12/16/2019 - Pebben wrote:

Consistent with previous note.

12/8/2019 - Pebben wrote:

Consistent with previous note.

12/1/2019 - Pebben wrote:

See previous note. This bottle was surprisingly evolved with prominent notes of dried fruit, antique furniture, caramel and Christmas spices complementing the fresher cherry and raspberry fruit. Still more than enough stuffing for favourable development over the next five to ten years, but this particular bottle was reasonably ripe for plucking even now (94-95 points).

12/1/2019 - Pebben wrote:

Consistent with previous note.

11/24/2019 - Pebben wrote:

Pretty much consistent with previous note.

11/21/2019 - Pebben wrote:

See previous note. Has settled down quite a bit, greatly improving balance. Light on its feet, yet exhibiting profound depth of flavour. Delicious! Drink during the next two to three years.

11/18/2019 - Pebben wrote:

Popped and poured. Opaque purple colour. Ripe black fruit, mocha and liquorish on the nose and palate. Big, bold and not overly complex, but balanced nicely by fresh acidity and firm tannins. Very good value!

11/18/2019 - Pebben wrote:

See earlier notes.

11/10/2019 - Pebben wrote:

From memory: Translucent brick red colour indicating advancing maturity. Medium bodied with flavours of red cherries, roses, autumn underbrush and gentle oak. Still fairly grippy, but mellows out throughout the course of the evening. Good stuff – will last a few more years, but hasn’t got the stuffing for truly old age.

10/28/2019 - Pebben wrote:

Pretty much consistent with previous note – has settled down somewhat since mid-2015, hence the marginally higher score.

10/28/2019 - Pebben wrote:

See previous note. Considerably more fruit-driven than my last bottle (and consequently more to my liking). Still complex and nuanced, but having the sweet morello cherry fruit louder in the mix does it a lot of good. Much more like the wine I remember drinking in Sardinia.

10/23/2019 - Pebben wrote:

From memory: Citrus, peaches and white flowers on the nose and palate. Not a whole lot going on, but comes across as tasty and fresh with well integrated (high) alcohol. One for summer quaffing – had this been May rather than October, I’d probably have ordered a few more. Solid QPR!

10/20/2019 - Pebben wrote:

From memory: Always difficult to know what to expect with these when it comes to level of maturity, but this particular bottle seemed ready to me – dark cherries, roses, marzipan and dry soil on the nose and palate. Concentrated and generous, with a firm tannic bite. Did not evolve noticeably throughout the course of the evening. Very nice!

10/16/2019 - Pebben wrote:

Consistent with previous note.

10/13/2019 - Pebben wrote:

Consistent with previous note.

10/13/2019 - Pebben wrote:

From memory: Stunning nose with hints of dark cherries, autumn underbrush, floral perfume, Asian spices and luxurious oak. Good, albeit not quite as convincing on the palate – I was hoping for a bit more nuance and depth of flavour. Still; a very nice wine that might improve somewhat over the next two to three years, but probably won’t be as long lived as the very top names from this vintage (91-92 points).

10/9/2019 - Pebben wrote:

Popped and poured. Medium ruby colour. Red fruit, leather and damp soil on the nose and palate. Medium bodied and firmly structured. Bordering on austere, but pairs well with food. Might be better a few years down the line, but I fear the fruit will fade faster than the tannins.

10/6/2019 - Pebben wrote:

Tasted immediately after opening. Pale straw colour. Not quite the rotten cabbage of AUDUN G’s bottle, but definitely a whiff of sulphur and a fairly uncharacteristic pungency (not unlike the kind I struggle with in some big Rieslings). There’s also a lack of freshness that makes the unusual flavour profile stand out even more. I don’t think there’s anything terribly wrong here, just not my cup of tea (and certainly not something I’d buy again at the price they're demanding).

10/2/2019 - Pebben wrote:

Consistent with previous note.

