Important Update From the Founder Read message >

Comments on my notes

(40 comments on 30 notes)

1 - 30 of 30 Sort order
Red
2016 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Nebbiolo
11/25/2023 - Caruso Likes this wine:
94 points
Garnet. Medium intense nose with cherries, spices, violets and minerals more complexity than this enumeration tells. Same on the palate with outstanding intensity. Still quite tannic, but ready right now. This tannins will never be shed. So if you don't like tannic wines, this may be not the right one for you. Outstanding spicy lenght. This bottle needed some air and it was partly decanted, which add some more complexity and intensity after30 minutes or so, but then resulted in a less nuanced appearance after extended airing over two hours. Then the part in the bottle was better. 5/12/17/10. -2035+
  • Caruso commented:

    11/26/23, 11:15 PM - This Barbaresco doesn't show an intense colour, so the concentration of anthocyanins is low. Tannins are reduced by polymerisation with anthocyanins. But if the concentration of anthocyanins is low and the concentration of tannin is high, the tannins can not be reduced at least not within the optimal drinking window. The optimal drinking window of this barbaresco is from now to maybe 2040 (Monica Larner, TWA). I guess 2035. The tannins will maybe be reduced a little bit in this time, but this wine will not be smooth or with low levels of tannin in 10- 15 years. This wine has not thrown any sediment yet. So it has not reduced its levels of tannin in the last 4 years of bottle age. Barolos and Barbaresco do not age as long as the best bordeaux. They are not as resistent to oxidation. Even the best barbarescos have a drinking window of 20 and only in a few cases of 30 to 40 years.

  • Caruso commented:

    11/27/23, 8:41 AM - Puh, what have I done? I saw the discussion on wineberserker (name of that site seems to fit ;-), given the incompetent statement about wine chemistry e.g.), but have no time to go through all of this. Nevertheless I would like to make clear, that of course I don't take the tannin levels of the PdB 2016 as a fault. In fact, there is nothing wrong with it. I gave 94 points, didn't I. I wouldn't gave it 94 points if it would be faulty or out of balance. No, I wouldn't count myself as a nebbiolo expert, but I had enough old Nebbiolos from Barolo and Barbaresco that I can say, that the rule is that they age without loosing their tannins to an extent like old Bordeaux, e.g. In fact, even notes of very old Barbaresco often mention the rest of tannins, that remain, while the colour is reduced and oxidative flavors may occur. That's my experience as well. So I don't understand the aggression due to my statement, that the tannins of this wine never will be shed (completely, to a large extent). That is something that nebbiolo lovers seem to like given the discussion and that's okay of course.

White
2022 Château du Retout Le Retout Blanc Vin de France White Blend
5/1/2023 - vvWine.ch wrote:
88 points
88 vvPunkte / Blasses Gelb. In der Nase mit viel Sauvignon Blanc, Kräuter, Holunderblüten, weisser Pfirisch. Der Gaumen ist rund, leicht cremig, milde Säure, mittellanger Abgang. Solider Wein der früh Spass machen wird. (Verkostet "En Primeur" im April 2023 / Vintex / Château Ripeau) #primeurs22 www.vvWine.ch
  • Caruso commented:

    5/14/23, 8:57 AM - Hello, there is no sauvignon blanc in the blend. It is Gros Manseng 54,5%, Sauvignon Gris 34,5%, Savagnin 11%.

Red
2016 Domaine Gonzague Maurice Clos du Pavillon Puisseguin-St. Émilion Red Bordeaux Blend
4/30/2023 - Lcollins-HB Likes this wine:
69 points
Dry, very balanced, dark plum, black cherry notes. Nice wine.
  • Caruso commented:

    4/30/23, 9:14 AM - Hello, I don't know this wine, but if it is not heavily faulty, as your note seems to indicate, 69 points are not appropiate, but minimum 80+ points.

