8/3/2018 - arthurogus Does not like this wine:

Nothing really wrong with it, but to us it tastes flat and uninteresting.

3/7/2020 - legarejm Likes this wine:

Decated for an hour, drank over another hour. It was outstanding! Tannins have soften up to a perfect state, they're still there. While being a dry wine, it does have a good acidity to it. Full body and good intensity. Notes of black cherry, dried herbs, blackberry, cedar, leather, earthiness, licorice and balsamic vinegar. There's a meaty side to this wine. All in all, very nice complexity and very well balanced. This is in a perfect place and should definitely be decanted.

11/26/2017 - westopherguy wrote:

On initial opening, a lot of funk on the nose. That dissipated within 30 minutes, leaving a nose that was fairly inviting — with a palate that didn’t quite live-up to the promise. It did not hold well to the following day; all the positive flavor notes had gone missing, it became bitter, and pretty unenjoyable. Given the so-so first day? Not sure I’d bother with this one a second time; there are far better tempranillos out there.

10/2/2015 - Monsieur le Comte wrote:

0,375 bottle;
typical ribera nose, full, plummy, blackish..

Coffee, licorice, tobacco, balsamico extract, molasses, vanilla, jam, orange peel, pepper, cinnamon, cloves, espresso again, tar..
Gotta try the '11 vintage..

6/1/2020 - StefanAkiko Does not like this wine:

As poor as Swedish dansband music. Shouldn't be drunk by any person with a tongue unaffected by smoking, Parkinson's Disease or COVID-19.
Terrible.
Much better in a sauce than in a glass.
Screwcaps keep even the poor wines healthy :-)
Style: ripe, fruitf**ker with the smallest heft you can imagine.
Just, don't go there.
...or, if you have a friend by the name of Bert who loves to burp in public, than make sure he drinks this as the rest of your guests are served something decent.

1/20/2018 - bacchus of knockholt Likes this wine:

Tasted blind at a Bacchus night. Dark ruby. Ton going on with a nose of smoke and bonfire, blackcurrant is the dominant fruit plus a squeeze of citrus, cedar, menthol and vanilla. The palate is not quite as exciting as the nose would suggest but there ps blackcurrant, spice, a little bit of heat from the alcohol. Very good indeed.

3/10/2017 - Derek Darth Taster wrote:

Gambero Rosso Singapore 2017. Sniff, sip, spit. Only impressions.
Nice warm Syrah coming from Sicily. Solidly Old World in its profile, but also clearly not a cool climate expression of the varietal. Pepper spice, dark black fruit, firm tannins. Good balance.

4/1/2020 - Harley1199 wrote:

Fucked up by quarantine. Not this time, nor this vintage neither of course in this specific bottle. I'm talking about how to lay down cheap chianti bottles during years in my own cellar. Artificial aromas of cherry or strawberry jelly even and dry herbs. Somewhat fried artichoke-like. All very bizarre. On the palate this wine conserves some body and pretty acid. Not too much persistence, aftertaste either but I am ready to give it a new chance next year. Not bad at all as a cooking wine preparing a ragut sauce. Easy wine for less than 3 bucks.

Jodido por la cuarentena. No esta vez, no en esta añada ni con esta botella. Me refiero a dejar las botellas baratas de chianti de supermercado durante años tumbadas en mi bodeguita. Aromas artificiales a gomina de fresas o cerezas y a hierbas secas. Quizás hasta alcachofa frita. Muy extraño todo. Al paladar conserva algo de cuerpo y bastante acidez. No tiene mucha persistencia ni mucho retrogusto pero le daré una nueva oportunidad el año que viene. No mal del todo para cocinar la salsa del ragut. Un vino facilón

6/19/2018 - tenorselbow wrote:

Rant Alert!
Normally I wouldn't review a wine that I gave such a low score to but I sense that there is an alarming trend in Chilean Cab Savs towards vegetal/bell pepper/capsicum overtones. I realize that Cab Sav has this naturally but lately I've been finding it overwhelming in Chilean Cab Savs -especially this one. I theorize it's caused by picking the grapes too early or having too much leaf cover.
There was a period of austerity in Australia in the 1980s when Cab Savs had this vegetal characteristic - very elegant they said, lip-puckeringly, stingily elegant. Chile, you don't have to go through this - pick the damn grapes when they're ripe!
OK people have different tastes. I'm just saying that the Emperor's New Clothes suck and just because there are some Cab Savs out there that are overripe there is no need for this overreaction.
There is a very good wine in there somewhere, it just tastes like it had a layer of crushed eucalyptus leaves added during fermentation.
A good pairing with eucalyptus candy.

