5/28/2024 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine:

Opens with the steely, balsamic, herbal, saturated sour cherry nose you only find in Important Sangiovese. Drunk over three days, this showed significant evolution in the glass, even if it maintains its essential character throughout. With air a creaky dusty wood note emerges and waves of floral violet. The balsamic cherry is really where it's at though, both on the nose and the palate - it's very compelling. Concentrated dark cherry, luxurious but tangy with a tomato stalk freshness on the palate, carrying a good weight of fine, smooth tannin. Lots of sharp juicy acidity and a long finish. A very very good wine - now bottled as a Gran Selezione, which seems fair enough. Pleased to have another bottle which I'll endeavour to forget about for 8-10 years.

5/25/2024 - Joshvoulters Does not like this wine:

Umm guys.. is it just me or is the emperor a little underdressed? Maybe better thought of as ‘fermented grape drink’ rather than wine per se, but at £30 it can’t avoid scrutiny. Red cherry, wet wool and yeast on the nose. A spritzy palate, simple sweet cherryade and a bloody note with a spicy, deeply bitter negroni finish. It doesn’t hang together but more importantly it’s just pretty nasty to drink. Even my East London friends hated it

5/18/2024 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine:

Drunk over three days. I found it tough to get a handle on this- intensely, almost overwhelmingly peppery on the nose and palate. Glossy, pure and intense black and blue fruit, waves of violet and some savoury tapenade. All very polished and focused at this point, with a hint of expensive oak peeking out with air. Medium-bodied on the palate, dense but not heavy- it's all dark fruit and pepper wrapped around smooth, polished tannins. Absurdly early to be drinking this so it's no surprise that it's a little one-note and with time I'd hope it relaxes and expresses more complex savoury elements. And that the pepperiness chills the F out. Not fair to score it at this point

5/22/2024 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine:

Serious Rosé (Crouch End Cellars): Broad, relaxed, expansive- I got flashes of wooden school gym apparatus, orange peel, milky coffee. Very open and I'm not sure there are hidden depths waiting to emerge - instead it's confident and louche on the palate, notes of sherry, orange and lemon sherbet. Quite a singular wine and, for me, totally deserving of its reputation.

5/22/2024 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine:

Serious Rosé (Crouch End Cellars): Really interesting to try back to back with a Tondonia GR '11 Rosado. By comparison, this is a bit more modern and focused, and felt significantly younger than the year's difference in vintage would suggest. It's oxidative and nutty but with lots of energy - a bit tight in fact. Vanilla, clove, cinnamon and sweet amalfi lemons round out the flavour profile- I'd probably give it 5 years before it starts getting really interesting. Blend of Grenache and Viura.

5/22/2024 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine:

Serious Rosé (Crouch End Cellars): A really solid effort and ticks a number of nerd boxes. It has notes of strawberries and cream with a woody, herbaceous character, while remaining dry and gastronomic on the palate.

5/22/2024 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine:

Serious Rosé (Crouch End Cellars): This has really blossomed since I last had a bottle, and I feel vindicated having bored everybody half to death about the cuvee. It's gained some herbal and caramelised complexity, a butteriness and a touch of oxidative nuttiness. That glossy mandarin fruit is present and correct, a savoury chew and skinsy textural grip while remaining flowing and clear. Mega stuff.

5/22/2024 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine:

Serious Rosé (Crouch End Cellars): On one hand this is a really good summer rosé- raspberry, strawberry and peach with good substance and depth. I'd happily drink this. Really bright and refreshing acidity. On the other hand, I'd never be able to tell where it's from or what grapes go into it - and given I thought the '21 had real recognisable Nebbiolo character, that's a missed opportunity. Nice wine though.