Red - Fortified
2009 Quinta do Noval Porto Late Bottled Vintage Port Blend
12/26/2018 - Caruso Likes this wine:
94 points
This shows no developement over the last 3 years and needs air to blossom up. I believe, that it is aging for at least two decades. You can make it ready to drink if you decant it, or better, consume at least a quarter of the bottle over three or four days and let the rest for two or three more days. A opended and partly emptied bottle holds for two weaks at least. Great with mousse au chocolat or on its own of course. 5/12/17/10
  • Caruso commented:

    12/17/22, 9:40 AM - That may be the case, though I would have already drunk it by then. ;-)

White - Sweet/Dessert
1988 Château Climens Barsac Sémillon
8/12/2021 - galewskj wrote:
96 points
Guys Night - Older Napa Cab and middle age Bordeaux (Jason's House): Yes, Sauternes are awesome. This is one of them. Go buy some.
  • Caruso commented:

    4/16/22, 1:44 PM - Yes, the sweet wines from Bordeaux are great, but in fact it is not Sauternes. It is Barsac. And Climens is special. Because it is made only from Semillon. Cheers!

  • Caruso commented:

    4/16/22, 2:13 PM - You sound like an American. And it seems you are not only bored by sauternes or barsac. Your scores indicate that.

  • Caruso commented:

    4/18/22, 12:35 AM - I do apologize as well. I didn't want to teach you. In fact you are right of course, that the wines from Barsac can be sold as Sauternes. I don't know if there is any Barsac, who do this. Anyway I just felt, that it may be important to make a difference between the wines of Barsac and Sauternes, because in my humble opinion they are different to some degree, esp. Climens. Excuse my mistakes in English plaease. Cheers!

Red
2012 Weingut Keller Frauenberg Spätburgunder Großes Gewächs Rheinhessen
11/21/2021 - Caruso Likes this wine:
89 points
Garnet with slight but broad orange rim. This is a bit mute at first and needs 30 minutes in the glas to open up. Then it reveals itself as a quite complex and elegant medium bodied light Spätburgunder with red and blue fruits, some smoky spicy elements and some forest floor/mushroom scents and flavors. On the palate it is silky, nearly without adstringency and with high acidity that carries it in a medium long or should I say short finish. In terms of intensity it plays in the entry league of german spätburgunder/pinot noirs. To say it mildly: Just another disappointing Spätburgunder from Keller, not only in terms of QPR. 5/11/16/7 -2025
  • Caruso commented:

    11/21/21, 9:27 AM - Hello NoTrollingerPlease, i can not see any discrepancy here. Of course this wine is a major disappointment in terms of Quality-Price-Ratio and expectations due to its pedigree. Even if I could rated it 93 points it would have been a disappointment to me. Nevertheless I liked the wine, because of its style and elegance. If it would have been sold for 10-15€, I wish I had bought it by the case. Hey, 89 points: Very very good.

White - Fortified
N.V. Equipo Navazos La Bota de Manzanilla Pasada 90 "Capataz Cabo" Manzanilla de Sanlúcar de Barrameda Palomino Fino
1/2/2021 - Caruso Likes this wine:
96 points
Deep golden with amber hue. The Nr. 90 was bottled in february 2019. The average age of this is 14 years. The butts are refilled in a mannor that the flor is reduced, but is kept on living. So the wine has some oxidation, because the reduced flor can not prevent it as in normal Manzanilla. So far as I understand from the website of the producer. From the start this is providing an intense and quite complex nose (for sherry) of different nuts, almonds, iodine. On the palate it gives a real attack, very intense, yet with great balance and poise. Steely and salty, with an neverending finish of seabreeze, salt and fresh acidity. I have not found information from the producer about its ageabillity. Since it is bottled with a short cork as any manzanilla for 10 € or below, I cannot believe that it is meant for, or in need of, aging, though Gutiérrez from the WA gives it a drinking window 2019-2030 (and 96-97 points from cask). 5/14/19/8, -2025 kept at 10°C if one should insist to age this. If it prooves to age and evolve positive for more than 5 years, my score now is one point to low. Without a doubt outstanding!
  • Caruso commented:

    8/22/21, 2:52 AM - Sorry, for the late answer. I haven't checked this out. But for my taste the manzanillas can be easily stored one or two days in the fridge.

