3/26/2016 - WineCellarTV Likes this wine:

The wine is already surprisingly open and ripe with tons of dark fruits, cassis, dark chocolate, sweetness and minty freshness.
Dark and dense, yet approachable and nicely balanced on the palate.
Present tannins and fine acidity guarantee a long life. Keep.

3/28/2016 - WineCellarTV Likes this wine:

The 2005 Howell Mountain is a little more robust and not as round as the 2009.
It´s a dark, deep and robust wine that is fruit-driven still, but shows a lot of fresh herbs, ethereal notes and herbal spiciness.
However, it´s well-balanced and smooth on the palate, but sturdy with strong tannins and fine, solid acidity. Finishes long with dark fruit, licorice, mineral notes and peppery spiciness.
A great wine of substance, drive and potential.

3/26/2016 - WineCellarTV Likes this wine:

The 2001 Howell Mountain shows tight, dense and focused with aromas of black fruit, barnyard, ash, little leather and iodine.
Structured for eternity with substance and a dense core of solid tannins and present acidity in good balance and harmony.
Great length with darkness of black fruit, plums and peppery spiciness.

3/26/2016 - WineCellarTV Likes this wine:

1999 Howell Mountain is a focused wine of barnyard, mushrooms, chocolate, coolness of herbs, little iodine and with dark fruit more in the background.
Finely-grained tannins with nice juice and fine acidity make the wine fresh and very drinkable. Fresh herbs and some green notes support the overall fresh and almost ethereal appearance of this wine.
Finishes long with dark fruit, mint and herbal spiciness.
A very fresh and special Howell Mountain.

3/26/2016 - WineCellarTV Likes this wine:

1997 Howell Mountain is a blockbuster with aromas of dark fruit, herbs (parsley, lovage), some animalistic notes and barnyard, orange zest, pencil lead, leather, smoke and oaky notes. Great concentration and depth with tannins that are starting to dry out, but the wine has still enough substance and juice to deliver greatest drinking pleasure.
Finishes very long with beautiful fruit, anise and herbal spiciness.
Keep or drink.

3/26/2016 - WineCellarTV Likes this wine:

Tight and focused wine of dark berry fruit, little barnyard, eucalypt freshness, florals and salty minerality. Appears softer on the palate as you would expect after smelling the fresh and focused aromatics. Nicely integrated, juicy and perfectly balanced with black fruit, little earth, graphite and peppery spiciness. Dusty tannins and vital acidity show the long road ahead.

3/26/2016 - WineCellarTV wrote:

The 1991 Napa Valley gave us a hard time. Aromatically totally animalistic (“pure barnyard”) with nothing else on the nose, which is a real pity especially when you consider how great the wine shows on the palate. It´s tight and robustly structured for eternity with blackberries, earth, leather and herbal notes. Perfect length and concentration.

3/26/2016 - WineCellarTV Likes this wine:

1990 Howell Mountain shines with velvet and focused aromatics of paprika, iodine, saltiness, some dark fruit and goji berries.
A little edgy and tight on the palate - and in this way in line with a recently tasted 1990 Napa Valley Cabernet – with black fruits, gooseberry, some green notes, spices and a mix of herbs.
Medium-long finish. Still, a beautiful wine of character, complexity and focus. Drink soon.

3/26/2016 - WineCellarTV Likes this wine:

1989 Howell Mountain showed smooth and elegant with dark, red fruits, salty minerality, herbal freshness, traces of barnyard and chocolate.
A little austere and lacking some substance on the palate, but with fine fruit, raspberry (!) a mix of herbs and gravelly minerality.
Fresh, forward and dynamic wine.
If this is how wines from an alleged off-vintage taste like, that alright with me.

3/26/2016 - WineCellarTV Likes this wine:

1987 Howell Mountain measured up to our high expectations (again!) and really sang with intense dark fruits and of fine sweetness, plums, some vanilla sweetness, little lovage, cigar ash, leather and cedar.
Fine, deep and perfectly balanced on the palate with vital acidity and dusty tannins. Finishes very long with freshness of beautiful fruit and peppery spiciness.
An exceptional wine where power and presence meet finesse and complexity!

3/26/2016 - WineCellarTV Likes this wine:

Fine, but little fruit of plum and cassis, some barnyard, vanilla, herbal spiciness, salty notes and freshness on the nose. Dense, yet juicy on the palate with black fruit, tobacco, road tar, smoky minerality, herbal spiciness and saltiness. Still young, complex and fascinating wine of youth, density and perfect length.

