Best bottle (Belsers Restaurant, Nürtingen): Glass: Sophienwald Bordeaux Clear, deep garnet color. Very advanced nose with some lovage, warm cooked fruit and spices. On the palate fine tannin, rum pot, stewed fruit, lacks acidity and tension. Well made, but no origin or terroir. Drink now. 90-91
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Syrah - N Rhone vs SA with the N London Crew; 2/29/2024-3/1/2024 (La Cabotte): Oh Columella. This was a little bit disjointed - someone mentioned an almost whisky characteristic on the nose and while I didn't quite get that, I could see the point. There was a kind of drying, powdery finish - not a bad wine by any means but given what this producer can deliver on a good day (and the current purchase price of this wine) hard not to be disappointed.
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Syrah - Rhone vs SA - Cabotte with the NLWTS (Cabotte): Dark fruited, v fresh nose. Bit of leather. Palate is a tiny bit hot; doesn’t feel particularly well balanced. Some primary fruit but not enough to stop if feeling a little bit sharp/spikey; the pretty racy acidity doesn’t feel in line with the rest of it.
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Syrah at Cabotte with the TWS North London Group (Cabotte, London): Quite dark. Nose far less giving than the Colombier, but is initially right there on the palate - a bit racier, a bit fresher, with good fruit that has a nice element of sweetness, but at the same time there is a lack of harmony and vibrancy that I can't explain and I much preferred the Hermitage. Maybe a slightly tired bottle here? High hopes for this following a sensational 2007 but ultimately this fell some way short of those heights.
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Deep ruby color, with light rim discoloration. The nose is subdued with subtle floral aromas and white pepper that becomes more present with air. It also smells like raspberries and fresh red fruits. On the palate it feels somewhat mute as well, with almost a minty note on the back end. The mouthfeel is disappointing as well, starting well then getting thinner half way through, towards a short, slightly hot finish. Though it feels technically well made and it's a good wine, it lacks of something in almost every aspect, as if "elegance" was the only goal of this wine, at the expense of everything you'd expect from a Syrah-dominated wine. At that price, I'd get a French Rhone that'd deliver so much more.
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Decanted 2 hours. Notes from 3rd day. Dark garnet. Subdued nose. First day this was tough, unyielding. 3rd day it had opened up a bit and shows high toned cherry with some alcohol perceptible on the medium final. Medium bodied, fine tannins.
On balance I'm not particularly impressed, particularly given the reviews of others. I find this a bit monolithic and tough going at the moment. Hoping the remainder of my stash will open up a bit.
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Ripe and fragrant black currant fruits on the nose, the palate is more complex and savoury with some liquorice, tobacco and spice getting along nicely with the fruit. Good to drink now but will probably improve, pretty impressive
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Columella complete Vertical Tasting (Fritz Frau Frazi Düsseldorf): First of all it was an amazing tasting. No bottle was corked or defective. We double decanted all bottles. We drank one bottle after one. No flights. We started with the bold years but they were so good that I changed the order after 6 vintages and I mixed the elegant years in between. All old bottles delivered phantastically.
