12/13/2018 - retired_and_roving Likes this wine:

A week in the Northern Rhone; 12/7/2018-12/15/2018 (Lyon, Vienne, Ampuis, Chavanay, Hermitage, Cornas, St. Joseph, Condrieu & Paris): Barrel sampled at the Domaine. So I am unclear if this will be bottled as the V.V. - or if will be blended into the St. Joseph. It was presented to us as the 2018 barrel of Vielles Vignes but there is a possibility that I misunderstood. As the oldest of the vines (~90 -100 yrs) they work with - this produces only one barrel (600 liter cask all used oak). The elegance here for such a baby was pretty astounding - it was by far one of the most delightful of any of the barrel samples we tasted this week. Just really concentrated and at the same time totally refined. Terroir speaking loudly.

5/26/2023 - HeavyPourWine Likes this wine:

A week in Bordeaux (Mouton, Pontet Canet, D'Issan, Langoa & Leoville Barton, SHL, Arbo, Pavie, Fleur de Bouard, Cheval Blanc, VCC, Figeac); 5/21/2023-5/26/2023 (Left and Right banks of Bordeaux): Tasted @ the Chateau with Alexandre Thienpont. Best 2nd wine of our Bordeaux trip this week by far. No where near the '15 VCC we tried afterwards, but I have to say this was better than a few of 1st wines I tried this week! Elegant, balanced and nice tannin structure.

11/8/2023 - Northcraft Likes this wine:

Stunning wine. Amazing body. Rich mouthfeel. Hints of cherry. Absolutely phenomenal

11/20/2020 - fdub Likes this wine:

Underrated vintage. Aging so beautifully with fantastic balance. Decant as it is throwing a lot of sediment.

9/15/2023 - Stanrocks Likes this wine:

92/93

It is incredible how that wine still has tannins and structure at 33 years of age, the real sign of old style Bordeaux shows in here. Unsure if Michel Roland was already consulting here. I d doubt it. A wine made by the late Michel Becot, if I remember well.

Bought it at the estate, in 1994 when I did my first red wine internship back in the day. That evening was special, so I did a bit of a Story of my Life tasting ...

So back to the wine, it showed a bit of forrest floor, leaves, but more over a sense of age, only the great old Bordeaux would show... mixed aromas of cedar, sandal, autumn leaves, and not a single truffle or mushroom here ... strangely old merlot smell a lot like truffle to me usually, but here, it was more dense, and more complex... dark fruits still showing

Palate was so dense still, with a grip of tannins, and a good acid level, it is a classic, refined and velvety wine, but in a way, the old school is showing in a wine that has not shown everything still ! can easily go for another 5 years I Reckon.

I have a magnum left, I might keep it away for a couple more years, maybe till the end of MW ... who knows

12/3/2023 - Harley1199 wrote:

Pre-Xmas Indulgence; 12/1/2023-12/22/2023 (Madrid y Alicante - España): Fifth of six. PnP before one winter lunch. Long, bland cork. More metallic than charming on the nose. Bold, fleshy, tomatoes, veggie even. All symptoms there's a few life ahead. On the palate the same story, light structure, little unbalanced, vegetables can aftertaste, unlinked acidity, vulgar monotous and boring at its best. Fortunately just one more bottle remaining. It is not the first time I found Deiss biodynamics don't work properly. Surely my entire fault.

Quinta de seis. Descorchada antes de un almuerzo de invierno. Largo, corcho suave. Más metálico que encantador en nariz. Marcado, carnoso, tomates, para vegetariano incluso. Todos los síntomas de que hay poca vida por delante. Al paladar la misma historia, de estructura ligera, un poco desequilibrado, lata de verduras al retrogusto, acidez sin enganche, vulgar, monótono y aburrido en su mejor momento. Afortunadamente solo queda una botella más. No es la primera vez que encuentro que los biodinámicos de Deiss no funcionan. Seguramente es totalmente por mi culpa.

