Peter van den Besselaar

9.4

Vintage 1995 | Vanilla, forrest wood, true to type, well balanced but also tannins - very good effort — 15 days ago

Jeroen Koenen

9.3

Wonderful nose! On the palate… it’s elegant, light, fresh and sinewy, — 20 days ago

John Van Trijp

9.3

Little bit green? Have to retaste it — 21 days ago

Vino Joe

9.5

This should cellar longer. Maybe another 5 yrs before I try again. Decanted over 3 hrs. Tight in first hour. It needs a lot air now. Many layers and complex fruit. It lingers. Meaty after taste. Dark fruit. Earthy. I liked it very much and look forward to the next one. — 8 days ago

Mark Ashley

9.0

Fruity, full-bodied, a bit of pepper. I’d drink it again. — 4 days ago

Alessandro Dalle Carbonare

9.4

New blend.
35 Merlot 45 Fran 20 Sauv
94-95 — 19 days ago

John Van Trijp

9.8

En primeur — 21 days ago

Shay A

9.2

Annual birthday WWC hosting. As normal, 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds, 1 dessert, all presented blind.

Fun to open birth year wines around your birthday, especially when you can do a Bordeaux and Napa side by side. While not a great vintage, this held up well after a few hours and presented as expected. Clean and zero Brett. Great color! Deep ruby with hardly any bricking. Leather, cassis, vanilla pipe tobacco on the nose. Sporting a good bit of dusty red and black fruits (mostly tart raspberries and blackberries), there was a little savory truffle note mixed with an herbal and mocha finish. Still quite grippy. Pretty. — 23 days ago

Ron Siegel

9.3

Like most 05’s this will need more time — 15 days ago

Alessandro Dalle Carbonare

9.6

Precise, minty, fresh. Subtle on the entrance then arrives a great weight. Quite tipical Ducru-Beaucaillou even tho is lacking something to make it very great. Probably a bit too austere. — 20 days ago

Alessandro Dalle Carbonare

9.8

Despite the lack of precision compared to other vintages this wine keeps impressing immensely. Strong and fine it shows freely into the palate giving really a lot of pleasure. — 21 days ago

Alessandro Dalle Carbonare

9.4

Beautiful. A bit of everything. Freshness, depth, fruit and minerality. Long and pleasant finish.
94 + — 21 days ago

Alessandro Dalle Carbonare

9.5

Intense. Closing a bit “technical” for my taste. Will improve. 95+ — 21 days ago

Alessandro Dalle Carbonare

9.3

Pure and précise. Time will reward. — 21 days ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.6

Drinking so well. A great wine and a first for me. It’s got so much freshness and energy is the headline. Nose is cassis, vanilla, tobacco, spice and some hints of black fruits. Also a background of awesome minerality. A plump nose which belies what comes on the palate. It’s rich but just teeming with energy and so much black and red fruit that is super crunchy and luscious. Gorgeous clarity to the minerality and a freshness I haven’t tasted in Bordeaux maybe ever. I really like the vibe of this wine. The finish keeps pumping. Very very impressive. It’s also so sappy on the finish and just outrageously complex. — 9 days ago

John Bratincevic

9.2

NOSE: rodent (second time tonight!), barnyard, hay (redundant, but “barnyard” in my world means animals and their accompanying mess, hay is for the animals), wet rocks. Fruit is dry and receded and near-theoretical.

TASTE: elegant indeed. Medium weight, tannins nicely smoothed with age, dried herbs (old lady perfume), dried blackberry. 92. — 14 days ago

Ron Siegel

9.3

Consistent with my last btl showing rich red & black fruit with sweet, savory spice, graphite & tobacco notes — a month ago

Alessandro Dalle Carbonare

9.3

Piacevole artigianalita. Naturally expressive. Quite untouched fruit. Finish a bit harsh. May improve. — 21 days ago

Alessandro Dalle Carbonare

9.5

Vinoso. Bello. Finissimo e maturo. Fresco e piacevolmente acido — 21 days ago

Vanessa

9.3

It’s always a resounding ‘YES’ for JL Chave!!

That includes this luscious and concentrated Syrah from Saint-Joseph AOC in the Northern Rhône of France.

Domaine Jean-Louis Chave is a benchmark and icon of the Rhône Valley – a family-run operation since 1481 – with an entire range of deliciousness through the Domaine Jean-Louis Chave and JL Chave Selection portfolios.

This wine is deep ruby, trending on purple. It has pronounced aromas and flavors of boysenberry, blueberry, black cherry, cassis, pomegranate, also violet, bacon, sanguine, saddle leather, pipe tobacco, clove, cigar, damp earth, and black peppercorn. Alcohol is high (14.5% ABV) with medium (+) fine-grained and well-integrated tannins, medium (+) acidity, a medium (+) body, and a long, elegant finish.

It has a rustic and savory character with robust dark fruit notes; it’s layered, complex, structured, and age-worthy, benefitting from decanting. Still, it’s tasting wonderfully now.

Cheers to JL Chave and treasures of the Rhône!! — a month ago

with Deked1