3/31/2024 - danchaq Likes this wine:

Easter wine with roasted lamb rump. Mellow and subtle but fascinatingly layered with bright red fruit and old books. Very long. Decanted.

No harm in leaving the rest of my case whilst I work through some of the other Riojas can come back to this one later.

3/29/2024 - danchaq Likes this wine:

This came out several courses in so hesitate to give much of a note or score, but it was a big enough wine to stand out. Seemed integrated to me so must a couple more bottles out of storage.

4/4/2024 - danchaq wrote:

Disappointed with this. I've had a few bottles of their El Terroir which I've enjoyed, but this bottle was lacking in fruit and any expression really. Maybe a dumb phase?

3/29/2024 - danchaq Likes this wine:

Very much a mineral wine. Smoke and flint. Wine of the night, wish I'd bought a case!

3/29/2024 - danchaq Likes this wine:

The extra two years in bottle has done it some good, it's filling out. Bit of a crowd pleaser on the night and good value.

4/5/2024 - danchaq wrote:

Needed 45 mins and a quick chill to open up into wild mushroom and a bit of blackberry. Five hours later and it was fading (possibly needed that quick chill again). Capricious!

3/24/2024 - danchaq wrote:

Perfectly acceptable red of brambles and baking spice. Lithe with a nice dusting of tannins at the end.

3/23/2024 - danchaq wrote:

Thought the scores and notes below didn't make sense but now I get it. Perfectly tasty wine... dark fruit, herbs de provence, liquorice root... but not that much depth and for me the acid is out of balance and overshadows the fruit.

3/20/2024 - danchaq Likes this wine:

Settled down nicely now. Really interesting interplay between buttermilk and fresh lemon. Big wine that commands attention. Good both with and without food.

3/15/2024 - danchaq Likes this wine:

PnP. Raspberry chews, fresh blueberries and black cherry. Fruity and polished on opening but the structure came through over time, with a certain stalky sourness on the finish on day two. Immediately pleasurable upon opening but each glass evolved so really interested in how this will continue to develop. It stayed in the primary range of things over two days and the structure is there to support, so I think it has some time left.

3/4/2024 - danchaq wrote:

Dry as you like with a saline tinge and a finish of bright red fruit. Think it could use a bit more time to knit together, but pleasurable with food and an interesting wine.

3/4/2024 - danchaq wrote:

Very spicy - cinnamon, clove, allspice, black pepper. Plum and maybe black cherry sitting behind it but the spice is very up front. There's a certain firm density to it but not unenjoyable. Decanted 1 hour.

2/25/2024 - danchaq Likes this wine:

Mature wine with newly apple notes but retaining enough acidity. Penultimate bottle and the perfect foil to a cheese board.

2/17/2024 - danchaq wrote:

Smooth and round.
Lime and apricot, mild sweet petrol.
Sherbet tingle on the tongue, bone dry, granite on the finish.
A pleasurable riesling to drink but really sang with the food (smoked ham hock, parsley sauce and cabbage).

1/28/2024 - danchaq Likes this wine:

Dark brambles and rosemary. Both fruity and firm. Very drinkable.

1/26/2024 - danchaq wrote:

Rounded, stone fruit, petrol-ish. Haunting.

1/13/2024 - danchaq wrote:

Needed a good hour in the glass to come out into florals and a dark minerality. After another hour the bramble fruit appeared in between. The next day it was more relaxed with the same notes but no signs of fading. Balanced and polished but lacking somewhat in intensity. Second bottle of six and hoping it will give more in time.

12/31/2023 - danchaq Likes this wine:

One of those bottles that reminds me why I keep buying this sort of wine (they don't all do that...) Really leaning into the hazelnut now, with some brown butter coming in and more weight in the mouth. Really showing well on its own, slightly overpowered by food.

We had the bottle over several courses. Lobster tagliatelle as well as scallops, black pudding and cauliflower. Fine enough with both, better with the truffled Baron Bigod cheese.

One bottle remaining, not sure when's best to open it, probably sooner rather than later, next year or so?

12/31/2023 - danchaq Likes this wine:

Happy new year. I get a lot of red fruits against the brioche and slightly savoury edge. Worked really well with food, every course really, but also delicious on it's own.

12/26/2023 - danchaq Likes this wine:

Last bottle of three. Mature, soft and delicious.

12/25/2023 - danchaq Likes this wine:

Deep blackcurrant, tempered with graphite. Singing right now.

12/24/2023 - danchaq Likes this wine:

Decanted and drank immediately. Savoury edge. Will be more expressive with time methinks.

12/24/2023 - danchaq Likes this wine:

Dark, fruity, pleasurable

12/23/2023 - danchaq wrote:

Yeah it's good. Textured, persistent, creamy lemon. The reputation says it has more to give in time. At th moment though it feels less of a wine than the 2016. Expensive.

12/16/2023 - danchaq Likes this wine:

Very buttery, but exquisitely balanced. More mineral than citrus against the toasted coconut and butterscotch. Oily mouthfeel. There's no doubting it's a certain style....