12/19/2023 - Stanrocks Likes this wine:

Same event prep,

That reductive monster, will need a lot of air ! struck match dominates the nose so far, with garlicky, cabbage reduction ... ripe lemon and lime comes in...

Watery compared to the Puligny, with lighter body and more zingy acidity, it feels a bit light in comparison... but it builds up nicely to a complex and long finish, over lemon, grassy notes and pear

94 potential here but it's tight

Can' wait for that f(l)ight... 🤪

11/6/2022 - Harley1199 wrote:

By the glass. Another Bordolese blend wine without local grapes addiction that aged year and a half in new French oak. How to differentiate this bottle from its rivals in other parts of the world? Tuscans have long since decided that the elaboration goes far above soil. Fruit without spark and a huge structure. According my uneducated point of view nothing of special interest here.

Por copas. Otro vino de mezcla bordolesa sin adicción de uvas locales que permanece año y medio en roble francés nuevo. ¿Cómo diferenciar esta botella de sus rivales en otras partes del mundo? Los toscanos han decidido hace ya mucho tiempo que la elaboración va muy por encima del terruño. Fruta sin chispa y una descomunal estructura. Desde mi iletrado punto de vista nada de especial interés.

9/21/2023 - LDA ZH CH Likes this wine:

Medium to full body. Aromas of garrigue, pot pourri, smoked meat, burned tire. Decadent but with freshness and lift in the aftertaste.

2/15/2022 - Stanrocks Likes this wine:

92/94

85 % from les Baumes area, this is 1.3 ha of Hermitage... Muids de Tarranssaud from 1 to 3 years old.

oaky vanilla smell, with smoke and charcoal, sooth, intertwined with black fruits.

Palate is instantly on tension and fresh sharp direct laser style, tannins and body are there but all controlled by sharp acidity and refreshing fruit and spicy sooth aromas. A serious wine with long fresh finish, like the best stylish and refined Syrah.

Issus des Beaumes à 85% passé en Muids de Tarranssaud uniquement, de 1 à 3 vins, le vins est plus boisé, fumé, suie, et fruits noirs se mêlent, la bouche attaque directement en tension, avec un très joli jus, en allonge et tension, un peu piquant comme on aime avoir les belles Syrah... très belle longueur, et fin en même temps, un vin sérieux ! 92/94

In French as well :)

1/20/2023 - natalie&hans wrote:

Tonen van rood fruit, zoals aardbei, framboos en cranberry. Maar heeft nog iets anders, hinten van viooltjes. Heeft een flink zuurtje, fijne tannines en een mooie afdronk.

12/6/2022 - oldwines Likes this wine:

Tasted at Azienda Agricola Cortese Guiseppe at the top of the Rabajà vineyard. This wine is 100% Chardonnay from estate fruit grown on 0.8 hectares in the Trifolera zone with western exposure. It has been made for about a decade or so. Alcoholic fermentation is spontaneous with native yeasts in stainless steel tanks. It undergoes no malolactic fermentation, sees very low levels of SO2. It is then aged in roughly equal parts stainless steel, small oak barrels (of which 40% are new) and clay amphorae for 9-10 months. The resulting wine in this vintage is a stunner by my reconning. It is a bright yellow with a green tinge. With aggressive swirling the wine opens up from its slightly reductive shell with fragrant herbal notes, and layers of earthy minerals, limestone etc. Traditional white Burgundy lovers would go nuts for this. Very high, bright acidity gives way to an creamy mouth feel while there is no real flavor of cream or butter. There is a sense of fresh herbs, green apple, pineapple and other tropical fruit and some white peach. But you can’t get around the minerals and bright energy in this wine. Quite remarkable!

2/7/2023 - Stanrocks Likes this wine:

91+

During A WSET Diploma tasting, so it was blind

Med Garnet,

MIOA, cranberries, blood orange, smoke, charcoal, cedar wood, cigar box, wet leaves, cinnamon, cloves, pepper, spice... complex nose of red acidic berries, and old oak aging plus tertiary aromas...

