Chris England

9.5

Fab 05 top Rioja @ £70-100 in a great year & a fav of mine - will keep improving but great now 😉 Awesome 2020-30 👍

📍 Marques de Murrieta Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial 2005

🏵 95 points w/ 96-98 potential

🍇 89% Tempranillo & 11% Mazuelo

🍷 Deep ruby

👃 Soft oak through dark spiced berries, currants & cherry with creamy vanilla, light smoked tobacco, leather, mocha, coconut, mint & balsamic into choc cherry gateaux w/ a bit of date coming through

👄 Med+ body of deluxe silky smooth creamy stewed rich dark cherry driven fruits all perfectly balanced w/ thick cocoa cream, vanilla & balsamic touch

🎯 Long seductive oak, cocoa, balsamic & dark fruit cherry boom linger — 7 years ago

Chris England

9.7

Super smooooooth creamy silky velvet Hermitage @ £85 to £120- A shaved piggy wiggy wearing decadent silky pajamas & silk slippers 🐷

📍 Paul Jaboulet Aîné La Chapelle 2011

🏵 97 points & will improve 😉

🍷 Ruby w/ purple hue

👃 Cloves, olives, thyme & other spiced herbs, wet earth & blackberry w/ touch of liquorice, cherry, tar, dried piggy meats & cracked minerals - a full on nasal tease 🐽

👄 Med+ body incredibly super smooth rich creamy olive tapenade, chewy concentrated blackberry & dark earthy chomping thick cherry w/ dollop of liquorice silky sauce

🎯 Long dark fruit gooey gloop & dark olive pure silky velvet earthy mouth coating licking linger 😍 — 8 years ago

Chris England

9.6

Bolly GA pink hits the spot & this £74 05 is no exception!

🍾 Disg’d May 15

🍇 72% PN & 28% C

🍷 Peachy salmon pink

👃 Toasted almond brioche & yeasty fresh bread, soft oak soaked peach, fallen red apples & red currant w/ pink blossom & smoke

👄 Med bodied fine bubbled creamy zesty fresh persistent mouse of red apple, sour peach, citrus zests, red currant, cherry, bread & creamy shortbread biscuit in med acidity

🎯 Med+ citrus zest, red apple & cherry dry biscuity linger w/ a touch of pink grapefruit — 8 years ago

Chris England

9.4

Top year 904 @ £75 that was drank in Zalto burg glass as its like an aged burgundy

🐽 Paired w/ Iberian Ham 😍

🍷 Garnet ruby w/ brick

👃 Smoked burnt oak, soggy earthy leaves, leather, dark cherry & figs w/ balsamic & damson

👄 Med body of creamy stewed cherry w/ earthy balsamic & slight mocha

🎯 Med finish of above w/ earthy balsamic linger

Reaching peak but I preferred the 95 904 over this but the 890 94 was better than the 95! — 8 years ago

Craig Williams

9.4

Balsamic cherries; lovely length and intensity. Sweet tannins... that linger on the palate. — 9 years ago

Chris England

9.5

👊💥 £39 unbeatable QPR Pomerol & my favourite 👍 This Chateau is next door to Petrus and produces stunning wine for a fraction of the price! Perfect to drink now to next 5 yrs 😎

🍇 80% Mer & 20% Cab F

🍷 Dark ruby red w/ purple hue

👃 Dark jammy plum & blackcurrant through smokey oak, double choc mocha & minerals

👄 Med+ creamy smooth ripe dark plum & blackcurrant body with mocha infusion 💥 🥊

🎯 Long dark fruit, mineral & rich mocha linger - oh yeah 👍 — 9 years ago

David Valenti

9.5

Just marvellous. Scents of toast, roasted coffee and burnt rubber. Molten chocolate on the palate. Greatly structured, powerful. Great linger. — 9 years ago

James Aldridge

10

Beautiful soft/dull red color. Earthy flavor. No acidic linger. Soft, yet full bodied. Fruit forward, yet subtle. — 10 years ago

