Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

When it comes to my B-day, there is only one fit, an old Pichon Lalande with my Ribeye. As a lover of Bordeaux, these two are my favorite pairing. It’s a very slow walk to the finishline. A small bite of steak and a sip of 89 Pichon Lalande. Then, repeat until finished. I had some concerns about this bottle. A slightly slippery and crumbling cork. The first sip was not bad, but not what you want or are expecting. After some time in the decanter, it really started to shine. On the nose; ripe, ruby, floral cassis, blackberries, dark sweet & sour cherries, baked strawberries, blue fruit hues, dry cranberries, baked rhubarb, saddlewood, soft, used leather, bay leaf, touch of sage, hint of spearmint, eucalyptus, vanilla, cinnamon, crushed dry crushed rock powder, black turned earth, dry brown soil with clay, tobacco leaf and perfumed red florals with violets. The body is full, round and silky. Tannins are well resolved at around 80%. The texture, length, tension and length are in a sweet spot. The fruits are ripe, ruby & expressively floral. Blackberries, dark sweet & sour cherries, baked strawberries, blue fruit hues, dry cranberries, baked rhubarb, saddlewood, soft, used leather, bay leaf, touch of sage, hint of spearmint, eucalyptus, vanilla, cinnamon, crushed dry crushed rock powder, black turned earth, dry brown soil with clay, scorched earth, tobacco leaf and perfumed red florals with violets. The acidity is just a little off but still nice. The finish is divided nearly equally in fruit, earth, florals and herbaceous. It’s very enjoyable but falls just a little short in longer, lingering length. This bottle had good storage, not great. Even so, still has another three to five years ahead. A bottle with excellent storage has another five years beyond this one. Photos of; the backside of Pichon Lalande, angled terrace view of their vines right next to Latour, my steak & twice baked potato (so good) and CEO Nicolas Glumineau. — 7 years ago

Gene Chow

9.0

Inky, jammy and delicious. Perhaps better for sipping than with food. — 8 years ago

David Langstaff

8.9

I wanted this wine to be magnificent. It wasn't. 1994. A bit long in the tooth. Should have had it years ago. Nose brought back great memories. Wonderful flowers and nuance. Beautiful bouquet. But the win was disappointing. Just didn't go anywhere. Faded fast. More I hope a function of being beyond its time. Oh well. At least it was expensive. — 8 years ago

with Todd, Cynthia and 2 others

Justin Hansohn

9.4

This chick is a slum dunk no matter who, what, where, when, or why. Beyond a safe bet, even at $200. And yes, it's ready to go NOW — 9 years ago

with Taylor

Danielle Mulvena

9.2

Surprisingly still in tact for a 49 year old bottle. Upon opening the wine was sharp with acid, but after 5 hours of decanting the wine softened to allow notes of dried rose petals, cherries, and cranberries through. The wine has a tawny oxidized hue and has an ethereal translucence due to its age. This is probably a few years beyond its prime, but still incredibly enjoyable. — 9 years ago

ben gillette

9.5

Sushi Ran takes this wine above and beyond! — 10 years ago

Rick Roemer

9.4

2006 Vintage one of the Best wines I have had. Been saving one bottle for a special occasion, and Thursday night had my wine drinking group. Having Drank other bottles of the 2006, I would say this was about 1 year beyond it's peak, but still exceptional compared to subsequent vintages of the same. — 10 years ago

Mike Lucia

Assistant Winemaker Copain Wines

9.0

Van from witching stick and I were cross eyed to find this wine a Pinot. Beyond its microbial speed bumps, this wine was fresh and legit. — 10 years ago

Rachel Voorhees

9.0

Beyond amazing...yet still so young — 11 years ago

with Ed

Greg Sorensen

9.7

Ulysse is beyond. Sabering courtesy of Pearl & Ash. — 12 years ago

Jay Kline

9.4

My notes on this from May of 2017 still apply. Popped and poured. Drank well over two days. Immediately this wine impresses visually. Sure, the color is an expected deep garnet but what's most striking is the fact that it's never completely opaque at the core. You can just barely get the faintest amount of light to see through it. It's quite beautiful, really. The nose is initially a bit reticent but a few minutes of air in the glass does the trick and then it really begins to show off the most lovely perfume of mixed red and dark fruit; so fresh and pure with just a flash of garrigue. No perceptible heat on the nose. On the palate it's a veritable wonder of berries, Rainier cherries, black berry liqueur, and just a touch of fine white pepper. The body is perfectly proportioned and the finish lasts for over 30 seconds. In summary, this is an incredibly balanced 2010 CdP that is already hitting its prime. Personally, I felt it was really at its very best about two hours in which leaves me to believe it should be a great pop and pour for the next couple of years and potentially has the balance to be great for longer. That being said, there is no need to decant, just pull the cork, pour and enjoy the evolution in the glass. The hard part is allowing it to last for two hours and longer. It should be noted that this is dangerously quaffable wine and it wouldn't be hard to take the whole thing to the head. Might as well drink these sooner than later as I'm always a bit wary of CdP much beyond the 10 year mark, where I tend so find many of them fall apart on the palate. Perhaps others with more experience in the long-term ageing of CdP can chime in though. Absurd value at $30.

