11/13/2020 - PrometheanFire Likes this wine:

Even though significantly past its prime, this still drinks very well. Not up to my previous notes but still much more exciting than lots of the wines made today. Bummer that it seems to be rather hard to get recent vintages of this.

9/8/2017 - PrometheanFire Likes this wine:

Just what I expect from a Zinfandel at this price range. Full aromatic taste and decent power. Great for BBQ.

1/21/2017 - PrometheanFire Likes this wine:

Excellent GSM-cuvée that is in a very good spot right now. Lots of black and red fruit as well as Syrah-spice. Delicious!

1/13/2017 - PrometheanFire wrote:

Excellent off-dry Riesling. Got even better over the course of a week and developed mich more complexity. I suggest you hold on to a few bottles and give them some more time (2-4 years).

1/9/2017 - PrometheanFire wrote:

Held up surprisingly well. Strong dark berries scent with a hint of smoke, bold and fruity on the palate. Nothing special but a quaffable Cabernet-based blend for a god price that goes well with red meat.

12/17/2016 - PrometheanFire wrote:

Was worried at first due to the plastic cork, but turned out to be a wonderful typical Priorat with lots of dark aromas. Nevertheless this is coming to the end of its prime and should be drunk up soon.

9/3/2016 - PrometheanFire Likes this wine:

Delicious Barbera, drinking wonderfully right now. Maybe a bit expensive for what it does.

7/9/2016 - PrometheanFire wrote:

Solid Riesling with good mineral notes that unfortunately lacks fruit to fully round out the palate.

7/2/2016 - PrometheanFire wrote:

Typical "parkerized" Super Tuscan. Fruity, big and more on the sweet side. Well-made for what it is but not necessarily my kind of wine.

6/17/2016 - PrometheanFire Likes this wine:

Pale yellow with a green tint. Peach and lychee pair with some citrus and herbal undertones. Acidity is precise and beautifully integrated in the multifaceted palate. Overall a headstrong and complex Riesling from the Nahe that should really be a delight for fans of the grape snd the region.

4/15/2016 - PrometheanFire wrote:

Good wine but a bit Parker-ish in its polished, bold international style lacking a sense of place and variety specifics. Especially the distinctive acidity of Portugese wines that I have come to love so much is what's missing here, but nonetheless this is a tasty effort and a nice daily drinker...

4/10/2016 - PrometheanFire wrote:

Surprisingly fleshy, medium- to full-bodied Cabernet from Bulgaria that is very well-balanced and proves once again how underrated Eastern Europe is in today's wine world.

3/26/2016 - PrometheanFire wrote:

Textbook Chianti, smooth and delicious.

2/13/2016 - PrometheanFire Likes this wine:

Very nice Rosso. Medium-bodied, bright cherries with meaty undertones. Great acidity structure and supporting tannins. Great, but about time to drink this up...

1/24/2016 - PrometheanFire Likes this wine:

Great Cabernet, perfectly pairing strength and depth. Will definitely buy more...

3/19/2016 - PrometheanFire wrote:

Big, fruity, slightly on the sweet side. Just please the casual drinker but has none of the real Priorat magic, but then, what can you expect at this price point?

12/28/2015 - PrometheanFire wrote:

Took no formal notes but was not really convinced. You get much better value at this price point elsewhere.

1/20/2016 - PrometheanFire Likes this wine:

Excellent Muskateller. Nose is enticing with lots of honey, melons and white flowers. Very precise and present acidity and a distinctive minerality gives this a pleasant surprise factor on the palate and into the medium+ finish. Great!

2/3/2016 - PrometheanFire Does not like this wine:

Unbalanced, watery and dominated by a metallic aftertaste. Avoid.

12/27/2015 - PrometheanFire wrote:

This was much better on the second day on which it had calmed down significantly and opened up to a nicely balanced effort. The nose speaks of red fruit, balsamic notes, coffee nibs and a slightly greenish aspect that I can't really pin down. Palate starts out with a nice crispy acidity and mellows out in a perfectly timed move towards a smooth finish that adds a certain mild sweetness to the mix alongside some still grippy but never austere tannins. Pleasantly sursprised as this would have scored 85 points max on day 1.

