Bob McDonald

9.3

My last bottle of 2002 Bin 28 Kalimna. More notes to come. First vintage of Bin 28 was 1959. Very much the Penfolds house style. Herbs, dark plums and Choc/mocha aromatics with red and black fruits. Certainly the Penfolds DNA. On the 2nd night initially a whiff of coconut oak. A reliable mid tier well priced Penfolds red which can be drunk young or cellared for many years. Has been a regular purchase for me over the years. — 2 months ago

Ceccherini Cristiano

9.6

Give a ring if there's anything else like it as a rose
It mingles with light reds easily, but has the fun part of a fresh rose with the complexity that unfolds over and over
The elegance is somewhere between a Volnay and a Barolo
Cola, raspberries, sweet tobacco, white choc, salted caramel, mou, forest floor, mushroom and slightly grillée
Nearly fizzy when opened
It was worth the wait
A star!! — 5 years ago

Chris England

9.8

My favourite Pomerol in a great year 🏆 now sells @ £250-£285 😱 On its 6th try & it’s now much better integrated & drinking lovely but will age more 😉 A New Year’s Eve delight 😍 enjoyed with Lasagne 🍝
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📍 Vieux Chateau Certan 1998 Pomerol
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🏵 98 points for 1998 😁 & should improve
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🍇 90% Merlot & 10% Cabernet Sauvignon
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🍷 Garnet ruby w/ brick edge
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👃 Nasal Nookie Gang Bang of creamy dark spiced damson plum in soft smoked oak & light cedar w/ soggy earth, wet leaves, liquorice, rock minerals, cracked pencil lead, dirty gravel, cocoa, black berry fruits, charred soot embers, mint & herbs - nasaltastic baby 😍
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👄 Med earthy body of silky smooth ripe dark plum & black berry fruits w/ red cherry, raspberry liquorice & choc mocha in slight dry rock minerals
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🎯 Long deep plum & dark berry earthy soft liquorice mocha choca cherry & a light dry mineral oaky seductive smack in your chops — 8 years ago

Chris England

9.6

My favourite St Julien in great year I got @ £82 now £190+ now 😱 So hard to stop drinking as it's good young & old 😍 Given 5-15 years this will be a 98+ wine easily 👍 It’s in a lovely place now 😍 Sexylicious 💗

📍 Chateau Leoville Poyferre 2005

🏵 96+ points with bigger potential as age will help this 😉

🍇 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot & 6% Petit Verdot

🍷 Opaque deep ruby

👃 Heady soft alluring smokey oak through spiced rich blackcurrant & creamy dark plum w/ double choc mocha, cracked rock mineral, blueberry, herbs & liquorice - dreamy 😉

👄 Med+ bodied silky intense mouth coating blackcurrant & dark plums w/ cocoa, black tea & liquorice in fine dry mineralised tannins

🎯 Long touch dry earthy dark fruits smothered in cocoa w/ a creamed liquorice 💋, black tea 🥊 & a dry mineral 👋 — 8 years ago

Anil Saxena

9.1

Wow! $8.99 at total wine and such a bargain!! Deep jammy nose with a wonderful aftertaste. It’s got hints of graphite, dried cherries and the feeling of a nice autumn afternoon. Yum. GO buy some of this wine. — 8 years ago

David Symes

9.0

Great with choc — 8 years ago

Ericsson

9.3

One of my favorite Pomerols right now. Intense fruit, silky body, and great overall balance. Plus, it is the year of the horse. At Thyme Restaurant. — 4 months ago

Ceccherini Cristiano

9.6

Finesse, delicacy, complexity and focus
Quince, cedar and thyme tea
White pepper, almond spread and white choc
A field of flowers(mainly yellow)
Lemon curds, dill, breadcrumbs and more and more
Seaweed and strongly marine
Whispered rather than shouted class
Every swirl is a discovery, a subtle win of aromas
Toffees and cappuccino coming out of the glass with the rising temperature
It goes without saying the fun
So long aftertaste
12% in alcohol
This is the gotha of the Italian white wines
Still decades ahead i am sure
It could easily rank a Grand Cru status
Grab it if you can..and then age it — 5 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.6

Amazing to buy a 23 year old Penfolds Bin 128 as good as this for $125 - only at Penfolds HQ at Magill Estate Adelaide. Still the Penfolds DNA of Choc Malt Mocha on this lovely old Shiraz. Dusty plummy notes, some old wood and leather notes. Tannins resolved - everything balanced. Shows the quality and ability to age of all Penfolds Cuvées. — 5 years ago

Chris England

9.7

The 2001 Clos Mogador was stunning aged drank in 2017 but this 2013 @ £65, now £80-£100 as a 98 Parker pointer, has massive potential 😁 Beautiful now but give this 10+yrs & you have a fab priced 98+ point wine in the making 😍 28k bottles so buy if you can 👍

📍 Clos Mogador 2013

🏵 97 points w/ 99+ potential I’d say

🍇 49% Grenache, 25% Carignan, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon & 16% Syrah 😍

🍷 Opaque deep ruby w/ purple hue

👃 Rich mocha infused spiced dark cherry/berry bang w/ minerals, pencil lead, herbs, soggy earth, raspberry coulis, hint of prune, soft smoked oak & crushed violets

