1/1/2016 - WetRock wrote:

Sweet tart expression. Snappy finish but kinda weak in the midpalate. This isn't really developing as much as laying back. I'd argue this was made more in a style to be drank young versus a wine for the ages now with some experience gained. It's fine but probably on a downward slope and not really exactly what you probably expect for a spat.

4/16/2022 - Bordeaux_Jon Does not like this wine:

From a half bottle. A tannic austere beast that may have been mildly corked. Either way, we need to knock down this wine’s CT score. Moderately better than the over the hill 2005 Troplong is was tasted with. A far cry from the 2009 Figeac and Beausejour Duffau I’m drinking now. I’m done with Troplong. Clearly a St Emilion pretender, all rupees and oak.

4/16/2022 - Bordeaux_Jon Does not like this wine:

From a half bottle. This was NOT good. Tasted single blind along with the 2009. This tasted over the hill, like an 1985 might taste but more fruit. I believe this was a Parkerized beast in its youth and this may be where your full bottles will head. It’s could be flawed but clear issue aside from tired, muted, and way too tannic. Reminded me of an over the hill Brunello which suffered from over extraction and over oaking. I see other reviews are mixed, so this wine may not be aging consistently in bottle.

4/8/2022 - sfwinelover1 wrote:

Brought by A_M to our tasting on the deck in sunny NV. On the nose and palate, relatively subdued notes of green apple skins, lemon-lime zest, white and yellow flowers, steel and river rocks. Light gold-silver, light to medium bodied, medium legs. Lightish acidity, no heat. VG intensity, moderate complexity and persistence. A_M suggested this, and it seemed a nice contrast to our giant C. Coast syrahs, especially on a warm-ish afternoon. As readers of my TNs know, my SB tastes skew toward the taut, lithe, piercing acidity sort, epitomized by the Spottswoode, and to a somewhat lesser extent, Graywhacke Wild, Merry Edwards and Cloudy Bay. While I have an appreciation for Sancerres, as Maximum Satisfaction notes in his TN, this is coming from a texturally creamier, richer place, although interestingly, it’s paired with the fruit being fairly tight. As a refreshing alternative, it provided a good counterpoint, and while we were more munching than eating, seemed it would work well with food (think more cooked white fish and shellfish, less raw oysters and sushi). I’m interested in other TNs indicating that they think that this has the ability to age positively, as I prefer my SBs typically on the young side, say 3-6 years, and it’s not obvious to me that this will go up much, although there’s enough acidity that if the fruit comes out a bit more, it might. Ex the Rhône’s, I sometimes wonder if, with French wine, I’m like what Louis Armstrong said about jazz, that if it has to be explained, you’ll never understand it, or as my uncle once said to my sister, subtlety is lost on me, as, despite my enjoyment of this, it falls well below the above SBs, according to WS, at about a third higher price. Still, you could do far worse, from your deck (ok, you’re drinking this and not a Batard, so it’s probably a VRBO) overlooking Cap De Antibes, staring out at the impossibly azure waters of the Mediterranean and contemplating the meaning of life. Ridiculously stupid wax seal takes this down half a point. 90-91+

4/13/2022 - SARED wrote:

Tight and unyielding on pnp and an hour in the glass. While the pedigree here seems strong, seems less exciting than the 2016 (although admittedly this is speculation given how tight this is).

11/19/2021 - Philip67 Does not like this wine:

Strange and disjointed palate, there is something wrong with this wine. Notes of mud and char with a bitter finish. I poured it away.

