1/3/2024 - COWS wrote:

It was good but lacked depth.

1/2/2024 - COWS wrote:

I bought this many years ago. It was fine exactly what it says on the label and nothing more. Some botrytis and good sweetness and very pleasant but nothing to bang the table about

12/28/2023 - COWS Likes this wine:

Oh my goodness me this was pretty much exquisite. Colour still fabulous (though we were in an area with subdued lighting) still very clean and pretty much entire to the rim. Lovely nose with hints of parma violets and cinnamon and soft marzipan and the palate matched it all the way. Had good depth and sustained well but maybe a tiny, tiny bit short. We were drinking some good wines with great company but every time this wine circulated it stood on the shoulders of the others and smiled. I was keen to drink it because I thought it was likely to be way past its best. I was very wrong. Probably still got another couple of years in it. Loved it

12/28/2023 - COWS wrote:

Soft Goat Cheese character, slight metallic taste. Pleasing level of acidity. Still had good mousse on pouring and good complexity.
I cant remember exactly how much I paid but think it was about £45 probably in 2020 on my way to the old Tillington Orchards. It's maybe 40 years since I last had Kerner. The best I can say is that the wine was not faulted and was perfectly acceptable but it was not good value.

9/10/2023 - COWS wrote:

I bought this from a farm shop near the vineyard and have drunk it under Coravin over a week in September 2023. Finishing it with some salt baked Salmon. It is what it is and to be fair I probably left it too long. It was probably much better in 2020. Colour pretty much water white and still some CO2 left and huge level of acidity (I'm guessing at maybe 9 g/l tartaric). Grapefruit and lemons. I was hoping for some riesling hints but it was not happening. Some oxidation evident on the finish. It went well with the salmon. Don't think I'd rush to buy again.

8/29/2023 - COWS Likes this wine:

Bought as a novelty really but it has good fresh fruity style with loads of acidity and though the colour was quite dark it still has plenty of life in it. I'll definitely buy again

8/29/2023 - COWS wrote:

Might have kept these a little too long. Still very distinctive and pleasing with gentle oak and good length but beginning to be a little grainy. Drunk over a number of weeks under Coravin with a variety of dishes mainly lightly spiced. I'll buy again if I can get it at a good price!

6/3/2023 - COWS wrote:

I'm drinking this now. Under coravin so it might take a while.
It is nothing special IMHO but there is nothing wrong either. Surprised it is still drinkable and there is no sign of it giving up the ghost any time soon. The palate is very/very soft. Very little tannin. Low acidity, Colour is showing some browning but still acceptable. Almost no fruit discernable now but the whole has harmonised into a very easy wine. If I had drunk it younger I suspect my score would have been higher

5/27/2023 - COWS Likes this wine:

I drank this throughout May 2023 with a whole host of different foods from pasta through salmon and chicken. It was phenomenal. I kept it under coravin and only drank small quantities every time. I was concerned it might be oxidised but although age was definitely a feature it sure as heck was not oxidised. Every glass brought new revelations through citrus to meaty to floral to mineral. Just a wonderful wine.

4/7/2023 - COWS Likes this wine:

To be honest I can't remember what this was like! We (6 of us) drank a lot of good wine on Good Friday 2023 and I am reliably informed this was the best of the best that night. Sadly, it is no longer available in the UK. I'm gutted. I do remember we also ate well. My contribution was Bloody Mary Crumpets with brown shrimp, smoked salmon and pancetta wrapped pan fried scallops. I think we probably drank a lot of Champagne and White Burgundy with these.

1/21/2023 - COWS wrote:

I think this was for an Asado in 2020 and my original idea was to drink it before the end of 2021. Best laid plans etc. I’ve drunk it over the last 3 or 4 days principally with lamb dishes. It was still lovely and fresh and clean. My guess is the 6 months it had done on oak were not in new barrels. Good level of acid and Tannins were very subtle and extraordinarily well integrated IMHO. Nice wine. Think it is bang on for drinking over the next few months

1/11/2023 - COWS Likes this wine:

Chicken, ham, mushroom pie with carrots , rustic mash (I didn’t peel them) and kale. All of which tasted pretty much as you would expect. But … it was saved by the Brassac which I figured needed using. It was bang on. Fruit still very much in evidence. Nice level of acidity. Really good length. I was delighted and now disappointed because I haven’t got any more.🙁

8/15/2022 - COWS wrote:

consumed August(ish) 2022. Has some fruit and character which is still developing. Some acidity. Tannins are not giving much up. My feeling is this is ready now but I'm going to let it ride a while and see if I can make it last until 2025. It's a lovely little winery (but part of a huge operation) with a very good young winemaker. I was just a bit disappointed

9/18/2022 - COWS Likes this wine:

I am well impressed by this. Still vibrant and lots of citrussy frui. Excellent acidity. Clean. Am eating fish pie with it. Had half a 5kg salt baked salmon left which I froze and am now smashing to smithereens at intervals. This wine (bought from D Byrne, maybe in 2019) is the perfect accompaniment. I could well look at other wines from this producer. My previous experiences with xynisteri have not always been good!

