9/7/2014 - rossi.wine wrote:

Exotic fruit here, creamy, quite rich, but not big or heavy, great acidity, wonderful balance, fine length. 94-95+

5/11/2022 - FEDEVIDAL Likes this wine:

Color amarillo pálido casi blanquecino. Delicioso aroma de gran pureza y elegancia, hierba de monte, cítricos, fondo mineral concretado en petróleo o gas, notas de jengibre. Boca fina, elegante, mantecosa y muy ácida con sensaciones cítricas como pomelo, manzana ácida, florales y herbáceas, por si faltará algo, además a más de una elevada mineralidad que recuerda la piedra sílex, produce una finísima aguja casi inapreciable al paladar, lo cual aumenta la gracia y solvencia de este vino. Vino puro y cristalino, sublime

1/7/2023 - thesternowl wrote:

A buddy of mine and I dropped into one of my favorite little cafes in Omaha to get a bite and share a bottle. We grabbed a table and I scampered off to select something from the wall. As I walked over to the Rhone section, I began to scan the labels and about fell over when I saw three bottles of Gonon low-key just chillin…priced under $70. At this point, there was no question what we would be drinking tonight.

Popped and poured; no formal notes. I fully knew this was going to be somewhat considered infanticide but how was I going to pass this opportunity up? The nose is classic Northern Rhone with olives, black pepper, bacon fat and gorgeous blue and red fruits. The tannins are medium+; the acid matches. And the texture? Well, she thiccc but there is a sexy confidence that is enormously becoming. Finish is long and super satisfying. Fun to try young but I expect this to be a very lovely bottle for many years to come. Drink now with some patience (and an open mind) or through 2034 with ease. Oh…and you best believe we took the other two bottles home with us.

9/22/2022 - FEDEVIDAL Likes this wine:

Color amarillo muy brillante. Aroma intenso y limpio, muy polifacético, hay fruta blanca, como albaricoque, melocotón y melón, cítricos como piel de naranja, mandarina y lima, aroma de carácter dulzón y ligeramente oxidativo con evolución a dátil, cascara de nuez y café. La boca presenta una entrada intensa con mucho cuerpo y estructura alta, carácter glicérico, acidez magnifica perfectamente balanceada que le da un carácter fresco , muy expresivo, final muy largo con postgusto frutal, con toque de madera y salado si el vino se calienta, si permanece fresco el salado no se advierte.

Se trata de un gran vino que se enmarca en el carácter propio de su productor, gastronómico y a situar entre los mejores blancos españoles actuales. Cabe decir que no es extraño que muchos lo vean como un Sauternes seco, ya que la casa LdH tiene memoria histórica de producción de este tipo de vinos y así sin poder situar bien la fecha ( creo que a principios del siglo XX) producía un blanco inspirado en los Sauternes llamado sino me equivoco “Estilo Sauternes”.

3/29/2022 - Jeff Leve wrote:

Inky dark in color, the wine exudes crushed rocks, stones, flowers, smoke, espresso, dark chocolate, pepper and smoke in the perfume. Full-bodied, rich, lush and deep, with layers of black and red fruits, freshness and length, the finish delivers dark red berries with a dash of spice, black licorice and espresso bean. This is going to age and evolve for at least 2 decades or more. The wine blends 80% Merlot with 20% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2024-2040.

3/28/2022 - Blog Likes this wine:

La cuvée Serres Seques dans sa version "sec", mais pas trop ...

Une robe dorée, un peu épaisse qui annonce un vin riche.
L'aromatique est raccord, des fruits jaunes, des fleurs, c'est expressif sans trop en faire. La structure du vin confirme la richesse, il y a du gras, c'est tapissant, quelques sucres résiduels et pourtant 14,5 °. Un vin beaucoup plus riche que la cuvée Carmeret. Contre toute attente compte tenu de mon goût plus que modéré pour les sucres, j'apprécie cette puissance qui évite de justesse la sortie de route. C'est démonstratif, presque baroque mais avec un charme et une identité attachante. On se limite toutefois facilement à une verre ...

11/24/2018 - bevetroppo Likes this wine:

It's been a good 5 years since I had to add a new wine to the cellartracker database. It hasn't gotten any easier. You need to search a zillion parameters to make sure someone hasn't mislabeled the wine already. Then each new field takes 20-30 seconds of server response time to update. Then you have to deal with the possibility that there is no acceptable way to enter certain fields because what you're drinking doesn't exist. It's the price you pay for drinking obscure wines and having the tenacity to enter them faithfully here.