Dry with Med Ac, Med Alcohol, M+ tannins soft and and quite integrated, M+ Body, M+ IOF, Dried cranberries, blood orange, orange, smoke, charcoal, cedar wood and spices, Tannins are well rounded and circled by a fruity acidity in a Med+ finish

The wine is well balanced, fine aged giving a nice mouthfeel of integrated oak surrounded by fruity and tertiary aromas. The forrest floor mixes with oranges in a nice fresh feel from good acidity.

The wine is very good and just lacks a bit more length to be outstanding...

Here is my assessment in terms of WSET requirements, still I liked it very much and should have made it outstanding as it really stood in all the tastings we had, but again it is a "weaker" style of the area, in a very old school style. No power, No super new oak flavors, and tannins are quite low as well here... But is stands as a really balanced and fresh wine.

7/12/2023 - oldwines Likes this wine:

Two pretty large coravin pours into 2 glasses. Tasted at first pour and every half hour through 3 hours. 15% ABV (high for Ciacci in my experience). At first the wine looked rather old, surprisingly, with a distinctly bricked meniscus for a 7 year old wine. The color brightened at about hour 2 and by the 3rd had almost completely lost the brick color and was less dark and more bright and translucent. The nose was fairly effusive initially with some scorched earth, florals and dark berry jam. As time progressed the floral elements lessened and the fruit notes seemed brighter and less jammy. Palate was very disjointed initially with a distinctly bitter finish, similar to what I experienced with the 2016 Ciacci Favius Syrah, not pleasant. There was some menthol and red cherry fruit, spice and bright acidity. Tannin was medium(-). As the wine got air it did settle down and lost the bitter edge, though at no point did it seem consistent with most of my previous Ciacci Brunello’s. It was distinctly better with food however, throughout the evening, which is somewhat consistent with my experience. At this point in its development it seemed best in the 2-3 hour window. I would agree with others that this is probably not going to be a long aging wine, in contrast to my original expectation. This was quite unusual for me from this traditional producer that I have tended to enjoy more than this.

12/2/2021 - chatters wrote:

Grand Cru Shiraz (The four seasons hotel, the rocks, sydney): Funky, earthy, slightly reductive, rubber, touch of wild ferment, all over ripe, sweet spice slight bacon fat and gets a little jubey with time. Juicy, medium plus intensity acidity, blackberry, peppery, chalky tannins, very slight sharp. Hmm

9/12/2023 - Stanrocks Likes this wine:

Celebration wine, for entering the MW Program :)))

It is a very nice wine that needs a lot of air,

Still a baby to me, as I believe it can easily go for another 10 years at least and will probably peak at 5/8 from now

Day one, the wine shows aromas of cedar wood, pencil shavings, and dark fruits, with pepper and sweet spices... Palate is very smooth, and chocolaty, with still a good hold of velvety tannins, med alcohol which is nice in nowadays standards. The length is med/+ and the acidity is still present but well integrated. It is merely a 91 at this stage but !

Day two, the wine shows a lot more aromas, and complexity, licorice, pepper, black plum, cinnamon, cedar wood and sandal wood, not a sting of evolution or tertiary character ! it's insane... the wood is so integrated and the wine still fruity and has gained depth and length ! Long aftertaste of ripe dark fruits and spices, cinnamon, sandal wood, cedar wood, cigar box, sooth, and ashes ... A bit Syrah like but smoother and. a bit bigger at the same time !

Day 3 , the wine is still not oxidized and shows less complexity nor depth as day 2 ... still excellent though !

Nice ! Left bank Bordeaux are strange to me nowadays as they evolve so slowly when made quite traditionally, and the extraction would be moderated... it is in a weak year showing great potential still and some depth ! could easily be 94/95 ...

