12/30/2018 - jphil123 Likes this wine:

Nice acidity to counterbalance the jammy, dark notes.

12/24/2018 - jphil123 Likes this wine:

Great bottle. Brioche, apricots, almonds, toast. Rich and smooth. Length.

12/24/2018 - jphil123 Likes this wine:

Bottle presented very well. Dried apricots, almonds, length, structure.

10/23/2016 - jphil123 Likes this wine:

Sadly, my last bottle. Was drinking beautifully.

10/23/2016 - jphil123 Likes this wine:

Very impressed. Big wine, with presumably a lot of skin contact (orange). Apricots. Good length. Delicious to drink now, but think this will hold for many more years.

10/22/2016 - jphil123 Likes this wine:

Nice, natural chenin blanc. Fruit driven at present, yellow apples, touch of residual sugar. Very nice wine.

8/9/2016 - jphil123 Likes this wine:

green and yellow apples, toast. Like a good cava.

7/18/2016 - jphil123 Likes this wine:

Very solid wine. Not very refined or complex, by enjoyable.

7/18/2016 - jphil123 wrote:

This smelled promising at opening and tasted rich and powerful. It went downhill quickly though, and developed a funky nose and some metallic taste. Over the top, I guess.

6/21/2016 - jphil123 Likes this wine:

Complex and intriguing wine. Good structure and acidity, with floral, mineral notes and some marzipan blended in the mix. Not quite sure, but think this will probably improve with age. Good stuff.

1/16/2016 - jphil123 Likes this wine:

Mature, but elegant. Light bodied.

12/29/2015 - jphil123 Likes this wine:

although quite oxidised by this stage, it still proves an interesting wine with lots of stone fruit, in particular dry apricot.

12/29/2015 - jphil123 Likes this wine:

Compared to the more recent vintages I have tried of this wine (2007>), this has a lot less body and is much higher in acidity. Whilst it is a pleasant wine, it come across less of a Cornas as I typically think they should taste like. Nevertheless, interesting wine that still has a lot to offer, mainly due to its high acidity to keep it vibrant.

12/29/2015 - jphil123 Likes this wine:

Probably not from the best of bottles with only a high shoulder fill. Opened about 2 hours. Nose was very tertiary, almost musty, but tasted good and elegant. Good length, but only medium on the body. Interesting to drink, quite elegant, but this bottle at least was way past its prime. Still enjoyable though.

12/29/2015 - jphil123 Likes this wine:

I bought this wine at an auction and based on the label it seems to be a NV from before 2000. The cork also points in that direction. The nose was very pretty, sour cherries, forrest. Reminds of a burgundy. On the palette, the acidity is very high, but not aggressive. Light bodied, medium length, but a lovely wine.

12/4/2015 - jphil123 Likes this wine:

My last bottle, which fortunately also seemed to be the best of the lot. Mature, medium bodied, elegant. Still drinking well (this bottle). Score reflects earlier, much poorer bottles. This particular bottle I would score at 90.

10/3/2015 - jphil123 Likes this wine:

Fill: top shoulder, cork in good condition. Popped and poured. Ripe, dark aroma's on the nose. Black cherries and blackberries. Medium length. Good bottle from lesser known chateau and vintage. Nice surprise.

9/19/2015 - jphil123 Likes this wine:

This was still singing! Dark cherries, smokiness, concentration and length. Quite surprised, actually. Lovely bottle.

9/17/2015 - jphil123 Does not like this wine:

Came in a mixed lot at auction. Didn't expect much, and there isn't much. High shoulder fill, some bricking on the edges, but in line with what to expect. Nose has pencil shavings, ink, cabbage, sour cherries. Quite intense. Initial taste (pop and pour) has much less to offer than the nose promises. Obviously over the top, but still drinkable. Just not much to describe, really. Short finish.

9/13/2015 - jphil123 wrote:

Very elegant and acidity was relatively low/smooth. Became better with some air. Lovely wine.

9/13/2015 - jphil123 Likes this wine:

I love this style, perhaps lacking in structure, but very smooth and 'wine-like'. Would like to taste this next to a Vignes-de-Vrigny by Egly-Ouriet.

9/5/2015 - jphil123 Likes this wine:

Almost a year since my last bottle. Has evolved a little. Seems more velvety and integrated now. Not so 'hot' as last time. More to come over the next 2-3 years, I think. Lovely now, but no rush.

9/5/2015 - jphil123 wrote:

Nice 'vin naturel' nose. Colour is 'pinot noir' like. Unusual but intriguing wine. The acidity from the white Grenache Blanc gives you the impression of a cool climate wine, but then combined with Carignan and Grenache (Gris) notes, makes this a unique wine. I enjoyed this wine on its own, but could imagine the acidity/fruit combination can create some 'magic' when compared to certain difficult dishes.

8/2/2015 - jphil123 Likes this wine:

Didn't expect much, but actually pretty good bottle. Mostly tertiary aromas on the nose, but wine is alive with sour cherries and structure. Medium length.

7/29/2015 - jphil123 Likes this wine:

just as good as my earlier tasting note. No rush with this wine.

7/3/2015 - jphil123 Likes this wine:

Good, ripe. Apricot, melon, caramel.

7/3/2015 - jphil123 Does not like this wine:

Strangely mature for a 2009 chenin blanc. I generally like old chenin's, but not keen on this one. Hopefully just an off bottle.

7/1/2015 - jphil123 Likes this wine:

Complex, structured, wild and natural. Fascinating but unusual.

