1/22/2023 - Deo68 Likes this wine:

Medium garnet and retaining the characteristic Malbec bright magenta rim despite its 9 years. Hardly a hint of brown. An evolving nose kept me fascinated for some time. Black fruit, typical malbec blueberry nose.
On the palate, still very much fruit forward. Well weighted. Tannin has faded and is drinking nicely now. Unfortunately its suffered from asymmetrical ageing with a strong alcohol presence that's cost it points. Drink up. Drink up. This is very good but it won't last. DCBA 5CC CNY eve

1/7/2023 - Deo68 wrote:

Medium purple. Not a hint of ageing. Long legs. Sweet black fruit nose of plums, cherries and licorice. Palate is an elegant, controlled explosion of fruit and malbec silkiness within a net of tannin. Very well constructed. None of that in your face new world fruit bombs. Still tannin cloaked 60 minutes later.
Already drinking now but will be better in the next 2-5 years. Wouldn't agree with the 100 points from J Suckling. It's a good wine but not exceptional and I fear, a tad expensive at USD$100 for which it gets marked down. DBA Wah Lok DO61

1/7/2023 - Deo68 Likes this wine:

Medium garnet with browning at edges. Looks older than the 2017 Cheval des Andes we had at the same sitting. Plenty of black fruit on the nose and still as overalcoholic as the bottle we had 1 year ago. Palate is already fading and discordance is becoming evident. This marks it down from the 90 points I gave it in Jan 2022. You should drink this soon. Now to 2024. Wah Lok DO61

1/2/2023 - Deo68 Likes this wine:

A youthful purple. Black fruit sweetness with characteristic anise / cardamon / fennel flavours of Zinfandel. Medium bodied but just a tad lightweight and an overly short finish subtracted from an otherwise delightful wine that didn't try to over reach and made a good companion to the strange combo of porchetta, turkey and dry mee siam. Belated Xmas @AO's. AD.

7/2/2022 - Deo68 Likes this wine:

Lesson learned. Should have read the reviews before opening.

Tasted out of bottle before decanting and was a little worried. Corky, browning at the edges...and where was the fruit??? And I didn't bring a backup!! Make small talk, delay serving the food and pray like mad!! Half an hour later and it was still dubious and underwhelming. What would you do? I poured and prayed nobody would notice.
An hour after decanting, it was as if Jesus had breathed on it. It came alive. No, it BLOSSOMED. Smooth, silky, a good dollop of fruit and a full retreat of tannin. A Latour in bloom. I can understand why they call it "iron fist in a velvet glove". Seriously it was that good. Everyone was happy. My prayers were answered. I was worried that 12 years on, it would be over the hill. No way. This has durability. Drinking well now and till 2026.

Would I buy again? Absolutely!
Would I do anything different? Absolutely! Read the reviews. Decant for an hour or two or even a day. This wine isn't in a rush to show itself. Don't be impatient.
Any regrets? Absolutely....that was my last bottle.
AO's. DCBA.

4/2/2022 - Deo68 Likes this wine:

Pale garnet. A little accelerated in ageing for a 6 year old wine. Characteristic spicy nose with lovely black fruit. Some stemminess remains but this wine has otherwise already opened up and is drinking nicely. Nice long finish to end a very enjoyable wine. Now till 2024.
La Pizzaiola DCB

2/1/2022 - Deo68 Likes this wine:

Curiosity bottle opened for CNY dinner. Ningxia wine and Marselan - a first for me.
Pale purple. Lively nose with plenty of cabernet type flavors and... guava! Palate is still rather closed, enveloping fleshy fruit and good, springy acidity, promising better in time to come. Taste again in 6 months. Should be ready in 12-24 months.
An enjoyable wine from an upcoming oenological powerhouse. Good value wine. Stock up and enjoy over the next few years.
Don't take my score too seriously. Its marked down because this wine isn't ready yet.

