4/21/2024 - eboracum wrote:

I have a high regard for this estate whose wines I had not seen around in the last ten years. Alas this wine from young Grenache, Syrah and Carignan vines was a disappointment and I have to believe that it was in a dumb phase. Hardly any aromas were detectable on the nose and the medium++ bodied and linearly shaped palate showed rather shy berry fruit, quite abundant minerality, lively acidity and some structure. There was some opening up and broadening of the palate as the wine breathed but not enough yet for it to be a very enjoyable experience. If the aromas and fruit become more expressive with time, this could become a well balanced Roussillon wine (though without the AOP!). Meanwhile quite good.

4/20/2024 - eboracum Likes this wine:

This is a nice generously fruity and full Cairanne with enough acidity and structure to prevent any tendency to cloy. Good.

4/18/2024 - eboracum Likes this wine:

This is a consistent performer. As in previous vintages, a mix of savoury bright black fruit, earth, wet leather and olives with a touch of tar, anise and liquorice on a medium+ bodied palate with a hint of quinine plus a slight infusion of resin toward the finish. Good

4/16/2024 - eboracum Likes this wine:

This has developed some pretty fruity features but is softer and less tangy than most previous vintages. That needs to be considered when pairing. But good.

4/15/2024 - eboracum Likes this wine:

I was no longer bothered by the perfumed streak and enjoyed a savoury almost rusty metal hint. Good.

4/11/2024 - eboracum Likes this wine:

This is a deliciously fruity young Calvados but slightly rougher than the same producer's VSOP. Very good.

4/13/2024 - eboracum Likes this wine:

The wine title given here omits arguably the most important part of its name, namely "Etna bianco". This quite high altitude volcanic terroir is unique. When I first met Etna wines about 15 years ago I was struck by their quasi-Burgundian elegance in both red and white which is very unusual for a wine from so far south in Europe. This wine was an example of this and, if blind, I might well have taken it for a good white Burgundy from the Chalonnais or even the Côte d'Or. From the first inhalation, there emerged fragrant peach infused citrus notes with an underlying roundness. This followed through onto the well focussed palate where gentle cream, spice hints, fine minerality, crisp acidity and decent length were also in evidence. Very good.

4/12/2024 - eboracum wrote:

I was expecting this 2022 to be riper and rounder than the 2021 but it seemed quite similar showing quite high tangy acidity, savoury tinged red beery fruit with touches of poivron leaving a slightly raw impression though not to the extent of effacing Chinon class. Quite good.

4/10/2024 - eboracum Likes this wine:

I continue to like this wine. From the first sniff it revealed Bordeaux right bank style fragrance and class. It went on to show medium+ body with nice savoury red and dark fruit, grainy minerals, tangy acidity and nice tannic backbone. As in previous vintages there are only discreet traces of barrique ageing, which is how I like it. Very good.

4/11/2024 - eboracum wrote:

This is easy drinking and smooth but, I think, lacking the grip of the 2021. A bit overwhelmed by some of the cheese pairings. Quite good.

4/5/2024 - eboracum Likes this wine:

I am a fan of Marcillac for its tangy and mineral Atlantic character, even though the place is located quite far inland. This cuvée is more suave and ageworthy than its stable mate Lo Sang del Païs, which some people prefer, but I love it for its fragrant savoury blackcurrant tinged fruit with an ivy touch, strong minerals, smooth texture, mouth-watering acidity and decent backbone. Very good.

4/4/2024 - eboracum Likes this wine:

Without side by side comparison much like the 2020 with burgeoning ripe red fruit, earthy hints, moreish acidity and firm finish. Good.

4/3/2024 - eboracum Likes this wine:

This is reassuring. I did not detect the excessively jammy notes which I found in the 2018 and hope that this means a return to the reliably quite full, structured and complex Saint-Émilion ringer which graced the time when Dominique Méneret was in charge. Good.

4/1/2024 - eboracum wrote:

I have better memories of Nipozzano than this. This bottle was quite shy aromatically on both nose and palate and at first seemed quite thin. Towards the end of the bottle, the aromas seemed to develop and there was more roundness and depth. Perhaps in its 4th year the wine is in a dumb phase (these seem less common in the last few years!?). I would recommend decanting at least an hour before serving or keeping two or three more years, but would still not expect a real winner. Quite good.

3/31/2024 - eboracum Likes this wine:

This is a robust, fruity and structured LBV. Bought to go with Easter Chocolate desserts, it performed well. More open and expressive 24 hours later. Good+ wine and good QPR at c.€16.

3/31/2024 - eboracum Likes this wine:

My last TN dates from nearly 6 years ago. This is still a lovely fragrant and elegant wine. However, I think that the balsamic notes and acidity have become more prominent and the roundness, depth lessened with a more matt texture. Furthermore, at first I thought I detected faint cabbage notes presaging decay but these were soon obscured as the aromas developed. Alas, this was my last bottle but if I had more I would drink up. Still very good.

