12/26/2019 - The Fickle Palate Likes this wine:

Toro Albalá are well known for their extensive stocks of old Pedro Ximénez but as far as I’m aware, this is the oldest released to date. Named in honour of Spanish artist Ginés Liébana Velasco, these Pedro Ximénez grapes were dried in the Sun to concentrate the sweetness, then matured in American oak for 96 years before finally bottled in August 2006. With only 1490 bottles filled, it’s probably one of the rarest and oldest single-vintage bottlings of PX commercially available.

Black as blackstrap molasses and virtually opaque, it’s deeply concentrated, rich and powerful but retaining plenty of nuance between the sweetness up-front (caramel, candied fruit, Christmas pudding, balsamic), the lip-smacking umami on the mid-palate (lashings of dark soy) and complex bitter character on the finish (dark chocolate, filter coffee, herbal balsam and quinine). Despite all the power and complexity, it finishes smooth and very long. This is a true meditation PX. *****

9/4/2019 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

*****
This Thomas Hine 1988 Grande Champagne is an early-landed Cognac, matured in their cellars in Gloucestershire for the now defunct Howells of Bristol since 1990, before being bottled in 2004.

A spirit of real subtlety here; a delicate balance of floral/herbal notes, creaminess, gentle rancio and the more typical woody characters. The lightness of touch on the palate is truly remarkable, really showcasing the finesse than can be achieved with the early-landed style. Soft, yet enveloping, this is in a class of its own.

8/24/2019 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

****1/2
Early-landed in the UK in 1984, this vintage-dated Cognac from Delamain, a Cognac house closely associated with British aristocracy, remained in barrel at Howells of Bristol until bottling in 2003.

Despite its age, this Cognac is fresh, floral and fruit-driven, there’s plenty of apricot and peach bursting out of the glass but given time, that brooding smokiness lurking beneath the surface starts to reveal itself. A faint lick of rancio adds to the complexity. Soft but persistent, woody caramel notes round off the finish. This is serious Cognac that needs meditating over.

8/17/2019 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

*****
Made by the Union of Winemaking Cooperatives of Samos, this sweet wine is made solely from Muscat Blanc á Petit’s Grains grapes, grown on the terraced vineyards high up on Mt. Ambelos with yields kept purposefully low. The wine is aged in oak barrels for at least six years before bottling. This was clearly an older bottling, perhaps from the late-nineties, early two-thousands.

Opening up very quickly in the glass, it exudes a richly scented and bittersweet nose of candied Seville-orange peel, butterscotch and date. This still has a good line of acidity carrying the palate which suggests it’s far from the end of its life. A deep latte mocha finish permeates, lasting several minutes. Exuberant but never cloying, this is undoubtedly one of the world’s great sweet wines and if you can track a bottle down, offers incredible value.

8/16/2019 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

****
A cask-aged vintage dated Tawny Port from the Quinta de Cavadinha and Quinta do Retiro vineyards. The wines for this Colheita were selected by Peter Symington, following the '95 harvest and aged in oak until bottling in 2018.

There’s generous lashings of coffee, wood-smoke and Christmas cake on the nose and plenty of rancio, adding to the complexity. Orange-peel and winter spice round off the palate. The welcome acidic bite and pleasant dryness sets the balance with a clean finish, crisp yet persistent.

5/6/2017 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

A pure, crystalline nose of candied fruit, marzipan and praline. Characteristic nutty palate, with notes of chalk and citrus and tropical notes. This is all tied together with piercing acidity yet it's quite soft for a Savagnin, fresh and rounded. ***1/2

5/6/2017 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

From a half bottle: Fairly subdued on the nose, plenty of candied orange and apricot with a big hit of burnt caramel. Quite light on the palate but still mouth-coating and rich. I would have liked a little more concentration but a tangy, biscuity finish gave it some pleasant, almost savoury length. While very enjoyable now, I find it hard to see it developing much further from here ****

5/6/2017 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

Deeply scented black fruits pair with capsicum spice, lashings of espresso, dark chocolate and even a hint of liquorice. Tannin was pretty much all softened out but there's plenty of concentration and complexity here, the finish is long and persistent. Excellent ****1/2