11/19/2021 - Guillaume-en-égypte Likes this wine:

Drank at Bistro Volnay in Paris. They are one of those wonderful French restaurants that must have a longstanding allocation from certain domaines, as the price was well below market / wine merchants tariffs.
I had never tried a Jamet Cote Rotie, and they had the 2014 on the online wine list - which is supposedly ready to drink - and it seemed too good an opportunity to satisfy my curiosity. Unfortunately the 2014 had sold out, but after going off to hunt in the cellar the manager came back with the 2015 and an apology. Sure this isn't ready by a long shot & the circumstances didn't allow for a lengthy decant. However, the wine did gradually begin to open up over the course of a couple of hours & was pretty damn good with a beautifully rare 'Beef Salers medallion'.
The nose took some teasing out, and it had a hard edge as it hit the pallet. However, there was a wonderful purity of dark Syrah fruit, impeccable balance and real elegance along with the obvious power. Far too young, but still a treat! The drink dates given here seem about right - I'd love to try this again around 2030.

12/11/2020 - vulgar little monkey wrote:

A really beautiful bottle firmly settled into its middle age of richness yet still perfectly balanced and shaped. Opened to pair with seared foie gras and apples and the match was perfect. Among the best wine and food matches of the year. This wine has had quite the incredible life. I drank a ton of it early as it was showing this wild balance between acid and sugar and was bright, crunchy and floral. To have it now as it matures and tilts more towards honeyed notes while still showing some glimpses of its former self is why we cellar these things after all. I think the Pinon wines are vastly underrated.

1/16/2021 - vinus_operandi wrote:

once again, there is no free lunch. kerin o'keefe rated this a 96 and frankly it's just nonsense (as are a number of her "family favorites"). it's a 90 at best and franky the most disappointing 2016 that i have tasted thus far. given that it's from one of the greatest vineyards in the world, one has to ask why? it's simple. it's the winemaker! year in and year out this wine is a big underperformer with grapes coming from some of the best parts of the Cannubi vineyard. as for the wine.....the nose is muted with rose, cherry, and sous bois (not bret). on the palate, there is none of the textural richness that Cannubi is known for. There's mostly sour cherry and red berries comingled with bracing acidity and medium grained tannins. at this stage, the wine comes across as a bit monolithic. i don't think the wine has closed down at all. the structure is here for this wine to age and improve over time, but I will be surprised if 15 years down the road this wine wows! drinking young barolo is never a pleasant experience but that's factored into this review.

10/2/2015 - tom_wine wrote:

Vapid, tired, lifeless. Waited too long to drink it.

12/5/2020 - mpsocal Does not like this wine:

Pretty average stuff. Nothing I tasted would lead me to buy this wine again. There is much better New Zealand SB at this price point and below.

12/23/2020 - skifree wrote:

Lots of black fruit, cedar, and tobacco. Tannins still lurking at the finish, but overall the wine comes across as elegant and refined. Enjoyed immensely.

12/24/2020 - SLOFred Likes this wine:

This is why I rarely buy domestic chardonnay. At $20, you would be hard pressed to find a domestic competitor for less than $50 that comes close. This wine had wonderful citrus/lemon. Classic flavors and it is the entry level Fevre.

12/19/2020 - msauer Does not like this wine:

Kork !!

12/20/2020 - Marc wrote:

Pre-Christmas final meal (Wedge House, Queensberry, Central Otago, New Zealand): Absolutely profound showing for this wine. At 28, this feels like the most refined and supple Pomerol (realising this is Cabernet dominant). Plums, leather, marmite, cedar - a total glass act. In the mouth, this is all finesse, very French in style (although with a gorgeous richness and perfect ripenessof fruit. Velvet texture, satin finish. Essentially a perfect expression of the 1992 vintage, albeit in its own unique style.

12/19/2020 - AlanM68 Likes this wine:

Very possibly in peak shape right now. This has everything - beautiful nose that hints at more, rounded, mouth filling taste and ridiculous length. It’s been some time since I’ve tried this wine, and I only have a couple of the original case left. Totally worth trying now and over the next year if you have some. But I don’t think it’s going to get any better than this - that said, the next two will be kept for when it’s at least 20 years old.

