With the exception of the Rothwell Hyde, these are wines that are new to me. I am on a mission to work through Nigel’s wines and so far I have had the Impensata and Wheeler Farms and now the Accendo. (Bella oaks, Annulus, and Aphex, Rhadamanthus, Kodo still on the list.)
Not going to give any formal tasting notes - honestly they would all sound about the same - they are all still red wines, dark purple in color with dark blackberry and currants. They all have significant tannic finish and have great structure. I drank them over several days and then tasted them blind for the last pours - you would figure after tasting them initially I would have some memory a day later - alas, I only got the Rothwell Hyde correct! I thought the Accendo was the Memento, the Memento was the Fait-Main, and the Fait-Main was the Accendo.
The Rothwell Hyde was the best drinking wine now - age probably has helped it and it was the one wine that may have been just a bit more ruby and less purple color. It also had the most refined finish - very polished tannins that are perfect. One thing that was very weird is it drank very well on day one but 2 days later it clearly had some cork taint that I noticed and made it so my wife refused to drink it. That is a new one for me. I do have one bottle left and hope it is not flawed because it clearly has the stuffing.
The Accendo was my second favorite - at least on day one - once the taint showed on the RH I was more of a fan of Accendo as my favorite of this tasting. This is a very balanced wine and is quite linear in a good way without any harsh edges. The tannins are mostly resolved but I still feel like a few years of cellar time will help this wine. Of note is the back label: Despite being a Rolland wine the stated goal of the winery is to make a wine more in the manner of “old school” Cabs.
The Memento Mori probably was the most disappointing at least for now. I think all the elements are there but just seemed a bit disjointed and not drinking to its pedigree. Blindly, I picked it as the cheapest wine. My thought would be to hold for now if you own it.
The Fait Main obviously out performed - Benoit has done such a terrific job at Realm I decided to follow him here. Looking forward to some more of his releases - the 23 MH is on hold due to wine labels but can’t wait to get my hands on this one. Wish I had bought more of the Napa now since it is such a great QPR.