12/31/2023 - Nohedes wrote:

Not sure why, but I had low expectations with this wine. As usual, I was way off - it’s absolutely singing. Clean, fruit is still there, also retained some grip and it tastes like a wine that is 10 years younger. Had this with confit pork shoulder from St John and it smashed it

12/24/2022 - Nohedes wrote:

Have been cellaring this since 2007. Solid cork, nothing musty here, decanted 1h before drinking with côte du boeuf. Clear tiny bit of ageing in th colour, but looks like a much younger wine. Nose delicate, classic aged Rioja, nice leathery side note. Still some red fruit, moreish, complex and very drinkable. Tannins fully resolved. Great food wine with family, at or near peak but no hurry.

8/27/2022 - Nohedes wrote:

Very good but not quite as good as the 95 we had alongside it.

8/27/2022 - Nohedes wrote:

The second time I’ve tried this wine - the two occasions over 10 years apart. Against expectations, the wine showed better in the recent tasting. Little in the way of colour change and still fruit on the palate, some tannic grip and a lovely mouthfeel. Classic nicely matured claret and worth the wait

4/14/2022 - Nohedes wrote:

Wasn’t expecting much from this, but pleasantly surprised - fruit in the background but there’s nice tannin, great mouthfeel and classic middle aged claret here. Great QPR.

3/7/2022 - Nohedes wrote:

Decanted c30 mins before serving, just a light sediment and still relatively youthful in colour. Little bit musty on the nose at first, but that quickly blew off and left a smooth, slightly forest floor vibe with classic claret wood/pencil and some hedgerow fruit. Palate was quite fresh, didn’t get too much of the mushroom mentioned below. Very enjoyable, developed further through the evening but has become rather sour by day 2, so my advice would be drink up and do your best to see if the bottle on the same day (no hardship there!).

7/5/2021 - Nohedes wrote:

White peach and hibiscus on the nose. Light mouth feel, less sweet in the mouth with a clean palate and more acid/citrus than expected. Slightly spritzy finish. Worked well with some fish and couscous. Really liked this.

4/25/2021 - Nohedes wrote:

Very dark purple, dense, quite a bit of sediment hanging in the wine and some big chunks in the bottle so guessing not filtered much when bottled. Palate a little thin strangely, not much tannic grip or the power the colour/texture would suggest. Not at all unpleasant but not that interesting either.

4/11/2021 - Nohedes wrote:

Well this was supposed to be mediocre at best, given the prevailing wisdom about the 2002 vintage, but I was very pleasantly surprised. Clean nose with red fruit and some pencil shaving, clear colour no real signs of any bottle age. Fruit forward palate with nice tannins, all hanging together nicely and overall comes across as a very well made claret. I’m sure not as good as as the stellar vintages but then this is a much cheaper bottle. Checking my notes I paid £30 a few years back and at that price I’m very happy. Drink or hold.

4/10/2021 - Nohedes wrote:

Classic claret, drinking very well. Still quite forward, not showing signs of age, fruit present and nice balance.

4/2/2021 - Nohedes wrote:

Dark but clear, half bottle, slightly viscous, sweet sweet nose, figs, honey, quince. Palate had sugar plum, crystalline pineapple and creme brûlée. A sweet treat indeed, but with the acidity to keep everything in balance. Long finish and very moreish. This was exceptional, completely unexpected and a great find that has been hanging around at the back of a wine fridge for 10 years. Wish I had more! Drink or keep.

7/11/2020 - Nohedes wrote:

This is in a really good place - still has fruit, great tannin that makes you want another sip. I’m sure it’ll be good for many years, but I’ve got a feeling that it’s à point right now. Drink or keep

5/9/2020 - Nohedes wrote:

Had this with some BBQ. CT suggested this might be 3 years too late but it still showed some youth. Clean open, clear with only a little sediment. Tiny amount of bricking at the rim. Quite muted at first (probably too cold) but it came together after a couple of hours. Even my (almost teetotal) wife liked it. 92 points.

12/30/2019 - Nohedes wrote:

Popped this too young really, a little too much heat on the palate although the nose was very good. Nice structure and I think this will be much better in 3-5+ (which I should have known before opening). Nice wine.

12/30/2019 - Nohedes wrote:

Still holding up - colour still quite youthful red, with only a little browning at the rim. Decanted for 30 mins, very light sediment. Nose open straight-away, classic left-bank, cedar, some plum. Some tannin and structure left, enough to make this much more than just an old bottle for interest. Very silky, voluptuous wine with good balance and a great match with côte du boeuf. Drink or hold.

4/21/2018 - Nohedes wrote:

Still fairly fresh, nice bite and a good food rosé but drink up.

