5/17/2024 - chatters wrote:

Coravin fun - Bordeaux (My place, Burwood): From Coravin. Savoury, clean, brambles, sous bois, mushrooms tend to truffle, sweet spice, coffee, wet leaves, cigar box, polished leather, umami, nice nose. Juicy tends to medium plus intensity acidity, fleshy, fresh, still very much alive, slight dried out blackberry fruit with a little mushrooms, truffle, leather...tannins are woody, integrated and support the flavours on the long finish. Very good.

5/10/2024 - melvinyeowq wrote:

A Chambolle + Champagne dinner: Small sample from a buddy after I couldn't make dinner. Remarkably similar to the '07 Charmes I had in Paris with surprisingly sweet, balsamic fruit; albeit more masculine than the Charmes. Quite autumnal compared to other more youthful 2010s that I’ve had. Acidity also stuck out a little unlike other more balanced 2010s.

12/17/2023 - palfr2 wrote:

Feb 2021 disgorgement and 2016 Base, 100% Meunier - the austerity of a zero dosage is very evident so it is a food companion, today paired with dover sole, steamed potatoes and parsley. Mirabelle plum, baked apples and oxidative notes mostly on the nose. The mousse is both fine beaded and persistent. A serious Meunier for the table.

4/16/2024 - rocknroller wrote:

Heidi's Group: Oh My! (St. Genevieve, Mpls, MN): Light medium gold color. Drank a glass over 2 hours. It's been about 3 years since we last had this. Tonight's bottle shows the evolution nicely as this takes on more weight and richness now. Dense, full bodied and round, juicy fruits, orange and more citrus, touches of pineapple, subtle lemon cream, honeyed, loads of oyster shell and ocean minerality. Clearly shows it grand cru power and class. Excellent, and maybe even better in it's brighter youth?

3/31/2024 - vulgar little monkey wrote:

2020 release, Base 2017. Another excellent bottle of this. A gentle, easy to love style that has grace and depth. So well balanced and good with food or on its own.

3/23/2024 - sirpat00 wrote:

Tasted at a social event. Amazing palate with layers , density and wight to it. Aromas are a harmonious melody of apple and pear fruit, burned sugar, yeast, flour and bakery notes as well as herbal complexity. The palate is broad adding distinct caramel flavor. Linear acidity leading into an endless finish with a citric climax after 1.5 minutes. Compared to 2009 and 2013 this came across more fresh in terms of aromas with fewer oxidative notes. But overall I would see this on a par with those outstanding vintages.

2/28/2024 - palfr2 wrote:

Dinner at home with friends - Very reductive style of Champagne and quality underlying material. I let this warm excessively unfortunately to express its full qualities. On the first impressions only this is a great Dom. It is no longer a wine I am chasing though for cellaring as the value is not obvious versus the greater singularity offered by Grower Champagnes.

12/31/2022 - Eric Wright Likes this wine:

Lovely, but for double the price of the NV blend? Probably not

3/3/2024 - Collector1855 wrote:

During a Matter of Taste dinner, only brief impressions. From MAG. True to form, everybody at the table loved this deeply complex Bordeaux, generous fruit but stays fresh and elegant on the palate.

1/13/2024 - Collector1855 wrote:

Consistent to my last tasting. Beguiling nose, jumps from the glass with cured meat, red fruit, rose petals, vanilla and cedar, like in the best of Burgs. The palate is lighter than in the 2010 but not diluted. Simply a wonderful, elegant Burg.

2/18/2024 - essenceofreal wrote:

My one and only, sob. Bought at a wine shop in San Fran over 20 years. It has patiently been waiting for me ever since.

Dropped off at O in San Francisco to decant before dinner. Instructed the Som to decant at 5pm for my 8pm reservation.

Arrived a bit early, 7:40, got seated. Som came over and said she decanted about 6:15. Gr. I'm not even sure that was so based on how closed it was. Sometimes these Soms are not the sharpest tools in the shed, here in case in point. And of course she's never even had an 82 Bordeaux but went on her instincts anyway for fear it may oxidized. Huh? Moron, what a jerk! Michelin star restaurant with a moron for a Som. Oh and the fill was absolutely perfect.

So where I'm going w this...of course it was still tight. She thought it was drinking nicely. I disagreed. I explained it wasn't nearly at its apogee and it needed a 4 hr decant. She looked pizzled and confused. Idiot.