The order
2005
Still primary fruit, very balanced, starting to reach his peak, silky tannins, alcohol well integrated. 93+
2003 DMG
From this size really fresh, black berries, a bit plums, soft tannins, you feel the hot vintage but not marmelade style, easy to drink and not over the top. 92-93
2007 MG
Still some oaky notes, much fruit, somehow one dimensional and missing a bit the refreshing acidity. I would prefer 03 as a warm vintage. 90
2002
Very reluctant, it reminds me to a classic Bordeaux vintage, even the nose shows black currant and cedar wood. Delicate and elegant. Even it was one of your first vintages it is a masterpiece, really not bold and broad. At least 10 more years. Great. 95-96
2001
Great structure and ultra fresh, firm tannins. It needs decantation. Lovely fruitieness and some herbal notes. A decade ahead. 94+
2004
I had this wine a few times before. Always delivering as today again. Fresh, elegant, decanted for 2 hours, reminds me to a very good Northern Rhone wine. Great acidity structure. White pepper, dark berries, saline and firm and ripe tannins. No hurry to finish it. For many in the group WOTN. 94-95
2011
Maybe this bottle was not perfect, a bit clumsy and some acetone
2016
3 hours decantation, ultra fresh and young. Very accessible and a pure fruit. Reminds many friends to a great Burgundy, I would go for a great CF from the Loire as Clos Rougeard. Graceful 95++
2014
2 hours of decanation. Fresh, accessible, evrybody's darling from the beginning. Tannins soft, great refreshing acidity, very balanced. 94
2000
Lovely, lean, still primary fruit, spicy, pepper, dark cherries, precise finish. Starting to reach his peak. At least 5-7 more yeras ahead. 94+
2006
A bit broad and wild. A lot of fruit but missing structure and substance for a further aging. 90
2008
Balanced, in a really nice drinking window, reluctant fruit but cracking acidity. 93
2009
A bit broad, a lot fruit, alcohol perceptible, somehow one dimensional. 91
2013
Fine, elegant, great structure, a lot of acidity, reduced fruit, spicy, a monster, precise finish. A lot to come in next 2 decades. 3 hours decantation. 95+
2012
Powerful and fruit dominated, less concentrated than 2013. Balanced, niice drinking window. 92
2015
Compared to 2013 a bit more "alcoholic" and not the finesse but still powerful and spicy Northern Rhone wine. Only 1 hour of decantion. Maybe this was the "problem".94+
2010
Still young, Many in the group are flashed from this wine, for me a bit short in the finish. Not completely balanced at this stage. I guess maybe in a closed window. Great structure. 92
2017
3 hours of decantation. Fresh, alcohol percetible, maybe it was a lot of alcohol at the end of the tasting, nicely balanced in fruit and acidity, great length, precise. 93+
My Top 5
2002, 2016, 2001, 2013, 2000
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Praelum - The Wine King (Praelum Wine Bistro): Literally tannins in a bottle, but hot and not pleasant tannins though. Still a bit of blackberries and fern, but the extremely high tannins proved too distracting
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Somehow not performing as expected. Nose is quite shy. Some pepper and fruit but overall not really impressive. Even aeration did not help. The palate was also quite restrained. Structurally this is nice and the length of the aromas that are there is very good. Hopefully just a trough in its development...
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Djup doft med lätt mognad i form av lite jordighet och läder. Mörk choklad, mörka, söta körsbär, plommon och lite tjära. Finns även en lätt köttighet och en kryddig vitpepparton. Torrt, rejält frisk syra, kropp åt det fylligare hållet och hög intensitet. Långt, men lite eldigt avslut.
Välgjort till tusen med allt på rätt plats. Saknar dock lite personlighet och tryck i avslutet för att verkligen motivera sin hype och pris. Känns också betydligt renare i stilen är hans senare grejer.
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Nice balance, soft mouth feel. Nose not showing much, but the glass used was rubbish. Lots of clean fruit flavours on the palate. Blackcurrant, blueberry. Not as good as I remembered.
