4/25/2024 - HenrikJ wrote:

Dark purple with long legs. Inky, juicy cassis and dark fruits, a hint of freshly tanned leather, thyme and cigar box on the nose. Medium bodied, juicy and ripe but with great tannic structure and ample acidity on the palate. Long finish. Great value Super Tuscan with a touch of modern Bordeaux.

4/10/2024 - HenrikJ wrote:

Aerated for 30-minutes. Dark rusty colour, shows quite a bit of age. Reasonably complex bouquet with cedar wood, dill and parsley, round and juicy red fruits, slight museum oak and mossy forest floor. Medium bodied palate with decent balance and good finish. Certainly on the light side for a LB Bordeaux, but a good deal. Like an AI-tech stock it's got nowhere to go but down from here. Drink now.

3/29/2024 - HenrikJ wrote:

Deep gold colour with lively mousse. Fresh, tangy nose with apple puré, apple blossom, irony minerality and some yeasty/bready hints. Fresh, medium bodied, off-dry palate with lively acidity and quite a bit of kernelly bitterness.

3/27/2024 - HenrikJ wrote:

Pale, greenish straw colour. Slightly muted aromatics, green apple peel, nettles, mowed grass, elder blossom and a slight citrusy hint. Medium bodied palate, good balance, big hit of acidity mid-palate and a fairly long finish.

3/23/2024 - HenrikJ wrote:

Plump, tutti frutti, some mixed herbs, hint of milk chocolate and mint on the nose. Medium bodied palate, strong tannins but slightly weaker acidity and somewhat hollow mid. Fairly long finish with dry tannins and dried fruits.

3/22/2024 - HenrikJ wrote:

Aerated 2hrs. Translucent purple color. Juicy, fresh berry aroma with leather and mineraly, raw meat and redcurrant notes. Medium bodied palate, decent balance and finish. Nice wine, but not great QPR for a nebbiolo.

3/8/2024 - HenrikJ wrote:

Pale gold colour. Very primary, slightly green and quite oaky on the nose. Green apples, some nettles and a boozy hint. Medium bodied palate, fresh and green, assertive acidity and a long finish with a lot of oak. This should be cellared for a few years for better balance and complexity.

1/13/2024 - HenrikJ Likes this wine:

Pale gold color. Fresh, ripe stone fruits, lemon rind, well integrated oak, a slight nutty hint and herbs. Medium bodied palate with nice mouthfeel (quite oily and viscous), very balanced with loads of acidity but also bags of fruits. Long, tongue coating finish. Stellar.

1/7/2024 - HenrikJ Likes this wine:

Dense colour, long legs. Lovely bouquet with deep herbatious fruitiness and an appropriate amount of wood. There's black currants, rosemary, thyme, resinous hints, some fresh cut wood and a hint of bonfire. Medium-full bodied palate, well balanced with good acidity and powerful tannins. Great vintage, and as always a good deal. This should be put away for 5+ years for optimal maturity, but it's very pleasurable already with lengthy aeration.

1/5/2024 - HenrikJ wrote:

Aerated for 3 hours. Fairly light colour. Decent aromatics, very oaky, herbal, some juicy blue and red berries, peppers and aniseed. Medium-full bodied palate, juicy, decent balance with good acidity. Not really overripe, but a slight raisiny hint coming in on the finish. This is a crowd pleaser for sure, but still a rather serious wine.

12/27/2023 - HenrikJ wrote:

Medium dense colour and long legs. Youthful, lightly oaked nose with red fruits, hints of dried/candied fruits, quite a bit of syrah-pepperiness, herbs and some boozy prickle. Medium bodied palate, good structure with lively acidity and balanced tannins. Decent finish. Nice and open right now but would certainly gain complexity with aging.

12/2/2023 - HenrikJ wrote:

Decanted 5 hours. Almost purple and inky in the glass. Feels closed and slightly muted on the nose, but showing some dark fruits, slight green notes, a whiff of cedar, hints of minerality and some alcohol. Medium bodied palate, hugely structured with massive tannins and lots of acidity, well extracted but the fruit is hidden. The finish is still quite impressive. This should be put away for around 10 years or so.

11/25/2023 - HenrikJ wrote:

Full and aromatic nose with gooseberries, stone fruit compote, orange marmelade and slight oak. Medium bodied palate, balanced sweetness and an early, tart acidity which fades rather quickly. The finish is regrettably short.

11/25/2023 - HenrikJ wrote:

Pale straw colour. Nettles, some damp wool, green apples, lemon zest and elderflower on the nose. Light-medium bodied palate, dry, crisp with tongue crumbling acidity and decent finish. Feels quite closed but showing some potential.