So upon tasting after a 1.5 hr decant, maybe 91/92 points. Gr.

So of course then had to order grossly overpriced champagne with an insane mark up to let the 82 blossom, which thankfully it did. At the 3 hr mark shazam! Fantastic leather, tobacco, sandalwood with a long finish. Up to 94 points. It only got better at the 4 hour, unfortunately was the last glass by then. Easy 60 second finish. 96/97. I think it would have gained another point had it lasted longer in the glass.

Such a classic old school Bordeaux like only can be done in that terroir. Funny table near me, French people, ordered a bottle of a cult Napa cab. They didn't finish it and you could see they were not fans of the new world heavy handed over extracted over heated slop. Over-hyped. And of course over priced.

And on the 82, great stuff. Reminded me of the 96 LMHB I had last year. Same same, first 3 hours it was meh. Then at the 4 hr mark was an absolute rockstar.

Not to self, the hell with these idiotic soms, next time will take care of things myself. Or stand there and make them open it to make sure it gets done. This isn't the first time this has happened. Buttheads. Lucky I was able to make it work.

2/18/2024 - acyso wrote:

One last round at Jade Court (Chicago, IL): From magnum. Great showing of a wine that I've loved for quite a while. It's a lot more approachable right now than the dark and intense 2015, with an effusive nose of smoke, slight saline olive notes, and plenty of black fruit. The palate isn't overbearingly tannic, and there's more of a lightness thanks to the acidity here. The fruit is mostly black with a hint of red, but this is surprisingly drinkable (even out of large-format) right now, though there is of course still plenty of potential.

2/3/2024 - ChristP Likes this wine:

I used two thirds of the bottle to make sauce for Lamb stew. The remainder I enjoyed with the stew after it had been opened for 24 hours. When first opened the bottle the day before, I tried a small glass and was under the impression that the wine had lost weight over the years. But the following day it was back to being like a baby Barolo again. How amazing is that? It must be a mark of the stellar 2013 vintage and the skill of the wine maker. I have a couple of bottles left,.and it will be interesting to see where it goes from here. Regardless, fantastic QPR!

1/23/2024 - palfr2 wrote:

Pall Mall 67 Singapore - ok colour me very surprised! I came into this with lots of positive prejudice having tasted the '08 rendition and having heard how the '02 was potentially even superior. The nose is quite something I concede. What I cannot quite shake off is the honeyed sensation that I experience from start to finish. As a good friend of mine and most competent taster puts "you need to recalibrate your palate when going from Grower style to Grandes Maisons/Houses style". This is very true. In a long drinking streak of houses this may stand out. However the effortless balance of a Bonville Belles Voyes the night before is still etched in my mind. Dosage/sweetness aside this is a mightily fine Champagne

11/29/2023 - palfr2 wrote:

Pall Mall 67 Singapore. I love the medium-bodied+ package of this. Some mushrooms, mould , damp cellar on the nose but in a filigreed way. Good acidity. Tannins with a bit of bite on the finish. It is classic, it is old world, 13% ABV. I understand that is "pre-aged" being a 2001 released to the market only a few years ago. Feels like an old-school Merlot.

12/9/2023 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Top 1ers for AK's birthday: In the flight of the first four wines, there were 3 Vosnes and 1 Gevrey. Most felt that the Cathiard was the Gevrey but the minority (including myself) said that this had to be the Gevrey since it was the outlier stylistically. Slightly cloudy in appearance, especially compared to the three Vosnes that were brilliant ruby red in colour. Older style of Fourrier with more earthy and rustic notes before he transitioned to the high-toned, less dense style of today. Guessed ‘08 based on the colour and high acidity. Quite integrated and resolved but the fruit did become more expressive with air.

11/18/2023 - JoeMe Likes this wine:

Found this in my dad’s cellar when visiting my parent’s house in Germany and convinced him to open this bottle. Stored in a (too) cold cellar for 30 years. A ton of mold underneath below the capsule. The cork almost fully soaked, yet the wine has no flaws whatsoever. An astonishing nose, a real wow factor to me here. Black currant, blackberry, bond fire smoke and celery root. Very elegant with much of the same fruit on the palate, black currant on the forefront and getting cherry here as well. Soft tannins, great balance. At peak and the fruit is still going strong. A special experience to me this 41 year old wine from a historically great vintage.

