Scott Kahn

9.2

A beautifully aged ducru that had no cork issues and that was punching above its wait class! Typical tertiary flavors of forest floor, leather and cigar box - with livery dark fruit in the glass. This was the first 70’s Bordeaux that brought a smile! — 10 months ago

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9.5

Tasting the 1990 Léoville Las Cases just a few days after the 1989, it is clear which is the best vintage…this one. It has a sublime nose of melted black fruit, tar, cedar and bay leaf that shrugs off the heat of that summer better than most others. At 33 years of age, you could just lose yourself in these aromatics. The palate is clearly holding up well: beautifully defined and supple yet with typical Las-Cases backbone and depth. It builds magnificently in the glass toward a harmonious finish that reminds me of the 1985 in terms of its fleshiness. Wonderful. Tasted at the Lia's Wings/book dinner at Medlar restaurant. (Neal Martin, Vinous, December 2023)
— 2 years 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

Mike Saviage

9.4

Medium gold color. Heavy in the glass like oil. Killer nose. Notes of ripe apricot, tan spice, sea breeze, cardamom, some chalky limestone soil and sea shells. Rich and silky in the mouth. Light and not too heavy. Long finish. In a great spot. — 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! — 6 years ago

Dr. Owen Bargreen

9.7

The 2004 Dom Perignon Champagne is sinfully good at fifteen years of age. Showing off its downright sexy golden hue, the wine evolves quickly once in the glass displaying a dazzling array of aromatics, from orchard fruits to peat moss and toasty brioche as well as shades of salted Marcona almond that all nicely meld together. The palate yields a wonderful combination of richness and tension. There is a lovely ripe, almost unctuous texture to this aged Champagne. Flavors of salted macadamia nut, ripe pear, kumquat zest and shades of Shiitake mushroom with lighter biscuit undertones all combine brilliantly. This is a satisfying, downright hedonistic champagne that will be extremely long-lived. Drink 2019-2040- 97 — 6 years ago

Robert Ahlstrom

9.5

Nice minerals, citrus, opens up over five-ten minutes in the glass, bubbles are not overpowering. — 10 months ago

Willem Booij

9.3

A baby but a nice baby, this one needs a firm shake in the decanter and some time in the glass, but it delivers! — 2 years ago

with Kees and Hans

Jake Hajer

9.0

In the glass the wine is holding. A little meaty and tired in the nose. Currants and figs. — 3 years ago

Lee Pitofsky

9.4

The first couple times I tried 08 I was definitely too quick to judge. It needs a ton of air, and it’s different from the rich, oxidative, nutty house style of the past, particularly the warm and ultra forward 2006, the previous release. 2008 is indeed young, tightly wound with a pulsating core of energy.

The first glass offers very little. Subdued, austere and youthfully reserved. But ensuing pours eventually unleash its core of powerful clean orchard fruit, coffee bean and grilled nuts. On the palate it continues to become so much more textural with crazy gains in weight, depth and fruit intensity as the night goes on. It really fills the mouth, saturating the palate with a satin-like texture, ripping citrusy acids and saline laced minerals that follow deep into its finish. Enjoyable now with enough air (needs 2 hours), but no doubt one to hold. To live forever. — 3 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.5

Tasted blind. Dark gold, heavy like oil in the glass. Piercing nose full of energy. Notes of apricot, tan spice, orange, some grilled pineapple, and a little caramel. Rich and heavy in the mouth. Powerful. Guessed 83 Climens. — 4 years ago

Will Stanley

9.3

Easily one of the finest aromas I’ve experienced in a Rioja, and indeed any wine, in the past year, truly a beguiling and complex experience that begs your nose to remain in the glass. I must note for my own posterity that on the palate I was initially a little underwhelmed. I’m not sure why. I think because this is such a subtle and elegant Rioja, and that I’m so out of the habit of drinking wines from this region and perhaps even, by extension, subtle and elegant wines as a whole. But the more I tasted it, the more I enjoyed it. I had a similar experience with the Viña Ardanza 2010 (which at the moment I prefer to this). But this 904 Gran Reserva is a beautiful, medium to light-bodied Rioja, very fruit-forward with Burgundian delicacy and a charm so typical of the finest wines of this region. A melange of coconut, vanilla, dried cherry and Mediterranean herbs are followed by an impressively saturated palate with medium orange peel acidity and very fine, resolved tannins. I must admit I cannot yet calibrate this wine with the notes of prominent critics, who talk about power, acidity and tannin, but maybe time will tell. This should be a terrific wine to follow over the next ten to twenty (plus) years. — 5 years ago

Scott Soren

9.6

Special bottle. Really in its sweet spot. Fragrant nose , with some Mourvèdre funk. Sweet tannins with dark red fruits. Some Tobacco and black olive. Matured further in glass over the hour and a half the bottle was consumed. Just left you want g more — 2 years ago

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9.5

The 2008 Cheval Blanc is one of the go-to wines of the vintage. Now at 15 years old, it has retained the energy and focus it displayed from the outset: black fruit, crushed stone, wilted violet petals and touches of forest floor cohere wonderfully in the glass. The Cabernet here is more expressive. The palate has a slight chewiness on the entry, but it "relaxes" in the glass. It shows off its delicate lattice of tannins and perhaps a bit more backbone than I have observed on previous bottles. It's very intense on the finish where, as before, the Cabernet Franc takes charge. Superb. Keep it another three to four years if you can. Tasted at the Lia's Wings/book dinner at Medlar restaurant. (Neal Martin, Vinous, December 2023)
— 2 years ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Popped and poured; consumed over a three hour period. No formal notes. The 2015 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco pours a deeper garnet color with a translucent core. Medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. No signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is currently bursting with red and dark fruits: blackberries, Luxardo cherry, pomegranate, green herbs, red flowers, green herbs, and tar. On the palate, the wine is bone dry with high tannin and medium+ acid. The notes on the nose are confirmed. The finish is long and savory. Really compelling stuff in the context of the night. I think the 2015’s are drinking so well right now. Unfortunately, this is my last bottle of the “classico” but I’ll be on the hunt for more if I can score at a good price. Drink now if you’re going to allow for some evolution in the glass or enjoy through 2035. — 2 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. — 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 — 5 years ago

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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)
— 6 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.5

Last night in MT at the lake. Gave this several hours of air. Nice dark tawny color. Vibrant in the glass. The nose is great right away and stayed on point through the evening. Notes of black cherries, warm raspberries, old cedar, some plums and a little leather saddle. Rich and silky in the mouth. Velvet glove. Long finish. Great wine. — 6 years ago