Red
2007 R. López de Heredia Rioja Reserva Viña Tondonia Tempranillo Blend, Tempranillo
5/9/2021 - Caruso Likes this wine:
96 points
Ruby with garnet hints and pink towards its edge. No decant. This is showing now first hints of maturity leaving his vanilla dominated past behind and becoming more and more complex and intense playing above of its pedigree. Elegant, complex and nuanced with great balance and lenght. It could be that the 96 points from the WA will seem quite conservative in a decade or so. For more detailed notes I refer to the note of TUDZ DRKL. 5/13+/18+/10. 96+ -2030+
  • Caruso commented:

    5/12/21, 4:48 AM - Thank you. It is not a mistake to drink bottles of this now or over the next years if you have more than two or three. To wait and to begin drinking in ten years is not what I would recommend. In another year this should be ready to drink even from the coolest cellars and I don't believe that it is going to improve for more than a decade from now.

Red
2017 E. Guigal Côtes du Rhône Red Rhone Blend
1/8/2021 - Caruso Likes this wine:
90 points
Purple. At this stage it seems still quite young to me and my first impression has been one of a wine inferior to its 2016 counterpart. But after 3-4 hours from the opened bottle it puts on weight and even more important: complexity. Mulberries, dark berries, dark cherries, plums, incense, celery. The tannins are intense, but round and ripe. I'm quite confident, that this is going to be a worthy successor of the 2015 and 2016. Excellent. 5/12+/16+/7+. -2026. 89-91 from the WA, as in the last vintages.
  • Caruso commented:

    4/2/21, 11:38 AM - Thank you.

Red
2016 Famiglia Cotarella Lazio Montiano Merlot
1/17/2021 - Manuel10 wrote:
81 points
Buon vino, fatto molto bene..talmente bene da risultare quasi “anonimo”.
Al naso note di frutta matura, vaniglia e qualche nota eterea. In bocca è morbido con un tannino non troppo aggressivo.
100% Merlot
  • Caruso commented:

    3/6/21, 9:49 AM - As far as I understand Italian your note is quite positiv. Why then 81 points? Most simple correct made flawless supermarket wine for 6€ deserve this score.

  • Caruso commented:

    3/7/21, 1:40 AM - Okay. I have a different opinion about the Montiano wine, but of course this is a question of personal taste as well. And of course it is Merlot. But the price should not be an argumentation for a lower score. In fact the price should not be considered giving out points. And the Montiano is better than just okay supermarket wines, isn't it. Of course you can and maybe even should write in your note, that it is too expensive for the quality in your opinion. By the way, I bought the 2016 Montiano for less than 27€ in Germany.

  • Caruso commented:

    3/7/21, 1:41 AM - P.S. Your english is as good as mine ;-) Please write your notes in english. It is really good enough!

Red
1998 Falesco Lazio Montiano Merlot
11/5/2010 - La Cave d'Argent wrote:
82 points
Tasted in double-blind fashion at Vintage Wines, Ltd. The bottle was kindly provided by D.B. Opaque garnet/amber robe with brick rim. Clean, very intense nose of earth, mushrooms, cigar box and red plums. Full-bodied on the palate, with medium acidity, big sweet tannins and flavors in line with the nose. The middle palate is full and the medium-length finish is fairly smooth. I may be wrong on this one, but I am concerned that the fruit is drying out and that the wine is past its prime. Other tasters thought that it wouldn't hurt to cellar it an additional 2-3 years to see if the tannins drop off and the fruit steps to the forefront. To those tasters I say..."vaya con Dios". Drink now-12/13.
  • Caruso commented:

    3/6/21, 1:23 PM - Your bottles were without a doubt damaged. There is no amber tint even today. It is still excellent!

Red
2016 E. Guigal Côtes du Rhône Red Rhone Blend
10/26/2020 - rasmusvinetc wrote:
90 points
KRYDDIGT & MUSTIGT
Kryddig smak med fatkaraktär, inslag av björnbär, lagerblad, hallon, svartpeppar, lakrits och vanilj.
  • Caruso commented:

    1/22/21, 8:59 AM - If the note is all in all positiv, why 80 points as every supermarket wine?

  • Caruso commented:

    1/23/21, 3:20 AM - Thanks for your comment. Below 80 points the wine has possibly minor faults or maybe is as interesting as light simple beer. I don't know the wines you mentioned, but the 2018 Courac got 90 points from the WA. The price however should not be considered giving out points in the parker system or at cellar tracker, I guess. I'm not so certain about the 2017 cotes du rhone from Guigal as I'm about 2015, 2016. I suppose it is in the range given by the WA from cask (89-91) in my humble opinion or maybe 1 point below.

