Looking over it, there seems to be less highlights than before, or certainly less scores in the mid 90s ... have I been drinking less well or have I just got tougher in scoring? No idea. Stand outs from these months would include the 2019 Domaine Yves Cuilleron Côte-Rôtie La Madinière and an impressive South African pinot- 2018 Storm Wines Ignis. My second bottle of it, but the 2018 Domaine de Bellene Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Hommage à Jean Ferte also remains excellent and great value in the low-€40 range.
- 2020 Domaine Gassier Vin de Pays d'Oc Embruns de Viognier - France, Languedoc Roussillon, Vin de Pays d'Oc (6/27/2022)
Just a quick impression, but this is a very pleasant Viognier which has typical apricot led fruit and no particular detracting phenolic grip. The finish is quite crisp and clean. Priced under €13 here in France the value is excellent. (87 pts.) - 2018 Winfried Seeber Dornfelder feinherb - Germany, Pfalz (6/27/2022)
This is a fairly drinkable albeit relatively simple red, with sweet red fruit flavours and a short-to-medium length finish. Would benefit from being served slightly chilled (especially in warmer weather). I believe this sells for around €6, so for the price this is pretty good. (86 pts.) - 2020 François Villard St. Joseph Poivre et Sol - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph (6/26/2022)
No formal notes, but this was a text book Saint Joseph, with deeply layered dark fruit flavours and lovely poise and balance on the palate. Excellent. (92 pts.) - 2020 Domaines Devillard Coteaux Bourguignons Le Renard - France, Burgundy, Coteaux Bourguignons (6/26/2022)
This is a straight Gamay and presents an excellent example of the grape. Really easy drinking, with gobs of sweet red and dark fruits, in a ripe but balanced presentation. Delicious and good value around €15. (90 pts.) - 2012 Château Rollan de By - France, Bordeaux, Médoc (6/26/2022)
This was off the shelf at Carrefour and the cork crumbled up, which suggests possibly this did not have the best storage. Nevertheless, this was a pleasant drinking medium bodied claret which was enjoyable without being profound. Better stored bottles may score higher. (87 pts.) - 2019 Maquina & Tabla Toro Paramos de Nicasia - Spain, Castilla y León, Toro (6/26/2022)
This is an interesting rose from this producer (which often makes wines that are a little different). On the nose there is quite a lot of funk, but the palate is surprisingly fresh. The fruit is restrained and dry, and the finish is slightly grippy. Pleasant wine if not necessarily a crowd pleaser. I suspect this would polarise opinion with some loving it and some hating it. For €12 the value is pretty good. (87 pts.) - 2018 Clos Basté Madiran L'Esprit de Basté - France, Southwest France, Madiran (6/22/2022)
Deep red. Intense and fairly rich on the nose with notes of liqueur plum, warm earth and a touch of blackcurrant. Full and ripe on the palate, but the balance remains pretty good. An enjoyable wine and fair value around €13. (88 pts.) - 2018 Domaine Jacques Prieur Chardonnay Bourgogne - France, Burgundy, Bourgogne (6/20/2022)
Obviously very much the entry level for this producer, but this is still an impressive wine for the price. Quite full in colour, and fairly ripe on the nose, with plenty of melon and stone fruit characters, and a touch of citrus as well. Pleasant fruit sweetness and fairly rounded on the palate, with very good balance. Delicious and for c€27 it could be said there is a small premium for the producer, but the QPR still feels OK to me. (90 pts.) - 2017 Château Larose-Trintaudon - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc (6/19/2022)
Approachable, balanced and medium bodied claret. Nothing much sticks out- this just offers gentle, fairly easy drinking without any major flaws. Pretty decent value around EU19. (89 pts.) - 2015 Fulvia Tombolini Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Riserva - Italy, Marche, Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico (6/19/2022)
Just a brief impression. Fairly full yellow colour. Not especially moving wine, feels a little past it but not "wrong" per se, just a bit ordinary. (86 pts.) - 2018 Hermanos Pérez Pascuas Ribera del Duero Crianza Viña Pedrosa - Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero (6/18/2022)
