Chris England

9.1

🎄 Advent Halfy Calendar Day 22 🎄

🎅 Santa says “Two more sleeps boys & girls 😊 I hope you’ve all been good! I have so I’m going to pop these bubbles 😉”

📝 I say this has aged quick in the baby bottle and very oxidative reminiscent of a Bollinger with 10 years age - a good new find 👍

⏩ 🍾 Mrs E got Ruinart Blanc de Blancs NV

📍 R&L Legras Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut NV

🏵 91 points but would like to re-evaluate on a 75/150cl bottle vs 37.5cl

🍇 Chardonnay

🍷 Golden yellow straw

👃 Oxidative toasted brioche, smoke, fallen apples, honey & burnt citrus curd biscuit w/ a cream caramel & mineral undertone

👄 Med+ bodied rich ripe fine bubbled mousse of caramelised apple, honey, citrus biscuit, grapefruit & dry mineral

🎯 Med++ touch dry burnt caramel apple tarte tatin, citrus curd, grapefruit & mineral linger — 7 years ago

Chris England

9.5

When Mrs Es been away in the 🇺🇸 all week & she lands .. what does she want 🤣 I think the 2012 is the best priced, finessed & yet w/ depth Sass going @ £107 (now £145+) from 09-15 vintages although 09 & 15 are my favourites 👍

📍 Sassicaia 2012

🏵 95 points

🍇 85% Cabernet Sauvignon & 15% Cabernet Franc

🍷 Dark opaque ruby

👃 Minty, herby, sweet cedar & soft smoked oak through dark cherries, raspberry jam, peppery spiced light blackcurrant & wild blackberry w/ stoney minerals, clove, lavender, liquorice & leather 😍

👄 Med body of silky elegant ripe spiced blackcurrant w/ cracked rock mineral & liquorice tones

🎯 Med+ black fruit blackcurrant driven wallop w/ mocha & raspberry liquorice slap
— 7 years ago

Chris England

9.5

Fabulous relaxed & reasonably priced meal at “Blanc” in the Mandarin Oriental with Chef Carme Ruscalleda, whose restaurants have won 7 Michelin stars! ⏩ Scroll for delish city’s food pics on Instagram ⏩

A truly unique wine that’s €112 in restaurant & €56 from winery that went with all the foods shown perfectly 😍

📍 Terroir Al Limit Pedra de Guix 2014

🏵 95 points

🍇 Pedro Ximénez, Macabeo & Garnatxa Blanca

🍷 Amber honey w/ a bronze orange tone

👃 Light burnt marmalade, stick toffee pudding foam, old sherry cask, fallen green apple & vanilla custard

👄 Med refreshing body of brown green apple in torched brown sugar w/ honey, citrus zest & baked orange w/ soft sherry tickles

🎯 Long aged tortured toffee old apple in honey & brown sugar - a sherry but elegant & subtle

💭 Mrs E says “Nowhere near as heavy as it looks”

— 7 years ago

Steve Anderson

9.3

Mrs A needed a nice glass of wine after encountering a new friend in the back yard. Fresh off the truck, but seems to be every bit as good as the amazing 2016. A bargain wine from Celia Welch. — 7 years ago

JKT

9.0

Latham 4/14/17 all family. Very balanced and foods friendly wine with long finish. Great value at $7 Acker auction. Another bottle at MRs 4/22/17. Same comments. — 9 years ago

Erin Bentley

9.7

Smooth rich rose. Very drinkable — 9 years ago

JKT

9.0

CVed 12/29/16. As I remember it from years ago. Funky earthy notes and darker cherry notes that carry through to palate and long finish. Different wine from other three. Opened 1/21/17 at MRs dinner. Tasting the same. Crowd favorite. — 9 years ago

Chris England

9.3

🎄 Advent Halfy Calendar Day 16 🎄

🎅 Santa says “People should leave me this this instead of a mince pie & milk 😊”

📝 I say a rather delicious showing for this vintage & went lovely with some gooey melting Epoisses cheese & Charcoal sourdough crackers 😍 ⏩ scroll for pic on Instagram 🧀

⏩ 🍾 Mrs E got Taittinger Rose NV

📍 Chateau Canon 2011

🏵 93 points

🍇 70% Merlot & 30% Cabernet Franc

🍷 Deep opaque blackened ruby

👃 Dark creamy damson plum through smoked oak, rock minerals & gravel w/ pencil lead, blackcurrant, liquorice, raspberry, herbs, soggy earth & mocha

👄 Med body of blackcurrant driven dark plummy fruits w/ a touch of fresh wild raspberry, mineral & cocoa

🎯 Med+ red & black fruit fresh filled finale w/ a light dry minerality & cocoa tickle
— 7 years ago

Chris England

9.3

Taking one for the community again & popping a 2015 Talbot @ £60 too see if it’s worth stocking up on as it got a low rating for such a good year - my verdict .. they’re wrong again it’s going to be mega with age 😉 but needs time 👍

🐮 Paired with Mrs Es Beef Stroganoff ⏩ scroll for pic on Instagram 😍

📍 Chateau Talbot 2015

🏵 93 points w/ great potential in 10-15 years

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

🍷 Opaque deep ruby

👃 Soft smoked oak through black berries & dark plum into minerals & pencil lead w/ blueberry, liquorice, mocha & autumn earthy wet leaves

