3/9/2024 - R J Lewis wrote:

Deep strawberry liquorice and blackcurrant aroma. Subtle spice. Fine ripe tannin, some grip. Higher but balanced alcohol. Long, interesting. No obvious new oak.

3/9/2024 - R J Lewis wrote:

Fine bright strawberry fruit aroma . Delicate palate, concentration, fine almost non existent tannin. Delicate, fresh, nice

3/9/2024 - R J Lewis wrote:

Amazing complex nose. Floral, waxy citrus fruit, salty sea breeze. Complex palate, iodine, maltiness, grapefruit. Salted preserved lemon finish.

3/9/2024 - R J Lewis wrote:

Classic, concentrated, ripe fruit.

3/9/2024 - R J Lewis wrote:

Delicious, balanced, red-fruited, good tannin mgmt. 14%

3/9/2024 - R J Lewis wrote:

Very pale colour, a bit more vibrant than the Via Nuova 2008. Light, delicate aroma - fine red cherry with dried flower, leaf. Shows some sweet spice too, perhaps from barrique. Smells less mature than Via Nuova 08 tasted at same time. Fresh palate - fine fruit still with some primary notes, alongside savoury. Super elegant, refined tannin. Could age for longer. In a nice balanced place. Very subtle and fine.

3/9/2024 - R J Lewis wrote:

The Sampler. Pale garnet. Amazing aromatics, lots of lifted tar, rose, dried red cherry, loads of wet leaf/forest, darker tobacco notes, complex and complete. Gorgeous, enveloping palate. Resolved tannins, still with grip. Fresh, elegant with a driving concentration. Super savoury finish. Wonderful mature, elegant Barolo.

10/20/2023 - R J Lewis wrote:

In great shape. Showing good tension and freshness along with the richer style you'd expect from region/producer/vintage.

12/2/2023 - R J Lewis wrote:

Fruit still fresh, but perhaps a touch faded as the alcohol really stuck out here. Still shows good pedigree, not over the hill.

12/1/2023 - R J Lewis wrote:

Dodgy cork. Wine fine. Rich dried plum and spice, high alcohol. Balanced and nicely integrated.

1/1/2024 - R J Lewis wrote:

Straight out of the bottle. Highly aromatic, showing deep dark cherry and notable game savouriness, some herbal notes, leafy, fresh. Palate is full with grippy tannin, moderately high alcohol (13.5%), acidity is fresh but not the dominant feature of the wine. Really hearty and delicious with a long finish.

11/18/2023 - R J Lewis wrote:

Good example of a Langhe Nebbiolo with character. Touch of spritz in this bottle which might unsettle some but I can live with. Lovely fruit - cherry showing savoury notes and a notable herbal mint/herbal aroma. Lovely fruit, dry but balanced tannin. Not life changing, but good.

8/13/2023 - R J Lewis wrote:

Definitely still in the youthful side with very firm tannins and a tightly would core. Nevertheless, not inaccesible now. Still very expressive, classic floral and earth notes, with a note of fennel coming through with air exposure. Serious and delicious Barolo.

8/8/2023 - R J Lewis wrote:

Striking aromas - to my mind they had more in common with high quality Clare/Eden Valley Riesling than Viognier. Taught, waxy, some kerosene. On the palate very clean and fine, though as the wine warmed up those developed notes just mean that the wine began to fall apart. Very pleasurable, a bit idiosyncratic, not for keeping much longer.

7/30/2023 - R J Lewis wrote:

This really delivered. Dark and ripe fruit, aromatic, touch of savoury/meat but still very youthful. Hedonistic and totally delicious.

8/9/2023 - R J Lewis wrote:

Delicious. Clear Cabernet herbaceous aromas. Needs air to fill out the mid palate and delicious saline notes come though to complement the dark fruits. Alcohol well balanced all the way through. Seamless feel. Not super concentrated, giving it immense drinkability.

7/29/2023 - R J Lewis wrote:

Excellent Pinot Gris. Aromatic, rounded creamy palate showing a beautiful degree of bottle age. Exceeded expectations.

