2/27/2024 - HPringle Likes this wine:

Improved greatly since last bottle. Given an hour decant this is starting to really sing. Amazing nose of greengages and green pepper but not green on the palate. Now and next three year.

2/5/2024 - HPringle Likes this wine:

Delicious but not as distinctive as other vintages of this great wine. Perhaps waiting a few more years- certainly no rush.

12/11/2023 - HPringle Likes this wine:

Good showing, with everything you'd hope from a small production Duero. Graphite and black fruit cosseted in softening tannic structure. Definitely open for business, but good for at least another five years.

10/2/2023 - HPringle Likes this wine:

Already kicked off a lot of tannin and quite approachable with food. Expressive and bold, if not the most nuanced. Very enjoyable right now and I'd expect added complexity over the next couple of years. No hurry but in the window.

9/5/2023 - HPringle Likes this wine:

Needed a few hours to come to life and will fill out a little more in coming years (suggest a 92 point potential), but no shame in drinking now.

7/31/2023 - HPringle Likes this wine:

This has taken on a level of complexity since last tasting, and is in a good spot. Although there is adequate acidity, I suggest this is at peak and should be drunk within the next three years.

6/28/2023 - HPringle Likes this wine:

Exceeded expectations. After less than half hour of air this opened up with expressive upfront blackcurrant notes. A little thin on the middle palate, then quite fine tannins. Excellent QPR and ready to go.

6/25/2023 - HPringle Likes this wine:

I've not enjoyed a riesling more than this bottle. A perfect foil to tandoori monkfish, with minerality plus green and yellow fruit in spades. Very long. Delicious now and with a long future.

3/14/2023 - HPringle Likes this wine:

Lovely but atypical. This bottle had a strong oxidative influence, with clear nutty notes, with simultaneous caramel and bone-dry steel. Quite remarkable and lovely with a wide variety of food or as an aperitif. This might have been a one-off bottle in terms of its development, a nice surprise.

3/14/2023 - HPringle Likes this wine:

First of a case and hoped for a little more. On opening this was shy and retiring, coquettishly showing glimpses of Ribera black fruit. Tannins have almost fully resolved and everything seem ready to go, but not too much happened in the glass. Enjoyable, but was quite excited after this had been squirrelled away for so long. The following day this was all stewed fruit and almost port-like, which wasn't the Duero/Douro direction I'd hoped for. No hurry, and hope next bottle in the case offers more.

2/15/2023 - HPringle Likes this wine:

This bottle suggests that this is at its peak, which is a shame given this was the last of the case. Textbook Ribera, with good acidity and dark fruit fading to graphite finish. Tannins almost fully resolved. Likely plateau for next year or two but no reason to hold off.

12/5/2022 - HPringle Likes this wine:

Not overly complex but lovely nonetheless. Light, with dusty fruit, fine to drink with or without food. No expected benefit from holding.

10/31/2022 - HPringle Likes this wine:

Showed well after a two-hour decant. Dusty tannins and everything you want from a solid claret. Great QPR. No hurry but approachable with a little air.

10/7/2022 - HPringle wrote:

Very restrained on opening, and took an hour to start to fill out, revealing a light expression of cab franc. Hopeful this will develop more- it certainly has the acidity and tannins to suggest a long life and some upside. Will revisit in a year.

9/16/2022 - HPringle wrote:

Surprisingly vibrant still- top notch.

8/18/2022 - HPringle Likes this wine:

Alive! Jumps out of the glass with vibrant acidity, red fruit, and vigour. Smudgy and pale in colour, this is great lightweight cinsault demonstrating why this shouldn't be considered a blending grape. Would love to see how this develops, would think it can go for another 5+ years but unsure if there's upside.

8/1/2022 - HPringle Likes this wine:

Perhaps not the clarity of Stars in the Dark, but this is a blend after all. Still a pure and compelling expression of cold climate syrah, best served close to cellar temp. Likely to improve a little but drinking wonderfully now.