3/29/2024 - eboracum wrote:

This bottle seems to have less bloom than the previous and is consequently drier and duller. Bottle variation or decline? Quite good.

3/28/2024 - eboracum wrote:

This is quite dark coloured, full and round for left bank claret. There is some dark fruit but rather shy and brooding aromas, some earth and depth and marked but ripe tannins. However, for me, it is somewhat marred by hints of perfumed vanilla, particularly towards the finish. These may integrate better in a few years, but until then only quite good.

3/26/2024 - eboracum wrote:

Judging by my memory and notes, this cuvée is getting increasingly sweet fruited and almost jammy. I would have guessed quite a lot of Grenache but apparently there is none. There is some vanilla, chocolatey complexity and ripe finish but less brightness and acidity than in the 2018. This could, however, be a decent barbecue red. Quite good.

3/24/2024 - eboracum Likes this wine:

I enjoyed this bottle more than the previous. Drunk with a tournedos, it showed more fruit and roundness than I recall or noted in the previous bottle and worked well as a pairing. Not the most elegant or complex champagne but good.

3/22/2024 - eboracum Likes this wine:

Luckily this turned out to be a good bottle. It was surprisingly fresh for its 31 years with a linear shape, a bit shy in aromas but well focussed with still some primary griotte cherry fruit, fine minerals, some underlying roundness and complexity, bright acidity and and decent firmness on the finish. I can see what the late Hubert de Montille's admirers mean by diamond like focus but I prefer more sensuality and graciousness in Burgundy. But this bottle, but not its predecessor, was very good though.

3/19/2024 - eboracum Likes this wine:

This wine maintains the high standard of previous vintages. It is perhaps a bit leaner and more acidic than my notes and memory of those years indicate but without side by side comparison it is hard to be sure. Moreishly delicious.

3/17/2024 - eboracum Likes this wine:

This was quite light in both colour and body but deliciously fragrant and elegant. Raspberry and griotte cherry notes are still there but in more etherial vein than I noted before with that fragrant sweet impression similar to unsugared Darjeeling tea and earthy and leathery notes more in the background. Still enough acidity and grip on the finish for balance. Very good.

3/8/2024 - eboracum Likes this wine:

I have found most '99s from the Médoc gracious and elegant in spite of a consensus which tended to dismiss them as light for early drinking. However, I was surprised that this bottle at close to 25 years was holding up so well. I can reproduce my TN from 2016 with very little editing. Open and quite complex aromatics with red fruit, summer flowers, a balsamic touch and a faint hints of varnish and cedar. Medium bodied, still traces of primary red fruit with the graciousness typical of the vintage, some secondary notes, silky texture and fresh acidity and some remains of tannic structure both enough for balance. No signs of decline in this bottle. Alas my last of a very rewarding stash of Poujeaux from the 90s. Very good.

3/7/2024 - eboracum wrote:

I think that this is leaner and less complex than the 2019 at a similar age and certainly less so than my last bottle of that vintage a few weeks ago. Nevertheless refreshing and enjoyable with pizza. This may develop in the medium term. Goodish now.

3/5/2024 - eboracum wrote:

This comes from a cooler vintage in most of France than its predecessors and this shows in less ripeness and rather more angular tannins and acidity. It would still be close to the standard of its predecessors but for an unwelcome hint of dry caramel from its élevage, which I guess was masked by the greater fullness in its predecessors. Quire good.

3/3/2024 - eboracum Likes this wine:

At Pic Saint-Loup, the French Mediterranean blend is usually Syrah dominated. Here, this shows in polished berry fruit and notes of peppery spice which grace this medium++ bodied wine together with decent acidity and tannic grip. I think this could open up and sing a bit more in a year or so. Good.

2/28/2024 - eboracum Likes this wine:

Good Vouvray at this estate. This one has the expected underlying gras with wax and quince notes with a touch more acidic edge and structure than the 2019. Good.

2/26/2024 - eboracum Likes this wine:

This is back in the mode of 2020 after a slightly more acidic 2021. Medium bodied, nicely fruited and spiced, smooth texture and enough acidity for balance. Good.

2/25/2024 - eboracum wrote:

I should have read my previous TN before choosing this wine to accompany a lamb dish with a sweetish sauce, which did no favours to the austere distinction which I previously noted. Furthermore I think a decant longer before the meal would have been beneficial. The impression today was lean and sky but there were glimpses of opening up by the last glass. I don't think the wine is in decline but care is needed with serving and pairing. Quite good as served.

2/22/2024 - eboracum wrote:

The 2020 was a delicious quaffing bottle enhanced by a certain elegance. This one was not quite so good having a certain raw edge to its fruit, unexpected from 2022. Quite good.

2/18/2024 - eboracum Likes this wine:

My bottles of this have been maddeningly variable. A bottle just over a year ago was excellent but is predecessor showed signs of premature age. This one was in between the two. At first, the sour cherry infused fruit was sharpened by varnish notes and the finish showed a touch of cabbage-like oxidation but both these elements receded as the wine opened up making for a very good drink but without the complexity and velvety texture of the best bottle.

