Jay Kline

9.4

Opened and decanted hours prior to dinner; enjoyed over the course of a couple hours. The 1989 appears a deep garnet color with a near opaque core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is vinous with notes of tart, ripe, and dried fruits: cassis, blackberries, black cherry, black plum, tobacco, Poblano pepper, mixed dried flowers, some cocoa, pencil shavings, dried green herbs, a touch of leather, some organic and gravelly earth and fine warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin (integrated) and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. Fabulous stuff with plenty of fuel left in the tank. Drink now through 2039. — 6 months ago

Robert Torretti

9.4

A lovely bottle of classic Lafite Rothschild. Ordered with old friends and new at Waldhaus Sils on the fourth anniversary of my father’s death. He was biased to Cabernet Sauvignon / Left Bank Blends, and appreciated his Lafite, even if he stopped buying them as prices got out of hand. 1995 was chosen in honor of the year that I met my friend Julian, with whom I have worked at two companies across 20+ years and now count as a dear friend and peer in our industry. The bottle was in great shape, likely bought en primeur and stored in the Alpine retreat’s cellars (tour tomorrow!). Oscar, the manager and sommelier has been at the Waldhaus for 32 years, so it was purchased in his early days. The tannins were very well integrated, with some dark fruits, delicious tobacco and cedar, and a long finish. — 2 years ago

Vanessa

9.2

Honoring my marvelous father with a meal and wine he would have appreciated with gusto.  We wish he was here to share it with us, but are deeply grateful that his spiritual presence remains so strong in our hearts today and every day.  💕

This blend is predominantly (78%) Cabernet Sauvignon and 22% Merlot.  🍷 It hails from the Haut-Médoc region on the “left bank” of Bordeaux, 🇫🇷 more specifically, the Pauillac AOC.  Pauillac is a highly-regarded commune, with favorable growing conditions, known for producing some outstanding quality wines.  👌👌 This wine is no exception. 😆

🏰 Château Grad-Puy-Lacoste is a cru classé, ranked among, and a neighbor to, the region’s top estates.  It’s incredible to think the first vines planted on this property date back to the 1500s, making it one of the oldest properties in the region.

We decanted this wine for several hours, which helped it soften and release its layered aromatics.  

👁 The color is deep garnet with notable tearing.

👃 On the nose it has medium(+) intensity and concentration of developing aromas.  The aromas include ripe black fruit such as cassis, black cherry, blackberry, and plum, as well as other non-fruit notes like black licorice, pencil shavings, and violet. It has secondary notes of clove, nutmeg, allspice, cedar, also tertiary notes of wet earth, tobacco, leather, meat, fig, and mushroom.

👄 This wine is dry and its flavors on the palate are consistent with the nose.
This wine has balance, complexity, a strong structure, with firm, grippy tannins, and a long elegant finish.  👏👏

Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste, vintage 2011, ABV 13.5%.  — 4 years ago

with Deked1

David White

9.2

What a fabulous wine
Decanted and lots sediment left in bottle
Lovely floral tones with soft subtle tannins
Wine grew in stature over time and revealed complex nuances as it opened up
— 6 years ago

Sara Stuckey

9.1

I’d never heard of “White” Pinot Noir before, but I’m sitting in a restaurant and it was on the “by the glass” list, so here we are.

This does not suck. It’s quite refreshing, actually. I’m a big fan of Sauvignon Blanc and I’d say this splits the difference between the crisp fruitiness of the Sav Blanc and the über-lightness of a Pinot Grigio.

