5/9/2024 - englishman's claret wrote:

The 2019 Cos d'Estournel emerges after only a few minutes in the glass, Falstaffian - jolly and round, brimming with grape preserves, plum, pomegranate, freshened by a graphite mineral edge. As round as this is in the mouth, its acidity maintains an enticing drinkability. I don't think this will take particularly long to drink with pleasure, but its symmetry and stuffing should also allow for a long life. 95-96

5/2/2024 - ricard Likes this wine:

[DELETED EXPLETIVE]. So intense and assertive. Exploding with energy. Nutty and oily, viscous yet dancing with lightness, and every fruit on the planet concentrated in one jewel of unspeakable intensity and breathtaking beauty. Staggering and spectacular.

4/16/2024 - Richard P Howden wrote:

Fascinating and fun to drink. Nose of burnt orange, honey, caramel. Very dark color but palate has med+ weight, burnt honey, anise, robust nicely balanced finish. 96 but still a real wine that has so much pleasure to give still. Far less sweet and syrupy than its 1986 sibling at the table.

4/21/2024 - ohne_musik wrote:

Ye Olde Rieslings: Extroverted and racy, showing remarkably youthful energy, exotic fruit (guava, mango), salty minerals, and a hint of cumin and incense. Terrific concentration married to a laser beam of acidity, with just enough sweetness to soften the corners. A more complete wine than the '01 spatlese trocken we had last year, and the best non-dry wine tonight for me.

2/19/2022 - PIntag wrote:

14.2% abv. Recent auction purchase.
Intense and structured mountain Cabernet. Expansive aromatics, almost perfumed, on the nose. Deep, dark, brambly mountain Cab fruit is forward on the palate and continues for a long finish with some tannin and hard-edged tones. This is drinking well now, but this should be a 20-year wine and should develop in a positive way for the next few years at least. Really enjoyed this with, and after, dinner. Bottle didn't last the evening between my wife and I. Fortunately, I have another bottle.

4/12/2024 - ohne_musik wrote:

Can’t believe it’s been 6 years since my last bottle. A firecracker Le Mont, with thrilling acidity, lemon and lanolin, lime flower, a bit more evolution with honeycomb, some white mushroom, hay, and some complex umami laden tide pool. Dense, chewy texture full of dry extract, but mid weight in body. It will likely continue to gain complexity. Mighty fine.

3/11/2024 - khmark7 wrote:

Wow....really expressive and full of spice, fruit and so much character that I went back to check the label. Probably the best Carignan I've had from the USA, easily! At 14.5% alcohol this is drinking very easily with dinner, which I was initially a little worried about. Will definitely purchase again.

3/21/2024 - acidqueen wrote:

We decided to pull an early bottle of this since we have two cases. I rarely expect much from top level Bordeaux at 10 years and this was no different. Still, very enjoyable now and I expect the score to go up in the future. Decanted 90 minutes and drank with dinner. First whiff was decidedly oaky! This tempered over the decant but was still prominent. Good black fruit and cedar notes but clearly very young at this point. Good acid. Still very reticent. An interesting test, but not a wine I want to drink in less than 5 years and more likely 10 for my tastes. I want to see the oak integrate and the wine relax overall. I expect it will be much more enjoyable and I look forward to it.

3/5/2024 - Bjweiss wrote:

Opened the 2021 Family Band as my first Extradimensional wine to try (of a 6 pack I ordered). Really lovely red and I can already tell this is right up my alley stylistically. Powerful aromatics, and everything is lifted with great acidity, but also some structure here for ageability and a seriousness to the wine. If served blind I’d have guessed Beaujolais and specifically a Morgon from a top producer. That lifted acidity, earthiness, with structured core just screams Beaujolais to me, yet I know the wine is a blend of three grapes, none of which is gamay! There’s an old world sensibility here too that I love, and something I rarely see from California. Bravo. The wine just keeps getting better, and more complex, with air so I’m going to sip this one slow and keep checking back in.

1/4/2024 - jpkc Likes this wine:

1st bottle, PnP, surprisingly drinkable upon opening, didn't decant, drank over 4hr. Dark fruits, medium acidity, lots of sediment. Short life, drink up??? Not what I was expecting.

1/27/2023 - jviz wrote:

Oily and mineral, with some round tropical fruits. It has incredible weight, intensity; interest. It’s a truly singular wine and I can’t wait for the one I have on the way.

