Jay Kline

9.4

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of two days. Both days outstanding but slightly different experiences. Day 1 was about power. Day 2 was about balance. The 2020 “Cuvée Réservée” pours a brilliant garnet with a translucent core; medium+ viscosity with light staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with heady, slightly funky notes of ripe brambles, garrigue, red & purple flowers, bacon fat, licorice, and dry rocky earth. On Day 2, everything was more open nit and the fruit showed more bruised with a slightly stewed profile. Lavender was the predominate floral profile too. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. This is textbook Pégau and I love it. Drink now through 2045+ — 3 months ago

Lee Pitofsky

9.6

When 05 MDT is on it’s hard to beat. An absolutely pristine bottle tonight, in color barely having aged a day, still markedly youthful with captivating aromatics, a powerful, voluminous and waxy textured palate that comes with age, racy lemony acids and crystalline minerality. There’s such tremendous weight and density in this vintage yet it’s still chiseled and focused in its delivery. Just brilliant tonight. Thunder mountain ftw 🥳 — a year ago

GaryWEdwards

9.6

A combination of nutty and citrus zest . Beautiful wine in her youth. I would keep this baby deep in the cellar for at least 5, maybe 10, years. Brilliant even by Cristal standards and may be among their best ever — 2 years ago

David Koenen

9.4

Sweet, ripe black fruit. Charcoal, fresh and elegant acidity, brilliant balance. Starts very strong, then perhaps lacks a little length (in comparison to the Pichon Longueville ‘08). Powerful, but truly beautifully balanced, gorgeous exotic sweetness in the nose. — 4 years 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. — 4 months ago

Lee Pitofsky

9.9

In such a killer spot. Wow. One of the all time greats, 1996 is explosive tonight, wafting from the glass with stunning aromatics of honeycomb, dried orchard fruits, roasted nuts and drizzles of caramel. The palate is expansive, textural, incredibly deep and sensual with brilliant density. There is such an incredible combination of freshness and secondary character of an aged Champagne, and its racy citrusy acids bring it all home. I have to believe there can be some bottle variation, but this one, absolutely perfect. Amazing wine. — 3 years ago

Tom Garland

9.7

+2 hour decant(decent chunky/fine sediment) A beautiful deep ruby red color. On the nose: Expressive nose captivates with dark red fruit, espresso, chocolate, floral, menthol, sweet tobacco. Taste: rich, round, intense wine with dark cherry/blackberry, minerals, cedar, tobacco, and a peppery-pencil lead-dried herb long dry finish. YUM! A brilliant wine just entering its drinking window with time to go. — 10 months ago

with Brenda

Vijay Parikh

9.5

Splash decanted this 1993 La Tache and consumed over the next four hours. Aromatically brilliant and loads of promise but still young — a year ago

Vijay Parikh

9.4

With a four hour decant this bottle was brilliant! Notes of cedar, tobacco, cassis, dried blueberries it was an excellent accompaniment to the Matsuzaya beef — a year ago

Bob McDonald

9.5

Quite a dense Ruby in colour. A lovely red fruited Chambolle perfume. That ripe sweet fruit translates on to the palate - such purity. Georgie thought it was quite grippy. Even though Alex Hunt’s window goes from 2018 to 2024 it seems likely to extend further than that. I had the 2015 of this Cuvée by mistake a couple of months ago. That one will go for another decade at least. — 3 years ago

with Georgina