5/9/2024 - rnellans wrote:

Mature and ready to drink. Great ripe vintage. Bricking. Leather and some tar. Very soft palate. Lush. Soft tannins. Still some fruit. I wouldn't hold any longer.

5/9/2024 - rnellans wrote:

Bricking. Still some good fruit and acidity will allow further aging imo. Nice to drink now however.

5/8/2024 - rnellans wrote:

Beautiful. Mature. Deep yellow big rich wine with honeysuckle and stone fruit.. lush but with a nice tingling of acid on the finish.

4/29/2024 - rnellans wrote:

Cru Crew Wine dinner hosted by Brad England (Mara restaurant at the Four Seasons hotel in Minneapolis, MN.): I love this wine. Last tasted more than 10 years ago and my comments are very much the same. Timeless. My notes from 1/22/2014 -- A delicious mature bottle. Apricot, caramel, honey, fresh, mid-palate depth, rich and long, long." Nothing has changed!! I love older, mature champagne.

4/29/2024 - rnellans wrote:

Cru Crew Wine dinner hosted by Brad England (Mara restaurant at the Four Seasons hotel in Minneapolis, MN.): Very nice. Nice bouquet of baked bread. Oxidative style. Very fresh.

4/29/2024 - rnellans wrote:

Cru Crew Wine dinner hosted by Brad England (Mara restaurant at the Four Seasons hotel in Minneapolis, MN.): Served alongside '61 Latour, Latour, LaMission HB and Petrus in a tasting/dinner preceeded by 19 vintages of Ramonet Montrachet. Needless to say, my palate may not be 100% up to par. This wine lacks somewhat in fruit . Medium-bodied, with light tannins. Lacks the power of the Latour and LaMission HB.

4/29/2024 - rnellans wrote:

Cru Crew Wine dinner hosted by Brad England (Mara restaurant at the Four Seasons hotel in Minneapolis, MN.): Served alongside '61 Latour, Lafite, Mouton and Petrus in a tasting/dinner preceeded by 19 vintages of Ramonet Montrachet. Needless to say, my palate may not be 100% up to par. Dark fruit. Nose seemed muted. Velvety, soft palate. Nice, but not great imo.

4/29/2024 - rnellans wrote:

Cru Crew Wine dinner hosted by Brad England (Mara restaurant at the Four Seasons hotel in Minneapolis, MN.): Served alongside '61 Latour, Lafite, Latour and Petrus in a tasting/dinner preceeded by 19 vintages of Ramonet Montrachet. Needless to say, my palate may not be 100% up to par. This wine seems different from previous bottles of this I have tasted. Very interesting nose and palate. I think that there may be a slight flaw in the wine, but certainly didn't detract from the enjoyment, but rather may have increased it. Dark fruit, tobacco, smoke with a 'sweet/sour' component to both the nose and palate. Long finish. Second in flight to the Latour imo.

4/29/2024 - rnellans wrote:

Cru Crew Wine dinner hosted by Brad England (Mara restaurant at the Four Seasons hotel in Minneapolis, MN.): Served alongside '61 Mouton Rothschild, Lafite, LaMissioin HB and Petrus in a tasting/dininer preceeded by 19 vintages of Ramonet Montrachet. Needless to say, my palate may not be 100% up to par. Although not bought on release this bottle is the last bottle of a case and has been in my cellar for more than 50 years. Wow wine to me. Tobacco, dark fruits on the nose. It shines on the palate with layers of rich fruit, soft tannins. Very long lingering finish. Best of the flight for me without question.

4/29/2024 - rnellans wrote:

Cru Crew Wine dinner hosted by Brad England (Mara restaurant at the Four Seasons hotel in Minneapolis, MN.): Served alongside '61 Latour, Lafite, LaMissioin HB and Petrus in a tasting/dininer preceeded by 19 vintages of Ramonet Montrachet. Needless to say, my palate may not be 100% up to par. Although not bought on release this bottle has been in my cellar for more than 50 years. Dark fruited with leather, cedar, eucalyptus on the nose. Medium body and not as rich as the Latour. Finish ok, but not great.

4/29/2024 - rnellans wrote:

Cru Crew Wine dinner hosted by Brad England (Mara restaurant at the Four Seasons hotel in Minneapolis, MN.): Served alongside the '17, '18, and '19. This wine was difficult for me to evaluate and to give a score. It seems to have so much potential, but just needs time to come out of its shell. It started to open with air as the tasting progressed. Very lush palate. I look forward to tasting this again in several years.

4/29/2024 - rnellans wrote:

Cru Crew Wine dinner hosted by Brad England (Mara restaurant at the Four Seasons hotel in Minneapolis, MN.): Served alongside the '17, '18, and 20. Another WOW wine to me. Complex aromas of honeysuckle, pear and spice. Superb. balance and texture. Quite rich, lush. Long lingering finish. My favorite of the flight.

