2/24/2024 - Cailles wrote:

Bordeaux 2004 - 20 Years On - 33 Reds: All wines tasted blind, not decanted. Observations: 1) 2004 is a mediocre vintage overall, with many pleasant wines, but without the depth of better years. 2) At the top, the vintage produced some classic, old-school wines with lots of freshness and fresh fruit. 3) At the lower end, many wines lacked fruit and ripe tannins, resulting in some astringent and slightly drying wines. 4) An alarming number of Right Bank wines (5 out of 16, no Left Bank wine) were oxidized, including some heavyweights like Petrus, Evangile or Figeac. An unacceptably high proportion of faulty wines. 5) I’m not sure that the 2004 are currently in a good phase, many of my scores were lower than in previous tastings. The question is if it’s just a weaker phase or the beginning of the end. 6) At the top and the only wine >95pts was a layered Le Pin (rated 96pts), with a charming Vieux Chateau Certan, a surprising Issan and Clos l'Eglise, as well as an elegant Lafite sharing second place (all rated 94pts).

TN: Expressive and quite intense from start to finish, this wine showed lots of blue and red fruit at the core, with layers of herbs and minerality around it. Some earthy notes too as well as some oak notes. The substance here was higher than with most other wines. Fine tannins, good freshness and only a bit of heat towards the finish, diminishing the experience. With time in the glass, the oak became a bit more prominent and others found it too oaky, but this heavy use of oak provided the substance the vintage didn’t provide the grapes.

9/29/2023 - Ramonee Confit Likes this wine:

Si on me demande un jour, quel vin emporterais tu sur une ile deserte?
La réponse est ici avec un hamac et un disque de Coltrane.

7/16/2023 - the player Likes this wine:

Amazing how the wine continues to evolve ever so slowly in bottle. Same dark ruby red color, nose of cassis, coffee, rocks, pencil lead and spice. On the palate structure remains the same, nice mid palate acidity, very terroir driven, almost like a Les Forts de Latour with more character. Superb balance, finishes slightly short with melting tannins. Still very enjoyable to drink today as it was the first time I sampled this with Oz Clarke in 2010!

9/16/2023 - the player Likes this wine:

I think 20 years and up is the perfect aging to drink DP in top vintages at least in my book. Delicious bottle with light golden yellow color, lots of concentration, tiny vivacious bubbles. Wonderful on the nose with evolved notes of golden yellow apples, brioche, apricots, pineapples, honeycomb, jasmines, with rich flavors mid palate and superb buttery finish. That's as good as champagne should get.

7/21/2023 - luHar1423 Likes this wine:

What a fantastic wine just entering the perfect drinking window.
Perfectly balanced acidity dancing tango on your palate together with silky tannins, and delicious fruity notes- what else would you like to have from a perfect wine?
The only wine I had so far that deserves a notch higher rating was the 1982 Mouton-Rothshild.

My advise: go hunting for the 1990 Pichon Baron - I am eagerly waiting to get hold of this vintage and the 1989 as well! Both can last more than a decade in the cellars!

11/10/2022 - I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine Likes this wine:

Guys Night - 1982 Bordeaux! (Jason's House): I am a fan of Lynch Bages, except they typically take forever to age, boy do they show pretty well when they get there! This bottle was no exception! Splash double decanted for sediment. Nose was somewhat floral with some lilac notes and some dark fruit notes, and plenty of graphite, leather and earthy notes. Palate still showed fading fruit, but enough there to satisfy me (and I need fruit in a wine). Tertiary notes followed the nose with the added notes of sweet tobacco and hints of charcoal. A really nice, sophisticated wine that was paired with a 1982 Montrose, and held its own! This went well with a veal saltimbocca! Easy 94 for me!