11/19/2023 - HenrikJ wrote:

Light purple colour with pinkish hues. Strawberry jam, slight alcoholic prickle, some aniseed and violets on the nose. Fairly balanced palate, light-medium bodied with a little carbonation, good acidity and a hint of tannic structure. Decent finish.

11/17/2023 - HenrikJ wrote:

Fairly dense colour. Lingonberries, blue berries, slightly herbal, juicy bouquet with a slight peppery prickle. Light bodied palate with balanced acidity, no tannins, juicy, short finish. Decent nouveau.

11/10/2023 - HenrikJ Likes this wine:

From a tiny 3 hectare vineyard, part of the bigger domain Deyrem Valentin in Margaux. 50-50 Cab and Merlot from 30yo vines. 12 months in oak and cement tanks (70-30). Decanted 4-5 hours. Fairly dense colour. Nice Margaux-perfumed bouquet of flowers, leather, fresh red-black fruits, red cedar, stony minerality and cherries. Medium bodied palate with great purity of fruit, asserive tannins, good acidity and long finish. Fairly open and drinkable right now with long decanting and lots of coaxing, if you appreciate youthfulness. Will probably be great in 10 years, but I love the purity right now.

11/4/2023 - HenrikJ Likes this wine:

Decanted 6h. Very pretty bouquet, aromatic, juicy red and black fruits, well integrated oak, plums, some herbs, lovely and already showing some complexity. Medium bodied palate, well balanced, assertive tannins and acidity, medium-long finish. Very well made, clearly harvested at just the right time and with just the right extraction in more of a classical style for Pomerol (just the way I like it).

10/27/2023 - HenrikJ wrote:

Decanted 6h. Fairly dense colour, purple-ish. Lots of juicy red and blue berries, cassis, oak, graphite and blackberries on the nose. Fairy expressive at this stage, but still gives the impression that it's slightly closed and has more to give. The emphasis is on the fruit here but some minerality coming through. Medium bodied palate, balanced, fresh, not as tight as might have been expected, but decent structure. Will be better in 5 years.

10/27/2023 - HenrikJ wrote:

Bright straw in colour. Nettles, gooseberry, slight burnt rubber hint, very light oak and popcorn on the nose. Light bodied palate, lively acidity, shortish finish. Decent white Bordeaux.

10/26/2023 - HenrikJ wrote:

Paired with spicy ramen. Deep golden colour. Rich and fresh bouquet with ripe yellow fruits, fragrant botrytis, a hint of paper glue. Well balanced palate, good freshness, long finish. Very well made. Great food wine to go with spicy asian dishes (rather than desserts or cheeses).

10/15/2023 - HenrikJ Likes this wine:

From a 12 ha vineyard in Néac (generally the better part of the appellation). 80% merlot, 10-10 cab franc and sauvignon.
5h decant. Fairly light colour for the type. Ripe, sweet red berries, leather, a little mint leaf and some nicely integrated oak on the nose. Medium bodied, juicy, well balanced and semi-structured palate with nice long finish. Good value and fairly accessible already but with good potential for medium-term ageing. Went perfect with venison salisbury steak, roast potatoes and wild mushroom sauce.

10/14/2023 - HenrikJ wrote:

Medium dense and almost purple in colour. Closed on the nose initially, some shy red and black fruits and a peculiar sawdust note. With time some more red and black fruits and some pencil shavings appear and the bouquet fleshes out and becomes more juicy, but the impression is still of a wine in its closed phase. The palate is medium bodied, tight and very structured with a fairly long finish. I think this wine will be amazing, but I think it'll take a long time, +10 years, to really get into its prime. I've had 2nd growths of similar age that appeared more open and approachable at this stage. Points are for expected potential.

10/13/2023 - HenrikJ wrote:

Sultana raisins, peaches, mangoes on the nose. Medium bodied, sweetness of course, but the balance is towards the acidity. Some slightly stale over-ripeness appears evident on the finish.

10/13/2023 - HenrikJ wrote:

2h decant. Fairly light colour for the type. Shows red and black berries on the nose, slight oak, an almost resinous hint, sour fruit roll-ups. Light-medium bodied palate, structured with loads of tannins and acidity with decent finish. Classical, verging on rustic and with an almost burgundian quality. This could stand to gain some complexity with a few years on its back, but I'm not sure it'll get much better.

10/7/2023 - HenrikJ wrote:

Pours transluscent light garnet. Strawberry jam and cherry marmelade, a fir-like wood note, some oak, herbs and ginger on the nose. The palate is light-medium bodied and has decent balance and shortish finish. Certainly not the worst cheap pinot I've had.

