Roberto Carli

9.1

Now I see how this wine can be so divisive. LOTS of brett at first, more band-aid than barnyard. Takes a while to get past it and then lots of exotic spices show up. But after 40 minutes in the glass still nothing primary. It’s got the funk I can appreciate in some good left bank Bordeaux but also feels somewhat single-threaded. — 3 years ago

LM Segal

9.5

An assault of dried bacon fat 🥓 and kirsch liqueur. Give this time in the glass or long decant, gets better and better, and there’s a hint of prune there that I ❤️ but may turn some people off. — 4 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.7

Now, this is a Champagne worthy of my last year in my current decade.

It’s not inexpensive but, there’s a reason for that.

From the moment I put my nose to the glass, I got a a sense of warm, inviting delicacy. There is; cream, soft ginger, fall green apples, mango, guava, slightly sour lemons, lime zest/candy, perfectly, ripe pineapple, white peach, green melons, lightly bruised pear, marmalade jam, as soft as white spice can be, grey volcanics, good chalkiness, vanillin, sea spray, lovely, melted caramel notes, yeast, bread dough to baguette crust, non funky cheese rind, toast, silvered almonds to nut skin with white & lilies, jasmine and spring flowers.

The palate enters like Tango dancers & cross-fades into ballet. Perfect richness, mousse & micro-oxygenation with gentle, absolute, perfect acidity. The minerality is fine, delicate & straight up in my wheelhouse. Cream, understated, melted butter, ginger, fall, Granny Smith apples, mango, guava, slightly sour lemons, lime zest/ peel/candy, perfectly, ripe pineapple, white peach, peach, tangerine, green melons, lightly bruised pear, some apple cider, marmalade jam, honeysuckle, herbaceousiness, a shade of mint, as soft as white spice can be, delicate, grey volcanics with limestone, good chalkiness, vanillin, sea spray, lovely, melted caramel notes, yeast, bread dough to baguette crust, non funky cheese rind, toast, silvered almonds to nut skin with, orange blossoms, white & lilies, jasmine and spring flowers. The long, amazing, well balanced finish is simply Mozart.

The 02 is a blend of 39% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay & 21% Pinot Meunier. This bottle spent at least 12 years in Krug's cellars, receiving its cork in autumn 2014.

Photos of; the House of Krug, their very tall & countless stainless steel tanks they hold still wine(s), fermenting or library bottles in their caves & Krug Clos du Mesnil Vineyard. — 4 years ago

Whitney Bouck

9.2

Like brioche in a glass... — 5 years ago

Conrad Green

9.8

A treat. Dark in color, slightly cloudy. A powerful nose with dark, very mouton fruit. Incredibly aromatic, blackcurrant, mint,graphite, dried herbs, eucalyptus. The palate is extraordinary. So dense and powerful for a wine of almost 70 years. Dark fruit with a savory undertow- leather, thyme, sour cherry, dark chocolate. Really precise flavors and long. After an hour or two in glass there’s notes of coconut and soft wood. Extraordinary. Clearly there’s a lot of age on this but the sheer quality makes for a really dynamic wine. An exceptional bottle, and a teal treat. — 6 years ago

with Howard, Tony and 1 other

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

I Coravin-ed this bottle awhile ago. I put it back as it wasn’t drinking as I would have hoped. A couple of months later and it’s come around nicely. I been doing short term and longer term tests of Coravin bottles. As much as I love my Coravin, I am a little more skeptical of their research that states their bottles will hold up 9 years after their first Coravin. I believe the Coravin help develop this 04 a little sooner. It’s drinking nicely without food tonight. On the nose; dark currants, expresso, black olive tapenade, cedar, tobacco, sweet soft leather, vanilla, blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, baked black plum, plum, an array of blue fruit mix, light cinnamon, clove, medium spice, mocha chocolate, dark chocolate, stones, rich, moist black earth and dark decayed florals & fresh violets. The palate is medium full. The tannins are not quite 50% resolved. After it opens up with a half-hour in the glass, it’s like velvet in the mouth. The structure, tension, length and balance are starting to develop into a very good place. However, there are many, many years of aging to go. The fruits are ruby, ripe; blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, baked black plum and strawberries. Expresso, black olive tapenade, cedar, tobacco, sweet soft leather, tobacco, menthol, graphite, anise, vanilla, light cinnamon, clove, medium spice, mocha chocolate, dark chocolate, dry stems, crushed rocks with dry top soil, stones, rich, moist black earth, volcanic minerals, and dark decayed florals. The acidity is very good for what was deemed a ho-hum vintage. The long finish is; rich, ruby, gorgeous and lasts well over two minutes. I am enjoying it a lot tonight but will still wait another 10 years to open another. I believe at that point, it has all the potential to merit an outstanding score. When I tasted this at the UGC in Bordeaux fresh into bottle, I thought it was one of the top three wines of the day. In the right photo, you get a full sense where the wine gets it’s stoney & rich, dark earthiness. — 6 years ago