12/27/2015 - PrometheanFire wrote:

Quite ripe by now and a little over its peak. Nose is made up of prunes, stewed strawberries an wet wood. Palate has retained a good acidity structure while the rather sweet fruit is on retreat and the remaining tannins have gotten a bit mushy. Nonetheless still an enjoyable wine that probably would have been better when opened in 2013/14. Drink up if you are still holding!

12/27/2015 - PrometheanFire wrote:

Extremely smoothed out. Interesting honey finish but beside that this a pretty generic, super smooth, characterless Shiraz that holds no ground to other new world Shiraz from South Africa for example which greatly excel this harmless effort.

12/24/2015 - PrometheanFire wrote:

Given its price point this was pretty disappointing. Rather sweet on the attack and then vanishing into a smoothed out ride without defined characteristics apart from its present spice towards the finish. Well made, modern and clean, but fails to arouse me or cause any greater excitement.

12/18/2015 - PrometheanFire wrote:

A bit disappointed with this one as it feels slightly disjointed and lacks a clear structure and presence. I have come to expect much more from Encastell and this is not up to par with the winery's other wines and also other vintages of "Marge".

11/27/2015 - PrometheanFire wrote:

Dense and opaque colour. On the extroverted nose stewed blue and black fruits, prunes, milk chocolate and mint leafs. The palate is silky with smoothed out tannins, full-bodied, intense attack with sweet cassis, beautifully rounded mid-palate and hints of bitter almonds towards the finish. Great stuff!

11/21/2015 - PrometheanFire wrote:

Modern-styled Tempranillo, clean but pretty thin on the palate with rowdy acidity and metallic notes towards the finish. Judging from the other notes here there is quite some bottle variation going on. Given that, I would avoid risking one of the weaker bottles like mine here and go for a more consistent wine that can easily be found at this price point.

11/14/2015 - PrometheanFire Likes this wine:

Excellent Ripasso, at a great point right now. Perfect balance between acidity and sweetness, striking medium body and smooth texture. A very pleasant surprise!

11/15/2015 - PrometheanFire wrote:

Okay Ripasso, but lacking balance. Overall a bit too much harsh wood for such a lean body that is more on the acid side of things and lacking the typical Ripasso sweetness from the Amarone grapes which kinda takes the very essence of Ripasso (the interplay between sweetness and acidity) away. Hence, while it may be rather cheap you should better spend 3 or 4 Euros more to treat yourself to a really decent Ripasso.

10/16/2015 - PrometheanFire wrote:

Another great Shiraz from South Africa. Well-structured with a distinct elegance, lively despite its malolactic fermentation. Lots of cassis and spice, will definitely buy again.

10/16/2015 - PrometheanFire wrote:

Considering the prices for Pinot's from Burgundy, this is more or less a bargain at 14 Euro. As to be expected this was slightly on simpler side of the spectrum but could still impress with some lively red fruit and a well-structured palate without any considerable depth of course. Hence this is not made for keeping, but as daily-drinker it fares pretty well. Even though there are of course cheaper alternatives out there from other regions still...

8/1/2015 - PrometheanFire Likes this wine:

Fantastic effort, drinking perfectly right now. Opened up 3 hours in advance, the nose was a dense potpourri of dark fruits, spice box, liquorice accompanied by earthy undertones. Medium- to full-bodied, sweet attack but with a lot of elegance on the palate, perfectly balancing fruit, acidity and spice, leading up to a lingering 15 seconds plus finish. Marvelous! Sadly, I am down to my last bottle now...

8/1/2015 - PrometheanFire wrote:

A pretty nice Shiraz with a nose of ripe berries, black pepper and floral hints. Well-structured palate with the fruit component dominating, surprisingly lean and fresh, very good effort.

10/11/2015 - PrometheanFire Does not like this wine:

Dark brick red red with hints of purple, colour seems a bit dull. Nose is muted as well with some menthol coming through but little to no fruit. Light- to medium-bodied, watery, unbalanced acidity with bitter notes and a slightly metallic aftertaste. Not recommendable.