5/26/2021 - Collector1855 wrote:

First bottle from this producer and I am impressed right off the bat. Very classic nose here with yellow fruit, green apples and some yeasty aromas in the background, chiseled and complex, opened up nicely in the glass. The palate is crisp here, clearly BdB in style with a sappy finish. Dosage feels lower than in the Taittinger CdC for example but I read it is 9g, so not that low. Certainly the sugar does not show itself as sweet, one of the mysteries in Champagne, dryness feel and dosage can contradict itself. Nice showing of this prestige cuvee (A blend of Avize, Cramant, Oger, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and Vertus). Young, decanting advised. Give it time to open and you are in for a treat. 96-97

7/27/2022 - munsua13 Likes this wine:

Tasted side by side at Enoteca La Fortezza in Montalcino amongst many of the best estates, including Biondi Santi, Casanova Neri Cerretalto, Poggio Sotto, etc. it was hands down the WOTT (wine for the tasting). Amazing structure, finesse, integrated tannins and total sex appeal. Rose petals, dark berries, thyme and Rosemary notes. Really really great wine. Will last many decades. Highly recommend +++

12/21/2021 - GrapeScott wrote:

First bottle of a case. This has a very pretty nose, laced with cassis, black cherry, strawberry and baking spice. Rather Burgundian, quite elegant and a bit lean, savory, with a medium-long, very clean finish, almost devoid of tannins. Knowing Montrose, this could probably benefit from more age, but I'm guessing it may be peaking now. I did not decant, but saved a glass for night two, and it did not improve with additional air. A bit disappointing to be honest. In fairness, travel shock could be at play, as this bottle spent a month on a boat before it hit the UPS truck and landed at my door last week.

8/12/2021 - steinersing wrote:

Reminiscent of a Mouton, attractive.

6/4/2021 - jee27 wrote:

Dégustation Open Dreamer Style chez Simon B: Servi dans la même vague que les Margaux 1995 et 1996, ce vin démontre énormément de concentration et pourra bénificier d'une garde prolongée on se demande quand ils vont être prêts ces 86! Très beau Bordeaux qui en donne beaucoup pour son niveau et n'a pas mal paru à côté des grands.

93-95 pts

3/27/2021 - Vino Monkeys Likes this wine:

Deep ruby. Pronounced aromas of violet - like a church full of crushed violets - blackberries and blueberries, ripe, and maybe like they were just dropped into a pot to stew, but not stewed. Super super fresh. New leather. A bit of tobacco, almost like you’re smelling a just-emptied cedar cigar box. I hate to admit this, kind of, but I teared up when I tasted this wine. It’s the first time it’s ever happened, after hundreds and hundreds of bottles, hence the 100 point score. The tannins are amazingly integrated for a wine this fresh. Minute plus super long finish. When we talk about wine as art in a bottle, this is it.

2/25/2021 - the player Likes this wine:

Best bottle so far. Golden metallic yellow, vivacious tiny bubbles. Nose of brioche, mature DP style, mineral, and perfumed yellow fruits. Very buttery and rich on the palate, a champagne to accompany great food, and a long finish.

7/5/2014 - Collector1855 wrote:

Tasted at a 2011 merchant event. Dark purple. Muted nose of dark fruit, very tight and unyielding. Dense palate, difficult to read. Overall balanced with decent tannins. Still, a mere shadow of the 09/10 which are both 100 point candidates (see my 2009 vs 2010 tasting story) and do give some pleasure if consumed now due to their enormous fruit concentration.
Confirms my verdict that 2011 is really a bad vintage. While I don't mind lighter vintages (e.g., 2007) they should then at least be soft and early drinking to have an inherent value proposition. 2011 is neither.

5/22/2021 - the player Likes this wine:

Dark ruby red but no bricking on the rims. Opened for an hour then decanted for another hour next bottle I will leave 3 hours in the decanter as this wine needs it. Not quite as complex and powerful as its cousin Lafite or neighbor Margaux but still one hell of a worthy wine to have. Medium to full bodied, the wine starts out with a dusty animalistic nose along with pepper and cassis. With aeration, the wine switches to being subtle, light and deep on the palate with hints of game and a spicy long and sweet finish. Very well structured but would have benefited from a proper decant. Next bottle!

11/26/2020 - Vine wrote:

The best wine I have ever had? Yes. 34 years young and while it is drinking beautifully now, I’m sure it has many years of life ahead.

Full cork with no extraction problem; on the nose classic Bordeaux; the colour is a wonderful shade of mid-deep purple with no fade to the rim. In the mouth a subtle delicacy of incredible balance and a finish that goes on and on....this is the apex of fine Bordeaux.

I’ve had all the 1990 First Growths and the 1986 Mouton, and this, in MHO, tops them all.

Bravo to Leoville las Cases!