White
2014 Domaine Robert-Denogent Pouilly-Fuissé La Croix Vieilles Vignes Chardonnay
4/15/2018 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine:
93 points
This is really quite attractive. Medium yellow. Reticent at first, it took about a half an hour to open up on the nose. Then, beautiful aromas of tropical fruit, lemon curd, minerals and cream. Very full and rich fruit in the mouth, but it also has excellent acidity. The balance is spot on. Flavors reflect the nose and really come out on a beautiful, long finish. This is a gem. 4-13-17-9: 93/100. Probably will read and even higher score with some bottle age.
  • Caruso commented:

    12/30/20, 3:34 AM - I'm just drinking the 2017 and it is really a surprise for me in a positive way. If you can buy it, I would advice to do it. I would be interested in your opinion about this. Happy new year!

White - Off-dry
2019 Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Riesling Auslese #14 Mosel Saar Ruwer
10/16/2020 - JRockEsq Likes this wine:
92 points
Method: pop and pour; 48 degrees; Grassl Mineralite

Look: palse straw with slight green tint; no legs, but high viscosity apparent

Nose: very ripe peach, guava, salt, very light creek water; incredibly expressive

Palate: salt, ripe peach, guava, salted caramel, whipped cream, jasmine, nutmeg, white pepper; long finish of peach, salt, jasmine; full (maybe full-) body; high sweetness; high- acid that's over shadowed a bit by sweetness initially, but lingers on the finish with a gentle tingling sensation on the tongue

Overall: Great power and concentration with out being too heavy. Currently, I think the sweetness overpowers the acid a bit and ripe fruit takes a bit too much of the spotlight away from the great spices lingering more in the background. That being said, the acid does leave a wonderful lasting impression on the palate long after the wine is gone.
This is a great wine now, but can probably afford shed some baby fat.

UPDATE: As it opened up and warmed up, the spices became more prominent on the palate and the excellent finish. There is such an awesome concentration of spices here, but still not quite able to get from under the shadow of the massive fruit and sweetness. I considered raising my score to 93, but I think 92 is still fair. This likely has a lot of potential, but I think needs more time to fully come into alignment.

Also, not surprisingly, it's absolutely killer with Roquefort.
  • Caruso commented:

    12/27/20, 11:22 AM - From my point of you, add 3-5 points and your score becomes fair indeed ;-) 97 from the WA, which is saying something since Reinhardt is scoring. I can not remember one of the better Auslese from Schaefer, and #14 in 2019 is one of those, that was at least outstanding (94 and above). Just my humble opinion.

  • Caruso commented:

    12/27/20, 3:03 PM - You give it 92 points because it is too young? Is that the wines fault? If you see the potential of getting even better, isn't it a reason to give an even higher score? I don't understand the logic behind this way of scoring. In your logic there is no! young Bordeaux that deserves 100 points because it gets better with time, right?

White - Off-dry
2016 Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Riesling Auslese Mosel Saar Ruwer
6/22/2020 - PierrePoupon Likes this wine:
94 points
For those who stumble upon upon this note, be forewarned: I am a novice. An enthusiastic novice, but a novice none the less.

I've been studying and thoroughly enjoying wine for two years now. My studies have consisted of reading Michael Schuster's "Essential Winetasting," following along with his course tastings, personal tutoring sessions with CellarTracker legend @Bevetroppo, and rapturously drinking and researching everything I can get my hands on with friends and family. It's been fun.

I know how important note-taking is in the learning process, but I've been hesitant to post here. I have too much respect for this forum to offer yet my trivial musings on the expansive world of wine. You don't just buy golf clubs, show up at Augusta, and start doling out your take on the perfect backswing.

That said, this past week I had what I think is my first real wine moment. I've had good Bordeauxs. I've had good Burgundys. I've had good California Chardonnays. I have some ideas about what I like and what I don't like, and why. I'm getting there. But for the first time in my young career, I tasted a wine and thought to myself "wow, this is a wine I will drink for the rest of my life. If I'm lucky, one day I'll have a cellar or fridge, and I'd like to always have one of these within arms length."

Last week I moved to Chapter 8 of Schuster's tastings on medium-dry and sweet white wines. He broke down the Pradikat designations and suggested a 3-6 year old Auslese as a representation of a classic sweet white wine. I traveled down to Chambers St Wines in the financial district of New York City and consulted with a vibrant and extremely helpful fellow named Evan about whether or not they had anything that fit the bill. Did they ever.

