Archives: Product Reviews

Woocommerce product reviews

2000 and 1999 Rhone Valley Wines (Jan 2002)

Medium ruby. Cooler but precise aromas of blackberry, blueberry, licorice and menthol; last year my barrel sample was dominated by the 60% new oak, but in the finished wine the wood has been thoroughly integrated. The sweetest and most powerful of this trio, but extremely backward, even tough, today; conveys a strong impression of medicinal…

2018 Tuscany Preview (Feb 2021)

The 2018 Sassicaia is fabulous. Bright and beautifully poised, the 2018 opens with brilliant aromatics that make a strong first impression. Delicate and light on its feet, the 2018 is a regal wine that is going to need a number of years to come into its own. Sassicaia is the most finessed of Bolgheri’s top…

A Test Of Greatness: 2009 Bordeaux Ten Years On (March 2019)

The 2009 Haut-Brion has a less precocious but more detailed bouquet, more nuanced perhaps with warm slates baking in the summer sun, tilled loam and cedar infusing the black fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, perfect acidity, layers of mineral-rich black fruit. This seems to have gained more complexity in recent years and…

The 2009 Clarets (Jul 2012)

Vivid deep ruby. Knockout fruity nose offers blackcurrant, strawberry, rosemary, truffle and a stony note. Then very closed in the middle, with cabernet sauvignon-dominated flavors of cassis, cigar box, cedar and minerals. Finishes long and deep, with massive but smooth tannins and a lingering note of violet. This will need plenty of time in the…

Bordeaux 2009: The Best Ever? (May 2010)

(46% merlot, 40% cabernet sauvignon and 14% cabernet franc; a 57% selection; 14.3% alcohol) Saturated bright ruby. The deep, brooding nose is quite marked by the cabernet franc presence, opening slowly with air to offer sexy, soil-driven aromas of violet, raspberry, mocha, minerals and sweet spices. Then rich and sweet in the mouth but with…

A Test Of Greatness: 2009 Bordeaux Ten Years On (March 2019)

The 2009 Haut-Brion has a powerful bouquet with ample blackberry, hoisin, crushed stone and cedar aromas, quite warm and welcoming but retaining satisfying delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, a fine bead of acidity, but it seems to tighten towards the fresh and persistent finish. Impressive but unequivocally not the best example. 14.3%…