2/20/2024 - Zorba Likes this wine:

Very nice wine, full of strawberries and pomegranate, violets and a bit of earthiness. Rather firm for Beaujolais and with a good body. Great drinking now, probably nearing the end of the drinking plateau. Very good QPR.

2/9/2024 - Zorba wrote:

I think I enjoyed some previous vintages of this wine better than this one. It's a straightforward simple Médoc, quite tannic and with medium-high acidity. The fruit department can't quite keep up with that, which makes for a somewhat austere experience. Still, for just 9 euros this is quite decent.
I don't think ageing this further will help since the fruit will probably fade too much before the tannins resolve.

12/25/2023 - Zorba Likes this wine:

Fresh, ripe and buttery smooth, with pear and citrus notes. Many years left, not sure it would improve.

12/25/2023 - Zorba Likes this wine:

What a joy! Delicious smell and taste right out of the bottle, slightly improved with three hours of air. Definitely a mature wine, no need to wait I think, but this will probably last several years more. Other enthusiastic notes describe this wine well. My keywords were: forest, autumn, earth. Paired very well with a hearty partridge stew. Love a great Brunello!

12/27/2023 - Zorba Likes this wine:

Rich white blend with vanilla oak notes, quite smooth now with a bit of ageing. Great QPR!

12/26/2023 - Zorba Likes this wine:

Bilberry and blackberry, silky soft. The intensity of the fruit is a bit less than in 2017 but still deep and pure. It is super smooth, almost creamy now after 15 years. Still very good, but may not improve anymore from here I'd guess.

10/7/2023 - Zorba Likes this wine:

Blueberries and somewhat herbal. Cedar notes sticking out a bit, not quite integrated. Needs a couple more years.

9/2/2023 - Zorba Likes this wine:

Fully in the drinking window but might still improve for 3+ years. Nicely balanced merlot, not too bold or sweet, a bit of minerality, mostly resolved tannins.

8/29/2023 - Zorba Likes this wine:

In a good spot. Bold wine with prunes, candied cherries, oak/vanilla.

6/15/2023 - Zorba Likes this wine:

Very good for only 6 euros.

6/1/2023 - Zorba Likes this wine:

For less than 6 euros a reasonable Bordeaux, good to drink at 5 years of age.

5/1/2023 - Zorba Likes this wine:

Full, ripe wine with typical garrigue and warm, spicy notes. Reminded me of Gigondas. The wine might have been slightly past peak, making the alcohol stick out a bit.

3/1/2023 - Zorba Likes this wine:

Restrained nose, citrus notes with just a hint of passion fruit. Bone dry on the palate with high acid making it razor sharp and very fresh, with clear mineral notes, a little grapefruit bitter at the end and overall restrained and less ripe/tropical fruit than a typical NZ SB. Perhaps this bottle was a bit too old and had lost some its fruit; it could have done with a bit more.

5/26/2023 - Zorba Likes this wine:

Agree with the note by PSDYCP. Solid cab, good value for money. This vintage might still improve a bit over the next couple of years as it is far from tired, but it is ready to drink now.

4/30/2023 - Zorba wrote:

This light Beaujolais cru is now at the end of its lifetime, still just okay on opening but oxidizing within 24h.

3/31/2023 - Zorba Likes this wine:

Very nice, classic Haut-Médoc tasting profile. Lacks a bit of concentration to score higher for me, but good value at this price point. Ready to drink now and over the next couple of years. Not sure if this will improve anymore.

3/12/2023 - Zorba Likes this wine:

Gorgeous on both the nose and the palate, especially for the EP price. From memory, this seems a bit better than the 2010 was. Great style St. Estèphe, all nicely balanced. In a very good spot but will be great for several years more. Agree with the previous two tasting notes.

2/19/2023 - Zorba Likes this wine:

Dark, nearly opaque red. Full-bodied wine with firm tannic backbone, mostly rich dark fruits, spicy in typical shiraz style, rustic and dense rather than elegant. Plenty of life ahead but drinking very well right now, preferably with food.

12/11/2022 - Zorba wrote:

Lots of Gewurztraminer scents, sweetish. Some called it a dessert wine. Pretty good quality I guess, very full taste, but I just don't like this semi-sweet style.

12/9/2022 - Zorba Likes this wine:

Blockbuster value wine, well made with lots of dark fruit, bit herbal like thyme, gentle tannins and medium-full bodied, but very modern with lots of vanilla oak and an almost sweetish sensation. Good for the money, but not my cup of tea.

11/18/2022 - Zorba Likes this wine:

Dry, rich in smell and taste and while not very subtle, still balanced. With mango, lychees and passion fruit but also gooseberry, lemon and grapefruit. Add great acidity and some minerality to it as well and this delivers a lot of bang for the buck!

10/29/2022 - Zorba Likes this wine:

Excellent Bordeaux-style wine with New World touches. Best of both worlds? Agree with many of the positive notes before. Smooth and rich ripe fruit, soft tannins, nicely aged already, well judged spicy oak, hints of sweetness but balanced by good acidity. Overall a very seductive package with an incredible QPR at the €10 I paid for it.

10/28/2022 - Zorba wrote:

Odd wine, it has some obvious qualities but the style is just.. strange. Very rich nose, fruity and a bit spicy. Smooth palate, super rich but very jammy, candy-like fruit, sweetish oak, very modern. Decent acidity and some interesting spicy notes make for a fairly good wine; tannins well integrated. Interesting experience but clearly not my style!

7/1/2022 - Zorba Likes this wine:

Can't express it better than the cincybt's note! This was amazing for the price, very nicely aged, probably peaking. Rich, smooth and balanced Italian blend.