11/26/2023 - MartyL wrote:

This brings to mind a Corison Cabernet from a cool vintage. Elegant black fruits with whispers of tobacco leaf or something slightly herbal. Soft tannins carry the wine through a long finish. A lovely medium bodied palate presence. More “serious” than some of Hardy’s more ebullient, lighter, and gluggable offerings, this wine demands and rewards your attention. This really turned heads and around the Thanksgiving table.

8/5/2023 - RichEB1 Likes this wine:

1998 La Jota Petite Sirah, Howell Mountain. Wow, this was honestly stunning. I know, i know. Plenty of peeps out there are saying to themselves 'it's petite sirah....it can never be stunning'. Well my friends, I promise you a taste of this would change your mind. Haunting nose of smokey red fruits and leather, and a juicy, medium bodied blast of tar, raspberries, and tobacco on the palate with a long acid-filled finish. But what really stands out and puts this above many of the other PS's that I've tried is how the wine has evolved and gained complexity and nuance with age. I have no idea how/why, but I'm sure the low abv and substantial acidity didn't hurt (mouth-feel is incredible), nor does the mountain fruit and impeccable winemaking. Regardless, this is just an incredible wine that is absolutely singing right now. If anyone reading this is fortunate enough to have a bottle in the cellar, do yourself a favor and drink it now (like....right now).

9/5/2023 - Agunner23 Likes this wine:

For the age is still has a pretty big tannin presence. The fruit is still there but the tannins.. This wine can still got for another a couple years.
I did a blind tasting for a WSET level 2 and a level 3. the level 3 holder guessed Napa Cab, the level 2 was closer saying cab forward blend but not close to the region. So it is in interesting wine to say the least. But
a definite try if you can get a bottle.

7/15/2017 - andrewstevenson.com wrote:

A quick first sip, to check it's ok: it's more than ok. Blimey this is good.
Quite a rich nose. Creamy and fresh, and more than a touch lemony. Lots of chalky minerality.
A rich, full attack with lots of bright citrussy acidity. Loads of depth and character.
This has lots of interest, as well as just being plain delicious.

4/29/2023 - JJYoyo Likes this wine:

<1/2 hour decant. My first EWCY! experience. Had no idea what to expect. Very pronounced strawberry on the nose. Extreme freshness and great lift - this is like being 20 years old again. Exuberance also means less depth: like life itself, you can’t have both at the same time. But you feel the winemaker’s choice and I love it.

(And for precision’s sake, allow me to distinguish between complexity and depth. There is an astonishing complexity to this wine, lots of pyrotechnic sensations. But there is a difference between complexity and depth, as there is a tension between exuberance and joy, understood only later in life. An artist must choose, and a choice has been made here. I don’t criticize the choice, I admire and recognize it.)

A comparison: one of my favorite singers is Elizabeth Fraser. Her voice is unique, ethereal and haunting. It is not the technical equivalent of a great operatic voice like, say, Renee Fleming or Kiri te Kanawa. But they are voices I admire, whereas my angel Liz has a voice you fall in love with. So it is with my first Extradimensional wine, tonight up against a Chateau Lafleur and a Vice Versa Spinning Plates: it’s the wine you decide to love.

Bottom line: I am fricken delighted to have a flight of EWCO! Wines and look forward to a wild ride on all of them!
Score: 93. Relative to expectations: +++ yeah!

5/14/2023 - Collector1855 wrote:

Bordeaux 2022 en Primeur and some recent vintages: Very powerful and mature. The 15% alcohol is noticeable. Rather something for Napa drinkers. The 2022 tasted side by side today is in a different league.

6/19/2023 - Rich E Mac wrote:

Very good - but I’ve seen this wine for $180+ on WineBid but I purchased it for $40 at Wegmans…I’ve been wanting to try it and it did not disappoint.

6/10/2023 - watcheslover Likes this wine:

My colleagues and I hosted a Carmes H-B mini vertical last night to redefine the odds against the fabulous 2022 vintage. We can't put 100 points everywhere.

1) 2022 100/100
2) 2016 99/100
3) 2020-2021 98-99/100
4) 2018 98/100
5) 2014-2017-2019 97/100
6) 2005 96/100
7) 2012 94/100
8) 2013 91/100

(2021 and 2022 tasted on samples)

12/25/2022 - watcheslover Likes this wine:

Re-tasted a few days ago, this wine is incredible as it exceeds the limits of this vintage!
I think he might be the only one of all Bordeaux to end up being better than 2020-2019 and maybe even 2016, too early to tell.

