My second and last bottle of the Cepas Vellas 2009, and just as impressive as the bottle I had 4 1/2 years ago. Color has now moved closer to a dark-hued rose. Complex, full mouthfeel, good grip, a slight touch of oxidation that fit, enjoyed with a Portuguese style home-cooked dinner of fresh cod and steamed potatoes. Eric Asimov named the Cepas Vellas as one of his most memorable bottles of 2023 in a recent NYT article.
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This was my last bottle and it was absolutely on top form. Very complex nose, super saline palate, perhaps the most saline wine I have ever had. Acidic and zippy but full of flavor. I recently had some bottles from earlier vintages that were a tad advanced, but here the wine was pristine. One of my wines of the year. It really has developed superbly since release. Now eagerly anticipating the '10s that I have in the cellar
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Deep yellow, not oxidized, very little acidity remaining, elegant finish, honeydew, very light touch of honey, salinity, pure pleasure, worth the 10 year wait. A big, profound white wine. Paired very well with seafood paella.
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This has a lot of the same elements as the last time I tried it: a bright, clean salinity and mineral backbone, fresh yellow citrus flavors, but it's also picked up a great deal of weight and body on the palate. No longer super youthful, and more of a textured, layered wine. Serious, but still very correct albarino.
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HDH auction tasting at Tru (Chicago, IL): Is this really albarino? A stunning nose that shows quite some grassiness and yellow fruit and promises a waxy texture. The palate is very consistent with that nose, but also features a really potent vein of acidity and saline minerality that contrasts very well with the yellow fruit and that promised waxiness. Screams for a seafood tower.
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Abierto y limpio de inicio. Más terpénico de lo que me esperaría/gustaría. Una nota de lichi, típica en el elaborador, aun sobresale en el conjunto. Refinado y frutal sin avasallar, fresco y desarrollado. Piedra mojada, un toque de miel, hierbas.
La boca lo mejor. Redonda, glicerica con estilo, armoniosa. La acidez es capaz de sujetar todo este conjunto de una manera magistral. Un final salino, como no podía ser de otra manera, nos habla del origen de este vino.
Todavía con cuerda para rato. Para volver a gozar en unos años.
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Superb. I don't know if there's another gear for this wine in the future, but from what I've tasted this age just may be the perfect spot for them - a 2007 a couple years ago was at the same level. Intense, fresh briny marine flavors and scents so powerful it's like a shot up the nose. Still super-fresh and crunchy and tastes like the sea.
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pale lemon yellow; very marine on the nose, w/grapefruit zest & anise notes; med+ body; hardly voluptuous but riper than most vintages, pink grapefruit, melon, salty & a bit chalky-mineral, great balance of fruit acids. this one doesn't feel like a long term example.
I am a huge fan of this wine, especially with bottle age, but I wanted to see how the '09 was faring. It's a bit more ripe than usual (ripe grapefruit), and more drinkable now than prior vintages were at this stage. It has the wonderful saline quality that I love in this wine. Complex, but I'm hoping for more complexity with the next bottles. Expensive compared to your basic Albarino (or a good Muscadet) but I still buy this regularly and will continue to do so.
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A beautiful Albarino. So balanced and elegant. Nothing fake or sweet. Better chilled than warming towards room temperature. We thought it was missing something though. Some depth. It had what I described as unripe pineapple and the wife called crabapple.
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Bright grapefruit flavours accented with saline and seaspray notes, but there's a powerful vegetal/grassy topnote that dominates and a back end sourness that puts me in mind of a Sauvignon Blanc.
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Opened for an hour. This is way too young, but boy, what a bottle of wine. Pale yellow color, smooth and subtle nose, a bit muted. Incredible palate, high acidity, citrus, grassy, smooth and medium to full bodied, mineral, salty, covers all palate in a mix of incredible sensations. Long finish. An excellent, probably the best albariño I've ever tasted, that proves this varietal can age in wood barrel, if properly done. Outstanding. Hold at least a couple of years.
