Bob McDonald

9.0

See several previous tasting notes for this wine. This was made back in the day when Hunter Valley reds had strayed from their medium bodied, savoury, sweaty saddle origins to being riper and more full bodied like a South Australian Red. This was declared in a speech by Chief Winemaker at the time, Jim Chatto, at a dinner I attended at the winery. Also plenty of oak still evident at 15 years of age. I prefer the original Hunter Valley style which Mount Pleasant has wisely reverted to utilising the wonderful old vine fruit at its disposal. Tasted again 35 weeks later on 26th March 2022. Nothing to add to the note here. A Hunter Valley wine trying to look like a South Australian wine back in 2006 with ripe fruit and oak. Thankfully HV reds have returned to the medium weight savoury long living style that Maurice O’Shea made in the 1950’s. — 5 years ago

Hajime Kawasaki

9.0

美味しい。
デサートワインと銘打っているが、甘さはそれほどでも無い。爽やかな飲口。
フルーティだが複雑。 — 6 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.7

From a bottle with a nice fill and solid cork. Tawny color. Dense. Exotic nose. Notes of plum, black cherries, old wood desk, tobacco, leather saddle, dark soil and a little menthol. Improved over 5 hours as it got more air. Long finish. A truly great aged bottle of HB. — 7 years ago

Matt

9.2

Gorgeous, true to form and place, lovely acid balance that offers a nice energy and backbone. Blackberry bramble, cocoa powder, coffee bean, smoked meat, blood sausage, wet slate. Plenty of juice and charm here. — 8 years ago

Alexandre Calvi

9.5

Nuf said, super fresh and just ripe e black plums, Cherry 🍒 and sweet tannins soft black sky spices. #unforgettable — 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

A redo after that disappointing 2002 Pichon Lalande two weeks ago on #steakandclaret night. While this is not again what I expect from this producer, it is better than the 02. Nose of cedar, fresh tobacco, stones and dry soil, quiet baking baking spices, ripe & lean; blackberries, dark cherries, cherries, strawberries, pomegranate, hues of blueberries, light mushroom, soft leather, black licorice cola and fresh red florals. The body is leaner to medium and well resolved. The fruits are fresh & bright. Dark cherries, cherries, lean blackberries, strawberries, cherries, pomegranate & cranberry juice, hues of blue fruits, saddle-wood, sweet suede leather, fresh tobacco leaf, cedar, dry stones, top soil & rich turned dark earth, limestone minerals, dry stems, slight touch of dry herbs, round, mouthwatering acidity and lean, long, well balanced fruit & earth, good structured finish with length. Finish lasts a full minute. Still 8-10 years of good drinking ahead. 9.3 with the ribeye. — 9 years ago

Dan Michael

9.2

Another spot on wine from Morgan, I love the back label story about his grandmother passing along the love of wine in their family. Grenache is so much about how it is grown, and the sourcing for this wine delivers great fruit. The winemaking is restrained which lets the fruit shine thru. What a lock with our Applewood smoked baby back ribs! — 5 years ago

Jim McCusker

9.1

This was quite good - and better than the 2013 Moon, which I’m pretty sure received a higher rating. Probably just past peak, however, so I wouldn’t advise hanging on to this one much longer. — 5 years ago

with Vanessa

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. — 7 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.8

From a pristine bottle with a 4cm fill and an appropriate cork. Reddish tawny color with reddish amber rims. Barely translucent. Looks young for its age. Notes of rich warm fruit, cassis, smoke, some cedar planks, and a whole lot of leather saddle. Incredibly rich in the mouth. Silky. Long impactful finish. This wine appears to have no end of life in sight for it. Guesses were all in the 1980’s. Amazing wine. BDay dinner 10/12. — 8 years ago

Jorge I. Montalvo

9.3

Dry with a peppery finish. Very drinkable — 8 years ago

Mickey K

9.5

Excellent, bold new world take on a traditional CDR. Tobacco and raisins. Maybe cinnamon or cardamom. But more fruit forward with jammy dark berries. Tangy. — 8 years ago

Paul Weil

9.0

An always impressive effort, this Bordeaux style blend never disappoints. This vintage is par for the course- a big wine, with thick chewy tannins and rich mocha cherry flavors. The lingering finish is lice aniseed pop rocks on the tongue. — 9 years ago

Konstantin K

9.1

Not too dry — 5 years ago

Ruben Lozano

9.2

2021 welcome — 5 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

Mmmm....better. 1999 was a meh vintage to most critics. I find it has evolved to better things with this much time in bottle.

The nose reveals, ruby and candied; blackberries, black cherries, black plum skin, black raspberries, raspberries, poached cherries & strawberries. Touch cooked green bell pepper, mixed berry licorice, anise to black licorice, used leather, saddle-wood to cedar, dark, moist, black earth, limestone, stones, graphite, vanilla, cinnamon stick, clove, nutmeg and dark spice, coffee, dark chocolate with fresh & withering, dark, red, blue and purple flowers.

The body is just full. The tannins are soft, round, chewy and tarry. The structure, tension, length and balance are pretty good for 99. ruby and candied; blackberries, black cherries, black plum skin, black raspberries, raspberries, poached cherries & strawberries. more cooked green bell pepper on the palate, mixed berry licorice, anise to black licorice, used leather, saddle-wood to cedar, dark, moist, black earth, limestone, stones, graphite, vanilla, cinnamon stick, clove, nutmeg and dark spice, coffee, dark chocolate with fresh & withering, dark, red, blue and purple flowers. The acidy is nice. The finish is elegant, well balanced but, not as rich as other good vintages Palmer. It is spicy and persists minutes on the palate.

Photos of; Chateau Palmer, their barrel room, a photo of their vineyard soil structure-if you didn’t know where all that earthiness comes from, a picture is worth a thousand words and their tasting room. — 7 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.7

Tasted blind. Reddish tawny, translucent and old looking. Awesome nose. Notes of leather saddle, pencil lead, currants, cherry, soil, and some toasted hickory. All guessed 61 Bordeaux. This got better through the night and was at its best in the last glass. — 8 years ago

Luna

10

Juicy red berries, eucalyptus, intense floral notes. Super funky, but yet so balanced. Playful. Like butterfies in your belly, it’s like a crazy romance. One of the best I drank in 2017! — 8 years ago

Moira Anne

9.5

Delicious and crisp wine, with slight berry note, but still quite dry and smooth. Great feature at total wine in VA — 9 years ago

Saman Hosseini

Writer Maison Abattoir

9.5

Stern, complex, savage.
Cassis, crunchy blackberry, kalamata olive, licorice, herbs, celery, creosote, saddle leather. Showing well, but no hurt in cellaring this for another 10 years. — 9 years ago