4/29/2023 - ohne_musik wrote:

Lots to like about this wine - but what starts as a manageable amount of brett turns to a torrent with air. I’m sure good bottles are quite lovely.

Edit: wow, after 4 hours, the brett has somehow magically blown off. Oh yeah, this is tasty. Medium-to-full bodied, much richer texture than I was expecting, but with a lively supple core of red fruit that veers into watermelon jolly rancher in the best possible way (not artificial), tomato leaf and cigar wrapper, cinnamon and clove, and a twinge of rambunctious acid that needs more time to integrate. Clay on the finish. Glad I gave this time to come around.

4/19/2023 - thesternowl wrote:

Pulled from my cellar, Ferraton’s 2015 Cornas “Le Grands Muriers” pours a sort of violet/garnet color with a transparent core. Medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose the wine is developing with notes of dark bramble fruits, some blue fruits, purple flowers, Herbs de Provence, bacon fat, a touch of the animal, some olive tapenade and a kiss of baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium, bordering on medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Long, with a delicious rocky mineral finish. Whatever Michel Chapoutier is doing seems to be working. These wines from Ferraton rarely miss anymore and are absolute sleepers when it comes to value for money. This bottle of 2015 is drinking beautifully right now on the pop and pour and will continue to do so for the next 10+ easy.

4/13/2023 - ohne_musik wrote:

Berserker Offline (Mezze and More): Super duper coiled up right now, like a rattlesnake waiting to strike. Clearly a quality wine, but such intense minerality and acid that I have a hard time enjoying this too much at the moment. Probably way underscoring and would love to revisit this in a decade

3/13/2023 - rieslinghoarder Likes this wine:

Glassware: Zalto Universal
Prep: Pop n’ pour

Intoxicating and complex nose of Haribo peach, strawberry cream, lime peel, almond skin, prune, and clover honey. With some vigorous aeration in the glass I get more ripe red apple and pineapple fruit aromas. Creamy and layered, yet elegant on the palate owing to fine acids and a core of wet slate minerality. While there is some stone fruit presence on the palate with ripe yellow peach, I get more citrus and tropical notes including pineapple, Mandarin orange, and marzipan.

I adored the 2019 bottling of this wine, which had more aromas and flavors in the fig/prune/almond of the spectrum, but this wine just dazzles with its weightless intensity and complexity of fruit notes. Stunningly good auslese, can't wait to see how these develop in the cellar.

11/28/2022 - Z1nnfull wrote:

Somewhat of a disappointment. Let it breathe, decanted, but still tannic and tight without the fruit displaying the full spectrum of tastes expected. Some rough edges, not fully integrated.
Shared the magnum with 4 others.
After better than 8 years, still too young which seems amazing.
We understand European wines really benefit from aging, but 8+ years?
Wasn't bad, just fell short of expectations even for a 750 Bordeaux bottle.

11/6/2022 - ohne_musik wrote:

My first check in with 2010 Cantemerle, and it’s a bit lackluster at this stage. Understated, almost to the point of being a bit mute, without the amplitude that I expect from 2010, and lacking a bit of the elegant charm that I associate with this estate. Cassis, lead pencil, some softly delineated purple fruit, a kiss of stylish oak, and moderately firm tannins, which are more approachable by day 2. Not bad but sub par compared to other recent big years (09, 15, 16, 19)

11/2/2022 - ohne_musik wrote:

2.5 years since last bottle, and drinking in a great spot after 30 minutes of air. Finely outlined plush red fruit but with no trace of excess or heaviness. Stoniness, dried roses, a hint of cassis and citric/rose hip acidity. Some nerds candy too! A lick of oak that still needs time to integrate, but not off putting. Not lacking in depth and refinement, as one would expect from a wine from Montrose in 2016.

9/27/2022 - ledocq Likes this wine:

This is excellent wine and it's open now but just make sure you give it at least 3 hours (if not more) in the decanter. Otherwise it goes down a little too easily. At this moment the 19 Grand Village has a better nose on it, and could trick you into thinking it's the more complex wine. But after a few hours, it wakes up and WOW is it good. Chocolate, raspberries, violets, full-bodied without being overpowering. Very curious about this one's evolution (and if they're going to wise up and start making it more expensive).

