1/4/2024 - millej Likes this wine:

Dark ruby in color, rough, tannic, and unyielding on the palate. The steeliness reminds me a bit of young aglianico though nothing else about it does. On first pour it's impressive but not much fun to drink.

With 15 minutes in the glass the nose starts opening a little showing brambly fruit and the palate starts to transition from sandpaper to silk. There is a soft echo of something haunting and lovely on the finish.

On day 2 it's still dark and brooding but also deeper and more complex. Fruit is tending toward cherry.

On day 3 it has developed into something rather magnificent, an iron mine draped in silk with deep, dark cherry notes.

I suspect this is in a shut down phase and will benefit from more time. A moment while I consult my extensive experience with wines made from 100+ year old Prieto Picudo vines to either confirm or deny.
...
Nope I got nothing. Other than one more bottle which I'll hold for a while.

12/20/2023 - millej Likes this wine:

Such a lovely wine

Gentle spice and dusty berries

Just as good on day 2 but had started fading by day 2

12/18/2023 - millej Likes this wine:

Day 1 - somewhat tasty but a bit simple, sweet and monolithic
Day 2 - same as day 1
day 4 - this has opened into a gorgeously complex wine. The sweetness is still there but it’s completely different and much more enjoyable

12/7/2023 - millej wrote:

It’s shut down now. Don’t touch for a while. 12/23

Showing nothing but some astringent cranberry notes

6/10/2023 - millej Likes this wine:

Light,crisp and refreshing yet possessed of depth and joy.

5/14/2023 - millej Likes this wine:

Much more giving than my last bottle

No detailed notes this time around but powerful and delightful from the get go. Hold and drink.

4/15/2023 - millej Likes this wine:

After loving a 2017 version of this I went looking and bought 2 bottles of the 2014. Before delivery I read two TNs from people whose palates I respect who didn't like it.

Concerned, I decided it was best to open the first bottle by myself.

Soft and delicate mousse, intriguing nose. Mix of soft and sharp strawberry on the palate. Beautiful complexity. A slight harshness on the finish fades with air and eventually turns to granite. I found it mesmerizing, a bit like a beautiful modern kinetic sculpture.

So I put the other notes down to difference in Champagne palates.

On Day 2 it had died, turning into a sour and flavorless wine.

4/9/2023 - millej Likes this wine:

A more serene rendition of Calvados. Fresh hay and applesauce with a touch of caramel on the nose. The pears predominate on the palate. Luscious.

4/4/2023 - millej Likes this wine:

Again, like the Amontillado in this series, this Oloroso is very good but for me, overpriced for the quality.

Warm caramel and burnt orange. Quite luscious and if I'd paid half what I did I'd be very happy.

I'll continue to enjoy it (the bottle is holding up beautifully in the refrigerator) but I won't buy it again.

3/13/2023 - millej Likes this wine:

A really wonderful, complex nose.

On the palate ... a very good Sherry but not one that excited me. One of those cases where the price was an influencing factor as at half the cost I'd buy again but there are other Sherries I prefer at this price point.

Still looking forward to trying the other VORS Sherries in this series (the Pedro Domecq soleras).

2/24/2023 - millej Likes this wine:

I decided to reward myself for making it through a difficult week (only Thursday but I expect Friday to be relatively calm) and it didn't disappoint.

3 years after my last bottle this is starting to come into its own.

Beautiful nose, loam and ripe cherries on the palate. Has the harmonious purity and minerality which is the CRB trademark.

Only problem is that after 4 months of almost no alcohol a single glass put me to sleep. But it was a happy sleep.

1/29/2023 - millej Likes this wine:

Intense , fresh, floral nose, bright and bone dry on palate, lots of grapefruit. A joy to drink and a ridiculous bargain at the price.

Opened for our 29th Blind Zoom tasting

1/29/2023 - millej Likes this wine:

I've read that this vintage can be very variable and sometimes reductive.

Well I certainly lucked out then and this is a thrillingly beautiful mature Musar.

Soft and lovely nose, redolent of summer breezes. one of those noses where you keep going back, sighing in happiness, relaxing and smiling. Cinnamon and cherry liqueur on the palate. A touch of animale on both.

Opened for our 29th Blind Zoom tasting

12/4/2022 - millej Likes this wine:

Lovely, complex, melon and strawberry scented nose. Lightly ripe and complex palate showing melon, cucumber and berries. A wine to relax into and consider fondly. Just lovely.

