Sunday, January 25th, 2009
94-97 / A
Dense black and ruby core with a vibrant rim. Creamy vanilla swims around ripe black cherry, blackberry and cassis aromas accented by lighter floral notes and a touch of flinty wet clay. Creamy and lush on the palate entry building to a bold yet ripe tannic finish. Dark sweet fruit flavors of blackberry, plum and blueberry lead to a long spicy cinnamon finish. Great structure and balance.
While not an inexpensive wine, this is clearly one of the outstanding wines of the vintage. This could age better than the 2005 vintage which goes for about twice the price. Fairly small production (around 4000 cases). While it is lush enough to be drinkable when released, give this one 10+ years and it will be amazing. The pure grade is a range because this wine is clearly still developing in the bottle.
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Tags: 2006, black, blackberry, blueberry, bordeaux, cassis, chateau, cherry, cinnamon, clay, Conseillante, creamy, flint, floral, lush, plum, red wine, ripe, ruby, spicy, sweet, tannic, vanilla, vibrant
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Thursday, January 22nd, 2009
89 / A
Tasted by Mike Supple - 23 Jul 2008
Medium yellow gold with a clear rim. Nice nit of toast over very ripe yellow apple with a touch of flint and honeydew. Medium acid on the palate with nice round mouthfeel. Lots of slate and minerality supported by apricot and yellow apples leading to a creamy finish.
Not your typical NZ Sauv Blanc, but seems to have developed nice complexity with time, dropping the austere gooseberry many NZ SBs are known for, and picking up a richer, rounder more mineral-driven style.
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Tags: 2003, apple, apricot, creamy, flint, gooseberry, honeydew, Marlborough, mineral, New, Sauvignon Blanc, slate, Thornbury, toast, white, White wine, yellow, Zealand
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Tuesday, January 20th, 2009
88 / B
Tasted by Mike Supple - 15 Oct 2007
Pale lemon color. Sweet candied citrus aromas with ripe golden apple. Although very candied in aromas, the wine is much drier in the mouth. Good creamy mousse, with crisp lemon zest leading into a bright, clean finish.
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Tags: apple, brut, candy, champagne, citrus, creamy, cuis, france, gimonnet, golden, lemon, pierre, sparkling wine, zest
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