Evan immediately lit up describing the 2016 Willi Schaefer. His exact words - "when it hits your lips you just go - 'YES." I knew I was talking to someone who truly knew a lot about wine, but I couldn't have imagined how accurate that statement was until I actually did have my first sip.

This is, in my opinion, the perfect sweet white wine. It has delicious hints of candy apple, peach, honey, and grapefruit. It's stringent and elegant. You can't down glass after glass due to its sweetness, but this is the perfect after dinner treat or mid-summer afternoon companion. I've had a fair amount of white wine at this point. If I could have just one glass with, no food considerations, as I sat down on a balcony and watched the sun set - this is my choice.

Perhaps one day I'll look back in this review and think it's hyperbolic. That's fine - it's all a part of the journey. But the fact that I feel this strongly about this particular bottle tells me there's something here. I've had my first wow moment. And I can't wait for my next.
  • Caruso commented:

    12/27/20, 11:40 AM - Thank you for your personally note. One comment: If the Schaefer Auslese touched your heart as much as I believe, reading your note, and furthermore if you think this is a "perfect sweet white wine", you should give it 100 points. This would be not far from what professional tasters scored. There is no sweet white wine in the world deserving 8 points more than this Auslese. I wish you the experience to have this wine when it has shed its sweetness in twenty years or so and can only encourage you to by a fridge for wine e.g.

Red
2018 Bodega Chacra Pinot Noir Cincuenta y Cinco Patagonia
5/3/2020 - Rhone Rick wrote:
86 points
Would be a fine find and good qpr at $13... delicious red fruit, smooth like a cherry Vanilla Coke, but no complexity or structure to give me any sense it will be a stunner after a few years.
  • Caruso commented:

    12/16/20, 10:14 AM - $13? Sure that it was the 55 (release price 50$) not the barda?

  • Caruso commented:

    12/16/20, 11:44 PM - Sorry, I misunderstood your note. I had the 2017 55 and I rated it outstanding, so I hope you had just an off-bottle. I'm going to open the first of my bottles soon and hope that I like it better.

Red
2016 E. Guigal Côtes du Rhône Red Rhone Blend
9/26/2020 - Caruso Likes this wine:
91 points
This vintage continues the long series of great value and excellent cote du Rhone reds. Full throttle, powerful and intense, yet keeping harmony. 90 points from Dunnuck and Suckling. 91 points from The WA and I agree. 5/12/16/8. -2027
  • Caruso commented:

    11/29/20, 6:40 AM - Guigal gives more money for high quality than others, but he also gives advice and help for the producers to obtain great quality.

Red
2018 Envinate Taganan Tinto Canary Islands Red Blend
11/28/2020 - Caruso Likes this wine:
94 points
Crimson. After opening the bottle without airing it showed some game notes. So this is maybe (not sure about that at all) affected by some brettanomyces, but it vanished after some minutes of airing without decant, but lurks through sometimes later again. That can become different if the bottle was exposed to high temperatures. Therefore it is important that the importers and stores are sensible to this issue. The Taganan is made from grape varieties as listan negro, negramol, mulata, malvasia and others. The grapes are from different altitudes on tenerife between 50 and 400 meters, some grown on the edge of the abyss to the atlantic ocean. The wine has been aged in old used 228l barrels to obtain an abscence of wood flavoring. It shows scents and flavors of red fruits akin to red currants and cherries, plums, spices like cinnamon, pepper and lovage, black tea and flowers (not sure about the rose petals mentioned in other tasting notes). That is all highly elegant, light on its feet, complex and pungent. On the palate it shows high refreshing acicdity and low levels of round tannins. Medium long finish, but high intensity on the palate. A wine you can meditate about. 5200 bottles produced. 5/12/18/9 -2026 conversatively estimated. The 95 points from the Wine Advocate however seem to me a little bit too optimistic now, but outstanding for sure.
  • Caruso commented:

    11/28/20, 11:45 PM - You are right. I have to make a correction in my note. The slight game scent is reoccuring later even after hours. But I don't believe in Brett since the wine has high acidity and that makes a Brett infection unlikely. If it is brett it is going to get worse. Time will tell. However for now the scent is not disturbing at all.

