9/26/2021 - vinhslee Does not like this wine:

I've tasted this on several occasions, in different glasses with different periods of aeration. It is just an ordinary New Zealand Chardonnary with plenty of lemon, lemon zest and grapefruit notes, with some oak, minerality and stone fruit notes in the background.

It's not as good as what the critics say. Certainly not as compelling as 2019.

10/22/2020 - vinhslee Does not like this wine:

Very ordinary, muted and generic chardonnay nose. But plenty of lime, lemon peel and citrus notes on the palate. The fruity notes are quite upfront, but recede rather abruptly to reveal intense acidic and mineral notes. There is nothing intriguing about this wine, and it does not warrant comparison with fine white burgundy.

I do not understand the favourable reviews of this wines. Bad bottle perhaps?

9/29/2020 - vinhslee Does not like this wine:

Very cloying on palate. Explosive flavours of pineapple, mango and stone fruits. Lacks acidity to balance the candied fruit flavours. Aeration does not help the flavours to further develop or harmonise. Best served with plenty of ice cubes.

2/7/2020 - vinhslee wrote:

Bright flavours of strawberries, red berries, red cherries with some earthiness and minerality. Reasonably complex, very lively and well balanced when PnP. But flavours start to fall apart after 2 hours of aeration in the wine glasses.

10/19/2019 - vinhslee wrote:

Rich flavours of cassis, cedar, dark fruits, earthiness, game when PnP. These flavours only last for 15-30 minutes. Flavour profile is quite secondary, suggesting the wine won't last for long. Appallingly low level of acidity, complete lack of backbone/structure. Flavours are not simple, but not exactly complex. Drink up now.

10/13/2017 - vinhslee wrote:

Everything is in check and good balance. The aromas and flavours are mostly graphite, tobacco, leather, blueberry, blackberry and floral driven. It's quite well-polished, but just does not live up to the hype.

Perhaps it needs long decanting or gentle breathing. It lacks the magic and far inferior to other 1982s. Greatest let-down of 1982 Bordeaux.

9/29/2017 - vinhslee wrote:

I bought this bottle based on the glowing review.

The wine is in pristine condition. When the cork is pulled, lush nose of blueberry, dark cherry, olive leaps out of the bottle.

On the palate, the unmistakable taste of burnt rubber keeps dominating, pushing the fruit flavours to the background. It also has some savoury edge. The flavours are intense, but more restrained than most aussie shiraz.

The rather off-putting burnt rubber taste is present even after hours of decanting. I have tasted this wine in a few other occasions and it's still there. Why no one else mention or make a note of the burnt rubber taste? Assuming that most people can detect this burnt rubber taste, can anyone enlighten me as to why this doesn't stop people thinking this is a good wine?

Even if I take this burnt rubber taste away from this wine, there is nothing remarkable about it except the rather shamelessly high price.

8/16/2017 - vinhslee wrote:

Upon pulling the cork out, there is a small fizz.

On the palate, it has medium intensity of nectarine, peach, apricot, apple and floral flavours, with a hint of wet stones and sweetness. It has the slightly carbonated bite on the tongue. The acidity is not as high as expected. The flavours are quite subtle and in balance.

After storing the wine in a fridge overnight (vacuum pumped), the flavours become slightly more pronounced but still in check. The acidity level goes up a bit. The slight carbonation is still persistent.

5/17/2017 - vinhslee Likes this wine:

This wine needs long decanting. I poured half into a decanter, and left the other half in the bottle (to see which way the wine performs better). Below is a summary of how the flavours developed

Day 0: repulsively acidic and astringent. Fruity flavours are clouded by the astringency.

Day 1-2:

decanter: peach, grapefruit and honey flavours start to come through, but the high acidity was still off-putting.

bottle: flavours haven't changed much.

Day 3-4:

decanter: peach, grapefruit, pear, honey, wet stones and white flower flavours develop nicely. nice long finish

bottle: flavours are rather closed. still astringent.

Day 5:

decanter: the flavours are at its peak in terms of intensity, harmony and complexity.

bottle: peach, grapefruit and honey dominated flavours. not as complex nor layered as the wine in decanter.

Day 6 :

decanter: started to develop oxidative notes

bottle: same as day 5.

Day 7-8:

decanter: tasted oxidised. over the peak.

Bottle: similar to the flavours in decanter on day 3-4, but not as lively and complex.