4/19/2024 - Ian S wrote:

Somewhat lifted nose, with both cherry fruit and more savoury earth/coffee.

Wonderful balance on the palate, manging to be both soft and rounded, yet also with refreshing acidity and soft but persistent tannins.

2/14/2024 - Ian S wrote:

From a deceased's cellar, sold by a local merchant for £5 a bottle (amongst other wines, which have range from merely palatable to an old Crozes-Hermitage that was superb).

Colour very good with reasonable depth to the red-claret, and somewhat modest bricking at the rim.

Savoury, slightly medicinal nose giving something of a cherry-menthol vibe, with some woodiness.

On the palate, the sweet, still coconut edged woodiness comes more to the fore, with the fruit initially tertiary and figgy, though on the finish there's more than a hint of more youthful fruit. Decent length and good complexity, though the oak influence feels to be a slightly ott seasoning. Fresh, but not strident acidity.

So very much alive, and indeed not in obvious danger of demise. Impressive, but not everyone will appreciate the strength of the oak influence still present.

[Edit, perhaps unsurprisingly, 2-3 hours later there's orange and also a little blood coming through, and the following day showing more obvious oxidation. It may not shine long once opened]

2/9/2024 - Ian S wrote:

Dark fruited with black olive and a little sweet fig on the nose.

Complex and vibrant, with the above in more even balance on the palate, but with red fruits/florality emerging. Instantly appealing and interesting. Still some pretty solid tannins in the background, maybe needing another decade to soften, but there's plenty depth there to stop it feeling closed. Acidity decently supporting, but not poking out at all.

Drinkable (and enjoyable) now for sure, but be prepared for the tannins. Personally, I'd like to check back in on this in 8-10 years time.

2/2/2024 - Ian S wrote:

faded, but also rather bland. Barely supportive acidity. Whilst there is some fruit, it's somewhat confected with hints of cherry cough sweet.

1/30/2024 - Ian S wrote:

73cl bottle size, so expect this has significant age on it (no vintage label).

Superb colour, clear and bright lighter red-claret colour, with orange at the rim, but not excessively so.

leafy/woody nose with fruit in support, but on the palate the (red/raspberry) fruit comes more to the fore. Good complexity as well.

Lighter bodied, but with a decent length to the finish and refreshing but not spiky acidity.

(from a deceased cellar, with a local wine shop selling off old oddments like this for peanuts - or rather the price of a bag of torres crisps)

1/6/2024 - Ian S wrote:

Surprisingly youthful and light on its feet, with red (predominately raspberry) fruit to the fore, but with good complexity.

12/9/2023 - Ian S wrote:

Impressive and with good complexity, albeit in a style that isn't my thing.

11/4/2023 - Ian S wrote:

A 2nd bottle somewhat better, and held up well over 3 nights.
Never going to be exciting, but at least this was decently serviceable, with even a little complexity.

10/29/2023 - Ian S wrote:

Absolutely superb, with great length, complexity and intensity.

10/21/2023 - Ian S wrote:

Convincingly varietal, albeit a touch softer & honeyed, versus the Portuguese and Spanish wines I'm more used to. Feels like it saw some oak, but it's reasonably subtle. Acidity takes a decent supporting role. Enjoyable for sure, but probably one to drink and enjoy young.

9/7/2023 - Ian S wrote:

Stubby cork, but I guess the assume the wine will be drunk young. Certainly aromatic on opening.

First sip comes across as a little spiky, but I'd rather it be that than the opposite. A touch of bitterness on the finish, but in the middle is some lovely citrus fruit spanning lemon, lime and grapefruit.

If there is any residual sugar, it's difficult to spot against the vibrant acidity.

I'd certainly pick this again, but that's been true of all the VV from Soalheiro so far.

8/13/2023 - Ian S wrote:

Always a concern given the extreme heat across Europe in 2003, but this is in good shape, albeit it feels fully mature, most notably on the mushroomy nose, with the palate more a balance of aged character vs. primary/secondary. Lower acidity than I'd expect (maybe a 2003 thing), but some faint tannins remain.