1/15/2022 - Deo68 Likes this wine:

Garnet. Full on liquorice and black plums. Sweetness characterises this wine which I've tasted before in different vintages. Slightly over alcoholic for me. But otherwise absolutely no complaints. Beautiful on the nose and this beauty flows over onto the palate. This is a very good wine for the price that consistently punches above its class. Balanced, well weighted and so pleasing. Drinking well now and till 2024. 5CC DO60

12/25/2021 - Deo68 Likes this wine:

Medium ruby with intense black fruit notes and a good tannin backbone. Slightly sweet. Currently drinking. Unpretentious wine that delivers. Worth the price.

10/5/2021 - Deo68 Likes this wine:

Delivers the goods. Unpretentious wine packed with characteristic Merlot softness. Loads of fruit on a decent acid backbone with extra tannin to last the distance. Worth every cent of the USD$19.
Drinking perfectly now but will hold another 18-24 months.
Wilby LFC-MCI 2-2. DC.

7/6/2021 - Deo68 wrote:

Past prime. Corky and browning. Some terminal fruit but it was mostly dead. RIP.
SC@LLH home

7/6/2021 - Deo68 Likes this wine:

Dense purple robe belies its 7 year age. Still astringent and tannic and locking in most of its ripe black fruit flavours. Well structured and surprisingly good value for money. Needs time.

6/19/2021 - Deo68 Likes this wine:

Celebrating the end of lockdown with chili crab
Still a very youthful purple black with lively characteristic Malbec pepper on the nose. Slightly stemmy but acidity and fruit are juuust starting to fade asymmetrically for which it loses points. Nonetheless still fairly well balanced and holds up well to the crab.
An unpretentious wine that punches above its weight. Very good value and worth buying again.
Drink up.

5/30/2021 - Deo68 Likes this wine:

The pairing with the Indonesian dinner menu was the challenge thrown to me. Mellow yellow coconut curry Opor Ayam, spicy Indonesian beef rendang with aromatic roast pork belly and bland-ish potato and minced chicken cutlets all on yellow rice....match that 🤔.
Decanted for 30 minutes and it went head to head with the spicy food while treating the more delicate flavours with gentleness and kindness. Loads of fruit and generous acidity on a firm tannic backbone, its opened up well enough to drink now but will hold its own for some time to come. Now - 2026. Retaste in 6-12months.

Will I buy again? I bought it quite high at USD$66 so not at this price level. But certainly at below $50.

Side note, we also opened a Trimbach Gewurztraminer Cuvée des Seigneurs de Ribeaupierre... juuuust in case. The pair made a fine ensemble around the the food. (See the Trimbach tasting note).

5/30/2021 - Deo68 Likes this wine:

Perfect. Just perfect. Dry enough to match the Indonesian rendang and opor ayam like lock and key. And long-lived enough for the floral notes to blend with the sweetness of kueh salak dessert. We had a Ridge Zinfandel open just in case it was overwhelmed by the mains but we needn't have worried.
This is such a well constructed wine, a firm backbone in its dryness, yet gentle and seductive in its perfume to carry you late into the night. Oh....so good!
Drinking now already but will last well past 2026.
Would I buy again? I got it at USD $49 which is above its average selling price. But even at this level, its a steal.....

2/11/2021 - Deo68 Likes this wine:

Medium garnet with browning typical of a 10-20 year old. Initially a little restrained, so much that I thought it had died. How wrong I was. Over 2 hours it evolved into a sophisticated, refined claret. Dignified amounts of fruit enveloped in pencil lead and oak accents with good acidity to keep it going for some time more. Very classy and a very satisfying wine exemplifying the best in claret. Now till 2026 quite easily. Will I buy again? Is that a question?
5CC CNY eve. DC

3/11/2021 - Deo68 Likes this wine:

Last tasted Aug 2020.
Tasted again. Previous comments still valid but now the wine is softening nicely. Plenty of life left in this wine so open a bottle every 6 months for the next 2-4 years to watch it evolve. Luscious and comforting as your mom's bosom.
Still hate the heavy alcoholic overlay for which it loses points. Having said that, it's scores very well and I'd still buy again!

