3/19/2023 - Alberta66 Likes this wine:

Deep garnet/brick color. Med+ nose, primarily tobacco leaf (tertiary development). Hint of forest floor, and hints of primary black fruit. Earlier reviewer thought it should age more, fruit not coming up yet. This wine didn't have the concentration to go the distance, probably best at 5-10 years of ageing.

8/24/2018 - Alberta66 wrote:

medium lemon/gold in the glass. The nose was restrained with some hints of wool, riesling typical notes, hint of honey but also some dustiness. No botrytis. On the palate it had good mouth feel, but lacked complexity or depth of flavour. It was "ok", nothing exciting. I suspect this wine has aged rather quickly and is now past its prime (NOTE: small bottle size sampled here!).

5/6/2018 - Alberta66 Likes this wine:

Visual: a deep garnet color, lighter towards the rim
Nose: primary aromas of blackberry and savoury herbs. Secondary aromas of wood smoke and vanilla nicely integrated and balanced. At 7 years old this Wine is developing some delicious tertiary notes of Leather, baked fruits.
Taste: smooth. Silky smooth. Amazing. The acidity helps keep this fresh. It does have a hot finish, not surprising at 15.5%!
Overall an excellent wine, it would be exceptional if the alcohol was slightly lower.

4/14/2018 - Alberta66 wrote:

Visually, a deep garnet, solid to the rim. The nose was medium- intensity with primary fruit flavours blackberry. A hint of oak, no tertiary aromas present. On the palate the tannins were soft, primary fruit of blackberry, some heat from the alcohol. Unfortunately a very short finish. This wine is ready to drink now, past its prime and unlikely to improve from further ageing (i.e. no tertiary developing, short finish, it will only get thinner from here). At this price point there are aged wines with greater more complexity and a longer finish.

3/9/2018 - Alberta66 Likes this wine:

Visually: a medium gold in the glass.
Nose: medium intensity with clear aromas of primary Riesling fruit (stone fruit like peaches, nectarines), along with tertiary notes of honey,
grilled fruits, and a very pleasant hint of petrol to keep it balanced.
Taste: great acidity holding it together, full mouth feel and a decently long finish. Flavours came through as above. Surprised it was 13%, definitely didn’t taste like it.

2/11/2018 - Alberta66 Likes this wine:

Visual: medium gold color, right to the edge
Nose: fruit, oak and toast all in balance.
Taste: delicious. very flavourful and savoury with fruit, oak, good acidity. This would hold up well to food pairings.
A great drink at this price!

2/12/2018 - Alberta66 wrote:

Visual: ruby, light density, transparent to the edge.
Nose: balanced, ripe red fruits, no harshness, hint of oak (amazingly integrated given how long this would have aged in barrels)
Taste: lovely balance of acidity and fruit, soft tannins, rich mouth feel. Flavours of red fruits, vanilla.

2/4/2018 - Alberta66 wrote:

Visual: deep ruby color, completely opaque right to the edge, slightest hint of garnet (red/brick) at the rim. Indicates it's holding up well at 11 years old.
Nose: rich, fully ripe dark berry fruits (black berry, etc.). Soft secondary notes (e.g. oak/vanilla) and a few tertiary notes (ageing) starting to present.
Taste: the fruit comes through loud & clear. Rich and ripe, not cloying. There's enough acidity to keep it balanced (a bit more might be nice). Tannins are soft. Oak is balanced. Long pleasant finish. Overall a V good/Excellent wine (though I'd want a bit more finesse at this price point).

1/23/2018 - Alberta66 wrote:

Rich golden color. Nose slightly oxidative, raisins and baked soft fruits, opened up more in the glass. Fresh on the tongue, mid palate finish, lingering. Enjoyable and lovely example of an aged Chardonnay.

1/23/2018 - Alberta66 wrote:

A nose of savoury mint (ie not the sweet kind) and rosemary bark. I know, pretentious, but really grab some fresh rosemary, pull the leaves off and smell separately (greener, fresher) compared to their stalk, which is more savoury & woody.
A nice finish, balanced. I’d happily drink this with a winter lunch of roast chicken & vegetables.

1/6/2018 - Alberta66 wrote:

Lemon yellow color, bouquet of green savoury herbs, an undertone of the good smell of asparagus. Mouth filling without being cloying, nice acidity, 5-6 second lingering finish. Refined and balanced. Lovely & delicious :-) However expensive :-(

12/25/2017 - Alberta66 wrote:

Pale yellow, developed nicely over the course of Christmas lunch as it breathed. An enjoyable drink which went down well, suspect the rest of the case won't last much longer so drink up.