6/25/2015 - IB71 wrote:

Sexy syrah, with classy Guigal-like oak complemented by roses and violets, ripe blackberry and black cherry plus sous bois and black pepper. Intense, long, complex and expressive, yet elegant/burgundian in body and structure.

8/31/2015 - kalissa Likes this wine:

A very fine Rioja, but needs time to integrate the oak and tannins. Very good concentration. Try again in 2020?

10/5/2016 - Monsieur le Comte wrote:

0,75l

grat wine, maybe it would have been better to resign the american oak barrels...

3/17/2016 - Monsieur le Comte wrote:

Overprized dazzler!
Tastes like a cheap young wine.
BTW I commented on that below..

2/28/2015 - felixp Does not like this wine:

I guess this is the third or fourth cab wine for penfolds, bit like a Goulee from Cos. As such, it is okay, but certainly does not justify it's price tag (especially here in China!!!!!)
Pretty bland, one dimensional and innocuous, I always think of these wines as a waste of good liver cells. Nothing to see here, move on folks....
Anyone who purchases wines like these should heed the advice of an old geezer like me..... you ARE much better off drinking one bottle of decent wine at $120/bottle than 2 bottles of this. Your liver, brain and most importantly your cellar in 15 years will thank you for the decision you made.

8/2/2013 - kostaslonis Likes this wine:

(WineGate)
Clear, mid lemon color. Clean, mid intensity, ripe small white stone fruits like apricots, loquats, orange marmelade nuances, dried pineapple, almonds and walnuts. I am putting down developing instead of young only because of the riper character of the fruit.
Dry, mid body, mid intensity, mid alcohol (12.5%), mid+ acidity, smoke, ripe apricot and tropical fruits, nutty, yeast-y, balanced, ends with a mid finish.
Very good wine, mid price. Drinking now but could age.

11/16/2012 - Dokken wrote:

Lemon coloured with deep and concentrated nose of ripe stone fruit(pears), pineapple plus judicious use of high quality oak. Lively and full bodied retaining however elegance. Long finish and great ageing potential for 6-10 more years.

7/10/2014 - Life At Your Leisure 🍷 wrote:

Dark ruby turning crimson at the rim with reflective edges. The nose gives off aromas of cola, tobacco, and leather. The palate is bold, muscular, and very, very dry; heightened by bright acidity. Structured; densely concentrated with flavors of currant, black tea, cigar box, graphite, espresso and meat. This wine stays lifted all the way until the very long finish with hints of dried herbs. The structure is still very firm as of tasting, and the tannins haven't fully resolved. This will be better from 2015 or 2016 up to 2032. 94+

8/10/2014 - jeffreylubowski wrote:

Not sure what all the fuss is about. Far too new world. Oak. Cough syrup. Didnt improve over three days. I have one more bottle. Hope I like that one better.

9/5/2015 - Monsieur le Comte wrote:

7 hours of decanting killed it completely, made it stone-dead: sour as hell, oxidized and dull - recorded as experience..

3/26/2015 - Monsieur le Comte Likes this wine:

syruplike

almost syruplike:
prunes, figs, raisins, dried stone fruits, bombastic sherry nose and flavour - you don't have to put your trunk into the nosing glass it's already there..

..CASK taste that somehow reminds me of sailing ships and inspires you to travel faraway places -
mocca with sweet caramel/condensed milk, shisha tobacco, spice, molasses (although brandy is not made out of sugar cane like rum), walnuts, bitter orange peel, dried stone fruit, bitter chocolate, dominant bitter chocolate taste

not too smooth - there are some "corners" but all in all a good balance between fruit, oak, mature flavours and alcohol.
fantastic deep opulent nose and tasty mid palate but unfortunately not really persistent..anyway, fantastic drop!