9/10/2022 - millej Likes this wine:

After a *very* long week I opened a bottle of riesling to go with some roast chicken. Most of my wine was offsite due to a floor replacement but I saw a 2019 Selbach Oster in the fridge and grabbed it

I was amazed at how concentrated and vibrant it was. That is, until noticing I had accidentally pulled one of the Ur Alte Rebens I intended to hold for another decade.

Pretty great now so I have no regrets but if the 2012 is any guide it will be even better in 7+ years.

5/3/2022 - millej Likes this wine:

Finally had a chance to try this out.

Brilliant nose, melange of citrus, just a hint of brioche, some oyster shell

on the palate it is equally compelling, long, great acidity, some ripe peach. as good as it is now IMO it will benefit from another decade in bottle.

4/3/2022 - millej Likes this wine:

Light, pleasant, cranberry scented nose. More cranberry on the palate, mouth watering acidity. Maybe not the complex PN I've ever had but entirely yummy and food friendly which, as it happens, is exactly what I want with dinner.

1/7/2022 - millej Likes this wine:

Rich, tropical. Maybe a touch cloying? A good scheurebe but lacks the magic that HGS evoked from the grape.

12/26/2021 - millej wrote:

A thoroughly delightful old school Santa Cruz CA Cabernet. Pyrazines, I've missed you!

Lovely nose, red fruited, just the right amount of acidity, some herbal notes.

Perfectly mature now but no need to worry about it falling off the cliff any time soon.

Just as good the next day.

12/14/2021 - millej wrote:

On first pour it showed surprising lush, ripe fruit on the approach leading me to worry that the warm vintage had overpowered the wine, but on the long finish it gradually morphed into a classically lovely sangiovese profile.

This was for my Zoom blind wine group so I decanted it into 3 oz jars and hoped that some air and time would let it develop and bring it further into balance.

Instead what happed was it shut down completely. All that showed were tannins, acidity, and some cherry cough drop notes. This was consistent on day 2 but by day three the small pour I had left was beautiful.

So if you're opening one soon I guess I recommend pop and pour or a *lot* of air.

Personally, I'm waiting 5-10 years for my next one.

11/30/2021 - millej Likes this wine:

Have I mentioned before that Jay H is one of the most generous people in the history of mankind?

Knowing my love of Sherry he saved a pour from his bottle and made the long drive down here to drop it off. I kept thinking I should tell him not to go to so much trouble but that was balanced by really, really wanting to try this.

Hauntingly beautiful nose. I'm getting hazelnuts, caramel, orange peel and even hints of ginger on the long complex palate. It starts out lush and then as the richness slowly fades on the near endless finish it becomes an ethereal mist of flavor.

I was taken back to the dinner about 20? years ago where I had my first Gonzalez Byass anada - a '68 which Joe P brought. Jay H. was there, as was Greg T. and Jesus Barquin. It started a love affair which has had me spending a lot more on Sherry than I ever thought likely.

If this was any better 2 days ago (seems unlikely but who knows) I can only assume that all the dinner attendees floated home without need for automotive transport.

Jay - I owe you one.

9/12/2021 - millej Likes this wine:

electrifying acidity and amazing depth of fruit featuring ripe melon, hints of citrus, and a fair amount of honeyed botrytis.

A wow wine.

8/24/2021 - millej Likes this wine:

Given my previous experience I didn't want to risk opening another of these for friends so I decided to try a second to accompany some rack of lamb and spinach.

The cork was soaked through with leakage between the cork and the capsule. Again, a touch of the Durand's screw and the cork falls in.

But the wine could not be more different. Unlike the light elegant showing of the previous bottle this one (same source) was rich, complex, with exotic spices, blood and iron. Really good! With air some notes of orange peel emerge on the mid-palate. The finish is long and voluptuous.

I sort of wish I'd saved it for a special occasion but I'm enjoying it so much now that it's hard to feel much regret.

6/11/2021 - millej wrote:

I've been hearing great things about the Halcon syrahs so I was looking forward to this. Unfortunately this bottle at least did not live up to the hype.

Lactic on the nose, spirity and ripe on the palate. I was quite puzzled by the comparisons I've read to Gonon. I opened it as part of my monthly blind Zoom wine tasting group and everyone was surprised that I owned such a modern styled wine.

6/11/2021 - millej wrote:

I was very much looking forward to this but while it was still very good it was also unmistakably on the downslope. My last bottle of it (8 or 9 years ago) still showed very young so I wanted to give this plenty of time to peak.

