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

Chris England

9.7

After a tiring day shopping 👠 👜 with Mrs E you gotta love Barcelona that you can pop to the local supermarket next to the hotel, grab some meat, cheeses, hummus & bread as well as a €295 98-100 Point by Vega Sicilia Unico 🤣 & a decanter + some glasses, then sit in your room overlooking the beach & city to chill @ sunset 😎 💗 Barcelona 🇪🇸

⏩ scroll for night pic 🌌 on Instagram

Drinking superb already but will become legendary 😍

📍 Vega Sicilia Unico 2006

🏵 97 points w/ huge potential but I prefer 04 at this crazy price 😁

💥 14% ABV

🍇 94% Tempranillo & 6% Cabernet Sauvignon

🍷 Opaque pitch black ruby

👃 A heady intoxicating nose of date & prune jam, chocolate kinky goo sauce, raspberry & cherry Black Forest gateaux, melted liquorice, smoked dry cured meat, mint infused fresh cut cedar & herbs w/ spiced damson plums & subtle oak 😍

👄 Full bodied rich & ripe raspberry & cherry through creamy cocoa w/ dark plum, prune, blackcurrant, liquorice & parma violets

🎯 Long prune choc cherry & raspberry gateaux cake food fight eruption in your cake hole 💥 Did somebody say food fight 🤣 — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

Many panned the 98 Napa vintage. Tasted young, it wasn’t all that good. However, never lose site that in all difficult vintages, good wines are made. Especially, with the right bottle age. They are generally from good producers who have experience, good facilities and the financial fortitude to thin crop. On the nose; floral cassis, ripe, ruby blackberries, black plum, black raspberries, sugar plum, blue fruits, dark cherries, strawberries in jam style, eucalyptus, soft spices, baking spices, dark soils, fruit tea, loamy dry soil, black moist earth, light herbaceous, used, soft leather, dry crushed rocks powder, black cherry cola, fresh red florals and violets for days. The body is full and tannins 65-70% resolved. The mouthfeel is round and glides beautifully & elegantly over the palate. Harmony in the; structure, tension, length and balance. The fruits are ripe, ruby; blackberries, black plum, black raspberries, sugar plum, blue fruits, dark cherries, raspberries, strawberries in jam style, eucalyptus, soft spices, cinnamon, clove, vanilla, dark soils, fruit tea, loamy dry soil, black moist earth, light herbaceous, used, soft leather, dry crushed rocks powder, black cherry cola, fresh red florals and violets for days. The acidity is round and like a waterfall. The finish is beautifully ripe & elegant and lasts well over a minute. Beautiful wine. Photos of; Martha’s Vineyard, Heitz Winery, tastings room bar on Hwy 29 and sitting area outside their tasting room. — 8 years ago

Jake Hajer

9.4

98 in 17. Beautiful; plum, tea, a touch caramel. — 8 years ago

Paul T HB

9.8

Parker 98 point taste off today,
Cult takes it at P&P lets see after a couple hours decant,
The nose on this has caught our attention now, not as full bodied as the cult but still delicious. Can't go wrong either way.
Maybach has taken over as it opens, winner! I think Amoenus is the top 2104 I've had, has lingering layers as it opens up, — 9 years ago

Neil Shah

9.2

Not as good as the 98...but pretty darn good. — 9 years ago

Merritt Santino Raül Gilé

9.3

I think this is my 4th Cheval Blanc. 73, 80-something, 98, and this one. This was my favorite. Needed to open up a bit. Was still very youthful. I'm sure you could age this for another 20+ years, but why would you. If not, why not? If not now, when? — 9 years ago

with Alison

Charlie Beatty

Buyer wineworksonline.com

9.9

Wow! Amazing fruit with great interplay of just a touch of oak and buttery creaminess ! Starter Chsrdvtonight! Amazing CB-98 — 10 years ago

with Karen, Steph and 1 other

David McNally

9.3

Hard to fault as a Sunday brunch wine - grilled meats along side... Grilled meats. '98 drinking so much better than the '99 opened the other night — 11 years ago

Cathrine Todd

9.5

Great smokey minerality, tight at this point but more flesh on the body than 96. Other Champagne Houses considered controversial to name 98 as a vintage year due to too much ripeness. But I am a fan of this vintage and will not take as long as the 96 to reach its prime. — 11 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.3

Another great 98 right bank that is just entering its drinking window. — 7 years ago

Chris England

9.7

A review of 9️⃣’s for fun 😁

The 2009 was made 9 years ago @ £39 & 19 years after the 1990 @ €90 😁 so I thought it would be fun to compare how my favourite Pomerol has evolved 😁