5/3/2017 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

Sappy dark fruits, hints of smoked meat and balsamic notes. It's lithe, simple and enjoyable, great value ***

5/2/2017 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

This is surprisingly light bodied and spritely for a Tannat blend, plenty of bright, sappy red fruits and blueberry notes. Soft and supple on the palate with a pleasant spice coming through from the Syrah. This is pure juicy goodness and while it says it can be aged for up to 2 years on the back label, I'd recommend drinking as young as possible so it retains its freshness ***1/2

5/1/2017 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

A Gigondas masquerading as a Chateauneuf and still showing plenty of life; very rich and dense with lots of prune, earth-smoke and plenty of leathery character. The tannin is pretty crunchy but that just adds to the rustic charm. Great length, definitely pair with red meat to get the best out of it ****

4/30/2017 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

Everything's here you'd expect; brambles and blackcurrant, lashings of toasty mocha coffee and bitter chocolate, a touch smokey as well plus it's all tied together with sappy acidity and soft, well-rounded tannin. It's fairly light in style but makes a great vin de plaisir for mid-term drinking ****

4/29/2017 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

This has all the hallmarks of classic Foillard; rich meaty, smokey texture, the acidity is a touch volatile but gives it an oily vine tomato feel. The tannin has all but softened out and it's in its prime drinking window right now. Finish is perhaps a little short but a cracking effort for what was considered a fairly catastrophic vintage across much of Beaujolais ****

4/28/2017 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

A refined, elegant, smokey Chilean Pinot with plenty of toasty oak lifted by a good dose of dark-fruited acidity. Long, lingering finish. My only criticism would be that the oak is so prevalent it's almost masking the purity of the Pinot, otherwise it's a very classy quaffer for mid-term drinking ****

4/26/2017 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

A juicy little number, silky smooth but with quite a bit going on; there's soft black fruits, hints of chocolate, coffee and garrigue spice. No tannin evident, drink as young as possible ***1/2

4/23/2017 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

Some buttery character with a hint of espresso(!) but the lack of acidity and freshness shows this is starting to fade, drink up **1/2

4/22/2017 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

Despite the dark purple colour, this is light as a feather with bright, zippy acidity carrying juicy red cherry and a little spice. Soft but quite short on the finish, a vibrant, enjoyable quaffer, plus the label's pretty funny (as long as you're not a banker) ***1/2

4/21/2017 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

Simple and silky Southern Rhone blend with bold notes of sour cherry, garrigue spice and hints of vanilla. It's lacking in weight and texture but for an everyday quaffer, there's plenty to enjoy here ***

4/19/2017 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

A fairly light, clean Cape Blend with good flavours of blackberry, coffee and tobacco leaf with a peppery edge. It's fairly simple and easy-going (tried against the more complex Kanonkop Kadette Cape Blend), it's lacking a little in intensity and is short and sweet on the finish. ***

4/17/2017 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

Intense notes of dark fruit, coffee and dried tobacco leaf; this tied with ripe, chewy tannin does make the wine quite dry in texture. You need a good piece of roasted meat to get the best out of this beast. On it's own however, it's lacking in freshness and vibrancy ***1/2

4/16/2017 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

Kanonkop's baby wine is a vibrant, quaffable Cape blend, dominated by bitter chocolate and sour cherry, with some of of those slighted charred phenolics you'd expect from Pinotage, however the balance of alcohol and acidity ensures keeps everything in check, plus it's great value for the quality on display here. Drink as young as possible ****

4/14/2017 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

Very intense filter coffee and dark chocolate, but not overly sticky or sweet. There's a crispness from the black forest fruits and acidity that makes this quite fresh. Alcohol in perfect balance, this is an ideal accompaniment for a dark chocolate dessert ****

4/14/2017 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

Smooth with an almost creamy texture, this is all coffee mocha and rich chocolate, very well integrated alcohol. I don't feel it's coarse or simple as others have said, it's bold yet soft, very enjoyable ***1/2

4/7/2017 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

Sappy and mineral with all the earthy spice and vegetal character you'd expect from a Loire Cab Franc. Grainy tannin and hints of dark chocolate work well together on the palate, with a zesty sour cherry lasting long on the finish. ***1/2

