Jay Kline

9.5

Girl. Sup? Shoot. This was utterly brilliant tonight. Classic Bordeaux yet, even at 26 years young, somewhat precocious still. A beautiful mix of deep, dark and red fruit with currants, blackberries and cherries with chocolate, purple flowers, green pepper, tobacco, earth, leather and awesomeness. Plenty of structure to keep this strutting for years to come. Fabulous balance and complexity. Drink now through 2047+. — 9 months ago

Kevin Cahoon

9.6

Enjoyed from a magnum.
This exudes the aromas of mature Chave Hermitage. Blackberry, red plum and cassis mingle with smoked cured meats, graphite, forest floor, soy and allspice aromas. The wine is surprisingly lithe with juicy tannins and pitch perfect acidity. Flavors of cured meats, cranberry, red plum jump on the palate. The finish is elegant with mineral inflected red fruit notes. This showcases the blending art at the estate as 97 had distinct challenges in during the year and harvest. — 4 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.0

Pontet Canet tasting and dinner with Alfred Tesseron.

The 13 was a brutal tannin vintage when I tasted it at En Premier. The tannins are still bitty but, nothing like they were out of barrel.

The fruit in the 13 shows the difficulty in the vintage. They are duller and it’s really stands out from other vintages and not in a good way.

It’s lean and there is nothing that really draws you in. Fruits are; dark cherries, rhubarb, blackberries, some blueberries@and the strawberries show some ripeness the other do not. Lots of dry earth, dry stones, some herbs, dark withering florals, decent acidity and a uneventful dry finish.

Photos of; Clyde and Alfred at the bar, their Amphora style cement tanks they ferment part of each vintage now, road signs of the good neighbors they keep and Chateau Pontet Canet. — 6 years ago

Scorewine

Wine writer http://www.israelwines.co.il

9.2

Visiting again this splendid Paulliac from the 2011 vintage. 2011 vintage was labeled as mediocre in Bordeaux and this lovely wine showed that it is actually a classic vintage with some great wines, so trust the chateau not only the vintage. The nose is tempting with notes if coffee, earth, oak, cassis, black fruits and hints of chocolate, the body is full with round tannins, acidity is splendid and finish is long. My score 92, drink to 2026, perhaps longer — 6 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.2

Old school style Bordeaux. Black & red fruits, earth, cedar, leather, tobacco & graphite. One of my favorite 83’s! — 8 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.1

Light reddish amber, translucent color. Beautiful bouquet in the nose with notes of cherries and earth. In the mouth the fruit is less present and the finish is short. Great old rioja nose, but fruit is past it's prime. Drink up. — 8 years ago

Alex Xu

9.7

Incredible. Jaboulet family apparently inconsistent in final years of ownership, but this one had everything. So dense still, with lots of kalamata olive, olive brine, cherry, blackberry, black pepper, leather, cured meat, earth. Savory, sweet, powerful, elegant, hit every end of the taste spectrum. Super long. In magnum — 8 years ago

Alder Yarrow

Wine Blogger Vinography

9.4

Cloudy ruby, this wine smells of earth and cedar and dried red fruits. In the mouth, dried flowers and forest floor mix with river-mud-tannins and a bright juicy acidity. Tasted out of magnum. — 9 years ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Presented to me double-blind at Tasting Group. The wine is a deep, slightly hazy garnet color with a slightly orange rim and a near opaque core. Medium+ viscosity with pretty significant staining of the tears. Showing some signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is vinous with notes of desiccated dark and red fruits: brambles, dark cherry, cassis, leather, green bell pepper, tobacco, cocoa, purple flowers, damp earth, and soft baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and extremely satisfying.

Initial conclusions, this could be Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or a blend of Bordeaux varieties, Syrah or Tempranillo from France or Spain. I think this wine has too many non-fruit characteristics for me to place this in California, Argentina or Australia. Because I don’t get enough purple or any black pepper, I’m ruling out Syrah. There aren’t any olive/coconut/dill tones to put me in Spain so I’m ruling that out. I think there is a decent amount of Merlot in this because it’s has some elegance…but it’s just not quite plush enough for me to put this in the Right Bank.