This is classic Ribera, all glossy red to dark fruits, dark cherry, plum notes. Rich but not over ripe. A lovely approachable wine that delivers drinking pleasure. (89 pts.) - 2015 La Rioja Alta Rioja Viña Ardanza Reserva - Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja (6/17/2022)
Only a brief note but this is classic Ardanza and typical of the house style. Elegant in a deeply wooded, varnish type of presentation. Quite rich. Maybe not the finest vintage of this label but pretty good. Certain to be long lived. (90 pts.) - 2019 Maison Jessiaume Volnay - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay (6/17/2022)
No formal notes, just a brief impression- quite fresh, fruit forward and robust in style. First bottle of a three pack. (90 pts.) - 2011 Rockford Cabernet Sauvignon Rifle Range - Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley (6/17/2022)
Classic Rockford type of wine. Gentle, even fruit. Not too much green despite the weak vintage. Fully accessible now, I would suggest drinking sooner than later. Lovely. (87 pts.) - 2018 Palacios Remondo Rioja La Montesa - Spain, La Rioja, Rioja (6/17/2022)
No formal notes, but this was a fairly pleasant if slightly generic Rioja. Enjoyable and fair value around €12. 86-87pts (87 pts.) - 2021 Santiago Ruiz Rías Baixas - Spain, Galicia, Rías Baixas (6/15/2022)
A perennial warm weather favourite of mine, this label is particularly on song in the 2021 edition. Glowing green/yellow. Citrus and floral flavours dominate, followed by an exceptionally crisp, refreshing palate. Disturbingly easy to drink. Great value. (90 pts.) - 2020 Domaine Pieretti Vin de Corse Coteaux du Cap Corse - France, Corsica, Vin de Corse Coteaux du Cap Corse (6/13/2022)
No formal notes but this was a pleasant, rather medium bodied and sweet fruited wine. Pleasant drinking, and quite correct/clean, but it just didn't really speak a lot to me. (87 pts.) - 2016 Marqués de Cáceres Rioja Reserva - Spain, La Rioja, Rioja (6/12/2022)
Just a brief impression but this is an excellent, classic Rioja that represents superb value for money at around €13. (90 pts.) - 2019 Terroir Al Limit Soc. Lda. Priorat Terroir Historic Negre - Spain, Catalunya, Priorat (6/12/2022)
Just a brief impression, but this was a really interesting wine in a surprisingly light to medium bodied style, posessing real elgance. (90 pts.) - 2020 Marqués de Riscal Rioja Rosado - Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alavesa, Rioja (6/12/2022)
No formal note but this was a very enjoyable, fairly crisp and dry style of rose. Easy to drink and good value. (86 pts.) - 2020 Domaine Belleville Menetou-Salon - France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Menetou-Salon (6/9/2022)
Like the 2018 I tried a couple of years ago, this is an excellent value crisp quaffer of a white with nice varietal definition. Great value at c€9. (86 pts.) - 2019 Casa E. di Mirafiore Langhe Nebbiolo - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC (6/8/2022)
Brigth but fairly light garnet red. Appealingly fresh nose of vibrant cherry and vanilla. Quite soft, supple and juicy in the mouth, with the tannins taking a relative back seat while providing needed structure. Just delicious drinking, for relatively early consumption. (87 pts.) - 2018 Domaine de Bellene Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Hommage à Jean Ferte - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru (6/7/2022)
No formal notes this time, but my last comments remain valid. This is an immediately impressive wine, with plenty of length and remains unmoved even when open for several days. Good value. (93 pts.) - 2014 Louis Jadot Beaune 1er Cru Theurons Domaine Gagey - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru (6/7/2022)
Fairly similar thoughts to my last note, albeit perhaps I feel a little more generous to the wine now with a bit more age to soften its edges. Pretty enjoyable Pinot without really threatening to hit any great heights. 89-90 pts. (90 pts.) - NV Ferrari Maximum Blanc de Blancs - Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Trentino, Trento (6/7/2022)
