2/17/2023 - bnqwallace Likes this wine:

This wine really is coming into its own now. An excellent effort from Benjamin Romeo. I have watched its evolution beginning with a very good early drinking young rioja going through an awkward stage and now very much firing on all cylinders. Very well resolved with excellent balance between alcohol, fruit, and oak.

1/4/2023 - bnqwallace Likes this wine:

Drinking very well at the moment. Excellent balance between fruit and acidity. Long taste with good fruit variation. The best white wine at this price point I have drunk for a while.

11/21/2022 - bnqwallace Likes this wine:

Fruit has mellowed a bit but so have the tannins. Slightly over acidic but otherwise good balance. No longer a young wine but very enjoyable as a mature shiraz. Drink now but I think has at least another 5 years in this stage.

9/7/2022 - bnqwallace Likes this wine:

Amazing how that word at the end 'collection' makes all the difference. Kept by Moet and late released after a similar period to Dom Perignon P3 these wines are amazing and stunning value. Drunk in Magnum this has all the characteristics of a great aged champagne. I have also had the 1993 which is not as good but excellent.

2/5/2022 - bnqwallace Likes this wine:

Brilliant wine. One of the best I have ever had. Still incredibly young but drinking brilliantly. Very comparable to a Rousseau Chambertin. Hopefully I will get the chance to try this wine again to see how it develops.

1/25/2022 - bnqwallace wrote:

I wonder if the previous reviewer is right. I was expecting a fruit forward vibrant wine and got something more muted. I very much rate the maker so perhaps either a slightly dud bottle or it was a bit closed today.

11/12/2021 - bnqwallace Likes this wine:

This wine exceeds its village status. Marc Soyard learned his trade under Bizot and I felt it showed some of his magic. Served blind alongside some strong competition it held its own. One to watch.

11/23/2021 - bnqwallace Likes this wine:

For the price of a good village Burgundy you get a complex aged Rioja slightly old school but not worse for this. Coconut and toffee on the nose with rounded tanins and silky sweet palate with great length. Perfect drinking at the moment.

10/21/2021 - bnqwallace Likes this wine:

Not sure what the previous reviewer was drinking but this had absolutely no greenness or steminess. This was a fully mature integrated wine, delicate but still with enough body to hold it together. Summer fruits and light tannin created a wonderful sweetness. Blew me away with what it was. Must have been a sensationally well kept bottle.

10/17/2021 - bnqwallace Likes this wine:

Brought en primeur and well stored since new, this wine is surprisingly still very austere and not my style. Get beyond the austerity and it is surprisingly complex for a village wine though. Could have done with a bit more sweetness and red fruit. Will it ever come round? Somehow I doubt it.

10/16/2021 - bnqwallace Likes this wine:

I first tried this vintage in 2009 and have drunk it regularly ever since. At first it was fruit forward and delicious but recently it has been displaying the characteristics of the hot vintage more and its heat and alcohol is still to calm down. Personally in time I think it will come round and become a fantastic wine but this will require patience. EDIT I left half the bottle vacuumed for the next night and I felt it improved significantly with the heat blowing off reassuring me it has a long life ahead.

7/4/2021 - bnqwallace Likes this wine:

Absolutely delicious. Took a short while to blow off the initial funk then appeared a mature, elegant, silky wine with well developed taninns and no shortness of fruit and a beguiling sweetness. If you like a young CNDP tannic fruit bomb then this is definitely not for you but a very good aged rhone that I suspect is on a long plateau.

5/28/2021 - bnqwallace Likes this wine:

Still a hefty wine. Wonderful aromas of dark fruits, spices and wood. Long length and rich pallet but hints of greenness typical of the vintage and a lack of balance that I don't think time will solve. Perfectly pleasant but better bang for your buck available. Would suit quite strong meaty dishes beef or game.

