Antonio Galloni

Founder, Vinous

9.6

The best bottle of the 1971 I have ever had. Tremendous fruit intensity, power and depth, with none of the barnyard flavors that afflict many bottles. What fine, aged Barolo from this era is all about. Superb. — 7 years ago

Reinhard Wall

8.9

Hace poco tomé el 2012, que era monumental. Se nota la diferencia de maduracion en botella, definitivamente este vino necesita más tiempo. Se nota, sin embargo, el futuro que espera esta añada. — 8 years ago

Tetsu Nakazawa

9.0

Era piu buono giorno secondo. Ho capito che qualcuno ha detto di decantage. Molto buono.. mio favarito.
— 8 years ago

Jack Cranley, Backroads Wine Club & Cascadia Premium Wines

9.6

Absolutely terrific wine. Bound to uplift even the most doomy-gloomy mood. As such, it pairs well with political discourse and the prospect of "President Trump." Go ahead, drink those sorrows away. You deserve it.

Beautiful, shimmering golden color. I believe it's actually already deepening with age. (2012 vintage consumed in mid-2016)

On the nose, apricot fruit and unrefined honey dominate but is accompanied with a menagerie of rare and precious aromatics. The result is a feeling of having something truly exotic in your glass. This is a world-class wine for which there could never be any argument over its worthiness. You will be taken by this wine and there's really no way to over-hype it and set the expectation bar too high because this wine will meet it every time.

As we dig in deeper past the obvious top notes, we discover a treasure chest filled with persimmon, sandalwood, white flower, and vanilla bean.

Upon first entry in the mouth you are met with a zippy liveliness but then that melts gently across your palate to really give you a fine, pervasive coating that excites the taste buds in every corner of your mouth. This is a POWERHOUSE of assertive flavor. This wine will stage a veritable coup d'etat upon your complacent palate. There will be an ouster of your resident ennui. No incumbent sense of boredom will be safe from this wave of populist essence. There will be a complete and total transition of power in the halls of your mind's parliament leading to a peaceful but efficacious revolution. With your personal Congress in shambles, this fresh new confederacy shall draft a Constitution that will usher in a new era of utopian cooperation and transcendental civic euphoria!

Sorry, maybe for a little carried away there. For reals though. Drink this wine when you're feeling down and feel the BURN! Well, not really - because the alcohol is really well-integrated. ;) — 9 years ago

Jörgen Lindström Carlvik

Owner, Brix Wine Consultants

9.2

Seductive and generous yet very precisely crafted, this sexy Sangiovese based blend offers amazing depth considering its modest price tag. More elegant than usual, it marks a new era of this cuvée. Well done! — 9 years ago

Marty Winters

9.2

A insignia from a different era. — 10 years ago

Stephen Howell

Cellarbrations at Cottesloe Western Australia, Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW)

9.0

Loveable for its drinkability, its very ripe and plump fruit flavours and warming 15.5% alcohol. Its not at all uncomfortable with that either.
Wonderful warming winter wine . — 10 years ago

with Krystal

Linn Browning

8.9

My favorite mead so far. #Vawine #mead — 10 years ago

Daniel Suarez

9.1

Seco, afrutado con sabor a cerezas en el paladar.
Muy bueno. — 11 years ago

Kevin Yen

9.9

2013/5@Tainan "The era" restaurant — 11 years ago

Lorie Gill

9.0

An Organic Merlot from Italy that goes nicely with... Yup - Homemade Pizza :) — 12 years ago

Bethany

9.0

Dark fruits, heavy flavour, very unusual — 7 years ago

Greg Sorensen

9.3

Texture mineral magic. Just never get tired of Hatzidakis. Sad that this may be the end of an era. — 8 years ago

Ross Morrison McGill

9.0

Lovely #Rioja — 8 years ago

Jörgen Lindström Carlvik

Owner, Brix Wine Consultants

8.9

A very pleasant surprise, drinking at peak, offering ripe black currant, cedar, cigar box and roasted coffee aromas. Sweet and seductive tannins caress the classic finish. Stylish wine from an era almost forgotten. — 9 years ago

