12/25/2022 - sem106 wrote:

musty - flawed

11/26/2022 - sem106 Likes this wine:

Juicy fruit with some meaty-ness from the syrah, lovely for the price

10/9/2022 - sem106 wrote:

Slightly oxidised. White peach nose. Lacking substance and interest on the palette

5/19/2022 - sem106 Likes this wine:

Jammy fruit up front and then palette washed with minerality and cool crushed stone. Not quite the subtlety of the style I enjoy but a very nice wine

4/14/2022 - sem106 wrote:

Heavily corked

2/4/2022 - sem106 Likes this wine:

Very hot and takes 2 days to settle. Approachable merlot, fleshy texture and good density of red fruit. Tannins relatively low so this might lack structure as it ages, however if the wine softens and develops some tertiary character, this could be 91-92.

1/20/2022 - sem106 Likes this wine:

A totally different wine after lots of air and time.
Even after 4 hours on day 1, it was angular, alcoholic and required very rich and flavourful food.
On day two, it softened considerably. It is still full-bodied, spicy, with med/high alcohol. Cocoa and kirsch finally come out to create a level of interest. Minimal tannin and OK length.
88 on day 1, 90 on day 2. Could certainly improve but won't rush back to it

1/15/2022 - sem106 Likes this wine:

Simple riesling with a slight spritz. Refreshing with slightly piercing acidity. Not particularly complex or rich, some petrol and melon.
For £14, not bad

1/14/2022 - sem106 Does not like this wine:

Blackcurrant nose. On the palette it is one dimensional with medium/full bodied fruit. Alcohol too pronounced with almost no tannin structure. Lingering taste is mostly of alcohol.

12/31/2021 - sem106 Likes this wine:

White peach and honeysuckle on the nose.
Palette shows honey, lemon rind, rich riesling character, luscious sweetness and great balance.
Lovely wine for the style

12/31/2021 - sem106 Likes this wine:

PnP and 90min decant. Drinking straight from the go.
Fully mature, soft, mellow. Nose of red fruit and balsam. On the palette, the fruit gently arrives and then quickly transitions to lovely aged flavours of wood, smoke and cocoa. Powerful. Resolved tannins
Extremely impressive Rioja at £28.

12/25/2021 - sem106 Likes this wine:

Almost Burgundian.. very well balanced oaked Chardonnay, showing some of the richness and buttery-ness as it warms up from cellar temperature. Very nice for £20

12/25/2021 - sem106 Does not like this wine:

Not what is promised from a big Brunello producer in a famous vintage. Red fruit with light colour and pronounced acid. Somehow just lacking substance and interest. This would require a transformation for me to revisit

12/25/2021 - sem106 Likes this wine:

A simple claret but very enjoyable if that's your taste (as it is mine). Well balanced. Lacking some of the concentration, complexity and structure of higher scored wines, but very approachable and enjoyable now. Nice at £25

12/25/2021 - sem106 wrote:

This bottle did not show at all how I expected after reading reviews. Despite decanting for 90min it was slightly hollow in the mid-palette with too much acidity, particularly noticeable at the finish. There are hints towards a complexity but it never really arrives. Such a shame and I hope this was bottle variation

12/25/2021 - sem106 Likes this wine:

A bit too young.. medium to full bodied with some stewed prune flavours, not quite to my taste

12/27/2021 - sem106 Likes this wine:

A simple Riesling showing the expected character and a nice balance. Great for an example at £14

11/17/2021 - sem106 wrote:

A bit thin and lacking in concentration. Not a good example of Chablis

12/20/2021 - sem106 Likes this wine:

Such incredible value. Layered, rich, good acidity.

12/9/2021 - sem106 Likes this wine:

Has an almost smokey aspect to the nose and a richness that was so long. Super impressive

12/9/2021 - sem106 Likes this wine:

1hr decant.
Almost some oxidation on the nose which blew off. Nose full of graphite/flint/almost mint. Body lacking structure and ripeness, not developing some of the grace expected with the pedigree.

12/12/2021 - sem106 Likes this wine:

At the price, this vintage lacks some body and excitement

12/20/2021 - sem106 Likes this wine:

PnP and 1hr decant from DM.
Very well balanced, soft, great tension and structure.

11/26/2021 - sem106 Likes this wine:

A nice claret, lacks some concentration and complexity but perfectly nice. I suspect it will not last too much longer

11/26/2021 - sem106 Likes this wine:

Surprisingly for the vintage, drinks so much better than the 2014 and even the 2016. Round, oaky, showing some age with red fruit. A lovely wine

11/7/2021 - sem106 wrote:

I would guess this to be a much younger wine. Full bodied, spicy syrah, lots of ripe fruit, alcohol too much on the end. Not much elegance

11/7/2021 - sem106 wrote:

Lower score perhaps due to personal taste rather than comment on quality? Whilst there is great concentration of fruit and a piercing freshness (which leaves you salivating for more), I am missing some of the bready/butter notes I was expecting from Chardonnay matured in oak. The fruit is very nice and there is balance in the wine particularly at the 12-15oC. My taste probably elsewhere for £25

10/30/2021 - sem106 Likes this wine:

Drunk over 3 days without much change.
The wine is soft with simple red fruit, some tannin and enough acidity at the end so the finish has a nice freshness to it. Not much complexity going on and no particular charm but still very enjoyable to drink. At £16 for this burgundy, I would be happy to buy again.