11/30/2017 - Alberta66 wrote:

Perfectly fine, if a bit tight or dry.

12/29/2017 - Alberta66 wrote:

Wonderfully smooth, a small hint of toasted oak. A couple drops of water opened this up nicely. Perfect for sharing.

12/31/2017 - Alberta66 wrote:

A sparking wine with depth and flavour, vs a light champagne. I much prefer richer champagnes (i.e. a wine which sparkles). This is an excellent entry level to that style.

10/21/2017 - Alberta66 wrote:

A very enjoyable pinot. Fresh fruit notes and good depth/weight. Lingering finish and excellent balance.

10/20/2017 - Alberta66 Likes this wine:

A mid weight, earthy pinot noir. Perhaps a little too much oak/vanilla. Perfectly pleasant w duck breast. Enjoyed it alongside 2014 Lowburn Ferry Home Block (see separate note).

7/20/2017 - Alberta66 Likes this wine:

Visually - a golden honey color with a bit of the red/gold of copper, right to the edge. A few v small fine bubbles.
Nose - caramel and apple, like a perfectly baked tarte tatin (i.e. not sugary). Some nuts (almonds) and brioche, the pastry in the tarte! Hint of oxidation which added complexity, not a fault.
Taste - as above, with good acidity and freshness. A long finish, definitely a mature wine (lovely!) worth savouring each sip.
Overall a lovely birthday treat.

10/2/2017 - Alberta66 wrote:

Dry. Acidic. Almost no fruit. I'm a big fan of sparkling wines and am pretty open to different styles, etc. This is one wine which if I'd opened at home, would have dumped down the sink. Fortunately it was at a cocktail party, I could discreetly return it to the waiter and switch to water.

10/23/2016 - Alberta66 wrote:

Medium body coloring, hint of bricking.
Nose starting to show secondary characteristics
Taste:some grip from tannins, overall pleasant esp. w food.

9/23/2016 - Alberta66 wrote:

Lovely wine, excellent finish. Opened to celebrate our 2(3)rd anniversary.

10/14/2016 - Alberta66 wrote:

Nice dark colors, nose of fruit, wood lacking the graphite typical of the French blends. Overall a very enjoyable wine.

10/16/2016 - Alberta66 wrote:

This was the best of the 3 years opened ('07, '09 and '10). Nice balance overall, decent finish, smooth mouth feel.

10/16/2016 - Alberta66 wrote:

Tasted against the '07 and '09 (best), this was better than the '07. This had a decent complexity but more towards bright red fruits. Lacked the complexity and depth I prefer.

10/23/2016 - Alberta66 wrote:

Bright red cherry fruits. Not my favorite. Would have liked more complexity.

10/16/2016 - Alberta66 wrote:

Slight hint of bricking, tasted against '07 and '10. This was much more rounded and enjoyable overall. Alan chose it as his favorite also. Some bright red fruits but not overdone as I recalled from an '11 consumed earlier. Overall a very pleasant wine for Thanksgiving dinner.

10/16/2016 - Alberta66 wrote:

Some bricking. Rounded nose with hint of mushrooms. Tasted against '09 (best) and '10 (better).

5/14/2016 - Alberta66 wrote:

Perfectly fine Friday night wine

3/28/2016 - Alberta66 wrote:

Very tight nose on opening, needed a decant to open up. Medium ruby in glass, bit thin at the edge. Nose of red berries and sour cherry. Very pleasant on the palate. Enjoyed over two days, definitely better on day two. By end of third had taken on a baked fruit / port note (oxidized).

11/14/2015 - Alberta66 wrote:

Nicely aromatic without being heavy. Lovely taste and balance, good long finish.

8/7/2015 - Alberta66 wrote:

An excellent wine with sushi. International Wine Challenge 2015 'International Chenin Trophy'

8/7/2015 - Alberta66 wrote:

An "adult" SB, not as much fruit as NZ wines. Enjoyable.

6/20/2015 - Alberta66 Likes this wine:

V: medium weight almost opaque, some bricking along edge
N: leather and wood
T: not much fruit left, a bit dry on finish when first opened. However came into its own w steak on a warm summer evening.

6/4/2015 - Alberta66 wrote:

Pale gold color
Nose light on fruit, clear petrol but not unpleasant/burnt type
Reasonably rich in the mouth, definitely granny smith but lacking much complexity. Tart finish, very drying.
This was an experiment in aging this wine, will be v selective of any new vintage if I think of ageing a case in the future.