Dock Hooks

9.0

So, it's like 60 degrees outside plus massive rain on this mid-December day, with Christmas around the corner. Lisa and I are splitting the French presentation by Chef Chris @ sweet Lauren's Soundside, Steak & Seafood (and more) Restaurant (our amazing local bistro in west Morehead City, NC) where the food is only outdone by the people! For us, it's a large chicken breast with hand-handling drumette😎 and broccolini dipped in an old favorite, (but crazy good when it's good) French onion soup (amazing)! Then there's the wine working its magic making all this good stuff exactly what it was meant to be😎! It's a sensuous nose of coarse chocolate hiding in a lid-bag (words from yesteryear) opened, nakedly exposed and sensually inhaled at the same perfect moment of biting into a late-spring perfectly-fetched strawberry followed by a similarly chocolate-coated Bing cherry, all at once luxuriously coating the front of the lucky drinker's mouth, as it starts a sexy, slow dance home - near magic, but somewhat unfortunately interrupted by a strong hand-to-throat tannic twist that tightens and squeezes either enticingly or curtly (depending on how you like it) as you fantasize another pour, perhaps another year (maybe the 10) where you might languish, linger in a sweaty finish (a good night or a wine fantasy - your choice...)
Cheers! PS inexpensive, but expressive... — 10 years ago

Chris England

9.4

One of my favourite well priced Pauillacs @ £55 in a great year that keeps evolving lovely 👍 I’ve always loved the label and we call it “The dancing men” 😁 what do you think they’re doing?

🏵 94 points

🍇 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot & 12% Cabernet Franc

🍷 Opaque blackened ruby

👃 Crushed wet minerals & pencil lead through soft elegant smoked oaky black berries w/ spiced plum jam , light mocha, herby tea, soggy earth & wet autumn leaves

👄 Med bodied smooth rich mocha infused & earthy driven dark berries & plum with a soft liquorice tone

🎯 Med+ earthy mocha dark berry liquorice slight dry mineral linger w/ a black tea smackeroony — 8 years ago

Chris England

9.7

One of my favourite hidden gem BdB champagnes that I loved in 90 & 96 so excited to try the 02 @ £140 that was a generous gift 😍 Tied with string to hold the cork 👍

🏵 97 points

🍷 Golden yellow

👃 Butter baked brioche, cheese scone, tarte tatin, green cooking apple, citrus curd, honey, torched caramel & rock minerals

👄 Super fine bubbled med bodied mousse of citrus, caramel & sour green apple, pineapple & dry stone minerals

🎯 Med+ dry mineral citrus & honeyed fresh cut green apple w/ a burnt caramel linger — 8 years ago

Chris McClellan

9.1

Stunning ...the nose is melted licorice, spice, slight menthol..wonderful smell with ripe red/dark fruit. Med acid/med tannin...long linger. This is day 4 and at its best. Good decant would have made me drink the entire bottle in 2hrs! — 8 years ago

Chris England

9.3

Superb €38 now £65 personal fav from St Em in top year 👍 w/ fab QPR & a soft spot for me as I had this same vintage from the barrel 😍 93 going 95-96

🍇 71% Merlot & 29% Cab F

🍷Opaque ruby w/ purple hue

👃 Chocolate coated black cherry, berry & plum through smokey oak, liquorice & wet crushed mineral rock w/ violets

👄 Med+ creamy silky mocha dark berry plum bang w/ liquorice & minerals

🎯 Long mocha berry plum slight dry mineral linger purple teether — 8 years ago

Jason and Jennie

9.6

Lush. Very lush. Not huge tannins but they linger for a while. Almost got pink bubblegum on the first pour but it blew off. — 9 years ago

David Valenti

9.0

Cocoa, tobacco, black pepper, elegantly oaked. Beautifully melt tannins. Good linger but a little backfire. A little behind the 2013 vintage. — 9 years ago

Cynthia Langstaff

9.2

2011 vintage. Still a bit young, spicy & fresh but undercurrent of blackberry & slight bitter tannins which soften on the tongue to a long pleasant linger of fruit & astringent tannins. Somewhat two dimensionalbut still very good — 10 years ago

with Nicole, Todd and 4 others

Christine Havens

9.0

From the acclaimed Mount Veeder appellation, Mayacamas 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon spends 13 months on new French Oak and sees and additional 5 years aging in bottle prior to release. Complex, heady aromas of black currants and black cherries, roasted game, black olive tapenade, and a lovely wafting tertiary note of violets. High altitude and cooler growing conditions have endowed this Cab with tart, high-pitched red berries, underpinned by savory notes. Dried herbs a mineral vein linger on a persistent finish. — 10 years ago

