6/22/2012 - airbull76 wrote:

Serious smoke taint on both nose and palate; lacking in fruit, and has a lot of bitterness on the finish.

12/24/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

Flaw - corked.

12/24/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

Pleasant, but faded fast.

12/24/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

Mediocre

12/24/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

Totally faded, maybe a little bottle shock after a long journey.

12/24/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

Good but young.

12/18/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

A good bottle - a bit muted upon openign, but after an hour or so in the decanter it blossomed into a delicious mouthfull of citrus, hazelnut and butterscotch. Good acid an rich fruit flavours will keep this goign for a few years yet.

12/18/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

good but not great - the 2002 is better for sure.

12/18/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

Tremendous nose, powerful and deep - lots of earth, spice and dark fruit. Lush palate, soft texture, lengthy finish and great structure. A beautiful bottle.

12/18/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

ok, fruit was fading a bit. A bit one-dimensional and boring.

12/18/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

Very good-value aged Loire red, plenty of excitement here. Great freshness on the palate, enlivening acidity, good dark fruit, hints of green pepper (I like this, it should not be considered a flaw) and still quite tannic. Hints of barnyard on a couple of the bottles, but not overpowering at all, and it blew off quickly both times. A good, lively wine.

12/18/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

Very good wine, good fruit, soft tannins and fine acid, plenty of tertiary notes - earth, spice and a hint of leather. Delicious.

12/18/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

I agree with Zinny, there is a big shot of oak here, which to my mi9nd unbalances it. The fruit is not rich enough to be able to stand up to this, and overall it was pretty disappointing. Thyere's no realintegration, and I can't be sure that more bottle time will help, as I don't think there's enough fruit.

12/18/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

Equally as splendid as the first bottle consumed!

12/18/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

Some bottle variation here; 1st bottle was a bit flabby, not enough acidity, and second bottle had better structure but muted fruit. I am only giving them 86 as I have had better bottles in the past.

12/18/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

Provided about 30 minutes of reasonable drinking, then deteriorated badly. No score.

11/24/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

A decent bottle, almond, hazelnut and citrus on the nose and palate, with a slightly more creamy citrus on the palate. Good acidity still, and no sign of oxidation. Drink soon.

11/19/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

Pretty decent - good flavour and aroma profile, sweet grapefruit, tinned peaches and a touch of pepper on the finish. Quite full-bodied, creamy texture and good acidity. it does lack a little depth though, I feel like it promises a bit more than it delivers, but overall it is a very good example of a ripe Gruner Veltliner.

11/18/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

Delicious - honey, apple, pears, petrol, zinging acidity, long finish. Even better the next day.

11/18/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

Slightly muted nose and palate, fine acidity and steely minerality at this stage. It did open up with a few hours in the decanter, though this definitely needs a few years yet.

11/18/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

Punches far above its weight - very well-balanced and a very long finish. Superb overall.

11/15/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

A splendid example of a crusty old Languedoc wine made from old vines. It was still a bit tight upon opening, though it opened up over the next hour in decanter. Initial aromas of earth, spice and old boot and saddle leather were soon mixed with dark fruit. It was a bit lean to begin with, but it seemed to gain in body with exposure to air, if that's possible. There is still a good amount of tannic grip, and plenty of acidity, and the ample fruit leads me to believe that there is still plenty of life left in this. I can't tell you how much I love wines like this from the Languedoc, there truly are so many gems down there waiting to be discovered, and even though this is a very well-know domaine, there isn't much of this old-vine loveliness around. More please..!

11/15/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

Outstanding bottle - lovely dark fruit, leather, spice, good acid and round tannins, with a medium+ body and a silky texture, all elements are in perfect harmony. It opened up nicely after an hour+ in the decanter - the fruit, which was subdued to start, shone through nicely, and transformed this into a quite delicious Shiraz! Greenock Creek is without a doubt one of my favorite Aussie producers. Buy, buy, buy..!

11/14/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

A good wine, plenty of life left in it. the fruit is evolving to a more Burgundian style of sour cherries, mixed with a touch of trademark Californian fruit too - an excellent mix. There is still a fine acidic backbone keeping it going, with barely perceptible tannins. The only thing that keeps it from getting a higher score is the fact that it drops off a bit on the mid-palate. It has a very good entry, and the finish picks up too, but the mid is lacking, and the finish would be longer if this wasn't the case. Overall, though, a very good wine. Drink now and for next couple of years.

