Adam Beasley

8.9

First Australian Shiraz I have had in ages. It was recommended as an exception to the usual 16% bruisers that we’ve all encountered. This one at 13.5% was super juicy - bursting with black and blue berries, slight forest floor, and wet concrete. Medium acid and tannin, with a fresh finish. I doubt I would have called Syrah if had blind, this comes across as just well made and balanced red wine. Simple but with impressive purity of fruit. — 3 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.2

See previous notes going back to November 2018. Can only reiterate from that note what Murray Tyrrell said and that on this occasion I have to disagree with Murray despite all of the incredible Hunter Valley Semillons he made on stainless steel. The oak really compliments this wine in a white Bordeaux style. Still lovely and fresh with the oak adding a vanilla texture. Ripe apple notes on nose and palate. Had my last bottle 50 weeks later on 24/11/21 and it was wonderful. Perfectly integrated French oak with a creamy texture very ripe apple with cashew. Would definitely buy again. Excellent. — 5 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.2

A brilliant old Sauternes in good condition. Aromas of barley sugar and a paraffin note. M plus intensity on the palate with great length. Thanks for bringing Jim Hunter. — 5 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.4

Mid plus Lemon in colour. Aromas of wet hay, nuts, beeswax, Lemon and toast. On palate waxy, lanolin texture with honeyed notes developing. The Hunter Valley is generally considered the home of Semillon in Australia and produces world class age worthy whites but this Trophy winning Barossa Semillon is right up there. Differs somewhat to the Hunter by being a more fruit driven style. — 5 years ago

Ceccherini Cristiano

9.1

It is starting to build up some character and complexity
Grapefruit, litchees, lanolin, a bit smoky too
Nice finish with a good amount of acid still there — 7 years ago

Ceccherini Cristiano

9.5

This is amazing stuff
I just don't understand why Aussies don't love it as much as I do
This bottle might be singing at its best in another ten years
Extremely enjoyable now too
Supported by a searing minerality ✌️ — 7 years ago

Mark Cowan

9.1

Put In down your throat xxx you are welcome — 8 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.0

See several previous tasting notes for this wine. This was made back in the day when Hunter Valley reds had strayed from their medium bodied, savoury, sweaty saddle origins to being riper and more full bodied like a South Australian Red. This was declared in a speech by Chief Winemaker at the time, Jim Chatto, at a dinner I attended at the winery. Also plenty of oak still evident at 15 years of age. I prefer the original Hunter Valley style which Mount Pleasant has wisely reverted to utilising the wonderful old vine fruit at its disposal. Tasted again 35 weeks later on 26th March 2022. Nothing to add to the note here. A Hunter Valley wine trying to look like a South Australian wine back in 2006 with ripe fruit and oak. Thankfully HV reds have returned to the medium weight savoury long living style that Maurice O’Shea made in the 1950’s. — 4 years ago

Ceccherini Cristiano

9.5

I know that this isn't a fancy super expensive wine, but if you are patient to cellar it it will open a door of perception, an insight on the Hunter Valley semillon, it could indeed be a textbook as an aged sample and descriptor of the category.
Lime jelly, macadamia, lanolin, lemongrass, mineral and the more you swirl the more it gives you all in perfect balance. An outstanding performer that very rarely disappoints.
Long and generous. — 5 years ago

Bob McDonald

8.9

Mid to deep red. Earthy and plummy on nose and palate. Still a solid core at 14 years of age. Back in those days Mount Pleasant were making riper more South Australian look alikes before returning to a more medium weight traditional Hunter style in the last 10 years. — 5 years ago

Ira Schwartz

9.0

Very surprised when I opened the wine list. My inner geek took over when I saw it was the same wine I consumed last week but a different vintage. A much less open and complex nose than the’11.
In the mouth this wine demonstrated greater freshness than the ‘11. Grapefruit like acidity put the fruit flavors at the forefront. Once again I was a little disappointed with the finish but I think in this case the wine truly needs time to unwind. — 6 years ago

Chris England

9.2

Taking one for the community trying this top vintage Talbot @ £58 to see if it’s worth buying more & computer says Hell Yeah 😍👍 Drinking great already but in 10-40 years Boomshakalaka 💥 a tad too youthy at the mo so let it 😴 💤 the 05 & even 10 are drinking well already 😉

📍 Chateau Talbot 2015

🏵 92 points moving to 94+ in time

🍇 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot & 3% Petit Verdot

🍷 Ooaque blackened ruby w/ purple hue

👃 Sweet damson plum & rich blackcurrant w/ smoke, liquorice, cocoa, blueberry, raspberry, light gravel, broken pencil, spice & minerals

👄 Med+ body of rich ripe deep blackcurrant w/ a red liquorice, mocha & mineral undertone

🎯 Long touch dry mineral infused blackcurrant, blueberry & red liquorice mocha kiss
— 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.1

