2022/8. As I’ve noted lately, it feels like the de Villaine whites have added another level in the last several years - deeper, more complex and more satisfying, without sacrificing any joyousness and without trying to be Meursault or anything like that. — 2 years ago
nose jumped out. high toned. betting no malolactic. rich palate. richer than I expected. delicious. excellent — 3 years ago
Layered warm 19’ vintage @ladder 4 in Detroit — 2 months ago
Fantastic — 6 months ago
Amazingly found this bottle at rustic pizza, Clare Valley at a $130. Thought this might be our only chance to drink a Wendouree so grabbed it. Beautifully fresh fruited, lovely balance, crisp acidity, medium bodied. Black/red fruited with violet highlights, spice, earth, eucalypt, silky dry tannin. The longer we sat with it the leather and tannin became quite firm, perhaps overwhelming some of the earlier fruit flavours. Drunk too young but still memorable. — 4 years ago
An enjoyable vintage, even if it’s not a top vintage, it still portrays typical P-C. Always enjoyable. Drinking very well with just a short decant. — 3 months ago
Popped and poured; enjoyed over three days; consistent throughout with very little evolution. The cork basically disintegrated when trying to open. The 2009 Gran Reserva pours a deep garnet color with an opaque core, moving gradually towards a rust colored rim. Medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears and some signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of ripe and desiccated red fruits: Bing cherry, mulberries, spiced plum, cumin, dill, Balsamico, chocolate chip banana bread, toasted coconut, leather, cigar box, dry earth and exotic spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and savory and super delicious. What a drop dead gorgeous Gran Reserva from Hermanos Pecina. This drinks well from the pop and pour opens up considerably with air so decanting 30min before would be advisable. Enjoy through 2039+. The cork was doing its job as it was only partially saturated, it just came apart in little pieces. I have several remaining bottles and I’ll plan on using an Ah-So or Durand with the next bottle. A stunning, ultra-traditional Rioja Tinto. — 9 months ago
Just a very enjoyable wine. Dangerous in that it’s so easy and compelling to drink. Decanted 2+ hours, quite ready to go at that point. Probably would have guessed a nice Beaujolais from the nose. Palate is so wonderfully seamless with excellent fruit and completeness and acid, with some serious density. Delicious with the standard Sunday night roast chicken with mushrooms. — 3 years ago
Jay Kline
Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of an hour. The 2014 Reserva pours a deep ruby color with a transparent core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of tart and ripe red fruits, Morello cherry, dill, green olives, horse blanket, old wood and dry organic earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and zippy. A super honest and traditional Rioja; a wine of character. It’s good on its own and even better with a variety of food. Drink now through 2034. — a month ago