable until its 20th birthday, at the earliest! Time with tell whether it blossoms into something wonderful, but for now it’s one to leave in a cold cellar and forget about it!
Red

2006 Domaine d'Ardhuy Corton-Renardes

 Corton Grand Cru Pinot Noir more
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2/29/2020 - scaredone wrote: flawed

vinegar

  • Comment posted by kalissa:

    2/29/2020 5:42:00 PM - Sorry to hear that! Was it stored properly? I have a few of these I was looking forward to!
Red

2001 Faustino Rioja I Gran Reserva

 Tempranillo Blend, Tempranillo more
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3/22/2018 - welsh.p wrote: NR

some advice needed please ladies and gents
how long would you recommend , after ive opened the bottle to drink
The wine looks ruby colored.

  • Comment posted by kalissa:

    3/22/2018 1:21:00 PM - Not sure if it needs breathing time, but there may be a little sediment so if that is the case it could benefit from decanting
Red

2002 Faiveley Corton-Clos des Cortons Faiveley

 Corton Grand Cru Pinot Noir more
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8/19/2016 - Vinum Deorum Does not like this wine: 79 points

Very disapointing. One could hardly notice the pinot noir typicity behind the oak make-up and the ridiculous style of this wine which was over-extracted, oaky and unbalanced (rough tanins, a strong alcohol sensation, jammy style). I thought it was a bad caricature of what a pinot noir from a great terroir should be in a top vintage. One of the worst burg I have ever drunk.

  • Comment posted by kalissa:

    8/25/2016 9:25:00 AM - I wonder if it was shut down? These old-school Faiveley wines often need a good 20 years of aging to come around!
Red

2012 Kilikanoon Shiraz Killerman's Run

 Clare Valley more
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8/23/2015 - kalissa Likes this wine: 86 points

This is more than adequate value for what it costs, but I find the wine somewhat flabby and jammy. It could just be that I prefer a more old-world taste profile. I nevertheless would recommend this wine to fans of the style.

  • Comment posted by kalissa:

    9/17/2015 3:41:00 PM - Thanks for the comment. It's quite possible the bottle I had may not have been in pristine condition, which may have resulted in a different profile. Shipping from Australia to Canada might be a factor? I will try it again when I get a chance. Cheers!
Red

2010 Marqués de Riscal Rioja Reserva

 Tempranillo Blend, Tempranillo more
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8/31/2015 - kalissa Likes this wine: 91 points

A very fine Rioja, but needs time to integrate the oak and tannins. Very good concentration. Try again in 2020?

  • Comment posted by kalissa:

    9/1/2015 10:31:00 AM - Harley1199, I don't doubt it will last a long time. Just out of curiosity, do you have any suggestions on wine shops or restaurants to get mature vintages of Rioja in Madrid?

  • Comment posted by kalissa:

    9/1/2015 5:14:00 PM - Thanks, I will be visiting Madrid and Leon shortly so will check out the local options. Cheers!

  • Comment posted by kalissa:

    9/1/2015 6:43:00 PM - Thanks for the suggestion, I will check it out!
    Cheers
Red

2001 Faustino Rioja I Gran Reserva

 Tempranillo Blend, Tempranillo more
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7/6/2015 - mmh wrote: 90 points

The bottle looks hideous but it would be foolish to dismiss this wine on those grounds, as the contents are very good indeed. Remarkably young and fresh! Some oak, yes, but not too much for me. Nice balancing acidity, strawberries, leather. Medium bodied. Great! Will improve.

  • Comment posted by kalissa:

    8/3/2015 5:59:00 PM - I agree with your assessment of this wine 100%, including the rather unsophisticated packaging. However the contents are indeed fine, especially for the reasonable price point. Cheers!

  • Comment posted by kalissa:

    8/4/2015 7:19:00 PM - Harley1199, I don't pay too much attention to what a magazine says about a wine. And here in Canada, Decanter has limited influence. I drink what I like to drink, regardless of the bottle it comes in. And a wine like this does not compare to a great grand cru Burgundy, but that isn't the point is it? It's a nice wine to drink while you wait for your finest bottles to mature, in my opinion.

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