7/8/2023 - JWS84 Likes this wine:

This was my first experience with an Oddero Villero, and I thought thought the wine was outstanding. I was impressed by the tannins, which were really quite finessed. Cherry fruit but with the power of Villero, we thoroughly enjoyed this. It’ll be interesting to see where pricing is for the 2019 once the wine is broadly available nationally. Based on prior vintages’ pricing I’d say this is an exceptional value in Barolo.

6/22/2020 - 99tollap wrote:

Needs a pretty big decant at this stage to show off, but when it does, it's rather fantastic. The nose is very characterful; deep fungal/mushroom aspect with some earthy herbs like sage, as well as some raspberry and blueberry. Very polished to drink. Impressively balanced and extremely well made. Delicious raspberry and vanilla mixed with more herbaceous tones. The alcohol is perfectly controlled. The finish is very, very long and brings back some of the earthy, fungal scents. This is just wonderful wine with a great future. It is certainly not a massive, classic Aussie fruit bomb. In fact, I would find it hard to identify as a non-European. At CHF38, an absolute steal. Feel sorry for the Aussies that have to pay 3-4x that amount.

6/20/2023 - Neecies Likes this wine:

Tasted blind. Flor not evident here like the 2015 poured a few bottles back, but Tibouren's classic blend of savory and strawberry notes makes a great impression. Just excellent. I don't know why I don't buy these all the time; I should.

4/22/2022 - MichelNL wrote:

Pale lime color. Medium nose with lime, green apple, honeysuckle. Medium plus accidity, primary flavours. The finish is rather long. Quite refreshing. Nice.

11/30/2022 - Lammas21 wrote:

Too dry for my taste

6/19/2023 - thefoxinthebox Likes this wine:

Opened because of seepage despite proper storage. The cork was soaked and there was wine under the foil, but somehow no flaws have showed.

Clear with a green tint and a pleasant nose of white flowers, apples and kerosene - perhaps because of the vintage. It has a noticeable weight on the tongue for a Mosel wine, but also a nice balance between sweetness and acidity. Green apples, lime, unripe strawberries and a chalky minerality.

12/23/2021 - ProfAvi Likes this wine:

I bought a 6 bottle case that had been matured by the TWS in the UK before release.
Cant remember what I spent but I bought the wine because of its reputation.
I've never had a semillon that wasn't sweet before so this was a revelation for me.

I really liked this wine from the get go.
Beautiful in the glass, bright, pale lemony with a hint of green. Somewhat muted nose with mineral, stone with a touch of beeswax.
However it comes to life for me on the palate.
There's no way I'd have guessed a 10 year old white wine.
Its bracing acidity reminds me of a Chablis but this is grown in Australia! Mind blown.
There's a touch of creaminess developing too.
I know this wine can last years.
For my taste it's spot on now but don't drink it too cold.

My normal go to whites are Chardonnay Riesling or Chenin based but no longer!

4/23/2022 - ricard Likes this wine:

A wine almost no one in my group liked, because a charismatic anti-brett crusader terrified everyone into agreeing it was disgusting. Nonsense and I am not falling for it. This is textbook Côte Rôtie on the nose - smoked bacon, woodsmoke, iron, gamey aromas (jugged hare). Weighty and densely packed but has all the freshness and energy. This one is super - I love the brett, although it upset a lot of people. For me this is delicious.

11/10/2022 - beatles wrote:

Dry and somewhat austere. Can be drunk now, still some fruit, won't live long - the winemaker really hated this one. More than I ... but it's way behind the 2018.
#domaine

10/21/2022 - Stanrocks Likes this wine:

Showing good at this stage

the 2018 vintage turned down by many tasters including the now most influential AG is not at all that poor !

here the wine shows lots of rose petals, flowery notes, with balsamic, licorice, cherry stone, salty earthy smoky character, excellent discreet yet refined nose

palate is subtle, fine grippy tannins, little red berries, cranberries, pomegranate, ... tart and refreshing, at 14,5 it is quite incredibly balanced... excellent wine

Drink if ready for a bright and tight ride... keep 5/10 for a more evaluated balsamic experience

2/23/2023 - Alexander Smith Likes this wine:

Premiere Napa Valley; 2/22/2023-3/25/2023 (Napa, California): Premiere begins in Oakville PNV

High % of Cab Franc which really set this wine apart from the others tasted today, bright red fruit, crushed florals, bay leaf, savoury underlining along with firm yet silky tannins, this showed very well.