10/2/2019 - Pebben wrote:

Popped and poured. Medium straw colour. Citrus, smoke, moist gravel and butterscotch on the nose and palate. Good concentration, balance and length. Very enjoyable, but competing with an ever increasing range of New World alternatives that can be had for quite a bit less.

10/2/2019 - Pebben wrote:

See previous note. Seems like my prediction from 2014 was pretty spot on – not much to get excited about here. Hasn’t improved much over the last five years, and will probably never be anything more than “good” (which obviously is a disappointment for a wine in this price range). Must admit I’ve never had a Barolo that fully has lived up to the hype (except perhaps the 05 Anselma Giacomo Riserva Vigna Rionda) – hope to find gold soon before I completely loose interest.

9/23/2019 - Pebben wrote:

From memory: Consistently good quality across vintages – lemon curd, peaches and sea minerals on the nose and palate. Slightly fuller and richer than your stereotypical steely Chablis (which I like). Always a great buy at Oslo airport tax free, so I won’t be surprised if a few more bottles find their way to my cellar in the years to come.

9/22/2019 - Pebben wrote:

Consistent with previous note.

9/16/2019 - Pebben wrote:

From memory: Slightly reductive upon opening. Notes of lemon curd, butterscotch and moist gravel emerge after a few swirls. Flavourful and balanced – hits the sweet spot between New World richness and Old World elegance. Fairly pricy (although only mid-range for a quality Cali Chard), but good enough to justify investing in a few more bottles. Should drink well for at least another four to five years, and probably improve somewhat over the next year or two (92-93 points).

9/9/2019 - Pebben wrote:

See previous notes – unfolding ever so slowly year by year – great now (94++), should peak in the mid to late 2020’ies (94-96 points).

9/1/2019 - Pebben wrote:

Consistent with previous note.

8/27/2019 - Pebben wrote:

From memory: Ahhh – superb quality on display here (which you kind of expect given the price-tag…). Has that seamless weightlessness combined with a profound depth of flavour one must be prepared to pay up for to experience. Lovely, smooth Pinot fruit – not a whole lot of complexity yet – just delicious, easy drinking all night! PS: When throwing out the empty bottle, I saw that this was actually the 2015 vintage – sorry about the faulty entry…

8/25/2019 - Pebben wrote:

Popped and poured. Medium golden colour. Peaches, cream, spices and oak on the nose and palate. Dense and concentrated – tastes “expensive”, but to me lacks freshness and elegance. Also, the oak is currently too prominent for my taste (hopefully this will improve with time though…). Obviously more of a “serious” white to be enjoyed with proper food than a summer quaffer (the latter being kind of what I treated it as), but I’m not entirely convinced it manages to live up to such ambitions either.

8/18/2019 - Pebben wrote:

See earlier notes. Still remarkably good – also increasingly complex, with emerging tertiary notes of leather/stable and autumn underbrush complementing the rich cassis and blackberry fruit. No signs of slowing down – must seriously get hold of newer vintages!

8/18/2019 - Pebben wrote:

See previous note. This particular bottle was quite dry and harsh. Beautiful nose, but the palate lacks the fruit to balance out the massive structure. Might be that this wine is generally getting close to retirement (in which case my early 2016 recommendation was a clear miss…), but given the bottle variation I’ve experienced with all these 07 crus, it might just as well be a one-off.

8/10/2019 - Pebben wrote:

From memory: Pretty nose with hints of black fruit, floral perfume, spices and sea breeze. Medium bodied, fresh and well balanced. Displays a pronounced saline minerality on both nose and palate that elevates it just above the “nice enough, but easily forgotten” category.

8/10/2019 - Pebben wrote:

Popped and poured. Pale straw colour. Wow – a lovely Meursault with notes of lemon, butterscotch, moist gravel and smoky, roasted nuts on the nose and palate. Rich and concentrated, but never overdone. Ticks all the boxes without being stupidly expensive. Open for business, but should drink well for at least another five years. Great stuff!