3/11/2021 - Deo68 Likes this wine:

Slightly green (or was it the lighting?) And very clean. Sprightly nose full on crisp apple, white fruit and mineral. Very new world but not in an unpleasant way. Lovely acid backbone with ripe fruit aplenty. My type of summer wine. Would I buy again? Yes, most certainly!
DBA SanShuGong

1/9/2021 - Deo68 Likes this wine:

Medium garnet. Long legs foretold a heavy alcoholic presence. Luscious black fruit on the nose but very tight on the palate, having tasted it straight out of the bottle. Well structured except for the heavy alcohol dumbing down the fruit that was promised on the nose.
Drinking now - 2022. Would be worth tasting again in a year but I suspect the alcoholic cloak will not fade quickly enough. You could try decanting it for a couple of hours to see if you could open it up a little and offset the pesky alcoholic overlay.
USD$47 for a half bottle at Table at 7. DO59+C. Would I buy again? Yes but not at this price.

8/22/2020 - Deo68 Likes this wine:

Very clean, deep purple robe. Slightly watery edges. Long legs. Bouncing ripe red fruit nose. Strawberries, leather and mixed herbs. So forthcoming, I would have said it was an Australian Syrah if blind tasted.
Well balanced with plenty of acidity and fruit to bring it forward another 3-5 years. Tannin opening nicely. Overall a well constructed wine with characteristic Rhone garrigue. Negatives: Overly alcoholic. Otherwise nothing bad to say at all. Drinking now to 2025.
Would I buy again? Absolutely.
USD $48. WahLok DCBA.

5/9/2020 - Deo68 Likes this wine:

Lockdown Italian dinner. An Elvio Cogni wine seemed appropriate.
Browning at the edges was an unwelcome sign..
Aging asymetrically. Alcohol too much upfront. Still retains complexity and supple black fruit flavours with intense tobacco afternotes. Tannins have faded and the wine is slightly past peak.
An hour later the wine was still evolving. In retrospect, should have given the wine a bit more respect by decanting it.
Would I buy again? At USD$43....Absolutely!! But I would have opened it a year earlier :-(

2/25/2020 - Deo68 Likes this wine:

Decanted for half an hour
Dark plum, almost black. Big exuberant "you want fruit? I have FRUIT!" nose. Clearly new world. Merlot dominates with soft silky flavours. A very well constructed wine with sufficient tannin and acid to carry the FRUIT along for a few more years. Good now but will last to 2025.
Would have scored higher if not for the over the top fruit. But that's just me.
Diamond K Len/Den

2/11/2020 - Deo68 Likes this wine:

Decanted 2 hours before meal. Medium tawny. Restrained cassis and mint. Well structured balance between the elements. Not as exuberant as one would expect from others' tasting notes. Medium finish.
Overall impression is either premature bottle ageing or a wine that's already currently drinking. Losing its seductive youth but a fine, elegant lady nonetheless. Marked down for maturing too early. Needs retasting to confirm.
La Braceria Len & Den

2/8/2020 - Deo68 wrote:

Pale purple. Prunes and burnt sugar on the nose. Rather lightweight and lacking in expression on the palate. Lacks the ripe fruit and violets of Argentinian malbec. Slightly leathery without being unpleasant. Still retains a certain tartness. Short finish.

Did I like it? I think it takes getting used to. Especially if one has drunk too much Argentine Malbec, it makes for an impoverished cousin. Not bad but not quite my cup of tea.

1/24/2020 - Deo68 wrote:

Pale garnet. Chocolates and some black fruit on the nose. Palate developing asymetrically. Lacking in fruit. Acidity failing. Somethings happened since this was last tasted in Feb 2019. Better drink up. It's not gonna last.
CNY 5CC DCBA

1/5/2020 - Deo68 Likes this wine:

Medium tawny. Sweetness and dense black fruit flavours on the nose. Palate is almost port-like raisiny which overpowers everything else. Just a tad too sweet. Nothing too complex. Unpretentious and pleasing for what it doesnt try to be. Drinking now till end 2021.
Mimmo. DO58. DCBA.

12/24/2019 - Deo68 wrote:

Clean, pale gold. Initially restrained but opened up with time to reveal elegant oaky, peachy and green berry scents. More old world than new, it seemed a good start.
Palate was a little underwhelming with oak overpowering the flavours present on the nose. Lacked something on the body....I'd even say a trifle dilute or in polite terms, "low intensity". Acidity waning. Finished strongly to make up for the disappointing palate.
Its held up admirably for a 12 year old and the old world characteristics are attractive but I wouldnt buy again.