Red
2001 d'Arenberg Shiraz The Dead Arm McLaren Vale
5/31/2020 - Caruso Likes this wine:
96 points
In my experience it is a fact that bottles aged at higher temperatures, unless the temperature does not exceed 19°C or 69F, are aging at a faster pace, but not worse than textbook cellared examples. Another important thing of course is the difference in temperatur between summer and winter and that temperature changes are only occuring slowly. But I've never checked this experience or believe with different bottles of the same wine, purchased at the same time and cellared one at 12°C and the other between 16°C in winter and 19°C in summer, both over a period of 16 years. For this experiment I've chosen the Dead Arm from D'Arenberg, a broad shouldered red with good aging capability and of outstanding to extraordinary quality, purchased in 2004. First a look at the fill level shows no significant difference between the two bottles. The outerside of the cork is as new regarding the textbook cellared bottle (bottle 1) and a bit mouldy regarding bottle 2. The popped corks show no great difference, maybe the cork of bottle two is bit more, partially soaked, but nothing more than the difference that can can be happen from bottle to bottle. The first significant difference between the bottles is visible when the wines are poured. The colour (Bottle 1) is still without a significant sign of aging, whereas bottle 2 shows a slight orange tinted rim. The nose of bottle one is dominated by different forest fruits, incence, graphite and hints of tar as well as minty notes, later cherry scents added. Bottle two shows the same scents, but there is a bit more cherries, appearing even earlier and there is a little bit more tannin shed, smoother, but with less of the cooler minty notes. All in all the bottles show same quality and the difference between them is only nuances.
5/13/18/10 for both. But maybe this is going to change in the next five years, since the bottles not textbook cellared are leaving their optimal drinking window then. If I haven't drunk up one of them, I'm going to repeat this experiment in 5 years or so.
  • Caruso commented:

    5/31/20, 12:32 PM - If you get the temperature difference down, it is perfect. Maybe it is easier (and less cost intensive) to warm up the cellar (better isolation?) in winter than to cool it in summer.

Red
2007 R. López de Heredia Rioja Reserva Viña Tondonia Tempranillo Blend, Tempranillo
3/30/2020 - Cjs578 wrote:
88 points
Underwhelmed.

Sadly my thoughts echo so many on here. Lots there but all background and makes the wine feel very thin with the American Oak being the main influence. Not sure there's many more years left in this.
  • Caruso commented:

    4/15/20, 2:16 PM - Christian is right. This needs some years and it is sad that there are so many less than outstanding scores given here. If you have some 2001 to 2005 left, drink this up first. And one more thing: This is never a blockbuster, but an european old traditional wine, which means: It is light with low alcohol (for our hot climat time). The 95 to 96 point scores by professional tasters are well deserved.

White
2016 Michael Teschke 19-27 Blauer Silvaner Landwein Rheinhessen
4/13/2020 - Caruso Does not like this wine:
74 points
Oh no, I don't know why, but it feels that more and more producers tend to sulfurize their wines too much. In this wine the nose is a wonderful burning match, though some of the fruit is lurking through. On the palate it is better. In the long finish you can estimate, what a great wine this could have been. But as long as you have it in your mouth the SO2 scent is dominating. What a shame!
  • Caruso commented:

    4/13/20, 7:55 AM - Hello MarkKuschkowitz, I'm not sure if I should try out another one of Teschke wines. I'm convinced that it is not something that happened early in the winemaking process. The fruit is indeed showing an oxidative style. But the fault is obvious and not only recognized by one person. Maybe something that happened just before bottling. In the end it is irrelevant. It smells of SO2.