8/5/2019 - Pebben wrote:

From memory: Yet again another lovely CC (increasingly my go-to appellation for affordable, versatile and food-friendly reds). Notes of dark cherries, floral perfume, roasted almonds and liquorish on the nose and palate. Concentrated, smooth and balanced, but has enough grip to withstand anything from a spicy pizza to a fatty grilled pork shoulder. You’re paying a little extra for a Riserva, but in this case I think it’s worth the extra money.

8/5/2019 - Pebben wrote:

See previous note – not much change since May 2017. Good, but I’ve lost confidence in further improvement – drink over the next couple of years.

7/15/2019 - Pebben wrote:

Consistent with previous note.

7/11/2019 - Pebben wrote:

From memory: Lovely CC with hints of dark cherries, roasted almonds, dry soil and spicy oak. Smooth, well balanced and ready to drink. Great stuff!

6/23/2019 - Pebben wrote:

Consistent with previous note.

6/23/2019 - Pebben wrote:

Popped and poured. Medium ruby core, bricking rim. Lovely nose with hints of dark morello cherries, roses, leather and spices. Concentrated, smooth and well balanced. Entering into its prime drinking window, which should last for another three to four years. Well done!

6/16/2019 - Pebben wrote:

Consistent with my last note.

6/16/2019 - Pebben wrote:

From memory: I believe my first note on the 2014 vintage sums it up nicely: “Citrus fruit, peaches, moist gravel and smoke on the nose and palate. Good freshness, concentration and length”. Super QPR!

6/16/2019 - Pebben wrote:

Popped and poured. Dark purple colour. Lovely nose with hints of dark plums, ripe strawberries, spices and a touch of wood – remarkably primary for a wine with over ten years on its back. Full bodied and fairly rich, but has structure in abundance. While very enjoyable today, it has yet to develop the leathery, mushroomy and forest-floory aromas I have come to associate with an aged Taurasi. Having said that, this wine is built for the long haul and will probably evolve favourably over the next six to eight years (91-93 points).

6/10/2019 - Pebben wrote:

Consistent with previous note.

6/10/2019 - Pebben wrote:

From memory: Black cherries, dried fruit, leather, dry soil and spices on the nose and palate. Medium bodied, balanced and refreshing, yet still exhibits profound depth of flavour. Impressive QPR!

6/3/2019 - Pebben wrote:

Consistent with previous note.

6/3/2019 - Pebben wrote:

Pretty much consistent with previous note.

5/26/2019 - Pebben wrote:

From memory: Lovely nose with hints of red cherries, rose petals, marzipan, spices and cedar-wood. Still pretty tightly wound on the palate, though – definitely needs food to show its best. Should probably be cellared for another three to four years, but I’m not entirely convinced it has the stuffing to improve a whole lot. Solid quality, but questionable QPR at over $60 a bottle (89-90 points).

5/22/2019 - Pebben wrote:

Popped and poured. Dark purple colour. On the nose; primary blue fruit, floral perfume, spices and a dash of vanilla-toffee. On the palate; generous and concentrated, yet superbly balanced and refreshingly light footed. Still on the young side, but I don’t think there's a lot to be gained by letting it rest for more than a year or two. A very good Ribera for the price!

5/19/2019 - Pebben wrote:

Consistent with previous note.

5/13/2019 - Pebben wrote:

Popped and poured. Deep salmon pink colour. Pretty nose with hints of sweet red fruit and floral perfume. Refreshing and well balanced, displaying good depth of flavour and above average length. This wine has become somewhat of a cult classic here in Norway (which makes it damn near impossible to get hold of). While I have problems understanding the extreme hype, it’s certainly among the better rosés I’ve had. At just over $20, it’s also a very good deal compared to most of the other candidates on the roster.

5/4/2019 - Pebben wrote:

Popped and poured. Medium ruby colour. Lovely nose with hints of morello cherries, floral perfume, roasted almonds and cedar-wood. Light on its feet, but still exhibits plenty of depth and substance. Good to go, but will keep for quite a few more years. Great stuff!