12/24/2019 - Deo68 Likes this wine:

Pale gold. Still lively with ripe yellow fruit. Short finish. Compared with last tasting in 2018, seems like its peaked. Drink up. 5CC Xmas eve

12/18/2019 - Deo68 wrote:

Drinking now. Nothing exceptional but then again, it doesnt pretend to be anything other than table wine. Decent value.

11/15/2019 - Deo68 wrote:

Still purplish but definite asymmetrical ageing. Similar findings to the previous bottle opened in October. Fruit is fading while tannins are still over abundant. Drink up.
TP SAFRA

11/14/2019 - Deo68 Likes this wine:

Pale gold. Clean crisp and lively nose full of vibrant white fruit. Pears, apples, apricots...Strange but i kept smelling lychees... Palate was superbly balanced and well weighted. Oodles of bright sunshiney fruit and a sweetness thats not usual in most Cab Sauv. Coupled with a clean long finish, this wine is worthy of being another of my "Happy" wines. Lovely. Lots of life left. Now till 2023.

11/12/2019 - Deo68 wrote:

Color was suspicious when it was first poured. So light it could have been blackcurrant cordial. Only sweetness on the nose. No fruit. Nothing. Dead. Pity given the favourable reviews

11/2/2019 - Deo68 Likes this wine:

Pale gold. Sprightly nose jumps out at you with an explosion of pineapple, lychee and pears. Palate is equally lively, full of summer and sunshine. Acidity is starting to fade. Short finish.
Very easy to appreciate and worth the money. Drink up. Now till mid 2021.

10/26/2019 - Deo68 Likes this wine:

Very pleasantly surprised at how young it looked in the glass. Medium garnet.
Nose has matured but there's still a very decent sweetness of cassis on the nose with a nice (does anyone use the word nice in wine tasting??) liquorice tail.
Palate has opened up and held together. Nicely (that word again) balanced except for a little fading off of the fruit and a good long finish. Very decent claret in the traditional style. Drink up. Its not going to last for much longer.
Good value and worth the wait. Will I buy again? Sure! Not for drinking too young, but I wouldnt hold it 17 years again.

10/5/2019 - Deo68 Likes this wine:

Still purplish. Noticeable reduction in fruit both on nose and palate while retaining strong astringency. Developing asymetrically. If its not due to bottle variation, I'd be concerned about its accelerated ageing since the last bottle tasted in May 2019. Just to be safe, will retaste again in a month or two. Stay posted

9/21/2019 - Deo68 Likes this wine:

Pale garnet. Plums with floral lavender and violets. Medium bodied. Well weighted. Still plenty of acidity on the palate but fruit is fading and developing asymetrically. Medium finish.
Shiraz, Grenache, Viognier, Mourvedre blend, nicely done. Could pass as a Rhone if tasted blind.
Certainly would have been better if I'd opened it a couple of years ago. Would have rated higher then. If u still have 2007s do drink up gentlemen. A little disappointed its declining after only 12 years. Its supposed to be crafted to last 20 years. Wonder if anyone has experience with laying down this wine?

9/14/2019 - Deo68 Likes this wine:

Deep purple. Long legs.
Complex nose. Strong backbone of black fruit flavours, typical shiraz smoke and leather. Overlain with mint and mineral notes.
Big, big palate nicely opened with generous fruit and sufficient acidity. A tad too sweet. Medium to long finish. Very satisfying but not built to last. Drinking now to 2021. Would I buy again? Yes if still at this price level.

8/31/2019 - Deo68 Likes this wine:

Still medium ruby. Cassis and black fruit on the nose, nicely defined with pencilly wood accents. Palate is perfectly balanced and harmonised. Restrained and dignified. A lovely buy. Only regret is not decanting it.
Drinking now. Will I buy again? Yes for sure. Now till end 2021.

