Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.1

If you didn’t know already, this is the second wine of Dominus.

The nose reveals; sour dark cherries, blackberries, baked strawberries, sugar style plum, black raspberries, sweetened, lean pomegranate, candied raspberries, blue fruits, vanilla, light clove, anise, steeped, black fruit tea, graphite, dark, rich, turned earth,sweet tarriness, limestone, alluvial soils, dry top soil, leathery notes, cedar, moist crushed rocks, dash of dry herbs with withering, dark, red flowers and old violets.

The body is medium full. The tannins nicely resolved but, still show a fair amount of firmness. The structure, tension, length and balance have hit a high point. Sour dark cherries, blackberries, baked strawberries, sugar style plum, black raspberries, sweetened, lean pomegranate, candied raspberries, a fair amount of blue fruits that hide on the nose, vanilla, light clove, dark spice anise, steeped, black fruit tea, graphite, dark, rich, turned earth, dark tar, limestone, alluvial soils, dry top soil, underbrush, tough shoe leather, cedar, moist crushed rocks, gritty volcanic minerals, dry clay, dash of dry herbs with fresh & withering, dark, red flowers and bright violets. The acidity is vibrant and fresh. The long finish starts ripe, bright candied fruits and slides into slightly dominate, dry earthiness and persists several minutes.

I would say this is still a hold for another 3-5 years. The 05 could show another point or two then. Just missing 92 now.

Photos of; Dominus and their estate vines, wine making legend, Christian Moueix, (been blessed to sit with him through a couple of dinners), their barrel room and the reverse view as you approach the winery. — 6 years ago

Neal Krishna Devaraj

9.2

Smooth and floral with notes of honey. Celebrating our 4 year anniversary. — 7 years ago

Dean Rogers

8.9

I like this one sweet but not too sweet! — 7 years ago

Alejandro Rabinstein

9.1

Nice blend with fair complexity and a little kick at the end. — 7 years ago

James Forsyth

9.3

An enjoyable dinner at the Tapas Bar at La Sirena was further enhanced by this delicious wine. Burlotto is certainly one of the hot Barolo producers right now. This Barbera is equally dripping with quality. Violets and layers of red and dark fruits make for a wine that is both sophisticated and accessible. Superb value too. I'll probably pick up a few bottles especially as it has the structure to last a fair while, while also delicious right now. — 7 years ago

Nicole Johnson

8.9

Good zin! Yummy! — 8 years ago

Dave Schneider

9.3

Even in a fair vintage, a great wine maker can make great wine. From a 375 — 8 years ago

Craig Otten

9.3

Happy Birthday Doug W. — 6 years ago

with Felisse

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.6

There are few simple life pleasures that are as good as my Ribeye and a well cellared, very good vintage of Pichon Lalande.

One of my favorite New Years Eve traditions is to have an old Pichon Lalande and my Ribeye. This one was close to Heaven.

I come from a mother who raised seven kids on her own as my father passed away five months before I was born. An amazing feat on her part. I say this only to say, if you didn’t eat at rapid pace, you didn’t get your fair share. So, I learned to eat quickly as we all did.

However, this steak and a Pichon Lalande takes over an hour and has lasted two hours on several occasions. One small bite of steak and a small sip of the right Pichon Lalande and my eyes roll as my head dips in complete appreciation and study. This 86 was no exception! Pichon Lalande is simply my favorite steak wine.

The nose on the front end reveals some barnyard but, dissipates as it opens in the glass. Saddle-wood & cedar, forest floor & dark cassis. Ripe & slightly baked; blackberries, dark cherries, mixed dark berry liqueur notes, blueberries, black raspberries, black plum, plum, cherry notes on the glass edges and high nose. Black licorice, limestone minerals, dry stones, dry brush, steeped tea, light herbaceous notes, burnt caramel, vanillin, dark spice with bright red & blue flowers and dark withering florals.

The body is medium full and flat out gorgeous as it tantalites the palate. It’s a slow sipper. The tannins are slightly tarry & well resolved with years ahead. The structure, tension, length and balance have hit full harmony. Dark cassis, ripe & slightly baked; blackberries, dark cherries, mixed dark berry liqueur notes, blueberries, black raspberries, black plum, raspberries, plum and cherry notes on the glass edges and high nose. Black licorice, sweet tarry notes, limestone minerals, dry stones, dry brush, saddle-wood & cedar, forest floor, dark expresso roast, pipe tobacco, soft leather, dry crush rocks, steeped tea, light herbaceous notes, burnt caramel, vanillin, dark spice with bright red & blue flowers and dark withering florals. The acidity is like a waterfall over the palate. The long finish can only be described as ripe, ruby, well balanced Heaven and it is persistent for minutes. Puts on weight with an hour & half plus in the decanter. Tannins also...round, slightly gritty and dusty.