💵 Oh & Petrus next door to this Chateau is 90 times more expensive 🤣

🥊 So 90 vs 09

🏵 90 - 97-98 points
🏵 09 - 94-95 points

🍷 90 - Garnet opaque ruby w/ bricking
🍷 09 - Opaque ruby

⏩ scroll for colour pics on Instagram ⏩

👃 90 - Bordeaux nasal sex of soggy earth, sooty underground 🚇, char-smoked oak, old leather, damp musty cellar, mushroom, mirabelle plums, damson compote, obliterated blackcurrant, herbs, toasted fig, bitter mocha & liquorice
👃 09 - Dark jammy plum & blackcurrant through smokey oak, choc mocha, flint, pencil lead, soggy earthy leaves & wet rock minerals

👄 90 - Med body of creamy earthy smooth silk dark plum & berry bathed in ground mocha & liquorice
👄 09 - Med+ creamy smooth ripe dark plum & blackcurrant body w/ a mocha infusion & mineral tone

🎯 90 - Long mocha liquorice dark fruits mouth filling linger w/ a big happy smile 😃
🎯 09 - Long smooth ripe dark fruit, minerals & rich mocha linger - oh & still big happy smile 😀

⏰ 09 I can’t wait to revisit you in 19 years 😘

👏 @josephjanoueix @jeanphilippejanoueix 😍
— 7 years ago

Thijs Hendriks

9.8

Fresh, forest fruits, spicy. Game meat, leather. Clean, focussed and balanced. Elegant Haut Brion. 98+ — 8 years ago

Chris England

9.4

Everyone knows I’m a fan of LRA but I’ve not had the 98 for a long time!

As I just found some @ £68 I had to try & it’s lovely for the money with lots of life left 👍

🍸 Perfect in Zalto Burgundy 😎

🍷 Garnet ruby w/ brick edge

👃 Smoked dark balsamic oak in spiced black cherry w/ vanilla cocoa cream, herbs, smoke, leather, coconut & caramel

👄 Med creamy smooth body of dark cherry bathed in balsamic & vanilla cocoa w/ red berry tones

🎯 Long chocky cherry w/ touch tart balsamic thick linger — 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

8.9

A glass of wine to finish up the night...good age, nice evolution and an extremely good value at $25. Recent direct Chateau purchase. While the 1998 Bordeaux vintage was panned by the critics as a whole on the Left Bank, Pessac-Leognan shined better than most on the Left Bank. It was Right Bank Saint Emilion that had the great year. This 98 Haut-Bergey is not quite the wine the 98 Haut-Bailly is. However, it is delicious for $25. Nose of; blackberries, dark cherries, cherries, strawberries leather, cedar, tobacco leaf, dry stones, vanilla, dark moist soils and fresh red florals. The body is medium to lean. Tannins are completely resolved. Ripe, lean, shining; blackberries, dark cherries, strawberries & cherries. Black moist earth, touch of funk, soft chewy leather, stones, crushed dry rock powder, cedar, tobacco leaf, steeped fruit tea, cola, dry underbrush, fresh & dry red florals, liquid violets with raining acidity. The finish has lean, bright mid red fruits, earth and dark spices. Nice wine for the $. While this will hold another 3-5 years, it's not going to continue to improve. So, drink em. Photos of; the Chateau, barrel room, view inside the Chateau and their shiny stainless steel fermentation tanks. — 8 years ago

James Cahill

9.7

15 Vintages of Montrose dinner. Herve Bertrand flew in from the Chateau for this dinner and all wines came directly from the Chateau cellar except the 1989. A phenomenal dinner with some great back stories about the various vintages by Mr. Bertrand. Served in 5 flights: '12, '08, '95 / '10, '09, '03 / '05, '90, '89, '76, / '00, '86, '85 / '98, '82, and ''70. Food and service at Ripple was off the charts good. If you enjoy Bordeaux from the Medoc, St. Estephe then Chateau Montrose deserves a spot on your cellar. — 9 years ago

Sean Nelson

9.4

Apricots and yeast. Very dry. Mostly 1999, with some 96-98. — 9 years ago

Ryan Davis

9.2

Much riper than the 98 — 10 years ago

Will Predhomme

Sommelier, Vintner The North Shore Project, Master of Wine candidate

8.9

Brooding & escalating in intensity as it opens up. '98 started almost light fruit, at the bottom it's flowers & brooding Mourvèdre — 11 years ago

Ian Blackburn

10

Wine of the flight at learnaboutwine's (now wineLA) Top Wines tasting - House of Blues. Color: Grenache/brick NOSE: Amazing bouquet of tomato paste, olive tapenade, herb, stone, ((did not need to taste to love)) MOUTH: textured, refined, fresh, amazingly balanced and reminiscent of the legendary 1985 with perhaps a nudge of newer wood. Score 98 points (N2self - one of my greatest bottles this year) — 11 years ago

Chris England

9.6

My favourite St Julien in great year I got @ £82 now £190+ now 😱 So hard to stop drinking as it's good young & old 😍 Given 5-15 years this will be a 98+ wine easily 👍 It’s in a lovely place now 😍 Sexylicious 💗