6/24/2022 - HPringle Likes this wine:

Still holding together nicely, but probably worth drinking up in the next year or so before it declines. Still good salinity and minerality, an overachieving wine in a good vintage.

5/31/2022 - HPringle Likes this wine:

Really coming into its own. Expressive red note on nose but bramble and darker character on palate. Drink now and for next five years at least.

5/27/2022 - HPringle Likes this wine:

Exceeded expectations. Improved after an hour and is very much new world and ripe, but enjoyable. Some upside but not a ton.

5/27/2022 - HPringle Likes this wine:

In its prime. Wonderful for what it is- far from subtle and rather bombastic, but very enjoyable. Drink now and for the next three years

4/7/2022 - HPringle Likes this wine:

This is starting to enter its drinking window and displaying considerable charms. Given a 90 minute initial decant, this continued to unfurl over the evening. Wild strawberries on the nose early on, the palate slightly hollow initially filled out and became more expressive with time (and food). Although tannins have already softened I get the sense there is yet more to come, so if you have a case you should try one now and eke other bottles out over the coming 5-10 years to enjoy the development.

4/4/2022 - HPringle wrote:

Obvious TCA flaw

3/6/2022 - HPringle Likes this wine:

Big step up since last bottle. Given a four-hour breath was full of life, tannins receding to reveal dark fruits and velvet texture. Perhaps a little hollow, otherwise a blockbuster wine.

11/29/2021 - HPringle Likes this wine:

Given a three-hour decant, this now seems ready to go. Everything you're looking for in a good claret, albeit not from the most insistent of vintages. Open for business for this year's festive season.

11/12/2021 - HPringle Likes this wine:

Early into its drinking window and enjoyable with a little decant and food to counter the tannins. Great structure and a fine Pintia vintage. Enjoy now and for next 5+ years.

11/8/2021 - HPringle Likes this wine:

This is the real deal. Great purity and clarity of fruit, the velvet tannins suggesting more upside. A great expression of cool-climate syrah the deserves its plaudits. Drink now and over next five years.

11/1/2021 - HPringle Likes this wine:

Not as impressive as last bottle. Somewhat obvious and over-extracted. Still enjoyable but on the evidence of this bottle no merit in waiting around.

10/11/2021 - HPringle Likes this wine:

Drank alongside Ardanza of same vintage, which seemed to have more grip. This was surprisingly ready to go out of the blocks, already polished and a great 904. Plenty more to come but enjoyable now.

8/30/2021 - HPringle Likes this wine:

Seems at the very beginning of its drinking window. With food everything is in harmony, with generous oak coupled with searing acidity and primary fruit sharing the stage with secondary and tertiary notes. Lots of energy. Without food this was just a little clunky still, with excessive oaky notes coming to the fore. Should be fine for many more years.

8/7/2021 - HPringle Likes this wine:

In fine fettle and a great food wine. Paired really well with kedgeree at brunch- the pinot body standing up to smoked fish and mild spices.

8/7/2021 - HPringle wrote:

I don’t really get the praise that this wine has been given. This bottle was fine but rather unremarkable and the alcohol level was quite prominent. A good wine but not at all memorable. Seems in its drinking window.

8/5/2021 - HPringle Likes this wine:

Drinking well now- suggest this has reached its peak but no concern of decline within the next couple of years.

8/1/2021 - HPringle Likes this wine:

A step up from the last bottle (April '21) and a delight. No need to hold back, this is on song now!

7/12/2021 - HPringle Likes this wine:

This followed a 2011 Valbuena and acquitted itself admirably. Seems fully mature now and I doubt there's any upside. In fact on evidence of past two bottle it might be time to drink up in the next year or so.

7/12/2021 - HPringle Likes this wine:

Given a two hour decant, this seems to be in a really good place now. Tannins have softened but plenty of red and black fruit remaining. Very enjoyable in a crowd-pleasing way. No hurry but no need to hold back if you've a bottle or two knocking around.