So I’m going Left Bank. Final Conclusion: this is a Cabernet Sauvignon-based wine from France, from Bordeaux, from the Medoc, from Saint-Julien. Classified growth (I was thinking Saint-Pierre but wasn’t that sure of myself) with 20-25 years of age. Welp…I was in the right area. This bottle was hand carried from the chateau. Truthfully, I need to gain more experience to refine my ability to pick out subtle nuances within Bordeaux but I digress. The 2001 Smith Haut Lafite is bangin’. Drinking well now but you don’t have to be a huge rush.
— 2 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

Mmmm....better. 1999 was a meh vintage to most critics. I find it has evolved to better things with this much time in bottle.

The nose reveals, ruby and candied; blackberries, black cherries, black plum skin, black raspberries, raspberries, poached cherries & strawberries. Touch cooked green bell pepper, mixed berry licorice, anise to black licorice, used leather, saddle-wood to cedar, dark, moist, black earth, limestone, stones, graphite, vanilla, cinnamon stick, clove, nutmeg and dark spice, coffee, dark chocolate with fresh & withering, dark, red, blue and purple flowers.

The body is just full. The tannins are soft, round, chewy and tarry. The structure, tension, length and balance are pretty good for 99. ruby and candied; blackberries, black cherries, black plum skin, black raspberries, raspberries, poached cherries & strawberries. more cooked green bell pepper on the palate, mixed berry licorice, anise to black licorice, used leather, saddle-wood to cedar, dark, moist, black earth, limestone, stones, graphite, vanilla, cinnamon stick, clove, nutmeg and dark spice, coffee, dark chocolate with fresh & withering, dark, red, blue and purple flowers. The acidy is nice. The finish is elegant, well balanced but, not as rich as other good vintages Palmer. It is spicy and persists minutes on the palate.

Photos of; Chateau Palmer, their barrel room, a photo of their vineyard soil structure-if you didn’t know where all that earthiness comes from, a picture is worth a thousand words and their tasting room. — 6 years ago

Chris England

9.3

One of my of time favourite Margauxs & this toop vintage @ £65-£85 is a great price for the top quality 😉 good now but great in 5 more years 👍

🏵 93 points with more potential

🍇 71% Cabernet Sauvignon & 29% Merlot

🍷 Opaque blackened ruby

👃 Rich dark creamy blackcurrants through soft smoked oak, soggy earth & dark plum w/ minerals, gooey cocoa, broken pencil lead & melted liquorice

👄 Med body of silky goo mashed blackcurrant in an earthy mineral infused mocha liquorice splatter w/ a touch of fine dry tannins

🎯 Long rich dry bitter ground mocha liquorice dark fruit boom 💥 — 7 years ago

Chris England

9.3

Off year Pape Clement @ £76 but one of the best in 07 😁 & drinking lovely today 👍

🍇 51% Cab S, 46% Mer, 2% Pet V & 1% Cab F

🍷 Opaque ruby

👃 Flinty mineral & gravel stones oozing through crushed pencil lead in dirty blackcurrant & dark mashed plum w/ soggy earth, farmyard & soft oak

👄 Med body of rich ripe blackcurrant & dark plum in earthy mocha & liquorice infused with crushed mineral rocks

🎯 Med+ dirty dark fruits surrounded with mocha, liquorice & minerals — 8 years ago

Peter Slagowitz

9.4

Fantastic 95 Super Tuscan. Nose had hints of vanilla, soft earth a light spice. On open was smooth if a touch flat then after 45 minutes it opened to let dark fruit notes of blackberries and cassis come out. Sublime. — 9 years ago

Guy Davies

8.9

1999. Slightly underwhelming. Nice stuff, earth and meat on the nose, relatively light body, bit of a smoky finish, but not that long. If blind I would have had this as something more humble. — 9 years ago