9/4/2022 - ohne_musik wrote:

Laser sharp, tightly wound and a bit of reduction at first. Doesn’t come across as particularly chenin in character, a bit of juicy green apple, flint and pepper. Medium light bodied, very finely balanced and super salty savory, as advertised. Really tasty wine with tons of character; I just wished it expressed a bit more chenin typicity. Maybe with a few years sideways it will. 91+

8/20/2022 - Discobiscuits42 wrote:

This is a huge wine. Perhaps I was mistaken in interpreting other notes as indicating elegance or enjoyability at this point in time. This is thick, jammy, alcoholy. Reminiscent of a "business dinner" napa cab, overextracted, overripe. Maybe I got an off bottle. There is 0 chance of guessing Bordeaux. In time, maybe this comes together into something harmonious. Based on my experience today, that day is years off. I will taste tomorrow for improvement. Second day -- the wine has thinned quite a bit. Quite hot with noticeable tannins. A subtle touch of fruit. Still somewhat jammy.

8/1/2022 - tward Likes this wine:

Wow, this is even better than the first bottle three years ago. Truly excellent. I will say that at PnP it was very good (~88) but nothing exceptional. This kept building and building, getting longer and more intense as it got air over hours.

Oyster shell, lime, lime zest, limestone, taut under-ripe apple and touches of ripe green apple, some sea spray and hints at tidal pool. The lime intensity builds and the finish becomes long after an hour or so with air.

Wish I had more. Hope the other '14 La Chablisienne 1er Crus I have on hand (offsite - need to retrieve!) are as good as this.

Outstanding QPR at $23 USD ~4 years ago.

13% abv

6/17/2022 - AndrewSGHall wrote:

While not bad or flawed, just has a utterly lifeless corporatization of orange wine vibe that dominates.

5/9/2022 - forceberry wrote:

100% Mission from the dry-farmed +50 yo Somers Vineyard located in Lodi, next to the Mokelumne River. Fermented spontaneously, aged in (American?) oak barrels, bottled unfined and unfiltered. 12,5% alcohol. Total production 600 cases. Tasted blind.

Very pale, fully translucent rusty-reddish orange color, not unlike oolong tea. The nose is sweet and fragrant with a spicy character that makes me think of Pinot Noir; there are aromas of strawberry-driven red fruits and spicy Pinosity, some sweet nuances of toasty oak, a little bit of ripe cranberry, light nuances of caramel and a hint of floral lift. The wine is clean, round and sunny on the palate with a light-to-medium body and dry flavors of brambly raspberries and overripe frozen strawberries, some oaky notes of caramel and sweet toasty spice, light crunchy nuances of caramel, a little bit of peppery Pinosity, a hint of raspberry marmalade and a touch of clove. The overall feel is a bit on the soft side, due to the quite modest acidity and light, almost imperceptible tannins that contribute a little bit to the velvety texture, but still the wine feels a bit more substantial than the appearance makes you think. The finish is juicy, long and somewhat toasty with flavors of ripe strawberries, some caramel, a little bit of cranberry sauce, light peppery notes of spicy Pinosity, a hint of mocha and a touch of sweet baking spices.

At first I was quite baffled by this wine - it looked and smelled like a very ripe Pinot Noir (with perhaps American oak), but on the palate it reminded me more of Grenache with its ripe, strawberry-driven fruit and quite soft structure. However, before I could guess anything, I was told that this wine was not a Grenache or Pinot Noir and I probably wouldn't guess it - which immediately sent me pondering what on earth this could be. There seemed to be some American oak here, which made me think we must be in California. The color suggested a grape variety low in color, yet it wasn't a Pinot Noir or a Grenache, and the lack of structure didn't seem to coincide with any of the light-colored varieties grown in the US I could think of - apart from Mission, of course, so I had to go with that one - and a bullseye with the first guess! All in all, this was a nice, nuanced and surprisingly Pinot Noir-like red (I guess the combination of a light body, red-toned fruit and the oak spice imitated the spicy Pinosity one can find in, say, German Spätburgunder). However, even when served pretty cool, the overall structure was a bit on the soft side and I really could've used a bit more acidity and tannic grip. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the wine's airy lightness, nuanced fruit flavors and modest, unobtrusive alcohol very much. Not a grand vin by any accounts, but a lovely, eminently drinkable light red wine all the same. Priced somewhat according to the quality at $29, but a steal at the special sale price of just $11.

5/15/2022 - StefanAkiko Likes this wine:

Still a youthling.
Has all the saffron, botrytis and white flowers you’d ever wish for on the rich, enticing, mega-beautified nose.
In the mouht it’s a superbly well-composed, utterly restrained house of hearts.
Sweetness almost gone, giving way for aristocratic splendour. Acidity bashful, yet amazing. The aromatics are all that I ever wish for in Sauternes, and here I find everything.