6/23/2015 - Monsieur le Comte wrote:

good at this stage right now..everything fits together, sweet, sour..good!
earthh, mushrooms, coconut, liquid herbs...

my 2nd bottle today, still got 2 cases^^

4/17/2014 - pomelo Likes this wine:

Robe rubis foncé. Nez de menthol, de mûres et de tabac. Bouche sur la cerise. Bien fondu. Très longue finale. Du Marchese à son meilleur et comme toujours, après 10 ans!

8/27/2013 - Debreese wrote:

Pale intensity. Medium- intensity with red fruit (raspberry, cherry) and spice (black pepper) on the nose. Medium acidity and body, medium- tannins, red fruit carries over as well as the spice though there is also some sage and some toast. Medium finish, not for aging as there is not much to this wine. Had this with grilled strip loin. While it is good for every day drinking I also think there are better Pinot Noirs out there for the same price or not much more.

3/26/2015 - Monsieur le Comte Likes this wine:

that was a big favor for the palate..

musty tobacco, sous-bois, mushrooms, leather, honey, dill, nutmeg, cedar, coconut and cloves flavours.
creamy texture with a black mid palate and a long lingering acidic and salty cigar box aftertaste..
ready to drink!

I wouldn't recommend decanting

3/25/2015 - justburg wrote:

Inspired by the magical white burgs consumed at Imperial Treasure, I dug deep to fish out my notes of this wine. I've put this as of 25th March but do note that this was tasted about 4 years back. Consumed before a lovely Richebourg flight, this stole the show. Served at absolutely perfect temperature, yellowish gold. Faded orange at rim. Nail garnish, petroleum, kerosene at first pour. Creamed butter mash, salted caramel, brown sugar, with sweet peaches, lychees, smoked marshmallows. Outstanding body, complexity and length created by richness, intensity, acids and power. So buttery, creamy, sweet salty, fat, layered. Almost like liquid truffle butter, with pineapple syrup, crushed peaches and rock melon. Smoke, mint, toffee. Outstanding wine. Thanks Peter.

1/9/2014 - ColinR wrote:

Light ruby/rust; caramel, pecan, figs, table grapes; semi-dry, creme brule, nutty, raisiny, cherry, light-medium body, nice heat, good balance, smooth tannins, long finish.
Oxidised but yummy flavours. Lots of calories here with residual sugar and grape spirit. Too easy to sip, wife liked.

2/4/2015 - Sotto325 wrote:

Very likely the best Rioja I have ever had--of hundreds including new world behemoths and old world masters.

Entrenched clearly in the old school mode, this special cuvee reflects both the classic clay smoke circle surrounding a medium bright red cherry/blackberry center, but also a very very lush dark,almost black/red center that is not present, for example, in the very nice, but far less impressive bin 904. There is also dried tobacco, smoke, licorice and lush dark berry melange.

There is something ethereal about this bottling that dictates slow drinking and also a knowledge that the complexity will increase, despite its release recently when its drinking window opened.

One naturally reflects, after a bottle like this, about other great wines, and perhaps the comparison is not fair with a great red burgundy, Bordeaux or German riesling. But it is an achievement of star status, along with Moro in the Ribera and worth the hefty price.

3/23/2015 - Monsieur le Comte wrote:

after 3h decanting time:

sweet raspberry liqueur nose,
damson plums, perfume of roses, strawberry, cranberries, lucious mulberries and sweet dark cherry marmelade, syrup, cherry stone - kind of a spanish ''cherry amaretto'', present alcohol, sweet brambles, herbs, pepper, chocolate
vanilla, cedar, crème brûlée, coco nut..oak
heavier than other priorat wines

cellar aging recommended!