10/28/2023 - SpenceP wrote:

What a magnificent wine! The cork was in frightening shape--dried out and crumbly (the Durand was essential)--but the wine was unfazed. Immediately after opening, the wine was vividly immediate and present, with plums, leather, cedar, and autumn forest, followed by an extremely long aftertaste, dominated at first by cedar with a touch of soy sauce, but eventually ending on a note of plums. Over the course of the next hour and a half, strawberries, cocoa, graphite, blackberries, black olives, black pepper, black tea, and rare steak all gradually emerged. Just stunning! If I were going purely by the wine itself, I'd say there was no hurry at all. But because of the horrendous condition of the corks (this is the third time I've tasted this wine, and the corks were appalling all three times), I'd suggest drinking these as soon as is convenient. Previously tasted 2/15/23 and 9/22/20. [Tasted over two hours from the Jancis Robinson glass. I gave the bottle more than a week upright to let the sediment settle out.]

10/1/2023 - clayfu wrote:

Allemand v Chave Los Angeles edition: Wow. Maybe the best syrah i've had in 2023. It's so etheral in its fruit presence with wonderful acidity and a fine line of the sweetest delicate red fruit. The mouthfeel of the wine is so svelte and beautiful. THe nose is filled with that same fresh picked cherry note that just effortlessly rises out of the glass. My goodness that was good.

10/1/2023 - Rote Kappelle wrote:

I confess that I am at a loss when it comes to assessing this wine. I am a chap who likes Shiraz/Syrah to taste like wine made from that grape. There are lots of ways to express the character of Shiraz, of course.

In this case we have a wine that would happily pass as Burgundy by mouthfeel, tannin character and weight. However, you would be a bit puzzled because, whilst it would be a Burgundy with some heft, it would be a Burgundy devoid of easily identifiable fruit characters.

What dominates is menthol/Juniper berry, green bean, wet earth, perhaps something slightly prickly that you could call pepper and a distant echo of some kind of darker berry fruit and some florals - but like a distant echo you never quite hear it well enough to work out what it is saying.

It is interesting, it kind of works with food and if you can put aside that this is a Northern Rhone made from Shiraz, then I guess it is kind of ok. The tannins are present, but the overall impression is very easy to drink. Acid is fresh but not sour, which I find interesting given the overall dominance of under-ripe elements.

The jury is out on Rosty for me. I like them young, but I think there is some over-use of whole bunches and the stems are not always ripe enough, so that longer term you get some rather green, slightly mean characters. There are moments when I like the ethereal aspects but then other moments when it pisses me off mightily. Sorry about not being able to give a definitive call on this. I can't score it because I can't quite come to grips with it.

By the way, I think you would expect a little more obvious varietal fruit in a Burgundy that cost what Rosty costs.

Finally, an interesting side note is that for a while I have been interested in similarities that I see in Rosty and Clonakilla. The similarities lie in mouth-feel and body, more than in flavours. However, I do see intriguing points of comparison. Rosty is rather more costly, even allowing for currency, tax and porno levies. I hear that Clonakilla love the wines of Jamet and in terms of flavours I can see that, but not in terms of structure. It would be really intriguing to do a tasting of similar years, say 2019 or 2015 or even 2018 with Rosty, Clonal Killer and Jammers in a menage a trois.

9/23/2023 - palfr2 Likes this wine:

Disgorged 2021. Golden colour. The balance and intensity are top drawer. Supremely sapid and saline on the finish. There is a handful ot growers providing the complete package of palate presence, flavour intensity, salinity. Selosse is one of them but that experience is available for less coin with the others. It is my 3rd experience of this cuvee and with the strong Selosse imprint (read masterfully managed oxidative notes) this strays a lot from a prototypical Blanc de Blancs

9/21/2023 - philmtl Likes this wine:

If you like your Claret with fruit this is not for you. Very nice nose of old leather, earth, cigar tobacco and a hint of smokiness. It’s basically all tertiary, no fruit left. But sweet Jesus is the nose intoxicating. The palate is very much alive and all savory: pyrazines, earth, root vegetables and leather. Still alive with medium acidity, fine grained integrated tannins and smooth finish. We had this with a nice saignant piece of beef and peppercorn sauce. Joy.