5/22/2024 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine:

Serious Rosé (Crouch End Cellars): Nutty oxidative notes, some toffee, woody vetiver, roast garlic and parsley. Lots of savoury depth on the palate with a sweet and sour character, good acidity and presence on the finish

5/22/2024 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine:

Serious Rosé (Crouch End Cellars): Enjoyed this thanks to some particularly detailed info from a tasting companion - a field blend of 10 varieties, grown on the NW of Etna so falling outside the DOC. All varieties harvested and vinified simultaneously, grown at 1300m elevation - one of the highest in Europe. Biodynamic, indigenous yeast. A very dark red - looks like a saignee wine. Notes of raspberry and nectarine with a charming sense of rusticity and a sweet talcum powder note and some ashiness. Concentrated but not particularly broad or substantial on the palate, a touch chewy and dry - feels like it's a real gastronomic food wine.

5/22/2024 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine:

Serious Rosé (Crouch End Cellars): Bright, mineral, wild strawberry nose and sweet strawberry pavlova on the palate. Lots of body, a sense of fatness with an almost oily texture, with a prickle of heat on the finish. Quite a big wine with that body and residual sugar (and alcohol), not fitting the 'light and refreshing' or 'toothsome and savoury' rosé archetypes.

5/22/2024 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine:

Serious Rosé (Crouch End Cellars): Cloudy, rusty red. The nose just pops- crunchy red Pinot fruit, so purely Burgundian, mixing it with a balmy peach note. Super depth and angularity, it shifts in the glass and reveals a meaty farmyard depth alongside that pretty fruit. A properly serious, complex wine which has its own style.

5/22/2024 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine:

Serious Rosé (Crouch End Cellars): A tasty quaffer, probably a step up from your standard Provencal rosé and true to its style. Yellow peach, strawberry, some white pepper and vanilla. There's a touch of bitterness on the finish which I found brought a sense of welcome seriousness but really it's a drinker not a thinker.

5/22/2024 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine:

Serious Rosé (Crouch End Cellars): Really impressive depth and concentration, rounded and spicy on the nose with ripe peach, raspberry and yellow plum. Developing a smoky maturity. White peach, strawberry and raspberry palate - delicious and fruity, possibly a little rough on the finish. Quality, versatile stuff.

5/12/2024 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine:

The nose opens with an unusual but highly appealing cocktail of lime zest, underripe nectarine, gooseberry, sprightly vanilla. The fruit is complemented by a sense of briny stony minerality and a hint of smoke. With time a note of orange blossom and a fresh green woody character emerge. Yum. Generously textured on the palate with ripe stone fruit, tightening up with a grown-up bitter firmness and beautifully integrated, powerful acidity. Each sip reminded me I’m a moron for only buying a single bottle. Old vine Grenaches Gris and Blanc and Rousanne, fermented and aged for 2 years in barrel, regular battonage. Silly value at ~£25

5/11/2024 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine:

Immediately interesting, pouring a cloudy dark ruby with an orange tint. A pristine modernist BdM this is not. Lively, vibrant fruit with a natty wild yeast character that really works- voluptuous macerated dark cherry, tomato puree, peach, roasted herbs and complex high toned spiced notes. Tangy cherry, pomegranate, wet stone and coffee on the palate, super-fine tannins giving a luxurious texture. As with many ‘natural’ wines, the winemaking character threatens to overshadow the fundamentals of grape and terroir but here it contributes to the whole in a positive way.

5/5/2024 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine:

A gorgeous nose- both true to the varietal and very Piedmontese. Rosehip, orange, cranberry fruit with an earthy tone, a wisp of smoke and exotic spice, mint; it’s succulent and delicately balanced, aromatic and savoury. Dry on the palate with light and fine tannins, raspberry and unripe orange, bright acidity and a decent finish. Really mature, restrained winemaking and it’s in a great place now

5/1/2024 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine:

Just stunning- in the same way that a really good cook will season food to the absolute limit before it becomes overwhelming, so this ramps up every element of a Chianti Classico while clearly retaining its essential character, freshness and toothsome tang. Essence of mulchy sweet petals - pungently floral - along with kirsch, brighter fresh cherry, a little wet tobacco, savoury and exotic spice. Incense maybe? Lots of purity and depth. Concentrated cherry fruit on the palate, ripe, tangy and savoury. Medium-bodied with a good slug of grippy tannins and bright acidity. Everything is uncommonly cohesive even at this very early stage and, while it's exceptionally good right now, I can't see any reason that this won't develop beautifully for some time. Toppy pricing for a CC but a total bargain for a wine of this quality and (I assume) development potential. Now if only I could find somebody willing to sell me a case in bond...