2/19/2018 - Nohedes wrote:

Cork showed a small but worrying seepage, but pulled cleanly and smelt fine. On decanting the wine was dark but only showed a light sediment. A quick nose showed promise. 2h later, the nose had evolved further - dense bramble fruit but also with the unmistakable hallmark of good claret. In the mouth the fruit is still there and marries well with the smooth tannins and a little sour twist on the long finish (Mourvèdre?). Really delicious wine, stored for a few years by me and worth the wait. I have one other in reserve which I’ll leave a few more years. At current prices this is getting expensive so very happy to have bought at a fantastic price some years back. Santé!

2/5/2018 - Nohedes wrote:

Excellent QPR - not complex or exciting, but a good varietal and well made for a very reasonable price.

1/19/2018 - Nohedes wrote:

Decanted 1.5h ahead of serving. Quite a bit of chunky sediment suspended in the wine. Clear once decanted though and a nice bright colour. No bricking. Restrained nose, not giving much up, but no negatives either. Nice, finely grained tannins, red fruit, a little cherry, soft mouth feel, quite moreish. Medium finish. I was pleasantly surprised by this wine which was enjoyed over 2 hours with some good food.

1/13/2018 - Nohedes wrote:

Bought in 2005 - thought I might have waited too long but there’s still plenty of interest left. Only the lightest of sediment remained after decanting. Clear, mid weight colour, still quite youthful. Nose is classic left bank at c20 years. Palate still has a little fruit but also the earthy and woody flavours one might expect. Very enjoyable and plenty of stuffing to see it do quite well on day two as well.

1/6/2018 - Nohedes wrote:

Pale, nose has light petrol and lycee. Dry, lime, not oily, plenty of acidity and good balance. Medium to long finish. A really nice trocken for the price (about £20 retail).

12/30/2017 - Nohedes wrote:

This has held up well for a CB - still has a little fruit accompanied by classic Bdx tertiary nose and palate with graphite and some camphor. Needs food (we had filet steak) but a great value mature Bdx at £14. Drink or keep 1-5 years.

6/4/2017 - Nohedes wrote:

Cracking bottle - improvement on days two and three indicate it will only get better

5/4/2017 - Nohedes wrote:

Had this to celebrate our home move - been in the cellar since 2009 and was purchased for a bargain £50. A little dark, tiny bubbles, nutty aroma, biscuity palate with golden raisin and hazelnut on the palate. Delicious and worth the wait.

3/22/2017 - Nohedes wrote:

Light ruby, typically varietal nose - sour cherry and a bit of spice. Encouraging but not backed up by a very interesting or impressive palate. Not an unpleasant wine by any means, and I accept I broached this bottle perhaps too soon, but to me this is seriously average PN fighting it out at a price point (£40) way above where it should be. OK wine, terrible QPR.

3/18/2017 - Nohedes wrote:

Not trilled with this - went at it too early and it fell a bit flat. None of the usual finesse or finely grained tannins I would expect from Guigal. Better on day two, but I feel there are better 2010 CNDPs - time will tell of course, and by no means a bad wine.

2/24/2017 - Nohedes wrote:

Checking in with a wine I last tried in 2010, this time a 750 rather than 375. Signs were not good when the cork disintegrated on contact with my trusty waiter's friend. I was not hopeful, but after a quick decant the wine smelled great, of a little musty. None of the acetone I noted last time, but more of a light red/brown colour now. Nose had fruit and that mature cab aroma redolent of good Bdx. Left it in the decanter for 90 mins and then went to taste - really very good. Dark, concentrated and surprisingly rich. The acidity is still there though, tidying up behind the mid-palate and leaving you ready for another sip. Long finish and great balance. A terrific food wine and delicious now with or without - more to come though so I'll check in again in a couple of years.

1/29/2017 - Nohedes wrote:

Loved this! I'm not normally a big fan of US Chardonnay, but this had great balance with lots of fruit with a moreish, clean and very tasty palate and nicely integrated oak. A really great example of a NW Chardonnay that I will be seeking out again.

12/31/2016 - Nohedes wrote:

Decanted 1hr ahead of serving - should have bee much longer. Still quite tight but already drinking very well. Lots of dark fruit on the nose and a powerful semi-developed palate, silky tannins and a medium-long finish. I'll hold my other two bottles for a good while yet but if you're tempted to try it now, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

12/7/2016 - Nohedes wrote:

Outstanding, mature, sweet(ish), great acidity. Sweet apple, straw, clean and long. Outstanding!

12/5/2016 - Nohedes wrote:

Nicely mature now, but still ok to hold. Clean, ripe and classy CC, great value and suited a lasagne very well.