5/16/2021 - LeLP wrote:

This was unexpectedly delicious.

First go at a Greek wine, first experience with Moschofilero.

This is a sweet white wine with a pink hue, almost like a rosé. Super fresh and very approachable.

Citrus, honey, pear on the nose, followed with minerals, green apple, butter and subtle oak, for a mid finish down the hatch.

Decent wine for $18, though could be better for me if it was more dry and less sweet.

4/15/2019 - Burgundy Al wrote:

Découvertes en Vallée du Rhône; 4/15/2019-4/16/2019 (Ampuis, Mauves and Tain-l'Hermitage): Walk-around tasting, talking to the producers. 5% Viognier. Such bright fruit with more depth vs Combard just tasted. Fully engaging and enticing. Cellar a few years, with 91-92 point potential.

2/21/2023 - Stanrocks Likes this wine:

94/96

WOTN, the big guy of the evening

It was showing so well... what a treat !!

Nose is complex, layered, with floral notes of violets, spice, pepper, and the anchovies that I really love, like in the Grange des Pères when they are stunning. So it has all the best expressions of great Syrah here...

The tannins here as well are getting integrated and balanced with still a fantastic grip of acidity holding the whole thing. M+ tannins, M+ Body, M+ acidity but all is aged and integrated in a balanced an fresh palate. Super long wine, infinite finish, lasting forever on a anchovies, tapenade, sooth ...

So goooood ! I drank it

2/16/2023 - Stanrocks Likes this wine:

Reliable estate :)

The wine here is light and aged colored, with med brown hue... It is pretty much on the forrest floor and mushroom character, with still ripe plum fruit and old aged oak barrels smell, dominated by all the tertiary style...

palate is balanced with still good acid and some refreshing soft tannins, again dominated by the tertiary aromas of leather, wet leaves,

If it was not in a massive tasting of greater wines, I might have given one or two more points to the wine, but compared to the Giaconda or the Pinot's it was less ...

Still a very interesting wine so far, plus I had the 2010 like the week before... and it was still very nice there as well. One must like lighter and fresher style of Rioja, Old school with sometimes some Brett !

9/3/2022 - Roi Vin de LBC Likes this wine:

88 points. It needed to open and breath for at least 30 minutes before drinking, could have used a decant. We drank it at dinner so we didn’t have that luxury. The acidity was out of balance. By the end of the bottle it was drinking beautifully.

12/20/2022 - Stanrocks Likes this wine:

89/90

Please people get your Pinot's straight ... :)

It s an all right Pinot, with dark, berries and some structure, but still it lacks the zingy austerity, and chalky minerality that can make it really on the higher scale. Nose of cherry and mint, eucalypt.

It's one trendy estate right now... for sure, but still it is not super complex, nor incredibly deep... Good balance with loads of dark cherry.

Getting better on day 2

8/31/2022 - Stanrocks Likes this wine:

Let s be honest not a 93 or more pointer there

I had a Chablis from 2020 alongside and it has not the crisp or zing the Chablis shows ! Nice ripe aromas of butter, ripe stone fruits, honey or bee wax

Palate is pretty fat actually and full and buttery, great chardonnay from a sunny or ripe area !

have to try it again in other conditions, but it shows well that 2019 in the trilogy of 2018 and 2020 of warm vintages is the less balanced to me

10/17/2022 - Stanrocks wrote:

Blind

Diploma, Germany flight

Need more intel and k knowledge here... Found it acceptable, basic, with basic red fruit, and not showing much... When others and mainly MW lecturer said it was V Good ...

