Mark S.

9.3

Deep cherry red. Oak+ vanilla clove nutmeg. Black currant++ blueberry black cherry and berry. Leather+ meat. Elegancy more than complexity. It changed a lot over time. 30 min the started feeling the value of this. Compared with the last one, it has big potential, though it has already been ready to drink, since it is 2017 vintage. Fruitiness M Sweetness M+ Acidity M Silky Tannin M+ Bitterness M Body M++ Finish M++ 13.5% Château Mouton Rothschild Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 17 @110000, AD, 250226 — 4 months ago

Jay Kline

9.5

Presented to me double-blind. The wine pours a deep garnet with an opaque core and some rim variation; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears and signs of sediment. On the nose the wine is vinous with notes of cassis, blackberry, black plum, tobacco, menthol, leather, and mix of cool and warm spices. On the palate the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. This is really delicious.

Initial conclusions: this could be a Cabernet Sauvignon based blend or other Bordeaux-styled blend or a Tempranillo based blend from the United States, France or Spain. This saw French oak so I eliminated Spain. I thought the fruit was outshining the structure…so I liked the USA over France. And, based off the appearance, I thought this probably had 30+ years of age. Final conclusion: this is a Cabernet Sauvignon based blend from the United States, from California, Napa, Rutherford; 1994. Ugh…the 1990 vintage in Bordeaux has bit me twice now recently. Really awesome stuff! Drink now through 2040+. — 5 months ago

Steve Goore

9.0

What’s Durif? Loved the combo with Australian Shiraz. Red and blackberry and cherry with a touch of oak and smoke. This was quite the fruit bomb with mild tannins and medium body. Please sir. . . I want some more. — 6 months ago

Conrad Green

9.3

plush plummy fruit. Rounded with black cherry and soft precision. Lovely — 6 months ago

with Paul and Ara

Ross Bathgate

9.5

Bought at the winery after tasting in 1999, my first pilgrimage to Coonawarra. Opened very stinky but blew off with air over 30 mins to beautiful fragrant nose and that sweet soft tannin of an aged Coonawarra Cabernet. Drank gloriously over the next two hours. Still full of life at 29 years old. — 7 months ago

Allison Lyzenga

9.2

Deep ruby; medium plus aromas of new leather, coconut, cocoa nibs, ripe red and black plums; high alcohol, high tannins — 9 months ago

Vanessa

10

Fruity, bubbly/fuzzy, sweet. Always have it in hand — 4 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.2

Compared to a Spottswoode 06, this one seemed to have similarities but and it was over all this one has more tobacco and slightly less of the dark mature raspberry and black cherry. However, this one even after an hour was still a little disjointed and out of balance. I don't know if this is just on the decline or maybe a little bottle variation. I'd think about drinking this. — 8 years ago

with Dan and Shay

Colleen Wherthey Dunn

9.2

2014 vintage. Surprisingly well balanced for such an inexpensive wine. Fairly tannic with luscious dark berry/cherry notes and quite a bit of spice. Long and lovely finish. Good value red blend. — 8 years ago

Jimmy Smith

Director, West and North London Wine School

9.4

2001: going into a black olive, black truffle note. Rich meaty notes, vibrantly meated, smoky, leather, tobacco, cigar. Towards full, complex, chewy. Light liquorice, light black truffle. Tip top. — 11 years ago

Kevin Arndt

Specialist Grand Vin Colorado

9.4

Dense, complex, still VERY youthful. Graphite, just ripe black currant, it’s a wine with concentration and strength without being overripe and brooding. Balance of alcohol within the structure is perfect. — 5 months ago

Ron Siegel

9.3

Mostly black fruits, full bodied with cedar, leather, sweet spices & tobacco — 5 months ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.2

Referred to as the “Baby Grange,” blend of 53/47 Cab Sauv & Shiraz, aged for 12 months in American oak, partly in previous-vintage Grange casks. Dark Ruby with aromas of fresh black fruits, complex with sweet spice. On the palate flavors of juicy black cherry and blackberry flavors with notes of cacao, oak and toasty spices, from cooler vintage. Well balanced with acidity, full ripe tannins, long ending with smoky spice, fruit well integrated with oak, drink over next 10 years+, will only get better. Nice! — 5 months ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

Fruit is brighter, more brilliant than many other 21’s I’ve had. Texturally & fruit-wise senses more like the 23’s I’ve had. It’s gorgeous. Again, needs a decade or more in the cellar.

Round, lush, creamy blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries, both plums, poached strawberries, dry, crushed rocks, limestone powder, nice balling spices, caramel, mocha, dry herbs, dry tobacco, lead pencil, dry river stone, leather, melted, dark chocolate, dark spice, fresh & withering dark flowers, red roses, nice round acidity, well balanced, bigger tension & structure, excellent round, excellent finish that last minutes and lands on spice, wet clay and Christmas cake. — 6 months ago

Ron Siegel

9.3

This was showing well with notes of red, black fruits, sweet on the palate with savory spice, earth, licorice, leather & tobacco — 6 months ago

