6/5/2023 - Traxx wrote:

These are starting to hit their stride. Nice mix of baking spices on the nose, well balanced overall. Nice wine. No rush based on this bottle, but to my taste also no reason to leave them for longer if one has enough to sample now.

4/24/2023 - Traxx wrote:

Drinking well, though still tight and primary more than developing/ed. I'll attempt to wait a couple years for the next bottle of the same.

4/2/2023 - Traxx wrote:

Inky and incredibly primary at the moment, I'd leave these alone for a while.

1/15/2023 - Traxx wrote:

Showing really well at the moment. Likely no rush, but this is in a nice spot.

8/21/2022 - Traxx wrote:

This was a fantastic bottle. Great lifted fruits, starting to show some secondary development, but probably better to describe it as primary with balanced acidity etc from these initial years in the cellar. Really great bottle of wine.

8/15/2022 - Traxx wrote:

I suppose this tastes exactly like one might guess if you know the producer and the vintage- tight and big.

I'll leave the rest of these alone for a long time. 2032 or so for the next bottle.

7/23/2022 - Traxx Likes this wine:

Pop and pour, fantastic nose on first pour, took on a bit of funk with more air, but not in an unpleasant way. Early side of the drinking window at the moment, though clearly no rush.

7/17/2022 - Traxx wrote:

Drinking really nicely. I'd agree with the comments that this is drinking well earlier than many Dunn Howells. Based on this bottle no rush, but no real reason to wait either.

6/11/2022 - Traxx wrote:

Great showing. Really balanced at this stage with nice fruit, but showing more tannin and spice than many 19s I've had recently. Not hard, but not a fruit bomb either (all relative terms to burgundy). Really good.

6/6/2022 - Traxx wrote:

Decanted 2 hours before the first glass, this was not enough... Tasty wine, but youthful to the point of toughness. Hold. Hold. Hold.

5/23/2022 - Traxx wrote:

Pop and pour, consumed over 3.5 hours. Great from the jump, nice red fruits and some complex spice on the finish. No reason to wait on this, but I suspect some more time will bring out the complexity. Really nice wine, especially in the context of what red burgs sell for these days...

5/10/2022 - Traxx wrote:

Recent purchase. Unfortunately the cork was compromised and the wine was mildly oxidized. Still drinkable, but showing much more tired than it should have etc. Disappointing.

4/1/2022 - Traxx wrote:

Splash decant, then consumed over 90 mins or so. Really great from the start, clear with essentially no sediment or cloudiness.

Drinking very well, in the heart of the curve it felt like.

3/27/2022 - Traxx wrote:

This bottle desperately needed some air to show best, at first the nose was dominated by brett and EA/VA. With about 90 mins in the decanter, all that blew off and left behind a fantastic bottle of wine. Darker and more intense than many barolo, just absolutely in a great spot.

1/22/2022 - Traxx wrote:

Last bottle, if I had more I would let them age for a good bit longer... showing primary at the moment, with pretty firm tannins.

12/27/2021 - Traxx Does not like this wine:

Mega cloudy, muddy flavors, not pleasant. Bought on a lark based on all the old drama with Ray Walker, glad it was a single bottle.

12/23/2021 - Traxx wrote:

No special treatment, just pop and pour from magnum. Showing really quite nicely, well balanced, on the richer side esp given the vintage. I was pleased with these results.

12/20/2021 - Traxx wrote:

This is drinking really well, much better than I expected based on other 2011s. Nice baking spices on the nose and through the finish. Good balance of fruit and secondary flavors. In a very nice spot.

12/13/2021 - Traxx wrote:

Opened around 4pm and into a decanter. More resolved tannins than the last bottle. Notes of mushrooms and generally more advanced profile than I recall. Good, though this bottle makes me wonder about extended age on the rest of them... feels like it's into the window.

11/16/2021 - Traxx wrote:

Darker fruit than some chambolle, but very tasty wine. Would happily load more into the cellar.

11/13/2021 - Traxx wrote:

This was great, but tightly coiled. Bright red fruits, darker core/finish. I'll plan to leave them to sleep for a good long time.

10/24/2021 - Traxx wrote:

First glass has noticeable heat on the finish, not something I recall with previous bottles. Will follow, but based on the first pour this one is in an awkward stage.

10/12/2021 - Traxx wrote:

Pop and pour, much different showing than this time last year. Still good wine, but was showing much more firm and muscular than any florals or the similar expressiveness on the nose. I'll leave these alone for another couple years and see what happens.