3/28/2021 - bnqwallace Likes this wine:

The wife of revered winemaker PYCM, Caroline is right up there. My first bottle of this was around a year ago and I found it closed, concentrated, and astringent and I wondered where it would go, a year later it was far better, far more open and balanced. Really I think this will easily have another 10-15 years but I will leave my next bottle at least another year.

3/28/2021 - bnqwallace Likes this wine:

Wow what a bottle. Still young with plenty of scope to potentially mature. I would have guessed certainly 10 years younger. Adds to the argument if Meursault was to have a GC it should be Perrieres and Dancer is certainly one of the best.

3/27/2021 - bnqwallace wrote:

I don't think this wine is going to improve much. Still plenty of fruit and smooth tannin and quite voluptuous but the finish is getting shorter. I would say it in on the plateau but will likely go only one way.

3/24/2021 - bnqwallace Likes this wine:

A classic rioja. Dark fruits on both the nose and palate. Slightly overoaked if being hyper critical but the fruit is still keeping it at bay creating a well balanced wine that offers good value. In my opinion nowhere near its downward slope if anything yet to hit its peak.

3/24/2021 - bnqwallace Likes this wine:

This wine has super balance with citrus aromas combined with typical chablis saline notes and wonderful minerality. The best village chablis I have ever had.

3/22/2021 - bnqwallace Likes this wine:

A punchy wine. very intense for a 21 year old wine. Deep red fruits in balance with the oak. Very concentrated. Long length with a slightly bitter finish. Needs food.

3/14/2021 - bnqwallace Likes this wine:

Bought for peanuts recently at auction this really isn't a bad wine. Yes it is passed its peak but still has both fruit and balance and went very well with roast chicken. Decanted for 90 minutes and only got better in the glass.

3/11/2021 - bnqwallace Likes this wine:

I served this to some friends who appreciate good wine but are not collectors and they enjoyed it. Quite fresh and fruity, not a bad length finish. Good value for the price point and drinking well.

3/8/2021 - bnqwallace Likes this wine:

Just coming into its own and even now improves after a 2 hour wait. Aroma of ripe fruit. It is currently balanced tannin and fruit. Slight bitterness which isn't offensive and initial signs that it will eventually dry out. Very good though.

3/7/2021 - bnqwallace Likes this wine:

I absolutely love this wine. I keep coming back to it after having village and even premier cru's of other makers that aren't as good. Good value on release alongside the Rully highly recommend.

3/7/2021 - bnqwallace Likes this wine:

This rating is based largely on potential. Huge tannins, over exuberant fruit, power. However I think in 20 years this might be an awesome wine when it all mellows out.

3/6/2021 - bnqwallace Likes this wine:

Took a bit of time to come round but then so does CDLT generally. In a good place and has a few years left but fully ready to enjoy.

2/26/2021 - bnqwallace Likes this wine:

Seems to be in a good place. Fruit and alcohol now slightly mellowed and everything feels in balance with no decline.

2/26/2021 - bnqwallace Likes this wine:

Takes a bit of time to open up and better slightly warmer than fridge temperature. In a perfect drinking window now. In terms of tasting notes very similar to PC below.

2/25/2021 - bnqwallace Likes this wine:

This was a bit lightbodied at the moment. First bottle of six and I think I will leave the next one for another 12 months. The 15 Morey was better at this moment.

2/23/2021 - bnqwallace Likes this wine:

Absolutely stunning wine with all the classic Yquem characteristics. On the young side but one of the lovely things about Yquem is that it drinks beautifully from about 5 years to 100 years.

2/23/2021 - bnqwallace wrote:

I have been drinking the 96 (excellent) 97 (pretty good) 98 (very unpredictable) and this was my first 99. Very good all the best characteristics of Musar even after a 1/10 cork! 30 minute wait in the glass and it was great. Saved some for the next day and it died. Won't do that again.

2/20/2021 - bnqwallace wrote:

Not sure what Tony was drinking but sounds a different wine. My bottle was decanted for 90 minutes fruity, wonderful rioja aroma not over oaked all coming together plenty of fruit and drinking well but no rush suspect it might get better.