Steverino

9.3

Ok my first log in I admit I'm a Novice. Had a glass so dont know what year but this was fabulous. Nice and dry, very smooth. — 8 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.1

Still interesting. Light bricking ruby color. Thin in glass. Silky finish follows a muted nose. Past its prime as fruit has faded. But enjoyable nonetheless. — 8 years ago

Rafael Landestoy

9.4

It got better as the night progressed, always a sign of amazing champagne. Left it in the glass and as it opened up and got down to room temperature it got better and better. — 9 years ago

with Ilida

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 — 3 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.6

From a great looking bottle with a VTS fill. Slow ox’d for 2 hours then decanted an hour before drinking. Amber tawny color. Ethereal nose. Notes of black cherries, roses, cola, rhubarb, barnyard, gravel and some menthol. Still has a good core of fruit. Some tobacco notes develop and the cola thing becomes stronger with air in a glass. Impactful finish. After about 90 min this started a decline. At its peak this was ethereal and amazing. The key is to time the opening, air time and consumption to find it at its best. — 4 years ago

Amber Petrik

10

CAYMUS Caberet Sauvignon Napa Valley. We drank this with Billie and Rob at Capital Grill in Shops of Legacy. ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. I would rank it a 10+ — 5 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. — 5 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.1

Il Ritrivo in Positano. Popped and poured. Light scarlet in the glass. Thin and translucent. This starts off very quiet, offering some ripe cherries and spice. With air it gains a little bit of body and adds some nice sweet fruit but never emerges fully to show what it’s got. Compared to the A Conterno Cicala next to it, this is delicate, feminine and a bit of a surprise it didn’t have more to show. Not sure about this. Probably just needs time. — 5 years ago

Jean-Francois Pelletier

9.3

Garnet color with a slight orange rim. Nose of lead pencil, dried herbs, soil and red cherries, with a hint of green peppers. Medium+ body, complex palate with the same flavors, and long finish. This softened considerably in the glass over the evening. Great wine. — 6 years ago

with Frankie

B

10

1993 Georges de Voguet. Fathers Day dinner w mnd, IK, and K at Carl. Remarkably young tasting. Opened up a lot after 30 min in the glass. Rustic, really full-bodied. Didn’t have that prettiness or softness that the Leroys often have. — 6 years ago

Pooneet K

9.1

Very nice. Possible that some of the fruit is starting to fade. But with some time in the glass this still reveals a lot and of course finishes with very good acid and smooth, well integrated tannins. Very nice with a big grilled pork chop. — 7 years ago

Grant Harmsen

9.2

Great musty earthy body with fruit coming alive after a few min in the glass. Was unfortunately not OK with being left in the glass for a few hours. — 8 years ago

Kyle Groombridge

9.3

"I make wine at Lafite and Latour, but my heart is at Calon"... I can see why Nicolas Alexandre Marquis de Segur said these iconic words after having this wine in my glass. The nose is so inviting with warm spice, cigar smoke, embers, and toast. Raspberry syrup, plums, vanilla, and toffee on the palate. Nice thread of smoke throughout with nice balancing fresh fruit. What an enjoyable wine! 20 months in new oak - obviously the more accessible style the new owners are going for... the Pinot the other night gave an experience, this one tells a story. — 8 years ago

Lewis Chester

9.2

2003 vintage. From Jay. Very nice. Much better than expected. Goes down all together way too easily when you're surrounded by snow! Deep ruby core washing out towards the edges. No bricking...yet. Nose is a preponderance of dark fruits together with blueberries and ripe cassis with slight under tones of cloves and a hint of graphite. This is a very fruity affair- takes me back to Christmas. The wine expresses on the palate as it does on the nose. Layers of rich fruit with traces of brown spice. There's a lovely sweetness here that makes the wine a pleasure to drink despite the relatively modest acidity. The tannins are soft and lush. The finish is good with a continued preponderance of fruit right to the very end although it is moderate in length. This is a very quaff able wine...could be at this all night with pleasure just sit me down in front of an open fire and hand me a Montecristo! 92+/100. Drink now to 2028. NB - no need to decant. This wine can happily be poured from bottle post opening and allowed to open in the glass. — 8 years ago

