Archive for the ‘Pinot Noir’ Category
Tuesday, January 5th, 2010
I had to get the camera out for this wine because I couldn’t find any decent pictures on the net. Any tips to take a better bottle shot would be appreciated. Sweetly perfumed, with cherry, raspberry, earth and a touch of oak spice: all soft and delicate. The palate is clear and clean: linear fruits, cherries and raspberries, with some spice. Supple with good persistence and no hard tannins. Quite a lovely wine, with the perfume being the highlight for me.
Rated : 87 Points
Tasted : Jan10
Alcohol : 13%
Price : $80
Closure : Cork
Drink : 2012-2017
Source : Eurocentric Wine
Posted in $50 to $100, Burgundy, France, Notes, Pinot Noir, Price, Varietal/Style | No Comments »
Sunday, December 13th, 2009
A release direct from the cellar door. And at, as you can see, quite a remarkable price. A complex nose, stewed strawberries, beetroot, red cherries, undergrowth and brown spices, a touch of butter and a bit of varnish. A mellow palate, red cherries, beetrooty earthiness with rounded brown fruits and a pleasant shake of spice. Pretty good length, but the fruit is a bit dull and loose. I think I would have preferred it a couple of years ago. Drink now.
Rated : 88 Points
Tasted : Dec09
Alcohol : 14%
Price : $42
Closure : Cork
Drink : 2009-2011
Source : The Wine Emporium
Website : Fromm
Posted in $20 to $50, Marlborough, New Zealand, Notes, Pinot Noir, Price, Varietal/Style | No Comments »
Friday, December 11th, 2009
I recently read a profile of Domaine Lucie et Auguste Lignier on the Burgundy Report. Here’s a link. Anyway, it got me thinking about some Hubert Lignier wines I purchased several years ago, and that perhaps it was time to try them. And I’m glad I did, because though this one was enjoyable, it is certainly at its peak, or perhaps a little past it. A light red. Bold aromas, glossy cherries, earth and some spice. On the lighter side of medium bodied, rounded flavours with red cherries, brown spices and dried meats. Not terribly complex, but has some poise. Has some acid on the finish. Very nice with a potato and ham frittata. Drink now.
Rated : 86 Points
Tasted : Dec09
Alcohol : 13%
Price : $75
Closure : Cork
Drink : 2009-2010
Source : Cellar
Posted in $50 to $100, Burgundy, France, Notes, Pinot Noir, Price, Varietal/Style | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, December 9th, 2009
I had a couple of decent glasses of this one on the weekend. It is now three years since I last tried it, and it is developing nicely; still a few years off its peak, but getting there. A lifted nose, with spice, black fruits, red cherries, a touch of brown sugar and caramel oak (but less and more integrated than last time). The palate was nicely poised, black cherries and raspberries combining with some spices, dried meat and minerally dryness. Medium weight and balanced with good length; a lovely wine.
Rated : 91 Points
Tasted : Nov09
Alcohol : 13.5%
Price : $130
Closure : Cork
Drink : 2011 – 2015
Source : Cellar
Posted in Burgundy, France, Notes, Pinot Noir, Price, Varietal/Style, over $100 | No Comments »
Tuesday, December 1st, 2009
Opened with very tempting aromas: juicy dark cherries, a touch of dried meat, vanilla, spice and hints of caramel. Very young indeed. The palate showed some rawness (not surprising for a one year old wine), with cherries, raspberries, minerals, musk and a dry finish. A touch of acid crept in at the end of the palate; though time in the glass knocked the edge off that, and some savoury notes appeared. My abiding memory is of a very good wine, quite tight, that needs a couple of years or a very good decant. A bargain when retailing in the mid $20s.
Rated : 90 Points
Tasted : Nov09
Alcohol : 13.5%
Price : $25
Closure : Diam
Drink : 2011-2014
Source : Wine Emporium
Website : Kooyong
Posted in $20 to $50, Australia, Mornington Peninsula, Notes, Pinot Noir, Price, Varietal/Style | 1 Comment »
Sunday, November 22nd, 2009
I bought a few bottles of this a few years ago, trying to find a good value Bourgogne, which should be easier in years like 2002. I think I paid $35, and in hindsight I am not unhappy with the return on investment. Some browning near the rim. Cherries, brown earth, stalk, musky minerals with a touch of dried ginger and brown sugar. The palate was initially a little unfriendly, but opened up nicely to show sweet fruits, glacé cherries, stalk, pepper, minerals and a touch of sap on the finish. Pleasantly weighted but not terribly complex. Drink over the short term.