So first, let's get to the approximations, or let's be honest, errors. This is labeled Calabria IGP (Protetta) not IGT. There was no Calabria IGP available to pick. I could look up the difference to give you the correct distinction but I only have so much time to devote to cleaning this Augean Stable of a website. Second there is no grape to choose called "malvasia blend." This is 60% malvasia and 40% zibibbo for those keeping score at home.

Very pale straw. Nose quite hay-like, some almond, sage, very light lemon fruit, attractive in a shy subdued way. Bold mouthfeel (holy zibibbo Batman, it's 15% ABV, didn't see that coming), although it's not hot. A little bland on its own, but leaps into focus with food, gaining fruit and a more lively energy, tonight with a tomato and fennel swordfish. Hey, it's called Mare for a reason, am I right or am I wrong?

Calabrian wines have a hard time escaping a label I'm going to apply that may get me in trouble, but so be it: they're coarse. It's freaking hot and I can't believe anyone thought it was a good idea to make this wine at 15%. Global warming won't be any help, and it will probably be like making wine in Algeria in a few years. With all this said, I think malvasia is an underrated varietal and worth testing wherever someone has the will and the skill. Ok, if you made me guess, I think IGT and IGP are largely interchangeable and in this case not worth arguing about.

1/30/2022 - Vladutz Likes this wine:

A clairement besoin de temps, je l'ai trouvé difficilement accessible. Mais le potentiel est là, super fruit, beaucoup de fraîcheur, on sent bcp le mourvèdre à ce stade. Tannins magnifiquement soyeux et longueur impressionnante.

1/27/2022 - Raage Likes this wine:

Au chapeau de paille
Un blanc tout en finesse, en retenue, en élégance modeste, au nez discrètement floral, anisé, subtilement gourmand: pas d’ostentation oenologique (bonbon ect…) ici, mais une recherche de précision tout particulière; on peut facilement passer à côté.
En bouche c’est un peu pareil, il est tactilement subtil, rond, salin, sans exubérance : la minéralité salivante remplace l’acidité, de (légers) amers participent à cet équilibré nuancé et sans puissance.
Un vin qu’il « faut aller chercher », au charme certain!

12/20/2018 - Zoltán Németi wrote:

An attempt to create a serious wine from Kadarka. The price is matching that intent too, at 20,000 Forints (approx. 65 Euros) this must be the most expensive Kadarka wine ever made. You might raise an eyebrow when reading about the approach, though: late harvesting of grapes, including Botrytised bunches too. No surprise then that the result has an alcohol level of 16%.

Like an overdone Australian red: rum and marzipan notes, overwhelming intensity, heat on the finish. An assault of the senses. High acidity does not help the balance but lends it a sharpness, the feeling of added tartaric. The Botrytis, on the other hand, is handled quite well, it certainly tastes like “noble rot”, well integrated into the aromas. It’s an extreme style of Kadarka, made with skill, but in the end, it’s still so raw. An untamed beast, kind of a caricature of a wine, but its richness is remarkable. Do not open it yet, time might help smoothen it.

(https://screwcapped.com/st-andrea-nagykadarka-2016/)

10/11/2021 - Raage wrote:

(vinsp.)
A ce stade on sent vraiment la mollesse du millésime, comme beaucoup de 2020 ligériens blancs. Comparé au 2019 il manque clairement d'energie et de peps, la rondeur l'emporte sur la minéralité, et même si le style aromatique reste fin, la structure semble annoncer un style opulent des plus ennuyeux. A vérifier dans un an...
88/89

9/19/2021 - Cailles wrote:

No notes taken. This is still an amazing wine with so much purity and freshness. I especially love the fresh blue, black and red forest berries on the nose and palate which I have not encountered to that degree in any vintage in the past 15 years. This is so intriguing with the perfect ripeness giving room to many more aromatic layers and with good precision. The structure is impeccable too with ripe, soft tannins and a high and well-integrated acidity. The wine has not too much weight and a nice creamy texture as well as a long and expanding finish. It is hard not to like this vintage at this point but I guess this should develop well over the next 30-40 years. 95 pts today with upside once age makes the wine more complex and even more harmonious.

