5/1/2024 - Matt T wrote:

From a 375 and consistent with prior notes. This is just starting to be ready. This is a big wine with a lot of fruit, but is restrained and elegant. There is a wall of fine tannin here that is still breaking down. No doubt, a classic wine that is likely to continue to improve.

4/13/2024 - Matt T wrote:

I have opened a number of these and this was the best by far. High acid, firm tannin. Lots of cherry notes and good complexity.

3/15/2024 - Matt T wrote:

This has classic Boal character. Medium-bodied with relatively high acid and a long finish. Improved over a month. This is a great wine.

2/24/2024 - Matt T wrote:

Electric acid. This has an almost excess of tropical fruit. Very long on the finish as well. Still tightly coiled with many years ahead.

2/3/2024 - Matt T wrote:

Beautiful wine with many years left. Perfect color and fill. Opened pretty immediately with classic California cabernet notes. Good balance and some elegance.

1/31/2024 - Matt T wrote:

This is a bit below average in quality. Drinkable, but not great.

1/12/2024 - Matt T wrote:

Consistent. This has amazing concentration and excellent acidic balance. Everything is big here: nose, acid, fruit, caramel, finish.

12/24/2023 - Matt T wrote:

This is really excellent champagne for the price. Full-bodied and friendly with good complexity. Maybe not quite as nuanced or ageworthy as Dom 08, but trades for about two thirds to half the price.

1/7/2024 - Matt T wrote:

Decanted about two to three hours before serving. Really pleasant nose upon opening. A bit of a rustic profile with some minerals, mint, and cherry. Fruit is muted at the moment by tannins. Probably something to hold, but seems like this has somewhat limited upside and will only go a point or two higher.

1/1/2024 - Matt T wrote:

This continues to show well. More mineral and linear profile than the 2012, and ever so slightly more finesse. Showing slightly more closed than the 2012 right now, but both are brilliant wines.

12/30/2023 - Matt T wrote:

Badly corked. Perfect storage, but off the charts TCA.

12/25/2023 - Matt T wrote:

Very nice right bank wine. Opened four hours ahead of time and decanted for about two hours. Moderate complexity. Started off showing some ripe fruit and then developed some secondary notes of cocoa and oak. Tannins seem pretty resolved, but seems likely to last another 5-10 years.

12/22/2023 - Matt T wrote:

I gave this about a week before providing a note. Very pleasant nose and a medium to long finish. This shows as a pretty typical Malvasia. Not quite the level of concentration and depth of other ancients, but still a very nice wine. The acid also is slightly screechy, so we will see if it smooths out over the next few weeks. It did smooth out over the course of four months, but I still think the original score was correct.

12/1/2023 - Matt T wrote:

Improved significantly from night one to two night two. Perfectly integrated fruit with that unmistakable bell pepper/savory note from left bank Bordeaux. Medium to long finish. A little time left, but don’t wait too much longer with this bottle.

11/9/2023 - Matt T wrote:

This bottle was originally bottled in the 1970s and then rebottled in 2009 with a JNV selo still present. Over 60 years in cask with about another 50 years or so in glass. Dark and concentrated. This shows Sercial typicity with some lemon and a lot of acid. Beautiful nose. Powerful, serious wine. Somehow even better when a few drops are left to evaporate in the glass overnight in my home office and fill the room all day with that sweet, lemon and orange scent.

10/23/2023 - Matt T wrote:

This is excellent. Perfectly integrated fruit on a medium to long finish.

10/22/2023 - Matt T wrote:

This is in a great spot. Tannins have integrated and this is a lush, hedonistic St. Julien. Good acid and complexity on a medium to long finish.

9/27/2023 - Matt T wrote:

This improved substantially after being open for a couple weeks. Walnuts, brown sugar, and a bit of citrus. What really distinguishes this is the deep, smooth acidic cut and long finish. This was good to very good upon opening, but this wine proves, once again, that old Madeira thrives with air.

9/22/2023 - Matt T wrote:

Held since release. Impressive, modern take on Bordeaux. Smooth and well-balanced. No rough edges here, but still seems slightly reticent. Fine to open now. Even better on day two (increased one point).

9/1/2023 - Matt T wrote:

Superb showing. This has it all. Fruit, fine bubbles. Elegant and long. Still somewhat tightly coiled. Everything I want in a champagne.

8/27/2023 - Matt T wrote:

Had several bottles of this from original release, but this bottle came via the Rare Wine Company five years ago (and has been perfectly cellared since). Cork did not indicate any heat damage, but this had a slight brown edge to it, indicating some oxidation. Raisiny, stewed fruit note. Elegance and structure underneath the porty, raisin. Not undrinkable, but disappointing.

8/16/2023 - Matt T wrote:

Last note was ten years ago. Perfect cork. Tannins have resolved nicely and this is super smooth. Very elegant for a petite. A few more years left, but this is at peak now.

7/20/2023 - Matt T wrote:

Very concentrated with an impressive nose. This has tense acid and a long finish, but seems to lack some of the more characteristic notes of boal. The fruit seems to be somewhat missing here. Reminiscent of the 1908 which was even more jarringly concentrated and acidic than this. Improved with more air over the course of two months.

6/29/2023 - Matt T wrote:

This improved substantially after being open for a little over a week. This has brown sugar, malt, and a nutty note. Acid is there, but not overpowering. This bottle showed an improved finish. Not close to the concentration or complexity you are going to get with something with much more time in cask, but still a very good effort. Awesome pairing with nuts. After several more weeks, this just continued to improve.

