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

2018 Aivalis Armakas

 Nemea Red Blend more
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11/20/2021 - kostaslonis Likes this wine: NR

Aivalis tasting (Aivalis Winery): This is a blend of 40% Syrah, 35% Agiorgitiko, 25% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 300-600m altitude of vineyards, wild yeast, matured in 500lt French oak
The wine shows beaufitul ruby/purple colour
The wine shows ethereal profile, floral notes, light sweet spices, blue fruit, ripe red and black fruit, dense, iron fist in velvet glove.
In the palate, the wine shows beautiful ripe black fruit, high extraction, ripe blue black fruit, nice balance, nice acidity, great use of oak, long finish
Quite like a high-end Napa

  • Comment posted by kostaslonis:

    1/18/2022 3:54:00 PM - For those in favor of such beasts, i'm guessing 94+. A monster of a wine
White

2014 Hatzidakis Winery Assyrtiko de Mylos Vieilles Vignes

 Santorini more
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6/30/2021 - kostaslonis wrote: NR

Random wines tried before service (Oinoscent): Courtesy of a customer

The wine shows high intensity in the nose, powerful oaky profile, oxidative with honey, walnut, butter, lime, saline, Aegean freshness, earthy, almond, tin peach and pineapple, preserved lemon.
The wine shows strength in the palate, full aggressive, high acidity, salinity, mineral, there is almost a touch of CO2 tingle on the teeth, lemon, the oak is more to the back now, the fruit is upfront. The wine shows medium body and finish
Despite the initial reaction, the wine is less heavy and dense in the palate than expected.

  • Comment posted by kostaslonis:

    1/12/2022 3:19:00 PM - I would say 5-10 more years. The problem with Hatzidakis wines is that they tend to have big bottle variation issues.
Red

2018 Realm Cellars The Bard

 Napa Valley Red Bordeaux Blend more
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7/14/2021 - kostaslonis wrote: NR

Random wines tried before service (Oinoscent): The wine was sampled at Oinoscent, via Coravin, bottle brought by importer.

The wine shows dark ruby colour.
The wine shows pure black fruit, ripe to overripe prunes, chocolate and toast.
The palate is big, plush and smooth, velvety tannins, medium to high acidity, broad and almost sweet, full body with long finish

  • Comment posted by kostaslonis:

    9/6/2021 6:51:00 AM - I guess you could drink them all now if you wanted it too, but I tend to avoid drinking them at such young age. It doesn't mean of course that I won't taste them at any given chance.
    I was not really certain about the state of the wines though, since they were brought to the bar where I work at midday by the importer, in the middle of July in Athens.
    From the 4 wines we had though, the Bard was by far the most drinkable (and probably in best shape too).
Red

2013 Seresin Pinot Noir Rachel

 Marlborough more
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1/16/2017 - kostaslonis wrote: 88 points

New Zealand London Annual Trade Tasting (Lindley Hall, Royal Horticultural Halls): Red fruit, spices and sweet oak, the palate is light, tasty, red fruit and spices again, straightforward and easygoing, lacking complexity but would be nice to have on its own, med finish

  • Comment posted by kostaslonis:

    7/18/2018 4:45:00 PM - If I had a case, I would drink them all till 2020, but I'd keep a couple to see how they would evolve (for scientific reasons of course!)
White

2013 Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc

 Pessac-Léognan Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend more
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12/18/2016 - kostaslonis Likes this wine: 92 points

Fine White Wine Tasting (Oinoscent): The nose is shows a bit of flint, lemon, lime zest, some stone fruit notes. Very impressive in the palate, extrovert, nice acidity, med to high intensity, lime, lemon, tropical fruit, pineapple, lemon leaves, very long finish elegantly framed by beautiful oak. Outstanding quality, great to drink now

  • Comment posted by kostaslonis:

    1/24/2017 12:39:00 AM - Hey mate, this wine was part of a tasting of fine wines. It came second after Chateau Margaux, beating with ease Mouton Rothschild and Ornellaia. It needs a bit of time in the glass, so if you want to drink a bottle now, please do decant it.
Red