4/29/2024 - rnellans wrote:

Cru Crew Wine dinner hosted by Brad England (Mara restaurant at the Four Seasons hotel in Minneapolis, MN.): Served alongside the '17, '19 and 20. Very nice wine. A step up from the '17. Some method, mint and spice on the nose. Big mid palate with nicer energy. Long finish. Outclassed my the '19 however imo.

4/29/2024 - rnellans wrote:

Cru Crew Wine dinner hosted by Brad England (Mara restaurant at the Four Seasons hotel in Minneapolis, MN.): Served alongside the '18, '19 and 20. This flight is so young to evaluate, as all will likely improve a lot with time. This wine less complex than the others imo. Nice fruit on the palate, but lacks a bit in freshness. Nice sweet finish.

4/29/2024 - rnellans wrote:

Cru Crew Wine dinner hosted by Brad England (Mara restaurant at the Four Seasons hotel in Minneapolis, MN.): My least favorite of the flight, but still very good. Some mint, lactic and spice on the nose. Creamy palate. Less complex than the others.

4/29/2024 - rnellans wrote:

Cru Crew Wine dinner hosted by Brad England (Mara restaurant at the Four Seasons hotel in Minneapolis, MN.): Served alongside the '13, '14 and '16. Very good showing. Spice, honey on the nose. Very lush but perhaps lacks freshness of some of the others. Sweet lingering finish.

4/29/2024 - rnellans wrote:

Cru Crew Wine dinner hosted by Brad England (Mara restaurant at the Four Seasons hotel in Minneapolis, MN.): Served alongside the '13, '15 and '16. I thought this best of the flight, although others disagreed, putting the '13 ahead. Some spice and citrus on the nose. Huge mid palate that is memorable. Wow factor for me. Long fresh finish. Outstanding wine.

4/29/2024 - rnellans wrote:

Cru Crew Wine dinner hosted by Brad England (Mara restaurant at the Four Seasons hotel in Minneapolis, MN.): Served alongside the '14, '15 and '16. Excellent flight of wines. Complex nose with spice, mineral, mint and citrus notes. Very fresh. Great mouthfeel and very well balanced. Long sweet finish. Love the wine!

4/29/2024 - rnellans wrote:

Cru Crew Wine dinner hosted by Brad England (Mara restaurant at the Four Seasons hotel in Minneapolis, MN.): Served alongside the '08, '10, '11. Excellent wine but in stiff competition. Some mint, spice in the nose. Less complex than others in the flight. It seemed somewhat 'closed up' and lacks the 'wow' factor that many wines had in this tasting. Excellent structure but likely just needs more time.

4/29/2024 - rnellans wrote:

Cru Crew Wine dinner hosted by Brad England (Mara restaurant at the Four Seasons hotel in Minneapolis, MN.): Served alongside the '08, '10 and '12. Yellow color. Spice, tropical fruit a and pineapple notes on the nose. Lush palate. Lacks the freshness of the '08 and '10 imo. Improved with time in the glass.

4/29/2024 - rnellans wrote:

Cru Crew Wine dinner hosted by Brad England (Mara restaurant at the Four Seasons hotel in Minneapolis, MN.): Served alongside the '08, '11 and '12. Second imo to the '08, although others may disagree. Medium straw color. Spice and some tropical fruit notes similar to the '08. Palate not as rich and lush however giving the nod to the '08 imo.

4/29/2024 - rnellans wrote:

Cru Crew Wine dinner hosted by Brad England (Mara restaurant at the Four Seasons hotel in Minneapolis, MN.): Served alongside the '10, '11 and '12. I loved this wine. Light straw color. Lots of honeysuckle, spice on the nose. Beautiful lush, rich balanced mid palate with some tropical fruit notes. Sweet lingering finish. My favorite of the flight.

4/29/2024 - rnellans wrote:

Cru Crew Wine dinner hosted by Brad England (Mara restaurant at the Four Seasons hotel in Minneapolis, MN.): Served alongside the '92, '96 and '00. Very good wine. Light straw color. Citrus, spice and minerality on the nose. Very good balanced mid palate. If any complaint, would be slight lack of freshness. Solid wine however.

4/29/2024 - rnellans wrote:

Cru Crew Wine dinner hosted by Brad England (Mara restaurant at the Four Seasons hotel in Minneapolis, MN.): Served alongside the '92, '96 and '07. Some honeysuckle and baked apple on the nose. Pleasant but lacks depth. Finish OK. Not as good as the other sound wines in the flight.

4/29/2024 - rnellans wrote:

Cru Crew Wine dinner hosted by Brad England (Mara restaurant at the Four Seasons hotel in Minneapolis, MN.): Served alongside the '92, '00 and '07. Dark orange. Flat, obviously oxidized.

