Ron Siegel

9.5

Amazing wine, so fresh at 63 yrs that kept developing in the glass with a deep, dark color, notes of berry, currant fruit, cedar, leather, earth, sweet spices, graphite & tobacco — 9 months ago

Ron R

9.5

Crystalline in the glass. Pure presentation of citrus fruits and moderate sweetness, with lots of detail on the mid-palate. A beauty which will cellar for many years to come. — 10 months ago

with Anne-marie

Pooneet K

9.3

Really delicious. Wasn’t sure what to expect at this stage, have others in storage for some evolution but this was wonderful tonight. Opened the bottle 7 hours before but no decant and it was very giving. Somewhat pale in the glass but so much red fruit on the nose and the palate. Almost feels slightly carbonic in terms of how it is expressing but I don’t think it actually is. Incredible length and freshness on the finish - great acid. Excellent pairing with a Tuscan style roast chicken and mushrooms. — 2 years ago

Brent Young

9.2

Time Tested

03 was historically hot & dry. Did Monprivato succeed despite these conditions?

DAY 1
Served the wine with the Vinloq System which allows nitrogen to be pulled into the bottle with pouring
👀Brown/orange mixed with red
👃Cherries, tobacco, tar & roses. Some stewed/dried fruit
👅Mature. Florals and fruit are present. Light. Could use more acid. Easy to drink. Balanced

Remaining wine Slow Decanted in my fridge

DAY 10
Nice aged notes. Savory. Okay precision. Tannins are good. Kept improving in the glass

DAY 17
👃Classic & beautiful with aged notes. Finally what I was hoping for👍
👅Drinking well. Cherry. Significant tar. Savory

Similar on the 3 days, but the nose was most beautiful on DAY 17

The pedigree was apparent here in this lovely barolo despite the vintage conditions. Balance was retained with enough precision to allow the Mascarello Monprivato personality to come through👏 — 3 years ago

Jay Kline

9.6

Presented blind alongside three other red wines; another Bordeaux and two Bordeaux blends from CA. All wines were descanted and returned to the bottle 8 hours prior.

This wine pours a deep garnet with an opaque core. Medium+ viscosity. Medium+ intensity. The nose was a mix of red and dark fruits with currants and cherries, tobacco, pencil shavings, earth, espresso and baking spice. There’s just a whiff of a barnyard in the distance too. On the palate, again the mixed fruit set with beautifully ripened blackberries and black cherries, currants, earth, coffee and baking chocolate. Medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Finishes looooooong, dry and immensely satisfying.

The wine is balanced and leans towards its structure. I called 2004 Latour. The soaring aromatics were simply incredible. I just wanted to spend the entire evening with my nose buried in the glass. This is squarely in the drinking window yet has many years left in it. Drink now with an extended decant or enjoy over the next 10-15 years. — 4 years ago

Pooneet K

9.3

Beautiful, beautiful wine. The last 96 we had was maybe a smidge more together but it’s marginal. Quite dark in the glass. Deep restrained red fruit on the nose. Tannins are slightly dusty but overall very seamless. Excellent refreshing acid. Perfect with a dry aged strip steak. — 5 years ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.1

Medium ruby , quite wide garnet , terracotta rim . Quite spiced tobacco , red focused sous bois , warm spice , coffee and cacao , a little foursquare , rustic perhaps . On the palate better , quite juicy and rounded , spiced red plum , dark cherry , dry spice . This becomes more saline with time in the glass, balanced acidity and some slightly gritty tannins. This is probably in the middle of its drinking window , and will remain here over the next 5-10 years perhaps. Within the context of Haut Brion , this perhaps is just a little below par . — 9 months ago

Norman Gennaro

9.4

I think I preferred the 2015 but ever so slightly and as much as I struggle to believe glasses make a difference they poured the 2016 in a big cab glass and I think that distracted from the flavors that were evident in the tighter 2015 glass. — 10 months ago

Jay Kline

9.4

It was Father’s Day and I had decided on grilled rack of lamb for dinner so I selected this bottle of 2011 Chateau Musar rouge from our cellar. According to Musar’s records, the 2011 vintage was one of the most challenging since the early 1990’s. It was ultimately a late-maturing vintage with harvest taking place on October 13th, the latest since the 1983 vintage!

I decanted this bottle about eight hours prior to dinner. It should be noted that immediately upon opening, the bouquet was strikingly gorgeous with powerful aromatics that were obvious from several feet away and this trait carried through until dinner time.

