12/3/2023 - WojteG Likes this wine:

I had this wine last March. Let's see if my impression is any different. I will write my notes on paper and compare them with March review.
3 hours in the decanter
🕙⏰🕐
Very strong, sweet aromas of black cherry, plum, raisins, figs, black tea, but also sweet spices, forest and balsamic vinegar ( interesting). There is much more, but I have a problem to name them. Definitely everything is on the sweet side. Anyway - incredible, powerful, complex smell.
Taste? Sh¢π×t! It's very complex! I don't know how to start.
Taste has a sweet profile also, but with one exemption: balsamic, red currant and strawberry notes in long finish are mixed with black pepper, vivid acidity and grainy tannins. And this is a great counterbalance to black cherry, plum, raisins, figs. Black tea is everywhere. When you read it you would think - there is chaos everywhere, but it's not.
Nice structure, nice balance, nice harmony.

Let's compare this review with the March review.
Sweet aromas of black cherry and black tea, but I didn't detect all other aromas like barnyard, earth, menthol or eucalyptus.
Hmmm...🤔
Taste? Here and there: blackberry, tea and black pepper. No cinnamon or chilly ( were they mistaken for balsamic vinegar? Or reverse?)

W&S Mag - 93
RP - 93

12/16/2022 - vaenoke Likes this wine:

Pale gold to medium straw colour. Very clear, unoxidised look. Nose has light green gooseberry, herb character and light lemon and grapefruit peel. Nose replicated in the taste, adding gravelly minerality, light nuttiness rounded by a very light creamy touch. Light body, high acid, slightly oily mouthfeel, long finish. Excellent and probably still developing.

10/2/2021 - Henman Likes this wine:

Ripe red berries with spicy oak on the nose. Medium bodied, supple and smooth, showing ripe, sweetish lingon- and cranberries with some spicy oak, decent acidity and gentle tannins. Very nice basic pinot with great value.

10/22/2021 - Henman Likes this wine:

From a 375ml bottle that was popped 3 hours prior to pouring and tasting. Vibrant and complex nose of ripe dark fruit, mint, herbs, minerals. Full bodied, robust, concentrated, delivering ripe dark fruit with notes of herbs, mineral, tar, mint and some volatile nail polish. Firm and grippy tannins. The flavors kept changing during one hour of tasting. Quite a powerhouse of wine that is still very youthful. Can hold for decades.

10/30/2020 - Henman Likes this wine:

Popped from a 375ml bottle. Expressive nose of passionfruit and gooseberry. Medium to full bodied, dry, rather fruity, delivering balanced flavors of passionfruit, grapefruit and gooseberries with decent acidity. Very good.

5/9/2019 - Henman Likes this wine:

Subtle black currant on the nose. Medium bodied, dry and crispy, showing discreet black currant/cassis with firm acidity. This is a bit lighter than the black label version I had a couple of days ago. Quite elegant. Had a taste at the winery.

11/28/2018 - Henman wrote:

From a half bottle. Spicy oak and subtle fruit on the nose. Light to medium bodied, smooth and gentle tannins, delivering subtle spicy oak and discreet cherries. Easy drinking juice.

8/23/2014 - Henman wrote:

Mineral and little sulphur nose that blew away after some airtime. Dry, balanced, subtle fruit, a bit chalky. Tight and good.

10/7/2015 - forceberry wrote:

Dark, concentrated and quite opaque blackish red color. Rich, complex and surprisingly perfumed nose with extracted aromas of dark, concentrated fruits, fragrant floral tones, ripe blackberries and other dark fruits, a little bit of toasty oak spice and a lifted hint of sweet VA. The wine is dense, concentrated and quite powerful with opulent flavors of ripe plummy fruits, sweet blackberries, some sunny red fruit, a little bit of peppery spices and bitterness, light oaky notes of sweet toasted wood and a hint of vanilla. The acidity feels medium, making the mouthfeel rather smooth, yet the wine really doesn't taste soft or flabby due to the firm and grippy - yet not aggressive - tannins. The finish is long, bitter and quite mouth-drying with firm, grippy tannins and rich flavors of very ripe blackberries, succulent plummy fruit, some peppery spice, a little bit of sweet figs and a hint of rich, somewhat chocolatey oak.