7/7/2023 - R J Lewis wrote:

This was in a lovely place. Rounded fruit, just enough Cabernet leafy bite to it to retain freshness. A real sense of fruit purity came through, complemented by tertiary that became more pronounced with air. So much better than the first bottle I had several years ago. Drink now with no regrets, but doesn't feel like it's falling apart either.

1/14/2023 - R J Lewis wrote:

I had a previous bottle where the cork had clearly failed so the wine was very disappointing. This was a different story. Perfect cork, fresh as a daisy wine lime, subtle wax, balanced sweetness. Utterly joyous.

7/1/2023 - R J Lewis wrote:

Such an interesting and delicious wine. Initially just hits as you'd expect, with some nice leesiness and integrated oak, mid-weight wine with no surprises. But my experience with this wine, with this bottle as with others before it, is that with air it unfurls, showing some floral notes and a saltiness that you can also find in the Spatburgunder from this vineyard. I'm glad the Knipsers make this wine.

5/13/2023 - R J Lewis wrote:

Brought as a BYOB. Fully expecting it to be over the hill/faulty.

Fantastic wine. Still showing loads of sweet fruit. Deep ruby-garnet colour. Resolved tannins. Deep deep flavour, utterly delicious. Perhaps lacking a touch of tension and acidity, but wonderfully hedonistic and paired amazingly well with the beef rib. Didn't feel like it was tiring, but in a good place now.

5/9/2023 - R J Lewis wrote:

Tasty and enjoyable though rather oxidative with broad flavours and lacking freshness and tension.

4/13/2023 - R J Lewis wrote:

Sample poured from Coravin at 67 Pall Mall.

Youthful colour.
N: Very aromatic. Dominant in floral aromas and the smell of new oak barrels (vanillin, strangely also ripe banana). Almost a heady, bourbon-like aroma here. This gives way to some earthiness and cherry fruit that flips between fresh and dried.
P: classic drying tannins, very firm. Palate shows much more depth, with meat, tea, tar rather than the oak of the nose. Full bodied. Very very long finish where all the elements come together. Undoubtedly modernist in approach, but full of nuance too. In its drinking window but no rush to drink up here.

3/24/2023 - R J Lewis wrote:

Yes yes. Open, rounded ripe attractive aromatics. Touch if dust, but mostly ripe strawberry, hint of strawberry lace character. Some sweet spices. Full palate. You do feel the high abv (15%) but tonnes of flavour here too. Tannin is high but ripe, no greenness or astringency. Deep mid palate belying maybe the incluaion of the crus this year. Long finish. Super.

12/3/2022 - R J Lewis wrote:

Highly aromatic, showing vanillin, lemon juice, crisp green apple, some wax, cream.
High mouthwatering acidity, moderate alcohol, fine tense structure, medium bodied, some steely minerality, high concentration of flavour. Unlike the nose, the oak character comes through on the finish after the burst of Riesling typicity. Finishes rounded, nutty and spicy (nutmeg/cinnamon).

High quality, delicious wine. Perhaps not for purists. Can definitely age for longer in bottle, easily 5+ years.

10/22/2022 - R J Lewis wrote:

Clear pale garnet colour.

N: M+ aromatics. Definite Nebbiolo typicity here. Rose, well-defined ripe red cherry, some old wolrd-style dusty character too, touch of herbal. Some sense of warmth, but it's subtle.
P: Tannins don't have the edge of even Langhe Nebbiolo, but they are there, I'd say medium + and sandy texture. Acidity is fresh, not searing. There is a notable bitterness - personal tolerance will dictate how one interprets this. Though at first it's quite pronounced, the fruit catches up and it balances out. Some savouriness here too - smokey bacon. Ends refreshing, with some sweet fruit, maybe a hint of sweetness. The producer says raw cacao and I can see this.

A great effort for Aussie Nebbiolo. More elegant and expressive than other examples I've tried.

10/8/2022 - R J Lewis wrote:

Medium lemon colour.

