12/8/2018 - majamke wrote:

Rather dull, muted red fruits with little development. Could be an off bottle so I'll reserve judgement.

11/24/2018 - majamke Likes this wine:

Raspberry, aniseed, dried flowers. Open knit tannins, slightly coarse but suits the style of wine. Plays to the beat of it’s own drum. I like that.

11/24/2018 - majamke Likes this wine:

Such purity here. Fresh redcurrant and cherry, driven along by volcanic minerality. Very fine tannins. A wine with integrity.

10/4/2018 - majamke Likes this wine:

Last of 9 bottles. At 11 years old now, the wine feels like the volume has been turned down. Faded fruit, verging into the red fruits from black. Remnants of the roasted herbs and charcoal that was so prominent back in 2010. Impressive age for a CdR. Past its prime for sure, but the enjoyment factor remains high.

7/20/2018 - majamke Likes this wine:

Deep concentrated nose of red fruits. Noticeable whole bunch character, but well integrated. Slightly green, bitter tannins evident on the finish, a minor distraction from an otherwise likeable wine.

8/18/2018 - majamke Likes this wine:

Probably the most enjoyable Barolo / Barbaresco I've had from the 2007 vintage.

A bouquet of dried and fresh flowers, a veritable perfumed garden on the nose. Orange bitters / campari / chinotto. Fine, open weave of tannin. A bit wild and unpolished, which I happen to really like. Oak lurking in the background, not sure of the format here but it's not obtrusive. Really good place right now, though no rush.

8/15/2018 - majamke Likes this wine:

Dark fruit, eucalyptus, iodine, vanilla oak and bramble. powdery tannins with good length. Has that Wynns 'signature'. Little suggestion of secondary development even at 10 years, this will easily go another 10. Next bottle from 2023 for me.

8/17/2018 - majamke Likes this wine:

No formal note taken, but the wine was really enjoyable and in a good place right now. Fresh and pure, acidity just starting to mellow although there's plenty of life left - will go for another 10 years easily.

4/29/2018 - majamke Likes this wine:

Tightly coiled at the moment but brimming with potential. Rockmelon, lemon/lime, ginger spice. Quite a slick mouthfeel. Beautiful, unique wine displaying a true sense of time and place. Drink from 2020.

5/5/2018 - majamke Likes this wine:

Tightly wound at the moment but so much length on offer. crystalline, lemon barley, nougat, oyster shell. Lots of potential here. Best from 2022.

5/19/2018 - majamke Likes this wine:

Dark ruby hue. Licorice allsorts, iodine, raspberry leaf, dark tobacco. Pleasant mineral undercurrent with beautiful quality tannins. Some barrique influence detracts from the overall experience.

7/6/2018 - majamke Likes this wine:

Blue fruits, autumn leaves, rubbed mint. Delicate rendition of Barolo from a classic vintage. Finely etched tannins. Still fresh yet I don't think this will maintain its vibrancy for another 10 years. Peaking now and will drink well over the next 5 years.

4/15/2018 - majamke Likes this wine:

Expansive nose of red fruits, white pepper, briar, elderflower and apricot kernel. Fine tannins draw along the long palate. Such a beautiful elegant rendition of shiraz. Fine wine indeed.

4/28/2018 - majamke Likes this wine:

The cork in this bottle was rather lose when I extracted it, yet luckily the wine was unaffected. I've seen quite a few reports of others who were not so lucky... When will the old world move to screwcap and save us all the pain? Anyway...Like most Etna Rosso, this is all about minerality rather than fruit. Vibrant and bright, showing volcanic rock / ash, morello cherry, licorice root and almond paste. Coarse yet open-knit tannins a feature rather than a distraction. A wine of terroir. Fingers crossed for my remaining bottles.

5/11/2018 - majamke Likes this wine:

Splashed in the decanter, then checked in at regular intervals as this evolved over a few hours. Layers of sour cherry, pine needles, licorice root etc. Beautifully fine, precise tannins really define the wine. Such finesse and promise for the future. Wonderful vintage for Luke Lambert Nebbiolo. My favourite since the epic 2012.

4/2/2018 - majamke Likes this wine:

Drank over 2 nights, much better on the second, suggesting further aging is required. Dried flowers and notes of balsamic but very fresh and vibrant. Long palate with quality coarse open knit tannins. Good concentration yet possesses a deft touch. Not overdone in any way. Very enjoyable.

11/19/2017 - majamke Likes this wine:

Red currants, sour cherry, nutmeg. Fine grainy tannin. Balanced and pure but not up to the highlights of the 2012.