12/11/2022 - chablis28 wrote:

Lonny's btl at our wine group's annual holiday dinner at StG who hit it out of the park tonight! Tim & St Gens team are such great host! We'll in hindsight this was my clear WOTH & biggest surprise in a longtime! I bought a far amt of D'Angerville early on, based more on reputation than personal experience. After drinking a decent amount of them, very few have risen above a 91-92 experience, so far. Lonny's btl tonight was remarkable. Especially as it sat in my glass. The only thing I can attribute tonights btl to, is the magic of the 2010 vintage. Ok, and I never discount Lonny's karma! This was the poster btl for Zen balance, fruit purity & weightless, ethreal bliss! Pretty much everything you'd want from red Burgundy! Only bummer, it got passed onto the other table before I could sneak more! Thanks Lonny, and don't you dare drink another, in my absence! Hail 2010!

9/6/2023 - d'Artagnan wrote:

Dégustation verticale du Cornas du domaine Clape (Restaurant Les Mômes): Le vin est beaucoup moins concentré que le 2018, avec une texture plus élégante en apparence. Il est primaire, très tannique, plutôt muet et renfrogné, avec une finale amère.

Il a eu de grosses critiques et je n'ai pas de doute qu'il devrait se replacer après une garde de plusieurs années, mais en l'état actuel, c'est peu aimable. 89 pts en l'état. sans doute davantage dans 5-10 ans.

9/16/2023 - palfr2 wrote:

Fantastic. Transcends the vintage. WOTN when tasted alongside Roumier, Ledru, Fourrier. You would never guess it is from one of Chablis hottest recent vintages. There is balance , complexity and poise at every moment of the experience. Very complete.

6/20/2023 - Nanda wrote:

10/13 side-by-side. While the 2010 was gorgeous from the get go, the 2013 took some time to open up. When it did it had gorgeous and red and black cherry with so much florals. Seamless. Very impressive village wine and 2013.

5/14/2023 - Pancreatitis wrote:

Vibrant cerise.
Nose started out fairly muted and 4 hours later still muted: faint rose, confection, something faintly herbal/medicinal, menthol.
The palate not exactly muted but not exactly giving and framed by an austere tannin, orange rind, strawberry initially gives way following a few hours to a concentrated saline, soy, almost seaweed mound dark salty experience. Didn’t love it, didn’t hate it, intriguing experience rather than satisfying…

4/17/2023 - palfr2 Does not like this wine:

Ok it is not technically badly made. It just misses the point in my opinion of what you expect from Gamay. Not much dry extract on a Gamay so you will not get the meatier midpalate matter that contains the heat of the alcohol. Gamays possibly even less than Pinots do not have the chassis to carry higher alcohol. So it pokes out and hits you not dissimilar to a less competent Grenache. It is palate-specific but pretty much why I will only touch Bojos in leaner years.

3/18/2023 - palfr2 wrote:

Tasted in Tokyo at Japanese restaurant focusing on French cuisine from Southwest and hence Languedoc wines. Medium color. Feels like this was made to be approachable in youth therefore with crunchy fruit and little to no new oak treatment. Alcohool is Too prominent for my tastes though. Pic Saint Loup is a great terroir that should allow for fresher wines.

3/19/2022 - Paul S wrote:

Red Cross Charity Dinner (Shangri-La, Singapore): There is some quality here, but it still felt really young, tight, and rather overly extracted. Amazingly, at 13 years of age, this is a village Gevrey that still needs a whole lot of time in the bottle. The nose was quite attractive, with deep dark notes of berries and black cherries, some plums, and then a twang of mineral and wood spice. The palate was very muscular and rather tighter though. There was an extracted extracted feel to it, with a background of woody notes, just starting to fade into the background to reveal clearer, purer tones of dark cherries and ripe berries, these playing against a savoury backdrop of meat and earth, some olive tapenade, and then a little sprinkle of spice at a long, powerful finish. A deep, powerful, masculine expression. Not something you would call elegant, but certainly well-balanced and long-lived. Not a style I favour,e even though there is some quality here. I certainly felt the Mornington Peninsula Pinot from Stonier we had alongside was more elegant and more "Burgundian" in feel. This should be better drinking in say 6-8 years down the road, but I am not sure it will ever take on that type of elegance.

12/19/2022 - acheng wrote:

Brioche, layered lemon and complexity. As good as this is, it pales in comparison to chartogne taillet barres%

8/16/2022 - townjbc wrote:

Ok, but way to acidic. Half the bottle has gone into the cooking pot.