White
2018 Hofgut Falkenstein Niedermenniger Herrenberg Riesling Kabinett trocken Mosel Saar Ruwer
10/12/2019 - acyso wrote:
88 points
2018 Falkenstein at Red and White (Chicago, IL): #01-19. The ripeness of the vintage bolsters the body of this wine. It's got a fair bit of greenness but also an above average amount of sweet fruit. Relatively high in acidity with a little more alcoholic kick than I would expect in a wine this lean. Nice, but overshadowed by the non-trocken wines.
  • Caruso commented:

    10/12/19, 1:02 PM - Hello Acyso,

    even the kabinett wines are Prädikat wines.
    Regards

Red
1986 Château Cos d'Estournel St. Estèphe Red Bordeaux Blend
10/12/2019 - djhammond Likes this wine:
94 points
I am starting to find pre 1989 Cos D'Estournels are becoming a bit of a lottery. Mine have good provenance, but all too regularly bottles are starting to be inconsistent in their delivery. This couldn't lose a faint taint. Everything essential about the wine is intact but the whiff of the cork could not be ignored. I have sat on a lot of 1982s and 1986s for my dotage, but in all honesty I am in two minds over whether to consume them now. I personally think that 1982 is now a real lottery, with only the Paulliacs from 1986 showing real aging potential, (apart from the Las Cases, the Talbot, and the Margaux,).
  • Caruso commented:

    10/12/19, 12:59 PM - Hello DJHAMMOND,

    my advice is to drink the 1982 up in the near term since it is at the end of its optimal drinking window, if the bottles have been cellared at perfect conditions since release. Otherwise ideally they should have been consumed in the past. The 1982 Cos is the better wine compared to the 1986, but the latter has indeed more years to hold through.

Red
2009 R. López de Heredia Rioja Crianza Viña Cubillo Tempranillo Blend, Tempranillo
7/3/2019 - bemeyer wrote:
Needs a long decant or more bottle age. Great flavors but needs to mellow and come together. Drink next bottle after 2020
  • Caruso commented:

    8/2/19, 1:06 PM - Hello Bemeyer, please do not decant this wine, because it simply don't make sense. There is no sediment in the bottle (cleared twice a year with eggwhite and racked). The wine is fully mature in an oxidative style. You won't decant sherry, do you? This wine will not improve with further aging. In some years it is going to begin to loose its fruit and the oxidative notes become dominating. Even the for some palates high acidity is a part of the wine that is not going to mellow or what ever. The wine is perfect now for what it is. A top-class traditionell rioja every day food wine, which might be consumed on its own as well and you like it as it is or not.

Rosé
2009 R. López de Heredia Rioja Rosado Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia Grenache Blend, Grenache
7/23/2019 - Caruso Likes this wine:
89 points
Orange with a copper tint. Hard to describe the colour of this hyped rosado. I'm a real fan of the reds and whites here, since they have great personality, quality and good price/quality ratio. These are unique wines and so I expected not less opening this rosado. Well, this is not an obvious off bottle and it shows no sign of poor storage, but it is a bit disappointing. First it is a rather indifferent showing with scents of low intensity and even the palate is very very light and to put it mildly showing not much intensity of flavors. At this stage a wine that deserved a score in the lower 80s. With a bit of time in the bottle it thankfully gained a bit. In hope of a positive evolution I even decanted a part of the bottle, me, I decanted a rosé! Well, even this procedure wasn't as successful as I hoped, no, not hoped really, but I wanted to get every chance to do the right thing. Nevertheless after that, or maybe simply after time with air-contact it gets more complex with fruity notes and for a short moment minty scents over the oxidative nutty smoky notes. Well, in the end, this is a rosado that is really elegant and complex and really nice to drink on its own on hot summer evening. But, if this bottle is any indications, it is to light, lacking intensity to be paired with food. And this bottle wasn't a bottle of 90+ points. If this is a 93+ points bottle, the l'écume from Negly is a upper 90s points wine (Still my favorite rosé, not because of the low price, but because of its quality). And of course it is not. Maybe there are high bottle variations, something I never noticed on the other releases of this great producer or it simply needs more time in the bottle, something I can't believe, but something that I'm going to check out. But in contrast to the other offerings from this producer, i'm quite sure that this will not get a bargain at 25 to 50€ in germany, if you get a bottle. If you keep in mind that the reserva tondonia red or the gravonia white crianza are cheaper and better... Maybe you mix them up? 5/11/16/7 -2028.
  • Caruso commented:

    7/29/19, 9:30 AM - I poured it slightly chilled and consumed it at ca. 12°C minimum and max. 15°C approx.

  • Caruso commented:

    8/2/19, 12:43 PM - Thank you for your shared informations. What does "cellar temp" means to you? Please, can you give me number in F or °C?