Is there anything better than Ribeye & Claret? From my perspective, no. This is the second wine from one of more prestigious Chateaus in St. Estephe. Bordeaux rule number 2, buy the hell out of good producers second wines in very good vintages, like 2005. You’ll get great wines at more affordable prices. Providing, you exercise patience; which is rule number 1. Decanted for 3 plus hours. On the nose, ripe; blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, baked strawberries, black plum & cherries pull up the rear. Incense, herbaceous character, anise, scorched dark earth, burnt ambers, anise, baking spices dominated by vanilla, black tea, black cherry cola, loamy dry soils, dry & fresh red florals with violets for days. It’s in a great phase with many years ahead. The body is full and round. The texture has you wanting more. It’s velvety and ripe. Tannins soft and powdery, around 65-70 resolved. The fruits are ripe & ruby...showing the excellence of the 05 vintage. Blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, baked strawberries, black plum & cherries pull up the rear. Incense, herbaceous character, anise, scorched dark earth, dry stones, leather, cigar with ash, burnt ambers, anise, baking spices dominated by vanilla, black tea, black cherry cola, loamy dry soils, dry & fresh red florals with violets for days. The acidity is dead on. The length, structure, length & balance is harmonizing like America on the album, “ Horse with No Name.” The long finish is; ruby, rich, elegant, round, beautiful and lasts a minute plus. Beautiful wine. 9.4 with the steak. 9.2 on its own. Photos of; Chateau Cos d’ Estournel, hosting/tasting area, private wine stock and barrel cellar. Producer notes and history...Chateau Cos d’Estournel has a long history in the appellation of St. Estephe. Louis Gaspard d’Estournel, gave his name to the estate after founding it in 1811. It only took a few years before Chateau Cos d’Estournel became famous with wine lovers and royalty all over the world. In the early days, the wines of Cos d’Estournel were not sold through the Negociant system. The owner preferred selling his wine directly to his customers. In fact, Chateau Cos d’Estournel was exported to numerous countries across the globe, with a large portion of the production being sold to India. It was that connection to India that inspired much of the unique, east Indian design we see at Cos d’Estournel today. Chateau Cos d’Estournel was one of the first Chateaus to bottle, label and sell their own wine. This practice continued until the death of Louis Gaspard d’Estournel in 1852. After his death, the estate was purchased by an owner that sold their wines on the Place de Bordeaux, using the negociant system. If the Chateau had not been selling their wines through the negociant system, it would never have been included in the 1855 Classification! Chateau Cos d’Estournel was sold to the Charmolue family, the owners of the neighboring Chateau Montrose. They continued to own the estate until 1917, when it was bought by Fernand Ginestet. The purchase was the next major step in the development of Cos d’Estournel. The next era in the development of Chateau Cos d’Estournel took place in 2000, when Chateau Cos d’Estournel was bought by Michel Reybier, who made his fortune in the food industry. Michel Reybier hired the son of Bruno Prats, Jean-Guillaume Prats to manage Cos d’Estournel. Things improved with the efforts of Jean-Guillaume Prats who helped design the most modern wine making facilities in the entire Bordeaux wine making appellation at the time. A complete renovation of Cos d’Estournel took place in the winemaking facilities and cellars. The wine making facilities are completely modern, using 100% gravity. On October 15, 2012, Jean Guillaume Prats announced he was leaving Chateau Cos d’Estournel to join LVMH. Jean Guillaume Prats was replaced by Aymeric de Gironde. Following the departure of Aymeric de Gironde in 2017, the owner, Michel Reybier took over managing the estate. In 2018, the estate released COS100, produced from their oldest Merlot vines that were 100 years of age. It was limited in production to a 100 Jeroboams, (3 litres) and 10 Balthazars (12 litres) and a few other sizes were produced from only 2 barrels of wine. The proceeds from COS100 go to the charity, Elephant Family, that is devoted to protecting and nurturing Asian elephants in their own, natural habitat. Cos d’Estournel’s new cellar is a joint reflection by the technical team, the architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte and Jean Guillaume Prats. It’s a marvel blend of simplicity and modern technology. Cos d’Estournel is unique to Bordeaux and the rest of world. What makes this special is that the cellars of Cos d’Estournel are entirely operated by gravity. There are no pumps of any kind to force the wine. The purpose is to allow a gentleness to the wine and improve its purity allowing for expression of their special terroir. It set a new benchmark for cellars not only in the Left Bank, but in all of Bordeaux. The new cellars at Chateau Cos d’Estournel include 72 isothermal cone shaped stainless steel vats. The vats are specifically designed for thermal inertia. The 72 vats have a wide range of capacities to correspond with the needs of each parcel of vines. The vats range in size from as small as 19 hectoliters all the way up to 115 hectolitres. 12 of the smaller vats that are designed to handle between 19 and 60 hectoliters that have two levels in each vat. In other words, this offers the technical equivalent of 24 separate vats. Each of the vats are double lined, which allows for more exact and temperature control. None of the vats use interior heat coils. Perhaps the most inventive part of the cellars is the four 100 hectoliter lift tanks or wine elevators that replace the pumps used in the traditional pumping over and racking off processes, which introduce air and often destabilize the marc. From the moment the grapes arrive, everything travels by the flow of gravity. Jean Guillaume Prats called this process a pumpless, pump over. What takes place is, the wine is released from the main vat where the skins remain. By gravity, the juice is then moved into smaller vats which are on wheels. These small vats are sent to the glass elevators where they are moved up one floor and returned back into the vat by gravity to cover the skins. At this point, the process is still unique to Chateau Cos d’Estournel. The wine production of Cos d’Estournel is labor intensive starting the moment the grapes enter their new facility. The berries travel through a tunnel that instantly lowers the temperature of the fruit to 3-5 degrees Celsius. This sudden chilling stops the loss of juice while also slowing oxidation. Next, the grapes are cold macerated at 7-9 degrees Celsius for about a week. Pump overs are done by gravity recycling. The juice from the top of the vat moves to the bottom of the vat entirely by gravity. The fermentation takes place at low temperatures to avoid over extraction or harsh tannins. The 91 hectare vineyard of Chateau Cos d’Estournel is planted to 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. The vineyard is located close to the border of Pauillac and Saint Estephe at the southern tip of the Saint Estephe appellation. The vineyard has cultivated 84 hectares of vines. Even though the vineyard has been expanded over the years, the grape varietals planted here have remained consistent. The vineyard, located on the hill of Cos, has gentle elevations of up to 20 meters. On average, the vines are 35 years of age. However, the estate has very old Merlot vines as well, which date back more than 100 years. Part of the terroir is situated on the hill of Cos, which is at a high elevation for the Medoc at 20 meters. Cos d’Estournel is translated from old Gascon speech; which means the hill of pebbles. It describes the terroir along with clay, gravel, sand and limestone soil. However, there is a unique aspect to the soil at Cos d’Estournel, as you find more gravel and less clay here than you do at other neighboring vineyards. Because the fruit is grown close to the Atlantic ocean in a cool climate, Cos d’Estournel is often among the last of the properties in the Medoc to harvest. The vineyard is managed by teams and each team member is given 45,000 vines to look after. The vineyard, which is almost one large block, can be further divided into 72 separate parcels. — 7 years ago