José Vera

9.6

Dark chocolate and tabaco notes with dark berries the original Malbec from Cahors a souvenir of another era when wine was made by poets. — 9 years ago

Gigi Pan

8.9

Brazilian wine again, but smell and taste like artichoke? The dish was impressive, I even wanted to cry. Palm pasta, OMG. — 9 years ago

with Alan

Aldo Mussio

9.0

Fiori di acacia, per e albicocca, pompelmo, una bellissima mandorla fresca come quella dei confetti un buon corpo per un bianco con tanta freschezza e una giusta sapidità, avrei voluto prende qualche bottiglia ma era già finito come spesso accade con le cose buone. Sarà per la prossima volta — 9 years ago

Marcelo Maia Rosa

9.1

Até a sogra surtou. Era fruta para todo lado — 10 years ago

Carlos Viteri

9.2

organic ann delishhhh — 10 years ago

Carol Kellett

9.5

The end of an era. — 11 years ago

Brian McMahon

Sales Polaner Selections

9.7

Insane. Crazy. Driving miss daisy. McKinley era — 11 years ago

Gustavo Rios

9.6

Excelente vino para el pavo de Thanksgiving. Cosecha 2005. Un par de años de guarda. Lo compré pensando que era un Borgoña. Y si lo fue, pero es de los impostores. Es decir, es un Beaujolais con denominación de origen. Y todos los Beaujolais, aunque están dentro de Borgoña, se hacen con Gamay en vez de Pinot Noir. Pero valió la pena. Estuvo excelente. — 12 years ago

Nicole Revilo

9.4

I loved this. It was that perfect level of dry but refreshing. I paid $16. — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