You don't always think of Italy as the best source of traditional method bubbles, but it is good to test new things, and this is pretty decent. It lacks the real complexity of the better champagne, but the value feels about right for a c€25 price tag. Enjoyable. (88 pts.) - 2016 Château Magnan-Figeac - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru (6/7/2022)
No formal notes. This is a modestly enjoyable claret which is probably worth the -20% discount price of around €16 but not the normal sticker price. Not overly impressive. (86 pts.) - 2015 Bodegas Hermanos Peciña Rioja Señorío de P. Peciña Crianza - Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alavesa, Rioja (6/3/2022)
Medium red. Slightly tart on the nose, almost sourt red cherry like aromas and red fruits. A little angular and acidic on the palate, and doesn't really gather weight with air. Perhaps better as a fresher, younger wine? Certainly perfectly drinkable, but there are better Rioja wines out there even at the €11-12 price point. (86 pts.) - 2021 Fento Wines Rías Baixas Bico Da Ran - Spain, Galicia, Rías Baixas (6/2/2022)
Exceptionally fresh, bright and zippy white wine. Intense citrus flavour with notes of white flowers and a certain salinity as well. Just perfect on a 25o Spring evening. Delicious, uncomplicated pleasure. Great value at c€9. (90 pts.) - 2013 Château Réal-Caillou - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Lalande de Pomerol (6/2/2022)
Still fairly deep red, but there is some age apparent here in the browning and the sediment, as well as on the nose. With air it freshens a bit to reveal deep plum, liqueur, and undergrowth. Still quite sweet on the palate, but finishing a little short. Overall not bad especially since this is from a local corner store so storage is a massive question mark. The value seems decent (current release looks to be €17 from the producer). Drink now. (87 pts.) - 2019 Grosset Riesling Polish Hill Clare Valley - Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Clare Valley (5/31/2022)
Yellow flecked with green. Intense nose of citrus and some floral elements. There is a feeling of light salinity as well, or minerality. Fairly firm acidity on the palate with rich lemon/lime character. I almost get a tiny hint of petrol as well, despite only being 3 years old, but the intensity convinces me this has years in the tank. 92-93pts. (92 pts.) - 2018 Dominio del Aguila Pícaro del Aguila Viñas Viejas - Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero (5/31/2022)
Just a quick update to my last note in 2020, I since had another six pack of this wine of which I think I have just one left. It really is an excellent wine for my taste. I am sure it will age well but given the QPR it is hard to stop reaching for them. (91 pts.) - 2010 Alpha Box & Dice Apostle - Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale (5/31/2022)
No formal notes but this was very enjoyable. Certainly a robust style but even with 12 years age this retains sufficient freshness and acid to avoid feeling clunky or too heavy. Delicious drinking. (90 pts.) - 2019 Les Douves de La Tour Carnet - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc (5/31/2022)
Bright, clear magenta. Fruit forward on the nose, with really quite bright plum and purple fruit aromas. On the palate this is fairly light on oak influence despite 16 months of "traditional" ageing, and this leads with juicy red berries and a touch of spice. Open and fleshy, with gently grippy tannins, this is a delightful drink now type of wine and at €15 in Lidl the value is excellent. (89 pts.) - 2016 Re Manfredi - Terre degli Svevi Aglianico del Vulture - Italy, Basilicata, Aglianico del Vulture (5/25/2022)
Mid red. Vibrant nose showing classic Aglianico characters. Bright cherry. Spice. A certain more dried fruit character, maybe plum trending to prune. Ripe and rich but not unbalanced. On the palate there is ripe cherry and fairly firm tannins. Excellent. Drink now to 2026+ (90 pts.) - 2018 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer Roche Roulée - France, Alsace (5/24/2022)
Quite bright yellow. Reasonably dark but not unusual with this variety. Classic Gewurtz, rosewater, lychees, spice. Lovely balance and quite dry on the palate (on a relative basis). Impressive wine for under €20. 89-90 pts. (89 pts.) - 2020 Pascal Jolivet Sauvignon Blanc Attitude - France, Loire Valley, Val de Loire (4/25/2022)