👄 Med+ to Full bodied ripe creamy smooth dark berry/cherry oozy chocy mocha infused silky boom choc raspberry gateaux fest w/ a rock mineral stoney backbone

🎯 Long deep dark fruits & cocoa linger w/ a raspberry slap & mineral kiss - choc cherry gateaux in a glass 💥 😍

🧀 Paired w/ aged Manchego & Iberian ham 🐷 — 7 years ago

Ceccherini Cristiano

9.6

Beautiful golden bright colour
Intense nose
Pear, citron
Floral, Scotch broom, jasmine too and camomile
Violet and wisteria
Honey and hay
Blonde tobacco, white choc
Macadamia, nutmeg, ginger, little pistachio as well, turmeric
The palate is pristine
Full, but easy
Heaps of mineral in the aftertaste
Extremely long
Definitely my favourite Wachau vineyard and producer
❤️❤️❤️❤️
Still ten to fifteen years ahead — 8 years ago

with francesco and Mauro

Chris England

9.2

Fab St Estephe @ £63 drinking great already but will age lovely to 93-95 in 4-5yrs

🍇 41% Cab S & 59% Merlot

🍷 Opaque ruby

👃 Earthy blackcurrant & dark cherry raspberry chocolate gateaux w/ a gravelly mineral tone & plum compote splat

👄 Med body of choc cherry & blackcurrant plummy gateaux w/ a liquorice & mineral backbone

🎯 Med+ dark fruit gooey choc gateaux lickyness w/ a touch dry mineral linger — 8 years ago

Jay Green

9.0

Wrapping presents getting juiced up for lcd. — 9 years ago

Ryan Kaltenbach

9.3

In El Chalten, Argentina. — 8 months ago

Peter van den Besselaar

9.2

Vintage 2021 | tasted blind next to Montepulciano. Dark colour. Chocolate and plum in taste. A warm taste, I call it chic. Although an introverted character, this wine impressed me. — a year ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.3

2016 vintage. A brooding hulk of a wine currently. Nose chock full of baking choc(k)olate, rose petals and earth. Big, tannic front door. Smooth (but dry) and lengthy back door. Medium/medium-full bodied. Will pick up a few more and cellar one or two. Monolithically delicious. — 5 years ago

Chris England

9.6

This is still my favourite Rioja & vintage at present, worth £80 😍 My 10th try & still a beauty I can’t resist 👍 I exemplifies the pure essence a high quality Rioja 👏

📍 La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva 890 2001

▶️ @lariojaaltasa 🤗

🏵 96 points

🍇 95% Tempranillo, 3% Graciano & 2% Mazuelo

🍷 Garnet ruby w/ brick edge

👃 Smoked oak through mashed earthy cherries covered in vanilla coconut cream, balsamic jam & double caramel choc mocha w/ red liquorice, truffle, prune, date & light spiced herbs #nosetasia

👄 Med body of rich smooth silky creamy dark & red cherry bathed in balsamic goo w/ melted mocha & earthy liquorice

🎯 Long balsamic cherry mocha berry blast w/ a balsamic linger, touch of woody oak & red berry — 7 years ago

Chris England

9.5

Fab 05 top Rioja @ £70-100 in a great year & a fav of mine - will keep improving but great now 😉 Awesome 2020-30 👍

📍 Marques de Murrieta Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial 2005

🏵 95 points w/ 96-98 potential

🍇 89% Tempranillo & 11% Mazuelo

🍷 Deep ruby

👃 Soft oak through dark spiced berries, currants & cherry with creamy vanilla, light smoked tobacco, leather, mocha, coconut, mint & balsamic into choc cherry gateaux w/ a bit of date coming through

👄 Med+ body of deluxe silky smooth creamy stewed rich dark cherry driven fruits all perfectly balanced w/ thick cocoa cream, vanilla & balsamic touch

🎯 Long seductive oak, cocoa, balsamic & dark fruit cherry boom linger — 8 years ago

Chris England

9.2

Fab Hermy happiness @ £43 that's already great but given 5 years will be yumbags 😍

📍 Domaine Marc Sorrel Hermitage 2009

🏵 92 points

🍇 100% Syrah

🍷 Dark opaque ruby w/ purple edge

👃 Violet infused blackberry w/ a dark spiced cherry, mocha, smoke, blackcurrant, light oak, prune hint & earthy mushroom opening to choc cherry gateaux & liquorice

👄 Med body of earthy peppered creamy blackberry, red cherry & soft mocha in a sweet pie

🎯 Long summer fruits in earthy raspberry & cherry mocha infused linger — 8 years ago

Chris England

9.5

This £95 Valbuena 06 is @ it’s peak I’d say showcasing the ageing of a Vega 2nd 👍

🍷 Opaque ruby

👃 Smokey mashed chewy dark cherry, fresh charred oak, deep mocha & balsamic w/ herbs, prune & fig jam

👄 Med body of smooth cherry yummyness w/ a soft mocha & liquorice balsamic date spank

🎯 Med+ creamy cherry date mocha lip licking goodness into a double choc cherry n raspberry gateaux goo 😍 — 8 years ago