4/1/2024 - cevans129 Likes this wine:

Gutted this was my last bottle. Really really good - beautiful dark golden colour, lovely nose of citrus and a robust yet very balanced body. Perfect acidity levels - really a great bottle of wine.

4/1/2024 - cevans129 Likes this wine:

Drinking really well. Soft tannins - fruit still very robust. I’d say it would certainly keep for longer - but really enjoyed it over Easter dinner.

3/28/2024 - cevans129 wrote:

Very good - well balanced, ripe fruit. Was even better on day 2!

3/23/2024 - cevans129 Likes this wine:

Interesting. Basically undrinkable on opening - super dense and tightly packed. Interesting nose - menthol seemed the dominant note. Let it sit for 24 hours and it began to open up into something quite elegant and interesting - dried fruit, sous bois, leather - still has an interesting note of menthol. Tannins have largely rounded out but a decent bit of acidity left - pretty well balanced, but lots of complexity there. Drinking well - but it needs some heavy decanting….

1/1/2024 - cevans129 Likes this wine:

This needs a fair bit of time to open up, but once it does the fruit is really elegant and refined. There is a slightly sulfuric funk when opened which almost put me off (not at all on the nose - only the palate - otherwise I may have thought the bottle was corked), but glad I stuck with it. Some tannic structure there but it’s not unaccessible. Very leggy, interesting floral nose - though still quite tight. Would say this will benefit from a few years of aging. But lots of potential here.

12/28/2023 - cevans129 Likes this wine:

Elegant, well rounded wine. Nose is full of black fruit, sous bois. I think slightly past prime - the fruit that I remember from the last bottle of this 5 years or so ago was largely gone from the palate, replaced by a more raisin-y profile - but still a very enjoyable bottle. Drink now if you still have it.

9/18/2023 - cevans129 Likes this wine:

Drinking extremely well, but I think has plenty left to run. Good legs. Very good balance of soft fruit and minerality, slightly saline, viscous mouthfeel. Long finish.

5/5/2023 - cevans129 Likes this wine:

Amazing, deep nose of plums, red fruit. There is a lot of structure to the wine, tannins are still quite strong. I should have decanted for some time, but even without drinking at its full potential, I could taste the structure and balance. This will be an exceptional wine in 5+ years.

1/21/2023 - cevans129 Likes this wine:

A bit tight - definitely drank too young. Good fruit once it opened up. Earthy tones, leather in the nose, full body, good balance. Strong acidity and tannins - I don’t think this is showing as much as it is capable of - will revisit in a few years.

12/5/2022 - cevans129 Likes this wine:

Some of the reviews feel a bit harsh! There is a slightly reduced aroma when you open the wine and on first pour, but I found it dissipated very quickly. What’s left is a very balanced wine with ripe fruit, a full palate, good acidity and a long finish. Went great with food (Italian, naturally…) - I don’t think it was meant to be deeply pondered on its own, but no complaints from me!

9/16/2022 - cevans129 Likes this wine:

Takes a bit of time to open up, but it’s showing exceptional balance; tannins delicate already but I think this wine has a long long life ahead of it. Good, ripe fruit, complex nose of leather, sous bois, black fruit. 2015 Brunellos from what I’ve seen really do live up to the hype. Will leave remaining bottles of this for a while yet, I think - but bottle I opened a very good taste of what’s to come…

8/27/2022 - cevans129 Likes this wine:

Still a bit tight, but really enjoyable an hour or two often opening. Great balance between dark fruit and some of the stronger, spicier notes. Drinking well but I would say it has plenty of room left to run.

6/3/2022 - cevans129 Likes this wine:

Really good wine. Clean nose of fresh red/ black berries, sous bois - deep and rich. The palate is clean and balanced, showing good acidity and tannic structure - deeper flavour notes of leather, tobacco to accompany the fresh fruit. Long finish. Drank to get a sense of the vintage - recalling an earlier vintage I tasted (2016/17?) which was really exceptional even early. I would say this will improve a lot in the coming years,but it is already a really enjoyable bottle of wine.

5/16/2022 - cevans129 Likes this wine:

Deep minerality, flowers on the nose, tasteful hint of oak and nice acidity. Good balance.

5/16/2022 - cevans129 Likes this wine:

2.5 years since opening last bottle - remains exceptional. Intense floral nose, rich palate with red fruit, blackberries, and it seems to be developing a deeper taste to it; notes of liquorice and vanilla, with hint of spice. Loooooong finish. I’m guessing this continues to develop for a number of years to come - 6 more bottles, what a delight!

5/13/2022 - cevans129 wrote:

Really superb - unlike what you are expecting if you have a rose in mind. Well structured, notes of strawberries, vanilla, very pleasant floral bouquet. Super enjoyable to sip, has enough behind it to stand up well to food, what more do you want?!