5/1/2024 - Joshvoulters wrote:

Big in every direction - flavour profile, body, texture, alcohol. A real punch to the rich lime and peach nose, heavily spiced: if I didn't know better I'd have sworn there's some oak here. Extracted with some phenolic bitterness on the palate - chewy and fat with the combination of powerful acidity and too much alcoholic heat beating you up on the finish and wondering whether you really want another sip. When its wildness and power is just about kept in check Santorini is profound, but here it's just a bit much for me. Paired with fatty Sheftalies, so we gave it a fair crack!

4/27/2024 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine:

So so good for its level- a sense of ripeness and clarity, pretty floral tones and saturated dark berries, some coffee and pepper. A Northern-leaning Côtes du Rhône but with nice pulpy Grenache character offering easy appeal. Nicely concentrated fruit on the palate, cherry and raspberry with a hint of bitterness and gently claggy tannins building on the finish. Total secret weapon wine- delicious, great with a range of foods (spot on with Turkish and steak) and cheap as chips

4/27/2024 - Joshvoulters wrote:

Inward and reticent. Sharp lemon, lactic beurre noisette and smoke. Not much presence on the palate, fruit very shy but for a sharp, pithy end note and scything acidity.

4/24/2024 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine:

Howard Ripley portfolio tasting: Restrained but screams 'quality' - a coolness and depth that would proudly situate it at the top end of the PC/ GC Burgundies a couple of tables down. Density, freshness - notes of decaying rose and dark roast coffee. Overall there's a sweet aromatic delicacy here, smooth and silky with well-judged acidity and tannin framing the fruit. Only demerit is a finish which is a touch insubstantial and abrupt.

4/24/2024 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine:

Howard Ripley portfolio tasting: Really liked this producer, which offers great value in the context of quality Pinot Noir. Very Burgundian nose - cool, angular and fresh. A great sense of restraint here - the oak is subtly framing tart red fruit. A sense of saturation on the palate, smooth but cool and well-defined. Not that I know anything about Burgundy but I'd have confidently called this Premier Cru quality

4/24/2024 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine:

Howard Ripley portfolio tasting: A really compelling nose - smoke, lime marmalade, hazelnut, candied orange, toffee and coffee. Tastes at first like those orange creme Quality Street that get left at the end but otherwise it's very sharp and tight on the palate, with searing acidity leaving it quite a challenging wine to drink.

4/24/2024 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine:

Howard Ripley portfolio tasting: Fresh and angular underneath the initial reduction- reminds me of a precise, mineral Chablis with greater mid-palate density. Sharp malic green apple, a beautiful oak signature and perfume which perfectly complements the fruit profile. Apple and lemon palate, bright acidity woven into the chalky structure. Very moreish and excellent at less than £25

4/24/2024 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine:

Howard Ripley portfolio tasting: Talcum powder, sweet vanilla, lemon, ripe Golden Delicious apples. Concentrated apple and lemon fruit on the palate - direct and delicious if not all that refined. Medium body and really powerful acidity keep this refreshing. A really good example of its style - completely distinct from Burgundy

4/24/2024 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine:

Howard Ripley portfolio tasting: Potentially more interesting than the Alta Glacia but also less drinkable - toothsome and full, it's chalky and heavy on the palate. Almost claggy. Some spritz and a prominent sweet spice note that wasn't altogether welcome.

4/24/2024 - Joshvoulters Does not like this wine:

Howard Ripley portfolio tasting: The producer seems cool and I like the story but I didn't get on with the wines. Really reminiscent of recent hot-vintage Chablis which loses its sense of character, balance and place. Direct and ripe, the reductive elements don't really come off here - I just found it rather clumsy and foursquare.

