5/7/2024 - Lordswood wrote:

Delicious rich, slightly muted style of Sauvignon Blanc (and Sauvignon Gris?) from this outlier AOC in Burgundy. A plastic cork indicates no great ageing expectations but at nearly five years old it was delicious, with white fruit, slightly buttery texture and a clean finish.

5/6/2024 - Lordswood wrote:

Rich, and clearly well made. White peach flavours and good cleansing acidity. Nice

4/28/2024 - Lordswood wrote:

This is drinking beautifully now. A bit of wet slate on the nose. The palate is full of blueberry and blackberry fruit with a bit of vanilla. Delicious now and another couple of years+

4/20/2024 - Lordswood wrote:

This has settled into a really impressive wine. Everything is beautifully balanced, and the fruit is showing overripe pear, and a touch of herb. Definitely found its perfect window now and for anther rew years….

4/15/2024 - Lordswood wrote:

An incredibly enjoyable relaxing wine.

4/14/2024 - Lordswood wrote:

An extraordinary nose of spice and forest floor that doesn’t quite at this stage follow through to the palate, suggesting it needs a bit more time to develop. It is very very long on the palate, and improved in the glass after an hour or so, showing mainly strawberry fruit. Opened 4 hours in advance and double decanted just before drinking. That felt right.

4/4/2024 - Lordswood wrote:

Drinking beautifully now, dark plum and blackberry flavours with a hint of coffee and chocolate. This is a powerful wine, but quite subtle - like the proverbial iron fist in a velvet glove. Delicious.

4/4/2024 - Lordswood wrote:

A lovely, lemon sherbet flavoured, young tasting, champagne. Some hint of brioche flavours on the nose but not much on the palate at the moment. Very clean finish. Purchased for £32, I would call this a bargain at this price. Should age well.

3/21/2024 - Lordswood wrote:

Nose like a Riesling, texture like a Palacios As Sortes Godello and acidity back to Riesling. Full of bright fruit flavours and exciting to drink at this age. Perhaps a little full on to have as an aperitif, but in every respect very delicious right now.

3/10/2024 - Lordswood wrote:

In a beautiful place. Forest floor, bright clean fruit and a framework of tannin and acidity in great balance. My only criticism would be a lack of power in this Grand Cru. Lovely

3/10/2024 - Lordswood wrote:

I love the place this is in right now. Absolutely à point. Complex, but balanced, oak but as a frame rather than as a flavour, with the weight of fruit still showcased. Drink now and the next 2 years.

3/10/2024 - Lordswood wrote:

You know what you are getting with a wine of this era that has Late Harvested on the label. 16% alcohol, but full of fruit and with good acidity. We enjoyed it enormously over the first 3 hours but coming back to it at the end of the evening it had fallen apart, losing most of its fruit. On this basis, drink now..

3/10/2024 - Lordswood wrote:

V 731 on the cork, so disgorged apparently in 2007, which makes sense as I purchased on release in 2008. Pale golden colour, good bubbles. Beautifully balanced, fresh and an absolute delight to drink now. Probably needs food to show its power and character at its best….

3/2/2024 - Lordswood wrote:

Enjoyable, and relaxing to drink without shouting about its excellence. A lovely sociable drink

2/24/2024 - Lordswood wrote:

A great nose - spiced fruit and perfume. The palate is sweeter and a little jammy, but this changes over the course of an hour or so, with seemingly the spice taking over some of the perceived sweetness. This is heading for what I regard as the perfect CndP maturity and on the basis of this bottle I will hold for another year, or maybe two, if I can, before trying again

2/17/2024 - Lordswood wrote:

A really interesting wine and needed some research to understand grape varieties etc. Interestingly it must include 20% red grapes, which explains the Blanc de noirs style flavour profile. Although Brut Zero, it still had a distinct sweetness. This one was disgorged in Feb 2023, so almost exactly a year in bottle. I suspect that it would improve with more time too….. At £21 I will struggle to buy more though.

2/12/2024 - Lordswood wrote:

Drink up. This has lost its fun factor. It is still lovely and exciting, but just like me, a little older than I want to be…..