Happy New Year! 🥂🍾🎉🎊🎀🎈

Photos of, Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, painting of Virginie, Countess of Lalande and their barrel room. — 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

Fruits started more mid dark, even after a 40 minutes in decanter. Showed a fair amount of spice and smoke (Sonoma fires). However, after a couple hours decanter, the fruits really brighter up and shined beautifully. Ripe, cherries, strawberries, cranberries, dry cranberries, soft chalkiness and bright red florals for days with a well balanced beautiful rich, polished finish. — 7 years ago

Adam Knoerzer

9.0

Boy, is this a mouthful. Luscious, fair amount of sugar, and a delightful punch to the nostrils of tropical fruits and pears. But I'm done after a glass, yo. — 8 years ago

Brenda Lambert

9.5

Nice wine even though the grapes are from CA. — 8 years ago

with Shari

Kelley Panaro

9.5

Very good. Delicious fruity finish — 8 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.6

Dusty left bank aromatics. Strong at 15 years - a medium to full bodied palate still vibrant and alive. A word on Drinking Windows - A UK source I respect greatly said 2016-2018 for this wine but this tasting showed there was a lot of life left - maybe another 4 to 5 years I would say. To be fair it is an inexact science. This the Argentinian venture of Right Bank Icon, Chateau Cheval Blanc. 55% Malbec, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Petit Verdot. There is no doubt you could mistake this as Bordeaux. An excellent Wine singing at 15 years. — 6 years ago

Shay A

9.4

I really enjoyed tasting this next to the ‘14 Progeny Veeder Cab. Same winemaker. While I thought the Progeny edged this out slightly (though it wasn’t entirely fair with them being different vintages) this was still a textbook Veeder wine. It is rich and powerful without being out of balance. Inky blue and black fruits, sweet oak and vanilla tobacco on the nose (almost identical to the Progeny). The palate here was a bit more expansive and less reigned in than the Progeny...signature mountain structure, dusty youthfulness in the ripe fruits. Dark chocolate & plum on the finish. This will improve a point or two in the next few years...fantastic. — 6 years ago

with Dan, Mark and 1 other

Doug Sayed

9.1

2014 vintage. Savory red fruits with a fair amount of restraint and finesse (in a good way). A bit lacking in structure, so this doesn't seem like a long-term keeper. — 7 years ago

Art Oz

9.0

A blend likely from the 1960s and 70s. Aged 6 years in oak. This wine needed several hours to decant before it finally started to come back to life. It was likely past its prime by a fair amount, but it surprisingly still had some structure. — 7 years ago

Polly Marie

9.2

Very good. Very reasonably priced. Nice flavor but not overwhelming at all. Perfect for sipping at home or an easy gift to a host — 7 years ago

Paul Weil

8.9

Another above-the-fold headline scoop from "Superman's Pal"! This is a dense, jammy blend with slimy smooth body. The rich dark cherry, red raspberry, and black currant flavors balance nicely. It works well as an after-dinner digestive wine. — 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

I opened this bottle a few nights ago. It's still drinking nicely tonight but it does show that it's had a fair amount of air. The other night it was throwing huge amounts of coconut. Generally, a sign of a fair amount of American oak use. The wine is nicely resolved. Tannins are still present but are quite smooth. Ripe and juice blackberries with pancakes, blueberries, black raspberries, raspberries, dark cherries, violets, touch of lavender, dried red roses, coconut, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon & a hint of vanilla, underbrush, granulated volcanic minerals, crushed dry rocks in rich, moist dark soil, black tea, black cherry cola/licorice, soft suede style leather, fresh tobacco leaf, beautiful acidity, length, smooth even tension & a nice balance of fruit & earth in the long, ripe, elegant finish that lasts over a minute. Maybe, 9.3 when the bottle was fresher but it's still very nice tonight. The 05 will drink well another 5-10 years easily...proper storage of course. — 8 years ago