4/20/2024 - AlphaMikeFoxtrot wrote:

Dark chocolate, tobacco, over ripe dark plums, over ripe blackcurrants, ripe black cherries, black licorice and a hint of green bell pepper on the nose. Smells like what I expect for 14 year old Bordeaux, though surprising it smells THIS old given that it's a 2010. Medium + intensity of aromas. On the palate, the oak makes its presence felt. Flavors of cedar wood, smoke, baking spices and anise dominate the over ripe dark fruits. Definitely more secondary than I like my left bank Bordeaux, though with a nice medium + intensity of flavors.

Full bodied with medium acid and medium + tannin. Developing. Will age well for 3-5 more years at least. Maybe 10. To my palate, I'll probably enjoy it more then.

Anyway, this is very much "international style" Bordeaux. It tastes like it could be from Argentina, or Sonoma or...anywhere. It's a style I don't always mind; but for the price of $93 here in California, I'm a little disappointed. And it's not like classified growths really *mean* that much anymore; but I was surprised that a wine so obviously in this style found its way onto a fourth growth (albiet one I am a lot less familiar with).

5/3/2020 - AlphaMikeFoxtrot wrote:

Fresh apples, pears, peaches. Some of the petrol/TBN flavors starting to form. There will be more in a couple years. The label says “off-dry.” I would go medium dry. Drinking nice now but will benefit from further aging.

12/26/2023 - Velobici Likes this wine:

I’m glad I waited 24 hours after opening to make a note on this bottle as I really did not like it last night for Thanksgiving dinner. It was far too acidic upfront. Little interest in a little length. However, 24 hours later, the colour is still beautiful, and garnet, showing its age of 11 years. On the nose, it opened up to leather, herbaceousness, Marashino cherry. With a small hint of tin and wet rock, the pallet has opened up. Lovely Integrated acidity, with fine tannins, with a floral undertone, and a great deal of length very enjoyable.

12/2/2023 - AlphaMikeFoxtrot Likes this wine:

This is nice except for one weird problem - it has low to no tannins. My gut tells me that I did not have a flawed bottle, and instead it's just past peak

Sauteed mushrooms, leather, graphite, ripe red raspberries and ripe red cherries on the nose. Intensity of aromas is high. It smells all of its 11 years. The palate, however, feels like that of a much younger wine. It adds smoked wood and is a good bit more primary than the nose. It reminds me of cherry wood. It's really driven by the fruit and while the tertiary stuff is in the background, it still tastes fresh and lively.

The structure of this wine was a surprise to me. The body is medium + and the acid is GREAT, especially for a 11 year old wine, medium + for sure. The tannins, however, are almost nonexistant. I would call them low. To me, that tells me this is starting to decline even though it still tastes pretty fresh. Just past peak, drink now.

10/7/2023 - WineArchitect Does not like this wine:

Thanks PMARLO for your tasting note. Thank you Raul Perez for producing a remarkably mediocre wine. Bravo to your marketing genius whomever they are for hyping this wine! A great way to sell wine and boost profits on a just so-so product.

Popped and poured from the cellar at 58. A short glass revealed the typical dark violet aromatics. The flavors are dark cherry and acetone. Do other members of CT like this? I think not! I’ll be using the rest of my case for cooking with and I hope it doesn’t ruin my gravy. EG. WineArchitect. ArchitecturalArtistry
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UltreiaStJaques, Mencia, Bierzo, RaulPérez

8/20/2010 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:

Decanted two hours, consumed over the following three. An utterly beautiful wine, done in a somewhat international style, but it manages to retain plenty of terroir and is respectably proportioned and balanced. I agree with others, the rich fruit is deeply scented and silky to the point of seeming weightless at times. Yet, as the night wore on, this added weight and even more complexity on the nose and palate, eventually filling out quite powerfully on the nose, but kept it together on the palate. Well integrated oak, medium acidity. 14,5% abv, drink thru 2023.

2/17/2023 - Pearcebarr wrote:

Meh.

PnP there is some funk on the nose that borders on some meaty Syrah funk that blows off after a while. Blackberry, bitter chocolate, tobacco, and it finishes with a steely-mineral backed acidity. Not getting much greenness on this at all. Medium tannins, medium acidity, medium intensity, medium interest.

Warning, there is a fair bit of sediment at the bottom of the bottle.

This wine is in a weird place. It isn't bad, but it just isn't very interesting. It is a good wine to have with a meal, when you just want wine with dinner but don't want to think about the wine. If Cab Franc is your jam, you may want to look elsewhere for more interesting options. If you just want something to drink with you steak, then this is a good bottle to pick up.

2/11/2023 - AlphaMikeFoxtrot Likes this wine:

Bitter dried herbs (think of Amaro or Underberg), black cherries, strawberries, tobacco and an intriguing mineral streak on the nose with just a hint of barnyard/soiled diaper. Flavors are consistent with the aromas, and this wine strikes just about a perfect balance between fruit and non fruit flavors. Overall, I'm impressed with how fine a line is straddled here. It finishes very bitter/mineral.