Given I like mature / over-mature wines, I'd say drink up, and indeed for some it may be too old already.

8/6/2023 - Ian S wrote:

Not helped by being drunk between a cote du rhone and a Dao, this came across as insipid in comparison, perhaps unsurprisingly so. Whilst not expecting a cerebral experience, I'd like to try this as a summer garden wine and see if it works better in that setting.

2/13/2023 - Ian S wrote:

Colour still a healthy straw colour and there's a still persistent and moderately fine bead.

The nose shows a little bruised apple oxidation, but not excessively sp.

Good balance on the palate, with that oxidation quite mild, so merely adds a little complexity so a relatively soft and straightforward wine.

I'd say drink up soon. Age has helped, and the wine is IMO is a very good place for drinking now.

12/28/2022 - Ian S wrote:

Light-golden colour, suggesting decent level of maturity, though any oak used may influence that.

Lovely vibrant lime/apricot/lemon nose, that would have me guessing it blind as a riesling.

Lots happening on the palate, perhaps a touch demure on entry, but it very much expands it's range in the mouth, as the acidity starts to kick in and the quite complex fruit emerges along with a not unpleasant pithiness that seems to work as a nice counterpoint to the fruit. Good length the finish, and overall very impressive indeed. I reckon this also offers very good value.

12/9/2022 - Ian S wrote:

Ksara > Musar

I never thought I'd say that, and certainly don't for the wines, but I very much prefer the cleaner cut flavours of Ksara's arak, to the more muddied flavour of Musar's version.

11/28/2022 - Ian S wrote:

very much at the funky, sour, apple cider, cloudy end of the natural wine spectrum (albeit thankfully not mousy).

It's interesting to taste such wines every now and then, and on occasions it might be 'just right'. Not one however I'd recommend as someone coming to natural wines from a more traditional base.

Update: noticeable mousiness appeared in the remaining half that had been stored in the fridge overnight. To my tastes, that makes this a 'to avoid wine'

11/3/2022 - Ian S wrote:

Not especially dense Claret core, with clear bricking already, in a manner you might see with nebbiolo. I didn't stand it up for long, and that's resulted in a little cloudiness from the very fine sediment.

Quite a punchy tar/creosote nose, but with some sweet and bright red fruits in good support.

Quite light bodied, but there's good depth of flavour and complexity, with some subtle leather/barnyard joining in and with (pleasingly) slightly sour/tangy acidity. Fine and quite subtle tannins on the finish.

I've not tasted the Roditis grape before, but have tasted a couple of Xinomavro wines. Oddly this is the wine that reminds me most of nebbiolo (odd as it's Xinomavro on its own that seems to draw that comparison). I reckon if this were in a lineup of Ghemme wines, it might just fool me as a ringer.

Not a replacement for nebbiolo, yet for those that like that grape, I could see this appealing greatly, as it did for me.

edit, on the 2nd night, there's a touch of savoury lychee (or specifically rambutan) on the finish that's a minor concern, especially for ageing.

8/13/2022 - Ian S wrote:

Lemon-Gold colour of modest depth and watery at the rim

On the nose, lemon to the fore, with a light robe of restrained oak around it, alongside oatmeal.

On the palate there's some butter and just a hint of phenolic bitterness, and the finish has good length complexity.

Very enjoyable - rather predictably so for their wines, as it's perhaps only the entry level negocient wine 'Marie Antoinette' that ever underwhelmed us.

6/11/2022 - Ian S wrote:

In a decent place now, with some sour & fumey cherry fruit on the nose, but softer, more savoury, yet nicely balanced on the palate, with faint tea-like tannins and supportive acidity. Modest length.

Not earth-shattering, but I do like the balance / typicity. Not shouty, simply good.

6/9/2022 - Ian S wrote:

Light yet quite youthful red-claret colour with the faintest orange at the slightly watery rim.

Similarly youthful / primary on the nose, with cherry fruit with violet on top with faint smoke / creosote in the background . Swirling reveals more like 'cherry cough sweet' sweetness and also accentuates the smoky element.