2/2/2024 - Lordswood wrote:

A delightful mix of textured strawberry / vanilla compote with polished tannins and a balanced finish, all with 13.5% alcohol. It is so rich you could almost mistake the fruit (but not the acidity) for Australian, I think. For a wine so early in its life I think this is fantastic and the pro reviews I have seen reckon drink by 2027 / 2028. I suspect it might go a little longer than that….

2/2/2024 - Lordswood wrote:

We have always enjoyed this wine throughout the 12 bottle case, and this, sadly, is the last one. Still fresh, still drinking really well, so no rush at the moment. We had this with Fish and Chips, and it was a brilliant compliment, with the grapefruit, pear (+other white fruits, I am not very good at thieve descriptions) matching the inevitable greasiness of the meal. The second half of the bottle was drunk without food and I found it a bit of a struggle and wanted the magic of the food match to come back.

1/21/2024 - Lordswood wrote:

Light golden colour. The palate is textured and slightly oily. Tropical fruit but a lovely lemon acidity holds it together. I discovered Raul Perez wines a couple of years ago and have yet to find one that didn’t merit close attention.

1/13/2024 - Lordswood wrote:

Ouch. That acidity is piercing! It fades a little into the fruit as the air gets to it, but it is still very apparent. There is sufficient fruit and body in this wine to hold it together as it integrates further with bottle age, but it is lovely now. Drink or hold for at least 5 years, probably more.

11/25/2023 - Lordswood wrote:

Without a doubt the most disappointing bottle to date from the '16 or '18 vintage. Slightly sweet and lacking in any excitement. Probably bottle variation with something that we cannot identify going wrong. Shame.

11/22/2023 - Lordswood wrote:

Costing less than £9 (in Poland), we thought this was great value for money. Rich, red and dark red fruits and a lovely acidity. Delicious

11/10/2023 - Lordswood wrote:

Fresh, tasty, interesting and outstanding value for money

10/28/2023 - Lordswood wrote:

Drinking beautifully now. Everything is integrated and in harmony. Great white and ripe fruits with a touch of something warmer, and lovely acidity. Probably our best bottle to date.

10/28/2023 - Lordswood wrote:

On top form at the moment for my taste (I tend to prefer older and softer). Great red fruits and very very easy to enjoy

10/28/2023 - Lordswood wrote:

Not to my taste, as I found it overly sweet. However, on the plus side, good fruit and quite persistent.

10/26/2023 - Lordswood wrote:

Nicely balanced. Never had a bad Croatian wine….

10/22/2023 - Lordswood wrote:

My first vintage of this was 2004 and the general reaction was one of marmite - love it or hate it because of the slight fino sherry overtones. I loved it. This vintage currently has a bit of the fino nose, but on the palate this calms down into a saline, mineral backnote to the grapefruit, white currant flavours. Utterly delicious now, and certainly not over the hill, but probably heading there…..

10/21/2023 - Lordswood wrote:

Lots of crackling red fruits and a gentle tannic backbone. Good acidity makes this very drinkable and very good value for money

10/15/2023 - Lordswood wrote:

Maturing nicely. I had to remind myself where Corbieres is (apologies, but we all have our weak spots). Apparently Carignan dominated, this has mellowed and settled down in the 3 years since I last tried it. Now it still tastes relatively young, with little in the way of aggressive tertiary flavours. Tannins are neat and cool, and it all works really well. Enjoy now for 5 years

10/13/2023 - Lordswood wrote:

I have always enjoyed this wine, and it is still drinking well at 19 years old. Make sure it is not too warm as there is a precision to the fruit that you would miss. Having said that, it has never “moved” me or showed its soul to me. So I would not rush to buy again…..

9/23/2023 - Lordswood wrote:

I am slightly surprised to read about the bottle variation in the notes below as this is sealed with a Diam 10 cork, and therefore (my understanding) pretty much guaranteed to avoid cork taint in that timeframe. Maybe there are different closures for different markets? Maybe it is something other than cork taint that is causing it. Or I have just been lucky. My bottles have all been good with the current one benefitting from 7 years of ageing, bringing concentrated herb and savoury flavours to its pear-based fruit and honey flavours. Lovely.

9/22/2023 - Lordswood wrote:

I disagree with the previous review in that this is improving with time and is definitely more fun and approachable than a year ago. I would think it becomes more fun well into 2024, but then drink up IMMEDIATELY!

