1/3/2023 - gwilliams68 Likes this wine:

Excellent wine. White stone fruit, super texture, structure and mouthfeel. Love this wine.

1/7/2023 - gwilliams68 Does not like this wine:

Somewhat impenetrable and joyless wine. May be drunk far too early. I have a couple more and will leave them some time.

12/27/2022 - gwilliams68 wrote:

Disappointing showing. Lacked definition or any sort of character.

12/26/2022 - gwilliams68 Likes this wine:

Have drunk a lot of Musar over the years but this bottle was right up there with the best of them. Beautifully harmonious fruit, touch of wood polish and long finish.

12/25/2022 - gwilliams68 Likes this wine:

Drinking beautifully. Best of 4 bottles drunk over last 4 years.

10/15/2022 - gwilliams68 Likes this wine:

Primary fruit flavours now mellowing. More savoury than previous bottles when it felt dangerously close to jam like. Tannins pretty crunchy and the acidity now coming through to balance all those dark fruit flavours. More than a hint of smoke on the finish.
Much more to my taste looks to be offering some lovely drinking in the coming years.

5/2/2022 - gwilliams68 Likes this wine:

Wonderful saline nose, searing green apple acidity. Great texture, decent finish. super value wine.

4/24/2022 - gwilliams68 Likes this wine:

Fresh, crisp red fruit and surprisingly weighty. Gentle integrated tannins and a long finish. Drinking really well.

3/19/2022 - gwilliams68 Likes this wine:

Excellent wine. Drinking superbly now with structure and acidity to go on for a while yet.

Fruit here is excellent but perfect minerality balance. Better that the sum of its parts and a very elegant wine.

3/9/2022 - gwilliams68 Likes this wine:

Already drinking well.

A delicious wine. Powdery tannins gave this a most comforting feel. Still a little tight as you would expect but very approachable.

2/28/2022 - gwilliams68 Likes this wine:

This is a big wine. Still quite primary. Masses of dark berry fruit. May leave remaining bottles a few years before revisiting. Its a good wine but hoping for a little more complexity/layers.

2/28/2022 - gwilliams68 Likes this wine:

Last and best of 6.

2/27/2022 - gwilliams68 wrote:

Last of three. Somewhat over extracted and otherwise unmemorable. Probably worth the money but not much else.

12/4/2021 - gwilliams68 Likes this wine:

Undoubtedly years ahead still for this wine but drinking well now. Its not a subtle thing. Big, savoury and slightly smokey and I just love the waves of those grainy tannins that roll across across the tongue for an age.

11/20/2021 - gwilliams68 Likes this wine:

This wine is improving nicely and was a delight.
Super balance with gentle citrus acidity cutting through the generous fruit flavours of dessert apple and apricot.

5/10/2021 - gwilliams68 Likes this wine:

I was surprised in a very positive way about how this had evolved since my last bottle, around 12 months back.

It just felt more autumnal (sloes, damsons, mushrooms) and the tannins much softer. Still plenty of grip and no doubt will keep but drinking very well now.

One notable difference to my earlier bottles was the presence of tar both on the nose and to taste. Cannot recall it being so present before. Very much to my taste!

5/1/2021 - gwilliams68 Likes this wine:

Has put on a little weight over the last year and is drinking superbly well.

4/19/2021 - gwilliams68 wrote:

A tarriness and overly sweet/jam like predominance left me disappointed with this bottle.

4/19/2021 - gwilliams68 Likes this wine:

Bright, vibrant, red berry and fruit to the fore. This was the best of my three bottles and would buy again

4/10/2021 - gwilliams68 wrote:

Clearly a well made wine but a little charmless and presently somewhat devoid of interest. I’m going to forget about the remaining bottles for a while and re-visit in 3 years

3/31/2021 - gwilliams68 Likes this wine:

This was a better bottle than the last one some 6 months back. Graphite/pencil shavings noticeable. Evolving nicely and happy to add a point to my last score.
This is good value wine.

4/1/2021 - gwilliams68 Likes this wine:

Surprised to find this wine somewhat lighter on its feet than some other mature CNdPs that I have drunk in recent months (mainly Vieux Télégraphe and Pegau).

The expected dark cherry, spiced plums with an undercurrent of tar and some smokiness all present but the tannins and acidity meant it all felt still quite primary. No iodine or bone meal here. Good length but not the full on depth of body I was expecting. Little in the way of Grenache heat noticeable to my palate nor was the alcohol hugely evident.

No noticeable evolution over the evening and sadly I didn’t save any to re-visit today.

Don’t get me wrong, this was a smashing wine but not quite what I was expecting

3/15/2021 - gwilliams68 wrote:

Not getting the enjoyment here. Muted nose and flat mid palate left me wondering if best days are behind. May not leave my last bottle too long.

2/21/2021 - gwilliams68 Likes this wine:

Last of 3 bottles and have proved an excellent buy.
This has evolved quite a bit since my first bottle a couple of years back.
Flavours are all very integrated and harmonious. Blueberries more than blackberries. Pleasant smokiness too. Surprisingly sweet finish.

2/13/2021 - gwilliams68 Likes this wine:

Starts off rather interesting with blue berry and damson flavours to the fore. Vegetal notes too. Soft tannins, hints of sandalwood all quite pleasant but then falls away very quickly. A short finish with with the tannin somewhat reasserting itself to leave you feeling short changed.

May improve in the short term but not sure it has the guts for long term cellaring.

1/17/2021 - gwilliams68 Likes this wine:

Oak is softening and there is a sweet core developing. Good value and plenty of years left in this.