Still a nice earthy, enjoyable syrah but did not live up to the promise of previous bottles.

6/11/2021 - millej wrote:

Aaargh! You store and care for a wine for years and then it turns on you.

Viciously corked bottle.

6/11/2021 - millej Likes this wine:

Beautiful smooth strawberry accented wine. Second time I've opened this blind for friends and second time everyone guessed Burgundy. Still probably my favorite Arcadian wine.

4/25/2021 - millej Likes this wine:

A wow nose. So rich, complex and developed. Amazing.

The palate is sweet but not overpoweringly so with a melange of citrus, pit fruit, a touch of petrol, a hint of savoriness, quite delicious. Glad I have one more of these.

4/7/2021 - millej Likes this wine:

My first bottle from the Berserkerday purchase and my first Halcon. I decided to get the grenache out of the way early on so I could focus on the more interesting wines (this is 80% grenache, 20% syrah).

Remarkably fresh dark cherry fruit on the nose. Long earthy dark raspberries on the palate. I struggle to hate this wine and thereby confirm my grape variety prejudices but enjoy it too much and eventually abandon the effort. The 11.2% alcohol prevents the intensity of flavor from becoming tiring until well into a third glass. A bit magnificent in its way.

If this is what they do with a grape I actively dislike I'm a little scared to try their 100% syrahs. Explains why I started to find it tiring.

Edited to add: I should have worn my glasses when reading the label. It's 14.2%

3/18/2021 - millej Likes this wine:

Opened after a corked 1979 La Dominique had to be discarded.

Right bank merlot fleshiness coupled with still impressive tannins. A bit like a really big, friendly dog who doesn't realize he's big and insists on jumping up and licking your face with a rough tongue. Impossible not to like even if you might wish he weighed a little less. Very good wine though it did turn a bit more austere with air.

1/22/2021 - millej wrote:

Opened while listening to Biden's inauguration speech.

Powerful Champagne, bright effervesence, tart appley. At first pour it's harsh and needs more time and/or air. I look forward to following this over the course of the day. It showed best from a Zalto Champagne glass which masked the harshness and emphasized the minerality.

Some lovely floral notes emerged over the course of the first hour.

A few hours later it's showing best from a Zalto Universal but still not expressing all that much. Disappointing.

Day 2: better but still pretty tightly wound. Impressively long finish.

Day 3: Finally!
This is a fantastic Champagne which obviously needs a lot of time. It now displays an explosive melding of huge rocks, chalk and sweet citrus fruit.
But rather than open my remaining bottles 2 days in advance I think I'll just let them sit for a few years.

1/12/2021 - millej Likes this wine:

Perfectly ripe pear with a touch of crispy apple

Long, warm, finish

Gorgeous calvados.

1/11/2021 - millej Does not like this wine:

Shows very young. I'm hoping that with more age it will integrate its oak as right now smooth oak notes are the predominant flavor. People who don't mind that might enjoy this but I could barely finish one glass.

This is no 1990.

12/31/2020 - millej Likes this wine:

A touch of the screw from the Durand and the cork falls into the bottle. I didn't have high hopes after that but luckily it's not dead.

Maybe not the greatest Magdelaine I've had but quite enjoyable. Starts with dusty plums and the with air a velvety texture and develops along with some red raspberry on the palate.

On the whole a lovely older claret and a very pleasant way to see out a notably unpleasant year.

Given the cork I can't say if the bottle is representative.

12/30/2020 - millej wrote:

a bit of fleshy fruit, a slight sour note. This reads as shut down to me. Not much interest at the moment.

12/17/2020 - millej Likes this wine:

What a lovely wine! Flamboyantly fruity and flavorful but with a clarity and lightness which makes it a joy to drink.

I had been a bit worried about how a higher pradikat wine in 2018 might show but my concerns were completely unfounded.

12/15/2020 - millej Likes this wine:

Very pretty nose! Floral and earthy.

On the palate it is long and savory with round red raspberry notes. The bright and noticeable acidity called out for food and a strip steak was a great match.

B+

11/16/2020 - millej wrote:

Pleasant enough. Good, fruit, recognizable as sangiovese. Lots of far less expensive Chiantis I'd rather drink.

Enjoyable with steak. Maybe it's the vintage that makes it so anonymous? I also ordered a 2006 to try in my search for some new Brunellos I'd like so I'll find out.

Edited to add: the 2006 was much better. drinking well now (6/2021) but will probably continue to improve.