In the glass, the wine presents a deep garnet color. Slightly turbid with a near opaque core. On the nose, black plums, blackberries, cassis, tobacco, organic earth, exotic spices, leather, spiced meat, and pomegranate. I detect a touch of VA as well. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the nose with an added bit of red rope licorice. Lovely, long, savory…amazing. This was a brilliant compliment to the lamb (which was served with beets and goat cheese and fattoush) and everything I wanted in a Musar tonight. Drinking well now with a hefty decant and I expect well cellared examples to drink well past 2035. — 2 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.9

The sample of 2019 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande sent to me last year was an absolute show-stopper. The bouquet needs a few minutes to open up, delivering intense black fruit, crushed stone and incense with time in the glass. Yes, the nose does remind me of Latour! The medium-bodied palate is endowed with unerring symmetry and poise. This is a powerful, multi-dimensional Pichon-Lalande, extremely precise, very deep and long. The 60% new oak is seamlessly integrated and feels just right. It reminds me of the 1996 in some ways, but with more finesse on the finish. Stunning. 14.12% alcohol (Neal Martin, Vinous, February 2022)
— 3 years ago

Conrad Green

9.6

Super fresh and precise on the nose. Packed with minerals- lime, slate, salinity. Quite a glycerin mouthfeel. Super fresh and compact. All the transparency of 2011 and Raveneau. Needs time in the glass to open up. Still a puppy, but spectacular and all in place. Benefitting from air. — 4 years ago

with Walker, Tony and 1 other

B

10

1997 Phelps Insignia. Didn’t decant. Poured from bottle. Wine evolved in the glass. Red roses, tar, lavender, dark fruit, cassis, mineral, earth, pencil shavings. Delicious with steak! — 5 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.7

A ravishing Saint-Julien, the Léoville-Poyferré is also very clearly one of the wines of the vintage on the Left Bank. Raspberry jam, blood orange, mint, spice and mocha all race out of the glass as this sumptuous, flamboyant wine shows off its exotic personality. With its vertical lift and explosive energy, the 2017 has so much to offer. It has been nothing less than stunning on the three occasions I have tasted it so far. In 2017, the Grand Vin is 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Because of the late season rains, only 3 out of the 5 parcels that typically inform the Grand Vin were used. This a tremendous effort from the Cuvelier family. Don't miss it. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, March 2020)
— 5 years ago

carl thornblade

9.5

No problems noted despite the age. Very good, but not outstanding. The nose was great at about 30 minutes-1 hour in the glass. The nose seemed to fade over the evening, but still very nice. Acidity is notable. Earthy flavors, tobacco, dried fruit. Great experience trying a 41 year old vintage! — 9 months ago

Tom Garland

9.4

+1 hour decant(some fine/chunky sediment). A splendid crimson red color. On the nose: wonderful bouquet with plum, stewed meat, cassis, sweet tobacco, funky earth, leather. Taste: silky, finessed, balanced wine with red berries/plum, coffee grounds, cedar, tobacco, and a nice peppery pencil lead long finish. YUM! Pure class in a glass. — 10 months ago

with Brenda

Deborah M

9.3

This wine paired perfectly with wagyu short ribs that I had smoked all day. In the glass it looks like a light wine, but it’s definitely not light. Well integrated tannins, subtle fruit, and a hint of earth. Really lovely. — 3 years ago

Mike Saviage

10

Tasted blind. Light gold color, youthful and heavy in the glass. Notes of citrus, white clay, sea shells, wet river stone, kiwi and some honey. High pitched. Massive fruit and structure. This powered along all night and never slowed down. Easy to guess as the 90 Raveneau Clos as we've had this many times. A debate ensued about what is a perfect white burgundy and where this sits... it would be really hard to get better than this, IMO. Spectacular. — 3 years ago

Lee Pitofsky

9.6

This is probably the youngest vintage I’d drink Salon as they age at a snails pace. Much more to offer at this point than 06 and 07. Swirls in a Burgundy glass reveal its amazing purity, intense minerality, chiseled palate and an incredible sense of place. It’s elegant and concentrated with a stunning texture and mouthfeel, offering plenty to be enjoyable now, but many many years ahead. — 4 years ago

Lawrence Bernstein

9.0

1/21 This 1993 Cab was superb. It changed a lot in the glass gaining power and then losing it. It lost it’s power but it still had strength. This was a complex wine with a lot of minerality and very well balanced and a nice finish. 90 — 4 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.4

Medium gold, nice heavy weight in the glass. Steely, fruity nose. Notes of Meyer lemon, wet river stones, tan spice, rocky soil, some tangerine and some ripe apricot. Rich and powerful in the mouth. Great overall structure and balance. This is playing up a weight class or two. Feeling Cochey! — 5 years ago