Brilliant Mistake Wines
La Rioja Alta
Reserva Viña Ardanza Rioja Tempranillo Garnacha 2015
The 2015 Viña Ardanza is only the third vintage of this wine that I’ve tasted, yet it has quickly become perhaps my favourite Rioja - for quality, value, style, and sheer pleasure. This is a match for the brilliant 2010, with an outrageously pure and beautiful nose of balsamic paste, bitter orange, black cherry, fig and vanilla. The palate is supple but firm, quite dark in character, with a gorgeous medley of black and red fruits, perhaps slightly fuller bodied than the 2010, and carrying through to a long, bitter orange, tar and tobacco-laced finish.
This is just such superb stuff, and to say it sells for around £20-30 a bottle, it’s a cellar must. — a year ago
Château Haut-Brion
Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend 1997
Girl. Sup? Shoot. This was utterly brilliant tonight. Classic Bordeaux yet, even at 26 years young, somewhat precocious still. A beautiful mix of deep, dark and red fruit with currants, blackberries and cherries with chocolate, purple flowers, green pepper, tobacco, earth, leather and awesomeness. Plenty of structure to keep this strutting for years to come. Fabulous balance and complexity. Drink now through 2047+. — 3 months ago
Domaine Ghislaine Barthod
Les Cras Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Pinot Noir 2015
A bright Ruby red in colour. Red florals, touch of violet with red cherry and notes of compost heap. A dusty component to the nose Barb thought. Not as much perfume as I was expecting in a Premier Cru Chambolle. Medium bodied and latent. More mineral, dusty and earthy than a new world Pinot Noir. A perfect match with Duck a l’Orange. One of the 1001 wines. This was a major stuff up. I meant to drink the 2013 and picked the 2015 by mistake which is nowhere near ready. — 2 years ago
Domaine Drouhin
Laurène Dundee Hills Pinot Noir 2019
Brilliant cherry. Perfect at Thanksgiving or anytime. November 2024. — 15 days ago
Château Palmer
Margaux Red Bordeaux Blend 2016
The 2016 Palmer is a brilliant wine from Thomas Duroux, though I feel it will ultimately be surpassed by the 2018. You cannot argue with the nose: intense black cherries and raspberry fruit, crushed violets and crème de cassis (as if there was a touch of Pauillac in there). The palate is medium-bodied with fleshy, sensual tannins, perfect acidity, velvet smooth with layers of chocolate-tinged black fruit, hints of black pepper and cedar towards the sustained finish. It is a fabulous Palmer that will give much pleasure. Tasted at the Palmer vertical at the château. (Neal Martin, Vinous, August 2023)
— a year ago
Raimundo Benzal Martínez
Drank on 5th Dec 2024 at Plymouth’s Le Vignoble raclette night.
Bright red, centre and rim.
Vanilla on the nose and the mouth, soft and nice.
— 3 days ago