10/14/2020 - millej Likes this wine:

This was good with interesting complexity on day one, though it demanded food to show well. On day two after sitting out for about 2 hours it's turned into the most delicious, velvety, liquified raspberry quartz I've ever had.

Continuing to develop slowly in 3 oz bottles. A week later it has some beautiful floral notes

9/20/2020 - millej Likes this wine:

This was the fifth bottle from a mixed lot of 1972 Alexis Lichine Clos Vougeot 375s. The first 4 were Meo, 2 were wonderful, 1 was corked, and one was madeirized.

This is the Pierre Engel bottling and it's quite different. Very pale color. Beautiful , captivating nose of underbrush and cherry. On opening palate is long and round on the entry but quite tart on the long finish. With air the tannins of the vintage show up in spades along with strong cherry notes. It's really demanding food at this point and a T Bone steak is an excellent match.

So great nose, good but given the performance of the Meo wines a bit disappointing on the palate.

9/3/2020 - millej Likes this wine:

Quite a joyous wine. A touch riper than the 2016 but still remarkably balanced.

8/18/2020 - millej wrote:

Despite being decanted into small bottles 10 hours earlier this needed time in the glass to open.
On opening some waxiness, some underripe peach, a touch heavy at this point but really some gorgeous richness
keeps getting better with air. beeswax and fresh linen with undertones of honeydew. Loved this, my WOTN

8/13/2020 - millej wrote:

After my first bottle I wasn't going to take a chance pouring this for anyone else so I had it with some lamb chops for dinner. Well, they could not have been more different. The beautiful bouquet the first bottle had was absent but it did not fall apart quickly either.
Closed nose, quite tannic, fruit leaning towards cherry, hard as nails. It softens a bit with air but even one day 2 it represents itself as one's worst fears of what a classic 1996 Barolo might taste like if opened at age 24. Hold. And then hold some more.

8/1/2020 - millej Likes this wine:

Tarter than the cot VV but also quite a lot more fun to drink at this point. Cranberry aspected but with some lovely underlying earthiness.

Very good but with a little less cranberry and a little more earth this could be a wow wine. Might balance out with age?

8/1/2020 - millej wrote:

Impressive concentration but rather rough at this point. I would not be at all surprised if this turned into something quite nice with age but it really reminds me more of young Cahors than of young Clos Roche Blanche so it's not really what I was looking for.

7/15/2020 - millej Likes this wine:

Opened for Bastille Day with some disappointing d'Artagnan Wagyu Flank steak and steamed broccolli.

textbook classic claret. Cassis? Check. Cedar? Check.

On first decanting the 1995 tannins still predominate but it gradually and steadily smooths out and is drinking very nicely at the 2 hour mark.

Enjoying this and happy to have a few more bottles.

7/8/2020 - millej Likes this wine:

This is more like it. Pure harmonious nose, pure velvety palate coating minerality with a long plummy finish. Young but delicious.

Lesson learned, for now drink and hold 2011s and 2014s. Hold on 2010s and 2013s.

6/26/2020 - millej Likes this wine:

Consumed as part of our second zoom blind wine tasting. I didn't take detailed notes.

Once someone else guessed right bank (my initial in retrospect silly guess was Graves) I quickly zeroed in on Magdelaine. But I was certain it was late 70s to mid 80s. This is an atypically early maturing Magdelaine, delicious to drink now but not one to hold for 20 years. Beautiful fruit to this medium bodied wine.

6/24/2020 - millej Likes this wine:

great nose loaded with earth and berry. palate is tart! cranberry and underripe raspberry. this starts to soften and round out a bit with air, developing attractive leathery notes but never quite gets there. Tasty with lamb chops but as it reminds of young 1998 Cot or young 2011 Pif both of which eventually became magical I'll hold off any any more bottles for a few years.

6/23/2020 - millej wrote:

Opened as part of our first blind zoom tasting from 3 oz glass bottle.

When I decanted this and poured it into the bottles it has a pure and beautiful nose and a tiny pour showed fruit redolent of raspberries.

Unfortunately when poured from the small glass bottles it has that really cheesy funky offputting nose you sometimes get with old Barolo. I kept hoping it would blow off but it didn't over the course of the Zoom call.

Quite good on the palate if you could get past the nose. Still tannic but a fine match with the steak and mushrooms I cooked to go with it. But disappointing overall and I'm not certain whether to serve my remaining bottle immediately after opening or give it a really long decant.

Purchased as part of the distributor close out about 20 years ago.