10/24/2021 - sem106 Does not like this wine:

From half, PnP and through to 2nd day.
Starts very thin, which does improve with air, but lacking in concentration. Tannins give some structure but the alcohol is really noticeable and dominates the finish. The fruit is basic and lost at the finish.
Not a good example of bordeaux.

8/12/2021 - sem106 Likes this wine:

Wonderful wine for £12, so hard to beat

9/17/2021 - sem106 Likes this wine:

Needs 1hr air to show.
Red fruit, peach stone and oak on the nose.
A lovely round, ripe and lucious wine, with cranberry, cherry and such soft tannins. It really excels at the finish, where it seems to come together with a great length.
Such good value at £23.

9/11/2021 - sem106 wrote:

A bit too sweet with oaky fruit.
Wouldn't rush to try again

9/11/2021 - sem106 Likes this wine:

Cherry, plum, vanilla and oak.
Very full on and quite new world. High alcohol

9/9/2021 - sem106 Likes this wine:

PnP.
A lovely, charming and expressive wine. Somm noted it has opened since he last tasted 18 months ago.
Cherries and bramble. Wonderful acidity but also some tannin structure. Soft. Medium length.
Very much ready to drink now.

9/7/2021 - sem106 Likes this wine:

This wine bring a lot.
Med/full bodied, with forward fruit, spice, wood and iron filings. Great acidity balancing this out with a freshness drawing you back for more. Soft tannins with the structure supported by the (slightly too high) alcohol. Surprising length.
For only £10 it is excellent value and I would be interested to see if this develops with age because there feels like room to grow.

9/2/2021 - sem106 Likes this wine:

Rich from the chardonnay with a lovely citrus acidity. Another example of high quality English sparkling

8/29/2021 - sem106 Likes this wine:

Opens after a couple hours in the glass and gains some elegance. Serve at cellar temperature.
Black fruit with a supple mouthfeel, great acidity to hold it up. Finish has nice length with some strawberry.
GV at £12

8/22/2021 - sem106 Likes this wine:

PnP.
Fruit diminished quite a bit here, with balsam and slight oxidation on the nose. Shows some real age.
Light body, good acid, little fruit, some earth, but it has some charm.
Enjoyed drinking this and will have the final bottle soon

8/9/2021 - sem106 wrote:

A bit of a disappointment.
Nice acidity and sweetness but lacking density and complexity of flavour.. There was little fruit, tropical flavours etc. Almost watery feeling at the end.
Better sauternes out there for the money.

8/5/2021 - sem106 Likes this wine:

PnP and 1hr decant (recommended).
Aromatics lovely. Great balance with fruit between wood, however just needs some more complexity to take it to the next level. Tannins give structure but are soft.

8/1/2021 - sem106 Does not like this wine:

Drunk slightly chilled and at room tempersture. Very little to like here. Thin, light body. Lacks a distinct flavour profile (could almost be confused for white wine blind). med+ acidity.
If you are looking for a vinous drink to have chilled on a hot day it may be pleasant and even refreshing, but nothing pleasureable or interesting here.

6/26/2021 - sem106 wrote:

Simple, red fruits with little else. Balance OK with alcohol feeling above the ABV and lacking some structure. Not bad for the money

6/13/2021 - sem106 Likes this wine:

Better on day 2. So much blackcurrant throughout. Some tobacco on the palette on day 1 that is later lost. The alcohol is too overpowering here.. the tannins are very low so this feels like it needs structure and the alcohol dominates. Not bad at all for £8 though

6/13/2021 - sem106 wrote:

Nose a plain riesling with no petrol.
Palette lacks richness and complexity with a piercing lemon rind at the sides of the tongue at the finish. The length is all this lemon rind which is distracting and almost puckering.

6/6/2021 - sem106 Likes this wine:

1hr decant.
Aromatics filling the glass. Still very primary with fruit and really not showing its 10yr age. Tannins adding grip but not distracting. Looking forward to drinking this again in 5-10 years

5/22/2021 - sem106 Likes this wine:

So well balanced, beautiful fruit with so much graphite and pencil shavings. Soft tannin, good mouth feel. The full package

5/2/2021 - sem106 Likes this wine:

White peach and pear, with a hint of petrol as it warms up. A lovely richness accompanies the slightly off-dry palette. Just enough acid to balance it out. Enjoyable at £16

4/14/2021 - sem106 Likes this wine:

This wine is fresh with green apple and white peach. Lovely minerality and dry finish. Very enjoyable

4/5/2021 - sem106 Likes this wine:

1hr decant. Tasted blind.
This screams a new world wine. The fruit is direct and imposing on both the nose and palette, with a med/full body, acidity high, short finish. However it lacked little interest and did not spark much conversation in the group.

At £22 there are better examples.. perhaps this needs more time to develop more interesting complexity and for more non-fruit flavours to develop.

4/3/2021 - sem106 Likes this wine:

1hr decant and 1hr in glass.
Medium bodied wine with red fruit, cranberry and raspberry predominate. However, acidity high and the wine lacks some structure so it feels slightly thin and almost tart. You would not guess this is 33% cabernet sauvignon based on the palette.
Not a bad wine for £15