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This is pure and crisp as per usual but not really worth opening now -- it's not showing the depth and mineral layers that make this bottling so distinctive. Based on how incredibly the 2007 shows right now, maybe it's worth checking in again in two years?
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(Poole's) Oh man, this is just sooo good. Crisp minerality wound around an agave and Myer lemon. Long finish with lingering layers of the fruit, mineral and a piercing precision which carries/contrasts with a satin texture. Just great stuff.
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Wow, just incredible. Pineapple, citrus and mineral notes in an intense yet juicy package. Truly a profound expression of the grape (from 200-year old ungrafted vines!). I am sure that this wine will be good for many years to come but it is so tasty now.
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12/16/2023 - R Z Likes this wine: 95 Points
My second and last bottle of the Cepas Vellas 2009, and just as impressive as the bottle I had 4 1/2 years ago. Color has now moved closer to a dark-hued rose. Complex, full mouthfeel, good grip, a slight touch of oxidation that fit, enjoyed with a Portuguese style home-cooked dinner of fresh cod and steamed potatoes. Eric Asimov named the Cepas Vellas as one of his most memorable bottles of 2023 in a recent NYT article.
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2/5/2022 - It Hauls wrote:
Was too far gone.
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12/26/2020 - MJHDC wrote:
This was my last bottle and it was absolutely on top form. Very complex nose, super saline palate, perhaps the most saline wine I have ever had. Acidic and zippy but full of flavor. I recently had some bottles from earlier vintages that were a tad advanced, but here the wine was pristine. One of my wines of the year. It really has developed superbly since release. Now eagerly anticipating the '10s that I have in the cellar
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8/20/2019 - R Z Likes this wine: 95 Points
Deep yellow, not oxidized, very little acidity remaining, elegant finish, honeydew, very light touch of honey, salinity, pure pleasure, worth the 10 year wait. A big, profound white wine. Paired very well with seafood paella.
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5/13/2017 - psmith wrote: 93 Points
This has a lot of the same elements as the last time I tried it: a bright, clean salinity and mineral backbone, fresh yellow citrus flavors, but it's also picked up a great deal of weight and body on the palate. No longer super youthful, and more of a textured, layered wine. Serious, but still very correct albarino.
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5/13/2017 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
HDH auction tasting at Tru (Chicago, IL): Is this really albarino? A stunning nose that shows quite some grassiness and yellow fruit and promises a waxy texture. The palate is very consistent with that nose, but also features a really potent vein of acidity and saline minerality that contrasts very well with the yellow fruit and that promised waxiness. Screams for a seafood tower.
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4/17/2017 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Big, extracted Albarino. Wasn't exactly fresh anymore, rich and powerful, no signs of going over the hill.
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10/1/2016 - JimmyBubbles Likes this wine: 92 Points
Abierto y limpio de inicio. Más terpénico de lo que me esperaría/gustaría. Una nota de lichi, típica en el elaborador, aun sobresale en el conjunto. Refinado y frutal sin avasallar, fresco y desarrollado. Piedra mojada, un toque de miel, hierbas.
La boca lo mejor. Redonda, glicerica con estilo, armoniosa. La acidez es capaz de sujetar todo este conjunto de una manera magistral. Un final salino, como no podía ser de otra manera, nos habla del origen de este vino.
Todavía con cuerda para rato. Para volver a gozar en unos años.
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12/29/2015 - Keith Levenberg Likes this wine: 96 Points
Superb. I don't know if there's another gear for this wine in the future, but from what I've tasted this age just may be the perfect spot for them - a 2007 a couple years ago was at the same level. Intense, fresh briny marine flavors and scents so powerful it's like a shot up the nose. Still super-fresh and crunchy and tastes like the sea.
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12/5/2015 - smithkirklyn wrote:
Gave away
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10/18/2014 - psmith wrote: 90 Points
Super saline-type flavors; oyster and a bright citrus undercurrent. Plenty of verve with a very firm, mineral backbone. Very young.