📍 Chateau Leoville Poyferre 2005

🏵 96+ points with bigger potential as age will help this 😉

🍇 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot & 6% Petit Verdot

🍷 Opaque deep ruby

👃 Heady soft alluring smokey oak through spiced rich blackcurrant & creamy dark plum w/ double choc mocha, cracked rock mineral, blueberry, herbs & liquorice - dreamy 😉

👄 Med+ bodied silky intense mouth coating blackcurrant & dark plums w/ cocoa, black tea & liquorice in fine dry mineralised tannins

🎯 Long touch dry earthy dark fruits smothered in cocoa w/ a creamed liquorice 💋, black tea 🥊 & a dry mineral 👋 — 7 years ago

Chris England

9.4

Taking one for the community again testing out a bottle of the highly acclaimed Tig 15 @ c£90 & it’s loaded w/ BoomShakaLaka but needs time; that said good already 😁 Tigtastic 😍 Revisit in 3yrs to let tannins smooth out 👍

🏵 93-94 points w/ 😂 96-98 potential 👍 in 10yrs

🍇 Sangiovese w/ some Cab S & Cab F

🍷 Deep opaque ruby

👃Minty chocolate infused dark plump cherry, soft oak, blackcurrant, sweet blueberry, new leather, cedar & herbs

👄 Med body of juicy dark cherry & blackcurrant bathed in cocoa raspberry cream w/ dark plum

🎯 Med+ cocoa covered dark berry/cherry bang & a fine dry tannin linger - I feel choc cherry gateaux w/ time 😁 — 7 years ago

Chris England

9.4

Last time I had dark cherry was there but blackberry is showing now @ £133 a 96-98 in the making, but 93-95 now

🍇 85% Cab S & 15% Cab F

🍷 Opaque ruby

👃 Elegant savoury herb infused cedar wood, smokey fresh pine & new oak through earthy blackberry, crushed mineral rock, pencil lead, cocoa, bluebells, black tea & new leather

👄 Med silky body of spiced blackberry, liquorice, mocha, light balsamic w/ very fine smooth tannins & cherry hints

🎯 Med+ refined earthy blackberry, mocha & liquorice w/ a black tea tone — 8 years ago

Chris England

9.3

My 2nd try of this £90+ Chilean icon - superb now but 95-98 in 5-10yrs 👍

▶️ Bottle #8661

🍇 55% Cab Sauv, 29% Carmenere, 7% Cab F, 5% Merlot & 4% Syrah

🍷Opaque ruby w/ purple hue

👃 Chocolatey spicy rich blackcurrant & dark plum w/ soft oak, vanilla, wet leaves & light minerals

👄 Full body of rich silky intense black fruits beautifully balanced in oozy chocolate & med acidity

🎯 Long slight sweet & dry black fruits & cocoa linger w/ purple teeth stain 💥 — 8 years ago

Alex Lallos

Owner No Limit Fine Wines, Private Wine Consultant

9.4

Stunning 98 right bank. These 98s from st emilion seem to be firing on all cylinders. Had this beauty with stuffed rabbit at jardiniere while celebrating my moms 70th birthday. It had loads of beautiful fruit, some rose petal / violet and just enough earth to make it really interesting. We finished the bottle in literally no time. Excellent!!!!! — 8 years ago

Kevin Ortzman

9.0

Full bodied w/ leathery tannins. Cherries w/ mild hint of cassis. Tasted along side of the '98 Araujo and '97 Dalla Valle. Insignia came in third. What a fun dinner!! — 9 years ago

with ADAM, Joe and 2 others

Martin G Rivard

9.7

A wine that I brought tonight and felt strongly about. Incredible pedigree, winemaker is from Araujo which is insane great! Beautiful 12 but I committed infanticide., should laid it down another few years but it did open up like a million bucks after a few hours. Truly opulent Napa wine which is well structured and loved by all tonight. A new rockstar on the block vs the the old rock stars that were drinking in full stride tonight. It's was awesome tonight but I can't wait for it to evolve a little and become STELLAR in the future. I highly recommend this wine. The preliminary rating is 96 to 98 and the 13 is even better if you can imagine that! — 9 years ago

with Christine, Kirk and 1 other

Jeffrey Lew

9.7

About last night..... Dark cherry, blackberry, tobacco and some leather. Hint of astringency on the finish or I would of given this a 98-99. This is awesome right now and will only get better. — 10 years ago

Jon Fine

9.8

craziness. One of the best champagnes I've had in a long time. A blend of 98 and 99 but very fresh and ultra-precise. — 11 years ago

Gilles de Chambure

Master Sommelier & Educator

9.5

98 charmes chambertin super drouhin great selection only 3000 bts — 12 years ago