5/14/2015 - jphil123 Likes this wine:

Second bottle I tried from this vintage. Last one was at least a 1.5 years ago when the clarity and purity shone through. Now, it is still pristine, but seemed to have a bit more body and weight to it, although it remains wonderfully light. It has some herbal elements now that I can't remember from last time, but the length remains the same. Lovely, elegant wine. Really enjoyed this.

4/11/2015 - jphil123 Likes this wine:

Seems to have opened up compared to the earlier notes as I get a lovely bouquet of heather, peach and some animal tones. Really pleasant. The taste follows suit, with melon, lemon, touch of honey. Really good in length and balance. Very impressed.

3/14/2015 - jphil123 wrote:

Very structured wine that benefits from (triple) decanting at this stage. Does open up and shows its potential afterwards. But to my liking, this will need at least another 5 years or so.

2/18/2015 - jphil123 Likes this wine:

This was a big surprise and eye-opener to me. Not only how a mature Plavac Mali tastes, but also how 'natural/organic' it is. Don't know much about this wine, but seems to have been made in a very 'non-interventional' style. What it may be lacking in complexity, it more than makes up for in terms of charm and elegance.

2/20/2015 - jphil123 Likes this wine:

Still drinking beautifully. Very complex and layered with great length. May not be for everyone, but I love this style.

11/15/2014 - jphil123 Likes this wine:

Interesting wine. Complex and with weight. Unusual nose and taste. Quite low on acidity. Which made me loose my initial interest quite quickly. Still, good wine.

11/15/2014 - jphil123 Likes this wine:

Popped and poured but should have decanted. Pretty big wine, with lots of tannins, but nice and ripe. Good balance and good length. Delicious now, but really looking forward to how this will develop over the next 5-10 years. Impressed.

10/31/2014 - jphil123 Likes this wine:

Seems like my last bottle of this lot is the best. There was quite a bit of variation, with some suffering from (too much) oxidation. Colourwise, this is like the others, but more fresh on the palette, with apricots, grapefruit and some minerality. Nice wine and interesting to see how well a silvaner can age (well, some bottles did). Still, I guess this has been much nicer 10 years ago.

10/21/2014 - jphil123 wrote:

Crisp, dry, light. Somewhere in between a riesling and sauvignon blanc. Pleasant but nothing special.

10/18/2014 - jphil123 Likes this wine:

Decanted. Nice aromatic nose with dark fruit and spices. Rich on the palate, with leather, paprika and dark fruit. Quite nicely balanced with good length. Slightly hot (14.5%) but not disturbingly. Nice wine.

10/18/2014 - jphil123 Likes this wine:

Last bottle from a 12 bottle lot. Big bottle variation, with some very oxidised. This last one was okay. Nice on the nose, dried apples, walnuts, almonds. Nice on the palette, dry, good length, typical chenin. Nuts, dried peach, good acidity. Very pleasant. Think this is probably past its peak, but still enjoyable to drink. Seems to get better with some air and out of the fridge.

9/24/2014 - jphil123 wrote:

Initially a big disappointment for something that costs a serious amount of money here in Montenegro locally. First impression is just jammy fruit, in the wrong way. After decanting it improved a little with some balancing tannins and acidity. Still, even after hours it is not balanced and seems disjointed. Plums, black currant and strawberries mixed with vegetable/paprika notes. Perhaps this will even out after time to become something interesting. But I find it hard to justify its (local) price tag at this stage.

9/19/2014 - jphil123 Likes this wine:

I have been thinking about how to describe this wine in conventional terms, all of which does not actually summarise what I experience. In fact, the description by my girlfriend of this wine is probably spot-on: this wine is alive, it has a soul.

Okay, that description probably doesn't help you much. But the exact taste analysis of this wine is besides the point. Here goes some key taste elements: ripe grapefruite, blood orange, herbs and minerality, granny smith. Length is very, very long.

7/7/2014 - jphil123 Likes this wine:

This bottle was much better than last. Concentrated dried black fruit/ berries, followed up on the palette. Eucalyptus note on the nose. Interesting wine. Medium length.

7/7/2014 - jphil123 Likes this wine:

A little muted on the nose, even after decanting. Some oak, hint of wet wool somehow. Taste is nicely balanced to me. Quite rich without being unbalanced. Good yellow fruit backed up by acidity. Good length. Very enjoyable.

7/5/2014 - jphil123 Likes this wine:

The glass used probably didn't do this wine justice, as the nose was very muted. But it was good on the palette. Fairly light for a furmint, with citrus, some nuts and mineral notes. Pleasant.

7/5/2014 - jphil123 Likes this wine:

The label suits the wine just perfect; a really nice summer wine. Sadly, I had this from a plastic glass which killed the nose completely, but the taste was nicely rounded, not very complex. Bottle was empty in no time.

7/5/2014 - jphil123 Likes this wine:

Initially a little simple, but opened up nicely after about an hour. Ripe in style, low on acidity. Pleasant wine.

7/5/2014 - jphil123 wrote:

Slight hint of rubber on the nose. Very ripe in style, with some residual sweetness. Slightly chilled quite pleasant.

6/25/2014 - jphil123 Likes this wine:

unusual, but strangely pleasant wine. Pear on the nose and the palette, some melon notes with mild lime acidity.

4/16/2014 - jphil123 wrote:

On its last legs, but still drinkable/enjoyable. Fairly light bodied, medium acidity and length. Took a while to open up. Had a funky metalic note to it.

4/10/2014 - jphil123 Likes this wine:

Bottle came in a mixed lot, but surpassed my (low) expectations. Colour still yellow (as opposed to gold). Pleasant mellon dominated nose, with hints of yellow fruit. On the palette, mellon again, with citrus/grapefruit backbone. Average length, good texture and body.