A mix of mildly pungent gooseberry and tart citrus character. Pretty fresh and clean. Quite a refreshing apperitivo style. Pleasant if angular acidity. Decent value for around €12. (87 pts.) - 2009 Lamé Delisle Boucard Bourgueil Cuvée Prestige - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Bourgueil (4/22/2022)
Still fairly deep red. On the nose this is surprisingly sweet fruited. You wouldn't be guessing 2009. I am not sure I would have guessed Cab Franc either, although of course this is from the Loire. Hard to separate any specific element- this is just a lovely mid-bodied, well resolved red wine with a good mix of fruit and tertiary development. I wouldn't keep it much longer but it isn't about to fall over. Surprising and impressive. (89 pts.) - 2020 Berger Père et Fils Rully Vieilles Vignes - France, Burgundy, Côte Chalonnaise, Rully (4/22/2022)
Deep colour. Lovely depth and quite good purity. In a slightly lighter/sweeter fruited style, almost more reminiscent of a Beaujolais, but still this has nice definition and purity. Doesn’t fall over easily, although I suspect one to drink over 1-3 years normally. Excellent value around 12-13 euros. Just delicious drinking. (89 pts.) - 2015 Daniel Bouland Chiroubles Chatenay - France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Chiroubles (4/21/2022)
This is drinking really well at the moment. Red to dark fruit, with a slight liqueur type sweetness to the fruit accompanied by a certain light minerality and pleasant balance. As with the best from the region, sometimes what you can say is just "delicious", emphasised by how quickly it disappears from the glass. (90 pts.) - 2014 Domaine Gérard Julien et Fils Côte de Nuits Villages - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Côte de Nuits Villages (4/20/2022)
Fairly deep ruby, fading a bit pale. Pleasant nose with classic Pinot character, and a touch of tertiary sous-bois type development, which picks up with more air, mostly adding complexity but not detracting. Quite sweet red berry fruit still on the palate, with just a touch of earth like character. My gut feel is one to drink now, but is this is pretty nice and at €24, it is excellent value. 89-90pts (89 pts.) - 2019 Château Le Rey Les Argileuses - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux (4/18/2022)
No formal note, but this was a pleasant, medium weight, fairly fruit forward wine for easy drinking, decent value at €13. (87 pts.) - 2019 Gérard Bertrand L'Indomptable de Cigalus - France, Languedoc Roussillon, Languedoc, Vin de Pays d'Hauterive (4/16/2022)
This is the second (or maybe supermarket) wine of Cigalus, a domaine of Gerard Bertrand which makes wines in the IGP Aude Hauterive designation, which the back label in small type reveals this is as well. Information on this is as scarce as for its white equivalent, which I also have only seen at Carrefour and doesn't feature on the winery's website. This is a typically ripe southern French wine, with aromas of ripe plums, verging to dried. Full and sweet on the palate. Pretty enjoyable if you like the style, and fair value at c€16-17. (87 pts.) - 2013 Enate Cabernet Sauvignon Somontano Reserva - Spain, Aragón, Somontano (4/14/2022)
Somontano is not a region I am particularly familiar with, although I have had a couple of Chardonnay's before from this particular producer. In the glass this is dark red, with a nose of blackberry, cassis, and cedar. Quite classic Cabernet (if, as another taster notes, in a somewhat generic international profile). On the palate there is sweet red fruit and moderately grippy tannins. Overall it gives a pretty decent amount of drinking pleasure for c€15. (87 pts.) - 2020 Laurent Perrachon Juliénas Domaine des Mouilles - France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Juliénas (4/14/2022)
Sweet brambly red fruit. A pretty decent easy drinking Beaujolais, decent value around €11. (86 pts.) - 2015 Château Le Grand Moulin Prélude No' 15 Jean-François Reaud - France, Bordeaux, Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux (4/12/2022)