11/5/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

A delicious example of an all-too-rare white Chateauneuf Du Pape from the extremely talented Isabel Ferrando who has revived this old estate since she purchased it a few years back. A moderately intense aroma of flowers, pears and a hint of oxidation. The palate is quite rich and full-bodied and has a creamy texture, with plenty of orchard fruit, a touch of honey and those oxidative notes that characterise the higher-quality whites from this area. There is good balancing acidity and a 30-40 second finish that creates a very harmonious experience. This is made from a slightly unusual blend of 80-85% very-old-vines Clairette, and 15-20% Roussanne. At its peak and absolutely delicious! I would be very interested to see how this develops over time, I have heard that old-vine Clairette can age very successfully.

10/9/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

Very pleasing nose that opened up after a couple of hours decanting (it was a little closed to start with), a variety of tertiary notes including spice, cigar box, smoke and a hint of leather. Still plenty of fruit left on the palate, but not overpowering, and well in balance with the structure and velvety texture. It is complex, elegant and delicious. This bottle came from dubious provenance, with a lowish fill level, but it still showed very well. I have another that looks to be in better condition, so I look forward to that. There's no hurry to finish these up, there's plenty of life left. A very good example of an older Napa cab, the way they used to be made,

10/6/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

Similar flavour profile to the Steinertal, though to me it isn't quite as full and rich, not to say it isn't as good, just a touch more delicate. Limes, flowers, peaches and a hint of petrol, fine acidity and lengthy finish. A greta wine from one of Austria's finest

10/6/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

The first whiff of this after opening is like angels falling down from heaven; pungent peach, lime and a touch of petrol. The palate is rich and full with a touch of residual sweetness, the mid is complex and evolving with a finish that goes on and on. Needs food. This might be one of my desert island wines. Or desert island Rieslings anyway!

10/6/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

Oxidative, orangey, pears and delicious. Firm acidity and the fact that it was much better on the second day leads me to believe that it will age nicely for a number of years.

7/24/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

i would agree with Simon G on this one. A fantastic nose, a great entry that drops off a touch on the mid-palate, but which bounces back strongly on the finish. I thought that the finish would fade, but it kept on going for a long, long time. I would like a tiny bit more more mid-palate weight, but the finish really does make up for it IMHO. This really is a splendid example of an aged Austrian Riesling from a stellar producer that is well-worth seeking out.

7/24/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

This wine just sings to me... A full, developed nose of stone fruit and meyer lemon, honey and a hint of petrol; a palate of ripe luscious fruit that reflects the nose, plus just a touch of lime and the merest hint of residual sugar, with perfect acidity. This is a spectacular food wine - any kind of fleshy fish, shellfish - and I am so glad I have four more bottles! It will be interesting to see where this goes from here.

7/24/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

Same as before

7/21/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

Better than the last one I had - which was totally dead, without any structure and tasted like stale ribena - but still not great. More fruit, more acid and softer tannins, but the acid is the predominant feature here. This is definitely over the hill.

7/21/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

For not much of a rose drinker, this had most of the components that I like in one. There was soft red berry fruit which married very well with an underlying minerality, a surprising component given where this wine comes from. The only part lacking was the acidity, whilst being present I wanted a bit more. Not especially complex, but certainly very drinkable.

7/11/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

Interesting nose upon opening of leather, spice and plummy fruit. The plate was a little disjointed I felt, the flavours hadn't fully integrated, and there were bits hanging out - some bitter oak notes, and slightly unbalanced acidity. I also thought that it was a bit one-dimensional, not especially complex. I have 2 more bottles which I'm going to keep for a while to see if anything interesting happens to them, as for me this wine is disappointing now.

7/5/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

Strong cassis nose, quite jammy too, a little one-dimensional on the palate with the cassis coming through strongly with a hint of mint. Medium plus body, medium acidity, and almost inperceivable tannins. Definitely at its peak, drink now. Not bad, but I wouldn't buy it again at that price ($65)

6/16/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

Ok, over the hill, fruit was a bit subdued, there was a certain level of secondary aromas and tastes, but they were pretty fleeting, and the acidity was a little imposing. Not as good as my previous bottle a few months ago. Drink up...