Well Well

7/7/2022 - FrenchyDannyV Likes this wine:

Made in small French oak barrique.
Full flavor, medium soft tannin. Perfectly balanced

8/29/2021 - chatters wrote:

TSA - Priorat; 8/28/2021-8/29/2021 (Zoom call): From Coravin. Aromas of savoury red berries, spice, earth, rocks, garrigue. In the mouth it's all succulent and juicy red berries, textured tannic grip, fleshy, young and fresh. Rather nice.

8/18/2022 - Stanrocks wrote:

NR

OFF, Bretts and very unusual nose of natural wine, will probably open up after a bit... Unsure ? pepper shows after a while, can get better ... see what happens day 2

Low pressure outside, never helps, but the wine is irony, tannic, closed, really not at its best ... again let it open and see ! Today all reds seem poor and average ! Depression really hits hard with low pressure on reds, and more over quite unspoiled ones, biodynamics and nature !

8/18/2022 - Stanrocks wrote:

NR

Spicy, lactic, licorice, needs a lot of aire for sure,

Big structure and a feel of alcohol, quite structured for a sandy soils wine, seems extracted and destemed !

old school sort of wine, with big bold structure, hard to find pleasure right now, see on Day 2

1/15/2021 - Stanrocks wrote:

Stiil on the oak side, a bit too much probably, needs more time in the bottle for sure. Still the Willamette are not recaching the expectations so Far, unless an old Archery summit, Cal Pinot are way ahead of them right now to me...

Blood orange on the oaky side of it, caramel, still oaky so far

Palate is much more encouraging for the future, nice tangy mid palate, with still an oaky finish, and a cool saltiness, quiet one... will certainly improve in the next 5 years or so.

6/5/2020 - Stanrocks Likes this wine:

Easily one of the best wines of Languedoc, and one of the best tasted this year so far, I always hesitate to go for very high marks, but let s be honest that wine has it all, spicy and elegant nose, with hints of lard and chocolate minerals, smoke and northern Rhone like, as a cote Rotie or hermitage, with that white pepper and slight olive and tapenade nose. Palate is delicate and juicy, fresh and bits, with a light off and volatile expression, giving the wine more grip... excellent...drank over 2 days, and oxydation showing clearly on day 2... drink straight if you open it, and I would not cellar that too much as it is already really amazingly drinkable... Grand !!! Hurray

9/10/2021 - Stanrocks Likes this wine:

again that wine showed so well,

Not everybody likes though, it seems a bit like a yes or no wine, and nothing in between... I don' t know why really ...

Nose of lard, black olive, salty, tapenade, black fruits... spot and smoke !! love it

Palate is dense and fat, with sharp acidity, long, with the sky aftertaste, great wine !!!

again probably the best Languedoc so far, with the UFO Grange des Pères

Stunning

2/28/2022 - Stanrocks Likes this wine:

Potentially higher

Still a Bit disappointed with that wine, maybe the hot and warm year did not help, still it has a nice cranberry and raspberry smell, typical, with a hint of evolution, dried aromatic herbs, dried leaves, mint and a touch of oak... To me oak with Sangiovese it like with Nebbiolo, a really turn down...

Palate is still very powerful, with good acid that enhances the length and the bite, but the grippy and sour tannins still present don't help to feel the subtlety of the best Sangiovese to me... Again time will tell ... compared to all the 2011 s and 13 s we had... not there

4/20/2022 - Bob H wrote:

I have had consistently positive experiences as I worked my way through this case, but today’s bottle is the first one that is so-so.

There is a prune note on the nose that I haven’t gotten on any previous bottles - maybe a less than effective seal by the cork?

Better on the palate, but not a great example of what this wine can be.