A big and concentrated powerhouse of a wine, which is pretty typical for Barossa Valley Shiraz. However, it is notable how surprisingly balanced and enjoyable this wine is for one that is so big, bold and modest in acidity. This is definitely a weighty wine with a lot of substance, but still it doesn't feel over-extracted and the oak use feels quite judicious in relation to the fruit. Not really a wine for my taste, but it's pretty obvious that this is a well-made Barossa Shiraz in any case. If you're a fan of powerful new world fruit bombs, add a handful of points to my rating.

8/25/2018 - Henman wrote:

Almost overripe dark fruit on the nose. Medium to full bodied, showing loads of dark ripe fruit, perhaps a bit jammy, and a matured aspect on the palate. Incredibly youthful still. A great quaffer.

8/26/2017 - Henman wrote:

Tropical and yellow fruit on the nose. A bit fading yellow fruit with lean acidity on the palate. Good stuff that improved with little airtime.

4/7/2018 - Henman wrote:

Overpriced champagne. Medium bodied, rather dry, refreshing acidity and mousse, showing unfocused yellow fruit with vibrant toasty notes. It feels very ordinary. Many cavas are better and cheaper. From a piccolo at Ursula.

4/5/2018 - Henman Likes this wine:

Aired in the glass more than 1/2 hour. Subtle nose of dark fruit, funk and spice/licorice. Medium bodied, very smooth with silky tannins, showing subtle and elegant flavors of mellow dark fruit and minty notes. Very balanced and poised with a nicely matured aspect. In a perfect spot. Yummy!

2/8/2018 - Henman Likes this wine:

From a half bottle. Subtle nose of ripe red berries. Medium bodied, supple and juicy with silky tannins, showing vibrant ripe red berries (lingon- and cranberries) with beautiful acidic structure and good balance. Felt more monolithic than previous vintages. Very good though.

10/20/2017 - Viinigubbe wrote:

Old fashioned french wine like. Pretty decent but not perfect. Nice flavours and scent. Roundness could be better.

5/6/2017 - Henman Likes this wine:

Ripe dark plummy fruit on the nose. Medium bodied with robust tannins, showing some dark plummy fruit with a hint of oak and good dusty bite on the finish. A solid food wine. Nice value.

4/1/2017 - Henman Likes this wine:

From a half bottle. Dark plummy fruit on the nose. Medium bodied, rather smooth, showing juicy dark fruit with a nice, firm tannins and a bit of licorice on the finish. Always a solid quaffer.

6/21/2017 - forceberry wrote:

Remarkably youthful, luminous cherry red color. Ripe, slightly developed nose with aromas of sweet red cherries, some vanilla, a little bit of dill, an umami hint of beef consommé and a touch of dried blackcurrant. Medium-bodied, lively and remarkably youthful on the palate with flavors of ripe red cherries, some sour cherries, a little bit of tart dark berries, a hint of chocolate, a touch of peppery spice and a delicate nuance of vanilla. Juicy and silky mouthfeel that is held together by moderately high acidity and quite noticeable tannins that pack good bite. The finish is medium-long and quite vibrant with juicy flavors of ripe cherries, some vanilla, a little bit of sweet dark plums and a hint of slightly bitter oak spice.

An enjoyable, ripe and fruit Rioja Gran Reserva that is in no possible way 28 years old. No bloody way. Drinking more like an 8-year old Rioja Gran Reserva. Pretty nice, albeit somewhat one-dimensional stuff that drinks nicely on its own and with a wide variety of main courses, but offers no mature wine qualities whatsoever. I highly doubt that this wine actually is what the label tells us. Not worth the 49,50€.

6/3/2017 - forceberry wrote:

Surprisingly youthful appearance: very dark and even slightly purple cherry color that allows only the slightest amount of light shine through. Quite youthful and somewhat oaky yet very complex and attractive nose of peppery spice, sweet red cherry, some sweet toasted oak, a little bit of vanilla, a perfumed hint of orchard flowers and a touch of dill. Noticeably tightly-knit, textural and concentrated on the palate with extracted flavors of sweet, ripe cherry-driven fruit, vanilla oak, peppery spice, some plummy dark fruit, a little bit of dill and a hint of mineral brightness. The structure here is quite impressive with moderately high and lively acidity and firm, grippy tannins. The finish is very long with a slightest hint of bitterness that offsets nicely the sweetness from the ripe fruit and vanilla oak. There are intense flavors of peppercorns, Christmas spices, vanilla, some strawberry jam, a little bit of dark plummy fruit, a hint of stony minerality and a touch of dill. The aftertaste is very slightly warm (13,5% alc) and rather grippy from the firm tannins.