Ostensibly light on the palate, there is enough viscosity to carry it. Again the cherry is there, but still feels a little crowded out by the more savoury, faintly bitter smoky side to it. Acidity is refreshing without being at all aggressive, whilst the tannins are light & fine, especially light for the variety but there is some astringency on the finish that I think is more through tannins than acidity.

I think I may have tasted on older vintage before (fully mature) but not recorded in CT, so maybe I was wrong. I certainly would try this again, and with the confidence to cellar it for a decade+. It might well go longer, as this one feels a good few years off maturity yet.

5/21/2022 - Ian S wrote:

Aromatically appealing with a good balance of black cherry and maturing fruit, leather and a little smoke/creosote.

A little less complex on the palate and with still some decent grip from the tannins, with supportive acidity giving a little refreshment.

My guess is that this will improve a little over the immediate future, with room for the tannins to drop away a little more and for a little more complexity to build on the palate.

5/4/2022 - Ian S wrote:

Reasonably deep claret-red colour with the faintest hint of brown at the rim.

Very appealing nose blending primary and slightly peppery sour blackberry fruit, with sweet leathery maturity, along with a decent hint of creosote or is it the regional volcanic aromas?

Similar complexity comes through on the palate with that sweet leather to the fore, and with a decent length to the similarly complex finish. Acidity is supportive, even a fraction light, but it does provide some light refreshment.

Reminds me a lot of the first time we experienced this, when it impressed us immensely. No reason not to drink this now, and I can't see a meaningful upside for future cellaring.

4/29/2022 - Ian S wrote:

Pale straw colour, lighter than I'd expected at 6YO.

Bright nose with lemon to the fore, but understated in a similar way to a cool climate chardonnay that wasn't aged in oak.

Bright and refreshing on the palate, again with lemon (subtly) to the fore, lemon verbena, a touch of grapefruit on the finish and a hint of lychee softening and adding a touch of complexity.

It's not bursting with complexity, but it's wonderfully balanced for food or to refresh and appeal on a summer's day. A less is more wine.

3/1/2022 - Ian S wrote:

Recollections from a couple of weeks ago... Some (not unpleasant) oak not disimilar to how it shows in a mature Pouilly Fuisse like those from Ch Fuisse.

Some lemony fruit still there, but this leans more towards a slightly oxidative white Rioja

Very good complexity and length. Interesting indeed and worked well with the greek style food prepared.

2/21/2022 - Ian S wrote:

mildly corked

1/7/2022 - Ian S wrote:

Oh gawd! If I'd realised it had a plastic cork, I'd have drunk this years ago.

Definitely some amber in the colour, though not having drunk the wine before, I'm not sure whether that's advanced age, or more indicative of a little skin contact... the tension!

Restrained nose, slightly honeyed and might have had me guessing it was a dry muscat.

The palate doesn't initially mirror the nose, light intensity, slightly floral, but a little neutral, though the finish is deceptively long for the initial lightness, with the honey from the nose coming through. Acidity moderately refreshing.

Well it turns out I was a *little* harsh on the plastic cork, however as the wine warms up, it's showing a much more oxidative profile. Still very much drinkable, but probably best to have drunk a few years ago.

12/27/2021 - Ian S wrote:

The nose gives every clue that this is Aussie shiraz from South Australia. The wood influence remains strong, but so is there great intensity to the blackberry / black cherry fruit, with some background vanilla and spice.

No surprises on the palate, with more of the same, though it's not power and intensity above all else. The acidity is up to the task of keeping the richness in check and it's not so rich as to feel overly heavy or gloopy. Finish is long with a little complexity on the finish. No noticeable tannins, though having opened it with roast venison, perhaps some might become apparent later?

Impressive for sure, and not so OTT it becomes a caricature. Whilst I've drifted away from the warmer climate South Australian reds in recent years, it's good to occasionally return, with what remains in the cellar, wines that were always in there for the long haul.

If South Australian reds ARE very much your thing, then well worth trying this if you get a chance. Not cheap, but it's a good example.

10/9/2021 - Ian S wrote:

Good fruit concentration, but heavy enough on the oak that I don't think I would have picked this as a pinot noir blind. Well made in its way, but probably not the grape for the treatment it got.