Masterpiece!
Expeting my score to rise like … the … Sun?

1/4 of the btl enjoyed tonight. The rest for several months later.

4/27/2022 - Ernestas Likes this wine:

Rauzan Segla vertical tasting, wine #3. Beautiful Rauzan at its peak, showing great concentration, harmony and true finesse of its terroir. A blend of 53% CS, 44% Merlot and 3% PV, aged in 50% new oak for 18 months. Intense and refined aroma of cassis, tobacco, cherries, sandalwood, barnyard, menthol, dry forest floor, medicinal hints. Medium body, concentrated, rich and elegant with earthy blackcurrant, dry cherry and cranberry flavours topped with cedar and spice notes. Concludes with smooth and fine tannins.

5/8/2022 - Deux Chevaux wrote:

Three+ months after the prior: This was again lovely — quite bright and energetic, again with pleasant greenness/bell pepper, all in balance. It was perhaps slightly less generous than we remember — but still very enjoyable, and going well with Middle Eastern grilled chicken.

4/21/2022 - Stefan75 wrote:

Felt almost young after the Ygay 1985, very complete & fully ripe (which is not always the case with 1994), for me tonight everthing you can expect from a very good Pomerol at its peak!

3/31/2022 - Everything Ahead wrote:

I wasn't as impressed with this vintage as the '14 and '16 had recently. This one shows some of the challenges of the '18 vintage, with noticeably elevated alcohol and rounder, Southern Rhone-style body. Lots of dark red fruits (darker than the fruits on the other aforementioned vintages) that occasionally veer to the blueberry/cassis end of things briefly. Christmas spice notes and some mint, and a super smooth feel on the palate. You have to hand it to this chateau for overall consistency and their work at achieving such round, luxurious tannins; I get the feeling that the high % of merlot is what makes this wine so voluptuous. Without a doubt this will improve a bit over time, but the higher alcohol has me a little concerned, vis a vis prior vintages. If you snuck this into a modern CDP tasting, it wouldn't stand out. Rating: 92

2/21/2022 - ohne_musik wrote:

After a couple of overly glossy recent Malescots (most recently the 2004), I did not have high hopes for this, but nevertheless wanted to check in to see if I should sell my others. Suspicion seemingly confirmed on first open, there's a slug of glossy oak and anonymous modern sheen for sure. In the decanter it goes for 3 or so hours. On the other side of that, it still shows a little bit of gloss, but the underlying materials are so winning - gravelly mineral freshness, a nice melange of red and black fruit (cherry, black raspberry), pretty inner mouth florals, a touch of tar and animal funk, quite medium bodied and very elegant. The oak is actually only a little obtrusive after 3 hours. So charming, I forgive it for its glossiness.

2/17/2022 - wlsch Likes this wine:

What a difference a year makes. This is still a youngster, but it's much more accessible than the first two times I tried it. Similar flavors and aromas: berry, dark cherry, earth, mineral, and a little gamey. Tannins are still pretty assertive, but much better integrated overall. Still takes a lot of time and air to really open, but this is really showing much better than it was on release. This is my third out of six and I don't regret opening this now since it's a really good showing and isn't as closed an unyielding as the first two bottles. For my palate, it'd best to hold these longer, as it can easily go 10+ years from the vintage. Good value for an age worthy wine. This has a very promising future.

2/16/2022 - guillermo- Likes this wine:

Tasted over two nights. PNP the first night. Didn't use a decanter but gave it hours of uncorked air the second. CLOSED. Even on the second night. As in not open for business. Do not attempt until at least 2023, but 2024 is a safer bet.

A relatively brightly-colored, shimmering and savory style of Zinfandel from the 2020 banner vintage at Esola vineyard and Amador County's Shenandoah Valley in general.

Expertly balanced. I think everything is there for an outstanding Old World crossover once the tannins mellow out a bit, but they need to because this is not a fruit-forward wine. As it stands, I could barely tease out nuances in the red fruit under the spice, herbal and earthy notes. It's like California Zinfandel's answer to classically-produced Barolo.

At this early point in its development, it did much better in a Bordeaux/Cab glass than in a Pinot/Burgundy glass. I might even serve it in a universal glass next time (or follow my own advice and wait until 2024 and serve it in a Cab glass again).

