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Red

2015 Jacques Antoine Toublanc Bourgueil Cabernet Franc

12/19/2020 - pjaines Likes this wine:

Where the hell did this come from? out of nowhere like a sneaky little unexpected guest, this is now one of the best wines I've had this year. Regal, elegant, it just got better and better as it unwound. At first tight and very much at the "chiselled from rock" end of the spectrum, it slowly unfurled to show whisps of black fruit and tannins that pulled off the trick of being there, but not being there. Schrodinger's Tannins. The drive and focus of the wine is stunning - it is neither fruit bomb, nor austere, neither mature, nor old. It just exists in its own space-time continuum. If you could plot out its taste and smell on a graph then it would be narrow but deep - there is no waste here. God, I only purchased one bottle. I rushed back across London today for their last bottle this morning. "Sorry, it has gone". My heart cracked.

davestenton commented:

12/20/20, 2:50 AM - Theatre of Wine in Tufnell Park had stock a couple of days ago — might be worth calling them

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Red

2009 Dominio de Tares Bierzo Cepas Viejas Mencía

9/25/2013 - davestenton wrote:

The Dirty Dozen Tasting 2013 (Il Botaccio, London): Blue fruit and vanilla oak. Surprisingly fresh and mineral on the palate (cf. previous vintages) with good depth of fruit and the oak well integrated. 17/20.

davestenton commented:

1/7/14, 1:47 AM - Hi Harley: my surprise was that this specific wine showed as fresh and mineral; previously I've found the Cepas Viejas a little too oaky/extracted for my tastes. I'll edit the note to make this a little clearer.
davestenton commented:

1/7/14, 3:30 AM - Hi Harvey: we're pretty well stocked with Bierzo wines in London - although, personally, I tend to prefer the fresher style of mencia from Ribeira Sacra. Your reference to a 'crisis' is interesting; I wasn't aware of that and assumed it was a region that was doing well - it's certainly talked about a lot in the wine media.
davestenton commented:

1/7/14, 5:26 AM - Thanks for the tip - will keep an eye out for them.

Looks like Berry Bros have some Dom. Lamarche available by the bottle.
davestenton commented:

1/7/14, 5:51 AM - Yes, Berry Bros = BBR. Good luck tracking down a bottle!

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Red

2004 Château Cantemerle Haut-Médoc Red Bordeaux Blend

6/30/2013 - davestenton wrote:

The Sampler Summer Tasting 2013 (The Sampler, South Kensington): Dark fruit with a slightly roasted quality on the nose. Then a lovely fresh palate with some dusty tannins. Classic claret. 16.5/20.

davestenton commented:

6/30/13, 2:26 PM - Hi Harley: that window looks about right to me - although if I had some bottles I might be tempted to try one slightly earlier, say mid-2016

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Red

2001 La Rioja Alta Rioja Gran Reserva 904 Tempranillo Blend, Tempranillo

6/6/2013 - davestenton wrote:

Roberson Spanish Walkabout Tasting (Roberson, High Street Kensington, London): Cherry, vanilla and (unusually for Rioja?) limestone. Sweet entry. Much finer - and riper - tannin. Taut and focussed. A little tart but it should ease off. Fresh and elegant. 16.5+/20. 2016+

davestenton commented:

6/14/13, 12:10 AM - Hi Harley:

I use this scale (taken from JancisRobinson.com):

20 - Truly exceptional
19 - A humdinger
18 - A cut above superior
17 - Superior
16 - Distinguished
15 - Average, a perfectly nice drink with no faults but not much excitement

If there's a + that means I think the wine will improve once it reaches its drinking window.
davestenton commented:

6/14/13, 2:04 AM - I actually gave all three wines slightly different scores: Ardanza 04 is 16+, so potentially a 16.5 (by 2015). I rated the 904 2001 16.5+, so potentially 17 (by 2016). And I scored the 890 1995 16.5 as I don't see it improving.

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