This is a merlot dominant wine plucked at random from a supermarket shelf this week, and boy was I in for a surprise. This is a really delicious, fresh, easy drinking Bdx with a touch of real character. Very pure plum fruit still despite the age and the modest price tag. Quite juicy too on the palate, but with a hint of dustry fruit and slight herbaceousness to add a bit of complexity. Exceptional value (I think c.€14). (90 pts.) - 2018 Domaine Ostertag Sylvaner L'Exutoire SVV3 - France, Alsace (4/11/2022)
This is a Sylvaner from old vines apparently in the Nothalten area of Alsace. The back label says this has "18 mois de fermentation" which I don't really understand, except perhaps they mean very extended lees contact? Mid yellow colour. Kind of ripe and musky on the nose, maybe a bit of subdued tropical fruit as well- something in the pineapple range, which is actually more obvious on the palate. Slightly round, but still fairly crisp (this is a vin sec). An interesting wine but I don't know in this case if they hit their objective, which apparently was to give new impetus to this variety. 86-87 pts, drink now. (87 pts.) - 2019 Daniel Bouland Chiroubles Chatenay - France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Chiroubles (4/11/2022)
No formal notes, but this was somehow less impressive than previous bottles, developing a distinct green streak with air. Hard to say if there is a specific cause (no obvious fault) so maybe this was just the wrong bottle on the wrong day. (87 pts.) - 2019 Dauvergne Ranvier Gigondas Grand Vin - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Gigondas (4/11/2022)
No formal notes, but this had a pleasing weight and intensity with typical sweet red and dark plum character. Pretty good value around €16-17. (87 pts.) - 2019 Pierre Rougon Rasteau Domaine de la Dague - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Rasteau (4/11/2022)
No formal notes, but this was a very pleasant, light to mid bodied red that represents excellent value (I think it was around €8 in the supermarket). (86 pts.) - 2018 Storm Wines (South Africa) Pinot Noir Ignis - South Africa, Cape South Coast, Walker Bay, Hemel-en-Aarde Valley (4/8/2022)
I was unfamiliar with this producer, which is apparently relatively new having planted the vineyards only in 2008. Deep ruby red in the glass, this offers a very classic Pinot nose, with sappy red/dark cherry notes, and some spicy characters from the French oak. Really quite refined, an impression which carries through on the palate. There is some real "pinosity" here and this is easily the best Pinot I have had from SA. You could definitely fool some people in a blind with this, even though it perhaps lacks a touch of depth and definition compared to the best Pinots. (91 pts.) - 2020 Renato Ratti Langhe Nebbiolo Ochetti - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC (4/5/2022)
Picked up a half bottle at Eataly London with a thought to drink on the Eurostar, but in the end I didn't break out my cork screw on the train but only back home. Typical light/mid red colour. Quite fresh on the nose, with gentle red berries. Not too much depth to be seen. On the palate the sense of very fresh, slightly perfumed raspberry/cherry fruit carries through, followed by moderately grippy tannins. Quite a pretty little wine, that I suspect is destined for earlier drinking. (87 pts.) - 2011 Rockford Shiraz Basket Press - Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley (4/3/2022)
Drank from a friend’s cellar. This has developed better than I expected. Deep plum and Barossa earth. More classically Rockford than I either remember or expected from this vintage. That said, the greenness is still there and tertiary characters are definitely present. One to drink in the next year or two. 89-90pts (90 pts.) - 2019 Aphros Vinho Verde Phaunus Loureiro - Portugal, Minho, Vinho Verde (4/3/2022)
Hazy. The natural wine influence is obvious (and I always note I am not a big Nat wine fan) but this isn’t faulty and it has some real character. Aromas of bruised apple and nashi pear, so slightly oxidative on the nose, but the palate feels fresher with quite zippy acid. Decent wine but I can’t shake the feeling it would have been better with just a touch more wine making intervention. (87 pts.) - 2018 Lacoste Borie - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac (4/3/2022)