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This is completely different from my last note. Initially purple rim, it becomes ruby with air. Gave this 3hrs in a glass, when it showed a massive 'peacock' nose that may be fairly divisive. A veritable pot-pourri with vanilla, violet, cinnamon, nutmeg bumping up against blueberry (think Cayuse) and ripe red fruits as well some dark. Despite all this going on, it still has a lovely freshness and salinity. In the mouth it is much sweeter than expected, with oak notes (sweet spice, vanilla) dominating. The structure is deceptively massive - loads of perfectly ripe and fine tannins and a good dollop of acidity. This will only get better. Much better. Alcohol is more than integrated, it's hidden. What a fantastic expression of syrah! The grapes are starting to shine... almost a cross between a non-rustic top Cote Rotie and Cayuse. Such a shame there is no good critic write up because this is classy stuff and great QPR. Indeed, I'd go so far as to say this is world-class wine and a singular expression (and exactly what I wish Clonakilla was more like). Hold to 2020, peak from 2025-2030. Far exceeded my expectations and I can't recommend this highly enough, just needs careful food matching at the moment because of the sweetness. 96+pts
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Dark colour, dark berries, forest, some vanilla, a lot of spices and herbs, well balanced, a masculine wine with a great structure and acidity, alocohol well integrated, still in the fruity side but some espresso and chocolate, a baby with at least 10 more years, the wine needs air. in our case no decantation because running out of time. 93-95
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Spent an evening with this one on a sidewalk in Walla Walla (don't laugh, it was at a restaurant table). Hard to pin it down, but my overall impression was of an incredibly harmonious wine... nothing out of place, seamlessly pretty. Delicious; probably even more so with a few more years' age on it.
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This just isn't ready, perhaps even in a dumb phase. Even with aerator, a few hours in a decanter, then recorking and trying later this didn't fully open up. Saw a peak though - and loved it! Reminded me of Yarra Yering in style, and in need for more aging than some people expect... subtle mint and great structure with that aromatic quality that will really come alive with time in bottle. This has a better mouthfeel though. Drink from 2020 onwards, I've been conservative here - significant upside potential (wouldn't be surprised if this turns out to be ~95pts).
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South African tasting (Le Petit Sommelier): Clear color med ruby. The nose is clean, med+ intensity, very dense fruit, black berry, full fruity, gamey, sweet oak notes, tobacco, roasted almond, walnut, overripe fruit, prune, blackcherry, almost jammy, sweet spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, youthful. The wine is dry, med+ body and med intensity, the alcohol is med (14%) but shows more, red and black fruit, cinnamon and nutmeg, tannins a bit harsh still, balanced overall though, some vegetal notes, caramel and sweet red fruit in the med+ finish. Outstanding quality, drink now if you wish but could hold.
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Drank at Oinoscent wine bar. Initially reductive. Gradually revealing lovely violet aromas alongside red and darker berry fruit, meaty and mineral scents. On the palate it is medium-bodied, elegant, balanced and long. Still quite youthful, will use 5 years or more to reach its prime, but already very enjoyable.
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#BYOB - Anonym, knuten doft med lite ospecifika röda bär och rostade fat. Frisk spänstig syra, bra längd, tydliga men fina tanniner och rejäl koncentration av frukt. Svår att prova tillsammans med senare monsterviner och försvann lite i sammanhanget på grund av sin outvecklade karaktär.
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wow. this wine is absolutely stunning on the nose. perfumed, fragrant, super elegant. bright red in colour. very smoothe, soft and delicate on the palate. flavours of red fruits. get yourselves some of this wine, it dont disappoint.
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Really punchy black fruits on the nose with a little floral note appearing now and then. Ripe and sweet yet earthy and bloody with really fine tannins. Poised and well balanced with a lovely savoury meaty flavour that lingers long into the finish. Excellent.
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3/14/2024 - NoTrollingerPlease Does not like this wine: 90 Points
Best bottle (Belsers Restaurant, Nürtingen): Glass: Sophienwald Bordeaux
Clear, deep garnet color. Very advanced nose with some lovage, warm cooked fruit and spices. On the palate fine tannin, rum pot, stewed fruit, lacks acidity and tension. Well made, but no origin or terroir. Drink now. 90-91
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3/1/2024 - lozatron Likes this wine:
Syrah - N Rhone vs SA with the N London Crew; 2/29/2024-3/1/2024 (La Cabotte): Oh Columella. This was a little bit disjointed - someone mentioned an almost whisky characteristic on the nose and while I didn't quite get that, I could see the point. There was a kind of drying, powdery finish - not a bad wine by any means but given what this producer can deliver on a good day (and the current purchase price of this wine) hard not to be disappointed.