12/8/2023 - danchaq Likes this wine:

Lots of wood but very layered. Rich and balanced. Will be better when the oak integrates more but absolutely delicious if you like the style. Only bought two, wish I had a case!

12/4/2023 - danchaq Likes this wine:

Black fruits and powdered cocoa on the palate with a textured mouthfeel. Good concentration and nicely balanced. Decanted 45 mins.

12/4/2023 - danchaq Likes this wine:

Opens with mixed hedgerow fruit but also has a real gaminess to it. There's a lightness to the mouthfeel and an intensity to the finish. The wine is now starting to show itself. Decanted 45 mins.

11/21/2023 - danchaq Likes this wine:

One of the best wines of the year. Deep harvest gold in the glass. Distinctly aged on the nose, but not over the hill. Honeysuckle and freshly baked sponge cake. Dry palate but not astringent. Those cake notes continue but quite saline and savoury. Medium sized gentle bubbles. So interesting yet easy to drink with a lingering finish. Just excellent.

11/18/2023 - danchaq Likes this wine:

Four hours in a decanter. Clear bright deep fruit with a sort of menthol note at the end. Just lovely.

11/10/2023 - danchaq wrote:

I get the sour milk note! Sharp lemon, coconuty oak. The oak is more integrated than my last bottle but it's still lithe. More concentration than texture. Nice for broaching but personally I have twelve and wish I had one or two more since. Saying that's its going to last a bit. There is a lot of "winemaking" going on here.

10/7/2023 - danchaq wrote:

Hedgerow and Ceps. Fleshy but not all that generous nor fruity. Think it still needs a bit of time for me.

10/3/2023 - danchaq wrote:

Similar to my last note but more blackberry than red fruit, still that shitake note. Quite shy, should've decanted.

9/30/2023 - danchaq Likes this wine:

Got very little fruit (bottle variation given previous note?), all tertiary and savoury and none the worse for it. Great body and still a coating mouthfeel. All holding together and just lovely. Second to last bottle of a dozen, best value for money case ever.

9/29/2023 - danchaq Likes this wine:

Wow that is good. Just so much going on with fruit and wood. Intense but smooth and clean. Rubbish tasting note but very good wine.

9/23/2023 - danchaq Likes this wine:

Really get the concentration with a slatey finish. Nice tension, less overt fruit than my previous bottle. Will wait a couple years before taking further bottles out.

9/1/2023 - danchaq Likes this wine:

Last of my bottles and I'd say about th right time to finish up. I have enjoyed every single one.

9/1/2023 - danchaq Likes this wine:

More mushroom developed in the glass over an hour or so. Still weighty and fruity.

8/30/2023 - danchaq Likes this wine:

Mid weight, very drinkable pinot noir tending to the darker side of things. Heavier straight out of the bottle but continued to soften over two hours.

8/29/2023 - danchaq Likes this wine:

On the polished side for Chianti. Soft in the mouth with black cherry and floral notes.

8/25/2023 - danchaq Likes this wine:

First of two bottles, wanted to drink this on the fruit and wait until near the end of the producers given window (2022-2032) for the second. Decanted as previous wines of hers were tight when drunk young from the bottle.

Clear radiant red in the glass. Muted nose of dried herbs. More dense on the palate than I'm used to for Burgundy. Strawberry fruit rollups and violet, with a finish that hints at garrigue.

Fruity from the start but was more open after about an hour. Obviously young and doubtless will improve.

8/20/2023 - danchaq Likes this wine:

Second bottle of six, showed very well at the table, time to get a few out of storage to have on hand! Extremely drinkable, beautiful pinot fruit, a little sauvage.

8/19/2023 - danchaq Likes this wine:

A bit hot and obviously young. But also very drinkable. Inky purple and garnet in the glass, big and dense and intense in the mouth. Menthol, semisweet chocolate, cassis, cinnamon.

8/18/2023 - danchaq Likes this wine:

Oof oh yes yes. Drinking really well, bottle 5/6 and just getting better. Oily mouthfeel that just coats everything. Lemony with notes of pastry and Brazil nut. Superb balance. Commands attention.

7/29/2023 - danchaq wrote:

Blue fruits. Maybe cherry stone for the first hour or so. Strong seam of acidity that finishes fresh. Medium length. Very easy to drink, tastes of California. For me, doesn't quite hit the magic spot, but lovely nonetheless. There's something on the nose that says this is still developing and has time yet to give more.

7/9/2023 - danchaq wrote:

Full, fruity and earthy.

6/24/2023 - danchaq Likes this wine:

Meadow flowers, salted pear, wet granite. Food friendly and interesting.

6/10/2023 - danchaq wrote:

Ten years in bottle and seven hours in the decanter and still I think I'll leave the nest bottle for a couple years. All the black tea (Ceylon) with some black olive. With food I get (maybe!) raspberries in Kirsch. Light bodied but with smooth mouth coating tannins.

6/3/2023 - danchaq Likes this wine:

Floral and fruity with strong blackcurrant leaf and energy on the palate. Super drinkable and really good value.

6/4/2023 - danchaq Likes this wine:

Ripe, soft, fruity. Touch of bitter spice on the finish as it develops. Really pleasing, really pinot.