Robert Bingham

9.0

Solid Margaux with earth notes with hints of thyme and soft multi textured tannins that linger show that this a wine that could go the distance. — 11 years ago

Michelle Hagen

9.7

Current nose. slight nice tannins with a Berry explosion with black cherry flavors. Opened quickly and the flavors linger in your mouth! Yum! — 13 years ago

Chris England

9.5

I 💗 Tig & this 06 gets better & better 😍 For £70 paid now £115 it’s a special treat to pop one of these beauties 😎

📍 Antinori Tignanello 2006

🏵 95-96 points

🍇 85% Sangiovese, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon & 5% Cabernet Franc

🍷Deep ruby with brown garnet edge

👃 Soft oak infused stewed dark cherry & spiced blackcurrant w/ mocha, earthy wet leaves, herbs, black tea, minerals & smokey tones

👄 Med body of super silky dark fruit berries & cherry in creamy mocha w/ dry minerals

🎯 Long slight dry dark fruit finish with a coffee & chocolate mineral linger

Yummy Tignanello one of my (many) favourite go to wines 👍 — 8 years ago

Clive McNish

9.2

It’s Thursday but this is a Friday wine. Deep purple in colour, nose is a fruity mix of blackberry, cherry, liquorice and chocolate. Tannins are a little gripping but they allow the flavour to linger, I can taste cherries, blueberries, cloves and pepper. This is a well balanced wine which is very drinkable but no doubt will be smoother in a few years. Recommended. — 8 years ago

Adam Kincaid

9.3

Oooo lala. Lovely, and 2012 was a hot year. Sour cherry and dried plums/dark fruits. Some great leather and tobacco that gives it a depth and linger that help it finish strong. — 8 years ago

Chris England

9.5

1️⃣9️⃣8️⃣7️⃣

🗞 🌎 Stock 📉, Kings Cross 🔥, Simpsons, -1 second
🎵 Faith, Livin' On A Prayer, With or Without You, I Just Can't Stop ❤️ You
🎥 Three Men & a Baby, Fatal Attraction, Good Morning Vietnam, Lethal Weapon
🗣 Nobody puts Baby in a corner
🌍 4.98B

Stunning Cos @ £180 - RP83 🤣

🍷 Deep ruby

👃 Gravel, flint, minerals & soggy earth through black berry fruits w/ herbs, soot, smokey oak & mint

👄 Med body of smooth b/berry loaded w/ mocha, liquorice & minerals

🎯 Long linger of ⬆️ w/ black tea — 8 years ago

Chris England

9.2

🎅 Advent 📆 Day 0️⃣9️⃣

Santa’s on a roll with another top year in one of my favourite St Estephes @ £37 for a halfy 👍 this is a great 91-92 now but will age to 94-95 easy 😉

🍇 51% Cab S & 49% Mer

🍷 Opaque deep ruby

👃 Dark morello cherry, damson, spiced blackcurrant & blackberry through light smoked oak w/ violet, earth, mineral & cocoa tones

👄 Med creamy silky body of plump blackcurrant & dark plum in chocolate w/ a hint of liquorice

🎯 Long dark fruit & mocha linger — 8 years ago

Angela

10

My favorite go-to blend. Full and fun with a hit of sweetness. Plum and some juicier berries with and expansive linger that makes it memorable. — 9 years ago

David Valenti

9.3

Oh yes. Mocha and cocoa flavours. Full-bodied, ample round with acid notes reliniscent of black cherry pie. Great linger. — 9 years ago

Brian

9.1

Beautiful wine with an elegant full body. Did not linger in the mouth as long as expected. The fruit tones were slightly muted. Drank this with a 1975 chateau Beychevelle — 9 years ago

Cynthia Langstaff

9.9

2001 at winery April 2016. Nice full creamy honey flavor well balanced with acid. Moderate consistent linger. Truly excellent! — 10 years ago

with David

Steve Haro

9.2

The initial smoked meat nose transitions smoothly into forward flavors that include roasted mushroom and wild game with flinty earth and blackberry compote nuances taking over the back palette. The finish still has a lot of fruit left with well rounded tannins that linger. Fantastic for 15 years!! — 11 years ago

David Langstaff

9.5

Loved it. But needs another 10 years. Great balance and long linger. Strong structure that will soften. Would love to be able to open a bottle every five years and compare. — 12 years ago