April 19, 2023 - Jura study (Chicago, IL): Chamomile, canteloupe, dust(?), and plasticine(?). Really weird nose there. Hard to get past it to the palate, which was a hint of sweet and a bunch of other weird dusty old house flavours.
May 1, 2021 - Still intruiging. Red berries, "king of Denmark-candy", perhaps a dash of resin... great with a chocolate and raspberry dessert.
January 4, 2020 - initially mildly intriguing but ultimately unpleasant to my senses.
November 28, 2019 - This was an interesting experiment. This is our first vin de liqueur Macvin, and I kind of just grabbed it on a whim to go with our cheese and salami snack spread at home before heading out to Thanksgiving festivities. Well, it's a perfect pairing for that, and also went really well with a bite of the kids' peanut butter and jelly too, as a matter of fact. Also tried this in both cordial and pinot glasses, and it's a little woodier and more liqueur like in the cordial glass, but works fine in both though.
Apparently this is made from pinot noir grapes that are boiled and reduced, blended with brandy to 17% ABV, and then aged in oak barrels for some time (at least 12 mos.). No fermentation of the grapes. Faded garnet to tawny color with transparency, and I have a little sediment in the glass as well. Aromas of cherry, plum, raisin, oak—like an old cedar chest maybe, oxidative apple notes, alcohol, vanilla, and some floral. Really nice to smell actually. Medium body and finish, medium (+) acidity, off-dry, and flavors of cherry, strawberry, rhubarb, brandy/cordial vibes, orange peel, and black tea. Tasty and interesting treat to kick off T-day.
November 19, 2019 - Didn't enjoy the first time so gave to Dad
August 10, 2019 - Sue's Visit and Dinners; 8/9/2019-8/11/2019 (Princeton, NJ): Great wine. Notes of cherry, strawberry, rhubarb, fig, dates, almonds, hay and brioche. Best in our brandy snifters and more like a pinot noir in the pinot glasses.
Great qpr for $20 / bottle.
August 8, 2019 - Classic Macvin; straw and hay on the nose with figs, dates and something almost lemony. Almost. Palate is round and full but nicely dry and not flabby. Notes of dried cherries, prunes, more figs, toasted brioche and a hint of caramel with plenty of acidity to drive it home. Even though this is a dessert wine it is not overly sweet. Really pleasant actually. Would be so killer with a nice post-meal cheese course or even a simple dessert of cheesecake and fruit compote.
February 3, 2019 - Regulado desde 1991 el macvin en es realidad una elaboración tradicional, una mistela, en este caso tinta. Jugo de uva de pinot noir y marc son su base. ! año de crianza en fudres. De nuevo en la nariz el carácter del marc resulta dominante, hay también notas de uva pasa y un intenso recuerdo a té verde. En boca con buen ataque, cierta untuosidad, dulzor equilibrado, excelente acidez, buena estructura y notable persistencia.
January 19, 2019 - Really good, my firs Macvin as I can recall. Unfermented grape juice is boiled and then spiked by a brandy to 16 % alcohol, put in oak casks for some years. This exhibited very lively red fruit and berries, nice balance between sweet and fresh. Perfect pairing with a lighter chocolate mousse type dessert.
December 25, 2018 - This is utterly fascinating, and a delicious after-dinner vin de méditation. It's a funky yet 'joli vin', lifted, aromatic, and pleasantly oxidative, with a nutty saline streak. On the palate I get weak oolong tea, walnuts, darkly-toasted caraway bread, and syrupy strawberries and rhubarb. At the very end comes bitter blood orange rind and stinging nettles. The color is like watered-down 70's Carema. $21 for 375mL and worth every penny.