Jay Kline

10

A physically pristine example from a well established cellar, the cork pulled clean and without so much as a hint of compromise. It was subsequently double decanted several hours in advance. The 2000 Margaux pours a deep garnet color with a near opaque core; medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. The nose: developing and simply stunning. A cornucopia of cassis, black bramble fruit, purple flowers, tobacco, new leather, cocoa, fine woody notes, dry gravelly earth and gorgeous baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid; the structure acting like the flying buttresses of Notre Dame. Confirming the notes from the nose, the finish is forever long and impossibly silky. Sensationally balanced.

To my palate, this falls into the very small category of wines that require no additional inquest. It is utterly complete. And, when I consider the company and circumstances, perfect. Drink now with a healthy decant and through 2100. — 5 months ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Served alongside beef short rib, xo sauce, pickled mustard seed, cumin stir-fried asparagus. This bottle of 2006 was throwing a ton of sediment. Showing mostly red fruits with red currants, new leather, tobacco, earth, forest floor, baking spices…a touch green. Hello Cabernet Franc!! Good structure. The finish is long. Every time I have the opportunity to enjoy Sassicaia, I am reminded why it’s one of the great wines of Italy. I just wish it wasn’t so expensive. Drink now through 2036. — 6 months ago

Ron Siegel

9.3

Rustic old school styled Bordeaux with black fruits, cedar, leather, earth, graphite & cigar box. A wine I have had many times that is just hitting its prime with many years ahead — 8 months ago

Jay Kline

9.2

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of two days. Best on Day 2. The 2019 pours a pale garnet color with a transparent core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of Morello cherries, red roses, tangerine, pomegranate, talcum powder, dried sage, truffle, and dried stony earth. On the palate, the wine is bone dry with high tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and savory. A lovely expression of 2019 Barbaresco. Drink now with patience and through 2049. — 9 months ago

Nicolas Greinacher

9.5

Tasted blind. Totally different in style from the more elegant 1970 Château Petrus, the 1964 Château Cheval Blanc bursts with brettanomyces notes, but aristocratic and interesting rather than off-putting. Once your sense of smell gets past the brett, pronounced aromas of earth, dried plums and figs, cinnamon, licorice and mint emerge. Full-bodied, densely structured, concentrated and powerful, this is a hedonistic, sexy beast of a wine, waiting to be unleashed. Drink now. — 2 years ago

Pooneet K

9.2

Hard to imagine a more classic / perfect Bordeaux nose. Just screams those dark red fruit with leather and earth on the nose. Would not have guessed it was this old. Hard to say, though, if it will come together more with time versus staying slightly disjointed - the tannins and acid sort of follow after each other without a seamlessness that I’d expect. But still delicious. — 5 years ago

Marissa Panton

8.9

Easy drinking wine. No aftertaste. Good table wine. — 7 years ago

Erik Nordman

9.4

First time trying one of the Tempier reds. Damn, this is some towering, dense wine. Perfectly balanced though. Intense concentration without any overripeness or hyperextraction. Even this, the entry-level cuvée, obviously has the stuffing to age for a while. However, it's surprisingly giving now with expressive aromatics and layers of flavor. Nose of ripe strawberry and blackberry, fresh thyme, an almost smoky, arid, gravelly soil character, rich tobacco leaf, licorice root, a slight gameyness, and a slightly volatile, balsamic character. Palate is equally dense and ripe, but still has some lift to keep it from being quickly fatiguing. More ripe strawberry and raspberry, thyme herbaceousness, smoky gravel earth, tobacco, savory gaminess, and slightly volatile balsamic character. Medium (+) acid, medium (+) to high intensity incredibly fine-grained tannin, medium to medium (+) body. Begs to be joined by a rich lamb or beef dish to stand up to it. I'm gonna get another bottle of this and not touch it for quite a while because there's still so much room to unfurl and smooth out, even with it being as good as it is now because it's just almost too intense right now. Will be an amazing wine at maturity. — 8 years ago

with Cassie

Joe Paradise

9.1

One of, if not my favorite, rioja producers. Fruit on the 03 is a bit crisper than other vintages. Cranberry, tomato (leaf?), deftly deliberate oxidation, earth and savory balsamic, all framed in lovely oak. Fine integrated tannin. Long savory finish — 10 years ago

Paul Ricciardi

9.6

Very old world style Pinot. Lots of fruit and earth. Extremely complex yet soft and easy to drink. — 11 years ago

Jeroen Koenen

9.2

Shifting to a more feminine and elegant profile, after almost 20 years this still has a lot to offer. Complex fruity and umami notes of cherry, currants, pepper, spice, cured meat, tossed earth and truffle.
Great effort, year after year. — 5 months ago

Jay Kline

9.4

Part of a Chateau Mouton Rothschild vertical from 1988-1990. Early on, this was a probably my favorite of the three Moutons and showed well throughout the course of the evening. Expressive red and dark forest fruits with tobacco, leather, earth and baking spices. The structure was still showing its tensile strength. This has a long life ahead. Drink now through 2040. — 6 months ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

What a pair w/ Crostini, Chervil Sheep Cheese & Duck Confit. 👌

Dark, juicy, lush to mid fruit core, dark cherries, strawberries, hues of blueberries, raspberries, limestone, softened granitic earth, deeper red cola, black & red licorice, baseball card bubble gum, understated fresh herbs, dark, rich, sweet earth, hints of maple syrup, tree bark w/ sap, dark & red florals for days, excellent, round acidity and a well made, balanced, relaxed tension, polished, lush finish that lasts 90 seconds. Delicious.