7/5/2021 - HPringle Likes this wine:

Exceptional QPR. This is drinking very well now, but will develop nicely over time too. Looking forward to comparing the evolution with that of the same producers' single vineyard bottlings.

4/29/2021 - HPringle Likes this wine:

This bottle a little quieter than expected- fully integrated and some of the classic rioja notes but rather muted- neither fruit nor leather, no hint of vanilla. In fact a little anonymous and I had expected more. Still enjoyable and will put this down to bottle variation.

4/12/2021 - HPringle Does not like this wine:

These bottles are heading in the wrong direction and best drink up quickly. A difficult year, and unfortunately it looks like this wine suffered. Far from the quality I initially hoped for when I started with this case.

3/29/2021 - HPringle Likes this wine:

A new wave approach to pinotage, more refreshing with fresh acidity and a lightness of touch than one might expect. At the beginning of its drinking window, with a little grip, but enjoyable with food now. Great to see a different interpretation of the grape and a good wine for spring.

3/15/2021 - HPringle Likes this wine:

Some of these comments make me chuckle- waiting another 20 years? This is open for business now if allowed a couple of hours decant, and enjoyed alongside some food that has good fat content (a well aged steak for me today). Yes there is a little grip, but this is young left bank Bordeaux after all. Fully expressive and quite delicious now, though no rush- this can go for many more years.

For me there's no shame in getting stuck in to unclassified 2010s in general, and even some of the more approachable lesser growths.

3/15/2021 - HPringle Likes this wine:

Took a little while to unfurl, and has a few years to develop further. Initially tightly coiled, opened up to wild strawberries and fresh silage, with racing acidity. No hurry and allow some time to breath if drinking now.

3/12/2021 - HPringle Likes this wine:

Agree with previous note and thrilled that this is very much open for business. Just the right amount of grip at the moment, requiring only a short decant for enjoyment. No need to hold back, enjoy now and for the next three years.

3/8/2021 - HPringle Likes this wine:

At the peak of its powers but this bottle suggests it's time to drink up. Ready to go almost as soon as the cork was pulled, but started to fade within four hours. Drink within the next year or so.

3/2/2021 - HPringle Likes this wine:

Was encouraged to try a bottle by the previous note, and not disappointed. A great deal of freshness and interest at this stage of its evolution. Perhaps more complexity will emerge over time, but this will be at the cost of the bright citrus notes that are so enjoyable today. Very good- suggest trying a bottle and enjoy checking in with more bottles to follow development over time.

2/22/2021 - HPringle Likes this wine:

Red fruits- ripe but with good acidity, think alpine strawberries. Tannins remain evident, but all so velvety, providing the perfect foil to a good steak. A very fine malbec in its drinking window now, but with a good few years life ahead of it if you can wait.

2/22/2021 - HPringle Likes this wine:

On opening the wine presented as fully mature if somewhat anonymous. Revisiting after six hours this had filled out wonderfully, with nose of wild herbs (Corsican maquis?), and wild plums on the palate. Long too, with lingering notes for a full twenty seconds. Very fine and ready to go, though worth allowing some time to breath.

2/15/2021 - HPringle Likes this wine:

Floral and elegant but a tiny bit oily- best with some food alongside. Probably sensible to polish these off before they close down (before 2023) as opposed to waiting for secondary drinking window after 2028.

2/15/2021 - HPringle Likes this wine:

A big step up from the 2013, this is a reliable crowd pleaser. Don't expect subtlety or nuance, but plenty of body and what you hope for from a prototypical SA bruiser. Tannins suggest this can go for a few more years.

2/15/2021 - HPringle Likes this wine:

An outstanding bottle. For me this is at the beginning of a long drinking window with potential for modest upside. With the right food the tannins recede to display fine bramble and great length. Certainly no rush with the 2010 Brunellos and looking forward to closely following their continued development.