4/29/2024 - rnellans wrote:

Cru Crew Wine dinner hosted by Brad England (Mara restaurant at the Four Seasons hotel in Minneapolis, MN.): Served alongside the '96, '00 and '07. My favorite of the flight. Beautiful nose of spice, honey. Excellent color. Rich, mature flavors. Soft texture. Some acidity and a nice long finish. Not as good as the '82 on the previous flight.

4/29/2024 - rnellans wrote:

Cru Crew Wine dinner hosted by Brad England (Mara restaurant at the Four Seasons hotel in Minneapolis, MN.): Served alongside the '82 and '83. Not in the same league as the '82. Yellow-orange color. Slightly advanced. Somewhat complex aromas. Rich, Medium body. Some spice...a little out of balance with pronounce acidity on the short finish. Pleasant, not great for a wine of this caliber.

4/29/2024 - rnellans wrote:

Cru Crew Wine dinner hosted by Brad England (Mara restaurant at the Four Seasons hotel in Minneapolis, MN.): Served alongside the '82 and '84. Dark orange color..Obviously oxidized/flawed.

4/29/2024 - rnellans wrote:

Cru Crew Wine dinner hosted by Brad England (Mara restaurant at the Four Seasons hotel in Minneapolis, MN.): Served alongside the '83 and '84. A real treat. I last had this wine in 2013 and at the time I wondered if it may have passed its apogee. Well, I answered that question. NO! This was a very good bottle. Dark yellow in color. Beautiful from the get go. Very rich, balanced with excellent mouthfeel. Some spice and a finish, somewhat sweet, that lingers. Perhaps lacking acidity, but not unexpected in a wine like this. A real treat.

4/29/2024 - rnellans wrote:

Cru Crew Wine dinner hosted by Brad England (Mara restaurant at the Four Seasons hotel in Minneapolis, MN.): A real treat to taste this wine. First release of the d"Ambonnay. Beautiful mouth feel and texture. Full and rich. What's not to like, other than the price.

4/7/2024 - rnellans wrote:

In drinking pocket now. Still some mild gun flint..great fruit, mineralogy. Excellent mid palate. . Drink now or hold a bit longer if you need to.

4/7/2024 - rnellans wrote:

Lovely wine drinking quite well. Brick color. Dark fruited. Wafts of tar and licorice on the nose. Medium bodied, and tannins fairly soft. Nice length. Enjoyed by all. I think it will hold up a bit longer, but why wait.

3/7/2024 - rnellans wrote:

Same as last note

3/7/2024 - rnellans wrote:

Perfect!!!

1/9/2024 - rnellans wrote:

Mature. Browning, red fruits and some tobacco. Tannins totally resolved. Slightly out of balance due to acidity, but not enough fruit. Very enjoyable.

1/8/2024 - rnellans wrote:

Big style. Drinkable now, but should improve with time.

1/8/2024 - rnellans wrote:

Beautiful! Great balance and length! Drink now, but should hold for several more years.

1/8/2024 - rnellans wrote:

Petrol, mineral, grapefruit and stones...lovely

1/8/2024 - rnellans wrote:

Solid bottle. Needs more time.

1/8/2024 - rnellans wrote:

Nice, but not great. Mature nose...lacks a bit in fruit/balance

1/8/2024 - rnellans wrote:

What a surprise! Mature, elegant, still some fruit and got better with air.

12/9/2023 - rnellans wrote:

same as 9/1/23 note.

12/9/2023 - rnellans wrote:

Aromatic with some floral notes. no reduction. Nice fruit and balance. Long finish.

12/9/2023 - rnellans wrote:

Dark in color. Dark cherry aromas. Lots of ripe fruit. Lacks complexity but delicious to drink.

12/9/2023 - rnellans wrote:

My favorite red of the night. Elegant, silky, seamless palate. Couples. Soft tannins. Excellent and drinking at peak imo.

12/9/2023 - rnellans wrote:

Holding well. Rich, balanced. Very nice full mid-palate. Lemon, some oak. Nice finish.

12/9/2023 - rnellans wrote:

Apples, citrus. Quite fresh and delicious.

11/1/2023 - rnellans wrote:

I was not expecting such a good wine. Dark in color. Very pleasant nose of some leather , earth and dark fruit. On the palate , great balance. Lots of fruit, soft tannins and delicious.

10/6/2023 - rnellans wrote:

Lafon Montrachet vertical with some great champagne and reds. (Four Seasons, Minneapolis, MN): Served en magnum with apps before our vertical tasting of Lafon Montrachet 2000-2019. One of my favorite champagnes ever. Fortunately, I've had this wine several times due to gracious hosts. This was a great bottle. Golden, bright, fresh, some caramel and biscuits. Lingering finish.

10/6/2023 - rnellans wrote:

Lafon Montrachet vertical with some great champagne and reds. (Four Seasons, Minneapolis, MN): Tasted alongside the '99 and 01. 'Chocolate covered cherries'. Lush, pure red fruit. Earth...elegance with power. Great balance. Soft tannins. Explosive finish.