6/29/2020 - Cailles wrote:

Bordeaux 2010 - 10 Years On - 61 Reds: Bordeaux 2010 after 10 years. 61 reds, mostly big names, tasted blind. Average score 92.1 and lower than the more open and charming 2009 vintage last year (93.4). A few observations: A) It’s not yet the harmonious, complex, classic, clean vintage. Especially the masculine appellations of the left bank need at least 5 more years to just open up, potentially longer to soften. B) Left bank trumps right bank thanks to less detectable alcohol, cleaner lines and the two best wines of the vintage (Mouton, Margaux). C) Pomerol shines bright with many strong wines which can all mask the high alcohol levels (best AOC slightly ahead of Pauillac). D) As in 2009, there are several right banks already past peak, incl. big names (Duffau Lagarosse, Ausone). All in all, 2010 is a very good vintage with pockets of greatness but today 2009 shows more open and hence complex. More information, top and worst 10 list, appellation rankings from five participants in the story link.

TN: This was one of the winners of the tasting for the group but I found it quite closed. If I would rate it solely on the potential, the score would be clearly higher as you could sense that the wine has much more in store. But here it showed closed and dense without the complexity and precision of the best wines.

Decanting: I would decant it at least for 6 hours.

Group average: 95.4
Group rank: number 9 out of 61 wines
(shared rank with Lafleur)

4/16/2021 - the player Likes this wine:

Unlike many critics and tough fellow CT members when I enjoy an outstanding wine I want to shout about it. And the Vega Unico 94 is the perfect excuse for that. Deep crimson color with bricking or tawny notes throughout. The nose is divine. Beats or matches any Cheval Blanc for that matter. Viscous and hedonistic in style this wine epitomizes opulence and nobility, a marriage that is hard to come by. I am flabbergasted by the blueberries, blackberries, spice cake, strawberries on the nose coupled with amazing depth and complexity on the palate, especially mid palate which is a feat in itself. This wine is perfect, balanced, complex, hedonistic, and long in its finish providing immeasurable pleasure. 5 to 10 years from maturity, medium to full bodied, reminiscent of the '68, decant for a couple of hours to experience heaven. Wow!

3/19/2021 - the player Likes this wine:

Amazing value for money. Fruit forward. Ruby red, slight signs of evolution color wise. Cassis, graphite, rocks, black currants and spice. Succulent palate, great acidity and structure, medium to full bodied, tannins coated by the opulent and precise fruit and a decent peppery finish. In a good drinking window now but with at least 10 - 15 years ahead of it.

6/23/2019 - Cailles wrote:

Bordeaux 2009 - 10 Years On - 47 Reds; 6/23/2019-6/24/2019: 2009 Bordeaux after 10 years. 48 red wines. The left bank (average rating 94.2) clearly trumps the right bank (92.6): Elegance, purity and freshness vs over-extraction, ripeness and oxidation. But there are some winners on the right bank (Cheval, Petrus, Hosanna for now, Lafleur, Trotanoy medium-term) but the highest scores were given to left bank wines (Margaux #1 overall, Palmer, Mouton, for now, Latour, St. Juliens medium-term). I guess purists will not like the loads of oak-derived aromas which in some wines are great but can make the wines a bit slutty (Cheval, Margaux, quite a lot of right banks). But there are plenty of more classically shaped wines too. Overall, the 2009s are a lot of fun with many pockets of greatness but I would be very selective on the right bank. If you like more elegant, subtle and classic wines I would focus on 2005/2010/2016. All wines tasted blind and without decanting.

TN: Had not an easy stand in flight with Cheval Blanc which was so much more expressive. Fairly muted at first and just slowly opening up with some swirling. The complexity is on an elevated level with relatively well-delineated aromas of red berries, smoke, coffee, cacao and limestone as the main pillars. Very fine and well-integrated tannins, good fresheness, good length, just some very small signs of alcohol. I guess if this get the proper decant (8+ hours is advised) it can shine more today. The score definitely has some upside.

Average blind score 4 tasters: 95.0
Rank: 15th out of 48 wines
(shared rank with Clos L'Eglise, Pape Clement)

4/7/2021 - Collector1855 wrote:

Expressive and beautiful nose, orchard flowers, nuts, minerals, tertiary but not oxidative. Wonderfully rich and doughy palate with a long, dry finish. So nice to see a rich palate that finishes sappy and dry. That is the difference between good Pinot fruit core vs. just added sugar. This has only 3g of dosage. Very popular at the table, a wow Champagne, shows the greatness of the 2002 vintage!