2/19/2021 - bnqwallace Likes this wine:

This bottle was more advanced than I hoped. Quite a rich yellow colour but with a surprisingly fresh nose. Palate was somewhere in between. Would never be mistaken for a young wine but still plenty to give.

2/19/2021 - bnqwallace wrote:

Very tight and austere. Opened for an hour then poured. Got better in the glass. Needs possibly another 5 years or else never coming around.

2/16/2021 - bnqwallace wrote:

Superb value for money. Rich decadent balanced wine. Can't go wrong.

2/13/2021 - bnqwallace Likes this wine:

I suspect this will be a very good wine. Currently this bottle was giving little away. Next bottle will be at least another year away. After about 4 hours it did start to open ever so slightly giving glimpses of its potential.

2/13/2021 - bnqwallace wrote:

I had the 1990 last week and wanted to try one of my favourite vintages the 1975. What a wine! LLC takes a while to come around but the 1975 was excellent not as good as the 1990 but great in its own way. A wine to seek out. Very closed initially but came to life after a 2 hour decant.

2/13/2021 - bnqwallace Likes this wine:

I think this has a way to go. Came into its own after about 3 hours. Still very enjoyable after popping and pouring but it was the glass that I kept and tried 3 hours later that really shone.

2/11/2021 - bnqwallace Likes this wine:

Not my usual style but on a cold winter day a very warming wine. Slightly overoaked but now quite integrated. Intense and concentrated dark fruit and huge power typical of Barossa Shiraz but currently in balance. My last bottle and slightly sad about it.

2/10/2021 - bnqwallace Likes this wine:

This bottle was better 3-5 years ago. Still good but dried out a bit at the moment. Might well come back into its own again. Still good but not punching above its weight as it was. Still loads of fruit and tannin so I am hopeful.

2/7/2021 - bnqwallace Likes this wine:

Quite typical of 2009 rich warm vintage. Good balance and wonderful nose. Drinking well but I think will get better

2/7/2021 - bnqwallace Likes this wine:

Surprisingly approachable showing glimpses of its potential. Still quite tight and tannic. Will become a great wine.

2/6/2021 - bnqwallace Likes this wine:

Probably the best Bordeaux I have had for a while. Decanted for 3 hours. Nowhere near its peak. Probably another 10 years yet still great.

2/6/2021 - bnqwallace wrote:

Interesting. Very enjoyable but for me not as good as a lot of champagnes of similar price.

2/6/2021 - bnqwallace wrote:

Excellent wine. Great acidity. Beginning of its drinking window but 2017 is a surprisingly approachable vintage. Drink or hold both great!

2/3/2021 - bnqwallace Likes this wine:

Certainly some bottle variation ranging from excellent to pretty good. This 2005 is finally in a good place still fruit forward but with rounded tanins and a long finish.

2/2/2021 - bnqwallace Likes this wine:

Drinking quite well at the moment. Still very primary and for me nearer the beginning of its window than the end. I expect this to evolve and mature over the next 3-5 years.

2/2/2021 - bnqwallace wrote:

I found this a bit green and a bit insipid and missing some body. Not sure time will improve it.

1/30/2021 - bnqwallace Likes this wine:

Fruit is still firmly there. Tannins have smoothed and this is still a very enjoyable wine. DP can take a while to come around and this Bourgogne is a prime example of how a well kept bottle can age. No rush to finish them.

1/30/2021 - bnqwallace wrote:

Fully mature and on the downward slope but when isn't a mature Pomerol a privilege? Still good acidity but fruit a bit short. Decanted for 90 minutes, perhaps a bit long.

1/30/2021 - bnqwallace Likes this wine:

Certainly mature both in colour and both on the nose and taste. However still good fruit maybe a bit heavy on the new oak leaving overpowering vanilla. Even so i enjoyed it