Jay Kline

9.4

Popped and poured; enjoyed from red Solo cups over the course of a few hours. This bottle of the 1982 showed very well today. It pours a deep garnet color with a near opaque core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears and fine sediment. On the nose, the wine is vinous with beautiful notes of black currants, black plum, mixed brambles, tobacco, some green pepper, graphite, leather, earth, and soft warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin (integrated) and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. 1982: the vintage that keeps on giving. Drink now through 2042+. — 7 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.3

2012 vintage. Nearly perfect fill and cork. Decanted with infinitesimal sed. Aggro rhubarb and cranberry nose. Tasted 30 mins, 1 hour and 3 hours post-decant. Medium body. Excellent focus/concentration. The rhubarb and cranberry still chilling along with a modicum of lemongrass (?!?!) and dark cherry. Lengthy finish redolent of artificial strawberry/strawberry Jolly Rancher candy. Bit of a bucking bronco versus finesse and souplesse. 08.01.25. — 10 months ago

Winton Sweum

9.4

Deep currant red; smoke on the nose with blueberry and spice; ripe palate with time has become lush with a pastille quality and ripe, finishing tannins. This evolved substantially over two hours open. — 4 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.6

From a great looking bottle with a fill almost into the neck. Double decanted and left in the bottle for 5 hours before attacking it. Amber color. Good weight and haunting nose. Notes of old cedar, mocha, plums, cola, dark fruit, molasses and some sweet red cherry. Early on it’s all about the amazing nose. But with time the wine gains weight and you have a gorgeous old St Estephe in front of you. Still giving its all, and although the fruit is somewhat faded, this has complexity and structure that still drives the experience. And that nose is simply stunning. Great showing. — 4 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.5

Last night in MT at the lake. Gave this several hours of air. Nice dark tawny color. Vibrant in the glass. The nose is great right away and stayed on point through the evening. Notes of black cherries, warm raspberries, old cedar, some plums and a little leather saddle. Rich and silky in the mouth. Velvet glove. Long finish. Great wine. — 7 years ago

Geoffrey Green

9.6

Pristine cork, decanted for 5 hours: still balanced, complex, and harmonious as a 20 year old in a challenging vintage. Fruit still lively, with mellow tannins—this still has a few years left. Came out best for me in an evening of great old wines: ‘98 Corison, ‘98 Montelena Estate, plus de la Tour ‘99. Never underestimate the consistency of a great estate, year after year. Glad I have another bottle or two. — 7 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.6

Bricking red and amber. Translucent but darker and more color than the 78 DRC next to it. Notes of dark fruit, hickory, figs, cooked rhubarb and spicy cherries. Great texture in the mouth. Hit its apex at 6+ hours of air and had a richness that powered along all night. Whereas the DRC had a better nose, this was more about the round tannins that matched a great core of fruit. — 9 years ago

Benjamin Rodriguez

9.3

Decanted for 3 hours, opened up nicely and paired perfectly with the prime rib. — 10 years ago

Loren Groves

10

This wine evolved over several hours. Smelled like books and stewed cherries. Long spicy finish. Fresh broccoli. — 11 years ago

Matt Perlman

9.4

1990. Slow burn with this one--firing on all cylinders with 2 hours of air. Hits all the aged pauillac notes — 11 years ago

with evie and V

Paul Schmidt

9.0

Delicious with a mid rare ribeye. Breathed in glass for 3 hours before the meal. Plush blue fruit and nicely integrated oak. — 11 years ago

with Ashley

Joe DAscoli

9.5

Opened and decanted for 2 hours before dinner and then really only opened up and truly hit expectations around the 3rd hour when paired with wagyu strip steaks.

This wine was savory tightly wound and tannic at first. Didn’t show much fruit until after the long decant and then it really changed.