8/14/2022 - COWS Likes this wine:

given the price this is drinking nicely and is fresh now and probably will be for a while. I think I'll pop back and get some more!

8/14/2022 - COWS Likes this wine:

Consumed over about 10 days with a variety of foods. My first thought was that it decidedly past it but thne it opened up to strawberry and mint and my opinion changed! I think I probably paid about £14 for it and by the end of it I really wished I had bought more!

2/8/2022 - COWS Likes this wine:

I think this is excellent value for money. This particular bottle had been opened at least 2 months ago and kept under Coravin, ANd it was still absolutely packed with dark red plummy flavour s and a little bit of oak to balance it all out. The acidity is good and the tannins are soft. And it’s Fairtrade!

12/26/2021 - COWS wrote:

Drunk over a couple of nights between Christmas 2021 and New Year. Light in sweetness but still had plenty of fruit and good freshness. Easy to drink

12/27/2021 - COWS wrote:

Drunk over 3 weeks using Coravin October/November 2021. Still quite fresh with good minerality. Not sure it is worth the hype or money but still a decent wine. I guess this is the first wine of the "new" era.

12/27/2021 - COWS wrote:

This was a double magnum drunk over 6-7 weeks using a coravin (yes it did fit the neck, though it was a struggle). The wine was widely shared with others and remained alive throughout. I was surprised it still had some tannin thought the fruit was pretty subdued.

8/21/2021 - COWS Likes this wine:

First time of drinking an ostensibly principally Tannat wine. Nice. Not especially tannic. In fact well rounded and with good acidity that balances the tannin. A hint of spice, a bit of coffee. I kind of think there's a lot of merlot in here to give it this level of softness. I'm glad I drank it now rather than waiting. I'll buy it again (probably). To my shame I did not use the coravin and just drank it over the course of a week with variety of type of foods. Think I'll finish it tomorrow with some roast beef.

6/9/2021 - COWS wrote:

I was mighty impressed by this. Superb colour still showing good garnet hints though now with significant browning. The noise was rich and well balanced between varietal, wood and age but the beauty was on the palate which exploded with complex nutty characteristics and still good fruit and a hint of lanolin and plums and just everything. On it's own it was excellent but a mouthful after a forkful of roast lamb and mint sauce it was explosive. Just fabulous. Drank it over a period of about 3 weeks under Coravin. Can't even remember where I got it originally!

6/5/2021 - COWS wrote:

probably a bit past it's best but still very drinkable. Coravin over a period of about a month. Colour still good though showing some age but entire to rim. Nose was lots of aged polished mahogany with spikes of spiced plums etc. palate very similar. A bit lighter than I had expected but paired well both lamb and a decent rib eye. I think it was overpriced (£41)

5/2/2021 - COWS wrote:

Probably on the cusp of decline now. Not my best experience of C. Franc but still ... not bad. Soft tannins and subdued acidity. Leather and old plums.
Coravined and consumed over a week. Opens up after about 10 minutes in the glass but then declines quite quickly over the next 30 minutes.

5/1/2021 - COWS wrote:

I can’t say this was the best Argentinian Malbec I’ve ever had. I got a little leather and little complexity and some dark fruits but really nothing worthy of note. Drunk over a week using Corvin. Don’t get me wrong the wine was perfectly acceptable but at a bit more than £10 a bottle I was just disappointed

4/24/2021 - COWS Likes this wine:

Still a little life. A bit muddy and colour fading rapidly now. Nose was a little reminiscent of French Polish but not in a volatile way. Just deep and nutty. Maybe a bit of leather and tobacco in there too. Palate was still full and now very soft and easy. Finish was quite short but still not drying. I was pleasantly surprised.

4/10/2021 - COWS wrote:

Sadly, both bottles were oxidised. On the other hand the wine is/was 20 years old and I guess I should not be surprised!