I suspect this is slightly corked so I won’t give it a rating and my comments should be read subject to that, but with air the damp character did clear off and this showed a slightly lean, slightly green presentation of blackberry fruit and moderate complexity. NR (flawed) - 2006 Wirra Wirra Shiraz Woodhenge - Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale (4/2/2022)
No formal notes. Deep plum aromas. Fully mature. Really delicious. (90 pts.) - 2018 CrossBarn (Paul Hobbs) Chardonnay Sonoma Coast - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (4/2/2022)
Mid yellow. Fairly rich style but pleasant balance still. Round nose of melon along with citrus and almost a pear like character. A little sweeter and fuller on the palate than might be preferred, but the acidity is still ok. Decent enough and for my taste delicious drinking, albeit poor value in the UK. (89 pts.) - 2020 Cave de Saint-Désirat St. Joseph Blanc - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph (4/1/2022)
Quite rich and full on the nose, plenty of lemon notes and honeysuckle type character. A little oily as well. This theme carries through on the palate which finishes with medium length and a slight phenolic grip. Pretty enjoyable wine. 87-88pts, the value seems OK around €19 at Nicolas. (87 pts.) - 2017 Thorn-Clarke Shiraz William Randell - Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley (3/29/2022)
No formal notes but this showed well. Typical barossa style. Riper but not baked red/dark fruits. Ripe plums. Maybe a touch ripe. 15.5pc feels a bit too high. (90 pts.)
- 2019 Pierre Gaillard Crozes-Hermitage - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage (3/29/2022)
No note but this is nice as always from this producer. Maybe a touch of Brett? Worth trying. (87 pts.) - 2016 Château La Lagune - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc (3/25/2022)
First bottle of a six pack and I will be honest it was opened a touch late in the evening without proper attention, but I have looked at the second half of the bottle over several days. The quality here is clear. Lovely dense red fruit, blackberry essence, graphite, and nice oak structure. With a lot of air a touch of green emerges but that still bodes well for the chance to develop complexity with time. I would give this a fairly long sleep to see its best. 92++ (92 pts.) - 2018 Birichino Scylla - USA, California, Central Valley, Lodi Mokelumne River (3/25/2022)
I picked up a three pack of this in Nov '20, not sure why I didn't make a note on the other two. My impression remains pretty consistent. This is a lovely light to medium bodied red. On the nose, there is quite sappy strawberry and raspberry type notes- almost Pinot-esque. The palate is a little more complex, adding some green notes, and some apple like crunchy acidity. For a certain time and place or food match this is just gorgeous. Fair value at €23... not sure what it sells for in the US. 90-91pts (90 pts.) - 2020 Henri Bourgeois Menetou-Salon Le Prieuré des Aublats - France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Menetou-Salon (3/25/2022)
Grabbed this from the fridge at Nicolas without paying attention and I knew when the women said it was a "bon choix" I was going to pay a touch more than usual (in Nicolas), but thankfully it was only about €18! And this is pretty good. Quite classic varietal Sav B characters. A little grassy, some gooseberry especially with air and slightly warmer. Pleasant acid balance. Enjoyable wine. (87 pts.) - 2003 Bodegas Alejandro Fernández Ribera del Duero Tinto Pesquera Reserva - Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero (3/24/2022)
No formal notes, as this was drunk a little late in the evening. Second bottle from a three pack I picked up for about €29 which is just fantastic value. This is a perfectly mature Ribera that offers a lot of character, with a melange of fruit and more tertiary characters. Totally ready to go and I wouldn't aim to keep to much longer, but really enjoyable to drink. (90 pts.) - 2019 Domaine Anne Gros & Jean-Paul Tollot L'O de la Vie - France, Languedoc Roussillon, Languedoc, Minervois (3/24/2022)