10/7/2021 - Traxx Likes this wine:

Opened and poured a small amount off at noon, was thin, brown and not very encouraging... four hours later the color has flushed out, the wine has filled out and is in a great place. Beats me if similar treatment would help with the other flawed bottles mentioned, but it did wonders here.

Drink or hold, no where near peak based on this bottle, but I also expect we're in the plateau of at least middle age.

10/6/2021 - Traxx wrote:

Pop and pour which was a mistake, brown and tired for the first couple hours, then the color came back and the fruit came on. This was delightful with 2 hours of air, really special.

9/21/2021 - Traxx wrote:

Drinking really well. Pop and pour, showed well over 3 hours or so.

Based on this showing, I'm in no rush to finish the last couple bottles.

8/16/2021 - Traxx wrote:

Forgot I had one of these in the spring... should have checked my tasting notes. Super tannic at the moment, probably best to ignore these for another couple years based on this showing.

8/9/2021 - Traxx wrote:

Bottle from last night was tired, brown, and pruney. I assume just an off bottle, as other recent ones haven't been like this... but wasn't great.

7/21/2021 - Traxx wrote:

Heat poking through on the finish. Not a great showing to me.

7/1/2021 - Traxx wrote:

Decanted for sediment- but basically pop and pour. This bottle tightened up considerably around 90 mins in. Was tasty, but based on this showing I'll likely leave these alone for another year or three- as it was very youthful.

6/7/2021 - Traxx wrote:

From magnum, recentish purchase from KL Auctions

This wine is in the sweet spot, though no reason to rush. Great mix of fruit, some green pepper, and structure. Really great bottle of wine.

5/28/2021 - Traxx wrote:

This is a great bottle of wine. Nice tart fruit on the nose, and a fantastic balance of fruit and spice in the mouth. Great wine.

5/25/2021 - Traxx wrote:

I've grown disappointed with 08s in general, so was somewhat nervous opening this one... Poured off a short pour, then allowed to open up for an hour or so before pouring a real glass. Nice fruit, early secondary development. Not super rich or long finish, but much nicer than other recent 08s- good bottle of wine.

4/24/2021 - Traxx Likes this wine:

Drinking really well.

4/14/2021 - Traxx wrote:

I forgot to stand this up ahead of time, and am convinced the bottles that have been stood up show better.

4/13/2021 - Traxx wrote:

Much more mature nose than I would have guessed, but very nice bottle of wine. Was my only bottle, but based on this showing I don't think this will make super old bones based on the advanced nose.

4/4/2021 - Traxx wrote:

Darker than most burgs, consistent with my note from 2013. Drinking well at this point.

4/3/2021 - Traxx wrote:

Drinking well, nice balance of fruit and vegetal notes through the finish. Not sure if this one needs to a ton of time as it's drinking with great balance now.

3/20/2021 - Traxx wrote:

Drinking well, though I think this would benefit from some additional time in the cellar.

3/6/2021 - Traxx wrote:

Wanted to check in on the evolution at this stage; was basically exactly where I thought it would be. Typical rusticity, bright fruit, but with serious tannins through the finish. Nothing wrong with opening one now, but I expect another handful of years will do wonders here. Very nice wine for the money.

2/28/2021 - Traxx wrote:

Really very approachable and downright enjoyable at the moment. No reservation about opening this.

2/14/2021 - Traxx wrote:

Pretty disappointed in this one. It was fine.

2/6/2021 - Traxx wrote:

Coming around, but still a long ways off from peak drinking. Some recent 06 Brovia made me want to check in here too, but whoa this one was tannic and hard last night.

1/30/2021 - Traxx wrote:

Drinking really well. Some slight signs of maturity, but early in the window I expect. Was singing.

1/25/2021 - Traxx wrote:

This bottle felt tired...

1/23/2021 - Traxx Likes this wine:

Based on the recent success with 2005 version of this wine, I figured it was worth a try... wasn't really showing all that well. Quite tannic, should have known based on the youth of the wine.

Try again in 5 plus years

1/21/2021 - Traxx wrote:

First bottle of a recent auction purchase, thrilled with the addition to the cellar. Drinking well, though still quite tannic. Not showing the heat of the vintage I've seen in some other 05s, really felt more classic than I expected.

No reservations about opening now, though this feels like it has the stuffing for another decade plus.

1/18/2021 - Traxx wrote:

2011 is drinking better at the moment, though this was still a nice bottle of wine.

1/16/2021 - Traxx wrote:

Drinking well from the start, though three hours in it really fell apart.

12/30/2020 - Traxx wrote:

A bit of brett or animal smell at first, though it integrated well over 90 mins or so. Drinking nicely, good bottle of wine.