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2/29/2024 - Jamieson12o Likes this wine: 90 Points
Syrah - Rhone vs SA - Cabotte with the NLWTS (Cabotte): Dark fruited, v fresh nose. Bit of leather. Palate is a tiny bit hot; doesn’t feel particularly well balanced. Some primary fruit but not enough to stop if feeling a little bit sharp/spikey; the pretty racy acidity doesn’t feel in line with the rest of it.
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2/29/2024 - oenanthe Likes this wine: 89 Points
Syrah at Cabotte with the TWS North London Group (Cabotte, London): Quite dark. Nose far less giving than the Colombier, but is initially right there on the palate - a bit racier, a bit fresher, with good fruit that has a nice element of sweetness, but at the same time there is a lack of harmony and vibrancy that I can't explain and I much preferred the Hermitage. Maybe a slightly tired bottle here? High hopes for this following a sensational 2007 but ultimately this fell some way short of those heights.
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2/5/2022 - frenchiecagowine wrote: 88 Points
Deep ruby color, with light rim discoloration. The nose is subdued with subtle floral aromas and white pepper that becomes more present with air. It also smells like raspberries and fresh red fruits. On the palate it feels somewhat mute as well, with almost a minty note on the back end. The mouthfeel is disappointing as well, starting well then getting thinner half way through, towards a short, slightly hot finish.
Though it feels technically well made and it's a good wine, it lacks of something in almost every aspect, as if "elegance" was the only goal of this wine, at the expense of everything you'd expect from a Syrah-dominated wine. At that price, I'd get a French Rhone that'd deliver so much more.
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11/10/2020 - David Meddings wrote: 88 Points
Decanted 2 hours. Notes from 3rd day. Dark garnet. Subdued nose. First day this was tough, unyielding. 3rd day it had opened up a bit and shows high toned cherry with some alcohol perceptible on the medium final. Medium bodied, fine tannins.
On balance I'm not particularly impressed, particularly given the reviews of others. I find this a bit monolithic and tough going at the moment. Hoping the remainder of my stash will open up a bit.
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10/2/2020 - kingkanu wrote:
Ripe and fragrant black currant fruits on the nose, the palate is more complex and savoury with some liquorice, tobacco and spice getting along nicely with the fruit. Good to drink now but will probably improve, pretty impressive
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1/19/2020 - aquacongas wrote: 92 Points
Columella complete Vertical Tasting (Fritz Frau Frazi Düsseldorf): First of all it was an amazing tasting. No bottle was corked or defective. We double decanted all bottles. We drank one bottle after one. No flights. We started with the bold years but they were so good that I changed the order after 6 vintages and I mixed the elegant years in between. All old bottles delivered phantastically.