6/24/2022 - Derek Darth Taster wrote:

At Wimborne. Tasted blind.
Appearance is clear, pale intensity, ruby colour. Legs.
Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of ripe red cherries, peonies, slight vanilla and oak spice. Developing.
On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium alcohol (13%), supple medium- tannins, medium body. Medium flavour intensity, with flavours of relaxed red plums, ripe red cherries, gentle sweet spices, inner meatiness, lovely emerging earth and stones. Flashes of oak again with more air. Sweet long finish.
Very good quality. Needs more time for sure. Put it aside in the cellar for quite a while.

6/17/2022 - BHRH Likes this wine:

Perfect cork. Poured small taste then slow ox'd in bottle for 3 hours. Pretty ruby/garnet with absolutely no brown at the rim. Extremely complex aromas of cassis, crushed blackberries, cedar, smoky herbs and licorice. Classic mature claret flavors with a meld of black currants, cedar, melted chocolate with hints of minerals and forest floor. Tannins seem fully resolved with lots of secondary and tertiary notes. A slight toastiness on the long, refined finish. I would put this up against many 32+ year old second growths. An absolute delight - and sadly my last bottle. Enjoy now while it is still fresh!!

10/15/2021 - Mag357 Likes this wine:

I did not have high expectations and I was wrong ! A really complex nose: dried flowers, straw in the fields, English coffee candy, black fruits, leather... awesome complexity ! This opulent wine glides like liquid velvet, yet it has outstanding energy and freshness, with loads of integrated tannins. It is not short at all in the end - but the finish is somewhat moderate- if the finish was longer, it could truly rival any of its neighbors (Petrus, Lafleur, Vieux Chateau Certan). This is a beauty, complex, and generously giving. Its merlot are sited on clay, and the cab franc (30%) on gravel. That could explain the prefect balance between freshness and opulence. Loved it immediately. Outstanding value in this vintage !

After I wrote this note, I went to read all the notes written by the other folks. And the conclusion is, Bordeaux at 20++ years of age are in another league.

6/1/2021 - Jd6725 Likes this wine:

Out of 375. PNP. WOW. This is one of my wines of the year so far. It has something that I love in wines. This almost creaminess. Brimming with depth and complexity. Balanced and showing brilliantly from 375. Maybe give a few more years to your 750. No notes on this overpowered any others. Love it. (Was super lucky to pick up 4 full bottles after trying this. Can't wait)

5/26/2021 - palfr2 wrote:

Very complete package - unmistakably Medoc nose and texture. The nose is most impressive. Lots of beautiful cassis. Palate initialy tight and a touch bit acidic. Rounds with airing. Regal. Beautiful

2/26/2021 - MC wrote:

Decanted 3 hours. No fun at open other than some red fruits on the nose. 3 hour decant opens this up but still feels a little muddy in color and on the palate. Just does not sing Burgundy to me. Maybe more time will help and I realize it is a 1999 but still just may not be for me as gets a bit too close to a Northern Rhone but then underdelivers vs. a great Northern Rhone...A-?

11/23/2020 - Collector1855 wrote:

During a St.Emilion dinner. Lovely tertiary nose with forest floor and a eucalyptus, pine tree side to it as well. On the palate it is masculine, quite tannic still, a bit too much for the fruit it carries. Nose 92, palate 89.

8/22/2020 - glou.sf Likes this wine:

Classic Bordeaux nose of graphite, currants, red fruit, tobacco, and a hint of smoke. Well balanced with medium acidity, integrated tannins, and flavors of red berries, currants, underwood, and chocolate on the palate. Nice finish. Very pretty wine, got a lot better with air, too.

10/18/2019 - drwine2001 wrote:

Light ruby. Cool green aromas. Light weight, high acidity, a thin veneer of soil, and very little evidence of the usual Fourrier red fruit and texture. Honestly, one of the most disappointing vintages of this cuvée I can recall extending back to the 2007 vintage.

10/5/2019 - Been There wrote:

Cellared since release. Level well into neck, sound cork. Promising deep garnet color, no bricking. Bouquet similarly promising: ripe red fruits, cured tobacco, cedar, tertiary aromas from age. Looks like Bordeaux, smells like Bordeaux!

