I took a taste right away once i opened. It wasnt good so i slow-ox ad took a taste every 30mins. IMO it got abit better but still not worth the $11 I paid. Got 4 left. Hopefully it was just a bad bottle.
The first thing I’ve noticed about this wine is that there seems to be a lot of variation. The profile stays the same, but intensity is either there, or it’s a little flabby.
Second, it’s always best on PnP for me, drank within the first hour. YMMV.
The 2015 was released here in Ontario last year and was re-released a few weeks ago at $19.95 CAD. I tried a bottle when it was first released and was not a fan. Same reasons as others have stated: flabby, simple, too sweet.
I haven’t opened a bottle yet, but soon.
That being said, this comment seems strange to me. A wine can’t survive for 3 hours open? It’s only good for the first 20 min?
I think Yong just as a different (possibly yak!) palate.
Sounds like the ones I have had. A bit jammy, flabby, no complexity. I’ll take a DOCG Chianti Classico any day for that money…
Sean
Maybe it was bottle variation; idk. I thought the 16 was much more restrained than the 15, but they’re absolutely perfect wines to serve at a big bbq or party for non-wine people, which is why I stocked up.
Also, I’d be thrilled to see this on the list at restaurants instead of Francis Coppola, Meiomi, etc.
I also recently opened a 17 Raul Perez Ultreia St Jacques which is a much more complex wine for not much more, but I think would be less of a crowd pleaser.
I try to buy a few of these every time I see them at Costco. Tough to beat for the price! Perfect bbq wine
Agree on Perez St Jacques…amazing qpr and you can find some amazing deals. I’ve introduced it to quite a few friends and was surprised almost all of them thoroughly enjoyed it (a bit different than your typical every day drinking wine).
I will try Raul Perez Ultreia St Jacques next time I’m in Spain.
PnP one of these tonight. Jammy, pretty thin mid-palate to finish for me. Nothing amazingly special but easy enough to open for a party or casual dinner.
PnP one of these tonight. Jammy, pretty thin mid-palate to finish for me. Nothing amazingly special but easy enough to open for a party or casual dinner.
I agree. So you are not seeing this wine at 94 points? I have never thought much more than an 85 for this wine on any vintage.
that’s rather the point, that one person’s 94 is another person’s 85. Anything from ES is something that I make an effort to avoid. Anything that JD is excited about, is something I won’t drink for free.
I don’t think 3 hours of having the cork removed (i.e. “Slow-O”) should have any impact whatsoever on any young, well-made wine. I may be in the minority, but I just don’t buy it. The amount of oxygen that may fit in the head space between the cork and wine is tiny compared to the volume of wine and should have almost zero impact on the wine. (Even in a decanter with LOTS of oxygen, any young wine that completely falls apart in a couple of hours is NOT a well-made wine). My strong belief is that there is simply a lot of bottle variation (on top of the normal variation in individual preferences and tolerance for ‘soft and mushy’ wine), and the issue has nothing to do with whether someone gulped the wine down in 1 hour or over a 3 hour period.
I agree–this is at least half the issue. I too find JDs ratings too high across the board. Even giving his scores a 2-4 point “handicap” (knowing they are overrated), I find his ratings have, at best, no correlation to whether or not I am likely to enjoy the wine, and like Tim, I often suspect they have a REVERSE correlation (i.e. the more he likes it, the less likely I am to enjoy it).
I’ve opened a couple cases of the 15 and 16 and they’ve all drank well, but it’s cergainly not impossible someone has a bad bottle.
I’ve figured this wine out. Pair it with Tillamook choc chip cookie dough ice cream and it’s legit. ![[winner.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/07ec25c9fd71159fe15d7f1ba5fad64e91238d0e.gif "winner"){kind=small}
Domaine des Pasquiers Sablet ‘16 is even better.
I’m finishing my first bottle of this over 2 days and I like it. It’s a simple wine. Big, soft up front and drinks easily. Short, sweet finish. For the $$$ it’s good imo. I would agree with others that this is a good wine for non wine geeks. I’d give it 90 pts.
Not Classico (it’s from Rufina), but I just picked up more 2016 Selvapiana Chianti at my local store this weekend for $13.65/bottle. It’s been my favorite sub-$20 red over the last 6-8 months.
Finally opened up one of the 2016 vintage: I/we (my wife and I) enjoyed the wine, especially for the price, however, like some other people noted earlier, it was not at all complex and definitely lacked structure and mouthfeel. However, I would buy it again for the price! I enjoyed it and I know it would be a great party pleaser with friends and family. Thanks for the recommendation!