As a side note, this paired very nicely with pan fried pork savory bacon wrapped filet mignon. — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

This was the wine of the Penfold's tasting. It's softer and elegant over the palate and reveals layers and layers of black & blue fruits, expresso, soft minerals, vanilla, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and on and on. Even better in 5 years and beyond. The Mamba decanter. Just $750 Australian. Looking for to the full tour and vintage tasting at Penfolds Magill back near Adelaide. — 8 years ago

Mike Rabinowitz

9.0

And who said Brunellos don't last beyond 10 years? 19 and counting. Delish. — 8 years ago

Anthony Lombardi

9.2

I find LdH's achievements for both 2002 & 2003 to be remarkable. Difficult vintages for completely different reasons. This 03 is certainly a big wine, but that is to be expected with the noted European heatwave that year. Beyond the ripeness, it checks all the boxes of the house style. Structure, texture, nuance from the oak. They are magicians. — 9 years ago

Rob Petrone

8.9

Sour beer fans would dig this — 9 years ago

Mitja Sirk

Production La Subida, Aceto Sirk

9.4

Fantastic 1995 and ordinary 1996 — 9 years ago

with Marta

Sergio Licea

9.1

Roses, cherries, graphite, dried thyme, rose water. Excellent acid/smooth velvet tannin balance, dry herbal finish. Medium bodied yet delicate. Has the structure for long aging. Drinks best in 2020 and beyond. — 10 years ago

E

10

Delicious beyond belief! — 10 years ago

Stephen Littler

9.5

Smooth and classy — 10 years ago

with Chris and Martin

Mark Freund

9.7

Lovely Sauv/Semillon from Pope Valley. Great balance, fresh and lively, excellent fruit. — 11 years ago

Michael Park

9.3

Hitting it's peak. Nice layers of complexity developing beyond the fruits with earth and gravel. — 8 years ago

Martin G Rivard

10

What a beautiful person inside and out! I'm blessed beyond measure to be able to call him "Dad". Words can't adequately express how much I Love him. We opened a few bottles last night that I will hold near and dear to my heart forever. We are celebrating his completion of 6 rounds of chemo therapy in his battle against Prostate cancer. This is his 3rd time in the ring against this opponent and it appears that he's won with a unanimous decision by knockout at this time!!!!!! Love you dad!!!!! So proud of your strength through this process. My Father was born in 1940. A difficult year to say the least:
Germans entered Bordeaux in June of 1940. As dictated by Hitler himself, it was the sworn duty of each and every commander to search and seize whatever could be used for the advancement of the German cause. Bedlam broke out. Chateaux' were ransacked, wine cellars were looted if not used for target practice. The Chateauxs were forced to continue producing wines. It's poetic justice that Mother Nature provided the Germans with the worst growing season from 1940 to 1944!!!! The Germans left Bordeaux in 1944 to the cheers of the residents "Au Revoir Les Allemands"!!!! The 1940 bottle that we enjoyed this evening survived World War II. It Survived the ransacking, pillaging & plunder of countless German soldiers. It's outer capsule showed evident signs of its struggle but it's inner beauty was unblemished and glorious. I've had many, many vintages of Latour from 1928 and on but none have ever tasted as perfect as the one we enjoyed tonight. This 1940 was perfect. It was a fighter, it never gave up, it never relinquished in the face of adversity. That's my Father, that my role model. He's a beautiful person inside & out. I think 1940 is the best vintage that I have ever had the privilege to enjoy. Special thanks to my good friends Michael Troise whom provided me with much of the insights in regards to the incredibly difficult vintage and David Page whom gifted this bottle to me for our celebration this evening. I will never forget your generosity. It was a glorious evening to say the least!!! Wine has a way of bringing people together and encapsulating an evening and event. I couldn't think of a better way to rejoice in his victory than to open a Father & Son birth year wine. — 8 years ago

with Ryan, Christine and 1 other

Melissa Kiernan

9.0

Caramel, oak, fig, rich berry. Beyond smooth and drinkable right from the start. Amazing paring. Worth every sip — 9 years ago

Martin G Rivard

9.3

@David A Lentine @Gina Sabean @Christine You know that you are drinking GREAT wines when you can say that a Realm Beckstoffer To Kalon came in last. I love this producer beyond measure!! Every wine they make is a hit. Everyone tonight agreed that drank by itself it would have been amazing. However, it still needs a few years to open up and spread its wings!! All of my bottles were decanted for 8 hours today, I began formulating thus rodeo of a lineup around 11am. The Realm had huge dark fruit but too many rough edges in comparison to the others. In all honesty, these are so good that we are splitting hairs but alas they must be ranked and that is how the Cookie Crumbled this evening. — 9 years ago

with Christine and Gina

Scott Kahn

9.5

An extremely well balanced and integrated wine that is moving beyond its peak. Great representation of a 1997 Napa "cab". — 9 years ago

Molly Brooks

9.3

Baked peach & pear, cardamom, brown sugar, citrus glaze, mint, almond skin. Showing its age gracefully. #belgianbeer refermented, riddled, & disgorged in #champagne caves. #thechampagneofbeer #craftbeer #deus — 10 years ago

Melissa M. Sutherland

Importer Winebow Wines

9.0

Not an ordinary return to Breganze. — 10 years ago

Tyesha Ware

9.1

Tyesha had this 11 years ago

Aaron Means

9.1

About as good as Grenache gets. Not many others that are better. Stewed black fruits, pencil lead, and smoky minerals. Evolves with aromas of steamed veggies and chocolate. The dusty tannins and pervasive acidity can potentially take this wine to 2020 and beyond. — 11 years ago

Kathryn Maxson

9.6

Fruity, peppery, surprising! — 12 years ago