Palate is nearly a Xerox of the nose, with fruit, empty cedar cigar box, maybe some faint toasted nut, enough acidity to keep it fresh. Ample “grip” to quote the English. Fruit on the finish, which is medium-long.

Many 1996 Bordeaux were stubborn agers, and I had doubts at times. But the majority made it, and bottles in this condition are probably good for another 5+ years, though they won’t improve, IMO.

This is 12.5% abv, reflecting its era. If anything, it shows that (with a lot of time, anyway), high alcohol is not necessary for high quality or high pleasure. Personally, I could sit around and drink this for hours and remember what is special about Bordeaux.

8/25/2019 - asparagus Likes this wine:

And I thought 03 burgs were meant to be an alcoholic mess.. Though undoubtedly dark and dense, this was very enjoyable. Bramble, cassis and blackberry - this was a powerful wine yet was still lithe and vibrant with no noticeable flabbiness. Very enjoyable and for me, pushing 94 points... From what I hear, Gouges did great in '03. Guess I have to start hunting for the LSGs...

7/30/2019 - SLab Likes this wine:

Épaulé 3 heures. Beau vin mais très droit. Peu de fruits. Peu d'élevage. Agréable mais sans plus. 90-91pts

1/18/2019 - pjaines Likes this wine:

Like an unexpected night out that turns into a proper all-nighter that you end up talking about for weeks afterwards; First pour I could see this had that "otherness" of Burgundy; light, transparent and a nose of "yes, no, maybe". There is a lightness of touch here that blossoms out over 30 minutes and then you are fully engaged and the next thing you know you are talking about the greatness of Burgundy and how this is only £35 per. Such is the fickle nature of this region that it is a humble NSG yet it was way better than the Grand Cru you had last week. Plus ca change....etc

much more pefurmed than the 2010 (which was also excellent in a more mature way)..... I'd be very happy to have a case or 2 of this to drink over the next 10 years

11/2/2017 - JOsgood wrote:

Sick, sick Barolo. A full sex bomb. Lacy red fruits with explosive perfume on the nose. Wow! Tasted at Trattoria La Coccinella in Serravalle, Langhe.

12/27/2018 - acyso wrote:

Dinner at Margeaux Brasserie (Chicago, IL): The best showing of this wine yet, at least to me. There's clearly some ripeness on the nose here, but it's counterbalanced by the earthiness. Most importantly, there's no sign of overripeness or roasted qualities here. The ripe and juicy fruit plays nicely with the earth, and the tannins on this bottle are surprisingly more resolved than I'd have expected. Nonetheless, the Parkerian hyperbole for this wine is thoroughly unjustified. It will be a great wine at best, but a candidate for a perfect score? Risible.

12/24/2018 - MJReb wrote:

Dark red color, ripe fruit and earthy (mushrooms) nose, on the palate mushrooms, cassis, (over)ripe black cherries, spices, beside of the ripeness still a structure and a certain acidity supporting the wine. At the peak, do not wait longer.

9/1/2017 - Euge67 Does not like this wine:

Via il dente, via il dolore quindi diciamolo subito: questo vino era imbarazzante.
Conservato bene, tappo corretto. Verso nel bicchiere: alcool, solo alcool si sente.
In bocca l'alcool domina ed è aspro, con un'acidità spiccata fastidiosa. Non posso pensare che sia solo giovinezza, perché qui non c'è traccia di eleganza, di profumi anche solo accennati. Lo decanto per 3 ore sconsolato. Si attenua leggermente la potenza alcolica, ma nulla cambia. Il giorno dopo restituisce una leggera nota mentolata, manco fosse un barbaresco.
Ora dopo aver speso 95 euro scusate se sono leggermente incavolato.
Questo vino non ne vale 15 di euro.
E' il 4° vino che bevo di Boillot. Sarà anche l'ultimo.

5/5/2018 - Oenecnist wrote:

From magnum. Bought 4 mags for 50/mag from Binny's 10+ years ago. Decanted with considerable sediment (magnum). This was delicious: excellent color; persistent fragrance over a 2h dinner of veal chops; very good mouthfeel, though not complex; good finish. Stored horizontally in a cool, dark basement since purchase. My evaluation: I've stopped giving scores on a "100-point scale" as I've become less convinced that they can be meaningful to others. I use a 4-category scale (perhaps with +/-)--not including flawed--which runs outstanding/notable/drinkable/poor. I consider this outstanding- when considering quality, age, and price.