1/17/2021 - gwilliams68 wrote:

From a half. Drinking well. Orange blossom and candied fruit. Hugely enjoyable.

1/17/2021 - gwilliams68 wrote:

Heat damaged?

1/3/2021 - gwilliams68 Likes this wine:

Drinking really well. Great structure and balance in this wine. Still possessed of initial racy acidity giving way to a generous full bodied wine of great length.

11/23/2020 - gwilliams68 Likes this wine:

Pretty rich and somewhat dense on present showing. Alcohol seemed to be punching above its 14.5% stated level.
Notes on the Tablas Creek website suggest a closed phase approaching. Hard to argue its not there now and I will leave my remining bottle for a minimum of 3 years. No worries that it has the fruit and structure to last the course and am sure this would score higher after suitable further cellaring.

10/26/2020 - gwilliams68 Likes this wine:

Nose suggested the tiniest trace of something else in here. Gewurz! Nothing such like to taste. Bone dry traditional Alsace Reisling.
Not sure there will be any further evolution with this wine. Linear and precise. Still, very enjoyable.

10/26/2020 - gwilliams68 Likes this wine:

Energetic and powerful for a modest wine. Grainy tannins and oak still to the fore. Quite spicy. Tails off with no great length. Will provide interesting drinking over next couple of years.

10/17/2020 - gwilliams68 Likes this wine:

Drunk alongside a 2003.
A meatier example with plenty of brett and VA on opening. Needed the six hour decant to start coming around.
In comparison to the 03 this showed more stewed plums and figs. Tannins more evident but not too heavy. Seemed a little blunt compared to the older bottle but still very pleasurable.
Little change on day 2.

10/17/2020 - gwilliams68 Likes this wine:

Open for business straight from the off.
Red fruit to the fore. Tannins fully resolved and surprisingly sweet finish.
No real evolution on day 2.
Suggests a wine at its peak.

9/25/2020 - gwilliams68 Likes this wine:

Simply gorgeous. All the slightly wild somewhat feral notes that have detracted from the previous bottles of this have now subsided (though still hinted at).

Great poise and balance. Lightness here but length too. Violets, slight smoky sweetness, soft tannins. Excellent bottle.

9/20/2020 - gwilliams68 Likes this wine:

Full of vigour. Red fruit, hedgerow and ground pepper wonderfulness.

8/10/2020 - gwilliams68 Likes this wine:

Benefitted from a little air and began to open out after 60 minutes.
This was highly structured, with a good level of acidity and surprisingly a little new world citrus on the palate.
Kerosene notes but at the subtle end of things. Dryer than I expected.
This was first of six but not sure its for longer ageing. Will look to drink others within next 2 years.

8/1/2020 - gwilliams68 Likes this wine:

First of twelve.
Nothing not to like here. Very approachable and should provide very pleasant drinking over the next few years.

6/22/2020 - gwilliams68 Likes this wine:

Excellent wine. Absolutely mouth watering freshness and superbly balanced. Dessert apples and honey counterbalanced with clearly defined minerality.

6/19/2020 - gwilliams68 Likes this wine:

This is coming along now and promises some pleasant drinking in the coming few years.
Quite a lot going on here and whether it all comes together in the fullness of time is debatable. However for a modest claret, there is plenty of interest.
Better on day 2.

6/22/2020 - gwilliams68 wrote:

Disappointing. Lack of balance. Any subtle secondary notes masked by crunching acidity.

6/15/2020 - gwilliams68 wrote:

Strong effort and lots of wine for the price.
Good savoury crunch and chunky but not unruly tannin.
Drinking really well and with plenty ahead too.

6/13/2020 - gwilliams68 wrote:

Not great. Dead fruit and and little interest added by the use of oak here. Just felt old and flabby.

1/11/2020 - gwilliams68 Likes this wine:

Tight nose, dark berry fruit. Dusty tannins and medium length. Hints of pepper add to the drying finish. Pleasant.

8/18/2019 - gwilliams68 Likes this wine:

This bottle was a step up from the previous ones. Its been only 6 months since I last had a bottle but this was from a different 6 bottle case.
Fully evolved and silky smooth. Gentle spiciness provides plenty on interest. Looking forward to drinking the remainder of these over the next year having previously thought I would leave them longer.

5/6/2019 - gwilliams68 Likes this wine:

Very enjoyable wine. Gentle soft blueberry and red fruit flavours. Pepper and spices all there too. Drying tannins complement nicely. Great QPR.

3/17/2019 - gwilliams68 wrote:

For sure this is a serious wine. Real savoury bite here and felt like a vinious well done beef joint in a bottle.
Spent several hours sipping away and still not 100% sure of what I feel about it. Others seem to like it more than me.
Oh well, have another 5 bottles to make my mind up!

3/18/2019 - gwilliams68 Likes this wine:

I have enjoyed this 6 bottle case over the last 6 months and had considered it good quaffing claret.
Now that I have finished my last bottle, I think I have shown it a lack of respect. Whilst not La Mission it has given great pleasure. A real lightness of touch and plenty of black fruit juiciness despite its advanced years. Enjoyable.

3/15/2019 - gwilliams68 Likes this wine:

Plenty to like here.
Mouthwatering, joyous and compelling. Really enjoyed this wine.
Lost alittle of its acidity on day 2 but simply a smashing exemplar of this style of MSR wine.

3/16/2019 - gwilliams68 Likes this wine:

Muted but graceful old wine.
Tannins fully resolved and fruits faded leaving notes of figs and dates.
Clearly needs drinking now but will continue to give pleasure for a while to come.