Is there any meal better than steak (Ribeye) and well aged Claret? This is another 1991 Bordeaux experiment of mine. 1991 was a vintage with horrible frosts and a less than favorable growing season, right? A vintage critically panned. This is my 3rd recent 91 from a good producer. And again, it didn’t disappoint. Like 97 and 07, it’s better with the right bottle age than young. Magic evolution happened in the bottle way down the road. This 91 is in great form with a fair amount of life ahead of it. On the nose; a little ripe fruit funk, wonderful dark & lighter red cassis, ripe blackberries, dark cherries, poached strawberries, plums, hues of blueberries, black raspberries, dry cranberries, vanilla, light cinnamon, rich, black turned earth, cedar, soft leather, dry stones, dry top soil, notes of dry herbs and fresh & dry red flowers. The body/palate is medium, round, ripe & still fresh. The tannins nearly completely resolved. Ripe, floral fruits of; blackberries, dark cherries, poached strawberries, plums, hues of blueberries, black raspberries, dry cranberries & half cooked rhubarb. Vanilla, light cinnamon, touch of clove & nutmeg, rich, black turned earth, cedar, soft leather, dry stones, dry crushed rocks, dry top soil, notes of dry herbs, a little band-aid and fresh & dry red flowers. The acidity drips over the palate and the long, well balanced, still structured, nice tension, good length finish lasts over a minute. Again, love & appreciate the 12.5% alcohol. What a beauty with and without the steak. Next time you’re in your fine wine retail shop and see a quality producers 91 that’s been well stored, buy it and have it with a Ribeye. Photos of; their exotic Estate, Chateau interior, newer barrel room and their vines as viewed from the front of the Chateau that are across the road. Producer notes and history...Cos d’Estournel has a long distinguished history in the St. Estephe. Louis Gaspard d’Estournel, gave his name to the estate after founding in 1811. It did not take long before Cos d’Estournel became famous with wine lovers and royalty all over the world. In those early days, Cos d’Estournel did not sell through Negociants. The owner preferred selling his wine directly to his customers. In fact, Cos d’Estournel was exported to numerous countries across the globe, with a large portion of the production being sold to India. It was that connection to India that inspired much of the unique, east Indian design we see at Cos d’Estournel today. Cos d’Estournel was one of the first Bordeaux Chateaux’s to bottle, label and sell their own wine. This practice continued until the death of Louis Gaspard d’Estournel in 1852. If you’re at the property, the statue on the bench in the front courtyard is of the founder, Louis Gaspard d’Estournel. The Estate was then purchased by an owner that sold their wines on the Place de Bordeaux using the negociant system. If the Chateau was not selling their wines through the negociant system, it would never have been included in the 1855 Classification. Imagine that! So, it turned out to be a fortuitous decision. Cos d’Estournel was sold to the Charmolue family owners of the neighboring Estate of Chateau Montrose. They continued to own the estate until 1917, when it was bought by Fernand Ginestet. This purchase was the beginning of the next major step in the development of Cos d’Estournel. Decades later, the grandchildren of Fernand Ginestet, Jean-Marie Prats, Yves Prats and Bruno Prats took over ownership and management of Cos d’Estournel. In 1995, Bruno Prats sold the property to the Merlaut family, owners of the Taillan Group. The next era in the development of Cos d’Estournel took place in 2000, when Cos d’Estournel was bought by the industrious and wealthy Michel Reybier, who earned his fortune in the food industry. Michel Reybier hired the son of Bruno Prats, Jean-Guillaume Prats to manage Cos d’Estournel. Things further improved with the efforts of Jean-Guillaume Prats who helped design the most modern wine making at that time. A complete renovation of Cos d’Estournel took place in not only the wine making facilities and cellars, but in parts of the Chateau as well. While the wine making facilities are completely modern with their 100% gravity design, the outward appearance retained the original design and feeling that has always been a part of Cos d’Estournel. On October 15, 2012, Jean Guillaume Prats announced he was leaving Cos d’Estournel to join LVMH (Pichon Baron). Jean Guillaume Prats was replaced by Aymeric de Gironde. Following the departure of Aymeric de Gironde in 2017, the owner, Michel Reybier took over managing the Estate. What makes the remodel special is that the cellars of Cos d’Estournel are entirely operated by gravity. There are no pumps of any kind to force the wine. The purpose is to allow a gentleness to the wine and improve its purity and allow for the expression of their terroir. It set a new benchmark for cellars not only in the Left Bank, but in all of Bordeaux. Perhaps, the most inventive part of the cellars is the four 100 hectoliter lift tanks or wine elevators that replace the pumps used in the traditional pumping over and the racking off processes, which introduce air and often destabilize the marc. From the moment the grapes arrive, everything travels by the flow of gravity. Jean Guillaume Prats called this process a “pumpless pump over.” The 91 hectare vineyard of Cos d’Estournel is planted to 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. The vineyard is located extremely close to the border between Pauillac and Saint Estephe at the southern tip of the Saint Estephe. The Estate has very old Merlot vines as well, which date back more than 100 years. Part of the terroir is situated on the hill of Cos, which is at a high elevation for the Medoc at 20 meters. They also make a second wine called Pagodes de Cos. This is a great wine to buy in very good vintages. Especially, if your budget prohibits you from purchasing their first wine. — 8 years ago

Ron Westlund

9.1

End of an era! True character as it should be. Thx CRB — 10 years ago

Cecil Ramirez

9.1

2007 Vintage, end of an era as Synapse closed in 2013. Powerful Placerville Syrah, opaque, big darkfruit, oak, baking spice, pepper, earthy tones. — 10 years ago

Ehren Jordan

Owner/Winemaker Failla Wines

9.4

Always fun to get a glimpse into another era! — 11 years ago

Starr Jensen

10

My first ever Latour!!! The aromas sent me back into another lifetime- an era encapsulated within the aromas of an old world wine..complex aromas of cedar cigar box, dried cherry, tobacco, currant, parfume...the tannins were perfectly integrated, although I felt the palate was thinner than I expected and the finish was not long lingering but I figured this due to its age and it was not disappointing in any way. This is truly a magnificent wine and I feel very honored to have had this experience...100pts RP & WS — 11 years ago

Stephanie Phaneuf

9.0

Delicious and organic! Inspired me to try other organic wines — 11 years ago