The order
2005
Still primary fruit, very balanced, starting to reach his peak, silky tannins, alcohol well integrated. 93+
2003 DMG
From this size really fresh, black berries, a bit plums, soft tannins, you feel the hot vintage but not marmelade style, easy to drink and not over the top. 92-93
2007 MG
Still some oaky notes, much fruit, somehow one dimensional and missing a bit the refreshing acidity. I would prefer 03 as a warm vintage. 90
2002
Very reluctant, it reminds me to a classic Bordeaux vintage, even the nose shows black currant and cedar wood. Delicate and elegant. Even it was one of your first vintages it is a masterpiece, really not bold and broad. At least 10 more years. Great. 95-96
2001
Great structure and ultra fresh, firm tannins. It needs decantation. Lovely fruitieness and some herbal notes. A decade ahead. 94+
2004
I had this wine a few times before. Always delivering as today again. Fresh, elegant, decanted for 2 hours, reminds me to a very good Northern Rhone wine. Great acidity structure. White pepper, dark berries, saline and firm and ripe tannins. No hurry to finish it. For many in the group WOTN. 94-95
2011
Maybe this bottle was not perfect, a bit clumsy and some acetone
2016
3 hours decantation, ultra fresh and young. Very accessible and a pure fruit. Reminds many friends to a great Burgundy, I would go for a great CF from the Loire as Clos Rougeard. Graceful 95++
2014
2 hours of decanation. Fresh, accessible, evrybody's darling from the beginning. Tannins soft, great refreshing acidity, very balanced. 94
2000
Lovely, lean, still primary fruit, spicy, pepper, dark cherries, precise finish. Starting to reach his peak. At least 5-7 more yeras ahead. 94+
2006
A bit broad and wild. A lot of fruit but missing structure and substance for a further aging. 90
2008
Balanced, in a really nice drinking window, reluctant fruit but cracking acidity. 93
2009
A bit broad, a lot fruit, alcohol perceptible, somehow one dimensional. 91
2013
Fine, elegant, great structure, a lot of acidity, reduced fruit, spicy, a monster, precise finish. A lot to come in next 2 decades. 3 hours decantation. 95+
2012
Powerful and fruit dominated, less concentrated than 2013. Balanced, niice drinking window. 92
2015
Compared to 2013 a bit more "alcoholic" and not the finesse but still powerful and spicy Northern Rhone wine. Only 1 hour of decantion. Maybe this was the "problem".94+
2010
Still young, Many in the group are flashed from this wine, for me a bit short in the finish. Not completely balanced at this stage. I guess maybe in a closed window. Great structure. 92
2017
3 hours of decantation. Fresh, alcohol percetible, maybe it was a lot of alcohol at the end of the tasting, nicely balanced in fruit and acidity, great length, precise. 93+
My Top 5
2002, 2016, 2001, 2013, 2000
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4/27/2019 - vinhonotte wrote: 87 Points
Praelum - The Wine King (Praelum Wine Bistro): Literally tannins in a bottle, but hot and not pleasant tannins though. Still a bit of blackberries and fern, but the extremely high tannins proved too distracting
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2/7/2018 - mikemboutiquewines wrote: 93 Points
Really interesting wine. Overpriced though. At half the price it would have a great niche.
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6/6/2017 - Seb Frefranc wrote: 88 Points
Somehow not performing as expected. Nose is quite shy. Some pepper and fruit but overall not really impressive. Even aeration did not help. The palate was also quite restrained. Structurally this is nice and the length of the aromas that are there is very good. Hopefully just a trough in its development...
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2/17/2017 - Lilja wrote: 90 Points
Djup doft med lätt mognad i form av lite jordighet och läder. Mörk choklad, mörka, söta körsbär, plommon och lite tjära. Finns även en lätt köttighet och en kryddig vitpepparton. Torrt, rejält frisk syra, kropp åt det fylligare hållet och hög intensitet. Långt, men lite eldigt avslut.
Välgjort till tusen med allt på rätt plats. Saknar dock lite personlighet och tryck i avslutet för att verkligen motivera sin hype och pris. Känns också betydligt renare i stilen är hans senare grejer.
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8/14/2016 - PC73 wrote: 88 Points
Nice balance, soft mouth feel. Nose not showing much, but the glass used was rubbish. Lots of clean fruit flavours on the palate. Blackcurrant, blueberry. Not as good as I remembered.