Reserving a score until it resolves a bit, but expect it to be in the mid 90's once it does.

14.5% ABV.

(I see there are only 447 bottles entered into CT and can't help but think too many people will miss out on what I suspect will likely be, in retrospect, Bedrock's wine of the vintage; but I won't make that call officially until I have the tasted all the others.)

2/14/2022 - Deux Chevaux Likes this wine:

Deep golden straw. This is so utterly distinctive, there’s nothing like it in the world — aside from its sibling blanco Tondonia. As usual, savory marzipan and a complex cornucopia of waxy and spicy flavors. Fabulously long finish with bracing acid backbone. It is fresh and driven, although perhaps just a bit less so than the 2012. We’ve had vintages going back to 2006, and this is certainly both characteristic, and up to par. Excellent, meted out in small pours over four nights — and, as usual, going beautifully with curried prawns.

1/25/2022 - Deux Chevaux Likes this wine:

The notes below, especially by O-M, describe it well. To that we will add, we found this to be simultaneously vibrant and smooth, and very friendly. Lovely over three nights, blossoming 30 minutes after opening. It sang with food, and was just as beautiful on the second night. A bit remaining on the third was starting to decline, but still quite sophisticated and very enjoyable. We purchased more. (By the way, last night we opened the 1996 sibling, and by comparison, it’s rather closed and tanic. We will see how that one develops.)

1/9/2022 - ohne_musik wrote:

4 years since my last bottle. This one is excellent. Color is the main indicator that this wine is 33 years old. Depth of still crunchy red fruit, excellent ripeness and concentration, moderate pyrazines (tobacco, red bell pepper), and light tertiary notes of leather, game and soy. Light bodied but with a suave texture of well-integrated oak and fully resolved tannins. Glad K&L has restocked this.

2/24/2021 - Ben Christiansen wrote:

Haut Medoc and Brulieres are the exact same wine, just different labels. Nice spice and fruit on the nose. Exceptional ripening in the vineyard, hence the name. Organic. Smells and tastes like classic Bordeaux.

11/29/2021 - IJC wrote:

Corked.

11/27/2021 - Dr Otto Does not like this wine:

Pnp and drank over two days. Tried hard to get something out of this wine but ultimately it is just disappointing to me. Quite nondescript. Seems almost cooked flavorwise, yet thin and dilute. I would struggle to identify this as Beaujolais if tasting blind, makes me think more of something like a cheap Syrah. OK it’s a cheap Beaujolais cru, but still…

11/24/2021 - ohne_musik wrote:

A beast of a wine. Starts off ungainly and over the top - a fire hose of red and black zin berry fruit, shrill acid, tannins, and alcohol hit like a punch to the face. Whoa, almost undrinkable. Fortunately, things rapidly come together with some air, and 3 hours in, it’s almost manageable, striking a fine balance, a notable accomplishment given its size. Still has searing acid that makes one pucker, with bracing clay minerals, and lovely taut pure black fruit, that pull it back from tipping into hedonism. No sensation of sweetness or oak, although it retains a bit of heat. Perhaps not something I want to drink all the time, but this is delicious. Drinkable now, but would recommend socking away for 3-5 years.

11/7/2021 - JRockEsq Likes this wine:

Method: blind against 9 other 2019 Spatlese; ice bucket cold (colder than I prefer); opened a few hours in advance

Nose: tangerine, light mineral

P: white cherry, minerality, passion fruit, light ginger; long finish of ginger, fresh herbs, light salt; medium sweetness; medium oily-ish body; medium+ acidity

Overall thoughts: This had it all when I tasted it - great concentration, great flavor profile with great fruit and spice, great mouthfeel, very good complexity, and great balance with nice acidity that creates a nice tension. I've a couple of great wines from Max Ferd. Richter before, but never considered them a top tier producer, which is why I was surprised to find that this was my #1 wine of the tasting! I guessed Fritz Haag or Schloss Lieser. Great wine!

Update: This wine improved a bit on day 2 and the ounce that was still in the bottle on day 7 was still going strong.

11/13/2021 - Oliverl1 Does not like this wine:

Had a bad experience recently with the 2008 vintage. I thought maybe it was too young. So, I thought I would try the 2004 vintage. What a disappointment, just like the 2008. Completely one-dimensional and uneventful upon opening. Decanted FIVE hours and not much improvement at all. Tasted like a $25 bottle (I paid $85). I just don’t get it. What is the attraction?