12/31/2023 - matlee89 wrote:

Surprisingly thin on the palette. Classic cigarbox, violets and cassis on the nose. Perhaps a dumb phase?

10/2/2023 - matlee89 Likes this wine:

Starting to develop secondary notes, which make this interesting. Forest floor, soy sauce, tannins still present but not overbearing. Drink or hold.

10/7/2023 - matlee89 Likes this wine:

Excellent purity and clarity. Fruit, but not too much. Feminine, classy, balanced, medium long finish.

12/2/2023 - matlee89 wrote:

A little underwhelming. Fruit receding. Dusty tannins. Medium finish. More about acidity than anything else.

12/1/2023 - matlee89 Likes this wine:

Easy drinking. Medium finish. Still tannic so give it a splash decant. Fruit receding. Rustic style.

11/12/2023 - matlee89 Likes this wine:

Red fruit, dark chocolate, vanilla, with secondary notes of tobacco leaf and hint of soy. Tannins well integrated. Long finish. Drink now or hold for more secondary development.

10/2/2023 - matlee89 Likes this wine:

This was excellent, especially for the price.

10/1/2023 - matlee89 Likes this wine:

Needs air to open up but solid stuffing, with powdery tannins, floral nose of violets and rose petals, long finish.

9/29/2023 - matlee89 Likes this wine:

Bright, clean, fun!

8/25/2023 - matlee89 Likes this wine:

Still very primary. Unctuous, rich, concentrated.

12/26/2022 - matlee89 Likes this wine:

Might be the best wine I’ve ever had. Balanced, resolved, everything in harmony. Really pays to age Barolo.

7/22/2022 - matlee89 Likes this wine:

Great floral nose. Rose petals, lavender. Tar and sour cherries. But hot (alcohol) on the palate. Powdery tannins. Medium finish. Needs a few years to settle down. Great QPR.

6/6/2022 - matlee89 Likes this wine:

Ready to go. Secondary notes. Tobacco, pleasant green notes, cherries, kirsch, saline, soy sauce. Medium bodied. Long finish.

2/11/2022 - matlee89 Likes this wine:

A Riesling drinker's chardonnay. High acid. Mineral. Stone fruits. Pineapple maybe? Great with chinese food, but the acid was a bit much with spicy food.

2/1/2022 - matlee89 Likes this wine:

Vanilla (from oak?), citrus, honeysuckle, and stone fruits. Very mineral, precise and taut. Perhaps a little young. Good acidity which I like.

2/1/2022 - matlee89 Likes this wine:

Decanted. Cherries, red fruits, coconut (from the american oak?), leather. Plummy on the palate. Balanced but grippy. Tannins still present. Can age a lot more. Good potential.

1/31/2022 - matlee89 Likes this wine:

Drinking well but still quite primary, even with hour plus of decant. Red fruit on the nose, with more plum and mocha coming out on the palate. Balanced and precise. Room to develop further with tertiary notes.

12/24/2021 - matlee89 Likes this wine:

Consistent with earlier notes. Open and ready. Tannins well resolved. Red fruit still present, starting to develop secondary and tertiary notes.

12/26/2021 - matlee89 wrote:

This was somewhat disappointing given the good reviews and long wait. Perhaps not the best bottle. Clearly dense and has years ahead. But not currently opening up despite decanting. Lacking the floral aromatics that I expected. Dominated by acid and tannins. Give it a few more years.

1/13/2022 - matlee89 Likes this wine:

Very clean, which was not exactly what I was expecting from this 'modern', biodynamic producer. Good minerality and some complexity for an entry-level. Stone fruit, salinity, good focus. Grew in the glass. Stood up to food well.

12/24/2021 - matlee89 Likes this wine:

Excellent with caviar. Refreshing, balanced, with a pure line of salinity. Toasty brioche but not overwhelming.

12/5/2021 - matlee89 wrote:

Underwhelming. Bone dry. Lacking fruit, though ample acid. Result is slightly off-balance and not the most drinkable.

12/14/2021 - matlee89 Likes this wine:

Wow, really enjoyed this late release bottle. One of the older Burgundies I've had. Barnyard and tertiary notes, but still some good fruit. Acid keeps it fresh. Most impressive was the mouthfeel. Luxurious, round, velvety. Overall well-balanced and very enjoyable.

12/2/2021 - matlee89 Likes this wine:

Slightly surprised by some of the earlier notes that this was past its peak. Initially thought they were right when first PnPed. Nose was classic Paulliac with cassis and graphite, but somehow muted. Thin on the palate at first. But with air, it grew, in the nose, balance and mouthfeel. It was at its best at the end of the night, unfortunately when I had no more food to pair! The fruit sweetness came roaring out 2 hours after opening, with fantastic lift and freshness. Secondary notes are there, but still so much energy in my last sip. Medium finish and alcohol well managed. Tannins well resolved. Wish I had decanted.

11/19/2021 - matlee89 Likes this wine:

Great QPR. Toasty brioche, lemon, lime, stone fruits. Not as persistent or fresh as some bubbly I've had, but great for the price.

11/27/2021 - matlee89 Likes this wine:

One of the better entry-level Grand Marques. Good intense mousse, brioche, lemon. Fresh, pure, balanced, leaves one salivating for more. Persistent finish.

11/27/2021 - matlee89 Likes this wine:

Pnp. Classic cedar, cassis notes on the nose. Purity of fruit on the palate, with interesting tobacco leaf and barnyard secondary notes to add complexity. A little thinner than I remember on the mid-palate, but good persistence in the medium-long finish. Tannins fully resolved. Drink now.