90-94

1/11/2013 - kaaallen Likes this wine:

Nice drinker, goes down easy and fast but lingers fairly long. nose is lovely and more complex than the palate after an hour or two in glass. a good wine but misses something that can make it a wow wine, not enough fruit, density or complexity but the tannins are spot on. decanting for a couple hours probably would have woke it up but it is friday and I have not had a drink all week, so when the ribeye was ready the wine was going down ready or not.

11/15/2013 - poste244 Likes this wine:

Un superbe Chianti bien typé et d'une élégance presque aristocratique. Le nez est une splendeur : Cerise, tabac, cuir, rose, cassis, bois noble et assez marqué par le Cabernet-Sauvignon.

La bouche est tout aussi agréable. Les tanins sont déjà souples. On sent bien l'acidité du Sangiovese, mais tout est en équilibre. Et ce fruit éclatant qui donne le goût d'en reboire encore et encore!

Un très beau vin déjà excellent, qui le restera encore longtemps. Je ne vois pas par-contre de "défaut" que le temps pourrait corriger, alors profitez-en dès maintenant! Surtout que pour cette qualité, le prix reste somme toute, très raisonnable.

Je verrais bien un magret de canard saignant, ou un bon steak pour l'accompagner.

8/25/2014 - honest bob wrote:

From 75cl, v. good cork. Decanted 1 hour with no development. Sweetish, slightly flabby, gentle wine with no rough edges, like strawberrry jam (thanks sundiegojc TN 15.03.2014 —you nailed it). Super-low acidity. Good-quality, inoffensive, mother-in-law-pleasing Euro-red, bearing about the same resemblence to real Rioja (whether old- or new-style) as Mouton Cadet does to real Médoc, i.e. precious little. Cynical restauranteurs of the world, listen up: Here is a profit opportunity. The Wine Advocate gave this 92P, which I find completely inexplicable. 85P(?)

12/21/2010 - kalissa wrote:

Not a traditional Rioja, and will confound expectations of what one should be. This wine is perfectly ripe, no hard edges, minimal tannin, and drinks wonderfully right now. I highly recommend it for current drinking. Would pair very well with steaks, roasts, etc. As an experiment, it would be interesting to age this and see if it becomes more "traditional" over time.

5/29/2014 - Harley1199 wrote:

For what it is...fruty aroma and some minerality, cherry coke, liquorice and pepper. Like that nose.
Palate, however, is flat with a watery mouthfull and very short. Thin structure.
WA 90 points? That's funny....

Para lo qué es...Aroma afrutado con algo de mineralidad, cola de cereza, regaliz y pimienta. Me gusta esa nariz.
En boca, de todas formas, es plano con una sensación acuosa y muy corto. De estructura delgada.
¿90 puntos de RP Jr? Eso suena divertido...

10/16/2012 - wineforgoodtimes Likes this wine:

A great wine from a remarquable winegrower and an outstanding vintage!

the colour had some brick, but was clear, some sediment had turned in to the bottle but didn't really need decanting.
the nose was really nice: oak, dried leafs, tobacco, coffeebean... but also some raspberries and licorice cherry. very complex nose!
the longer in the glass, the more the wine develops and enriches in flavour.
the taste was certainly not full bodied, but very elegant and soft with still some silky tannins. at the end a long finish with some oak and a touch of menthol in the aftertaste!
Great finesse!

6/9/2014 - JVG wrote:

Color: Bright straw yellow.

Nose: Tight and a bit hard at first. Reductive, with a smoky, burnt-rubber aromas. There's a bit of chalk and yeast, but not much fruit. With some air and after warming up a bit, some faint apple emerges, and the yeast smell turns a bit sweeter and baked, more like croissants.

Mouthfeel: The best part of the wine. Nice fine bead and creamy mousse that lasts well in the glass.

Palate: Rather austere actually. Lemony and mineral, with the overriding impression being that of acid and chalk. The finish is relatively dry-tasting but also quite watery, without much flavory or persistence. I've read that Moët have been lowering their dosage, and that seems true with this bottle, but I'm afraid the fruit has neither the ripeness nor the character to take advantage. The lack of sweetness just exposes that there's not much else going on.