5/9/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

Flabby and tired again unfortunately.

4/23/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

Still a very pure, dark ruby colour, with a lighter rim that showed no hint of browning at all. It had a very grand bouquet indeed, with dark fruit, cedar spice, leather, cigar box, earth, pencil shavings, and tons of graphite minerality - a truly splendid nose indeed, which really revealed itself fully after a couple of hours in the decanter (it was still a little closed upon opening). In the mouth there was very prominent blackcurrant and cassis fruit, much more so than I expected from the nose, with the earth, leather, spice and the beautiful graphite again. It had a velvety texture and still great purity of fruit, with all the other flavours falling into place and integrating beautifully. The tannins were soft, the acidity was well-balanced, and the evolving finish was savoury very long indeed. An excellent wine, which I believe is in its peak drinking window, but will definitely keep for a while yet with good storage conditions.

4/23/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

Marginally better than first bottle, though not by much I'm sad to say.

4/18/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

An amazing bouquet of honey, caramel, honeysuckle, lilacs and lychee, all of which is reflected on the extremely complex palate, plus a little peach and sweet pear. It is medium-bodied with medium levels of acidity, but there is plenty there to keep it going for a long while yet. A splendid wine with a luscious mouthfeel which balances power with elegance and refinement, and is one that that I will revisit in a few years.

3/22/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

In very good condition, pleasant nose of red and blue fruit and a little spice, medium intensity palate of fruit with some earthy undergrowth, balanced acidity and soft tannins. Medium finish and soft texture. It started to fade after being open for 2.5hrs. An excellent example of a 'Villages", very enjoyable. At peak, drink now. I have noticed recently, having drunk various 2001 red Burgundies, that they share similar characteristics: They are not the most intensely flavoured wines, but they are well balanced, and seem to be drinking very well right now.

3/19/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

Dull, lacks inspiration, length and depth. Prominent oak, not much fruit, a little minerality. Disappointing - I am hoping it was a bad bottle.

3/18/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

This is a delicious wine, most unexpectedly so in fact given its age (maybe not though, given the pedigree of the producer). Its not a desperately complex wine, but it still has good fruit (sour cherry, blackberry), a little barnyard, lots of spice and pleasant minerality, with balanced acid and soft tannins and quite a long finish too. It's quite rich still, in fact it's definitely not elegant at all, but if the truth be told it's a wine you can sit and drink without having to give it a lot of thought as to why it gives you so much pleasure. It's definitely at, or just over, its peak, and it provides immense enjoyment. Drink now.

3/18/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

Oxidised.

3/17/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

Exactly the same as my last review, so definitely not bottle variation. A shame because I like this wine, but it goes to show that these wines do not age at all. I'll definitely be on the lookout for more recent vintages, however, because this wine is great with sushi.

3/16/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

Splendidly rich, full bodied, medium gold-coloured wine; strong nose of melon, peach and apricot and floral aromatics, with a steely minerality; gives the impression of a lush, full wine, which is confirmed on the palate with a creamy texture, balanced acidity and intense flavours, with a long finish. About as big a GV as I have tasted. Will probably keep for 10 years. Outstanding.

3/7/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

Beautiful ripe fruit, and lots of it, melon, peach, citrus, plus honey. One bottle we drank had decent acidity and a crisp finish, but the other one was really lacking, pretty flabby - some serious bottle variation going on here - I'll have to see how the other ones are.

2/24/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

Excellent nose of leather, cherry and spice, intense palate of soft cherry fruit, spice, earth and leather, with excellent acidity levels and good tannic structure. Still has quite a number of years ahead of it, but is beautiful now.

2/23/2010 - airbull76 wrote:

I tend to agree with the previous post, it does seem a little muted; it may well be in a slightly closed stage as it tastes a lot more expressive now after around 4 hours of being open. Anyway, good acidity with lemon, peach, pepper, minerals and a hint of herbs, it has a medium+ body and good length. I am going to keep my other bottles for a few years to see what happens also.