Mike Saviage

9.4

Tasted blind. Reddish tawny. Nose is closed and not yielding much. I get cranberries, some cherries, iron and stones, some wood. Has a high pitched character to it. Has some pucker in it yet. Tight with ample acidity. I guess 97 Vogue Bonnes Mares. In my experience this wine has had some variations in its performance. Today it was better than most, but suffered by not getting ample air before it was served. — 5 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.4

Tasted blind. Tawny color, translucent with amber rims. Notes of black cherry, cedar, some spice and a little barnyard floor. Sweet fruit in the mouth, with tannins fully resolved. Guessed 1955 Calon Segur. Perfect looking bottle, the cork revealed this bottle was reconditioned by the Chateau in 2000. — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

A continuation of our anniversary celebration @ Cole’s Steakhouse.

On the nose; cedar, saddle-wood, ripe & ruby; dark currants, blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, black plum w/ skin, blue fruit hues & strawberries. Limestone minerals, dry crushed rocks, dry river stone, anise, graphite, touch of smoke, tobacco with ash, dry stem, the slightest hint of green pepper & dry herbs with blue, red and dark fresh & withering red flowers.

The body is round, ruby and full. Classic Haut-Brion profile flavors. I don’t believe I would miss call this producer blind as its flavor profile & style is so distinct. The tannins are nicely round and soft, 60% resolved. The structure, tension, length and balance are well knitted together. It does lack some wow factor from their truly great vintages. However, there is plenty of life in this bottling and it has not achieved its peak. Probably, another 3-5 years from hitting its peak with another 8 years of good drinking beyond that. Ripe & ruby; dark currants, blackberries, black raspberries, dry black cherry & cranberries, black plum w/ skin, blue fruit hues & strawberries. Limestone minerals, mint, dry crushed rocks, dry river stone, saddle-wood, cedar, anise, graphite, forest floor, touch of smoke, volcanic ash, tobacco with ash, dry stem, the slightest hint of green pepper & dry herbs with blue, red and dark fresh & withering red flowers. The acidity is just about perfect. The ruby finish is elegant, well polished & balanced and last minutes. It continues to evolve & improve in the glass even after a hour long decant. Just missing a 9.4. Man oh man, I love well made older Bordeaux wines. My true love.

Photos of, Chateau Haut-Brion, field-hands harvesting that magical fruit, barrel room and their library cellar that I would love to raid 😜. — 7 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.3

Tasted blind. Tawny color, lighter and a bit more transparent than the 82. Nice nose. Not as fruity. Notes of Dark cherry, wood, spice and dried brush. Medicinal. In the mouth it's well balanced. A bit dry tho. Needed air to show its best. — 8 years ago

Greg Ballington

Co-Founder of Millennial Drinkers Wine Blog

8.9

Fourth of the blind tasting for Father's Day weekend.

Deep and dark purplish ruby red. Dark fruits with a touch of acetone or whiskey on the nose. Some cigars and dark cocoa as well. Heavy tannins (7.5/10) and medium bodied. A touch lighter than expected. Extracted dark fruits and bitter dark cocoa on the palate. A little unbalanced with a medium plus finish. This is still a baby and needs time to settle. Drink till 2029. — 9 years ago

with Sean and India

Ian Blackburn

9.7

What a ride! Make sure to give this 2-hours and let the magic begin. Muscular cherry + brown spice garden + mouth feel let you know how important this site is... tasted blind next to DRC La Tache 93 - at gwen restaurant during the "best bottle" dinner hosted by wineLA - The only problem is everyone thought this might be the La Tache - unbelievable power and concentration — 9 years ago

Paul J

9.0

45+ decant but needed closer to 2 hours. Dark purple in color. Nose was all over the place - US, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy. Wine had minimal fruit, plenty of wood, and lots of Portuguese elements. Would have guessed California or Portugal if having blind. Depth was medium as well as the finish. Ample tannins. Expected more from the label and vintage. — 5 years ago

with Brooke

Blake Walker

9.5

Tasted blind, I would’ve guessed a mature Bordeaux. Fantastic. — 7 years ago

Mick Farrell

9.3

Family collective, where’s Benny Jeanine and Pauly!?! 🇪🇸 🍷 — 7 years ago

with Stacey, Richard and 19 others

Ron Siegel

9.1

This was served blind & pretty easy to pick out with its sweet red fruits, redwood, cedar & curry notes that became more pronounced sitting in the glass. — 8 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.7

The 2014 d'Yquem has a complex bouquet with buttered toast, almond, honey and peach skin aromas. It opens with greater zeal than its peers, there is more immediacy here. The palate is very well balanced with crisp acidity, a finely tuned and satisfying Sauternes with style and grace, evincing great tension and mineral drive towards the finish. Superb. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting. (Neal Martin, Vinous, March 2018) — 8 years ago

Billy L.

9.4

Tasted blind, PNP, needs to be enjoyed with Meat entree at this point of evolution! Cheers!
🍇🍷👍🏻 — 8 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.5

Tasted blind. Tawny brownish red color with amber rims. Huge bouquet in the nose of roses, berries, pencil lead, minerals and some dusty dirt. Light on its feet in the mouth. Round soft fruit. Better than the last bottle of this a few months ago. — 9 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.6

Tasted blind. Reddish tawny color. Edges suggest its old. Notes of strawberry, raspberry, iron, roses. Some zing and power in the nose. Slaps your face when tasted. Sappy. Powerful impact. Long finish. Other guesses were in Burgundy land eg Griotte but I went with 90 Rayas. Bingo. — 6 years ago

John Van Trijp

9.4

World greatest Chardonnay blind tasting — 6 years ago

Matt Perlman

9.4

Olga never misses...@Scott DeBenedett called this blind, impressive considering we were like 10+ bottles deep at that point — 7 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.5

Tasted blind. Deep dark and opaque. Red center with amber rims. Looks young. Very rich and luscious in the mouth. Black cherry, forest floor, tobacco leaf and a hint of old wood. Amazing impact out of the gate, but this declined in what it gave as the night went on whereas the 53 Lafite got better. — 8 years ago

Delectable Wine

Follow to learn about our favorite wines & people.

9.6

The 2014 Angélus is now really beginning to blossom. It has an outstanding bouquet with plush but delineated black cherry and cassis fruit, crushed violet and just a hint of pencil lead. There is wonderful focus here. The palate is medium-bodied with tightly knit black fruit, graphite and spice. There is weight and presence, but it is effortlessly counterbalanced by the freshness and acidity, whilst the finish if extraordinarily long. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting. (Neal Martin, Vinous, March 2018) — 8 years ago

Doctor No

9.1

Wow. This is young, and the nose is a bit of dark red berry suffusing a sea of resolving American Oak. The American oak is so pronounced that, had I tasted this blind, I might have taken it for Ridge... :) This has decades ahead, even if -only- a Riserva. Like La Rioja Alta 904, a fantastic value in old school Rioja... — 8 years ago

James Parker Huston, CWE

Sommelier Charlie Palmer

9.7

Wow. Tons of fruit left on this beast. Called 89 Leoville Les Cases blind. — 9 years ago