Disappointing, to say the least. I think big-house Champagne gets a little too much quality-related criticism in general, and I've found several of the basic NVs to be quite good lately. I was hoping to find the same here as the critics seem to think Moët has really improved this cuvee, but sadly I didn't find that to be the case. At $37, which I believe is a competitive price for this bottle, this is terrible value. Compared to Roederer's basic NV at roughly the same price, this doesn't even play in the same league.

5/10/2014 - mpholiday Likes this wine:

Gf and I tried this one out tonight, and it is by far one of the best Champagne values we've yet to come across. It's light, crisp flavor, and fruity nose, left us wishing for more after the bottle was consumed. I'm typically skeptical of anything NV, but this has won us over.

Would definitely try again.

4/28/2014 - Monsieur le Comte wrote:

an ultra modern parkerized bordeaux, smoothed tannins, fruit forward, perfumed wine, no edges left (what a pity^^)
really modern way..
as mentioned before this wine is (in my opinion) made for an average american wine/(california) drinker..

tons of prunes, blueberry liqueur, red cassis, overripe cherry, leather and cedar, syrup, tutti frutti bubble gum, blueberry donut, cola, cherry tobacco, new oak, cinnamon, only a hint of earth - where has it gone? I miss any bordeaux characteristic which irritates me..
no terroir left

liked the wine but I wouldnt have want every st.emilion to taste like that...

89-92

1/8/2013 - THaas Likes this wine:

Very fruit-forward on opening, but showed St. Emilion earthy/leathery notes upon a bit of breathing time. Very modern in style, but with enough sensibility to show where it's from; this is St. Emilion for California drinkers. Big fruit, big leather, big tannins, not much subtlety here, but it's tasty and enjoyable nonetheless.

10/25/2013 - pmgsmith wrote:

In short, green. Just green. After about 2 hours it begins to show its hand but still ...... green. The bottle? Me? Protos? I've been drinking Protos for years and it is often a safe bet. Real disappointment all around. Current vintage on sale at Madrid Barajas duty free.

9/10/2012 - Ben Christiansen wrote:

10 months brined in 100% new french oak. Tastes somewhat like it too.

2/27/2014 - Monsieur le Comte wrote:

...

...

liqueur, kirsch, cooked plum, gelee, bramble jam, blue and dark fruit, raspberry jelly, chocolate, sweet and bitter, multilayered, rubber, bacon, tar, smoke, vanilla, herbs, violets, brambles en masse...alcohol
BIG REPERTOIRE - A SHOW
coffee aftertase
ripe
...and everything fits together but no need to hurry.
a lot of sediment in the bottle, tons!

one of the very best wines I ever drank with Mourvedre driven "Gardies La Torre"
this wine is a steal!
meditation wine

1/9/2014 - wanderer888 wrote:

It hits the palate immediately with sweet spicy note with a sharp bite but no significant on tongue. It ends pleasantly without heavy prolonged finish.

No need to aerate and can drink anytime.

I was drinking and comparing it w muga 2009 reserva and and muriel 2008 crianza, it seems that im now focused on exploring alta ardanza of good years.

Pulpo al ajillo and chorizo works well with it.

Paprika spicy chorizo hits palate immediately, no wonder it blended well.

10/17/2013 - Monsieur le Comte wrote:

well balanced, harmonious...
not too flashy, very savoury(nice acidity), medium body, not obstrusive, PERFECT food wine (reminds me of some italian wines) but nothing special, drink and forget!

a bit earth, wet leaves, a bit cinnamon and licorice (just a hint), of course red fruit jelly BUT the cooked plum dominates the flavour profile, really only a hint cedar, wet wood, wet autumn leaves.
only 13, 5% ^^ very pleasant!
89-90

10/21/2013 - AV2012 wrote:

7 Decades of Rioja (Riga): Dark, saturated colour.
Edgy, alchocolic nose, lots of vanilla from oak. Strong hospital aromas, may be eucalyptus or pine needles. Light animal scents.
On the palate - earthy, plums, tar, may be mushroom. Lots and lots of tannin, doesn't really improve with air. Didn't get this wine. (C+)

1/10/2012 - shallIshantI wrote:

This is one of the best wines money can buy. Big black currants on both the nose and palate. You could describe it as 'sweet' without being sugary. Powerful and stays on the palate for quite some time. Not much wood or pepper - smooth, fruity, silky. I would not leave this until 2020. The drinking window is within the next couple of years.