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7/14/2016 - JulianSkeels Likes this wine: 96 Points
This is completely different from my last note. Initially purple rim, it becomes ruby with air. Gave this 3hrs in a glass, when it showed a massive 'peacock' nose that may be fairly divisive. A veritable pot-pourri with vanilla, violet, cinnamon, nutmeg bumping up against blueberry (think Cayuse) and ripe red fruits as well some dark. Despite all this going on, it still has a lovely freshness and salinity. In the mouth it is much sweeter than expected, with oak notes (sweet spice, vanilla) dominating. The structure is deceptively massive - loads of perfectly ripe and fine tannins and a good dollop of acidity. This will only get better. Much better. Alcohol is more than integrated, it's hidden. What a fantastic expression of syrah! The grapes are starting to shine... almost a cross between a non-rustic top Cote Rotie and Cayuse. Such a shame there is no good critic write up because this is classy stuff and great QPR. Indeed, I'd go so far as to say this is world-class wine and a singular expression (and exactly what I wish Clonakilla was more like). Hold to 2020, peak from 2025-2030. Far exceeded my expectations and I can't recommend this highly enough, just needs careful food matching at the moment because of the sweetness. 96+pts
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9/8/2015 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark colour, dark berries, forest, some vanilla, a lot of spices and herbs, well balanced, a masculine wine with a great structure and acidity, alocohol well integrated, still in the fruity side but some espresso and chocolate, a baby with at least 10 more years, the wine needs air. in our case no decantation because running out of time. 93-95
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4/3/2015 - fullpour Likes this wine:
Spent an evening with this one on a sidewalk in Walla Walla (don't laugh, it was at a restaurant table). Hard to pin it down, but my overall impression was of an incredibly harmonious wine... nothing out of place, seamlessly pretty. Delicious; probably even more so with a few more years' age on it.
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4/1/2015 - JulianSkeels Likes this wine: 93 Points
This just isn't ready, perhaps even in a dumb phase. Even with aerator, a few hours in a decanter, then recorking and trying later this didn't fully open up. Saw a peak though - and loved it! Reminded me of Yarra Yering in style, and in need for more aging than some people expect... subtle mint and great structure with that aromatic quality that will really come alive with time in bottle. This has a better mouthfeel though. Drink from 2020 onwards, I've been conservative here - significant upside potential (wouldn't be surprised if this turns out to be ~95pts).
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2/18/2015 - kostaslonis Likes this wine: 93 Points
South African tasting (Le Petit Sommelier): Clear color med ruby.
The nose is clean, med+ intensity, very dense fruit, black berry, full fruity, gamey, sweet oak notes, tobacco, roasted almond, walnut, overripe fruit, prune, blackcherry, almost jammy, sweet spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, youthful.
The wine is dry, med+ body and med intensity, the alcohol is med (14%) but shows more, red and black fruit, cinnamon and nutmeg, tannins a bit harsh still, balanced overall though, some vegetal notes, caramel and sweet red fruit in the med+ finish.
Outstanding quality, drink now if you wish but could hold.
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1/26/2015 - Yiannis Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drank at Oinoscent wine bar. Initially reductive. Gradually revealing lovely violet aromas alongside red and darker berry fruit, meaty and mineral scents. On the palate it is medium-bodied, elegant, balanced and long. Still quite youthful, will use 5 years or more to reach its prime, but already very enjoyable.
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3/15/2014 - Lilja wrote:
#BYOB - Anonym, knuten doft med lite ospecifika röda bär och rostade fat. Frisk spänstig syra, bra längd, tydliga men fina tanniner och rejäl koncentration av frukt. Svår att prova tillsammans med senare monsterviner och försvann lite i sammanhanget på grund av sin outvecklade karaktär.
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11/5/2013 - henrygjeffreys Likes this wine:
n - red fruit
ripe
very Northern Rhone
perfumed
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11/3/2013 - PC73 Likes this wine: 94 Points
wow. this wine is absolutely stunning on the nose. perfumed, fragrant, super elegant. bright red in colour. very smoothe, soft and delicate on the palate. flavours of red fruits. get yourselves some of this wine, it dont disappoint.
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9/17/2013 - Biggsy wrote: 93 Points
Really punchy black fruits on the nose with a little floral note appearing now and then. Ripe and sweet yet earthy and bloody with really fine tannins. Poised and well balanced with a lovely savoury meaty flavour that lingers long into the finish. Excellent.
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