4/24/2024 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine:

Howard Ripley portfolio tasting: The oak is still a bit fresh and competes for space with spiced raspberry and violet. Very appealing and direct. Boisterous on the palate - assertive primary red fruit, lots of acidity and big, blocky tannins that coat the mouth. Needs to chill out.

4/24/2024 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine:

Howard Ripley portfolio tasting: This is really good. Earthy, sweet strawberry, violet, menthol, eucalyptus - it's detailed and complex on the nose. Ripe, dry and tangy on the palate - a grown-up sourness that's very gourmand with lovely acidity. Dense without weight. Not Burgundian in character - really its own thing.

4/24/2024 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine:

Howard Ripley portfolio tasting: Very pretty: sweet strawberry, pot pourri. Deep, tangy and concentrated on the palate. Smooth tannins with lots of presence. Fresh, drinkable and substantial.

4/24/2024 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine:

Howard Ripley portfolio tasting: This has kicked up a gear since I last tried it and, while I'm still not a buyer at the asking price, I can see why somebody else might be. High-toned, explosively aromatic nose - sweet spice and dried flowers, strawberry fruit. Sweet and sour on the palate: extremely concentrated, dense but fresh. It's compact and youthful with enormous potential.

4/24/2024 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine:

Howard Ripley portfolio tasting: Offputtingly reductive on opening, but once the sulphurous notes dissipate it's extremely appealing, with strawberry fruit leading the charge. The palate is knockout: detailed and delicious, resolutely middleweight with delicate, concentrated red fruit and a refreshing character.

4/24/2024 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine:

Howard Ripley portfolio tasting: Exhibits what I'm gathering is a Castagnier signature of pure, deep, almost artificially dense fruit. Here it's complemented by darker coffee and animal tones. Spherical, rich on the palate, smooth with acidity lifting the finish. It's not a style that truly excites me but there's no question it's really good stuff

4/24/2024 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine:

Howard Ripley portfolio tasting: Ripe and spicy, resolved red and blue fruit on the nose with a satisfying oak signature. Excellent purity here. Velvety on the palate, some chew at the end. It's straightforwardly delicious even if it currently lacks a sense of real delicacy and complexity

4/24/2024 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine:

Howard Ripley portfolio tasting: Incredible assertiveness to the nose, both range and lift: sharply defined Pinot fruit, angular but wrapped in a blanket of luxurious depth. Accomplishes the high wire of serious density on the palate with a sense of levity: beautifully textured with brightening acidity woven throughout. I note early professional reviews of this found a stemmy, pinched character - all I can say is that it must have evolved enormously in bottle because this screams Grand Cru. Would happily pay the asking price for this.

4/24/2024 - Joshvoulters wrote:

Howard Ripley portfolio tasting: Nope did not like this at all. Opens with some promise: a leafy cabernet character, green pepper, sweet herbal tones, blackcurrant, strawberry vanilla. A sense of restraint and detail. The palate isn't good - insipid and tangy. There's no hint of it on the nose but it tastes of wet cardboard, not sure I've experienced this before. It has to be flawed, right?

4/24/2024 - Joshvoulters wrote:

Howard Ripley portfolio tasting: Dark-toned, spicy, earthy and compact. Blackberry, raspberry, cherry palate - shows good fruit but little else and it's slightly pinched, blocky. Comes across tight and simple.

4/24/2024 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine:

Howard Ripley portfolio tasting: Rose and violet, smoky strawberry on the nose, an appealing perfumed purity. Tannins are overwhelming and dominate proceedings, both in terms of structure and bitterness on the palate - I wonder if they'll recede and allow the fruit to express in time?

4/24/2024 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine:

Howard Ripley portfolio tasting: Red apple, ripe cherry, eucalyptus nose with floral overtones. Precise and correct. Approachable on the palate with lots of powdery tannin and a little bitter kick. Really quite pure and delicious - some of these '17s are showing really well. Not one for the long term but great value at around £30

4/24/2024 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine:

Howard Ripley portfolio tasting: Incredible nose of violet, mint, pure concentrated strawberry, earth and a sweet decaying note. Quite sweet and full on the palate, moderate juicy acidity. Tannins are spiky but approachable, shrouded by that plump body. Tasty but a bit of a blunt instrument, lacks finesse

4/21/2024 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine:

Strawberry, cherry and pomegranate, black tea and incense- that telltale tomato note is the only giveaway this isn't something posh from the Langhe. Lovely depth to the fruit on the palate, really quite dry and firm at this point. It's clearly very young but it's expressive and characterful even at this stage.