12/10/2020 - dchain wrote:

Dark and brooding. See my earlier rant about the 2000 vintage (GPL 2000 tasting note from the same night). So little pleasure to be had. Some ripe cassis fruit but all locked up in a straight jacket of not fully ripe phenolic tannins. This has not been pleasurable since tasting it en primeur and it is still hard to get much pleasure. I will sell my 2 cases bought en primeur bought at $45/bt as I cannot be bothered to wait to see how it finally turns out. Unlikely to set your world on fire however long you wait, it is simply the style of Montrose back when it was made. Again, other than the fluke, flawed, Bret laden 89 and 90 who has had a pleasurable, fruit driven, perfumed Montrose? Wines are for enjoyment right, rather than to be worn as a sackcloth like some endurance badge of honour...

9/14/2019 - rjpbath Likes this wine:

Just goes to show: bottle variation rules... This bottle was far better than previous ones - not great but good. I will look forward to seeing how the rest of the case behaves...

12/13/2020 - viniferatu Likes this wine:

Yum! Juicy and fresh Barolo. Aromas of strawberry, red cherry, red plum, ripe peach, brown spice, licorice, dried mushrooms, desiccated autumn meadow and roses. Juicy and firm at once, with notions of dark fruit on the palate, as well as the fruits discerned on the nose. Also more savory on the palate than on the nose, with a little tar and pan drippings on the finish. This is quite open now, but the best will come in 5 to 10 years. It will no doubt be doing fine in 15, but perhaps will have peaked before then. Wouldn't be surprised if it is singing hits at 20+. One would not argue that it is the best of Barolo, but given its stature and price, it is a veritable monument for the region.

11/29/2020 - devraj Likes this wine:

Dark brick ruby. Muted aromas of red berries, licorice, brown sauce, dark florals and camphor/menthol. A medium bodied alate mostly shows savory elements of mushroom/grilled meat, crushed red fruits, medium acidity, no tannins and a drying licorice and tobacco tinged finish.

11/28/2020 - fitzi wrote:

With New York strip steak at solo Thanksgiving.

On opening, this wine is almost sauvage with edgy acidity, combined with hefty body. After an ample decant - 6-8 hours - less savage, but persists as remarkably acidic for a Bordeaux, in my experience. Fair pairing with fat-rich beef. After two nights open in the bottle, the acidity has settled down to much more normal proportions, and there is a tantalizing tease of tertiary fruit aromas. But, now, the fair-haired damsel of gustatory pleasure gazes down from a window high aloft in a dark tower of stern tannins, her beauty only to be guessed at.

Very interesting. Will the fruit outlast the massive endowment of acidity and tannins? I bet it will. I think this wine will age effortlessly for another decade and may, at that time, be something quite special. But that's just an opinion.

11/21/2020 - Canoehead wrote:

Decanted >90 minutes. Still tightly wound and not offering up a compelling depth or complexity dimension yet. All savoury, dried cherries but not in a tertiary way. I'd still take this over most of the premium 100% Sangiovese and 80% of the Brunellos out there. However, I'd still go hunting for Flacianello over this at this price point level. I'll try the 2017 when it gets released in our market.

11/22/2020 - drmarclevine wrote:

What a disappointment. Pruney syrup that was more or less undrinkable. Got worse after an hour in the decanter. We sacrificed it to the drain god. Other reviewers have noted similar problems with this wine. I have four more and hoping for better luck on our next go.

10/9/2020 - ColluraJ Does not like this wine:

Medium hazy purple. Aromatic, youthful with cigar box, bubblegum and rubber eraser. Dry with a light body. Crisp acidity. Medium round tannins. Poor flavor with tennis ball, black cherry and asparagus. Short finish (long on the tennisball). Avoid.