9/26/2023 - HenrikJ Does not like this wine:

Deep greenish gold colour. Incredibly oaky nose, sultana raisins and vanillin behind it, but mainly overpowering museum oak. Unbalanced palate with, again, loads of oak and some cooked fruit. There's some acidity there, but the whole thing comes across very unbalanced. This certainly isn't a bready or buttery Chardonnay if that's what the maker intended.

9/23/2023 - HenrikJ Likes this wine:

Deep colour and long legs. Slightly muted aroma even after 1.5 hours of aeration, but showing all of the components with some coaxing. Dark and red berries, lots of cassis, touch of oak, a slightly gamey meat note. Beautiful showing. The palate is medium bodied, surprisingly juicy and very well balanced with lively tannins and medium+ finish. A smashing value!

9/8/2023 - HenrikJ Likes this wine:

Dense and almost purple in color, long legs. Aromatic nose, both fleshy and elegant. Dense red and black fruits, leather and a minerality almost reminiscent of ox blood. Slight green hints behind. Medium bodied palate, very well balanced with great structure and long finish. Fully drinkable now with good aeration, but should easily last 10+ years.

9/5/2023 - HenrikJ wrote:

Huge aroma, bags of winegums, orange zest, sultana raisins. Impeccable balance and intense on the palate. The balace is clearly towards the sweet rather than the acidic, the finish lasts minutes.

9/5/2023 - HenrikJ wrote:

Floral, perfumed, incence, red fruits, herbal (rosemary and thyme). Light-medium bodied, slightly sweet, very structured, long finish. Excellent, but very young.

9/5/2023 - HenrikJ wrote:

Preserved currants, slightly jammy nose,plums, only slight minerality. Very structured on the palate, sweet, big and bold, almost bitter on the finish. Both the 2022 primeure and the 2019 reference felt slightly overripe to me.

9/5/2023 - HenrikJ wrote:

Blueberries, blackberries, clear emphasis on fruit, some oak coming out mid nose. Medium bodied, hugely structured and very dry palate. Keep for several more years.

9/5/2023 - HenrikJ wrote:

Tasted as a reference at the en primeure campaign, straight from un-decanted bottle. Deep garnet color. Very aromatic and floral, loads of red fruits, pencil shavings, hints of mint, very very complex but slightly hot. Medium bodied palate, loads of structure. Feels significantly younger than it is. Long finish. A great wine, but not a standout tonight.

8/20/2023 - HenrikJ wrote:

Decanted 1h. Deep garnet colour with long legs. Somewhat hot on the nose, fresh red fruits, slight aniseed, some alcohol prickle. Medium bodied, on the sweet side but with good acidity rolling in on the mid-palate and moderate tannins behind it. Fairly long finish. Well made and balanced wine, but somewhat non-descript IMO.

3/31/2023 - HenrikJ wrote:

PnP, but tasted continously over 3 hours. Lots of oak up front initially, but good cassis, red berries and minerality to back it up. Impressively fragrant. Great balance on the palate with good ripeness, acidity and tannic backbone. This feels old school and rustic, and there's not a shadow of doubt over its provenance, it screams Bordeaux. Fantastic value!

12/31/2022 - HenrikJ Likes this wine:

Decanted for 30 minutes anf drank with beef tenderloin for New Years main. Deep garnet colour with very slight bricking on the edges. Sumptuous, complex nose with loads of berries, stone fruits and a slight forest floor note. Delishious on the palate with impeccable balace of sweetness, acidity and tannins. The finish is long and shows hints of oak. This is great right now!

1/8/2022 - HenrikJ wrote:

Decanted 40 min and enjoyed with a classic Boeuf Bourguignon. Fresh but ripe and almost opulent nose with red berry compote, lingonberry jam, slightly toasty oak and a hint of licorice. Medium bodied palate with impeccable balance, lively acidity. Decent length on the finish.

Considering this is only around €23 a bottle, I immediately went online to order a case to put away. This has the structure to last more than a decade, and I'm hoping that what it looses in freshness it'll gain in complexity. This is an exceptional value Burgundy 1er Cru, really very well made.

12/19/2021 - HenrikJ Likes this wine:

Deep garnet color with very long legs. Fresh berry nose with black pepper and light oak. With some coaxing; lavender, black tea, slightly smoky salami. Tight, medium bodied palate. Opens up with some air and becomes somewhat more rounded. Medium acidity and strong tannins, medium finish. I could honestly give this 5+ more years.