I debated what to do with this but in the end I opted to give it an NR even though I couldn't identify any specific obvious fault. I usually at least mildly enjoy Minervois and at €22 promoted in Nicolas and with nice packaging I figured this couldn't lead me too far wrong but really it gave me nothing. Really lacking in fruit and depth. My guess is perhaps scalped by low level TCA. Will perhaps try again but thats a fairly aggressive price with a lot of competition- the dangers of using cork I guess. Consumers don't always give you a second chance. NR (flawed) - 2020 Daniel Bouland Morgon Corcelette - France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Morgon (3/22/2022)
Nice wine on a boat. (87 pts.) - 2020 Château de Chaintré Pouilly-Fuissé - France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Pouilly-Fuissé (3/21/2022)
I am not quite sure if this is identical as the label includes a "Vielles Vignes" designation. This offers a melange of ripe stone fruit and melon character. Clean and fairly crisp, but lacking a little in complexity. Pretty decent wine, maybe a touch over priced around €18. (87 pts.) - 2020 Château Cavalier Côtes de Provence Cuvée Marafiance - France, Provence, Côtes de Provence (3/21/2022)
This is a pretty drinkable if relatively unremarkable rose, with a fairly crisp, dry strawberry fruit profile and reasonable balance. Decent value. (86 pts.) - 2020 Cave de Tain Crozes-Hermitage Les 3 Lys - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage (3/21/2022)
Pleasant enough, light bodied red with fairly simple sweet red fruit character. Decent enough value for the price. (85 pts.) - 2019 Domaine Belleville Rully Les Chauchoux - France, Burgundy, Côte Chalonnaise, Rully (3/19/2022)
Since the label images are a bit mixed, for avoidance of doubt this is the wine labbled "BELLEVILLE" at the top and is a Rully "Les Chauchoux" but just a village wine, not 1er cru. Recommended by my local wine store and that was good advice. After having had a couple of fairly muscular pinots in recent days, this is much more light footed. Cherry, raspberry and strawberry fruit. A touch sappy. Some real "pinosity" as they say. Sweet fruited on the palate, maybe just a touch short on the finish. Really decent wine. 89-90 pts. (89 pts.) - 2020 Domaine Tatraux Givry 1er Cru La Grande Berge - France, Burgundy, Côte Chalonnaise, Givry 1er Cru (3/19/2022)
Third bottle from a six-pack. Just a brief note- this is a fairly ripe, dense wine that needs a bit of air to show its best at this stage. Quite pleasant for for c€19 this is pretty good value, but perhaps lacks the finesse to score higher. 87-88pts, should be fine for mid-term cellaring. (87 pts.) - 2019 Château La Tour Carnet - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc (3/18/2022)
Deep purple red. Initially quite aromatic, this quickly shut down and then took a day or two to really open up again. It is quite glossy, with dark red and purple fruits, graphite, and a touch of glycerine. Feels quite ripe despite only 13.5% abv. There is some cedar like oak character as well, helping provide what seems a decent structure to the palate. This is a pretty decent effort and for c€27 the value proposition is strong... I just can't quite make up my mind if this is a good wine or very good! I don't see any issue aging for at least 3-5yrs and maybe much longer. (88 pts.) - 2017 Tania & Vincent Careme Chenin Blanc Terre Brûlée - South Africa, Coastal Region, Swartland (3/17/2022)
Final bottle of the six pack, and I am not quite as impressed as my last note, but still this is a pleasant enough wine. Some ripe stone fruit character, citrus, a touch of green. The balance just isn't quite there on this wine, at least on this showing. Drink up. (87 pts.) - 2018 Pierre Girardin Pommard Les Vaumuriens - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pommard (3/15/2022)
Very dark and dense on opening. Quite unyielding, doesn't give a lot away. Some sour cherries, charry oak? Rich mouth feel. With more air a touch of fresher raspberry fruit and purple floral notes emerge, but even over several days this remains quite monolithic. One for the long haul I think- I will try and keep my hands off my other two bottles for awhile. 90+? (90 pts.) - 2019 Domaine Bernard Baudry Chinon Le Clos Guillot - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Chinon (3/15/2022)