4/8/2021 - the player Likes this wine:

Outstanding finesse this gorgeous golden yellow colored vivacious champagne never ceases to amaze me. Fine bubbles, very refined nose of marzipan, pineapples, golden apples, citrus, chalk, brioche, you name it and its there! Mineral, fat and buttery entry on the palate, crisp mid palate and a Montrachet style finish. Definitely my kind of champagne. Would love to try to 2002 BdB if I can find it.

3/10/2021 - Collector1855 wrote:

Krug Clos du Mesnil – Complete Vertical 1979-2006 tasted blind (Singapore): Medium yellow. Wonderful complete nose of brioche, cedar wood, mushrooms, sour dough with peony and acacia flowers. Really grand and complex. It was the Group’s favorite in this flight.

3/27/2021 - the player Likes this wine:

Don’t remember much except that it was very concentrated, ready to drink after an hour in the glass / decanter, with ripe dark red and black fruits and velvety tannins and a long finish.

1/13/2021 - Francophile1 Likes this wine:

Very weird... I’ve had this bottle many times in the past 12 months and the last two bottles were not as good or as evolved as all of the others. This bottle very much needed time in the decanter and needed coaxing from the glass. Based on my last two tastings of it, I will lay the rest of mine down for another few years.

3/18/2021 - the player Likes this wine:

Deep golden yellow color. Best bottle from a total of 6 purchased last year with one bottle remaining. Nose of perfumed butter, marzipan, yellow apples. Fat and dense entry on the palate, very good tension still on the wine, jasmine, mineral and mature yellow fruits, paired extremely well with saffron scallop risotto. Finishes fat and rich.

2/10/2021 - glassofhans Likes this wine:

2nd wine? I think of it more as a 2nd growth. It is intoxicating on the nose, pencil lead (fades abit after decanting), truffles, dark fruits. Tastes of earthiness and elegant black currant. The depth could be a little deeper, but at this price and age, it delivers stronger than many other pricier pomerols.

Highly recommended.

10/26/2020 - the player Likes this wine:

Delicious and powerful. Pristine bottle, cork barely soaked. Dark ruby red. Decanted and aerated for an hour and drank over 2 hours. Tons of blackberries, cassis liqueur, spice, mint, licorice with solid backbone, very dense in the mouth, lots of life left, great acidity, long finish with tannins coated by the opulent and powerful fruit.

8/13/2020 - dcwino wrote:

A small gathering at Jailbreak Brewing Co. (Jailbreak Brewery, Laurel, MD): Perfectly harmonious yet incredibly expressive nose displaying perfectly ripe intense black fruit, crème de cassis, blackberry concentrate, ink, licorice, perfume, lead pencil and crushed rocks. Exceptional concentration, layers upon layers of intense opulent black fruit, incredibly density, silky, polished and detailed, perfect amount of acidity and mineral, very fine tannins and a seamless intense black fruit driven finish that easily lasts over a minute. It seems to gain weight without losing the perfect precision, which is hard to believe. The resemblance to the older brethren is uncanny. Although it remains very youthful, simply perfect!

8/24/2020 - sirpat00 wrote:

Bordeaux 1990 horizontal tasting (Fribourg): 1990 Bordeaux horizontal hosted by a private collector. 30 years down the road, the vintage comes across as bold and muscular, youthful and in general not yet open for business or at times closed. Highlights included Figeac, Haut-Brion, Mouton, Calon Ségur – and to my surprise – Marquis de Terme. See tasting story for more take-aways and the complete line-up.

Tasting note
Not overly expressive at first, but opening up. Espresso, red and dark cherry, blueberries, smoky oak notes and leather. Round and well integrated palate, but lacking layers. Otherwise very much fruit forward. But there is details and finesse to the nose which has to be liked and a patient drinker or arduous decanter might very well be rewarded with much more than what I found.

7/18/2020 - SGoenophile Likes this wine:

Dinner at Imperial Palace GWC. Mid garnet. Surprisingly, quite a bit of sediment for an 8-year old wine. Light body. Soft and round. Somewhat lean. Simple, nothing special. Was expecting more from this wine given cult status (and pricing) of the grand vin.