N: highly aromatic, still showing fresh lemon juice, wax, ripe nectarine stone fruit. Certainly underlying sweet spice here but plays second fiddle to the developing fruit.
P: Still quitr tight on the palate. Recognisably Viognier with rich, broad fruit and a strong broad fruit finish. Quite complex, with layers of flavour. Showing richer tropical fruit and sweet spice with air.

The question is - has it benefitted from ageing? There is definitely development, showing less floral notes and more rich waxy notes. As Cuilleron's oaked cuvee, I imagine that this shows much more integration of sweet spice - they really play a supporting role here, though shows more with a bit of air. The fruit is still very fresh though tropical. You would get more vibrancy younger I'm sure, but this is far from dead and can develop further if you like even broader richer flavours.

9/21/2022 - R J Lewis wrote:

N: leaps out of the glass, very pronounced Ripe, defined pur Pinot fruit, still notable oak spice.
P: very concentrated, so much fruit here that is yet to fully resolve with the oak. But the oak is well-handled and doesn't dominate. Very long, with smoke on the finish. Layered.

9/21/2022 - R J Lewis wrote:

Gorgeous nose. Fresh starberry with a wild edge, rose, dried flowers, mushroom showing some development.
Powerful palate, tannin M(+). High concrentation with lovely earthy/irony-like drive. Tight tannin showing its youth.

9/21/2022 - R J Lewis wrote:

N: lots of mineral power, wax, savoury, flint, rocks, animal fur.
P: Tight texture, grippy, integrated high acid. Young. Hint of cream.

9/21/2022 - R J Lewis wrote:

Powerful smoke/flint with leafy/herbaceous. Very fine texture with some grip. Good.

9/21/2022 - R J Lewis wrote:

Light, mineral. Fresh acid. SUbtle herbal/spice note.

9/21/2022 - R J Lewis wrote:

N: neutral, yellow fruit, yellow plum.
P: vanilla oak, touch of wax, lemon. Mid-weight.

9/21/2022 - R J Lewis wrote:

Very aromatic, showing fresh red fruit, marine aromas, some herbaceousness. Palate very concentrated, alcohol well-handled. Much more fresh cranberry and strawberry than showed on nose. Very long. M+ acidity.

9/21/2022 - R J Lewis wrote:

N: tight, tense. Very delicate and defined with floral, showing some pastry with air.
P: Powerful, vinous core. Fresh ripe red and yellow apple with subtle cream and pastry notes. Concentration is immense and subtle at the same time. Oyster shell. Amazing balance.

9/21/2022 - R J Lewis wrote:

Nose is delicate, almost neutral. Palate very drying, austere, not much fruit. Very acidic finish, but some purity/defintion on mid palate.

9/21/2022 - R J Lewis wrote:

Crisp green apple and brioche nose. Palate shows mushroom, savoury, dry but good balance with some development.

9/21/2022 - R J Lewis wrote:

Biscuity nose. Very vinous. Lots of freshness and with mineral drive. Long, focused.

7/2/2022 - R J Lewis wrote:

Pale lemon colour. Medium intensity aroma, with defined lemon juice, white peach, a touch of light smoke/flint/stoniness.

Bone dry, medium to light body. Crisp acidity - quite mouthwatering. Moderate alcohol (13%). Some creaminess on the palate indicating MLF. Medium (+) finish, showing more defined cream and mineral. No evident new oak character. Complexity from lees and cream.

Though a lighter style with moderate intensity, this is a lovely wine. Delicious crisp fruit with subtle complexity. Relaxed, unshowy, and authentic.

6/19/2022 - R J Lewis wrote:

Drunk over 2 days.