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8/24/2014 - pigdaddy wrote: 90 Points
pale lemon yellow; very marine on the nose, w/grapefruit zest & anise notes; med+ body; hardly voluptuous but riper than most vintages, pink grapefruit, melon, salty & a bit chalky-mineral, great balance of fruit acids. this one doesn't feel like a long term example.
olive oil-poached nc shrimp w/butterbeans, roasted sweet italian pepper, radicchio, guanciale & sheep's milk feta
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4/19/2014 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
More roasted pineapple and nuttiness. Still pretty amazing but maybe not the height of Cepas? We shall see.
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4/28/2013 - psmith wrote: 93 Points
Balanced, crystaline feel with mineral and saline notes. Citric. Muscadet-like in its styling. Great detail. Firm, acid-driven frame. Very nice.
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1/21/2013 - GTFreek wrote:
Blind tasted and missed. Gold color. A lot bolder than most Albarino, with a buttery texture. Apple flavors. Big white.
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9/16/2012 - MJHDC wrote:
I am a huge fan of this wine, especially with bottle age, but I wanted to see how the '09 was faring. It's a bit more ripe than usual (ripe grapefruit), and more drinkable now than prior vintages were at this stage. It has the wonderful saline quality that I love in this wine. Complex, but I'm hoping for more complexity with the next bottles. Expensive compared to your basic Albarino (or a good Muscadet) but I still buy this regularly and will continue to do so.
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9/14/2012 - GrandeSerataFuori wrote: 90 Points
A beautiful Albarino. So balanced and elegant. Nothing fake or sweet. Better chilled than warming towards room temperature. We thought it was missing something though. Some depth. It had what I described as unripe pineapple and the wife called crabapple.
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10/5/2011 - marc d wrote:
It took 24 hours of air and the right temperature to really strut its old vine layered complexity.
Fabulous, what a treat.
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8/15/2011 - salil wrote: 83 Points
Bright grapefruit flavours accented with saline and seaspray notes, but there's a powerful vegetal/grassy topnote that dominates and a back end sourness that puts me in mind of a Sauvignon Blanc.
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7/27/2011 - Periko wrote: 93 Points
Opened for an hour. This is way too young, but boy, what a bottle of wine. Pale yellow color, smooth and subtle nose, a bit muted. Incredible palate, high acidity, citrus, grassy, smooth and medium to full bodied, mineral, salty, covers all palate in a mix of incredible sensations. Long finish. An excellent, probably the best albariño I've ever tasted, that proves this varietal can age in wood barrel, if properly done. Outstanding. Hold at least a couple of years.
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6/27/2011 - Keith Levenberg wrote:
This is pure and crisp as per usual but not really worth opening now -- it's not showing the depth and mineral layers that make this bottling so distinctive. Based on how incredibly the 2007 shows right now, maybe it's worth checking in again in two years?
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6/20/2011 - AndrewSGHall Likes this wine:
So good. Consistent w/ 5/7 note.
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5/7/2011 - AndrewSGHall wrote:
(Poole's) Oh man, this is just sooo good. Crisp minerality wound around an agave and Myer lemon. Long finish with lingering layers of the fruit, mineral and a piercing precision which carries/contrasts with a satin texture. Just great stuff.
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4/29/2011 - 5laton wrote:
Crazy good. Seriously concentrated, layered. The acidity isn't high, but it's adequate to support the material here.
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4/9/2011 - MLipton wrote:
Wow, just incredible. Pineapple, citrus and mineral notes in an intense yet juicy package. Truly a profound expression of the grape (from 200-year old ungrafted vines!). I am sure that this wine will be good for many years to come but it is so tasty now.
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3/23/2011 - rjonwine@gmail.com wrote: 90 Points
Light yellow color; fresh citrus, mineral, lime nose; tangy, fresh citrus, grapefruit, mineral palate; medium finish 90+ points
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