2006 Bodegas Muga Rioja Torre Muga

 Tempranillo Blend, Tempranillo more
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4/28/2015 - kostaslonis wrote: 90 points

Rioja Masterclass (WSPC): 75% Tempranillo, 15% Mazuelo, 10% Graciano, 18 months in new French oak

The color is clear deep opaque.
The nose is clean, med+ intensity, red fruit ripe and slightly oxidised, oak layers, fruit in alcohol sweetness, cinnamon, nutmeg, quite spicy with time, tobacco leaves, cigar box, feels dense, multilayered, some brett notes, earthy notes too, chocolate hints.
The wine is dry, med+ body and intensity, 14% alcohol, med+/high acidity, med+ tannins, high extraction, rich black fruit, berry and cherry, chocolate note, chewy tannins, nutmeg, balanced, grainy texture like eating pips and quince,med finish. Seems quite interesting due to different expression of extraction.
Outstanding quality, too young.

  • Comment posted by kostaslonis:

    6/5/2015 1:52:00 AM - Hello,
    what is your experience with this wine and you haven't open the case yet? Do you think it takes time to come together ?
    Because it did feel rather young when compared to the other wines and rather tight for a 9 year old wine, but I think if you give it time to breathe and have a hearty dish next to it, it will be great.
    How long do you normally keep these wines before you open them?
Red

2005 Palivou Estate Merlot Terra Leone Private Cuvée

 Nemea more
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5/4/2014 - kostaslonis wrote: 84 points

Mystery box tasting (Oinoscent): Clear medium ruby color.
The nose is unclean, med intensity, fresh plank notes (too much oak?), redcurrant, stale red fruit, earth notes, milk chocolate, with air it gets better. Developing/developed
The wine is dry, med body and intensity, med alcohol and acidity, med tannins, bitter, blackcurrant, chewy, fig, prune, med-/med finish.
Good quality, high/premium price, drink now.

It felt that it needed time to open up but all wines were tested under the same looking glass so...

  • Comment posted by kostaslonis:

    11/23/2014 12:21:00 PM - Hi, the main issue is that the storage of all the wines in the tasting was probably not optimum. This one showed better than the other 2 of Palivos estate but still...As a (sort of) general rule, the Terra Leone series spends 18 months for Agiorgitiko and 24 months for Merlot,Syrah and Cab. Sauvignon in oak. I think that one needs extraordinary quality of fruit to do this and I'm not convinced that we have that in Greece, not yet at least. If the fruit cannot counterbalance the effect of the oak then after some years, the wine seems empty and reminds me only of wood.

    Maybe the same could be said about over extraction but I am afraid I haven't tried that many wines of the sort. Probably its the same ending from a different path.

  • Comment posted by kostaslonis:

    11/25/2014 1:00:00 AM - Ah I see, too much of Lord Parker's favourite style ? Wines meant to impress right from the start and not for the long run. I am with you on that, you don't build muscles if you are after the marathon.

  • Comment posted by kostaslonis:

    11/25/2014 1:13:00 AM - Well to be fair, for a Greek boy like myself, Hyde Park is a rather huge park! And I rather wishfully believe that the tide is turning and winemakers are starting to move away from that awful jam & soy sauce texture style.
White

2012 Gaia Assyrtiko Thalassitis

 Santorini more
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5/27/2013 - kostaslonis wrote: NR

Clear pale lemon color.
Unclean or should I say, clean sulfur nose. There is no reduction but there is nothing else too. After a lot of time in the glass some minor pineapple and lemon hints.
Medium alcohol (13.0%), medium+acidity, medium intensity of pear, green apple and lime juice flavors, steely minerality, medium to long finish of green fruit and lime.
I can't decide whether this wine is faulty or not. I've read that they are experimenting with higher dosage of sulfur in the wine for some time now, but that is a dangerous game to play. I can't say that I would blame someone for returning the bottle as faulty. The nose is blocked all the way. Maybe it would be better with a decanter... Nevertheless, I can't put myself into scoring this one.

