Peter van den Besselaar

9.2

Vintage 2015 | a wine that has improved with cellaring, awesome balance, cedar, leather, cherries, very fine indeed — 4 months ago

Jeremy Shanker

Sommelier at RN74

9.1

Wayy too young, but a classic indeed. — 3 years ago

Daniel Bloom

9.2

N: Blood orange, pith, as it opens, an underlying woody musty/funk shows. There’s some caramel, heady fruits, citrus.
P: Oranges, Young strawberries, that specific LdH barrel, terrific bitterness on the finish. A myriad that draws you back.
Special stuff indeed!
I have a 2008 waiting, curious to see. — 4 years ago

Bruno Osorio

9.1

Delicious Zinfandel. Aromas of strawberry jam, cinnamon and tobacco. It is indeed oaky, but I expected it to be even more oaky as it is aged in bourbon barrels. Nice tannins. — 5 years ago

Jay Kline

9.7

Presented double-blind. The wine appears straw in color with medium viscosity and, apparently, there lots of tiny bubbles so there are signs of gas, LOL. On the nose, the wine is developing with heady notes of ripe orchard fruit, red forest berries, marzipan, lemon curd, fresh brioche. On the palate, the wine is dry with high acidity. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish lasts for an eternity. The texture is ever so creamy. Wow…well, I was drinking something special. Had to be Champagne. Maybe vintage? Maybe a tête de cuvée? The style was similar to Krug. Called Champagne from a producer like Krug. OMG…the 1996 Vintage Brut?! Sheesh…someone was feeling generous! Admitted, I don’t often get to drink vintage Krug (for many hundreds of reasons!) so my experience is obviously limited. However, there’s clearly no question in this being true to house style and, now that I know the vintage, this is showing why 1996 is so special. As others have noted, this is fresher than the 1995 I had some months ago (though, that was very special too) and had greater acid. I would like to think this provides a crystal ball for the 2008 vintage that is sure to follow a similar trajectory. Drinking very fine indeed, right now and should continue to do so through 2046…depending on how you like to drink your Champagne. — 9 months ago

Ian Hamel

9.4

2021/3-4. Really lovely - at 20, it is indeed Burgundian in its open, red fruit character, but it still has that hot-stone Chateauneuf character. I’m so glad I kept a few of these - I now have just one more left. Considering the price has doubled, I don’t know how many more I’ll get to lay down, so I’ll look forward to that last bottle of 2001 with a mix of excitement and sadness. — 5 years ago

Brenda Terzich-Garland

9.5

Color - burnt red with some bricking and a bit cloudy—a savory look indeed! Nose - dark deep cherry, smoked meat, pencil lead, gravel and notes of mint, cream cassis vanilla and with a subtle funky spice at the tail end giving much character to the wine. Taste definitely does not disappoint—an immediate creamy feel and dark cherry, savory, spice initially hits the pallet followed by cocoa, graphite and a smoke like aged vanilla long finish. Dusty tannins linger long after each taste. Loving it!! — 5 years ago

with Karin and Jill

Lee Pitofsky

9.5

The sleeper vintage. Simply just ready to go, holding nothing back as it wafts from the glass and the decanter with layers of cassis, cedar, violets and licorice. This is a wine of texture, as Margaux should be, and indeed its greatest attribute on this occasion. Liquid cashmere in the mouth with melting tannins, it’s sensual and elegant, caressing the palate with each sip, leading to its black truffle and mineral inflicted finale that keeps on going. Excellent showing tonight, and for my tastes drinking at its apogee. — 3 years ago

Lee Pitofsky

9.6

An absolute monster of a wine. 4 hours in the decanter served perfectly to allow this 2001, perhaps one of the best Hommage vintages ever, to flaunt its incredibly complex aromatic array of black fruits, roasted Provençal herbs, licorice, campfire smoke and Christmas spices.

It’s still youthful with ripe tannins and a ton of muscle. Nowhere near its peak. But it’s entering its drinking window seamlessly, being incredibly giving and expressive with sufficient air. Similar to how VV Gonon differs from the regular bottling, Hommage just cranks everything up to 10 and it’s concentrated flavors come at you in waves. But it never gets heavy as there is just enough lift and precision to keep everything harmonious. A very special bottle from a very special vintage indeed. — 4 years ago

Will Stanley

9.4

This really could be left bank Bordeaux, with a very pure expression of fruit, pencil shavings and dark chocolate. The wine is quite primary, primal even, with intense flavours of candied red fruits - certainly this is more red fruited than black - and a dark, bitter finish akin to coffee beans. The tannins are actually quite mellow, but acidity high, all of which contributes to a strangely Tuscan feel. Nonetheless, it’s a terrific wine that should age very well indeed. — 5 years ago