Also, is it weird that I seem to detect a hint of blue cheese in this wine. (A good thing, I think). I don’t know the vintage of this bottle, but I could recommend it! — 7 years ago

Jay Kline

9.2

From back when Mouton was still a Second Growth. Decanted prior to service; enjoyed over the course of several hours. This bottle of the 1966 pours a garnet color with significant rim variation; medium viscosity with light staining and signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is vinous with notes of ripe and desiccated red and black fruits: cassis, blackberries, green pepper, tobacco, leather, old wood, organic earth and warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin and medium acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium. This was a good showing for the ‘66 and certainly has life left in it however, there’s no need to hold out. Drink now. — 6 months ago

GaryWEdwards

9.6

Wow! This is still a broad shouldered , yet elegant, wine with smoke and dark berry led. Still has a long life left. — 2 years ago

i2

9.0

This was interesting... Imagine swishing rusted nails in blackberry juice and taking a healthy sniff and sip. I hope you’re up to date on your Tetanus shot, because this bag of metal will punch you in the throat…in a good way. Pair with something lightly flavored. — 3 years ago

Deborah M

9.3

Another one from last night’s birthday dinner. I had a little left to revisit on day 2 and it is still amazing. What a classic. I could sit with this for a long time. The smokey, deep dark fruit/licorice, and velvety mouthfeel, all make this wine shine. This one will definitely improve with more age. Easily one of the top 5 wines of the year for me. — 3 years ago

Peter Collins

9.1

The nose was weirdly muted and indiscernible. Also a bit tight but the finish was full and nice. It’s good but for the price and time in the bottle, it just left me unimpressed — 5 years ago

PM

9.2

I think it’s delicious. Smooth, full bodied, with some character. — 6 years ago

Gary Phillips

9.1

Classic Left Bank Bordeaux. Black fruit and leather with long finish — 7 years ago

Melinda Lafferty

10

Perfect for breakfast/brunch.....light crisp taste — 8 years ago

Bruce Leboff

9.3

A crowd pleaser. A touch of Cali cab sweetness A no send crushed rose petals and blackberry. A scintilla of tobacco and lavender. A little wood on the palate. Well restrained. Drinking well - with lots of life left. NI’m brush on this one — 9 months ago

with David

Matthew Goldenberg

9.1

My first experience with a bdx with this type of age. It had a note of green pepper on the nose and had a lot of life left. — 9 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.2

1975 vintage. From magnum. Decent fill and cork. Decanted and tasted after two hours. Medium body. Nose remained angular and sharp throughout but flavors vacillated between finesse and brutish. Not the star of the night, yet impressive nonetheless. Out of magnum, looks to have 5-10 more years left of quality in store. 3.5.24. — 2 years ago

Anil Saxena

9.0

Great red blend. Really jammy and rich. Needs lots of time to breathe. Better the second day. Maybe decant this if you’re planning on drinking the whole thing in one night? — 4 years ago

Rob Brobst III

9.8

This could garner a perfect score in about a decade.... gorgeous blackberry, raspberry, cedar and orange sorbet scents that are extremely pure and refined. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, very precise acidity and layers of crisp black fruit laced with vanilla from the new oak at the moment. That will be subsumed in time. What you have here is a very precise, multi-layered, almost sensual Montrose that is going to delight many for years to come. This is highly recommended--one of the finest Left Bank wines this vintage. — 5 years ago

Steven Comfort

9.1

This was the last bottle from a case I bought in about 1997. Over the 29 years since the wine was made, the noteworthy tar and tobacco notes that Pontet Canet is known for softened to an ashy-ness that is a softer version of a Mouton Rothschild. Still plenty of life left in this outstanding vintage, but the wine won't improve much (if at all) from this point. I enjoyed this bottle with Lucas Comfort, a day after his 29th birthday (1990). — 6 years ago

Bill Bender

9.3

After a spirited tussle between myself and the Durand vs a dry and crumbly cork I was able to double decant this and segregate away the remnants of floating debris. I was immediately struck by the bouquet which was unmistakably borne from Cabernet Franc (and I believe this blend is less than 10%). It was a positive sign. The wine is completely intact and boasts ample fruit albeit waning acidity. Simple Concord grape, bruised black plum and sweet oak flavors are holding on 2 hours in. This has some time left, but not much. This is a testament to Opus One quality in the early days (I believe this was the 3rd or 4th vintage) and while I think the ‘87-‘97 era was their best, this is an profound example of an exemplary wine at age 37! — 8 years ago