8/24/2022 - Zorba wrote:

Over the hill, but surprisingly drinkable with ripe flavours, a bit like port, wet earth, just the alcohol sticking out and raisiny because 8 years is a bit too much.

6/22/2022 - Zorba Likes this wine:

Not as good as a recently tasted 2015 but still a fine chardonnay with good QPR. Might improve with a couple more years.

6/17/2022 - Zorba Likes this wine:

Nice restrained Bordeaux with a focus on red berryfruit. Hints of earthiness and herbs. Good structure and nice acidity, with a few more years tannins will soften further and this will improve.

Great QPR!

6/17/2022 - Zorba wrote:

Simple but not bad, lots of cherry fruit, good acidity.

6/17/2022 - Zorba Likes this wine:

Maybe a little past peak now, still quite nice. See my other notes.

6/17/2022 - Zorba Likes this wine:

Sauvignon blanc on the fuller, riper side with hints of passion fruit, not much minerality, dry.

6/17/2022 - Zorba Likes this wine:

Complex fruit driven wine, smooth with good structure. Drinking well but may still improve over the coming years.

5/15/2022 - Zorba wrote:

Very dry, firm tannic backbone that's reasonably integrated, a bit austere, nice minerality, really needs food, preferable grilled meat etc.
Not bad but quite expensive for what it delivers.

5/19/2022 - Zorba Likes this wine:

Very nice, five years ageing seems about right. Red fruit with nice acidity and spiciness, dry, call me a Schioppettino fan! Complex taste for this this price point.

4/10/2022 - Zorba Likes this wine:

Blueberries, brambles and blue plums; dark tobacco, leather; bit of gravel and bark; all in a rustic, somewhat complex style with a pretty firm but rather well integrated tannic backbone. Initially a bit unbalanced with some heat from alcohol but improved with aeriation.

Really good for the price! Good to drink now. Not sure how this will develop.

4/5/2022 - Zorba Likes this wine:

This wine only seems to continue to improve, judging by the other notes. It is not tired at all. Very well done Chile and CyT!

Nice ripe pear and baked apples, with a buttery feel and hint of caramel and sweet nut, subtle oak influence here. Very smooth on the palate, however with some good acid and minerality to keep this all very fresh and balanced.

The wine is clearly best if served at a bit higher temperature like a cool cellar; you will get more out of it than at fridge temperature.

90-91pts.

4/4/2022 - Zorba Likes this wine:

Bright red berries with some sour cherries, bit of barnyard notes, wet leaves, low tannins well integrated. Altogether a nice, lively package! Very nice QPR at €9.

3/16/2022 - Zorba Likes this wine:

Pretty good Mosel Riesling character for the price. Relatively fruity/grapy, high acid and nicely dry.

3/26/2022 - Zorba Likes this wine:

Nice and smooth, red berries, bit of cherry, garrigue, very ready to drink.

1/15/2022 - Zorba Likes this wine:

Very nice, rustic wine with firm character, that needs about 5 years ageing. Dark berries, wet forest floor, good tannic structure, slight malbec tingle but quite different from most Argentinian offerings. Great QPR!

12/26/2021 - Zorba wrote:

It's good quality wine with dark forest fruits and some spice and earth, medium-full body, somewhat rough residual tannins. Not too interesting or refined, also somewhat closed perhaps or is it past peak? For the price, somewhat disappointing. I may even like their Coyam better, which is more like €15.

Drink over the next few years.

12/24/2021 - Zorba wrote:

Very fruity wine, strawberries and forest fruits, with a bit of spice. Lacking some acidity and structure. Okay table wine.

12/26/2021 - Zorba wrote:

Very vibrant citrus fruit, gooseberries and grapefruit, and something like asparagus which I didn't like, mineral edge yet somewhat rounded. Some vanilla oak showing up as custard. Overall a good wine but not really my style and quite pricey. 89-90pts.

12/25/2021 - Zorba Likes this wine:

Spicy dark fruits, some earth and flowers on the very pleasant nose. Palate slightly disappointing with cassis and licorice, some earth and tobacco, and a bit of greenness and tannins. A bit too austere to score higher. I'd guess this needs at least 3 more years to really shine. 90-91pts.

12/25/2021 - Zorba Likes this wine:

This bottle was singing, much improved from 3 years ago! Black cherries and blue plums, earthy, good oak and hints of leather and mushrooms. Very good Brunello for a modest price but needs time and some air. Peaking now and should last several years. Great QPR @ 25 euro! 90-92pts.

12/25/2021 - Zorba Likes this wine:

Spicy black and blue fruit. Should improve a bit with ageing. Try 2023-2025. 89-90pts.

12/11/2021 - Zorba Likes this wine:

My last bottle and the best one. 88-89pts. Great value claret that can use 5 years of bottle age.

12/11/2021 - Zorba Likes this wine:

Fully agree with CDT's note. Will probably be good for a couple of years more. Was much better than when I tried it three years ago. 89-90pts. It's a firm and a bit rough wine (mostly in a good way!) that improved a lot with food, like a venison steak.

12/1/2021 - Zorba Likes this wine:

Drink really well now, great QPR Cab at €6! Drink 2021-2023.

12/21/2021 - Zorba Likes this wine:

Quite nice, classic rioja that is not overoaked. Good to drink now. Nice QPR at discount price of €8.

12/21/2021 - Zorba wrote:

Smooth and good to drink now, old school rioja of reasonable quality, but very dominant oak. Good QPR at discount price of €7.