3/30/2018 - majamke Likes this wine:

A restrained Voyager this vintage. Plum, gravel, pencil shavings and mint dark chocolate on the finish. Fine web of graphite tannins. Well balanced, with a lot more secondary development to come. I wouldn't expect the score to improve though. Probably at peak now before the fruit starts to fade further.

3/17/2018 - majamke Likes this wine:

Quick note as we’re enjoying this wine at a restaurant. Seriously impressive, not just in this price bracket but in the universe of Chardonnay. Oak spice but balanced by white peach, nectarines and oyster shell. Tight mineral core. Depth, concentration - all the hallmarks of a great wine.

3/16/2018 - majamke Likes this wine:

Double decanted. Musk, Violet. Tight core of black fruits reluctant to unfurl despite 11 years of age. Charcoal like tannins and good length. Clearly a hot vintage yet the wine is balanced and capable of improving further. From 2021 for me.

3/2/2018 - majamke Likes this wine:

At 10 years old, this is on full song. Boysenberry, red currants and blackberry, white pepper with hints of apricot kernel suggesting some viognier blended in. Soft powdery tannins provide gentle grip along the palate culminating in a long finish. At peak. Drink up before it dries out.

2/8/2018 - majamke Likes this wine:

This is the wine that got me into Barolo, 5 years ago it was a real turning point. Revisiting now and it's still a delight. Dried roses, pine needles and camphor. Aging gracefully - no rush.

2/2/2018 - majamke Likes this wine:

This Langhe Neb is often my barometer for the vintage in Piedmont. Judging from this wine, 2016 is a very fine year. Great concentration without weight that seems to be a characteristic of all fine wines. Impressive at this price level. Blonde tobacco, cherry, rose, fennel frond. Fine web of tannins drawing along the palate with some Amaro sweet/bitter tension.

1/14/2018 - majamke Likes this wine:

While perfectly enjoyable now, I feel this is built more for medium term cellaring with lots of spice derived from oak. Another 5 years will do wonders. Very well balanced and a long finish with guava, pink lady apple and the aforementioned vanilla spice. Very very good.

12/23/2017 - majamke Likes this wine:

Beautiful dark red rose on the nose and fresh red berries. Reminiscent of good quality Turkish delight even. Packed with quality raspy tannins and not a trace of oak to be found. Very pretty Barbaresco, time will be kind.

12/23/2017 - majamke Likes this wine:

First night - totally shut down. Second night and it’s maybe showing 10% more than the first night, but still really tight and one dimensional. Quite malty, tart red fruits with aniseed and a lot of tannin and acidity. It’s certainly not out of balance though, so there’s room for improvement. Needs another 10 years at a minimum.

12/21/2017 - majamke Likes this wine:

On day 1, straight out of the fridge it was closed and one dimensional. Left to warm slightly, the wine opened and started to show glimmers of hope. Day 2 and this is really on song.

Just ripe apricot, rockmelon and mint. Flavour descriptors are fine, but this wine is all about the texture and interplay of acidity through the palate. A lesson in line and length. Sauvignon Blanc rarely reaches such heights.

10/14/2017 - majamke Likes this wine:

Mulberry, Blackberry and dark tobacco / cigar ash. White pepper, char roasted meat juices with herbes de Provence. Curious kind of cherry cola flavour lurking in the background. Clean (no discernable Brett) with wonderfully integrated tannins yet still full of fresh fruit. Will see 2025 easily if the cork gods are kind.

11/17/2017 - majamke wrote:

Cherry, tar, the usual herbs de provence, vanilla oak. Surprisingly restrained, I was expecting a Parker blockbuster. Ok line and length. I can't help but feel the wine should be better though.

4/22/2017 - majamke Likes this wine:

Luke Lambert Chardonnay has unique style that is consistent from vintage to vintage.

Lemon barley water, oyster shell, just ripe white peach with a faint suggestion of tropical fruit on the palate. LL Chardonnay always seems to be slightly milky. Some may find it offensive, I like it. Racy acidity yet not sharp edged in any way. Great purity and balance. Very young and tightly wound but shows a lot of potential.

8/20/2017 - majamke Likes this wine:

Slight spritz upon opening but it soon blows off. An earthy wine driven by more savoury flavours than fruit. Char grilled capsicum, sulphur/ struck match. The intense whole-bunch stalk characteristics are much better integrated now that the wine has a little bit of age. Peak drinking now or will hold for 2-3 years.

10/21/2017 - majamke Likes this wine:

I had big expectations for this wine. In many ways, it didn't disappoint. Decanted for approx 2 hours. Fresh cherry, black fruits, plum and pomegranate, black pepper with roasted herbs and cigar ash. What sets this wine apart from other CdP's is the immense concentration and length. I can see how this is a 100 point Parker wine. For me, it's not my preferred style anymore but I certainly enjoyed it. It's still a baby too, 20 more years easily.