4/5/2015 - Alberta66 Likes this wine:

I bought this bottle off eBay.FR for $48. The label was different than current label & came in a gift tin from the 1970's. Guessing this was ~40 years old, a rare find & risk to open.
Shared w 2 other couples, all of us v well educated on wine. This had lovely copper tones and had developed a full body complex flavor. We were all fans and v surprised at how lovely this had aged.
I would definitely risk purchasing old wines online, given this was a lovely surprise.

12/28/2014 - Alberta66 Likes this wine:

Based on others' reviews, decided to double-decant this a couple hours ahead of drinking. Kept a small glass "pop & pour" for comparison.

VISUAL: a deep dark purple, dense and inviting
NOSE: lots of dark fruits
TASTE: delicious. All those dark fruits along with the slightest hint of iodine (D thought it had a unique "salty" tinge).

Overall we all truly enjoyed this wine, our first introduction to Priorat wines.

12/29/2014 - Alberta66 wrote:

ABC Viajar, the leading newspaper in Madrid, Spain, released their top 20 wines of Spain and the 2011 Ferrer Bobet Vinyes Velles was number 1. This is a single-variety wine made from low-yielding, over 100-years-old Carignan vines planted in steep slate slopes in the very heart of Priorat.

VISUAL: A deep purple, very opaque in the glass, brighter at the rim though still strong colour.

NOSE: Lovely dark fruit aromas (dark cherries, black currant) with a small hint of pencil lead to balance it nicely. No cloying fruit, just a lovely bouquet.

TASTE: Fantastic. Even thought it's 15% alcohol, it didn't come across like that. Smooth silky tannins and an enjoyable length. Those dark fruits again balanced with acidity to keep it all extremely pleasant. Nice finish. It evolved over time in the glass. Wish I had another bottle to decant and drink over another long dinner.

1/17/2014 - Alberta66 Likes this wine:

In the glass, looks a bit viscous with a rich golden color. On the nose it had a balance of melon, citrus. Lovely mouth feel and acidity so it was balanced, not cloying. This wine got better and better with each glass.

6/21/2013 - Alberta66 Likes this wine:

This wine stood out as head & shoulders above the first two reds we'd had over dinner. Definitely worth having bought it at auction.

8/12/2012 - Alberta66 Likes this wine:

Tasted 3 vintages of BM 08 09 10 comparing striped vs regular.
All very enjoyable wines for their respective price points.

11/1/2013 - Alberta66 wrote:

This was put alongside Harry McWater's 2011 Time Meritage (he made both wines). The Sumac Ridge had a deeper golden color and a distinct caramel-apple flavor. An interesting wine, would have consumed it with different foods.

11/9/2013 - Alberta66 wrote:

Transparent red-crimson color like cherry or pomegranate juice, very clear at the edge. Red fruit flavors, bit tannic, short finish.

9/27/2013 - Alberta66 Likes this wine:

Had a distinct cherry flavor, sweet & had thrown a lot of sediment for a 1/2 bottle.

2/22/2013 - Alberta66 Likes this wine:

Deep red right to the rim. Rather high alcohol content at 14.3%. Nose of cassis and black berries, a little too much oak in flavor. Medium finish. Overall in a blind tasting would peg it more like an Italian blend than a Bordeaux.

1/22/2013 - Alberta66 Likes this wine:

This wine was decanted 3 hrs prior to serving. A perfectly enjoyable bottle, nothing "wow" outstanding, also nothing to put you off.
One of our guests liked it so much she asked to see the bottle and took a pic of the label for future reference.

1/9/2013 - Alberta66 Likes this wine:

Decanted for about an hour, had this w an incredibly tender & tasty steak at Abe & Arthur's, NYC. Everyone at the table loved this wine.

4/22/2012 - Alberta66 wrote:

Had this with roast duck and wild rice.
Color: a medium density
Nose: lots of red fruit
Taste: very smooth and thoroughly enjoyable.

4/13/2012 - Alberta66 wrote:

Color: a greenish tinge to a pale straw color
Nose: a very distinct petrol note. Pretty sure it wasn't a bottle flaw, reminded me of some German rieslings
Taste: oak was very evident, very short finish
I do try, but just don't think I'm a fan of this vineyard. Will try some more wines/vintages but it's not looking promising.

3/4/2012 - Alberta66 wrote:

Based on others reviews, decanted this for 4 hours. Tasted on opening, and unappealing (harsh overpowering flavors, unattractive combination). Great study in what decanting can do.
Dark purple color, nose of wood and leather. Very smooth and balanced in the mouth. Had it with 2 people who know Spanish wines v well and they really enjoyed it also. Overall, a 90.

4/10/2012 - Alberta66 wrote:

I found this very light, hard to identify any specific smells or tastes. Had it with Indian food from Vij's, the wine was a fine palate cleanser / cooler but nothing special.