4/29/2020 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:

It's exactly as NYC_Maenad says it is. Shame on me. I had little access to my Italian cellar since this was released, and didn't get to drink it in its proper window. Opened one tonight, and it's exactly as she says. Absolutely drink up. Lighter body, red fruited, absent enough fresh acidity to render it compelling. I will be rushing through the next 5 bottles. 14,5% abv., drink yesterday. Loved it on release; thankfully paid just 10 Euro at the cantina, fwiw. Still. That said, I still hold out some hope that my remaining 5 bottles may show better, fresher.

https://www.ItalianWine.blog

12/4/2018 - cardsandwine Likes this wine:

Stunning bottle of wine. Viscous nose and palate with intoxicating bouquet and beautifully balanced palate.

12/2/2018 - tciguy wrote:

Agree with other recent comments. This wine is at the end of life stage. Had the 2004 Beaucastel a few months ago and it was delicious. This wine unfortunately is lacking life. 18+ years for this vintage is too long.

11/24/2018 - MC2 Wines wrote:

Here we go atruffling... (aka Piedmont... and Veneto); 11/16/2018-11/30/2018 (Alba, Guarene, Modena, Barolo, La Morra, Lake Garda .....): As this had been our first visit of the trip and because of the way 2014 worked out we hadn't actually tried the official barolos it seemed like a good idea to order this off of the Barolofriends wine list. I'm surprised at how high the community score is. To me this was ok, but nothing really stood out. It's got lots of dark fruits and some decent tannins and maybe a hint of the wood. Has not really integrated and comes across as a bit basic. Maybe with some more time?

11/1/2016 - Double-A Does not like this wine:

Getting better...but that's not saying a lot. Instead of smelling of sweat, onion, and plastics (mercaptan defect?), the 2015 is more like white grapes and grapefruit with an un-clean note that can be best described as that of an empty tuna can.

Three vintages ago, this was the wine that clued me into what can go wrong with NZ winemaking. Formerly one of the best examples and expressions of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, It became a study for me in what can go wrong with a wine.

My estimations are something to do with reductive, anaerobic winemaking techniques possible coupled with stabilizing sulphur and further reduction due to bottling under a screwcap.

Dogpoint is not alone regarding these characteristics, It has become more apparent over the past couple years in many of what were previously quality, clean wines. I wonder even if the defects are not present at the time of bottling, but develop over the next year before opening?

I can see that people are buying and positively reviewing this wine. My assessments are made in a professional tasting room, so I understand that I will be more critical than the average consumer and I am more likely to pick apart a wine and dissect it rather than just enjoy it.

I would appreciate comment and feedback from someone more in-the-know regarding what's going on in NZ winemaking and/or in chemical defects.

10/27/2010 - Eric Guido Likes this wine:

The nose showed animal musk with sweet & sour black raspberry jam, dusty stone and hints of spice candy. The palate was intense with a silky yet vibrant core of fruit. It showed rich cherry, which turned cranberry with lively, zesty acidity and a fun red fruit and cocoa, mouth puckering, long finish. The bottle dazzled me with its amazing mouth feel and balance with 14.5% of nearly invisible alcohol. I feel Antonio scored this wine perfectly. Putting 95 points out there on a $35 bottle is risky to one's reputation but I believe it deserves each and every one of those points.

3/15/2018 - Billigan Likes this wine:

Absolutely en fuego bottle here. Beautiful nose that's open and showing plenty of honey, wax, lanolin, flint, and fresh pear. Lovely sweetness and pure chenin fruit (like freshly sliced white peach) on the palate but finishes beautifully with a long, energizing acidity and mineral sparkle. Top class Vouvray that's delicious now but could go a couple decades longer on its foundation of fruit and acidity.

9/24/2018 - thenapalist wrote:

This is the second bottle I've had recently and am convinced that this is not a damaged bottle but more indicative of the wine in this particular vintage. Aromas of raisins and prunes and flavors that match but also shows stewed fruit and a touch of VA. While some 03s have held up well, this one is breaking down in dramatic fashion. Where once it showed to be a giant and impressive wine.....it's now showing it's true colors. Drink up now and hope for a less advanced showing.