9/8/2017 - majamke Likes this wine:

I've never tried Ruche before, and thus had no preconceived ideas before opening this. What a pleasant surprise. Dusty cherry & ripe strawberry with rose and a dried herb savoury edge that screams Italian varietal. Medium bodied with a fine rasp of tannin that helps give the wine tension. Length is impressive, especially for a wine at this price point. It's very easy to drink and would go down a treat during a long Sunday lunch.

8/20/2017 - majamke Likes this wine:

Lemon water, arrowroot biscuit, brioche. Light body, well judged oak with fine acidity and seemingly no trace of malo. Not quite ready to drink though. Next bottle in 2020.

9/1/2017 - majamke Likes this wine:

Dark cherry, blackberry, black pepper and eucalypt. Big bodied wine for the region, still packed with fruit and structure after 11 years. Will easily see 2020 given the right cellar.

8/25/2017 - majamke Likes this wine:

Licorice root, dried flowers, new leather. Succulent with open knit tannins. Very easy to drink - A wonderful hit of Nebbiolo goodness here. No oak to muck things up. Great drinking now or over the next 5 years.

4/15/2017 - majamke Likes this wine:

From 375ml. Tasted alongside a 2010 Vietti Barolo Castiglione.

Cranberry, balsamic and wisps of camphor. Typical serralunga structure, harder edges than the Vietti. Orange peel on the finish. More interesting than the Vietti, although it comes down to personal preference of course. Both wines are excellent.

4/15/2017 - majamke Likes this wine:

From 375ml. Tasted alongside a 2010 Massolino Barolo Serralunga.

Maraschino cherry, alpine herbs & pine needle. Fine dusty tannins, orange peel on the finish. Still tight yet evolved in the glass over the space of several hours. Ticks all the boxes for a quality Barolo. Enjoyable, yet not exactly exciting.

8/13/2017 - majamke Likes this wine:

Apple and lychee, pitch perfect acidity and sweetness. Really enjoyable.

8/12/2017 - majamke Likes this wine:

My favourite wine of the year so far, by a long margin. Black cherry and dark tobacco, red rose and fennel. The length is impeccable. So well balanced at such an early stage yet packed with potential. Amazing wine.

8/6/2017 - majamke Likes this wine:

All the hallmarks of whole bunch: stalk and snapped twig, rhubarb, some malt from oak. Very nice indeed. Better on day 2, suggesting this has a promising future.

7/21/2017 - majamke Likes this wine:

In a great place right now. Screams Southern Rhone with Kirsch, roasted herbs, charcoal and bright red fruits on the periphery. It would put many a Chateauneuf du Pape to shame, especially from the 2007 vintage. Impressive. I had 9 bottles originally, now only 1 left sadly.

7/16/2017 - majamke Likes this wine:

This may just be my new favourite Langhe Neb. 15 was a warm year, and it shows in the vibrancy of the fruit here but it's not overdone. Quality tannins support the fruit along with sarsaparilla root and rosehip.

7/8/2017 - majamke wrote:

Loaded with black pepper, with some dark fruits emerging from under the torrent of spice. A hot year in a normally cool climate has led to a brash wine more in the style of Barossa than Canberra district. Few more years left for this, but not really much point.

4/2/2017 - majamke Likes this wine:

Red currant & raspberry with bramble underbrush notes and pastille. Good balance of tannin and acidity with no oak protruding. Stem is evident, but I enjoy that. Fresh, great depth and concentration. Better on day 2 when the fruit forward nature subsided and the stem before even more obvious.

6/30/2017 - majamke wrote:

I hope this isn't a representative bottle. Flat, one-dimensional, metallic. No score given.

6/17/2017 - majamke wrote:

No doubt this is a charming wine. Full of pencil shavings, mulberry and oak spice. It is however a great example of the importance of tannins to give a wine definition - this just doesn't have any, despite a lot of time in oak.

6/11/2017 - majamke wrote:

Fruit fading to a hollow wine lacking tertiary development. Past it's prime. I don't see how this will improve.

6/2/2017 - majamke wrote:

Unlike the 2014 vintage, this is actually approachable in youth. I was surprised at the wall of tannin in the 14, yet this is a different wine altogether. Very fruit forward, almost like Barbara snuck into the mix. Dark fruit takes precedence, lacking in the 'tar and roses' spectrum of flavours and aromas of most Nebbiolo.

6/2/2017 - majamke Likes this wine:

This wine is just starting to decline, which for a Langhe Neb is impressive after 12 years. Just losing some of the freshness of previous bottles but still very enjoyable with dried flowers and finely textured tannins.