2/5/2020 - La Flama Blanca Likes this wine:

A monumental effort, the ‘89 Lynch-Bages is Dynamite. Shockingly young, this wine needs at least 2+ hours to get its Billionaire strut going, and when it does just that...it shocks the wine world.

Finally beginning to shed its tannins, the Lynch-Bages bewilders with extraordinary power and concentration. It offers intense aromatics of Cuban cigar, cedar and crushed flowers with earthy undergrowth notes. Extracted flavors of black currant, sweet cassis, bitter mint chocolate and graphite on the lengthy and dense finish suggest a long drinking plateau.

Undoubtedly one of the most consistent wines I’ve had the absolute pleasure to enjoy regularly. Other than Haut-Brion, this sexy Pauillac bests all the first growths of the vintage by a terrifying margin ( fifth growth my ARSE!!! ). Considering it’s at least 1/5 the cost, I’d say it’s probably the greatest value of the vintage.

5/8/2020 - Arcturus wrote:

95. The cork was fully saturated too, but the wine was not compromised. 2 hour decant. Elegant, seductive, beautiful wine. Dried flowers, gravel and touch of leather on the nose. Gorgeous blackcherry smooth palate with a velvety finish. Plenty of life left.

4/8/2020 - edge Likes this wine:

A classic St. Julian. Wonderful cedar shavings/lead pencils. Still opening up as I write this note. Opened for my wife’s 50th while in Covid quarantine. Well integrated with soft tannins and plums. Last bottle. Fully mature and great Color. Wish I had more....

11/21/2019 - the player Likes this wine:

Finally an elegant Talbot. Dark ruby red, nose of opulent dark berries, perfumed cassis and old leather. On the palate very gentle and surprisingly refined, great vivacity mid palate with the acidity a perfect complement to opulent fruit, and a decently long finish ending with cola, tea and spice fully coated tannins. Very nice indeed and with legs to age.

3/20/2020 - the player Likes this wine:

Lovely second wine, quintessential Latour spirit with a strong nose of creamy cassis, lilacs, dust, cigar box and black currants. Blackish ruby color, very young wine not even in adolescence as 2 hours in the decanter did little to soften the wine. Very solid palate of cassis and perfumed dark red fruits, amazing power and structure, long finish and very classic with tannins quite dry and present but nonetheless enjoyable. Not for the faint hearted.

12/8/2019 - King Julien wrote:

Decanted about 4 hours. Decent, but not the best showing relative to previous bottles. Not much on the nose and palate lacked excitement.

10/17/2018 - Purple Grillz Likes this wine:

This is a Baron to buy and hold. It’s drinking now but in 10-20 years when it sheds the rest of the tannin, the vivid wild strawberry and cherries are going to congregate with the celery seed terroir for an outstanding wine. I’ve had many vintages of this wine and it is #3. #1 is 1964, I assume they picked early enough before the rain bloated the grapes, that they still had a special wine on their hands. #2 was 1989, a different wine, Dark in color, rich. In comparison to Lalande, I see the 1989 Baron as the 1996 Lalande. And the 2000 Baron like the 2009 Lalande, of which both you can read a book through.
Most vintages of Baron are not as flamboyant, they hold the fruit in favor of focus. And unlike the more delicate and floral Lalande, you will never detect any VA with Baron. Patience will be well rewarded here. And like all great wines it gains weight in the glass. The Baron lover that has these needs to fight the urge to pull the cork.

8/11/2018 - jshufelt wrote:

Celebrating my 50th birthday (again): Here, no question the Durand was going to be needed. Capsule removal revealed a moldy cork, but not a complete mold cap, which would have made me happier. As the cork came out, the first whiff was not reassuring - totally oxidized. A quick sip didn't help; my first impression was of over-the-hill sherry. A couple of hours later, I was surprised to find that the aromatics on this bottle were indistinguishable from the first, although the palate hadn't improved much - still tired, flat, and with a vinegary tang. Made the call not to serve this, and instead left it in the cellar overnight. We'll see if anything good happens overnight, but I can't say I'm optimistic...