👄 Med body of creamy blackcurrant, dark plum & mineral w/ a mocha & red liquorice undertone in med acidity

🎯 Med+ rich dark fruit filled warming finale in stoney mineral & liquorice mocha
— 7 years ago

Chris England

9.7

After a tiring day shopping 👠 👜 with Mrs E you gotta love Barcelona that you can pop to the local supermarket next to the hotel, grab some meat, cheeses, hummus & bread as well as a €295 98-100 Point by Vega Sicilia Unico 🤣 & a decanter + some glasses, then sit in your room overlooking the beach & city to chill @ sunset 😎 💗 Barcelona 🇪🇸

⏩ scroll for night pic 🌌 on Instagram

Drinking superb already but will become legendary 😍

📍 Vega Sicilia Unico 2006

🏵 97 points w/ huge potential but I prefer 04 at this crazy price 😁

💥 14% ABV

🍇 94% Tempranillo & 6% Cabernet Sauvignon

🍷 Opaque pitch black ruby

👃 A heady intoxicating nose of date & prune jam, chocolate kinky goo sauce, raspberry & cherry Black Forest gateaux, melted liquorice, smoked dry cured meat, mint infused fresh cut cedar & herbs w/ spiced damson plums & subtle oak 😍

👄 Full bodied rich & ripe raspberry & cherry through creamy cocoa w/ dark plum, prune, blackcurrant, liquorice & parma violets

🎯 Long prune choc cherry & raspberry gateaux cake food fight eruption in your cake hole 💥 Did somebody say food fight 🤣 — 7 years ago

WC Fields

9.8

Blauww! Complex beyond words. Brie, baked apples, caramel, some butterscotch (insisted by Mrs Fields), hazelnuts, buttered brioche toast. Softer finish but this is insanity with Nobu sushi Omokase. — 8 years ago

Josh Grove

8.9

"Very nice." says Mrs. Grove. — 9 years ago

JKT

9.1

CVed 1/1/17. Good floral Burg nose with earthiness and red berries. Supple and adult on palate. Finishes acidic. Opened 1/21/17 at MRs dinner. Excellent. Give it 9.1. — 9 years ago

Chris England

9.2

🎄 Advent Halfy Calendar Day 11 🎄

🎅 Santa says “what’s Mrs Claus after giving me this lovely festive juice on a Tuesday 😊”

📝 I say this is drinking well young but I’d leave 5-20 years 😉

⏩ 🍾 Mrs E got Pommery Brut Royal NV

📍 Chateau Langoa Barton 2010

🏵 92 points w/ more potential

🍇 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc & 17% Merlot

🍷 Deep dark blackened ruby

👃 Smoked oak through blackcurrant & dark plum w/ a touch of raspberry liquorice, cocoa, black cherry, light blueberry & minerals

👄 Med body of rich ripe punchy blackcurrant w/ dark plum, cocoa & raspberry liquorice

🎯 A long blackcurrant driven dark fruit bomb with a real raspberry undertone & blueberry tickle
— 7 years ago

Chris England

9.6

A rare wine 98 RP wine from Clos Mogador we grabbed at the winery for €180 that’s needs a big decant to free the powerful yet elegant complexities that stir within 😍 still totally overpriced I think 🤔

📍 Clos Mogador Espectacle del Montsant 2007 (more pics of label ⏩ on Instagram)

🐮 Paired w/ slow cooked beef 🥩 & Mrs Es Mac cheese 🧀 👌 but was better w/ beef vs cheese 😉

🏵 96 points

🍇 100% Grenache from 120+ year old vines

🍷 Deep garnet ruby w/ brown edge

👃 Spiced peppery black cherry, smoke, earthy truffle & a touch of red berry fruits w/ a subtle gravel flinty minerality

👄 An elegant med body of intense ripe concentrated black cherry silkyness that’s not overpowering incredibly w/ earthy truffled red berry fruits & dry rich stoney rock minerals

🎯 Long earthy dark cherry, red berry & slight blackberry earthy touch dry stone mineral linger
— 7 years ago

TheSkip

9.0

Mrs liked this. — 7 years ago

Nose Reiko

9.2

Rich and tasty. Silky tannin. With Mr and Mrs N. — 7 years ago

Chris England

9.4

Rare 96RP Priorat, only 1,008 bottles @ €146+ that's just beautiful & will age into 96-98 divinity 😍 Mrs E says "It's as smooth as Antonio Banderas' moves" I said "No as smooth as Penelope Cruz breasts" 😁

🍇 100% Carignan

🍷 Dark ruby w/ purple hue

👃 Strawberries & red cherries w/ touches of blackberry & raspberry seduced by oak, earth, farmyard, violets, liquorice & fine smoke

👄 Med silky polished delicate dark & red fruits that just seduces your taste sensations

🎯 Med+ soft earthy summer fruits 💋 — 8 years ago

Steve Anderson

9.3

Beautiful, room-filling nose. Very clear light ruby red, a bit of spice and nice texture. Great pairing with the salmon. Only knock was a slight perception of sweetness, but that worked with the food. Mrs. A's favorite of the evening. — 9 years ago

with Albert

Lauren Arendt

10

Mr. & Mrs. petite Syrah — 9 years ago