8/31/2019 - Deo68 wrote:

Very dilute. Pale garnet. On the nose, fruit is fading. Some cherries.
Palate overly sugared. Unbalanced. Some dark fruit flavours and residual tannin. Short finish.
Surprisingly long lived. 13 years! But the pulse is weak and thready and demise is imminent.
5CC AD

8/17/2019 - Deo68 wrote:

Bought for curiousity value Medium purple. Nose holds black fruit with briery accents. Still stemmy. Charmless, lightweight, lacks fruit. Just table wine. Certainly overpriced. Not buying again

8/3/2019 - Deo68 Likes this wine:

Medium ruby. Just a hint of browning. Dark fruit, mint and chocolate. Perfectly balanced and well weighted palate. Supple and soft. Just a trace of tannin to remove. Medium finish. Drinking now till end 2020. Good quality Bordeaux if a tad too expensive at USD$70. Buy if below USD $50.

7/27/2019 - Deo68 Likes this wine:

What a surprising wine!
17 years old. Opened just to confirm its passing and bade it goodbye.
The medium garnet robe with just a smidgin of brown on the edges perked my interest. The nose was even more encouraging with ripe black fruit and late notes of coffee and cocoa. Some signs of life!
Palate was supple. Acidity and tannin had faded to reveal predominantly damson-like flavours. Sadly this was merely a 15-20 minute lucid interval before its ultimate demise. Half an hour later, it was dead. Truly dead. I bade it a respectful farewell. 8 bucks a bottle...what can I say? ��‍♂️��‍♂️

7/9/2019 - Deo68 Likes this wine:

Medium garnet with browning edges and long legs.
Nose full of sweetness and black fruit. Clear shiraz accents. Plums and raspberries with briery green edges. Well balanced with generous acidity and fruit. Short finish.
Diamond Kitchen Len Den64

7/6/2019 - Deo68 Likes this wine:

Deep purple. A lovely hue with long legs.
Unmistakable tempranillo nose with lively briery and peppery scents. Palate cloaked in moderate tannins with tail end black fruit sweetness, coffee and cocoa hinting at more to come when this wine matures a little more. Retaste in 6-12 months. 5CC ACD

6/23/2019 - Deo68 Likes this wine:

Pale gold. Almonds, honey and white fruit. Palate typical new world style, full of ripe floral notes, nuts and slight smokiness with a very mild oakiness. Sharp acidity despite 5 years.
What lets it down is the diluteness. Like its been watered down. Short finish. Otherwise would have scored it higher.
Would I buy again? Not this vintage.
HuaYuWee DadKan80

6/15/2019 - Deo68 wrote:

Pale purple. Watery edges. Smoky leathery nose with oaky accents. Spicy palate, strawberries and raspberries. Shortish finish. Not unpleasant but nothing to shout about. Will I buy again? Probably not

5/25/2019 - Deo68 Likes this wine:

Pale tawny. Well weighted. Still retains a dark chocolate and coffee accented nose and palate despite being past peak. Surprisingly not as dead as I expected. Would have been great if tasted some years earlier. Marked down because past prime

5/9/2019 - Deo68 Likes this wine:

Tasted again. Drinking well and tannin still holding up nicely. Loads of ripe sweet fruit. Retaste in 6 months

5/11/2019 - Deo68 Likes this wine:

Deep ruby red. Concentrated nose of coffee black cherries and ripe black plum. Well weighted palate with tannins opening nicely. Abundance of black fruit and ample acidity. Clearly new world but restrained and not over exuberant. Drinking perfectly and still for the next 18 months. Superb, superb value. 7 years old and under USD$20. Would I buy again? Absolutely.

4/20/2019 - Deo68 Likes this wine:

Garnet with a hint of brown. Wolverine-like, the nose jumps and grabs you with a swipe of strong spice, so peppery I almost sneezed. Ok maybe not so dramatic...but the Temperanillo made its presence known pretty obviously. Raisins and big black plummy fruit brought up the rear.
Very well structured wine with depth and complexity. Fruit in abundance with sufficient penetrating acidity despite its 8 years. Oak is restrained. And always that cinnamon, star anise and peppery Temperanillo lurking in the background. Tannin still backing up, holding something more... retaste in a year's time? Still not peaked! USD $ 47. For this price its a steal
Tapas Club. AO 52 DCBA