Martin G Rivard

10

What a beautiful person inside and out! I'm blessed beyond measure to be able to call him "Dad". Words can't adequately express how much I Love him. We opened a few bottles last night that I will hold near and dear to my heart forever. We are celebrating his completion of 6 rounds of chemo therapy in his battle against Prostate cancer. This is his 3rd time in the ring against this opponent and it appears that he's won with a unanimous decision by knockout at this time!!!!!! Love you dad!!!!! So proud of your strength through this process. My Father was born in 1940. A difficult year to say the least:
Germans entered Bordeaux in June of 1940. As dictated by Hitler himself, it was the sworn duty of each and every commander to search and seize whatever could be used for the advancement of the German cause. Bedlam broke out. Chateaux' were ransacked, wine cellars were looted if not used for target practice. The Chateauxs were forced to continue producing wines. It's poetic justice that Mother Nature provided the Germans with the worst growing season from 1940 to 1944!!!! The Germans left Bordeaux in 1944 to the cheers of the residents "Au Revoir Les Allemands"!!!! The 1940 bottle that we enjoyed this evening survived World War II. It Survived the ransacking, pillaging & plunder of countless German soldiers. It's outer capsule showed evident signs of its struggle but it's inner beauty was unblemished and glorious. I've had many, many vintages of Latour from 1928 and on but none have ever tasted as perfect as the one we enjoyed tonight. This 1940 was perfect. It was a fighter, it never gave up, it never relinquished in the face of adversity. That's my Father, that my role model. He's a beautiful person inside & out. I think 1940 is the best vintage that I have ever had the privilege to enjoy. Special thanks to my good friends Michael Troise whom provided me with much of the insights in regards to the incredibly difficult vintage and David Page whom gifted this bottle to me for our celebration this evening. I will never forget your generosity. It was a glorious evening to say the least!!! Wine has a way of bringing people together and encapsulating an evening and event. I couldn't think of a better way to rejoice in his victory than to open a Father & Son birth year wine. — 9 years ago

with Ryan, Christine and 1 other

Jennifer

9.4

Typical oaked Chardonnay but not overpowering. Lovely. Tasted in Chile, bought in UK Oddbins. — 10 years ago

ZOTASTIC

8.9

Not bad for War College seminar minimum security prison. — 10 years ago

Klaus Stross

8.9

Screwtop, so not for keeping ? Fairly light on the nose, intriguing, cucumber freshness, cardammon and light milk coffee aroma, complex at 14,5 % alc., appealing multi-layered melange (cab franc based with petit verdot, merlot and malbec) , fruity with a fairly spicy coffee flavour with herbal undertones, distinct tannins, youngish like a shiraz. VERY nice ! — 11 years ago

Brett Jones

9.0

Mid gold, oaky, white peach, dry, bright acidity with ripe stone fruit with grapefruit and passion fruit. Deep, long finish.
Not so much Götterdämmerung
more Tristan und Isolde… — 11 years ago

Carl Fischer

9.5

This is cool bottle for us. It was the last vintage under Helen Turley and also the last vintage where she used fruit from Three Sisters vineyard for a vineyard designate for her own Marcassin brand. Golden yellow in color the wine is extremely aromatic with vanilla, butterscotch and orange marmalade exploding from the glass in full throttle. The entry is full, lush and smooth. There is an incredible viscosity to the wine. Stone fruits and citrus dominate with a slight sweetness (not surprising given the pic on the right), but this is quickly balanced with a distinct minerality. There's a lot of Oak on this but the minerals and acidity combine to create an amazing harmony. The heartbreak of only having this one bottle is setting in. Will be curious to see how recent vintages stack up under their current winemaker. I remember tasting this for the first time 3 or so years ago and this is definitely one of those wines I'll remember. My other half and I are about to go to WAR for the last glass. — 9 years ago

Eldon Sproule

9.0

Viognier is quickly becoming one of B.C.'s best grapes and this one does not disappoint. A very full body and smooth, buttery texture. Well oaked. A good line of acidity runs throughout. Begins citrusy; orange, grapefruit and lemon. A few herbaceous notes lead into a finish that is a tug of war between oaky and acidity. Very complex wine, but pleasing from start to finish. — 10 years ago

Gae Saccoccio - NdC

9.8

Vintage 1949 in Burgundy according to Broadbent: “..most perfect end of a decade - elegant, well-balanced wines”; Clive Coates in his book Cote D'Or: "best vintage of 40's all-perfect beauty and purity”; Robert M. Parker Jr.: “it was the best of post world war II vintages before 1959”
Henri Leroy at that time was négociant based in Auxey-Duresses, his mythical daughter Lalou Bize-Leroy in 1949 was only seventeen.
Les Cazetiers is amongst the most elevated of Premier Cru site in Gevrey-Chambertin - and indeed the whole of Burgundy.
I drank this precious bottle on Mount Etna with #FrankCornelissen and other dear friends. Uncork this bottle lead to a surgical operation. Just begun to pull it out, a light breath of wine molecule with air bubbles magically have emerged on the surface of the cork. It's been like witness the passing away of a dying old man (or Pinot Noir must be a woman?) That humanized wine had held "élan vital", hope and breath inside him for the last 66 years! A miracle of a wine still so tasty, robust, citrusy, vibrant, earthy, incredibly alive and well-preserved despite color and neck level did not bode so well.. that's what I thought and I'll remember until I die: "the wine was waiting for us to drink it up, he gave off his mortal blow to offer us life, joy and smile!" — 10 years ago

with Alberto

Jeffrey Long

9.2

Needs to open up, but great potential here. Not bad for a cool summer evening with crispy fried hogs head. — 11 years ago

Erik Sjolund

8.9

Very juicy. Like marmelade. Lots o red fruit, w light tannins. Can't really find the bell pepper dryness of a cab franc, but os very tasty. Not too long or big, but juicy. — 10 years ago

dmoore61

9.2

Great wine, great win! Actually a great, robust wine. Nose engaging, strong blackberry. Full but not invasive presence over the palette. Hey, War Eagle! #WCWS — 10 years ago

Delectable Blue

8.9

Not a bad wine by any means, but there is also nothing exceptional or particularly interesting about it either. The basic fruit flavours are succulent, including plum and blackberry, the wine is very well balanced, and the tannins are quite fine and slightly drying. But there is not a lot of complexity going on. There are some basic savoury (meaty) flavours and a hint of peppery spice and subtle oak. A very quaffable shiraz, quite nice really. — 10 years ago

admiral von schnauzer

9.0

Just for style points alone, open a '48 vouvray. Not really sure what it tasted like, frame of reference is a little cloudy on just post war chenin. But fun. Completely mature big surprise but still sort of vibrant — 10 years ago

Martin Frowde

9.0

Deep purple colour and lovely inviting wild blackcurrant bouquet. Very pleasant blackberry and plum flavour, the alcohol level not extreme but at a noticeable level though. Bought from selfridges. — 11 years ago

with Georgina

Nathaniel DiMaggio

8.9

Yummy. Not sure where this Riesling war is going... — 11 years ago