6/15/2023 - Matt T wrote:

Interesting that this bottle had a cork showing potential evidence of leakage and heat damage after my prior bottles from the same lot were in pristine condition. Good fill and color. Very smooth with some notes of tobacco, blackberry, and chocolate. Slightly more muted than prior bottles, this was more in the range of 93-94 points than other examples in the 95-97 point range.

6/2/2023 - Matt T wrote:

Really high quality for the price. Showed even better on the second night. Acid-driven profile with a fair amount of elegance. Medium length finish. Very well done.

5/28/2023 - Matt T wrote:

Evidence of leakage and possible heat damage, but a nice dark color. Very reticent for the first half hour and then this started to unfold with burly tannins, tobacco, and dark fruit (in that order). Tannins seemed to integrate on day two and this presented as a bit smoother, but the fruit also receded a note. Overall, this is very big and very structured. This may last another 10-15 years, but seems unlikely to improve.

5/19/2023 - Matt T wrote:

This was very acidic and primary upon opening. I enjoyed it much more after a couple days in the fridge. This is a powerhouse of concentrated fruit and acid. Really exciting stuff.

5/3/2023 - Matt T wrote:

Very impressive. Some of the signature mineral elements of Cayuse, but this showed a fair amount of refinement as well. Seems to be at peak with several more years to go.

4/24/2023 - Matt T wrote:

Stellar nose. Has a bit of a muddy color. Super concentrated with lots of acid, salt, prunes, caramel, and chocolate on a very long finish. Doesn’t get much better than this. Bottle appears to be from the early 2000s.

4/19/2023 - Matt T wrote:

Last of a group. Very nice wine that has aged well. Starting to show some oxidative notes. Great complexity, smooth, rich dark cherry with a long finish.

4/16/2023 - Matt T wrote:

Agree with others that this is still in good shape. A bit of sweet oak, cherry pie, and a slight menthol or green bell pepper note. Solid and ageworthy, but not spectacular.

4/9/2023 - Matt T wrote:

Stored since release. Perfect cork. Middle aged with few signs of oxidation. Dark purple, holds the alcohol well. Dense with notes of raspberry liqueur, blueberry, and vanilla. Medium to long finish. Great example of this high octane style of Syrah.

4/2/2023 - Matt T wrote:

Leak, which was not apparent until I took off the capsule. Not sure if it was heat damaged and prematurely oxidized or corked as well, but this was musty and mushroomy.

3/30/2023 - Matt T wrote:

Impressive. This held up surprisingly well with the fruit mostly intact. A bit of dark fruit and a medium length finish. May last a few years more.

3/30/2023 - Matt T wrote:

Wonderful nose. Really nice fill on this. A fairly light color, but no evidence of bricking. Fading a bit, but still showing fruit with a long, elegant finish.

3/5/2023 - Matt T wrote:

This was stored since release and had a perfect cork. Popped and poured and this seemed very mature. A lot of bacon, bbq, and a bit of stewed fruit. This was opulent and frankly a bit raisiny. Good complexity and appreciated by the company, but I think I have moved on to a different style.

2/10/2023 - Matt T wrote:

Enjoyed over the course of about four months. This is an excellent, ancient Madeira. This is very sweet, but balanced with very high acid. This bottle was bottled in the mid-1970s and appears to have held up perfectly.

1/21/2023 - Matt T wrote:

Badly corked.

1/14/2023 - Matt T wrote:

From a 375. Consistent with prior notes. Opened for an hour and then a two to three hour decant. Excellent complexity. Tannins remain a bit sharp, but this is advanced. Very long on the finish.

1/1/2023 - Matt T wrote:

A little on the more full bodied side of the spectrum, but this is extremely well-balanced with good acidic lift. Very, very smooth. This bottle was not quite as long on the finish as an earlier one, but not much to nit-pick here.

12/29/2022 - Matt T wrote:

Very impressive. Lemon, lime, Granny Smith apple, and a bit of salt with high toned acid to balance the sugar. Very slight element of secondary fermentation, which adds rather than detracts, from this rocking wine.

12/26/2022 - Matt T wrote:

From a half of a 170er. Very different from 169, which was all citrus fruit. This is big with a lot of brioche and yeast and quite long. Tastes more mature than I would have expected given the 2021 release date. Perhaps a NV to enjoy on the younger side.

12/24/2022 - Matt T wrote:

Poured off a few ounces and let this aerate for about three hours. Very much open for business. Opulent with notes of cherry, light oak, and blackberry. Soft with a slight bit of tannin on the medium length finish. Ready to go with a short decant, but seems like this should hold for a bit longer.

12/21/2022 - Matt T wrote:

A bit closed and reticent on night one. Dark cherry fruit with a hint of alcohol and gylcerin and a somewhat clipped finish. Opened up a bit more on the second night with a bit more spice and a slightly longer finish. This bottle did not indicate any rush to finish these.

12/10/2022 - Matt T wrote:

Elegant red fruit with a medium to long finish.

11/24/2022 - Matt T wrote:

Perfect cork. Decanted for about four hours before dinner. Pleasant nose. Dark fruit with some spice. A good amount of complexity with a medium to long finish. Smooth tannins. Very long life ahead, and the structure and fruit bode well.

11/12/2022 - Matt T wrote:

This is in great shape and still very much alive, but never will be a great wine. Somewhat muted on the nose. Nice mineral edge and raspberry fruit. A bit unbalanced.

10/24/2022 - Matt T wrote:

Very young and tannic. A bit of a herbal, rustic, animal hair note with good depth and a long finish. Room for improvement. Hold.

10/21/2022 - Matt T wrote:

Very nice Sancerre. Always know you are buying quality with a Kermit Lynch import. Lots of tropical fruit, lemon, lime and good balance.