11/30/2021 - Stanrocks Likes this wine:

Seriously, amazed by that quality for entry level Classico, ripe and not full, good acid and balanced. Smell of fruits and leaves, refined and vibrant. Very good wine, salivating. Loved it ! Coup de cœur…

8/26/2014 - Eubulos Likes this wine:

Year after year one of the finest Minervois. Bursting with delicious fruit undisturbed from new wood. But a few more years in the bottle make it only more delicious, as I had the 2009 recently. Beats a lot of "Super-Cuvees". And the price, a steal. By the way, it should not called "Mourvedre Blend". As I know it contains 80 per cent Syrah and 20 per cent Mourvedre.

2/20/2021 - Stanrocks Likes this wine:

Blind

Nose of southern style white wine, dried wild anise, fennel, very mediterranean herbs

palate is med acid, with spice, white pepper, quite southernly as well, dried citrus and lemon peel, quite powerful, med+ length I thought of Clairette or Bouboulenc ... :) godello

12/15/2021 - Stanrocks Likes this wine:

First time tasting the new Viallière

Pierre Rostaing is now doing that plot again, and what a great idea as it shows another dimension from the two existing.

It is very subtle and refined wine, with still some rotie style, in between the blonde and Landone sort of, with loads of flowers, and more peppery style here.

Gresay and fat mouthfeel, very balanced between a acid and tannins, another great wine here.

Keep as well for another 10 YO

3/11/2022 - Rote Kappelle Likes this wine:

Rostywallah's of the world rise up! This is our moment to carpe the diem and revel in the truth that in our hearts we have nothing but love for big Rosty.

I like the prior reviews and the comment about being grateful to have the opportunity to enjoy these wines - we should be grateful.

This note made on second day open but the wine will clearly keep evolving through several more days. This is great stuff. The wine under cork and not decanted but on the morning I opened this, I did pour out about 1/3 for a comrade, who inducted me into the cult of Rosty in 2018. Tasted from a Shiraz shape and scored as comfortably in the 'Outstanding' category on the CT scale.

The colour is deeper than usual for Rosty, reflecting the vintage, I suspect. This verges on inky red-purple and as one tilts the glass there is almost no fading at the rim. As with many French and Italian wines from this vintage, the colour says - 'expect a blockbuster'. The nose and palate deliver on the promise of the colour.

The nose is fantastic and enchanting, as well as intoxicating. There are pastille red and black fruits, as well as a hint of macerated berries, bay leaf and it smells wickedly potent. Some roast meats also present, but the overall effect is of sweet fruit and some balancing savoury but all in profusion. By this point I was wrestling with a stiffy of python like characters, surely the most honest testament to the hedonism of this wine.

As my stiffy and I fought for the wine, the palate delivered as per the nose and there was great length and intensity. On day 2 the wine is integrating beautifully and gaining volume. This is a truly superb wine and I can only urge that you do all you can to get as much of this as you may. Stop at nothing; cheat, lie, steal and, if necessary, even watch Rugby League, if that is what is needed to get your hands on this.

Certainly this will cellar well, but if you can, enjoy a bottle, or two thousand, along the way. I think this may be the greatest Rosty I have had.

As a side note, my Rosty dilletante friend and I have long discussed some kind of comparative tasting of Rosty with Clonakilla Syrah. If you can, try this for yourself, because the 2019 vintage offers a legitimate opportunity, the years being similar in both regions. I am not sure that tasted blind I could pick the difference. The Rosty was the better wine, but it was not 3 times as good, which is the difference in price. The CK Syrah would make a very acceptable alternative if you lacked the coin, or the access. They are very close to each other and I would not commonly say that - usually the structure, if nothing else, is quite different between Oz wines and their French varietal counterparts.

3/26/2021 - mbond4all Likes this wine:

Wow! Summarized in one word amazing! So powerful but yet delicate and balanced! With vines 110+ years old this should deserve the label old world! Better than any French Shiraz I have ever had. This wine is just starting and had 20 years in front of it.... after pouring it in a decanter it filled the room with flavor. Medicinal, a hint of eucalyptus lot’s of fruit and savory notes... the downside of this wine is that it is extremely hard to find!