Ceccherini Cristiano

9.1

See notes from 2 years ago
I enjoy this wine, but how it held 6 days with always less liquid in the bottle I can question.
Do they get a huge amount of sulphites?
The wine is definitely good and for being 14yo is absolutely a winner, but I did wonder... — 4 years ago

Jason Soloway

8.9

Easy to enjoy, but a bit too much of everything and not all in the right places. Elbows and knees. Uneven vintage? Underripe CS? Too much oak? Needs more time? How the hell am I supposed to know? — 5 years ago

Paul J

9.3

Excellent QPR! Almost clear in color. Nose is bright with petrol and floral tones. Wine is well balanced, with minimal sweetness. Short finish. This hit the spot and was exactly what I was looking for! — 5 years ago

with Brooke

Ellen Clifford

9.1

Oh crud I wrote a long thing about Ravenswood being family but like a family that...nevermind I cut it and apparently not in a way to paste.
Generously dried fruity. Coca Cola. Those in between tannins and abv and you, blind tasted might think it a friendly Cali blend but hell its just friendly. — 5 years ago

Johnno Harris

9.5

What a beauty! Really in the zone right now. Rich black fruits and savoury spice. Opulent and generous but still tightly coiled with plenty of length. In a nice window now with another 5-10 years ahead of it. 🍷👌🏽 — 6 years ago

Jeff Miller

9.3

Powerful Shiraz with nice acidity and fine grained tannins. Great food wine. Bursting with baking spices, ripe blueberry and cassis on the nose with a little black pepper, grilled herbs and gunflint thrown in for good measure. Palate was rich and intense with mouth coating blue and black fruits, mouthwatering acidity and a long lasting finish. Really surprising wine that we got as part of a gifted year of the California Wine Club. Best wine we’ve had from that club so far. — 7 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.4

Pale Lemon with a youthful greenish tinge. Aromas of wet straw and starting to develop secondary notes of lanolin and a little toast but a long way to go to reach full maturity. On the palate Citric Acid floods the sides and back of the tongue- mouth puckering. Tastes about 2 years old, not nearly 9 years and at least another 10 years cellaring ahead. Receives no oak influence and only 10.5% Alc. Highly awarded on the Australian Show Circuit with 4 Trophies. from the Royal Queensland Wine Show. From a 10 acre block at the foothills of the Brokenback Ranges in the Hunter Valley. First vintage in 1973 was a labour of love for the partners friends and families with the first grapes carried to the Winery in buckets in the back seat of Len Evans’ Bentley. .....a funny story 😉 — 8 years ago