A wonderful Ardanza that is still in dire need of cellar age; even at the age of 12 years the wine feels very youthful, almost primary. Compared to the Reserva Especial 2001, this wine felt less sweet and less oaky with more emphasis on the savory, textural flavors and impressive tannic structure. Most likely this wine won't take as much aging as some Ardanzas to integrate its vanilla oak with the fruit, but I'd let the wine age for at least 10-15 years more. A wonderful, classic example of the traditional, American oak-aged Rioja Reserva style.

11/3/2016 - Henman Likes this wine:

On the nose vibrant blackberries, blueberries and a whiff of vanilla. Full bodied with almost no tannic grip, showing still rather dense ripe dark fruit with a lot of heat pushing through. A bit austere on the finish from the heat. This wine is so over hyped. More like a ruby port with low tannins. It is over the hill already since the heat started to overwhelm the fruit. Maybe it was better when young, I don´t know. But hey, it is much cheaper to buy a ruby or LBV port than this over priced stuff.

1/4/2015 - forceberry wrote:

A blend of Grenache (60%), Syrah (32%), Cinsaut (4%) and Mourvèdre (4%). Aged for 15-18 months in 225-liter bariques, 600-liter casks and very large foudres before bottling. Bottled with minimal sulfites (50 mg/l).

Translucent, dark cherry red color with a slightly violet hue. Very elegant and sophisticated nose with ripe, complex aromas of plummy dark fruit, Grenache strawberry, some oak aromatics of vanilla, clove and allspice, a little dark berry marmalade, a hint of meaty notes and a whiff of floral nuances. The palate is full-bodied, opulent and super-juicy with intense flavors of dark fruits, ripe dark berries, peppery spice probably from both Syrah and oak, a little leather and a hint of sweet, ripe strawberry. The mouthfeel is really silky, but not without nice, balanced acidity and firm, slowly gripping ripe tannins. The long finish follows the midpalate verbatim and it leaves notes of bitter spices, allspice, some savory wood and a little sweet pruney fruit in the aftertaste.

A really lovely, balanced GSM full of elegance and focus. The wine has started to exhibit some hints of matureity, but even at close to 8 years of age, the wine seems to be holding really well and I can imagine it will still develop for a few years in the cellar and hold for a lot more. Probably peaking around 10-15 years from the vintage. At 39,90€ the wine feels a bit expensive, but with its aged complexity I can admit that the wine is priced according to its quality. Delicious stuff.

8/27/2016 - Henman wrote:

Subtle dark fruit, funk and leather on the nose. Medium bodied, smooth, resolving tannins, ripe dark fruit with nice leather and tobacco notes. Good complexity. Very enjoyable.

1/19/2013 - Henman wrote:

Vibrant nose of rancio, minerals and some toffee. Full bodied and sweet on the palate, delivering rancio and mineral flavors, dried fruit, toffee, nutty notes with lenient and firm acidity. Solid and good stuff.

2/26/2015 - Henman wrote:

Bought in Hua Hin where it is quite difficult to find decent wines to good prices. This is a blend of Chardonnay and Malika. Some yellow fruit on the nose. Medium to full bodied,dry, delivering round yellow fruit with a dominant resiny, perhaps slightly oxidative note. Some chemical or minerally aspect as well. Felt a bit generic and odd.

9/6/2012 - Henman wrote:

The nose delivered a pleasant mix of herbs and some spices.Cinnamon in the fore. Very nice smell. On the palate medium bodied, very smooth succulent dark and red fruit wrapped in a silky sheet of herbs and spices. Rather gentle but firm tannic grip. Wow ,this was delicious! The oak influence is of course obvious, and I am allergic to overoaked wines, but here it is singing beautifully. A unique wine, no doubt. Reminds of northern rhone, with a little extra spice. Yummy !

9/5/2013 - Henman wrote:

Subtle floral notes on the nose. Alcoholic "off-dry" , reticent floral notes with some heat on the finish. Tried it with sushi. I don't think sake is really my cup of tea. Simply too alcoholic.

6/20/2013 - Henman wrote:

At winery tasting. Quite full bodied with notes of earth, oak and vibrant acidity. Very good.