3/26/2016 - WineCellarTV Likes this wine:

Cool, deep and concentrated wine without being overripe or broad.
It´s driven by black currant, black cherry, herbal and peppery spiciness and sage. Focused and young on the palate with great concentration, present backbone of acidity and youthful tannins.
Finishes medium-long. Keep 5+ years to see what this wine capable of.

1/23/2016 - WineCellarTV Likes this wine:

Starting off quite funky and taking its time to open up, the wine presented itself different than I remembered it from out last encounter. Back in June 2012 the wine was wide open, rich, deep and dark. But this time it was even better: Fresh, red fruits, a lot of cherries, ethereal freshness of herbs and pinewood, eucalypt, some licorice and wet earth. Pure perfection on the palate with density, freshness and elegance. Mostly driven by dark fruit, fresh herbs and spices, the wine is still youthful and structured for a long future. Finishes long and focused with dark berries, some spiciness as well as sweetness. An exceptional wine at an early stage of its life with finesse, depth and complexity!

1/23/2016 - WineCellarTV wrote:

The Dead Arm brought us back to reality after two exceptional wines. Nevertheless, a very good wine, but by far not as special as Mount Edelstone or Grange. Still youthful, it´s opening with aromas of ripe, dark berries, lilac, chocolate and a mix of spices. Balanced and delicious, but lacking excitement and fascination. Yet, a beautiful, distinct McLaren Vale Shiraz. Drink now or keep.

1/23/2016 - WineCellarTV Likes this wine:

From a great vintage comes this elegant, fresh and complex Grange full of finesse with fascinating aromas of red and black berries, spices, delicate sweetness, some chocolate and minerality(!). Multi-layered, fine, but solid structured and of perfect balance on the palate with dark fruit, herbal freshness, little oak and mocha. Finishes very long.
A beauty in its youth.

1/23/2016 - WineCellarTV Likes this wine:

Rich, fruit-driven and spicy wine from a legendary vineyard planted in 1912 by Ronald Angas. 16ha of deep sandy loam over gravelly medium-red clay, overlying laminated siltstone create a special wine, which is always more expressive than its famous big brother Hill of Grace. The 2008 is still in its early fruity stage, but still delicious and fascinating to drink with aromatics of blackberries, plums, oriental spices, dried and fresh herbs, sage and some road tar. It´s perfectly structured dense, deep and concentrated, while fresh and long. Velvety tannins and fine acidity guarantee a long future. Fantastic!

1/23/2016 - WineCellarTV wrote:

Ripe and sweet aromas of red and black berries, plums, cooked fruit, little herbal spiciness and present oak. Ripe, juicy and of present alcohol on the palate. Fairly broad, while lacking structure and focus.
A rather disappointing classic.

1/23/2016 - WineCellarTV wrote:

From Terra Rossa clays and sandy clay soils comes this Hunter Valley Shiraz. Aromas of blackberry, plums, spices, olives, road tar and fresh herbs. Arrives with cool elegance and smoothness on the palate. Finishes medium-long. Well made, but lacking fascination, yet delicious and very drinkable.

1/23/2016 - WineCellarTV Likes this wine:

Dark aromatics of blackberries and some fruit in rum, leather, tobacco, earth and violets. Sweet vanilla and present oak. Dense and dark on the palate with flavors of blackberries, cedar, dried herbs, anise and black olive. Youthful with firm tannins, while not lacking juicyness. Very good length with more black fruits and peppery spiciness. It seems that the wine is just opening up. Keep 5+ years.

1/21/2016 - WineCellarTV Likes this wine:

J.J. Confuron owns 0,52 ha in the Clos de Vougeot vineyard in the area considered best (close to the Chateau).The 96 shines of red fruits, raspberry and even gooseberry, figs, forest floor and minerality. It´s beautifully precise and vibrant with present acidity, few remaining tannins and freshness on the palate. Finishes long and focused with darkest fruit, leather and anise spiciness. Still a little tight, but elegant, complex and fascinating wine.

1/21/2016 - WineCellarTV Likes this wine:

Aromatics of dark berries and black cherries, earthy notes, mushrooms and herbal freshness in a precise, youthful and complex wine from infertile soils south of Chambertin. Youthfully structured with only very little ladybug greenness. Great length and freshness.
Maybe lacking some flesh.

1/21/2016 - WineCellarTV wrote:

2000 was a very wet and difficult vintage and you were able to find the typical vintage characteristics in this wine:
Mild as a dove with aromatics of ripe, dark fruit, violets, almonds, present oak and warm spices. Broad without substance and past its prime.