Tom Kobylarz

9.2

A cooler expression of cabernet is the usual Margaret River way and this shows all of the minty capsicum it can in balance with currants and red cherry fruit. Barely a trace of oak. Med+ tannin, med/med+ acids add a nice juicy mouthwatering med+ finish. — 3 years ago

Martin Sher

9.2

Really enjoyed this. A bit of petrol on the nose quickly blew off. Minerals, stone fruit and a hint of citrus. — 4 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

Merry Christmas Eve-Eve everyone! 🎄🎅🤶⛄️❄️🎁🍷

On the nose, leap dark currants & cassis with bright red, dark, blue & purple florals at pop & pour. Ripe; blackberries, dark cherry kirsch, plum, mulberries, blueberries, poached & strawberries, black raspberries & raspberries. Black licorice, star anise, dark chocolate bar, volcanic & limestone, steeped fruit teas, dark cola, sweet tarry notes, black, rich, turned earth, mid, dark spices, cinnamon stick, clove, nutmeg, vanilla, barrel shavings with char, dry brush, leather, fresh tobacco, granite, some eucalyptus, mint notes, light, dry herbs with fresh & some withering red, dark, purple and blue, fresh and slightly candied florals.

The body is; round, ripe, & rich. The tension, structure, length and balance are just beginning their sweet spot. The tannins are; rounding, tarry & still chewy. Plenty of life left in the 09...8-10 years. Dark currants & cassis. Ripe; blackberries, dark cherry kirsch, plum, mulberries, blueberries, poached & strawberries, cherries, black raspberries & raspberries. Black licorice, star anise, dark chocolate bar, volcanic & limestone, dry, crushed rocks, dry stems, steeped fruit teas, dark cola, sweet tarry notes, black, rich, turned earth, mid, dark spices, cinnamon stick, clove, nutmeg, vanilla, milk chocolate, mocha, caramel, barrel shavings with char, dry brush, leather, fresh tobacco, granite, some eucalyptus, mint notes, light, dry herbs with fresh & some withering red, dark, purple and blue, fresh and slightly candied florals. The acidity is round & spot on. The ripe, rich, ruby, elegant, balanced & polished finish is splendid and persists nicely on the palate with mid, dark spice on the long set. So much better with this much age. Really delicious tonight!

A steal now at under $35 upon release at Costco.

This wine is close to its peak and will hover there 3-4 years.

Photos of; the Estate, old large oak vats and David Heitz.
— 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

Certainly one of my favorite Pomerol producers. Not their best vintage but still very good and it pairs very well with Ribeye.

On the nose, ripe & sweet; blackberries, dark cherries, blue fruit hues, strawberries, cherries & a touch of pomegranate. Vanillin, mixed berry cola, steeped fruit tea, light dry herbs, cinnamon, menthol, hints of eucalyptus, limestone, dry clay, sweet, rich turned, dark earth, gently, bright, fresh red & dark florals.

The body is medium. The tannins 80% resolved. The fruits are fresh & ripe; blackberries, plum, dark cherries, strawberries, cherries, pomegranate, hues of blue fruits. Steeped fruit tea, vanillin, creamed raspberry cola, some cinnamon, some soft spice, dry herbs, limestone minerals, dry clay, light dry herbs, dry stone, crushed dry rocks, menthol, eucalyptus with soft red, dark & blue florals, nice acidity and an elegant, well balanced finish.

Photos of, the front back of Vieux Chateau Certan, Owner Alexander Thienpoint barrel tasting the 06 vintage and Estate vines. — 7 years ago

with James

Peter Wassam

9.8

A softened ruby color. Beautiful balance, everything in harmony. Wet earth, raspberry, cinnamon, a whiff of truffle, intoxicating nose. So much ripe, fresh red fruit on the palate. Such soft tannins, damson plum, a mineral streak running through. Drinking a 15 year old wine for 15th anniversary of diabetes. This is splendid in the moment — 8 years ago

Jean-Francois Pelletier

9.0

Brown red with slightly orange rim. Initial funk on the nose, with aromas of earth, wet soil and dark fruit with slight sweet spice. Medium body with very long finish. Bottle in great shape but past its prime. — 9 years ago

with Frankie