9/6/2012 - Henman wrote:

The nose delivered a pleasant mix of herbs and some spices.Cinnamon in the fore. Very nice smell. On the palate medium bodied, very smooth succulent dark and red fruit wrapped in a silky sheet of herbs and spices. Rather gentle but firm tannic grip. Wow ,this was delicious! The oak influence is of course obvious, and I am allergic to overoaked wines, but here it is singing beautifully. A unique wine, no doubt. Reminds of northern rhone, with a little extra spice. Yummy !

12/3/2012 - TSBWine wrote:

88+ points. Really intriguing wine for the price ($7) and has a profile that's very typical of the region. It depends on your palate, but between Jumilla and some other DOs, Spain may have some of the best QPR wines in the world.

There's not a lot of purity here, but there are some lively ripe blackberry notes on the palate with bright acids. At it's best point, it was followed by floral notes reminiscent of crushed violets or orange blossoms. There's enough weight on the palate, but for the most part the high acids and mostly linear nature keeps it fleet of foot.

Finally, this wine is bolstered by incredibly chalky tannins that were totally calcareous (limestone) on the palate. It doesn't seem like there's any oak influence here and it was likely aged in concrete vats or stainless steel tanks. As of now this wine's tannins are so grippy that they've dominated the character of wine. They're pleasant if you enjoy the limestone notes and they have an intriguing textural feel that would lead you to believe that they're actually softer than they are. However this wine is entirely too young, even for a $7 bottle.

Recommend waiting on buying if you don't have the storage space. If you have a large cellar and enjoy Spanish wines I would certainly suggest buying a case (or two) and putting it in a corner for a year or more. There's enough bright acids and tannins that I would be shocked if it didn't get better in time. If it does in fact improve it would prove to be killer QPR and an excellent any-day wine.

12/13/2008 - Badfish wrote:

Linking With Bordeaux (Wine Exchange - Orange, CA): Ultra opaque purple throughout. Modern yet complex on the nose with aromas of dark fruits such as plum and cassis along with slate and oak. So ripe but utterly seductive on the nose, hard to stay away from this one. Explosive fruit on the palate with flavors of dark berries and oak combining with haunting minerality. Firm structure, gripping tannins, and ample acidity to cleanse the finish. Very complex and one of the stars of the tasting for me; if you are objective and can appreciate styles you don’t necessarily seek out it is hard to dislike this in my opinion. With that said, traditionalists beware.

2/3/2011 - Sweet_Berry_Wine!! wrote:

88-90. This is an unbelievably powerful wine. Very powerful aromas of red currant, fresh leather, vanilla and new oak. This wine hits the palate like a sack of bricks, with a huge, concentrated body and heavy tannins. Powerful flavor profile of black fruit, mocha, and cedar that suggest more of a new world approach. Without exaggeration, this is one of the biggest wines I've ever tasted (at least in recent memory) with lots of aging potential. Definitely overly oaked and overly extracted (Michel Rolland may have had something to do with that). A shame really, considering the fruit in here seems to be rich and ripe to begin with. This would be a fantastic wine if it were a California merlot and would definitely merit a 94-95 point score, but it's not. Extra points for aging potential, points deducted for lack of regional typicity.

6/4/2013 - kostaslonis wrote:

Clear pale purple color.
Clean nose, medium – intensity, tomato, red cherries, ripe strawberry, red currant, hints of vanilla, nutmeg and toast, slight leafiness, also I could sweat that there is also a starch-y feeling like pasta or potato. Youthful.
Dry, medium– intensity, medium alcohol (13%), medium – acidity, medium tannins with a drying/grainy effect, thin watery concentration with red cherry and currant, strawberry and tomato again, short finish, young.
Good wine, low price (11.90€), for everyday drinking, it won’t get any better with time.