With time, the fruits shown through with great complexity and great balance for the savory elements. — 7 months ago

Jeroen Koenen

9.6

Opened the bottle 10 hours prior. Starting to get into zone now. This is top drawer stuff! New World smooth mingles with Old World punch. — 9 months ago

Deborah M

9.5

Just wow! Blown away by this one. New private wine bar in Dallas had this on the list! Surprised to see this wine. The wine took some time to open up in the glass. I would have decanted this wine for hours if served at home, but not an option last night. Plenty of smiles as this evolved in the glass. Expressive nose, no tannins, nice acidity. Beautiful expressions of dark fruit peeking through, but not enough time to really shine. Still a fabulous bottle that I’m grateful I was able to enjoy with friends. — 4 years ago

Allison Lyzenga

9.2

Medium pink; medium plus intensity aromas of ripe strawberries, raspberry, red currant, mushroom, forest floor, limestone mineral; dry, medium acid, high alcohol, full body, medium plus intensity flavors consistent with aromas; long finish, ripe red fruit and funky earthy perfume fills palate, big wine but well balanced, outstanding — 6 years ago

"Odedi"

9.3

This iconic wine is always enjoyable at this age. Showing great complexity and mouthfeel.

Dry on the palate with black fruits, earth, chocolates, tobacco, spices, mocha, coke, vegetables, pencil lead and peppercorn.

Full bodied and smooth with medium acidity and long legs.

This 8 year old is drinking very nicely now and will age nicely in the next decade.

Needs 3 hours to open up properly and show some tannins.

Long finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.

A great wine to have with good friends. Thank you David for sharing.

I paired it with a charcuterie board of meats and cheeses. Delicious.

Robert Parker 93 points.

A blend of 80% Sangiovese, 5% Cabernet Franc and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$120. — 7 years ago

Paige S

9.7

I love you, I love you. — 9 years ago

David Langstaff

9.4

This wine needed about 3 hours to release. Initially tight with uncomfortable medicinal nose which then totally dissipated. Drinking now next day and you get the age of fully integrated but not fading tannins. Nose has a delightful dark fruit and smokiness. Great fit of nose and taste, meaning - when tastes after smelling the experience is consistent and not jolting. I think the color purple in a subdued way. Very nice. Memo to self: decant and watch for sediment, and enjoy three hours later. — 10 years ago

with Cynthia and Chris

Leslie Bartos

9.4

decanted 2 hours. cassis, cherry, but also a fragrant floral nose and earthiness more similar to a burgundy/pinot. very elegant wine, almost feminine and an intoxicating nose. well-balanced and it was delicious over dinner. the last few sips we noticed slight fading. A splendid wine for a birthday celebration. — 11 years ago

with Tony

Martin Frowde

9.2

Drinking the 1991 in 2016 after over 2 hours of decanting. Wonderful light sherry type nose with a hint of pepper and quite brick red colour around the edges. Such a soft texture on the tongue though still a little astringency on the finish. Very good. — 11 years ago

with Georgina

Matt Duncan

9.6

Crisp cranberry emerges after a few hours. Light acidity surrounds eucalyptus appeal. Oak tannins balanced and refined. Subtleties develop luscious progression. — 11 years ago

Mike Evans

9.3

From 750ml with a couple hours of air, it’s showing bell pepper and ripe currant fruit with just a hint of leather, knit together by lovely acidity. At peak and excellent but with plenty of life remaining. — 8 months ago

Her Mir Tage

9.6

The Legendary 1990 and 2005 Vintages, and the 'Rouge' Aroma They Revealed!

I was meeting friends for a tasting, and I said I would bring a wine with a "rouge aroma" (*Yānzhī xiāng*). My friend also promised to open one with the same scent. If it's a cool vintage, a DRC might not reveal that distinctive rouge scent, but it's more common in warmer vintages, especially older ones from hot years. Of course, 2005 is a legendary vintage—it was warm but with significant diurnal temperature variation, resulting in balanced acidity and concentration, which also creates a very strong structure.