11/20/2021 - HenrikJ wrote:

Bought on Vinmonopolet Steen & Ström on a brief visit to Norway to have with a roast lamb dinner. Decanted 30-ish minutes. Dark ruby colour with some bricking on the edges. Fairly lively bouquet with signs of ageing. Some red berries, slight forest floor, tobacco ash and a wiff of acetone, decent complexity. The palate is medium-light bodied and the tannins have all but melted away with age, but some acidity persists. A fairly long but low intensity finish. This example is slightly past prime, but I don't know about the provenance of the bottle in question. Drink now.

1/15/2021 - HenrikJ wrote:

Based on earlier vintages I've tried years ago (possibly 2009, 2010) I expected good QPR and typicity here. 30 min decant and it seemed like a slight let down at first. Fairly nondescript, mostly reminicent of a budget Côtes-du-Rhône. Came around a bit more during dinner and started to show some nice leather, dark plums and herbs. Would still not be able to place this on the right bank of Bordeaux if tasted blind, but it does show some promise on the palate, which has a great structure and decent depth. Would be interesting to try this in a few years time, but don't expect greatness.

1/8/2021 - HenrikJ Likes this wine:

Decanted for about 30 minutes. Great delivery on the nose from this budget Medoc! This positively reeks of left bank minerality, ripe cassis, cedar and a bag full of herbs. Medium bodied palate with well balanced tannins and acidity. Fairly long finish. Very positively surprised. I could give this a few years on its back, but I don't think it has the structure to last for very long.

8/21/2019 - HenrikJ Likes this wine:

From a half bottle which, according to the owner, had not been stored optimally the whole time since purchase. The expectations where thus quite low. Carefully decanted, the wine showed some age on the colour with a bit of brick towards the edges and fairly heavy sediment. Quite muted aromas at first but opening up within minutes in the glass. Unmistakingly a mature Bordeaux with a deep bouquet of ripe cassis, perfumed hints, some undergrowth and herbs. Very complex nose. I've tried Bordeaux wines of this age before and while the notes are very familiar none has been nearly as deep and complex as this. The palate is medium bodied, soft and velvety with extremely fine grained tannins and long finish. Fantastic experience. Drinking marvelously well right now, but since this was so lively I can only imagine that a standard or magnum bottle stored in a decent cellar the whole time will have a long life ahead of it still.

12/16/2018 - HenrikJ Likes this wine:

Great QPR here. Loaded with dense dark fruits on the nose, a slight chalky minerality, herbs, spices and a hint of bell peppers. Medium to full bodied, fruit forward but exceptionally well balanced with fresh acidity and great tannic backbone on the pleasingly long finish. This might well have been a Bordeaux from a warm vintage at 4x the price. Will easily last 5-10 years in the cellar.

11/24/2018 - HenrikJ Likes this wine:

Loaded with stonefruit (peaches, apricots, etc.), a slight tangerine hint and the faintest mineral touch. Beautifully balanced sweetness and acidity on the palate with a long finish. Very straight forward and elegant. Has the potential to age, but I prefer to drink this young paired with pan-asian cuisine.

11/10/2018 - HenrikJ wrote:

Great nose, slightly funky gooseberry with just the right amount of oak. Light bodied palate with a sharp, almost citric acidity. Drink within 3-5 years with lighter seafood dishes.

11/10/2018 - HenrikJ wrote:

A fairly translucent colour on this. Unmistakable Médocian aroma profile poured straight from the bottle at cellar temperature, with cassis and pencil shavings to the fore. Light to medium bodied with high acidity and moderate tannins. With a couple of hours of aeration much of the aroma is retained and intensified with the addition of an almost smoky note. Juicier palate now as the fruit has fleshened out to match the acidity. Solid budget Bordeaux that should last 5 years in the cellar easily, but probably a good idea to hold on for the next vintage for more body and texture.

11/4/2018 - HenrikJ wrote:

Fresh and straight forward with gooseberry jam, some lemon zest and paper glue. Sweet, medium bodied palate. Lacking some acidity to really balance up that sweetness. It's not to the point of being flabby, but there's probably not much point in keeping this much longer. Might as well drink it today and pair it with a nice crème brûlée.

11/4/2018 - HenrikJ wrote:

Dense garnet colour. Rather oaky at first, rather like masonite. Opens up on notes of dark berries, fresh herbs (thyme and rosemary), licorice or aniseed and a touch of strawberry jam at the back. Medium bodied palate, balanced, lively and slightly harsh with medium finish. Drink in 3-8 years.

10/24/2018 - HenrikJ wrote:

Fairly rich for such an inexpensive Pinot. Slightly dirty and vegetal bouquet with some cabbage, mineral and gun powder along with a healthy dose of red berries and herbs. Light to medium bodied with good balance and medium finish. One of very few sub-€10 Pinots that's good for anything other than making coq au vin, so good QPR. Drink within 5 years.