Darker/garnet colour.
Bit mute on opening. Darker/savoury profile, mixed with bright sour dark cherry. Really notable savoury note here too. Woody, not in a new-oak-sweetness way, but in a tree-bark way. Confirmed on palate, pleasing bitter woodiness, maybe remininscent of vermouth/aromatised wine/Campari bitters - flashes of Negroni. Medium bodied profile, very savoury, drinkable soulful wine. Woodiness made me question if there was more whole bunch here (website says max. 5% in the blend, from a 100% whole bunch fermentation vinified seperately).
So very different to many Oregon PNs I've tried. Such restrained fruit, but the fruit is there and it's delicious. This isn't a wine to impress, it's a wine to come around to.

5/27/2022 - R J Lewis wrote:

A sodden, soggy cork that required some surgery with a wine thief. However, a beautifully fresh wine, with a vivid pale orange colour. Such vibrant fruit, with fresh marmalade, vivid acidity. Quite amazing how youthful this felt.

5/21/2022 - R J Lewis wrote:

Vibrant darker ruby colour.

Highly aromatic, with aromatic, defined dark cherry, some floral lift. Leafiness comes through with air. Some oak spice (clove)
Quite full on the palate with moderate alcohol (13%), fresh elevated acidity. Notable lactic flavour, leading from the dark cherry fruit into more developed notes of earth, dried leaf, slightly musty note, also with a minty lift too. Quite highly concentrated, on the full-bodied side. Tannins are moderate and very fine. Moderate finish, with some complexity. High quality wine, not the most elegant, but showing a full, immediate side of CdN. Will hold and develop more savoury for long (3-4 years), but perhaps better to enjoy now for the fruit/savoury balance.

Really nice bottle of Burgundy that doesn't disappoint.

5/13/2022 - R J Lewis wrote:

Only 10.5% abv.

Very pale colour. Light ripe strawberry flavour, with sour acidity and slightly musty/dusty character. Like a sour fruit beer. Fun, smashable wine but not particularly compelling.

4/24/2022 - R J Lewis wrote:

Pale gold colour. Med (+) nose, ripe tropical, apple, papaya with vanilla. Palate is med (+) intensity/body, warming alcohol, rounded. Acidity only moderate. No mineral/crystalline element. Reasonable finish. Very good, highly enjoyable glass of white Burg, not exceptional.

4/15/2022 - R J Lewis wrote:

From a 37.5cl.

Pronounced aromas of green apple, apple skin, lemon juice, attractive sour cream/cream cheese note, with waxy, straw, macadamia nut development. Bracing acidity which prolongs the compex, gorgeous finish that goes from steel to cream. Excellent wines. Lacks the concentration and depth of a Grand Cru, but this is great Chablis, showing its pedigree with a bit of age. Yum.

13% abv
Long temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts. Spontaneous malolactic conversion.
Matured for 12-16 months in stainless steel with minimal handling.
Long, cool stablisation. Fining if necessary, gentle filtration before bottling.

4/10/2022 - R J Lewis wrote:

Lifted spice and herbal aroma with defined black cherry fruit - really, like fresh crunchy black cherry. 'Bouncy' slightly volatile acidity on palate, but in-check with the fruit and balance of the wine. Moderate length. Bit of grip on palate. Quite a bit of texture and depth. Herbal/spice notes, more complex than is obvious on first sip. Nice.

4/9/2022 - R J Lewis wrote:

Pale lemon with green hints.
N: Semi-aromatic with floral honeysuckle, citrus, waxed lemon.
P: high alcohol (14%), medium acidity, full-bodied, slightly oily/waxy texture with a touch of pleasant bitterness. Honey/wax indicating bottle age. Moderately complex, long finish with sweet spice flavour.

(60% Marsanne, 40% Roussanne, Fermentation in stainless steel with indigenous yeast, portion of wine is racked into 1-7 times used barrels, natural malolactic fermentation, blending one month before bottling)

5/19/2021 - R J Lewis wrote:

N: very fine nose, blackcurrant, herbal, tobacco, cedar.
P: firm tannin, austere, high alcohol, rich fruit.

5/19/2021 - R J Lewis wrote:

Polish-like aroma. Nice fruit, tight tannin, young.

5/19/2021 - R J Lewis wrote:

Liftes aroma, fruit-driven, cherry, plummy. Chewy palate.