Purpleish deep red. There is a mix of slightly confected red and purple fruits on the nose, along with a more ferrous type of character, and a touch of undergrowth with air. A little sweet fruited on the palate, before finishing somehow a little cooler and just a touch short. A decent little wine which I would suggest for mid-term drinking. At €20 the value seems OK. (88 pts.) - 2018 La Spinetta (Rivetti) Il Gentile di Casanova Toscana IGT - Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT (3/14/2022)
Deep blood red, this is initially quite austere on the nose, giving some classic Sangiovese sour cherry character but not a whole lot else. With air it becomes a touch more expressive, adding layers of more liqueur like fruit and spice. This carries through on the palate, which finishes moderately long with slightly grippy, furry tannins. I suspect this needs at least 3+ years to show its best and it may score higher in time. (88 pts.) - 2016 Anselmo Mendes Alvarinho Expressões - Portugal, Minho, Vinho Verde (3/13/2022)
Quite pale yellow. Still very youthful. Bright citrus and saline on the nose. A touch of dried herbs as well, but subtle. Quite crisp on the palate, with fairly bracing acidity. High quality but maybe a touch one dimensional to score higher ... maybe better with time? Certainly looks like it has the structure to age. (90 pts.) - 2019 Domaine de la Croix Barraud Moulin-à-Vent - France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Moulin-à-Vent (3/13/2022)
I’ve not seen this label before but I wanted something cheap and cheerful and about €10 at Franprix this looked like it would fit the bill, and it surely did. For the price this seriously over delivers, with lovely sweet Gamay fruit (purple lollies, violets) and pleasant balance. Maybe it finishes a touch short, but I think this could give some pricier Beaujolais a run for its money. (89 pts.) - 2009 Château Peyrabon - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc (3/11/2022)
This was found on the shelf of a Nicolas near Radio France a couple of months ago. Cork in excellent shape. Good deep ruby colour, and this is certainly fresh... but there is some disjunction between the age and a level of surprisingly sweet/primary, almost soupy red fruit that I struggle to reconcile. Finishes a touch short. Does it need more time or was it always a touch too ripe? Or just a bad bottle? (87 pts.) - 2019 Domaine Yves Cuilleron Côte-Rôtie La Madinière - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie (3/9/2022)
Just a quick first impression (first of three bottles, no formal notes). Quite structured and statuesque. Noticeable oak at first which eases with air. Likely to age well. (93 pts.) - 2019 François Villard Condrieu DePoncins - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Condrieu (3/9/2022)
No formal notes. Second bottle from a three pack. Decent purity and persistency, but lacks the ethereal weight and depth of flavored of top examples of the style. Maybe better with a little more like? 89-90+ (89 pts.) - 2019 Pithon-Paillé Anjou Mozaïk - France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Anjou (3/8/2022)
Very youthful, sharp wine initially with the acid dominating but rediscovered in the fridge after three or so days it was finally almost settled down displaying more character- suggesting a good prospect for aging. (87 pts.) - 2018 Val Moreira Douro Altitude 734M - Portugal, Douro (3/4/2022)
Interesting wine. Can't seem to find a lot of information on it other than made from "old vines". The online seller claims its 80/20 red and white grapes, but that seems a super high % white, and the producers' website doesn't seem to mention this point. Medium bodied. Fairly tart red fruits. Surprisingly grippy tannins to close. Overall, pretty decent but c€40-50 seems ambitious in terms of pricing. (88 pts.) - 2019 Caves de Pouilly sur Loire Pouilly-Fumé La Tuilerie - France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Pouilly-Fumé (3/3/2022)
Fresh, crisp, restrained. Pleasant acidity. Flavours of gooseberry, citrus, some more tropical fruit. Enjoyable enough and decent value for c€12. (87 pts.)