Rated : 87 Points
Tasted : Nov09
Alcohol : 12.5%
Price : $35
Closure : Cork
Drink : 2009-2012
Source : Cellar
Website : A.-F. Gros
Posted in $20 to $50, Burgundy, France, Notes, Pinot Noir, Price, Varietal/Style | 4 Comments »
Thursday, November 12th, 2009
Yes, the “A” in the wine name does stand for Aubert, the same Aubert de Villaine who is the co-owner and the co-director of the Domaine de la Romanee-Conti. Based in the Côte Chalonnaise in Bouzeron, they produce several red and white wines from this region.
A light and clear red in colour. A delicate nose; lightly spiced and lifted red fruits, minerals, animalé, with a touch of clean earth. The fruits are in the red cherry spectrum with perhaps some softly pressed strawberries. The palate is pleasant, gentle red fruits with a fair vein of rich minerals cutting through them; a bit austere and underweight without food, but has purity and some charm. Now even though it is from what might be considered a lesser appelation, it certainly improved with time in the glass and especially overnight, and according to their website and the wisdom of Allen Meadows, it is a wine that should be able to take some medium term cellaring. So leave it alone!
Rated : 87+ Points
Tasted : Nov09
Alcohol : 12.5%
Price : $55
Closure : Cork
Drink : 2013+
Source : WineStar
Website : Domaine de Villaine
Posted in $50 to $100, Burgundy, France, Notes, Pinot Noir, Price, Varietal/Style | 2 Comments »
Thursday, October 29th, 2009
As suggested by Franco, I slapped this in a decanter for 4 hours before seriously contemplating its merits. And he was right because even though the florals were very pleasant, the palate was backward. Very backward indeed. But actually, I didn’t find this to be long enough so I left the rest of the bottle overnight. And last night at about 5pm it exploded out of the blocks, showing violets and a light purpleness, cherry fruits with a bit of animal hide, musk, cedar and spice, all in small quantities. The real difference was in the palate, much improved, with cherries and a touch of strawberries, a lovely fruit sweetness with spice, all framed by some cedary dryness. Delicate, almost fragile. There is certainly some oak showing at the moment but I think it will be okay in the long run. I would have liked to have tried it a third time today, but alas, the bottle was gone.
Rated : 91+ Points
Tasted : Oct09
Alcohol : 13.3%
Price : $35
Closure : Screwcap
Drink : 2013-2018
Source : Boccaccio Cellars
Website : Hoddles Creek
Posted in $20 to $50, Australia, Notes, Pinot Noir, Price, Varietal/Style, Yarra Valley | 4 Comments »
Tuesday, October 27th, 2009
I have liked PHI wines in the past, and this continues the trend, despite the difficult vintage. An interesting nose, showing cherries and stalk, with minerals and musk, and a touch smoke and dried meat. Nuanced. The palate was initially a bit hard and dare I say it, rustic, but luckily with time it opened up and refined itself, displaying cherry fruits, rose petals and minerals, evolving later to the raspberry spectrum. A touch of stalk on the finish. Silky mouthfeel and supple tannins. An enjoyable wine. Not sure about the longevity, but I tend to err on the more cautious side, and would be drinking it over the short term.
Other vintages: 2005
Rated : 90 Points
Tasted : Oct09
Alcohol : 12.5%
Price : $60
Closure : Screwcap
Drink : 2010-2013
Source : The Wine Emporium
Website : PHI Wines
Posted in $50 to $100, Australia, Notes, Pinot Noir, Price, Varietal/Style, Yarra Valley | 2 Comments »
Monday, October 26th, 2009
It’s Pinot Noir weather again, so I picked up a small swag of them from TWE on the weekend. As well as this one, I have the 07 PHI, the 07 Main Ridge Half Acre, the 08 Kooyong Massale and the 06 Frogmore.
A bit of a lift on the nose, with plums and spice, vanilla and a hint of caramel. The palate is big and silky, powered by sour and savoury plums, black cherries, spices with a touch of game and quite a tangy finish. Tannins are supple and the length very good. Elemental at the moment, and also lacking some delicacy and those sexy Pinot florals. I suspect I should like this more than I do, but it just doesn’t hold my interest unfortunately. Perhaps I’m just in a bad mood and was expecting more.
Rated : 88 Points
Tasted : Oct09
Alcohol : 14%
Price : $80
Closure : Screwcap
Drink : 2011-2015
Source : The Wine Emporium
Website : Coldstream Hills
Posted in $50 to $100, Australia, Notes, Pinot Noir, Price, Varietal/Style, Yarra Valley | 1 Comment »