Bob McDonald

9.5

At the Yarra Yering dinner in Brisbane last Thursday 3rd October 2024 with winemaker Sarah Crowe. A blend of Shiraz, Viognier, Mataro and Marsanne. The original vineyards of Shiraz and Marsanne were established in 1969 with additional vineyards of Mataro and Viognier planted from 1984 to 1995. A lovely red berried perfume (raspberry) with some stalks added back in. Interestingly some fermenters have added frozen Viognier skins to the bottom, some have Marsanne skins. Sarah is always wanting to push the envelope with her winemaking. A classic Rhone style, blended with perfume in mind. Red wine of the year from the Halliday Wine Companion and awarded 99 points from Philip Rich from that publication. — a month ago

Jay Kline

9.2

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of two days. Best on Day 2. The 2019 pours a pale garnet color with a transparent core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of Morello cherries, red roses, tangerine, pomegranate, talcum powder, dried sage, truffle, and dried stony earth. On the palate, the wine is bone dry with high tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and savory. A lovely expression of 2019 Barbaresco. Drink now with patience and through 2049. — 3 months ago

GaryWEdwards

9.7

Elegant and refined with dark berries and chocolate present in the best way. A beautifully structured wine that benefits from 2 hour decant. Enjoy. — 4 months ago

Joe DAscoli

9.5

Decanted for 2 hours before we touched it

2nd sip was better than the first. As if you needed the first sip to prepare yourself for this wine

Overall great structure and solid fruit. Improved with airtime. Delicious wine. — a month ago

Ross Bathgate

9.5

Amazing! Medium bodied and silky smooth, layers and layers of spice with chocolate. — 2 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.4

2014 vintage. Light-medium body. Excellent cedar and tobacco notes floating amidst the soft tannin treatment. Verry harmonious currently. Maybe 2-3 years more before hitting the absolute top of the bell curve. Maybe. This vintage is rocking right now and arguably at its absolute zenith. So good. 8.8.24. — 3 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.2

1989 vintage. Last tasted 3.28.24, 5.5.23, 4.4.23 and 12.9.22. Solid fill and cork. Recommended decanting but was denied. Mmkay. Eventually got clearance to decant after the bottle had been open for 1.25 hrs. Tasted after being open 5 mins, 45 mins and 2 hrs. Light-medium body throughout. Wine was funky and super tight initially. Had to talk a few of the “participants” down from their “this wine ain’t nothing” perch by telling them it needed at least an hour in the glass (since it hadn’t been decanted at that point). Wine threw expected sed on the decant. Started to loosen up at the 45 mins open stage and fairly exploded at the 2 hrs open (45 mins decanted) point. Dude that didn’t want to decant it gave me a wistful, regretful look at that point (since it blew the other 4 reds at the table away and was getting better) and it took waay too much willpower on my end not to say “Congrats on minimizing a fantastic wine experience, bro.” It wasn’t the best 1989 P-L specimen tasted semi-recently but feel this coulda delved into the 9.4 range without the unnecessary power trip from someone that didn’t even bring this wine to the shindig. Hopefully, this individual learned their lesson. 7.6.24. — 4 months ago

Delectable Wine

Follow to learn about our favorite wines & people.

9.3

The 2023 Selección Especial Nº2 Victoria was sourced from a 1920-planted vineyard in Vélez-Málaga, Alta Axarquía, in the Sierras de Málaga. This late-harvest wine was aged seven months on the lees and bottled with 190 grams of sugar. Yellow in hue, it presents herbal aromas with peach and apricot notes and a faint hint of nard. Sweet and balanced on the palate, it offers an intense mouthfeel with a long-lasting savory finish. This is a delicate, well-crafted wine. (Joaquín Hidalgo, Vinous, September 2024)
— 2 months ago

Jakub Kalinowski

9.5

Aetheric and elegant and so Burgundian.
Ripe yellow apple, (over)ripe lemon, subtle butterscotch, shortbread and some nice, cool minerality.
Amazing purity and precision here. Blind - a classic, textbook Puligny!
Beautiful balance on the palate, a touch of creaminess but brilliant precision - creamy lemons on a bed of rocky, stony minerality. Great depth and energy here. And elegance. And length. This is complex and complete and bordering on profound. And yet, so drinkable! The bottle disappeared instantly!
A perfect modern, cool climate Chardonnay?
What a wine!!
— 3 months ago

Scott Kahn

9.3

Wonderfully balanced wine; deep ruby in color, dark fruit and cedar notes on the palette and perfectly integrated tannins (after 1-2 hours to open!). Moderate acidity with a long fruit-centered finish. This wine is in its prime! — 3 months ago