Decanting: Not decanted, no extensive decanting needed. Good from the go with little change

8/19/2021 - Raage Likes this wine:

(CDV)
VV de 100 ans sur St Jo, unique!
Modèle de finesse, de précision, moins exubérant qu'un St Jo blanc, mais pourtant ce Chasselas possède qq gènes autochtones, une pointe abricotée, une fleur mellifère...
Indéniablement, la recherche des vignerons est la droiture, le vin reste simple, frais, salin, tendu.
Cela n'a pas vraiment plu à l'audience alors que je louais cette justesse... petit moment de solitude ;-)
J'aime son côté ciselé et net, salivant. Tout l'inverse du riche "un matin face au lac" bu à côté.

7/22/2021 - Keith Levenberg Likes this wine:

I really had no idea going into this whether it was going to be drinkable or a fire-breathing dragon. First sip resolves all uncertainty and it is not only drinkable but effortlessly so, and captivating. Primary red berry scents and flavors meld with cedary pencil shavings to give this a Bordeaux-like profile but few Bordeaux can aspire to be so classy - the texture is just ravishingly finessed in a way that only a couple properties at the top of the 1855 classification or in the ritzy part of Pomerol achieve. It is just pure satin. It's that quality the UK writers call "breed" which I can't say I've ever experienced from Cahors or malbec anywhere - refined, but not *merely* refined, everything measured and knit together just-so, the hand of a master tailor evident not just in the fabric but the drape. If you were lucky enough to buy this, you have a treasure.

4/4/2021 - watcheslover Likes this wine:

The vines are now 10 years in production, and working the soil helps to give Condrieu as mineral as possible. Just the right amount of roundness, a complex and fresh palate, and a finish with notes of grapefruit peel: a great Condrieu, at a reasonable price too!

6/22/2021 - watcheslover Likes this wine:

Black and purple color. Very aromatic nose,! N, subtle, which has never evoked so much the Côte de Nuits, black fruits, cachou, liquorice, violet, all in delicacy and yet with depth. Ultra meticulous on the palate, with the silky texture that one would find in a great dry white wine, the wine caresses the palate with a noble touch and complex nuances. It stretches meticulously, deeply, on a grain of magical tannin and a lingering taste of black fruits mixed with flowers. Superb.

2/8/2021 - trumpet60201 Likes this wine:

Not a sec chenin blanc - it's a bit sweet and I didn't expect that (haha, should have read the others' reviews first). Lovely apricots on the nose. Warm, rich, delicious - but only 12.5%, wow! A hair low in acidity for my taste. But, really a nice wine. Amazing nose. Went well with food.

1/7/2021 - Lexer1980 Does not like this wine:

Not sure if it were flawed bottles, or not. Had two out of a case of 6 now; both tasted simply weird...
Had the 2013 twice last year and absolutely loved it, yet these bottles... fungus? Stale?

12/30/2020 - SpitzNV Likes this wine:

Could improve with a few more years of age, as the tannin is still quite prominent but this stuff is simply fantastic. So glad I bought a case of it and this was just the first bottle!

10/17/2020 - dbkitc wrote:

Um. I like this a whole bunch more than most. To me this is classic, traditional and full impact-monumental Cornas. Full, deep, rustic, animal, dark fruited and loaded with structure that will allow this to age gracefully for years. Inky but not in a new world, overripe way. So concentrated. Yet so balanced and together. In ten years, I think this will be head turner. Love it. (96+)

7/19/2017 - Eric Guido Likes this wine:

Here I found a heady display of black cherries dipped in liqueur along with dark chocolate, plum, dried flowers, and a dusting of cinnamon and clove. On the palate, velvety textures coated the senses delivering notes of ripe cherry, dried orange, sweet spices, anise and cleansing acidity. It finished impressively long with a hint of heat, remnants of spiced cherry and bitter chocolate. This is very impressive and if not for the slight burn of heat on the finish, I would have been happy to score it higher.

3/27/2020 - dvansteenderen Likes this wine:

At home tasting this 2014 vs the 2015 Azienda Agricola Valentini Trebbiano d'Abruzzo. The 2014 slightly has the edge now, however giving the structure of the 2015 I would not be surprised if it will have the upper hand in the future. Both vintages however taste young still and can age for a long time more! Will try to age both vintages some more for a mini vertical in some years to come.
This 2015: yellow apples and limes. Linear and intense.