Charlie Tapp

9.6

Black figs, raspberries, mesquite, tobacco and cacao nibs. — 9 months ago

romo

9.3

On point. Lithe but dense. Black tar compote. — 9 months ago

Neal Ferry

9.0

I think it’s a great day drinker — 5 years ago

with TwiLea

Violet B

9.2

Really enjoyable, easy drinking red table blend; paired well with delicious homemade steak quesadillas! — 8 years ago

with Chuck

Maya Kaczorowski

9.0

Slightly too sweet, and I like it! — 8 years ago

Nvr8787

9.6

Super easy to drink! Will be finishing this bottle tonight. Or at least I wouldn't be surprised if I did. It's not over powering or spicy. Just very very light, a tad sweet, and a tiny sweet finish. — 11 years ago

Liz Barenholtz

9.6

Delicious. Full. Not overly fruity. — 13 years ago

Dave

9.2

Drinking this way too early, but it sounded good and it is good. Chewy, tart cherry juice, cedar, silky tannins. Happy Friday, friends!
Listening to Black Eyed Peas — 5 months ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

I remember when the 2005 Pichon Lalande was reviewed by RP, 89. I saw that & said, you would have to get in the way of the 2005 Bordeaux vintage to be that sad. I still bought 6 at a bargain basement price. A very good idea post 20 yrs+. Both Pichon’s don’t have a modern day history of getting in the way of a good vintage.

I also bought this one. 18 yrs in bottle and still acending. This will hold 5 more yrs and will last another 10 yrs properly stored.

I have visited Bordeaux 11 times. This chateau visually is still my favorite. It was showing a picture of this chateau to Sofia that launched our first visit. Sofia loved it and we have stared at it multiple times on every visit.

It was in our visit in 2007, I stood in the estate vineyard, looked & tasted their soils. After doing so, I said, “I get it.” I understood everything about what I was tasting in Left Bank Bordeaux’s early in my wine journey.

Sofia and I had dinner w/ Christian Moueix not long after the 2005 vintage was hyped/released. She asked him, when did you know you had something special?” He said, “as soon as I tasted the fruit at harvest.”

Tonight, it shows that it is a close relative, a sibling to Pichon Longueville. Cork, perfect.

The nose shows; classic left bank traits. Ripe, dark, brooding fruits, bright, mid berries, red cola, leather, tobacco, sandalwood, leather, led pencil, dark rich earth, limestone, dry river stone, hint of mushrooms, dark, red, fresh & withering florals.

The fruits on the palate show everything outstanding from the 2005 growing season. Ripe, juicy, brilliant; dark currants, blackberries, black raspberries, black plum skin, black cherries, baked/poached strawberries & some hovering raspberries. Dark chocolate bar to pudding, red cola, anise, dark spices w/ palate heat, dark, rich earth w/ dry leaves, pronounced graphite, dry tobacco, leather, limestone, dry twig, dry river stone, moist clays, moist herbs, cedar to sandalwood, withering & dry, dark flowers, red roses, some lavender & violets, beautiful rainfall acidity, excellent; balance, tension, structure, length w/ an elegant finish that lasts minutes and lands on spice & earth.

13.4 ABV. Nice.

#TheTwoHourRibcap

This held up vacuumed sealed the same night, refrigerated & enjoyed exactly a week later. — 5 months ago

Greg Koslosky

9.2

This bottle was in perfect condition has incredible balance with black and red fruits earth, spice garrigue. As good as you would hope should hold for another five years. Nice juice ! — 6 months ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of a few hours. The 2023 pours a ruby/purple color with a near opaque core; medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with an explosion of smoked blackberry pie, purple flowers, bacon fat, olive, black pepper, and subtle warm spices. On the palate the wine is dry with medium tannin and medium acid. Confirming the notes from the nose however, the wine finishes much more elegant than the nose would suggest. The bouquet might lead one to think this is possibly over the top. However, on the palate, it was far more elegant. Another vintage, another stunning Gonon. Drink now through 2043. — 7 months ago

Brad Jensen

9.3

Silky smooth nose, velvety and soft, with forewarned black currants, just a LITTLE pepper, dark cherry and maybe a little pine forest floor? Some sediment and still grippy tannin, but starting to really loosen, with prominent ripe red fruits of dark , brooding plum, cherry and dark fruits, with hints of graphite, wood, and smoke over a still zingy finish. — 3 years ago

Jim

9.4

Costco $19.88, wow, pleasantly surprised. Buy more. — 8 years ago

Pooneet K

9.1

Really nice, and showing quite well with 7 years of age. Medium color, extremely well balanced. Dark earth, black olive, savory notes for sure. Long finish with great acid. Excellent food wine. — 8 years ago

Lewis Chester

9.6

1996 vintage. At Hotel TerraVina with my pal, Gerard Basset MW. Unfortunately we didn't get time to decant it sufficiently prior to having with lunch. Typically I would have had at least a 2 hour decant before serving. Medium garnet hue, very bright. The nose is simply stunning and evolved constantly in the glass. Blackberry, black plum, cedar wood, lots of spices, cocoa and hints of roasted coffee bean. Tertiary notes have developed but there still seems to be a bit of development to be teased out of this wine yet. The palate exhibited an enormous amount of structure - high acidity and high tannins that are ripe but chunky. There's nothing round here - more linear and angled than curvy. Almost light bodied but with a big two-step punch of a finish: there's an initial hit and then a powerful umph of additional rev's that makes your head bob up and down in joy and happiness. Though it's drinking extremely well now, this will hold for decades to come. Fabulous. — 9 years ago