5/13/2022 - cevans129 wrote:

Really enjoyable - stone fruit, minerality all brought together with a light salinity and really robust texture. Winner.

1/5/2021 - cevans129 Likes this wine:

Another good vintage from Olivier Merlin. White peach, melon, lemon rind; mineral undertones, medium acidity and just the right amount of oak. Drinks a bit too easily is all......

1/5/2021 - cevans129 Likes this wine:

Ripe fruit is the dominant profile, but some mineral and floral undertones. good acidity to balance it all out. Drinking really well right now.

10/24/2020 - cevans129 Likes this wine:

Very approachable - picked from amongst a few different Barolo to get a sense of the vintage - right choice! Lovely delicate nose; floral, but good earthy undertone. Well structured body; good acidity to balance. I enjoyed this immensely, so much so I may get more!

10/24/2020 - cevans129 Likes this wine:

Too young - just had one bottle to get a sense of the vintage. Dark brick colour; nose of oak, tobacco, dried fruit; good body and structure. Maybe a bit oak dominant, a bit less of the ripe fruit I recall from previous vintages, but still very good. Long finish. Should age well - won’t open another for a few years.

10/11/2020 - cevans129 Likes this wine:

Still drinking well - a solid wine. Good balance - mature fruit at this point. Soft tannins and acidity still a nice counterpoint.

9/28/2020 - cevans129 Likes this wine:

Heavy alcohol - not out of the ordinary for Amarone - but it needs a bit of time to settle down. After about 90m-2h, the heat came off it and revealed a very nice, balanced wine. I bought this at the vineyard about 10 years ago; it has lost a fair bit of the fruit-forward palate that I remember and that the 2011 still had last time I opened a bottle, but the structure and balance is very much still there. Interested to see where this goes from here.

6/6/2020 - cevans129 Likes this wine:

Wow. Superb. Ripe fruit, stone minerality, tight balance. A really strong, but at the same time extremely refined wine. Still young, but very enjoyable now. This was a real revelation - superb QPR as well.

6/6/2020 - cevans129 Likes this wine:

Very good - though still quite young, very drinkable and approachable. But good structure so I’d say this will continue to improve. Nose of graphite, hint of tar, strong sous bois; great balance on the palate with fruit and minerality and a great earthiness. Medium finish. Great value wine - really impressive.

5/30/2020 - cevans129 Likes this wine:

Strawberries and cream on nose and palate, giving way to citrus (lemon peel, grapefruit). Good body, round mouthfeel. Great quality to price point. Really enjoyable.

5/30/2020 - cevans129 Likes this wine:

Great mâconnais. Deep golden colour. Citrus still strong on the palate after 10 years, minerality there but giving way to rounder, deeper hints of butter and toast. Bought this straight from Olivier and Corinne about 7-8 years ago; price to quality exceptional (see comment below about maybe that being skewed when buying in the US). Lovely wine - really mature and drinking well.

5/28/2020 - cevans129 Likes this wine:

This was excellent. Full bodied rose - ripe fruit, strawberries, citrus, melon. Great balance of acidity, minerality. Long finish. Reminded me of a very good rose champagne without the bubbles. Really enjoyed it.

5/25/2020 - cevans129 Likes this wine:

Should be decanted for an hour or so - it really only spread its wings about an hour or 90m after opening and we were in the bottom half of the bottle. Maybe controversial opinion here, but I don’t love supertuscans as a style - they seem to just lack a sense of place and the ripe fruit dominance of the wine seems to confuse the senses a bit given the acidity and tannic structure that for me are the more ‘regulartuscan’ hallmarks which are still present. Nevertheless, I recognise the winemaking skill in this and this was a very good specimen of a winemaking style that some people love but just isn’t my favourite. 92 points for the balance, structure and overall quality of the wine, but the spread between my score and the Parker score (96pts) reflects this just isn’t my taste.

5/25/2020 - cevans129 Likes this wine:

I think far to early to have drunk this. Impressive structure, so I think this will only really show its true form in years to come. Ripe fruit, but far more mineral nose than the immense floral bouquets from other Landi/ Comando G wines. Palate shows great balance, some spice and fruit but again complex minerality. Long finish. Winemaking skill on clear display, but I wish I’d left it a few years longer to be honest...

4/12/2020 - cevans129 Likes this wine:

Extremely good. Nose of cherry, vanilla, with undertones of cedar, graphite. Delicate, medium body, velvety texture. Ripe red fruit, vanilla, hints of chocolate/ coffee earthiness. Great balance - a real treat.