4/4/2017 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

Juicy red fruits, butterscotch and a slight stalkiness on the nose. It's silky smooth, with a texture and flavour profile of milk chocolate and sweetened butter, but also a bit medicinal, particularly on the finish. A solid effort with all the typicity and hallmarks of a Chilean Carmenere ***

4/3/2017 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

Deep and smoky, with lots of dark cherry with hints of coffee and forest floor. This is still quite angular and structured (as is the Felton Road style), there's a strong backbone of acidity running through it and therefore several years before completely softening out. At the moment however, it's brooding, sapid, juicy NZ Pinot ****

4/2/2017 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

Gorgeous straw colour, this is pure, mineral Chardonnay in excelsis with lashings of rich, chalky, lemon curd and golden butter, that leaves your mouth watering. There's bright, piercing acidity but age has given it a toasty, nutty complexity that lingers long on the finish. Plenty of life ahead but very difficult to resist now ****1/2

4/1/2017 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

Dense and broad, black cherry preserve, filter coffee and dark chocolate all vying for your attention on both nose and palate. While still retaining some tannic bite, it's softened out beautifully, the finish being very long and unctuous. Not sure it will improve further but will certainly keep over the next 3-4 years ****

3/31/2017 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

Bright zippy cherry, notes of smoke, violets and pencil shavings. It's inoffensive, a bit thin and not terribly exciting but for the price you pay, there's little to quibble about here ***

3/30/2017 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

Bright, sapid, plummy fruits, with a lightness of touch given by the acidity that makes the wine dance around the palate. For a Minervois, this is fresh and juicy with a gorgeous lingering blueberry-infused finish, delicious! ****

3/29/2017 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

Looks can be deceptive; despite the innocuous colour of a white wine, this is oxidised Fino sherry-style cranked up to 11 with mouth-watering blue-veined cheese, damp forest bark and sea-water taking over on the nose. Plenty of characteristic sous-voile nutty character that you'd expect from Savagnin, but maybe just lacking more of an acidic bite to counter the richness of flavour. Another unique experience from the Jura! ***1/2

3/28/2017 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

Little is known about the Œillade grape variety, other than being a distant cousin of Cinsault and now almost close to extinction. This is just one of the 'forgotten' varieties that Thierry Navarre cultivates and there's plenty to get excited about here. Light and refreshing for a Languedoc red, very floral with layers of black pepper, pomegranate and sappy, juicy cranberry and lingonberry making up the finish. Youthful and vibrant, drink as young as possible; also works well lightly chilled ****

3/27/2017 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

Very notable petillance both in the glass and on the palate. Waxy lime on the nose with a good dose of toasty oak character. Despite the bracing acidity, this still feels quite soft, some tropical notes (lychee). The finish is also quite thin and watery. Sadly, this lacks the concentration and intensity that would make it truly exciting. **1/2

3/26/2017 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

Luscious and honeyed, this retains the crystalline purity you would expect from Albert Mann. Very tropical, plenty of dried pineapple and papaya which is further concentrated by the residual sugar. There is a soft herbal / gasoline character on the finish, this is ageing gracefully with plenty of life for the future ****

3/25/2017 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

This is a classic, silky Ribera, a brooding melange of dark chocolate, espresso and concentrated black cherry enveloped in a fine, soft tannic structure, and still holding a zesty bite of acidity on the finish. Will hold for several years but difficult to resist now ****1/2

3/24/2017 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

Vibrant and lively, this has a green pepper, leafy note alongside the zesty, crunchy strawberry fruits and perfumed violet. Fine-grained tannin, but also quite hot on the palate. This is no-nonsense, crowd-pleasing fun ***1/2

3/22/2017 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

The back label describes the wine as having "taut freshness" and I can't argue with that! This has a weight and balance that certainly sets it apart from Champagne (despite the use of all three main varieties in the blend), crisp lemon zest, green apple and berry fruits pairing with the rich, biscuity texture and very fine mousse. A wine of great purity and concentration. Exemplary fizz! ****1/2