2/19/2024 - eboracum Likes this wine:

This is a good robust generic CdR showing polished cherry infused fruit, smooth texture, good balancing acidity and grip on the finish. Good.

2/17/2024 - eboracum Likes this wine:

This wine (or my palate?) is back on form. I liked this just as the bottle last June. Good.

2/15/2024 - eboracum Likes this wine:

At first I found this rather crude and lacking in subtlety but it grew on me and I got to appreciate its bold flavours of nuts and honey with touches of caramel and vanilla but not in excess as with so many spirits. Good.

2/16/2024 - eboracum Likes this wine:

I enjoyed this more than the previous bottle. There was an underlying roundness which complemented the crisp citrus fruit and minerals very nicely. Good.

2/14/2024 - eboracum wrote:

From memory and TN I liked this less than the 2016. Fresh and lively, yes, but without much underlying gras and subtlety. Fair.

2/12/2024 - eboracum wrote:

This is medium bodied and smooth textured with quite pretty Mediterranean spice sprinkled fruit and decent acidity. It is easy drinking but at the limit of becoming bland. The price has roughly doubled since the outstanding QPR represented by the 2020 at c.€3! Quite good.

2/10/2024 - eboracum Likes this wine:

This is harmonious right-bank medium/full bodied claret showing attractive red berry fruit, some hints of liquorice, good depth and balancing acidity with a nicely long finish supported by firm but ripe tannic structure. Very good wine and exceptional QPR for GC Saint-Emilion at c.€15 a few years ago.

2/2/2024 - eboracum wrote:

The fad for spirits matured in casks previously used for other drinks has reached Calvados. In principle I am against introducing extraneous tastes into wines, spirits and tea, but it sometimes works. A 20+ year Calvados from Drouin matured in port casks, for example, where the extra generosity was positive. However, I felt that the iodine and smoky elements from the Islay casks clashed with the usually elegant fruit found in Dupont's Calvados. This is a shame because I love both Islay whisky and Dupont's Calvados, if they are allowed to express themselves in their own way. Not so disagreeable, though, that I won't finish the bottle.

1/25/2024 - eboracum Likes this wine:

This is a deliciously elegant quite young Calvados rather in the same style as Michèle Giard showing fine fruit, some underlying roundness and good grip and length. I will definitely buy more. Very good.

2/1/2024 - eboracum wrote:

Not very distinctive at first on the nose and palate but, rather surprisingly, it worked well with a very peppery and spicy rice dish which seems to bring out its lively and refreshing berry fruit and minerals. Quite good.

1/28/2024 - eboracum Likes this wine:

As usual from Aucoeur, good QPR at c.€8. This is a vigorous with plenty of savoury tinged fruit, some minerals and nicely tangy acidity and grip.
Good.

1/26/2024 - eboracum Likes this wine:

This Médoc château was previously unknown to me but I will buy more at its reasonable price of c.€9. It is a quite old fashioned robust style of claret with savoury tinged plum fruit, some earth, matt texture, good non-astringent acidity and grip without much perceptible sign of oak élevage. Good.

1/25/2024 - eboracum Likes this wine:

This is an entry level Syrah/Grenache blend from a well known Faugères estate. It is medium++ bodied, quite linear in shape with a polished texture to its sweet cherry infused fruit, hints of violet and liquorice, decent acidity and grip. Good.

1/22/2024 - eboracum Likes this wine:

IIRC this is the first time I have had a wine from Malepère, a Merlot dominated appellation from the Mediterranean/Atlantic watershed near Carcassonne. This had a profile which was closer to right bank Bordeaux than to the Mediterranean with suave bright fruit, silky texture and decent balancing acidity with an oaky patina which somewhat obscured any appellation typicity but was agreeable with a cedar cigar box tinge rather than vanilla or caramel. Good.

1/23/2024 - eboracum Likes this wine:

This is a robust and vigorous Cairanne with lots of sweetish cherry tinged fruit, earthy minerals, touches of spice and liquorice, decent acid balance and a firm finish. Good+.

1/21/2024 - eboracum Likes this wine:

My three bottles of this have been quite variable. This shows quite a lot of richness and complexity (cherry, leather and spice) with a refreshing varnish note which is, I think, less obtrusive than in the previous bottle. The wine slipped down graciously but I would have appreciated a bit more firmness on the finish. My best bottle was the first about 5 years ago, which had that. Still very good, though.

1/18/2024 - eboracum Likes this wine:

As usual, this is medium/light bodied, ripe but brightly fruited, gently mineral, smooth textured with lively acidity and decent grip on the finish. A very nice and quite elegant quaff. Good.

1/17/2024 - eboracum Likes this wine:

Without side by side comparison and relying only on my TNs, I think that this is more gracious and generous than the 2018, being fresh fruited with a certain underlying roundness which puts the acidity into better balance as well as slightly less obtrusive tannins. Good+ wine and good QPR at c.€7.