Medium + body, medium + acid, medium + lingering tannin. This drinks pretty well now, all things considered; but has a lot of life left in it and will become more interesting. Hold for 2-5 more years at least.

5/28/2022 - AlphaMikeFoxtrot Likes this wine:

Zinfandel vines planted in 1889! Must be some of the oldest vines in the entire Napa Valley...

Red and black cherry, dark plums, fresh green herbs. Good tension between the fruit and non fruit flavors on this. Medium + body with medium tannins and absolutely ripping acidity. Hold for at least five years.

2/26/2022 - macaujames Likes this wine:

The best Clos la Coutale ever. Has aromas of mint, blue fruits, chalk, plums+ cassis. Its medium bodied solid spherical chalky blue and red fruits palate ends longish, fresh+gripping. Lay down 5-10 years easily. Likes a 2/3 hr aeration. Outstanding value at 8 Euros! I think it could improve to a 93 with a couple of years laydown.

1/17/2022 - AlphaMikeFoxtrot wrote:

Rioja aged in a mix of French and American oak. You can tell immediately it's different from "old style" of Rioja that age entirely in American oak.

Tart red fruits - red plums, raspberries, red cherries. Dirt/earth, vanilla, new wood, new leather. Spice notes throughout - black pepper, juniper and cumin. Everything is pretty well integrated. Medium body, medium tannin. Not much in the way of acid. While this isn't super groundbreaking, it's pleasant enough and would pair well with most meat dishes.

6/27/2021 - AlphaMikeFoxtrot wrote:

Raspberry, black cherry, spice, lavender, underbrush/garrigue. Medium + body, medium tannin. The rasperry dominates here. Great QPR at $13.

8/1/2021 - Rollerball wrote:

Double Mag decanted at 4:00 into four decanters and one final glass with the sedement. Back into the huge bottle at 5:00--with the sediment glass missing, plenty of surface area for more aeration--to serve at 7:00 dinner for 11. It was singing!! Dark with balanced, low-alcohol, beautifully acidic fruit (actually, I'd characterize it as sour on opening, and that trait had completely relaxed with the few hours' air), with coffee and earth tones; very food friendly. Accelerated until it was gone at 9:30 or so. This was the cherrished final bottle of many many bottles of this incredible wine. Thank you 2000 Quinault L'Enclos!

In this format, definitely aerate for a few hours. Will serve beautifully through at least 2025. 750s I'd say drink now with an hour's+ decant.

1/26/2021 - fhayek wrote:

Being mostly a Tuscany & Piemont fan when it comes to Italian wine, this was interesting for me.

Thicker and less acidic than what I typically know. Rather concentrated, the flavour is led by dark forest fruits, raspberry, ripe plums and, I think, rooibosh.

All in all quite good, if not breathtaking.

Price of EUR 13,50 is okay-ish, but I don't think I will buy again, there are simply wines that offer more for this price.

7/18/2017 - GTFreek wrote:

This is a Blanc de Noirs, made from Barbera. Medium nose shows lemon peel, white cherry, brioche, white flowers. Palate is very linear, sharp citrus, white flowers, fresh green pear, brioche layer, hint of earth. Not a ton of fruit, but nice structure. Surprised on both fronts there. Interesting, pretty good! Could use complexity.

2/5/2021 - AlphaMikeFoxtrot wrote:

Nope. This wine was super reductive. Red cherry, red raspberry, plastic pool toys. Some aromas but I cannot get past the plastic. And it was $37!

You can get Nebbiolo from so many other places at this price. TOP level Langhe Nebbiolo, Barbaresco, Alto Piemonte. I am sure you can get better Roero for this price, too. Angering.

1/4/2021 - Paul852 Does not like this wine:

Obviously something I've had a glass of many times at parties, but this is the first time I've sat down at home with a bottle gifted to us.

The nose is a little yeasty, which follows to the palate which is thin, bland, no bite, utterly, utterly boring. What finish there is is slightly cloying.

I really don't see the attraction of this wine - it is bland, uninteresting, fizzy grape juice. No complexity, no weight to stand up to food, and not at all more-ish.

At this price point (~US$36) there are so many much more interesting champagnes out there. The 41000 bottles in CT cellars demonstrate the power of branding and marketing over substance.

7/23/2020 - slanum wrote:

Pretty basic stuff here, emphasizing a straightforward fruitiness. To be honest, I get a note of white vinegar in the nose, less so in the taste but it seems to be there, too. Double-checked that with another taster who agreed. Tainted?

6/28/2020 - AlphaMikeFoxtrot Likes this wine:

Decanted for two hours. Ripe black raspberries, dark plums, blackcurrants. Medium + body Tannins that are ready to rip your face off. This has a lot of potential to be great in about 5 years!