5/10/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine:

Far too young, but you see the potential. Dense, intense, and pure - almost impenetrable at the moment, but it seems these may have more savoury undertones rather than being fruit led.

5/10/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine:

Still rather spritely, these are in a very nice place. Well integrated oak spice that give you a good hug, plenty of citrus and stone fruits, and just enough creaminess to see things through. Very classic and well made, if not oozing character.

5/10/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine:

I agree with the comments that note the Pinot-like qualities of this wine, but at the same time this is absolutely not Pinot. It has a graceful texture - rather light to medium bodies, with nice mineral expression, very soft tannins, and is highly perfumed and in more of the red fruit spectrum. That being said, it's also smoky and savoury, with a very different layering of primary, secondary, and tertiary characteristics. It starts and ends savoury with a gorgeous burst of cherries and damsons in the mid-palate. The tannins are arguably well past it and fully integrated to the point of invisibility, but you could leave this a year or two without worrying. One of the longest finishes in ages and just gorgeous with Saddleback pork.

5/3/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine:

Absolutely delicious - fresh and zingy with real mineral complexity. Saline and citrus, with phenomenal texture. Brilliant with seafood.

5/3/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine:

This was delicious. Clearly has put on some weight since many of the other reviews. I think I'd blind taste this as Nebbiolo. It had that cherry, tar, and roses thing going on, but there was that slight volcanic and ash smokiness very sutbly on the back palate. Rather medium bodied with some chewy tannins, it has rustic elegance and pairs beautifully with many gamey dishes.

5/3/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine:

Really unique and punches above its weight. I didn't know the full history of Melon de Bourgogne, but apparently this is the ancestral home and Dutch traders brought it to Nantes for modern day Muscadet due to ease of shipping. This felt remarkably similar to Chardonnay and nothing much like most Muscadets I've had. A light touch with wood, lots of citrus and orchard fruit. A bright and charming wine that's very versatile. Cheap as chips too.

5/1/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine:

Very elegant and restrained, but not quite fully formed. Almost Burgundian in style, there is oak, but it's very much French oak spiciness. Citrus and clean wet stone, the minerality is lovely. Varietal typicity, however, is lacking. Some faint floral honey notes, but none of the waxiness or more orchard fruit profile of Chenin. I suppose none of this is a problem, but it's more like a unique Chardonnay. I suspect more time is needed for things to even out.

4/28/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine:

Fairly similar to my previous note, particularly on the ferrous quality, but the Southern Rhone comparisons aren't apt. The fruit is both more brooding, but also very celebratory, and has more of a cherry profile than I typically get from the Southern Rhone. Good layering and minerality here.

4/28/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine:

Delightful and invigorating. A lighter red with real charm and character. A blood orange and pomegrate halo around red berry fruits, with hints of camphor/acetone. Texturally very pleasing. Not crunchy and not particularly tannic, but a nice subtle mineral line down the middle. Incredibly versatile pairing options. Not one for the long term, but I suspect it will be fine over the next 2ish years.

4/28/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine:

Back on form here. These are quite custardy at the moment, having moved on from the lemon curd phase. Some citrus, but a real passion fruit/guava/pineapple finish with some interesting bitter herbs just tingling in the background. Still lots of energy, this is brilliant with pork.

4/17/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine:

Crushed camomille and wet rocks with a lovely peach and lemon core, this is elegant, but with depth and character. Has a bit of an Italian feel and was delicious with vitello tonnato.

4/17/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine:

Definitely young, but rather approachable. Fairly textbook Pauillac, there was both depth and intensity as well as more softness than you'd might expect. Very good.

4/17/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine:

This was the best bottle I've had despite not fully decanting. Everything was just a bit higher toned and more defined. Beautiful cherry fruit, leather, and subtle floral notes. It actually felt a bit Barolo like but the effervescence of the herbs and darker qualities just edged it into Sangiovese territory. Delightfully medium bodied, this is in a nice place structurally and was perfect with a venison ragu.

4/6/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine:

This was stunning - extremely taut and full of tension, with the most beautiful stony minerality amidst some very finely woven citrus and orchard fruits and cucumber water. Texturally magnificent, the finish was very long and energetic. Perfect spring wine.