1/21/2016 - WineCellarTV wrote:

Nice fruit forward, burned rupper, licorice on the nose. Expressive, even wild aromatics. Weakly structured and bumpy on the palate. Something went wrong with this one. The weakest wine of the night.

1/21/2016 - WineCellarTV wrote:

Concentrated and muscular, but balanced wine of ripe black fruits, creamy sweetness, prune, little tobacco, autumn forest and some florals. Smoothly textured, even juicy with present alcohol, integrated tannins and fine acidity. Quite a powerhouse lacking refinement.

1/21/2016 - WineCellarTV Likes this wine:

The rocky shell-limestone soils of the Bienenberg vineyard created fresh, quite youthful and complex wine of sour cherry, red berries, tobacco sweetness, leather and little peppery spiciness. Present acidity and little green tannins. Showing real potential, yet already drinking beautifully.

1/21/2016 - WineCellarTV Likes this wine:

Deep, dark red in the glass and full of fresh, dark-red fruit (black cherries), prunes, earth, black tea and herbs. Approachable and medium complex, yet robust wine of concentration drive and extract.

1/21/2016 - WineCellarTV wrote:

Elegant, but relatively ripe wine with dark fruits, mixed herbs, toasty oak and citrus freshness. Lactic notes. Nevertheless, vibrant on the palate with dark drive. A little diluted esp. when considering the 2003 vintage characteristics

1/21/2016 - WineCellarTV wrote:

It was a wet, cool and cloudy year in Burgundy. This Gevrey-Chambertin started off quite funky with wine gum and burned rubber, but settled after a while with fine, light-red fruit, coolness and freshness of herbs and earthy notes. Darker on the palate, but of grippy tannins and little, austere greenness. After a recently tasted amazing 2006, this was certainly not a perfect bottle.

1/21/2016 - WineCellarTV wrote:

From the slate, quartzite soils of one of Germany´s oldest sites for reds comes this Spätburgunder. It approaches you with distinct aromatics of decent oak and light fruit of cherries and some strawberries. Elegant and smooth on the tongue. Nothing exciting, but harmonious, elegant and still of little freshness. Very drinkable, but lacking depth and complexity. Good length though.

1/23/2016 - WineCellarTV Likes this wine:

Fresh, racy lemon and citrus aromatics. Decent herbal spiciness and freshly cut grass join in. Thanks to the vintage, the wine is softer than usual, but still vibrant, fresh and structured for long term cellaring.
A great Hunter Valley classic! Keep.

1/23/2016 - WineCellarTV wrote:

Far developed wine past its prime with oxidative aromatics, orange zest, dried herbs and oaky sweetness. Rather thin and almost dead on the palate. Drink up.

1/23/2016 - WineCellarTV Likes this wine:

Yes, this is a Zinfandel from Barossa Valley and it´s a beautiful one!
Quite a powerhouse with great concentration of fruit and freshness.
Dark aromatics berry fruit, spices, fruit jam, minerals and earth. Inky and rich on the palate, but of cool depth and freshness. Distinct Kalleske.
From a vineyard planted in 2007 this is a promising early drinking wine.

1/23/2016 - WineCellarTV Likes this wine:

Intriguing aromatics of black cherry, plums, cigar box, road tar, oriental spice and violets. Beautifully integrated tannins and delicate acidity in a smooth, but fresh and super-elegant wine.
Great stuff, which is probably still at its peak.
Drink soon.

1/23/2016 - WineCellarTV wrote:

From an excellent Coonawarra vintage comes this dense and rather robust Cabernet Sauvignon with a splash of Petit Verdot (4%). Cassis, plum, green pepper, tobacco, earth and oak describe the nose, while the palate is youthful and dark with black fruits and spices. Still looking for balance while compact tannins keep the wine tight. This is nice, but not there yet. Keep 5+ years.

1/23/2016 - WineCellarTV wrote:

Showed rather elegant and light-weight with aromatics of cassis, stewed fruit, peppery spiciness and present oak. Rather bumpy on the palate with present acidity, while lacking density and length.
Still 13% Malbec provide a dark core. Maybe caught in a bad time…

1/23/2016 - WineCellarTV Likes this wine:

Even though the wine is little past its prime now, the 1995 Cyril shows very elegant, harmonious and complex.
Fascinating aromas of cassis, earth, leather, little barnyard, forest floor, smoke and pepper- anise spiciness arrive vital and perfectly integrated on the palate. The tannins have softened and only little acidity shows and provides drive.
Good length with dark layers and peppery spiciness. Excellent!
Drink soon.