4/12/2020 - cevans129 Likes this wine:

Magnificent. Drinking really nicely - great body, toasty notes of yeast, vanilla against a backdrop of dried fruit. Gentle, delicate bubbles and a weighty mouthfeel. Have always enjoyed this house but this is the first time I’ve drank something from them with some age (bought a few bottles at the cave about 10 years ago). Held up well - this is very enjoyable. Glad I have a couple more.

4/12/2020 - cevans129 Likes this wine:

Star mâconnais - ripe fruit (citrus, green apple) with bright minerality. Solid structure and a hint of oak. Really solid wine.

4/6/2020 - cevans129 Likes this wine:

Great full bodied red. Dark fruit, spice, hint if leather. Great value - sings with the right food pairing as well.

4/5/2020 - cevans129 Likes this wine:

Superlative Rosso. The fruit shines through: Dark cherry and blackberry - structured but without sharp tannic ends, medium bodied. Really elegant balance in the wine.

3/29/2020 - cevans129 Likes this wine:

Enjoyable and worth the wait (bought a few bottles direct from Olivier in 2013). Dark ripe fruit, acidity still bright and strong minerality coming through. Has matured very well - I’d say still a few years left on this even.

3/28/2020 - cevans129 Likes this wine:

Ripe citrus fruit, acidity and minerality with a touch of oak. Good expression of the mâconnais and a really enjoyable, crisp, refreshing wine.

3/28/2020 - cevans129 Likes this wine:

Think this vintage is another great specimen of a modern Spanish Grenache from Dani Landi. There is great ripe fruit profile with super minerality shining through. Really enjoyable. Drank after a bottle of the 2016 vintage, and found the 2017 to be a bit fuller and more concentrated - not sure if a function of age or vintage, will check back in as it develops.

3/28/2020 - cevans129 Likes this wine:

A really good Jura Chardonnay - really expressive terroir. Deep body dried fruit and ripe citrus, mineral salinity. Very enjoyable.

3/22/2020 - cevans129 Likes this wine:

Good balance of ripe fruit and minerality, enjoyable depth and structure. Think this is good value for price point (bought in Europe - I think some of the bigger Burgundy négociants usually see a mark up in the US based on name recognition rather than quality per se that can skew the value for money judgement).

3/14/2020 - cevans129 Likes this wine:

An excellent crozes hermitage - pure Syrah almost austere. Deep nose with violets, leather, dried meats, full, rounded palate and mouthfeel with a medium length finish. For the money, I thought it was great.

1/25/2020 - cevans129 Likes this wine:

Dark brick red. Drinking well already - soft tannins, dried fruit on the palate. Good balance - elegant wine. Perhaps a bit lacking that added dimension for the price point, but a very good wine nonetheless.

12/2/2019 - cevans129 Does not like this wine:

Had high hopes for this bottle but I was unfortunately let down. It was a bit dense and overpowering - not by fruit in a jammy way, almost felt like an over-oaked Cab. The delicacy of Pinot was stripped out - it didn’t do it for me.

11/25/2019 - cevans129 Likes this wine:

Thought this was perhaps just a bit past it’s prime. Still a bit of nice ripe fruit and still very drinkable - but I was left thinking it might have been better a year or two ago.

11/16/2019 - cevans129 Likes this wine:

Drank too young, but very promising wine. Lovely fruit, but some real tannic structure behind it. Will wait a while before going back to this.

11/16/2019 - cevans129 Likes this wine:

Unfiltered, natural wine. There is some really inter sting depth and complexity here. Nose of dried fruit, but more freshness on the palate. Slightly saline minerality more typical of septentrionale rhones. A really interesting wine - have now had this bottle against a pretty diverse tasting menu and also largely on its own. Very enjoyable each times.

9/30/2019 - cevans129 Likes this wine:

Checked back in - this remains entirely superlative. The bouquet is something I’ve only gotten from elite tier burgundies - floral, immensely perfumed but soft and gentle. Deep minerality in the palate and an extremely long finish. I can hardly wait to see how this continues to evolve. Reaffirm 98 rating but we are really splitting hairs and I can’t meaningfully justify why the last two points remain elusive save for the promise that this wine surely has room to run in the coming years.

9/20/2019 - cevans129 Likes this wine:

Good balance of fruit, minerality and a hint of oak. Slightly buttery in a good way. Really good quality to price.

9/15/2019 - cevans129 Likes this wine:

Nice balance of ripe stone fruit and a good depth of mineralality. Really easy drinker!

7/14/2019 - cevans129 Likes this wine:

Drinking well now - tannins have notably softened from last year. Interesting style Rioja - full bodied but very rounded and elegant. Very little oak in contrast to some other Riojas that can often over- do it. I enjoyed this, but I think I enjoyed it more a year ago...