4/6/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine:

Reductive and smoky, but this blows off quickly revealing a a rather custardy and tropical palate with a background herbaceousness and weight from the oak. Stylistically, this felt quite like a NZ interpretation of white Bordeaux, which isn't a million miles off I suppose. Very food friendly. In fact really needs food.

4/6/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine:

White pepper, gunflint, crushed oyster shell, with oodles of lemon and kiwifruit. Expressive and open with lots of character and depth. Just what you want with aspargus and mayonaisse.

4/6/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine:

Lots of orchard fruits with a particularly pointed apple note, a fresh spritz of the sea and an almost alpine herbaceousness. Very crisp and lively, this punches above your average Albarino and is very attractively priced.

4/6/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine:

Best bottle yet - white peaches, gunflint, petrol, passionfruit, all with a real zing to it all, while retaining impressive mouthfeel. This has a bit of fat on the edges of the palate, but never loses its ability to refresh and delight. Delicious with smoked fish (perhaps no surprise there).

4/6/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine:

The best bottle yet, this builds on my previous notes but is just richer, deeper, and more expansive - without losing any energy or finesse. Apple pastry, lemon curd, creme pat, toasted almonds with an extremely fine mousse. Lovely as an aperitif in this case.

3/31/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine:

Very elegant and fine, with lattice like minerality amongst the crushed white flowers, white peach, and soft lemon oil. This is elegant and complex, but really whispering at the moment. I think there is a lot lurking that will come out with time, but it's really delicious with poached chicken or lighter fish dishes.

3/31/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine:

The reliable consistency of these is remarkable (though not surprising under screwcap). Not much variation in my last note or two. Maybe a touch smokier?

3/31/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine:

This is delicious and moreish, but I agree that it isn't in a profound space at the moment. Cooked dark red fruits with lots of spice, there is a real leathery and cep driven undercurrent that is definitely bretty. For my palate, I really enjoy the balanced complexity this brings, but it's not a finely layered wine and the sum isn't greater than its very enjoyable parts. That being said, stunning value and will be around for a while yet. Definitely a go to with cheese.

3/31/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine:

Very good and not dissimilar to my previous note - white flowers, honeysuckle, pears, and spice. There was still plenty of freshness, but this lacked the definition and depth of the last bottle. I took a chance on this with pork and it definitely was a bit too light on its feet - I'd stick to fish.

3/23/2024 - depechemoroder wrote:

Really needs time. A bit austere without air, but it does open up showing a glossy strawberry note with some earthy mineral qualities as well. Hard to tell where it will go, but I do feel like some knitting together needs to happen and is possible.

3/21/2024 - depechemoroder wrote:

A bit of a dud here - everything was muted and rather flat. Lacked the richness, depth, and intensity of other bottles. Perhaps I had too high hopes on where this would go.

3/17/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine:

Now we're getting somewhere. Decanted for 2.5 and the fruit is big, but everything has come together nicely. Still massively tannic, there is a volcanic feel to this wine - dark and brooding, with a crushed pomace like minerality. Will definitely benefit from more time.

3/17/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine:

Very fresh and zingy, full of lemons, white flowers, and orchard fruits. Feels alpine, with a nice glacial like minerality down the middle. Very good with schnitzel.

3/17/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine:

Apricots and preserved lemon with a bit of smoke. Energetic in the mid palate despite the intensity and relative weight of this wine. Brilliant with scallops.

3/17/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine:

Pears, lillies, and stem ginger - this is certainly a highly scented wine. Much fresher on the palate than you'd think, with some spice through in and a little lift of minerality. Good with fish.

3/17/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine:

Charming is a very good description. Two bottles, both felt rather linear, though pleasantly so. Cherries in tea is more or less on the mark. Structurally a bit lost.

3/17/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine:

Definitely some power and early maturity here - slightly leathery dried dark fruits with a rusty, sooty background. A little angular, if not quite full on rustic. Nice.

3/17/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine:

Quite interesting, I might have blind tasted this as a southern Rhone. Sweet and juicy dark red fruits, some floral notes, but there is a deep ferrous edge to this that give it real interest and belies what the nose and front palate tell you to expect.

3/17/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine:

Very light and delicate with rather simple, muted even, red fruits. The mineral texture and savouriness really turns on the charm here. Wet hose, gravel, and mineral salts aplenty. This needs careful pairing as many foods would overwhelm it. Good, not sure where it's going though.