9/18/2021 - Ian S wrote:

Still a little young and raw, but with decent acidity and a little tannic grip, it feels like it has potential to improve in the short-medium term.

9/5/2021 - Ian S wrote:

Straw-gold colour, a little darker than you'd expect at this age, but perhaps some light skin contact involved?

Subtle nose, with grapefruit to the fore with some faint savouriness.

Again relatively restrained on the palate, with again grapefruit prominent (but not aggressive). Texturally it's got a silky feel and the acidity is supportive and reasonably refreshing and there is decent length to the finish.

8/21/2021 - Ian S wrote:

Definitely tiring, though still interesting. Not great longevity for a wine that previously impressed

8/18/2021 - Ian S wrote:

Open and appealing with cherry fruit still making this feel primary, but without any tannic grip to accompany it. Still expect some upside, but not a crime to open now.

8/15/2021 - Ian S wrote:

still in rather youthful yet impressive shape.

7/23/2021 - Ian S wrote:

Good claret red colour for 22 years old, with moderate bricking at the rim. Restrained nose with some mushroom-accented meaty aged complexity back by faint leafy/plummy fruit.

Refreshing acidity has kept this in good shape and whilst it opens with lean fruit, that leads into some olive, mushroom savouriness, with the acidity cleaning up pleasantly on the finish.

This appeals a lot to me, and I'd seen an earlier vintage age brilliantly, so it was no surprise this was still in decent shape.

6/22/2021 - Ian S wrote:

Considering sending it back as *not* faulty.

Two and a half years have certainly taken the raw edges off this, but I'd sneakily been hoping for a little Bretty farmyard complexity. Hopes dashed.

Blind guessing would almost certainly have put me in the southern rhone, maybe a good CdR. Juicy raspberry fruit alongside smoky black olive. No tannins to speak of but a little prickle from the acidity. Finish adds a twist of violet.

Not a style of wine that particularly appeals, but it's tasty enough and might well appeal to others even more. Holding it to 8 yo was a good decision and I'd say there's no rush needed to drink up.

6/18/2021 - Ian S wrote:

This case definitely showed bottle variation, with this bottle fully mature and moving into over-maturity. This was very much apparent in the nose which majored on earth and mushroom. Better on the palate with more complexity and the fruit still hanging in there, albeit more tertiary. Tannins still rather grippy.

Caught this bottle whilst still alive, enjoyable and interesting (the wine that is, I'm not sure I've ever been interesting). However unlike some of the recent bottles that have been good, this one would never have found that peak of shedding the tannins before the flavours fully develop.

6/13/2021 - Ian S wrote:

Really rather impressed by this, more so on the palate than the nose. The former earthy with a faint touch of creosote with fruit faintly in the background. The palate impresses greatly with Marzipan/almond backed by the sourness of grapefruit. Very appetising.

Do treat this TN with caution though as my hayfever is pretty severe at the moment!

6/3/2021 - Ian S wrote:

In a very nice place already, but no rush to drink up. If I was being picky, I'd say the oak sticks out a little, but time might reduce or remove that concern. On the upside it does add to the savoury elements that play off pleasingly against the fruit. Tannins faint but persistent and faintly grainy.

5/1/2021 - Ian S wrote:

Lovely leathery complexity with a little (brett) bandaid layered on top, whilst there is still fruit in support. Tannins are faint, but give some nice definition to the finish, that has decent length.

For me this is a great time to drink this, and it might well go longer, but 10-12 years can be a decent benchmark to aim for.

3/30/2021 - Ian S wrote:

This has aged rather nicely.

Still that distinctive Moscato nose of rich apricot with moderate complexity. It really shines on the palate, where in youth it was a bit grippy from tannins and perhaps alcohol. It's rounded out nicely with impressive apricotty fruit on entry, with good vibrant acidity, but over the course of the long finish it gradually eases off the sweetness to finish with a faint hint of bitterness and equally faint residual tannins. The balance is now superb and no reason to doubt it lasting many years longer - perhaps peaking 10-12 years from vintage?