Red
1971 Gaja Barbaresco Nebbiolo
10/22/2018 - robmatic wrote:
90 points
Worst cork I've ever seen. Partially crumbly, partially stuck to the bottle, came out with extreme difficulty and was a total mess. However, it did do its job, as the wine was flawless. The wine was extremely old, but that is not a flaw in and of itself. The color is yellow at the edges, and deep gold toward the center, and we were not expecting much. But the wine is quite lively, with tea, dried fruit and leather aromas. Moderate acidity and the remnants of sweet fruits meld into a reasonably complex drink. The central characteristic though is the wine's advanced age, and likewise advanced stage of decline. It must have been an incredible wine in its youth.
  • Caruso commented:

    3/31/19, 3:40 AM - Hello Robmatic, I can recommend the "TheDurand" cork remover for vintaged wines with soft and stucking corks. It works great even if the cork is broken already and the rest is still in the bottle.

Red
2001 Comte Armand Pommard 1er Cru Clos des Epeneaux Pinot Noir
3/9/2019 - dagij Likes this wine:
88 points
Amazingly deep colour with few hints of brick, somewhat suprising. Strong and pronounced aroma of cedar and menthol, backed with a core of sweet berries, almost on the stewed side. Full bodied, sweet attack in the first attack on the palate, then quite dry and cedary, masking some of the fine fruit that is still present. Lomg, fresh, and a bit alcoholic aftertaste. Dry tannins. I find this wine somewhat overoaked resulting in some dry tannins. Still; this wine is impressive given that it is almost 20 years old. Somone claiming that Burgundy do not age as well as Bordeaux?
  • Caruso commented:

    3/17/19, 3:24 AM - Hello DAGIJ,

    you ask: "Somone claiming that Burgundy do not age as well as Bordeaux?" Yes, me. At least if the wine is overly extracted like this wine and other vintages. The dry tannin you have found in this too, are not going to calm down like in most aged bordeaux (more than 30 years of bottle age). Unbalanced wines from burgundy, do not shed their tannin. They get more and more unbalanced with time. So I can only suggest to drink this rather sooner than later. Yours sincerely, Caruso.

Red
2007 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhone Blend
11/13/2009 - alanr wrote:
85 points
Three premium 2007 Chateauneufs: Barnyard brett with a touch of sulfur on the nose; big, ripe, sweet, fairly candied, syrupy cherry, some out of place med acidity on the finish (relative to the ripeness level of the wine), along with a touch of what I perceive as alcohol spice. The level of ripeness obliterates whatever CdP character might be expected, turning it into just another overripe grenache that could come from anywhere. The one saving grace is that it hasn't been knocked over the head with new oak.
  • Caruso commented:

    3/12/17, 4:07 AM - I view 50% of your tasting notes. Sure you like wine? ;-)

White
2011 Bernard Boisson-Vadot Meursault Les Grands Charrons Chardonnay
2/6/2016 - Caruso Does not like this wine:
65 points
Not as much SO2 as the Auxey-Duresses "En Reugne", so some fruit is to be detected. Nevertheless undrinkable! Neal Martin detected this problem even with the "Les Chevalieres" but stated only hints of SO2. It's impossible for me to be that mild.
  • Caruso commented:

    2/8/16, 1:41 AM - Yes, I have decanted it and gave it time till now. Unfortunately it doesn't really matter.

  • Caruso commented:

    2/9/16, 9:17 AM - No, sorry, but this is the true. I've retasted it in company (I stashed the open bottles away). One other person doesn't even want to take it in the mouth. There is more fruit now but still the disturbing smell of a burning match. And when I read the other notes (sulfur 2 times, "røykmineralitet") and all bottles of this producer I had, had or have exactly the same disturbing smell, it seems to me clearer and clearer that there are probably more defective bottles out there.

Red
1989 Domenico Clerico Barolo Ciabot Mentin Ginestra Nebbiolo
3/8/2013 - kenv wrote:
flawed
1989 Barolo (NoMad Restaurant, NYC): [Double-decanted mid-afternoon. Tasted about 8pm.] Musty nose. Dry tannins and dirt in the finish. I think it is is a flawed bottle, others do not.
  • Caruso commented:

    4/30/14, 1:30 PM - much to much air? No decantation for old baroli is better in my humble opinion.

1 - 30 of 30
© 2003-24 CellarTracker! LLC.

Report a Problem

Close