9/22/2023 - Lordswood wrote:

Great value for money at less than £10. Always this rather than Prosecco. Please. It has character!

9/18/2023 - Lordswood wrote:

Just starting to sing now with clean bitter cherry fruit followed by a darker tannic backbone and wonderful acidity. Interestingly it is sealed with a Diam 10 cork, so they clearly expect it to last at least 10 years.

9/7/2023 - Lordswood wrote:

From magnum. Still really young. Citrous flavours at the moment make this a great aperitif. From magnum leave another 3 years + if you can. Alternatively enjoy now!

9/4/2023 - Lordswood wrote:

Stinky on opening to the extent that we checked the producer’s website for drinking dates. By 2018, apparently. So with leaden hearts we decanted anyway and accepted we would expect to be drinking something closer to tawny port. The 3 hour decant worked marvels and it was a silky smooth red, and dark red, fruit delight. Long, silky and beautifully balanced. 15.5% alcohol, but never noticed it. A lovely success.

8/25/2023 - Lordswood wrote:

This deserves more of a “proper” tasting note, but sometimes you just want people to know that a wine is sophisticated without being difficult, tasty without being simple.

This is just about the perfect age to drink this vintage. I love it and hope you will too

8/23/2023 - Lordswood wrote:

Pretty much predictable pure joy.. Love it, and particularly on a weekday whim.

8/18/2023 - Lordswood wrote:

I really liked this although others found the timing difference between the sweetness at the start and the acidity at the end made it feel unbalanced. It certainly does show this but the weight of fruit / minerality kept me engaged. Conclusion? Drink now or wait a bit. I suspect both will be great answers.

8/12/2023 - Lordswood wrote:

Does what it says on the tin at a reasonable price. Rich, oily, slightly oaky tropical fruit flavours and some nice acidity. New World in a glass….

7/23/2023 - Lordswood wrote:

A really nice rose made from champagne blend grapes. Very pale pink. The acidity is striking but there is enough sweetness to just about keep it in check. An interesting and well made wine

7/16/2023 - Lordswood wrote:

For some reason I was expecting this to be tightly wound and maybe even a little too young. In fact it seems to be at the peak of its powers with lovely autolytic notes and a gentle bubble to break into the bready white currant and peach flavours. Delicious and for me at its peak now.

7/16/2023 - Lordswood wrote:

One of the best red burgundies I remember in recent years. Amazing nose of strawberry and blackberry just wafted from the glass. Really powerful nose. The palate was beautifully balanced and every mouthful a delight.

6/24/2023 - Lordswood wrote:

This has definitely opened up since I last tried it about 2 years ago, although I suspect it will continue to age well to at least 2026 and beyond as it put on weight in the glass over the course of the evening. Stylistically it is not Syrah as I have previously known it, but there were some lovely dark fruits in there. Think maybe a cross between Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo? Definitely worth a try.

5/24/2023 - Lordswood wrote:

Still a lovely experience, but a little flat compared to earlier bottles. I feel that it is probably past its peak, so drink up!

5/8/2023 - Lordswood wrote:

What a delight. I have more bottles so will report back when I have a proper tasting note, but in the meantime, drink over the next couple of years and wow your friends with this easy-drinking but complex and delightful charmer. By the way it has a Diam 10 cork, so they are serious about its ageing ability

5/8/2023 - Lordswood wrote:

At 15.5% and from 2006, a time when high-scoring Australian reds (at least in my experience) had long hang time and were loaded up with coffee and dark chocolate flavours, so I was not expecting to enjoy this. On first opening my worst fears seemed to be realised, but after a short while in the glass it opened up to bring big bold blackcurrant and plum flavours and some of the chocolate / coffee in perfect balance. The two standout points for me though were the acidity, which was perfectly judged and kept everything light, and the texture which was the drinking equivalent of the best silk. Lovely.

4/15/2023 - Lordswood wrote:

A little simple immediately on opening. With air, the tannins became a little more pronounced and formed the perfect backbone to the dark juicy fruit. Good acidity and a nice overall package, drinking beautifully. I was left wondering why Malbec in Italy, and it hasn’t really answered the question, but a lovely drink.