Monthly WTF wine group night. Our theme was American oak vs French oak. All wines tasted blind. We started off with two bottles of bubbly and finished with two non-themed reds.
My contribution for the evening. I’m posting my previous review of this wine below as it’s been consistent the few times I’ve had it over the last 12-18 months. Love these wines!
Youthful. Icredibly perfumed with typical sweet dill and coconut American oak on the nose. Gosh, I could smell this stuff all day. Aside from needing time away, it needs roughly an hour of decanting to hit stride. Tobacco, cherry tart, and great herbal nuances on the finish. — 7 years ago
Very BDX-like. Tight with drying tannins. Leave this alone for a few years. — 9 years ago
Chateau Latour is my favorite 1st Growth, they demand patience and inspire not just hedonistic pleasure but also analytical thought.
Both amazing but need massive amounts of air or another 15-20 years minimum in the cellar. I get the feeling they both will hit a plateau once they blossom and slowly move towards full maturity for decades.
The nose on the 2005 rose with little agitation and shot from the hip to nose with ease. By far the most youthful and I tense nose of the evening.
The 2000 was not dissimilar in its progression, if a bit more refined from the extra few years in the glass. A cerebral wine that was also deeply pleasurable, it kept bringing me to what this wine will be like in 15-20 or more years. Easily a 50 years wine from a macro view.
Epic #latour 2000 and 2005 #pauillac — 10 years ago
Excellent Cab; mint, herbs, pepper and berries on the nose. Big Cab integrated taste, just loaded and drinking great. Last bottle, had one on release which seemed all veg and they just got better with time allowing other elements to come out. Very few Napa Cabs left, too costly to replace. — 10 years ago
Favorite rum, perfect in a dark and stormy (ice, rum, ginger beer and dash of lime if you like) — 11 years ago
Great blend! Tried it a few times - pairs well w/ steak & also went well with Italian dishes (pizza, veal or meat based pasta dishes w/ red sauce). Tried 2011 and 12: I prefer the 11 but both are great! — 11 years ago
After a coffee chat at work yesterday that ended discussing Hillside Select I was motivated to open one for the holiday weekend. Initially I was very disappointed as the wine was flat and uninspiring considering the pedigree and price tag. Read some reviews that this 2013 needs A LOT of air and sure enough after hours the wine began to evolve and markedly improve. It is an intense wine that lingers in the mouth for a long time. Smooth tannins, red fruit and tobacco flavors. Not my most favorite wine and not at the $229 I paid, but nonetheless a very good wine once it had the chance to get some air for a few hours — 4 years ago
I haven't had one of these in a few years. It's still amazing. Nice tannins, a little pepper, mineralogy, blackberry & leather. This is my wife's all time favorite wine. — 9 years ago
My favorite dd! Probably had 2013 15+ times, and it never disappoints. reduction at first blows off each glass after a few minutes after pouring. Some Brett in these wines, that I seem to notice more recently, but still beautiful, floral, complex Beaujolais, with a very smooth texture. — 10 years ago
Still good after all these years - perhaps lost a little over time as it moved through a few cellars, but still an outstanding wine. Cedar, tar, a little licorice, berry fruit, earth - all discernible through nose and finish. — 10 years ago
Complex and opens into a spectacular wine with richness across fruit balance and depth of body including a tannic edge. Wish I had a few more in the cellar. — 10 years ago
Really good Pinot. Lots of flavor. Could drink now or lay it down for a few. I would recommend letting it breathe for a bit before you drink. — 11 years ago
Robust, great wine. Definitely worth buying and storing for a few years. — 11 years ago
So hard to resist! Def tucking a few away for the 40th Bday...in 2023 — 12 years ago
Just had this in Bordeaux a few weeks ago. Like most wines of this vintage it took a bit of imagination to fully appreciate. It is clearly time to drink this wine, it may be on the downhill side of life. Overall a good experience for what was not noted as a premium vintage, but is a very solid wine. — 7 years ago
Our monthly 4th Friday event at the storage facility. No requirements, just wine you want to share with others! Always an enjoyable time.
Special place in my heart for this winery. A few months ago, I had an '88 go celebrate my birth year. It was STELLAR. This is pushing forward easily...after an hour of air, the fruit and secondary earth and funk notes came out. So good! Thanks Walter! — 9 years ago

One of my favorite chateaus when we were in Bordeaux and the first that we visited. Still lots of layers to this beautiful Paulliac gem but it leans just enough towards the earthy notes of truffle and tobacco in addition to the typical wet rock and licorice. Just paired this with a truffle smoked ribeye, roasted carrots, and smashed cauliflower with a light gravy. Wishing this was a 3-liter and the weekend had a few more days. — 10 years ago
Very elegant with few tannins. Drink up! — 10 years ago
Very Pauillac like served blind and tasted next to the 86 Mouton. I guessed 86 Dominus as I have had this wine more than a dozen times over the last few years. — 11 years ago
A little rough in the aromatics. Cork was suspect, looked and smelled a bit funky. wine was otherwise youthful in the mouth with raspberry, tar, spice and plenty of lively acid. Have a few more '89s and think its time. overall a beautiful wine still but perhaps in aromatic decline. - 1989 vintage — 11 years ago
Fabulous 2003, not nearly as much brett as the 2001 I had a few weeks ago. Solid mature notes of cassis, cedar, fall leaves and loamy notes. The palate is elegant, but persistent with a fabulous attack the finish is perfumy and clean. #lebanonwine — 13 years ago
President Obama
@derek's. Honey colored, few bubbles, tasted more like an apple cider than wine. — 4 years ago