24 hours later: to my surprise, this seems to have returned to life, if only partially. The tang is nearly gone, and some fruit is now emerging, if muted, and the cedar note is a bit more present, all of which makes this drinkable, if not great. At this point, it's an educational experience, so let's go for another day....

48 hours later: dead. So it goes.

1/11/2018 - mrmikemtr Likes this wine:

I think there should be a I LOVE IT rating. Repeat previos notes. This tasting a bit off but these are limited bottles. Again, import these. Price in GBP swapped back and shipped is way lower then buying in US.

2/24/2018 - DrZett Likes this wine:

Wow - just beautiful! Lots of dark berries and cherries, very fruity and mouthwatering, tannins still present but nicely integrated. Feels way younger than 50 years - simply astonishing.

4/30/2017 - the player Likes this wine:

This wine is starting to develop although at a glacial pace. This should hit 95+ rating in 5 to 10 years. Very complex garrigue on the palate with mixed spices, even cola if I may dare say, nose fascinating, less animalistic than from a few years ago. Tannins still firm, body pretty much full and a good finish.

4/20/2017 - the player Likes this wine:

Delicious despite its youth. Blackish crimson sweet cassis, leather, some vanilla oak; so precise and powerful for a second wine this will age to become pretty damn good. Decent finish, strong but ripe and gripping tannins. Beautiful pauillac.

9/28/2016 - the player Likes this wine:

Last magnum out of 6. Best one so far with a couple of hours in the decanter. Deep ruby red, nose of dust, crushed rocks, cassis and red cherries. On the palate good entry with slight complexity of dark red fruits, cassis, leather, good overall balance and structure and a decent bitter mocha finish.

10/18/2014 - Ericsson Likes this wine:

Bouteille en bonne condition, bouchon totalement imbibé. Niveau haute épaule. Carafé 20 minutes avant de déguster. Couleur grenat brique.
Comme pour les bouteilles précédentes, il faut donner un peu de temps et d'air à ce vin pour qu'il se débarasse de son nez poussiéreux... Ensuite, les arômes délicats de pivoine, de roses fanées, de sous-bois se dégagent du verre.
La bouche est finement soyeuse et offre une belle matière qui se termine sur des tanins parfaitement polis. J'aime vraiment beaucoup cette finesse. A boire.

4/22/2016 - the player wrote:

Wine was madeirased unfortunately. What a shame

10/23/2015 - dcwino wrote:

The 96 oenotheque is showing incredibly well at the moment. Beautiful Burgundian nose displaying granny smith, lemon curd, white flowers, butterscotch, oyster brine, smoke and mineral. Exceptional balance, fine abundant mousse, decadent yet pure, strong presence of mineral, bright acidity and lovely long finish that ends with smoke and mineral notes. This may be the freshest showing to date. Really enjoyable.

10/26/2015 - aquacongas Likes this wine:

8 Great Bordeaux

1.Flight Latour 1990 MG vs Lynch Bages 1989 MG
2 Flight La Mission Haut Brion 1989 vs Haut Brion 1989
3.Flight Mouton 1982 vs Latour 1982 MG
4 Flight Mouton 1986 vs Lafite 1986

opened 24hours, tastes younger than Latour 1990, again a giant as 6 months before, powerful tannin structure, typical pencil tip from Pauillac, licorice, underwood, pure cassis, espresso powder, minimal tertiary notes, this is a bargain compared to all other bottles, 99+, at least 30 years ahead from MG

8/15/2015 - the player Likes this wine:

Boy does this wine and vintage require serious decanting, 3-4 hours minimum recommended. Typical nose of 2005 with an explosion of cassis and deep dark red fruits, lots of lead pencil, and cedar. On the palate very dense and powerful but this wine is ages from its maturity. Judging by the 82, this wine has another 15-20 years to go before reaching its summit. Incredible power, full bodied, mineral, fruit bomb mid palate with lead pencil / graphite dominant, very masculine, excellent acidity and backbone, finishes decently long with tannins only balanced by the intensity of the fruit. Still a baby, lots of patience required.

8/15/2015 - the player Likes this wine:

A more playful Dom than the 02 and at its early drinking window stage. Nice nose dominated by citrus fruits, green apples, brioche, and stones. On the palate fresh, zesty and crisp, great minerality, with some sweetness to the finish. Very nice indeed.