1/3/2016 - WineCellarTV Likes this wine:

Citrus, fresh herbs, ginger spiciness, iodine and salty minerality in a perfect package. Needed time to open and show true fascination!
Vibrant, filigree and ultimately complex wine.

1/18/2015 - WineCellarTV Likes this wine:

Pure perfection meeting our highest expectations:
First very dark and even grim with aromatics of leather, earth, barnyard and autumn leaves with only little baking powder sweetness, but opening up with time and air.
Dark berries and cherry fruit, herbs of all kind, pencil lead, tobacco, florals and coffee packed in a healthy, yet smooth and silky textured, finely structured wine with all components in place.
Perfect harmony without any edges, great enjoyment, length and complexity.
While I can´t imagine this wine getting any better, there are no doubts about its magnificient future potential.

12/20/2015 - WineCellarTV Likes this wine:

Dark aromatics of black and red berries, some cherries, espresso, oriental spices, smoky and balsamic notes. Still, light-weight, elegant and ethereal.
Surprisingly open, thanks to the ripeness of the 2006 vintage, with present alcohol. But, don´t get me wrong, the wine shows elegant, pure and sophisticated. Still youthful with young, little green tannins and solid acidity. Nice now, but even better in 5+ years.

12/17/2015 - WineCellarTV Likes this wine:

Aromatics of red berry fruit, fine sweetness, some animalistic notes, truffles, leather, chocolate and minty freshness.
Very Burgundian and fine.
Smooth and present on the palate with fully integrated tannins and finest acidity.
Light-weight, super elegant and sophisticated with dark fruits, herbal spiciness and little iron.
Another exceptional wine from 1985 full of finesse, harmony and great complexity.
Drink now or keep for some more years.

12/20/2015 - WineCellarTV Likes this wine:

Starts with the whole spectrum of red fruits - mostly red cherry and strawberry.
Fine perfume, earthy notes, fresh herbs, licorice spiciness and chalky minerality join the party.
Later with notes of sweetness and cookies. Intriguing while constantly evolving and best after 2+ hours in the decanter.
Light-weight and elegant, but very present on the palate with pure fruit, little herbal spiciness, earthy notes, autumn leaves and minerality. Fine acidity and delicate, yet present tannins prove youth and potential. An ultimately complex and fine wine where elegance and drive meet like in no other terroir. Showing the greatness of Musigny with purity, finesse and fascination. Still uplifting.

12/5/2015 - WineCellarTV Likes this wine:

Elegant, fresh and spicy wine of good complexity and great length. Showing only very little signs of greenness at the beginning- and only aromatically.
Fine red berries, herbal and oriental spices, florals and some green tea on the nose. Velvetly textured, surprisingly approachable and of cool elegance. Fantastic finish of fresh spiciness and drive!

12/4/2015 - WineCellarTV Likes this wine:

Charme, elegance and sophistication.
A perfect wine at its very best right now with dark fruits (black currant!), chocolate, beetroot, leather, iron, pine wood and smoky minerality.
Elegant and silky on the palate with fine, grippy tannins and present, delicate acidity. Finishes very long with black fruits, smoky bacon, earth, iron and peppery spiciness. Excellent Pomerol!

12/2/2015 - WineCellarTV wrote:

Opulent and powerful, but vibrant and fresh wine of good balance.

11/21/2015 - WineCellarTV Likes this wine:

Concentrated, fresh and complex wine.
World class Sauvignon Blanc from Austria!
Still so young.

11/21/2015 - WineCellarTV Likes this wine:

Dark, earthy with little ripe fruit, iron and herbs. Still alive on the palate with delicate acidity and some nice juicyness.
Another surprisingly beautiful wine from a poor vintage.

11/21/2015 - WineCellarTV wrote:

Ripe and (surprisingly) powerful wine of delicious fruit, juicyness, complexity and, yet, elegance.

11/21/2015 - WineCellarTV Likes this wine:

Fruit, minerality, power and finesse in a perfect match.
Dry Riesling at its very best!

11/21/2015 - WineCellarTV Likes this wine:

Elegant, yet concentrated wine of complexity, fine fruit, minerality and fascination. Still young.

11/20/2015 - WineCellarTV wrote:

Ripe stone fruit, orange zest, anise and little herbal spiciness.
Nice, but lacking freshness and with a touch of heaviness.