11/19/2021 - matlee89 Likes this wine:

This was really good. So much energy and zip. Fresh, great acid. Citrus fruits, honeysuckle, elder flower. For this price, great minerality, complexity and long finish.

11/15/2021 - matlee89 wrote:

Nose dominated by spice and earth. Green notes. Palate is rather thin. I guess you get what you pay for. Perhaps will get better with time, but not quite seeing it.

11/6/2021 - matlee89 Likes this wine:

Wow! New world in sweetness and attack, but perfectly balanced, great energy and minerality. Somewhat red fruited initially, but blue berries and cherries unfurl with swirling. Oak is so well integrated. Acidity is just right. Pure and precise on the palate. Layers of fruit. Almost chewy. Starting to develop secondary notes. Spice, anise, tobacco. Green of cab sauv towards the end, but in a good fresh way. Long finish. No sight of the 14.5% alcohol.

Decanted half an hour before dinner and took time to open up over the course of the night. Easily has another 5 years in it.

9/1/2021 - matlee89 Likes this wine:

Drinking really well right now. My earlier bottles were much more fruit forward with almost a raisin note. This is now well balanced, good acidity coming, some secondary notes of tobacco peaking beyond the red fruit and sour cherries. Long finish. Great QPR.

9/29/2021 - matlee89 Likes this wine:

This was brilliant. Perfectly balanced, precise and fresh, no sign of the 14% alcohol. Tannins have melted away, with a core of black fruit and secondary notes of tobacco, spice and a savory note. Almost like aged Bdx. Long finish. Drink now or hold.

9/26/2021 - matlee89 Likes this wine:

Solid minerality, good acidity, balanced easy to drink.

8/20/2021 - matlee89 Likes this wine:

This was singing. Great balance. Acidity, minerality and fruit in harmony. Medium finish. Great QPR.

7/31/2021 - matlee89 Likes this wine:

Still very young, tannic, structured, chewy. Only starting to see hints of secondary notes. Lots of floral character on the nose, sour cherries, rose petals, lavender? Red fruits and tea on the palate. Medium to long finish.

7/30/2021 - matlee89 wrote:

Too young? Bad bottle? Dry, green, not easy to drink. Opened up a little with air so gives some hope, but expected more.

7/4/2021 - matlee89 Likes this wine:

Wow. Classic Paulliac, aged Bdx. Cigarbox, pencil lead, cassis, fruit sweetness still present, but with interesting savory notes from the aging. Excellent nose. Wonderful purity and precision. Long finish. Left bank Bdx 1996 drinking so well now. Pity last bottle.

6/15/2021 - matlee89 Likes this wine:

Needed time. Much better on second day. Pepper and spice, meaty smoke scents. Hint of blood. Lean bodied, perhaps sign of the vintage.

6/6/2021 - matlee89 Likes this wine:

Fresh, sweet but not cloying, good acidity. Pure with hint of minerality.

6/4/2021 - matlee89 Likes this wine:

Young, chewy tannins. Great fruit, acid, freshness, purity. Will slowly finish rest of my half case over time.

4/9/2021 - matlee89 Likes this wine:

Pnp but probably should have decanted. Still muscular and tannic. Oak influence there. Rich graphite nose, red fruits, creamy. A little dissonance with the palate which was lighter to medium bodied. Balanced and pure, but with good acid, a hint of green, and chewy tannins on the medium long finish. Can hold for a few more years to develop secondary characteristics.

4/16/2021 - matlee89 Likes this wine:

Great QPR. Balance, pure, great acid that was mouth watering. Not overly sweet.

4/4/2021 - matlee89 Likes this wine:

This was so good with food (braised oxtail, roast duck). Fruit forward, but not overly ripe. Good balance and acidity. Lots of structure to hold up to food.

3/12/2021 - matlee89 Likes this wine:

Coming along well. Purity and balance. Medium bodied. Medium finish. Not overly complex. Just good reflection of BdM - rose petals, tar, sour cherries galore.

2/11/2021 - matlee89 Likes this wine:

My best and last bottle. PnP. Fully resolved. Classic paulliac nose of pencil shavings, cassis, dark berries. So much stuffing for a 2013 bdx. Medium to long finish.

2/26/2021 - matlee89 Does not like this wine:

Seemed flawed. Fizzy citric note. Settled over time but acid was very high and no sign of fruit. Still a tannic monster though.

2/12/2021 - matlee89 Likes this wine:

Best of my bottles so far. Still not quite my style due to the vintage ripeness, but when served a little cooler (15 to 18 degrees), was more focused and pure, bringing out the qualities i enjoy more in my wines.

1/20/2021 - matlee89 Likes this wine:

Excellent as per my last two bottles. Speaks to the vintage. Ripe, red fruits. But focused and balanced. Vanilla. Tannins present but not jarring. Rich mouthfeel. Long finish. So good with japanese yakiniku.

1/16/2021 - matlee89 Likes this wine:

This completely outperforms the 2013 vintage. Drinking extremely well now. Fresh and lifted. Classic graves nose with mineral, and red fruits, vanilla. Focus on the palate. Good fruit and balance. Medium finish. Tannins well integrated. This producer is so consistent regardless of vintage and always great QPR.

1/3/2021 - matlee89 Likes this wine:

Very good second wine. Speaks of the vintage. Cassis, black and blue fruits on the nose, with some well integrated oak / vanilla notes. Pencil shavings. Balanced, focused on the palate. Fruit and well integrated tannin. No hint of alcohol. Medium finish.