8/5/2016 - Nohedes wrote:

Hold

7/17/2016 - Nohedes wrote:

Had this in the cellar for about 5-6 years. A little musty when the cork first came out, but quickly settled down - super tiny bubbles, medium colour, toasty nose, nutty, very rich, almost vintage like. Great bottle and worth the wait.

6/27/2016 - Nohedes wrote:

One of my favorite Chianti Classicos. Purchased in 2009, the wine has developed and is now in a good spot - a great balance of freshness and maturity. Better on day two and great value for money. Drink or keep (2-3 years+).

6/25/2016 - Nohedes wrote:

Took some time to open up but worth the wait. Still plenty of fruit, not dried out but showing some maturity. I still think this will be doing well for a few years yet.

3/5/2016 - Nohedes wrote:

Outstanding PN - mid-colour, nose took time to open up. After c1hr the wine started to get going, classic PN flavours, moreish, mid-tannin, good structure and texture. Great example of the variety and more evidence that there are great red wines going out of Austria (yes I know we already knew this, but there are too few coming to the UK).

12/24/2015 - Nohedes wrote:

Low shoulder and a very soft cork made me nervous, but this venerable bottle of port wine did not disappoint. Surprisingly light in colour, decanted 4 hours before accompanying a broad church of British and French cheeses. Classic mature Porto nose. Smooth entry, a little heat but just pulls together on the palate to be a highly drinkable, complex and fully mature drink. Fruit in the middle (dry and red) with a nifty and long finish that lasts a good while. Excellent stuff and good QPR, considering the age and provenance.

12/24/2015 - Nohedes wrote:

Very pleased with this bottle. A very dirty and brittle cork that disintegrated when challenged by my corkscrew did not bode well. Decanted through paper 2 hours before serving with a rib of beef. Clear wine with just a light sediment - age not particularly evident in this bottle. Purplish lighter at the rim. Nose showed quite a bit of eucalyptus with some dark fruit. Clean tasting, more of the eucalyptus, smooth, tasty, moreish - classic left-bank claret with a decent bit of bottle age wish we'd had a second bottle as it drank superbly and a great reminder of how good Bdx can be.

12/24/2015 - Nohedes wrote:

Dark golden hue, muted nose at first (too cold?) oily texture on the glass. Warmed up to reveal classic dry Riesling profile - quite austere, dry but rich and powerful. Complex fruit flavours, spiky, trés serieux! More to come but great right now.

7/23/2015 - Nohedes wrote:

Decent value PdP, great with shellfish - not complex but a good summer food wine for the price.

5/9/2015 - Nohedes wrote:

VG - benefitted from 3-4 years in the bottle. Less acidic and better for it.

4/25/2015 - Nohedes wrote:

Bought this a decade ago at the Maison du Vin in Sauternes. Has developed well and was raved about by my co-diners. Lacked a bit of acidity for me, but the nose smelt of very good honey, a little bit of marmalade. Palate was soft, sweet, and deep with more honey and a touch of clove. Nice deep gold colour and a long finish.

4/25/2015 - Nohedes wrote:

From magnum, purchased in 2010. Great NV Champagne that has improved with five years in the bottle. More complex, nutty, less acidic almost like a vintage wine. Aperitif stretched into starters and it coped well with langoustines and Marie Rose sauce.

4/25/2015 - Nohedes wrote:

Served from magnum, decanted for two hours and paired with a fore rib of beef. This really seems to have moved on in the last 5 years. Much more mature, still dark and takes time to open up. Nose is hedgerow berries (blackberry, damson, sloe) and the palate shows some development, with fruit at first giving way to leather, spice and earthiness. Really nice wine, next magnum in another five years should hopefully be better still.

4/16/2015 - Nohedes wrote:

Well I thought this was pretty good - clean, forward oak (but not too much). Smooth vanillin finish.

3/15/2015 - Nohedes wrote:

Nice structure, but far too young (yes I should have known). I'll keep at least 5 years more before trying again.

12/31/2014 - Nohedes wrote:

Drank this way too soon. Clearly a nice wine will emerge, and it's very drinkable now, but will be much better in 3-5 years.

11/23/2014 - Nohedes Likes this wine:

Very nice bottle of RdD - ready to drink but will develop further too. Dense and dark but not too heavy on the palate, good combination of fruit with some signs of development too.

11/21/2014 - Nohedes Does not like this wine:

Pretty poor NZ SB in my opinion - thin and lacking even the primary style that you would expect, nevermind anything more interesting. Disappointing and much better value available elsewhere.

10/26/2014 - Nohedes wrote:

Excellent - this wine is very much ready and very enjoyable. Quite deep in colour, fruity nose, vanilla and tropical fruit in the mouth. Not over-worked and not too oaky either.