  • Comment posted by kostaslonis:

    5/17/2014 8:44:00 AM - Santorini white wines have a "flinty / struck match / gun powder" aroma in them which of course comes from the soil and the chemical reason is sulphur. Its a way to tell an Assyrtico grown in Santorini to another grown in the mainland. The problem is that SO2 is also added during winemaking and bottling. Sometimes things tend to get out of hand and end up with a massive amount of it in the bottle. This was such an example. I've read about them experimenting with higher dosage in order in what I can only assume is a test to see its progress and evolution in time.

    But, when we are talking about bottles that are sold in retail and restaurants this cannot be the case. Small doses of SO2 can be overlooked, but higher ones make the wine repulsive and could smell like rotten eggs/ stale cheese/ garbage bin / cooked vegetables. This particular example could be such a case. But only after tasting more samples of the same vintage and label can one be certain of it. Mind you, its quite possible that I opened the bottle too early and should have decanted it, but that shouldn't be the problem of the consumer but for the producer.

    I don't consider myself a typical consumer, so the only reason I decided to highlight this feature of the wine (from a producer I think highly of) is that I found it really off putting. I read your review on the wine and it probably proves the opened-too-soon theory. Thalassitis (oaked and unoaked versions) from Gaia Estate are less forward than the rest of the island when young.

    I apologize for the lengthy response and I hope I helped you.
White

2010 Capannelle Chardonnay Toscana IGT

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3/31/2014 - kostaslonis Likes this wine: 90 points

2nd Gastronomy Fair 2014; 3/30/2014-3/31/2014 (Intercontinental Hotel): 30% of the wine spent 6 months in new oak

Clear deep lemon color.
Clean, med intensity, citrus, pineapple, vanilla scented oak, developing, impressive.
The wine is dry, med+ body and med intensity, med alcohol and acidity, rich and oily texture, tin pineapple, ripe peach, glycerin, balanced, med+ finish.
Outstanding quality, premium price, can hold.

Just to explain myself to Yiannis before he cuts my throat, the wine is great, different, shows real complexity and I would have it any day, but the price tag is huge (a retail price of about 70+ euros) and for a 2010 "big" white, it sure felt more evolved than expected.

  • Comment posted by kostaslonis:

    4/23/2014 7:46:00 AM - Yes, sorry about that. I noticed you had tasted the exact same bottle, I pressume only a day later, so I copy-pasted it when I was writing to compare it to my own. Did not intend to post it like this without asking you first. But I decided to do a massive upload / clearing up, last night/early morning and tired as I was, I forgot to erase it. Apologies and tasted note corrected.
White - Sweet/Dessert

2012 Gentilini

 Greece White Blend more
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2/17/2014 - kostaslonis Likes this wine: 91 points

out for tasting (Oinoscent): THIS WINE IS NOT COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE, Muscat (80%) - S.Blanc (20%)

Clear medium gold color
Clean in the nose, medium+ intensity, raisin, apricot liquer, dried peach, thyme honey, glue notes, youthful.
The wine is sweet, full body, high acidity, medium alcohol (12.90%) and medium+ intensity, honey and dried apricot, peach and tin pineapple, pear jam, ripe green apple, ideally balanced, crystal clear and not cloying at all, ends with a medium+ finish.
Outstanding quality, drinking now but can hold.

  • Comment posted by kostaslonis:

    2/20/2014 10:25:00 AM - Yes and as the producer told us they managed to escape the earthquakes that have wrecked the island without major damages. The tasting was very interesting. He is focusing in export so there is a big chance you can find their wines in the uk. I was very surprised by the sweet wine, nothing like it in Greece.
White

2011 Weingut Robert Weil Kiedricher Gräfenberg Riesling Trocken Erstes Gewächs

 Rheingau more
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7/2/2013 - kostaslonis wrote: NR

(German Riesling Tasting, WineGate)
Clear with pale lemon color, showing petillance.
Clean nose with medium intensity, flint and petrol, lemon leaves, alcohol hints (medicinal ?). Young
Dry, medium alcohol (13,5%), medium body, medium intensity, medium acidity, alcohol burn instantly, thin concentration, medicinal again, doesn’t feel right at all, too aggressive. There is no fruit to back this up apart from some citrus here and there, mineral medium finish. Young
I can’t tell if this is a flawed bottle or not. Premium price (59,50euros) Major let down from this one.

