Veronica S

9.5

Incredible. Deep ruby with a little light on the edge to show its age. Cassis, black currant and blackberry, hint of smoke, cigar, slate and earth. Gripping tannins at first. Aerate for five minutes to smooth it out. Medium body and finish. Big but easy to drink. This can go for another ten years. Oh man. What an amazing treat. Thanks David. — 3 months ago

with David

Jay Kline

9.2

Selected off the list at Boiler Room. Giacomo Fenocchio’s holdings in the Bussia MGA reside within the sub zones of Bussia Sottana (of which they enjoy some of the best parcels) and that of Munie. Opened about 30 minutes before service; no decant and no formal notes. The 2014 “Bussia” from G. Fenocchio starts off a little shy, but it gains weight and significant aromatic character with time in the glass. Bright cherries, slightly on the more tart side with tar over roses. The body seems a little demure early on but it eventually fleshes out and becomes almost chewy! The structure I want and expect from Barolo is there too with lovely acid and stiff tannins. The finish is long and savory. Last sip was the best. This was quite a lovely example of 2014 and a fine accompaniment to bone-in pork chops and Morgan Ranch beef cheeks. Drink now with some patience and over the next ten or so years. — a year ago

Ely Cohn

9.2

A very un-Burgundian Pinot. Interesting and challenging and ultimately harmonious. Spicy, dark, brooding. Unapologetically assertive. Abrupt at first, but gives quite a bit with ten minutes of oxygen. Begins to harmonize more and more.

Compartments of sweet black cherries, baseball mitt, cedar, and limestone form to a point of a fortified dark syrupy cherry juice. At 14.5% it isn't as bright, candied, or cola-ed as you'd expect.

It's dark, spicy, and wholesome. — 2 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.5

I had the previous bottle 37 weeks ago and this was, once again, outstanding. Sous Bois is still there along with red fruited (cherry), red florals (roses) and confectionery. Evidence of whole bunch in the ferment. My daughter, Georgie adored it and said it was one of the best if not THE Best wine she has had in her Australian visit for the past 5 weeks. She has now returned to Copenhagen. Only 1705 bottles made. On Saturday my wife and I are having lunch at Ten Minutes by Tractor and need to restock their excellent wines. — 4 months ago

with Georgina

Will Stanley

9.6

Truly benchmark Rioja, La Rioja Alta’s ‘904’ Gran Reserva from the 2010 vintage - as fabled in Rioja as it is in Bordeaux - is a disarmingly gorgeous wine with superb ageing potential. I first tried this wine over two years ago, and found it a little closed at the time and was underwhelmed by the palate. The nose was terrific though, and that holds true today - it’s simply breathtaking, the sort of wine you spend ten minutes sniffing before taking your first sip. Today’s palate, however, is well and truly open for business. What a veritable explosion of flavour; a kaleidoscopic array of the best of both traditional and modern Rioja, all of it fresh, none of it tired, with a pure and ethereal presence of black and blue fruits, flowers, vanilla bean, clove, clementine and macerated cherry. When wine folk talk of a long finish, this wine gets a nod - it leaves an imprint on one’s palate that lasts minutes. I’m quite amazed by the improvement that two years has afforded this wine, both bottles bought at the same time and stored side-by-side in my cellar. At last, this has begun to show its potential and I cannot wait to see how it develops in the coming 20, 30, 40 years.

In the meantime, do not sleep on the 2010 Viña Ardanza, a wine that I have enjoyed many a time in the last two years, and one that would be included in my all-time list of value fine wines, were anyone to ask!

96+ — a year ago

David Shaw

9.1

Purple-red, moderately extracted pigment, good clarity with minor residue (it is unfiltered). Hints of butter, wood and cola in nose. Bright acidity, a touch of soy-umami in the flavors. Slightly gritty aftertaste on initial pour (it’s unfiltered!) Still assessing as it opens up... Cola flavor emerges after ten minutes, barrel tar aroma after thirty. — 3 years ago

David Shaw

9.1

Purple red, medium pigment extraction. Fresh grape flavors initially, like eating table grapes. After ten minutes, red fruit aromas and black currant and cherry flavors, well balanced, slightly bitter seed tannins on finish. Clean, medium bodied red wine, fresh and fruity. — 5 months ago

Jodi M

9.2

Gorgeous light red! Peppery, red fruit forward. — 7 months ago

Katie

9.1

This wine surprised us with every passing minute. Let it open up for ten minutes and then watch it displays layers of ever changing flavor — a year ago

with Alex

Will Stanley

9.6

A wine that more than lives up to its reputation, this estate Cabernet from Kanonkop in South Africa is a tremendous flag-bearer for the quality of Bordeaux blends (or, as in this case, single varietals) in the Cape - and particularly in that iconic region Stellenbosch.

An exuberant nose that leaps from the glass and features cassis, fig, cinnamon, some garam masala and cigar box, with more than a gentle tug of graphite. A touch of tomato vine completes what is a very harmonious aroma - and quite an austere one at that. It was ten minutes before I took a sip.

The palate is even more giving, after a two hour decant, with incredibly concentrated flavours of red cherry, blackcurrant and plum, and a lovely undercurrent of dark chocolate and vanilla. This is seriously accomplished stuff, with more than enough backbone to age, and a very long finish. I would love to try this in ten years - even five - but only bought the one bottle so that’s a pipe dream. If this was the Médoc, you’d be thrilled. Truly, an astonishingly good wine.

96+ — 3 years ago