3/21/2017 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

Pure, mineral and very smooth, this is elegant Morgon bursting with sour cherry and sapid redcurrant. Tannin is non-existent, it's the acidity that drives this forward with a gorgeous mid-palate of herbs and menthol. No hard edges here, this is very pretty, very refined ****

3/19/2017 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

Rich and inviting, plenty of (slightly jammy) dark fruits, black pepper and sweet, earthy garrigue spice. The balance is impeccable: it hides it's 14% very well and the smooth, fine tannin and good acidity keeps things supple, mineral and fresh. Drinking very well now ****

3/18/2017 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

About as pure an expression of Cab Franc as you can get, this is fresh and vibrant with a lift of sour cherry on the nose alongside the traditional, earthy character. Very fine tannin and sappy acidity is the perfect match for the crushed mint and perfumed red berry fruits on the palate. Very soft, smooth finish, this works well with or without food but best served lightly chilled to get the best out of the aromatics. ****

3/17/2017 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

Bright, sappy red berry fruits on the nose but also some greenness that reminds me of unripe Gamay. Juicy, mouth-watering acidity combines well with the redcurrant and cranberry. It's enjoyable enough on its own, there is just a lack of concentration and intensity of fruit which makes it feel less lively than it really should be ***

3/15/2017 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

A densely fruited Priorat that still has enough acidic lift to stop it becoming soupy. Dark blackcurrant and bramble on the nose, good lashings of ground coffee and dark chocolate, with prominent but fine-grained tannin. It's not as expressive or silky as some of its contemporaries but it's a juicy quaffer for mid-term drinking ***1/2

3/12/2017 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

Frick makes many of his wines in an oxidative style and this is no exception, so while some may immediately claim its faulty, I'll be as objective as possible; amber gold in colour, an intriguing, honeyed combination of rotting apple puree, apricot jam and golden pastry prominent with a good dose of residual sugar lending texture and body. It's not overly complex but there's good, persistent length. For those who know the producer and appreciate the style (as I do), then you're in for a treat ****

3/11/2017 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

Rich, complex nose of strudel, cinnamon and Christmas spice with hints of burnt sugar and toffee apple. This needs a touch of water to soften the alcohol and open up the phenolics. Mouth-coating, with a long penetrating finish, this is serious Calvados. ****

3/11/2017 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

Fresh, supple, thirst-quenching Pinot from the makers of Daumas Gassac. Vibrant sappy raspberry, sweet vanilla and green notes of strawberry leaf combine to give a pure, enjoyable quaffer which is best enjoyed on its own. Drink as young as possible ***1/2

3/10/2017 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

Soft nose of perfumed red fruits, smooth and easy-going but there is a purveying greenness on both nose (reminds me of greengage and prickly spice) and palate which takes over and somewhat numbs the freshness of the fruit. Best served chilled, it does possess a bloody, gamey character which lifts it above the average Touraine Gamay **1/2

3/8/2017 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

Dark pink, almost copper orange in the glass, a good dose of soft, sappy cranberry and raspberry with a decent whack of acidity. It's pleasant enough but lacks the vibrancy to set it out from the crowd. This was the '15 vintage bottling so perhaps the new release will prove more exciting ***

3/5/2017 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

This is a joyous juice monster from Chateau Plaisance in Fronton. The nose is bursting with sappy raspberry and cranberry with a sweet coconut edge. Negrette can be quite heavy so this is given plenty of lift with at least 30% Gamay in the blend. Silky smooth and very quaff-able (only 11.5% abv) this certainly has a spring in its step. ****

2/26/2017 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

This displays all the nutty hallmarks you'd expect from a sous voile Jura Chardonnay, there's notes of apricot kernel in abundance on the nose with hints of marzipan and bruised apple. This all carries on through the palate with a pleasant balance of rich lemon curd and zesty acid, delicious! ***1/2

2/25/2017 - The Fickle Palate wrote:

Ripe, dark, chewy black fruits dominate here, there's hints of menthol and smoked meat on the nose, good tannic backbone pairs well with the vanilla softness on the finish. You can barely notice the 14.5% alcohol, this manages to balance richness and vibrancy seemlessly and at great value ****