This is better than some premier cru red burgundies for far less $.

Absolutely one of the top three producers of Grand Cru Gamay. — 6 months ago

Steve Mitchell

9.4

Nicely done McPrice Myers. — 9 months ago

Vino Joe

9.4

Very interesting wine. Nice mix of earth tea and lingering mouthfeel with cherry and fruit. Nice drinking window now. This was muscular and bursting. — 10 months ago

Scorewine

Wine writer http://www.israelwines.co.il

9.2

Visiting again this splendid Paulliac from the 2011 vintage. 2011 vintage was labeled as mediocre in Bordeaux and this lovely wine showed that it is actually a classic vintage with some great wines, so trust the chateau not only the vintage. The nose is tempting with notes if coffee, earth, oak, cassis, black fruits and hints of chocolate, the body is full with round tannins, acidity is splendid and finish is long. My score 92, drink to 2026, perhaps longer — 6 years ago

Stuart Pollack

9.7

Fantastic. Smooth, elegant and classic. Rioja like it should be, with nose of pepper, sour cherry and pepper finish. Start is leather and earth. A great wine. — 7 years ago

Jonathan Pytko

10

Education wine, awesome earth and acid. Still has time in the bottle — 8 years ago

with Andrew

Alder Yarrow

Wine Blogger Vinography

9.4

Cloudy ruby, this wine smells of earth and cedar and dried red fruits. In the mouth, dried flowers and forest floor mix with river-mud-tannins and a bright juicy acidity. Tasted out of magnum. — 9 years ago

Ira Schwartz

9.4

An earth driven nose with overtones of garrigue. This wine was terroir driven vs fruit driven. Compared to the other vintages I found this wine benefited the least from air. — 10 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.3

Black fruits, sweet earth & spice with graphite & tobacco — 5 months ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

Nearly 20 years in bottle. It is still ascending will drink well for another 15 days plus years.

From a warm vintage. Beautiful, even toned fruits with elegant earth & amazing lead pencil bloom for days.

This is approaching its peak, another 5 years from its peak.

Well resolved wine-fruits. The fruits are juicy, blackberries, black raspberries, plum skin, dark cherries & slightly, poached strawberries with a highlight of pomegranate. Mocha, dark chocolate, black tea, sandalwood, sandstone, limestone, some mushroom notes, dark, rich turned earth w/ dry leaves, dry tobacco, dry leather, dry herbs, dry stone, caramel notes, dry, withering, dark, purple & red flowers with excellent acidity, balance, tension, structure and finish for days that lasts 90 seconds. — 5 months ago

Jay Kline

9.5

Girl. Sup? Shoot. This was utterly brilliant tonight. Classic Bordeaux yet, even at 26 years young, somewhat precocious still. A beautiful mix of deep, dark and red fruit with currants, blackberries and cherries with chocolate, purple flowers, green pepper, tobacco, earth, leather and awesomeness. Plenty of structure to keep this strutting for years to come. Fabulous balance and complexity. Drink now through 2047+. — 8 months ago

Tom Garland

9.4

+1 hour decant(some fine/chunky sediment). A splendid crimson red color. On the nose: wonderful bouquet with plum, stewed meat, cassis, sweet tobacco, funky earth, leather. Taste: silky, finessed, balanced wine with red berries/plum, coffee grounds, cedar, tobacco, and a nice peppery pencil lead long finish. YUM! Pure class in a glass. — 8 months ago

with Brenda

Jay Kline

9.5

This bottle was a library release from the Chave cellars. Decanted about an hour prior to service (but could have benefited from more time) and enjoyed over the course of several hours. The 2001 Chave rouge pours a deep ruby/purple color with a near opaque core; medium+ viscosity with significant staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of charred blueberry pie, mushrooms, scorched earth, grilled meat, coffee, black pepper and soft baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and super complex. With more and more air, this really came into its own. Totally Chave. Totally Hermitage. Totally awesome. Drink now with a little patience and through 2041. — 10 months ago

David Kline

9.3

Pine nettle, Black plum reduction, cassis, blackberry tart, graphite, rye toast, caraway, dried roses, pecan and earth. Resilient and long, deep throaty echoes of red and black currents on campfire ash, cassis, oak bark, black olive and dried black currant for ever, plus a scribble of pencil.
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#1855 #classifiedgrowth #fourthgrowth #classifiedbordeaux #chateautalbot #Talbot #bordeaux #bordeauxrouge
#leftbank #leftbankbordeaux — 3 years ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.1

Intense cherries and cassis aromas. Dark Cherry, Plum and Blackberry flavors with hints chocolate, earth and leather. Dark color and chewy tannins. Well balanced. Thanks for sharing, Keith — 8 years ago

Alex Xu

9.7

Incredible. Jaboulet family apparently inconsistent in final years of ownership, but this one had everything. So dense still, with lots of kalamata olive, olive brine, cherry, blackberry, black pepper, leather, cured meat, earth. Savory, sweet, powerful, elegant, hit every end of the taste spectrum. Super long. In magnum — 8 years ago

Scott Taddeo

9.1

2005- a wine that's just moved into its older age. Dark fruits, dried fruits also, shellac, vanilla bourbon and damp earth. Beautifully integration on the palate, in a good place now. — 9 years ago

Reilly Brock

9.4

Awesome! Everything I love about VT and CDP. Earth and fruit in perfect balance. — 10 years ago