Thankfully, the 1990 Clos de Tart, despite having a very low fill level, wasn't spoiled. Its condition wasn't as potent as a previous bottle I had opened. This one took about 1.5 hours to fully open up in the glass. When it did, it revealed that signature Jiangnan "rouge" scent—very soft, enchanting, and feminine—along with some notes of dried longan. The fruit was balanced, though the acidity was relatively weak.

Today, I'll mainly write about this DRC. Its structure is incredibly powerful. For the first two hours, it was very closed. I believe this wine needed at least four hours of decanting, primarily because the 2005s, despite being a warm year, aren't that easy to open up. The aromas only started to slowly emerge around the third hour, and we were using large decanters and glasses, waiting for a long time. Initially, for the first half-hour after opening, there was a reductive note that was a bit funky. Later, after it opened up, the nose was primarily an interplay of cypress pine, violets, and that rouge scent intertwined. Honestly, this wine felt androgynous to me—it evokes an image of a knight and a princess playing in a forest. It wasn't overly soft, and its layers were incredibly complex.

On the palate, it was abundant: primarily black fruit, sour plum, sandalwood, coffee beans, a hint of dark chocolate, and a touch of earthy notes. The tannins weren't very soft—but then again, I'm so accustomed to drinking old wines. I feel this wine will need another 10 years to truly reach its peak. Its structure is exceptionally strong, unfolding layer by layer, with beautifully balanced acidity.

Comparing these two wines, their styles are completely different. One could say it's a contrast between an iconic Eastern beauty and a Western princess. I personally adore the soft and elegant style, but the 2005 is a wine with immense structure—it possesses a feminine power that is very potent, almost like the vision of a woman holding authority in a man's world.

Drinking such magnificent wines brings me great joy! — 9 months ago

Fredrik Finn

9.2

As the summer is slipping out of our hands, its time to to pop those complex reds that we’ve been lastning for. Produttori del Barbaresco is considered one of the best cooperatives in the world and its 2016 Barbaresco is a solid proof of that statement.
Restrained at first and needs a couple of hours in the decanter to reach its climax. True to its provenance its clasically crafted, and puts up complex profile of red cherries, rose hip, strawberries, spice, bitter orange and a volatile dried floral lift over a canvas of wet soil.
An offensive approach on the palate with a high acidity and a generous portion of mouth coating tannins that is well accompanied by a pronounced fruit profile with an evolving finish. Very good indeed, but is a couple of level behind to reach the higher tiers. — 6 years ago

Shay A

9.3

If tasting blind, I would have called this maybe a 2013-2015 vintage. Even after being open two hours, this was tight and unyielding. Very dusty aromatics (baked black cherries, charcoal, and dark cocoa) and chewy on the palate (underripe blackberries, baking spices, cedar). Big structure and it has everything you want for it to unfurl 7-10yrs from now. Hold. — 7 years ago

with Mark and Benjamin

Pooneet K

9.3

Absolutely delicious Brunello from 2001. Intense aromatics, deeply mouth filling. Decanted for a couple hours. Had with prime dry aged steaks. Just an awesome pairing. Really an iconicly excellent wine. — 9 years ago

Monica O

9.5

This oldie was funky to start thought it was ready to go down the drain. Gave it about 2 hours and boy it just Flourished. very nice 🍷 — 10 years ago

Matt Trader

9.3

I love the Echo label made by Lynch, and this was a power house of a Bordeaux. Brick wall of tannin even 4 hours later and after 60, yes, 60 hours of decanting, the flavors being masked by high acidity and tannin of a young wine finally had their 15 seconds of fame. Dark rich flavors of creme-de-casis and blackberry tart, and gravelly minerality, with a toasty oak undertone and still finishing with a firm tannin but just more enjoyable than right out of the bottle. — 11 years ago

Sharyn Grant

9.0

Big quality fruit bomb - 2006 - drinking softly now, open 2 hours. Would like to see if the fruit resolves over the next few years. — 11 years ago

Nose Reiko

9.5

Luxury aroma, with certain acid feeling — 12 years ago