10/6/2015 - PrometheanFire Likes this wine:

This is holding up very nicely and smoothing out more and more. Still needed a whole day after opening to be really present though. Nose at this point is dark, deep and brooding, offering aromas of prune, wild herbs, saddle leather and schist. Palate is silky smooth, great concentration on the attack while the semi-sweet black- and blueberry fruit teams up beautifully with the astonishing minerality this wine carries for a 10+ seconds finish. Encastell never ceases to amaze me!

10/4/2015 - PrometheanFire wrote:

Good Tempranillo with nice fruit concentration and accented spice in the finish. Nose is a bit shy but offers some nice hints of cinnamon and bamboo that make this interesting nonetheless.

8/8/2015 - PrometheanFire wrote:

Transparent brick red with brown rims. Raspberry and stewed red fruits on the nose accompanied by noble woods, barrique, menthol and some heat. Palate is surprisingly less dense than expected, medium bodied with a lot of spice and some bitter notes towards the medium-length finish. Overall a good wine but lacking a bit of defined fruit presence on the palate to balance the spicy and bitter elements. 1-2 hours in the decanter truly helped to open this open up, so give it some time. Definitely not a pop and pour at the moment.

7/22/2015 - PrometheanFire wrote:

Rock solid Ripasso. Berry, smooth and balanced with some nice spicy notes that work well together with the sweeter aspects of the wine.

7/31/2015 - PrometheanFire wrote:

While I don't see the 92 points Wine Spectator gave this one it was surprisingly good, especially given that it was random supermarket pick which usually only leads to utter disappointment. Overall maybe a tad bit too sweet for my liking and tannins were a little mushy, but still a very quaffable wine that goes well with food.

6/27/2015 - PrometheanFire wrote:

Watery, thin, metallic aftertase, little fruit, no good at all.

6/26/2015 - PrometheanFire Does not like this wine:

Very disappointing. Thin, watery and unbalanced. Little to no fruit, harsh acidity with bitter undertones. Avoid!

6/13/2015 - PrometheanFire wrote:

On the down swing but still very generous in terms of dense black cherry fruit. Well-structured and smoothed out by now. Drink up!

6/7/2015 - PrometheanFire Likes this wine:

Great and complex Sauvignon Blanc far from the one-dimensional, fruity usual suspects when it comes to SB. Excellent effort.

6/6/2015 - PrometheanFire Likes this wine:

Beautifully golden coloured the wine is dominated by massive amounts of ripe quince on the nose and the palate at the moment. Some petrol notes and touches of minerality. Acidity has integrated further, great structure and mouthfeel. All it still lacks is a bit more length you would have come to expect of an Erstes Gewächs.

5/24/2015 - PrometheanFire wrote:

Pretty much does what it says on the tin. Intense and dense fruit with a bit of spice. Quaffable but rather one-sided.

5/16/2015 - PrometheanFire wrote:

Deep dark red with a lighter rim. Ripe blue- and blackberries on the nose accompanied by some herbal and wooden aromas that are not as clearly defined as the fruit. Palate is still tannic with present spice and only subtle fruit quickly taking the wine into a pretty dry medium-length finish. The ingredients to a great wine are all there but this lacks a bit more definition to make things happen, which is a shame. Would not space out the possibility that this is already going downhill.

5/9/2015 - PrometheanFire wrote:

Very good Cabernet Sauvignon which has really smoothed out by now. Tannins are well integrated while fruit, spice and acidity maintain a nice balance with them. Would definitely buy again, good QPR.

5/14/2015 - PrometheanFire wrote:

This has really gained some seriousness over time. Dense dark fruit, lots of black currant and blackberries. Slightly sweet touch, but not jammy. Dark chocolate, black cherries on the palate where tannins still show quite some grip. Was great with BBQ.

5/9/2015 - PrometheanFire Likes this wine:

At a very good point now. The nose offers a nice spectrum of peach, mirabelles as well as some floral notes. Acidity is integrated very well, good texture and length. Great QPR as always with Lorenz.

4/18/2015 - PrometheanFire Likes this wine:

Took no formal notes, but this needed at least 24 hours to calm down. Good density, intense fruit and spice. Very good effort, even if a bit rough around the edges.

4/18/2015 - PrometheanFire wrote:

Decent Pinot given the price point. Light red fruits, smooth and with well integrated tannins. Very quaffable especially now as temperatures start rising again.