Everyone else thought there was something strange with this one apart from Lazaros, maybe he knows something we don't ? I have to get another bottle to sure. I just can't believe this won't be a great wine

  • Comment posted by kostaslonis:

    7/4/2013 12:19:00 AM - Truth be told, the one who said that the wine was fine, also claimed it was the wine of the night for him. He had brought a Riedel glass for Chianti with him, while we were using standard ISO tasting glasses.
    I suddently got an image of Robert Weil singing Deep Purple's "I've been mistreated" !!!! Thanks for this valuable intel.
Red

2007 Joseph Phelps Insignia

 Napa Valley Red Bordeaux Blend more
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4/14/2013 - kostaslonis Likes this wine: 96 points

(Deals/Genka Gastronomy Fair, J. Phelps Backus & Insignia mini vertical, Intercontinental Hotel)
This is a blend of 88% CS, 4% Petit Verdot, 8% Merlot. Inox fermenting tanks, 22 months in oak, total production 162.000 btl.
Fresh (as expected) nose, fruits and flowers as well, plums, raspberries, black cherries, violet, toasted hints, chocolate and hints of ink.
In the palate the wine is quite round for its youth, almost sweetish, balancing acidity, a world of fruits in there, rich body and thick, chocolate again, medium to long aftertaste of chocolate, dired plum and tobacco.
I think this was probably the wine of the event for the most.

  • Comment posted by kostaslonis:

    4/26/2013 12:50:00 AM - I couldn't agree more. Of course the large companies (even though J.Phelps Vineyards doesn't belong in that category) have the means and resources to get their hands on the best quality of grapes out there and deal with them the best way possible) most of the times we do not give them enough credit. We have been so much focused on the small wineries or micro-bottlings of single vineyards that we overlook the huge difficulty of making (or blending to be exact) a wine that counts hundrends of thousands of bottles in production.
    I am glad you mentioned Champagne because (even though I'm not a fan of Moet & Chandon), I always thought one should measure a brand's value by the quality of its basic bottle.
    The same principle applies to whisky as well. Of course the 18yo Jameson is great, but the difficult part (and the immense capability of the master blender) is to taste, remember and blend thousands of casks to produce each year the same basic Jameson.
Red

1999 Kir-Yianni Ramnista

 Naoussa Xinomavro more
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1/28/2013 - kostaslonis wrote: 87 points

(Wines of Northen Greece Fair, Grande Bretagne Hotel) Wine served from 3lt bottle (constantly getting decanted).Evolved color and so was int he nose with mostly sweet aromas prevailing like vanilla. Sweet and round mouth, very fruity, tannins appearing after a while, balanced, melow, medium aftertaste. Has reached its top for a few years now, drink up

  • Comment posted by kostaslonis:

    2/9/2013 3:36:00 PM - Dear b.dylan, I apologize if I caused a confusion. I did not say that I hated the wine or that it wasn't worth it. I adore any wine that has aged with grace and I agree that Ramnista has always been a top greek wine. I do think though that it had reached maturity (there is nothing wrong with that, every wine will come to this eventually) and that I did not think it would gain from further time in the bottle.

    Of course there was a fair amount of complexity in there but we should also consider the possibility that we might have tasted the wine at a much different time frame.

    Nevertheless, I suggest you come by the wine bar one day and I promise to find an appropriate bottle to continue this discussion over.

  • Comment posted by kostaslonis:

    2/11/2013 4:02:00 AM - No worries there mate, I work every day (after 16.00) so I'll be there. Just give me a day's notice to "attack" the basement and bring the decanters into good use.
    ps A head's up, no smoking inside

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