3/7/2021 - Ian S wrote:

Wonderfully vibrant with good depth of flavour.

2/21/2021 - Ian S wrote:

Interesting to try this with a few short years under its belt. The colour has darkened a little, but not excessively and you'd not guess if had 50% of a red grape in it.

Just a little more cidery edge to it, but far from OTT and I reckon some good added complexity over its profile on release.

I'm not at all suggesting long ageing of these, but nice to know that 4-5 years isn't a problem.

1/13/2021 - Ian S wrote:

Pretty impressed by this: a youthful nose, good complexity and acidity, with persistent butter (supported by slightly bitter nettles) on the finish.

Screwcap. Was reduced at Majestic - not worth the original price (true across their range TBH for their single bottle prices), but IIRC at £15, this is fine value IMO.

12/26/2020 - Ian S wrote:

In rather a good place at the moment, poised in-between youth and maturity, which gives the benefits of both aspects. The nose is a balance of the decaying fruit I love in aged nebbiolo, with perhaps more mocha than I would ask for, but it works. Also a little fennel sat in the background and a faint whiff of violets came through later.

The fruit a fraction more youthful on the palate with subtle orange coming through on the finish. For me marginally less interesting than the nose, but others will disagree. Tannins are fine enough not to be noticed with food, being surreptitiously persistent. Acidity likewise provides refreshment without poking out. Together, when drunk after the food, they moderately dry out the finish, but that's not really a complaint.

For me, good to drink now, but would still be of interest for a few years yet (if I had to guess, maybe for another 10 years), but for others this would now be in the 'drink up' phase.

11/29/2020 - Ian S wrote:

Very appealing bright fruit / florals on the nose that has a touch of fruit liqueur about them. Soft but persistent tannins together with decent acidity give good grip. Overall very enjoyable and reasonably approachable, but still very much on the upslope. A word of caution for those who lean towards traditional style, as there is some mocha wood influence that isn't unpleasant, but for those that dislike it, it might be.

10/30/2020 - Ian S wrote:

I really like this, despite it being rather higher alc% than I'd be confident about (15.5) - it's certainly stacked full of complexity, but as far from monolithic as you could hope for, with effervescent acidity and with a very appealing balsamic core, making it feel like a light/bright wine just dialled up to 11.

I suppose I opened it with a little trepidation, but it's easily surpassed my expectations and is something I'd look to buy again.

[postscript - half the bottle left for the following day, and it was an altogether flatter experience - overtly savoury and that vibrant fizz had somewhat dissipated. Whether this puts doubt on ageability, instability, or points to a need to drink it on a single night, I'm not sure. Still keen to grab another bottle, though might need to ensure it's drunk in an evening where the bottle will get emptied]

9/29/2020 - Ian S wrote:

Approachable, true to its roots. Yes a step down from the estate bottling, but a fair price for a genuine wine.

9/15/2020 - Ian S wrote:

Moderately dense dark-claret colour, showing some age at the rim, but not excessive for a 7 year old wine.

Blackcurrant and cough-syrup cherry to the fore on the nose, but also with some more savoury wood / faint creosote.

Richer and more mouth-filling than expected, but with sherbetty acidity keeping it fresh and zingy. The cherry / cherry menthol cough sweet comes through strongly on the palate, though there's not much complexity coming through. Only the faintest tannins.

Enjoyable, but for me I'd want a touch more complexity than it has at the moment. More than happy to try again, but possibly not a wine I'll be actively seeking out.

9/12/2020 - Ian S wrote:

From a recently purchased half bottle

A rather youthful bright lemon-yellow colour.

Somewhat restrained nose with hints of lemon and perhaps some hay. This in real contrast to the medium-bodied palate, which has great complexity and indeed reasonable intensity. Honey and Grapefruit are initially to the fore, with oatmeal, honey and lemon and some faint butter coming through on the reasonably persistent finish that also has some faint bitterness. Good refreshing acidity.

A relatively inexpensive wine, and at 9 years from vintage in half bottle format, one that felt a minor gamble, but is still going very strong indeed and no rush needed to drink up. It feels like it should do 5-10 years more.