4/20/2024 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine:

Assertively fruity, sweet strawberry lozenge, orange zest with a peppery aromatic high note and a subtle darker earthy tone adding a touch of savoury complexity. It has a fun, juicy red fruit and orange juice character on the nose which is reflected on the palate. It’s followed by some serious tannic grip which is a little incongruous with the fun, bouncy flavour profile but does elevate it to something you’d consider drinking with food. Good value if you consider that it’s a drinkable Neb, Croatia, Vespolina blend from a good appellation for £15 if you shop around

4/17/2024 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine:

Soave & Brunello (Anima e Cuore): Magnificent purity of red fruit, swept up by coffee, rich plum, cinnamon. A touch off-dry, sweet and smooth initially on the palate before a wave of big chewy tannins join the party. It feels painfully young and I'd love this with another decade's age - but it spurred a good conversation around what exactly you do with a wine of such massive scale, 16.5% alcohol and noticeable residual sugar. Our best guess was cheese, but it's certainly not something which is going to work its way into regular rotation.

4/17/2024 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine:

Soave & Brunello (Anima e Cuore): I've had a few of these over the years and it's always hit the spot- gorgeous - very much resolved and ready, but it'll stay at this plateau for a while. Spiced cherry and raspberry, baked earth, rose and crunchy autumn leaves. A subtle hint of bretty animal goodness. It has a louche self-confidence - relaxed about the fact it's a stunner. Cherry on the palate, framed by food-friendly acid and smooth, fine but present tannins, a touch of chew on the finish.

4/17/2024 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine:

Soave & Brunello (Anima e Cuore): Sweet, high-toned, floral - a sense of delicacy that, upon decanting, made me second guess whether the bottle had a slight flaw. But it turns out the lack of chunky assertive ripeness is the intention, and it's all the better for it. Lavender and rose notes, a gentle oak spice lifts the nose. Medium bodied with a sweet, inviting fruit profile - some grip and the bones to develop for some time.

4/17/2024 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine:

Soave & Brunello (Anima e Cuore): Herbal and high toned with a pastille character: smooth fruit, aromatic, saturated red and purple. Quite compact still - it feels young - with a sweet, fruity, slightly simple palate. A dusting of fine, grippy tannins see out a long finish.

4/17/2024 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine:

Soave & Brunello (Anima e Cuore): Sweet fruit, herbal spice, dry tobacco, meaty and pulpy. This has an aromatic and flavour profile lots of people round the table really enjoyed, but it didn't quite resonate with me. Cherry and blackcurrant, sweet and slightly one-dimensional for me on the palate. Tannins are smooth and it's not fully tertiary yet but on its way - a couple of years and it may have come through its current identity crisis.

4/17/2024 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine:

Soave & Brunello (Anima e Cuore): I find Le Ragnaie's style a high-wire act that can be stunning in some vintages, disappointing in others. Unfortunately this falls into the latter category and I don't think the torrid vintage has done it any favours. Surprisingly tertiary and developed for a young wine- quite austere with notes of boot polish, baked earth/ terracotta, fruit a little lacking. I found a roughness, grip, rusticity to the palate - slightly unrefined, which is the opposite of what this estate tends to aim for.

4/17/2024 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine:

Soave & Brunello (Anima e Cuore): This wine closely matches how I think of the '15 Brunello vintage at this point in its evolution. Fruit-forward with fresh oak, figgy and ripe. Violet, cherry jam on the nose. On returning to the glass some eucalyptus and a herbal complexity starts to emerge. A touch of bitterness alongside ripe red fruit on the palate, lots of ripe tannin and decent length on the finish. This is a big, friendly vintage which wants to please- really appealing and on this showing will benefit from 5 years or so