3/15/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine:

First note is fairly on point here. This bottle did feel slightly advanced for its age, but there was something very attractive about its rustic, chunky pleasure. Quite leathery with lots of dense dried fruits. Really sings with stews. Tannins are soft at this point. Drink in the next year or so.

3/15/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine:

Stony, smokey, and a marriage of citrus and orchard fruits. Perhaps slightly less floral than my previous bottle. These really deliver nicely.

3/15/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine:

Fairly consistent with previous notes - energy varies between bottles, but this could easily be the food served and palate at the moment. This bottle had a slightly smokier edge, but perhaps more rounded fruit and better integrated oak.

2/25/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine:

A totally different bottle to my last - perhaps closest to my first note. This was beautifully mature, but with real life and structure to it. Intense and deep plum and blackcurrant fruit - perhaps slightly less perfumed than you'd expect for Margaux, this edged on the 'powerful'. The savoury background of old library books and drying wood tempered this somewhat. Quite creamy, the tannins were in a beautiful place for this bottle. The bottle variation in this case, which has been perfectly stored, is quite something!

2/25/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine:

Very elegant and deceptively complex. Certainly nothing terribly advanced from a maturity perspective, but there are definitely secondary characteristics poking their heads out. Dark plummy fruit with wonderfully fragrant spice and saddle leather. The fruit is very much in the driver's seat and texturally this is very fine. Good length on the finish, these will go on a very nice adventure.

2/25/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine:

End of the line for this vintage, but these have been an utter joy. This bottle had richness, but was never too heavy or overpowering. Really does wonders with anything involving saffron. The intensity of the lees really shows with bottle age. On to the 2018...

2/24/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine:

Petrol, white peach, and pink apple skins, this is in a really wonderful place. There is a ripe intensity here, but the fruit shines bright. You might think you're in Alsace at first as there is a smokiness that gradually fades, but that crushed rock minerality in the back palate absolutely takes you to Mosel. Delicious and great with a schnitzel.

2/24/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine:

I really enjoyed this - fresh, fragrant, textural. Citrus and melon with hints of white flowers and chalk. There's a real mineral line through the middle of this that really gives it energy and character. A delightful aperitif.

2/18/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine:

A very good village wine. On the darker fruit spectrum, it's rather ripe and inviting. Hints of black forest gateau and woodsy incense. Texturally rather polished and moreish.

2/18/2024 - depechemoroder wrote:

Fairly textbook Barbera, but just a bit mean and acidic at times. The phenolics are quite pleasant otherwise.

2/18/2024 - depechemoroder wrote:

This was fine - a good everyday pasta wine. Fairly medium bodied with lots of sour cherry and grip. Perhaps a tad overpriced for the quality.

2/18/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine:

I can't believe how similar this is to my last note nearly 4 years ago. Decanted for 2 hours and while in the glass, the fruit just got more and more intense. That blackcurrant leaf/cassis interplay with menthol halo just delights. The silky creaminess of it all is the cherry on top. The tannins, however, have softened considerably. This has lots of life in it, though I do wonder about the tannic structure holding for much longer.

2/18/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine:

Very good and classic - a good balance between intensity and freshness. Fairly broad palate of stone fruits and flashes of citrus, the oak was nicely integrated and minerality present. Definitely elegant if not thrilling. This will probably keep, but I'm not sure the upside is there for my palate.

2/18/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine:

Consistent with previous note - very good and perhaps just a tad bit weightier. This is a very versatile white.

2/18/2024 - depechemoroder wrote:

Quite an interesting wine - the nose was quite ripe and full of red fruit pastille with just a touch of earthiness. It reminded me a bit of Russian River Valley. The palate started out with this ripe profile, but then went ever so slightly sour and very short. Just a thud off a cliff. This could definitely go somewhere as Cornwall continues to warm, but not quite there yet. At least we didn't lose the enamel off our teeth....

2/18/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine:

Classic and moreish - lots of lime and petrol, with a slightly salty background. Maybe a bit thin on the mid palate, but it's a delightful aperitif.

2/18/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine:

A very good bottle. Fruit was a bit more complete, the secondary characteristics were beautifully knit together. Cherries, tobacco, and leather - there was almost a Rioja like nose to this - but the acid structure and fruit was pure Tuscan. Elegant structure on this and very good with braised beef.