Jae Cho

9.1

Still tightly coiled, giving its perfumed nose after 1.5hours in glass. Medium to full with a focus long cab fruit — 9 years ago

Pooneet K

9.3

Beautiful, beautiful wine. The last 96 we had was maybe a smidge more together but it’s marginal. Quite dark in the glass. Deep restrained red fruit on the nose. Tannins are slightly dusty but overall very seamless. Excellent refreshing acid. Perfect with a dry aged strip steak. — 4 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.4

Medium gold, nice heavy weight in the glass. Steely, fruity nose. Notes of Meyer lemon, wet river stones, tan spice, rocky soil, some tangerine and some ripe apricot. Rich and powerful in the mouth. Great overall structure and balance. This is playing up a weight class or two. Feeling Cochey! — 4 years ago

Delectable Wine

Follow to learn about our favorite wines & people.

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)
— 4 years ago

Keith Lite

9.5

A big bold plumy purple bomb As dense and luscious as a wine can get in a glass. Decanted for 2 hrs and its still a baby with blackberry, dark chocolate licorice and pepper on the nose and on the palate. A long long finish and loads of tannins to sum it all up — 5 years ago

with Bruce

Shay A

9.4

@Benjamin Keator had his hosting at the CC tonight and it was absolutely incredible. What a night of gorgeous wines! All wines are guessed blind.

The third white in an insane flight of Chardonnays. I guessed all were Cali (they were), and guessed they are all 2012 (they were). I actually guessed this was either Kongsgaard or Jarvis Finch Hollow, so half right? Richly gold in the glass (Kongsgaard giveaway). Acidity was fairly high which was surprising. Honeyed fruit and honeycomb. Always unique and always fantastic. — 6 years ago

with Benjamin, Weston and 1 other

Martin G Rivard

10

My favorite birth year wines are usually Burgundy or Bordeaux's since the hold up so well over time. Unfortunately, the 1965 growing season is known for Cold weather, Rain an Rot!!!! The 1965 vintage is Atrocious!! Michel Broadband called the 65 Bordeaux wine "Mean, Acidic and Short". Robert Parker was even tougher on the vintage!! Everyone that I spoke to and the research that I did pointed me to this Beauty!! 1965 Vega Sicilia Unico. I opened this last night for my wife's birthday. This bottle was in pristine condition with an original price tag of $4.80 on it!! Too funny!! I love finding beauties like this. I wasn't sure what to expect after reading so much in regards to the terrible growing year. This had a gorgeous earthy dried fruit which lightly caressed our palate. It wasn't the typical huge kid on the block with depth, character and conviction that we've enjoyed previously from other vintages. It was actually really cool to enjoy age, grace and playful Beauty. The finish.was relatively short but there it was still very good and somewhat robust. I just wish it lingered a little longer but oh well., it simply made us pick up the glass that much faster!! The wine was Very, very good. The family and friends that we enjoyed it with are awesome!!
The Love that I have for my wife on her birthday and every other day of the year is Priceless!!!
Happy Birthday Babe!!! — 7 years ago

with Christine, Robert and 2 others

Isaac Pirolo

9.5

Leaps out of the glass with flowers, an almost kirsch-like red cherry, granite, a tinge of funk, and an intoxicating mix of herbs and spices. Like a field of wildflowers that's been dusted with cinnamon, star anise, and clove. Melds together over time into a sexy perfume that would be unmistakable if I came across it decades from now. Everything translates through to the palate in a juicy and lively celebration. Relative to Gamay, or Beaujolais in general, this has weight and length in spades. I wish I hadn't waited until this vintage to try this producer. If there's better Gamay I'm sure I won't find it because I'll be too busy drinking this. — 8 years ago

Evan Bloom

9.3

What a treat. From the company to the antics of the cork removal, all was fantastic. Not surprised with some immediate mustiness on the nose, giving way to a rich but smooth aged blue cheese, mushrooms, soy sauce, earth, and just a faint hint of dried red fruit. Over the next 20 minutes the glass development was out of control, changing with each and every whiff and sip. Earthy umami, oxidative, and and slightly stewed reds to begin quickly opened to nice dried strawberries on the palate and nose, and advancing to moderately subdued ripened strawberries and cranberries- after 61 years and still kickin with fruit! Amazing. Then after about 20 minutes of rapid metamorphosis, it gave in and decided to fade to a very pleasant sipper...awesome. — 8 years ago

with Rajiv and Tim

Bridget Meagher

9.6

Past peak but very enjoyable. Developed in the glass. Decent structure and soft tannins. Pales in comparison to the 'stellar, intense 97 but still a remarkable wine. — 10 years ago